Rutgers receives probation but avoids major NCAA sanctions
The NCAA placed Rutgers on probation for two years and reprimanded and censured the university for failing to monitor its football program over a five-year period between 2011 and 2015.
The Division I Committee on Infractions ruled Friday that Rutgers did not ensure its drug-testing program followed university policy and NCAA rules, and that former football coach Kyle Flood failed to monitor his operations staff and violated school policy by contacting an instructor to make a special academic arrangement for an athlete.
The ruling was lenient in that the NCAA accepted most of Rutgers’ self-imposed sanctions. The school was hit with reductions in the number of off-campus recruiting days and official campus visits by recruits during the 2017-18 academic year but avoided stiffer sanctions such as vacated wins, scholarship reductions or a bowl-game ban.
Flood and athletic director Julie Hermann were fired after the 2015 season. Utah edges Arizona
Utah’s opportunistic defense forced five turnovers, and the No. 23 Utes hung on to defeat Arizona 30-24 in the teams’ Pac-12 Conference opener at Tucson.
Utah (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) intercepted three of Brandon Dawkins’ passes and recovered two fumbles, including one by Dawkins at the Utes’ 20-yard line with 2:41 to play. Corrion Ballard then intercepted a Dawkins pass with 2:07 left to end the last hope for the Wildcats (2-2, 0-1). Virginia routs Boise
Kurt Benkert threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns to lead Virginia past Boise State 42-23, the Broncos’ worst home loss since 2001.
Virginia (3-1) notched its first win west of the Mississippi River since 1991, when it beat Brigham Young 45-40. In avenging an embarrassing 56-14 loss to Boise State in 2015, the Cavaliers also surpassed their victory total from last season, when they went 2-10.
Etc.
All five members of the Wheaton College football team who were charged with battery of a teammate have turned themselves in to police . . . . The NCAA Division III attendance record is expected to fall when St. John’s and St. Thomas of Minnesota meet Saturday. More than 35,000 tickets have been sold for the game at Target Field in Minneapolis.