Notre Dame QB still on sideline
Golson showing aftereffects of concussion, but expected to be ready for BYU game
The Irish (6-0) are coming off an overtime victory over the Cardinal and have a big game looming at 10th-ranked Oklahoma next week. Kelly says the only way BYU (4-3) becomes a trap game is if the Irish forget the work it took to remain undefeated.
Meanwhile, the national coordinator of NCAA football officials said the decision to uphold the ruling on the field for the final play of the Stanford-Notre Dame game was correct. Field officials ruled Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor’s progress had been stopped before he reached the ball across the goal line for what would have been a potential tying touchdown on fourth-and-goal in overtime.
Replay officials reviewed the play and the call was confirmed, giving Notre Dame a 20-13 win Saturday.
National coordinator of officials Rogers Redding said there was nothing unusual about the way officials on the field or in the replay booth handled the decisive play. He also said that from the replay he saw, he “would have to let that call stand.”
LOUISIANA STATE — Sports Illustrated is reporting that former Tigers cornerback Tyrann Mathieu might have violated NCAA rules by promoting a night club while he was still a member of the team. The magazine reported Mathieu appeared in a video made by a group of his friends that goes by the name Era Nation in which he promotes a party at a Baton Rouge, La., club called The Palace on March 10.
His pictures were also on fliers promoting the event called “Era Nation Album Release Party For Tyrann Mathieu.” The flier also featured photographs of former Louisiana State star Mo Claiborne, now with the Dallas Cowboys, and current LSU defensive tackle Anthony Johnson.
NCAA rules prohibit student-athletes from allowing their names or pictures to be used in advertising the sale of a product or service.
LSU spokesman Michael Bonnette said the school is aware of the promotional material with Johnson’s photograph but does not believe he committed an NCAA violation.
“We are comfortable that Anthony did not know about it,” Bonnette said.
Claiborne was done playing for LSU at the time the flier was distributed. Mathieu was dismissed from the team in August for failing a drug test and entered a treatment program run by former NBA player John Lucas.
Instead of transferring to another lower-division school to play this season,
Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson did not pass all his cognitive tests after sustaining a concussion against Stanford and will not be allowed to resume practice until at least today.
Coach Brian Kelly said Golson is making progress but did not pass the computer portion of the cognitive test Tuesday. Kelly said he expects Golson to be ready to play against Brigham Young on Saturday. But Kelly said he is getting backups Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix ready just in case.
COLLEGE NOTES Mathieu re-enrolled at LSU but is not playing football. Any NCAA issues could affect his ability to return to football with LSU or another school next season
MIAMI — The Hurricanes are still preparing for Ryan Williams to be their starter Saturday when they play host to No. 12 Florida State.
But Miami is nowhere near ready to rule Stephen Morris out for that game. Morris sprained his left ankle in last week’s loss to North Carolina and has not practiced since.
TEXAS A&M — Defensive back Steven Campbell left the team because of lingering problems from a concussion. Campbell suffered a concussion several weeks ago and hasn’t played since.
Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said the senior will remain in school. Campbell had nine tackles in two games this season and had 82 tackles, a sack and an interception in his career.
No. 20 Texas A&M hosts sixth-ranked LSU on Saturday.
IOWA — Leading rusher Mark Weisman’s status for Saturday’s game against Penn State is uncertain after he sprained his right ankle in last week’s double-overtime win over Michigan State.
Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz said Weisman had an MRI performed Monday that didn’t reveal anything serious. But Ferentz said Weisman would have to make a lot of progress to play against the Nittany Lions.
MINNESOTA — Coach Jerry Kill has returned from his latest seizure, saying he’s “going full speed” after the episode following Saturday’s loss to Northwestern. Kill spent that night in a hospital but was discharged Sunday morning after tests confirmed he was in “excellent health,” according to team physician Dr. Pat Smith.
Kill has had a long history with seizures.
Whether quarterback MarQueis Gray will be playing in Saturday’s game at Wisconsin remains a question. The senior has been wearing a walking boot on a sprained left ankle he aggravated in Saturday’s game, and Kill said Gray tried to jog Tuesday and “struggled a little bit with it.”
TALK-SHOW HOST SUSPENSION — A sports talk-show host in Columbus, Ohio, who tweeted he wished ESPN’s Desmond Howard would get fired or die has been suspended by his station.
Dave Van Stone, president and general manager of WBNS 97.1 The Fan, confirmed that Scott Torgerson was suspended indefinitely for the tweet. WBNS is an ESPN affiliate and the flagship station for Ohio State athletics.
Howard is a former Heisman Trophy winner at Ohio State’s chief rival, Michigan.
Kirk Herbstreit, a former Ohio State player who is a college football analyst on ESPN with Howard, blasted Torgerson during his own WBNS program. Herbstreit said the tweet was “disgusting and very sad” and “crossed a line.”