Jack Swarbrick, Notre Dame's athletic director who is wrestling with the biggest decision facing anyone in college sports today, is fascinated by leaders and will be seeking leadership qualities foremost if he makes a change involving football coach Charlie Weis
We're always thankful for the little things, especially small-college news that comes in modest doses:
CHAMPAIGN -- No. 20 Illinois knew it would need to step up its game Tuesday night against pesky Wofford, which already had won at Georgia and given Pitt and Bradley serious scares.
Rick Telander: Charlie Weis smells like an ex-Notre Dame coach to me. People have been demanding Chuck's fleshy, flat-topped head almost since the day he was rewarded by Notre Dame brass with a 10-year contract extension worth $30 million to $40 million -- after just seven games as head coach.
In his first three college games, Northwestern freshman Drew Crawford scored a combined 12 points. He made Tuesday a performance to remember.
In yet another sign Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis will be fired after the Irish play at Stanford on Saturday, athletic director Jack Swarbrick told WLS-AM (890) on Tuesday that Weis will be returning to South Bend after the regular-season finale.
Notre Dame coach Mike Brey wasn't asked about the play of Luke Harangody until his postgame news conference was almost over.
Except for a couple of war-year games against military teams, Illinois' trip Friday to No. 5 Cincinnati (11 a.m., Ch. 7) will be its first nonconference game after the end of its Big Ten season since 1910.
Except for a couple of war-year games against military teams, Illinois' trip Friday to No. 5 Cincinnati (11 a.m., Ch. 7) will be its first nonconference game after the end of its Big Ten season since 1910.
Covering sports in this town for more than 25 years certifies one as a card-carrying cynic. But my buddy, the Notre Dame subway alum (which means his heart always has been in South Bend even if his body never has sat in an ND classroom), puts me to shame.
Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen was sporting a black eye behind the tinted visor he wore to practice Tuesday. According to a university official, Clausen was punched outside a South Bend bar early Sunday morning.
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis refused to answer any questions Tuesday about the altercation Jimmy Clausen was in Sunday morning outside a South Bend, Ind., bar.
Don't believe everything you hear. A Wofford is not a new breakfast menu item.
Don't believe everything you hear. A Wofford is not a new breakfast menu item.
Will Walker scored 25 points, and Devin Hill made a couple of big jumpers down the stretch to lead DePaul to a 58-51 victory Monday against Saint Joseph's in the third-place game of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
Six Northwestern players and four from Illinois were chosen for the 2009 Big Ten all-conference team as selected by league coaches on Monday.
Loyola used an 18-3 run in the second half to come back from a 10-point deficit against Western Michigan, then made free throws in the final minute to hold off the Broncos in a 60-58 victory Monday at the Gentile Center.
Will Walker scored 25 points to lead DePaul to a 58-51 victory over Saint Joseph's on Monday night in the third-place game at the Paradise Jam. The Blue Demons (3-1) held their fourth straight opponent under 60 points to start the season.
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis held his usual news conference Sunday alone and with no news about his future employment status. Weis said he and Swarbrick have not had any such meeting. They saw each other only briefly in the locker room Saturday, after Notre Dame dropped to 6-5 with a 33-30 home loss in overtime to Connecticut (5-5).
The crescendoing barely had stilled Saturday at Ryan Field when Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald began the bold vittling that is likely to continue until the Wildcats' bowl assignment is announced Dec. 6.
The Juice got loose and helped get Northwestern back into the win column.
Maybe it's time Notre Dame thinks about a monumental change. One that goes deeper than the football coach. One that lets the Irish keep their national-championship options open but gives them other options as well.
Tyler Smith made two clinching free throws with 13.7 seconds left, and No. 10 Tennessee held off DePaul 57-53 in the semifinals Sunday of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
Charlie Weis met the media Sunday and tried to deflect questions about his Notre Dame future with about as much success as his 6-5 teams had this season. The embattled Weis said he had not met with athletic director Jack Swarbrick and did not discuss quitting.
CHAMPAIGN -- Now the season officially has started at Illinois: Bruce Weber brought out his first message hook for enigmatic playmaker Demetri McCamey in No. 23 Illinois' 94-48 rout of Presbyterian on Saturday.
Arms locked with his players, emotions anything but in check, Charlie Weis walked onto the field at Notre Dame Stadium for what certainly will be the last time as Irish coach. ''Just us being behind coach Weis 110 percent,'' quarterback and captain Jimmy Clausen said of the idea he and other team leaders devised.
Josh Pastner has ''Gratefulness'' posted above his office door. He gets his kicks coaching and doesn't need any additives to enjoy life.
NU coach Pat Fitzgerald (right) clearly was showing the strain of his team's sweet-and-dour season after its 33-31 upset of visiting Wisconsin completed a surprising 3-0 November and an 8-4 campaign. He delivered a pointed lecture on what bowl strata he believes his program and university deserve, snapping at media: ''Our resume is pretty attractive to any bowl game. I would hope that the representatives from any bowl we are eligible for would be attracted to us. Although [the media] will write other things, our fan base travels outstanding to bowl games, so make sure you check your facts. If you need any, see [NU athletic director] Dr. Jim Phillips. He'll make sure you have them, and they are crystal clear, when you write about the facts of our bowl attendance.'' ... The 32,150 who showed up at Ryan Field on Saturday -- the majority of whom wore Wisconsin red -- enabled the Wildcats to complete their seven-game home schedule with an announced average attendance of just more than 24,000 per game. That translates to approximately 52 percent capacity at Ryan Field. Maybe they will bring friends to the Northwestern bowl game. ... A much warmer postgame note was provided when NU defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz was presented with a game ball. Hankwitz, 61, was fired two years ago by Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema and has proved to be a heaven-sent mentor and calming influence to Fitzgerald and the Wildcats' defense. After the game, he admitted, ''[The win] was special for our players with what we've been through this season. To go 3-0 in November and beat two ranked teams -- it's one of the best [things] I've ever been part of.'' ... Hankwitz's defense held John Clay -- the Big Ten's leading rusher -- to 100 yards on the ground, 24 under his Big Ten average. Still, when asked if the Cats showed him anything he didn't expect, Clay replied, ''No. We did good studying this week, and we felt like we knew them pretty good. They didn't throw too much at us that we couldn't handle.'' ... Andrew Brewer, once a starting quarterback for Northwestern, left 'em with something to talk about at Ryan Field, finishing with six catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns. He has been the team's primary deep threat.
Virginia Commonwealth never trailed in an 82-69 upset of No. 17 Oklahoma on Saturday night in Richmond, Va.
ATHENS, Ohio -- It looked like all Northern Illinois' potent offense needed was one final at-bat to pull off a come-from-behind victory in a wild-and-wooly affair with Ohio on Saturday. But the Huskies failed twice in the final five minutes to seal their fate in a 38-31 loss in a Mid-American Conference crossover.
Avoiding mistakes was the key, and Ohio State did exactly that Saturday while defeating Michigan 21-10 in Ann Arbor for its sixth consecutive victory in the series.
Wide receiver Golden Tate said Saturday he might not be back for his senior season. ''I don't know,'' said Tate, who had nine catches for 123 yards in the 33-30 home loss to Connecticut. ''Coach [Charlie] Weis and I will talk about that when the time's appropriate. Right now, I'm playing for the seniors; I'm trying to win the last game.'' Tate set a host of records, including two on the same 39-yard pass play in the first quarter. He became Notre Dame's single-season leader in receptions when he lined up as a tailback and caught his 79th pass in the left flat, breaking Jeff Samardzija's record set in 2006. Tate's 1,253 yards also eclipsed Samardzija's mark for most receiving yards in a season (1,249) set in 2005. Tate owns the school record with 14 career games of 100 or more yards receiving. Tate broke Tom Gatewood's mark of 13 (1969-71) and is tied with Gatewood (1970) for most 100-plus games in a season (eight). He also said he wants Notre Dame to bring back Weis for a sixth season. ''I want to see him come back,'' Tate said. ''We have a great relationship on and off the field. Without coach Weis calling these plays, I wouldn't be where I am right now.'' ... UConn coach Randy Edsall said the game ball was going to the family of Jasper Howard, the Huskies player who was murdered Oct. 18. ''Because I know one thing, that little No. 6 was up there looking down on us today,'' Edsall said. ''It's just another game, but you've got to understand the human part of this, and you've got to understand what this team has gone through. A couple of close games, and then you lose a teammate, you lose a brother, you lose a son and you're trying so hard to honor him by winning on the field. We hadn't done that. It is emotional. If it wasn't emotional, to me, you're not human.'' ... Senior right tackle Sam Young became Notre Dame's all-time leader in games started. It was his 49th consecutive start over four seasons. ... For the second consecutive game, starting right guard Trevor Robinson left with an injury. ... The Irish were happy to have Ben Turk back punting against UConn. Turk, who missed the Pittsburgh game because of the flu, averaged 47 yards per punt. Eric Maust averaged only 28.5 yards per punt at Pittsburgh. ... Kicker Nick Tausch was a pregame scratch because of an injury and missed his second straight game. ... One of the recruits hosted by Notre Dame on Saturday was Kyle Prater, a 6-5, 205-pound wide receiver from Proviso West. Prater reportedly has given a verbal commitment to USC but now has interest in Notre Dame, Illinois and Oklahoma.
Connecticut finally won one for their slain teammate, beating Notre Dame on senior day and handing Fighting Irish coach Charlie Weis another bitter defeat. Andre Dixon scored on a 4-yard touchdown run in the second overtime to give the Huskies a 33-30 victory, their first win since cornerback Jasper Howard was stabbed to death.
Wisconsin fans will bring the energy. Northwestern fans will bring the bon mots and brie. And the unpredictable regular season of the Wildcats will thankfully, happily, mercifully pitter-patter to an end at Ryan Field today.
Mike Kafka hit Andrew Brewer with two first-half touchdown passes and Brian Peters and Jordan Mabin made key defensive plays late as Northwestern beat No. 17 Wisconsin 33-31 on Saturday.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Tate Forcier threw four interceptions and fumbled in his end zone, and No. 9 Ohio State took advantage to beat Michigan 21-10 Saturday for its sixth straight win in the series.
Jeffrey Jordan is eligible to make his season debut when No. 23 Illinois hosts Presbyterian tonight. But unlike his brother, Marcus, who provoked a firestorm by insisting on wearing Nikes at Adidas-affiliated Central Florida, there will be no shoe controversy involving the Illinois chapter of Heir Jordan -- the Illini are longtime members of the Nike camp.
DeKALB, Ill. -- Second to one. That's where players on the Northern Illinois and Ohio University football teams find themselves as they prepare for today's Mid-American Conference crossover game in Athens, Ohio. The Huskies and Bobcats are both 7-3 overall and 5-1 in their respective divisions.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Even though this could be Charlie Weis' last home game as Notre Dame's coach, he insisted he won't be thinking about that when the Irish host Connecticut today.
Jeremiah Kelly had a career-high 18 points and eight rebounds, and DePaul closed with a 20-6 run to beat Northern Iowa 60-52 on Friday in the first round of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Joey Elliott threw a career-high four touchdown passes to help Purdue beat Indiana 38-21 on Saturday and retain the Old Oaken Bucket.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Daryll Clark passed for 310 yards and four touchdowns as No. 13 Penn State wrapped up its regular season with a 42-14 victory at Michigan State on Saturday.
Neil Hayes: Let's not overcomplicate a process that already should have begun at Notre Dame. If Jack Swarbrick decides Brian Kelly is his top candidate, he should make the Cincinnati coach an offer. Notre Dame's athletic director should give him an exclusive, 48-hour negotiating window after which any potential deal will be withdrawn.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- As Notre Dame prepares to host UConn in the last home game of the season (1:30, Ch. 5, 890-AM), Irish coach Charlie Weis gave his seniors one more task before they're honored Saturday.
The biggest order of the day Saturday for Northwestern defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz will be trying to stop Wisconsin running back John Clay.
