Stallings Shows No Regrets Over Leaving Alabama

On the eve of his retirement as patriarch of Alabama football, Gene Stallings was clearly comfortable with his decision to step aside.

He reminisced Tuesday about the highs and lows of a career spanning nearly four decades, the time he spent playing and working for Paul “Bear” Bryant, and the past seven years as leader of one of college football’s most storied programs.

More than anything else, though, he was looking forward to his last game with the 16th-ranked Crimson Tide - today’s Outback Bowl at Tampa, Fla., against No. 15 Michigan.

“When I was at Alabama before, our X’s and O’s weren’t any better than anybody else’s. But the players thought they were,” Stallings said, referring to the seven seasons he spent as an assistant under Bryant from 1958-64.

“Just the mere fact that we had coach Bryant on our sideline, the players felt we had an advantage,” he added, breaking into a smile. “I don’t think they feel that way with me over there.”

There wasn’t the slightest hint of sadness in the 61-year-old coach’s voice. He insisted he’s prepared for Michigan the way he would any other opponent and that he doesn’t think his players have attached any added importance to the game, either.

“I’ve never tried to get a player to come to Alabama because of me… . I’ve never tried to sell the idea of winning a game for me,” Stallings said. “They’re going to try to win because Michigan is the next game on the schedule.”

Cougars with attitude

Brigham Young has a point to prove in the Cotton Bowl.

What better way for the No. 5 Cougars to prove they and the Western Athletic Conference belong in the bowl alliance than whip a Big 12 team like No. 14 Kansas State (9-2) before a national television audience in today’s game at Dallas?

WAC commissioner Karl Benson called the snub of the 13-1 Cougars an “injustice” and said the league would press the NCAA for a playoff format. BYU officials also have discussed possible legal action after the bowls.

A Fiesta Bowl berth would have meant $8.5 million to the Cougars and the WAC. The Cotton Bowl, a second-tier bowl which lost out in its bid to become an Alliance Bowl, pays only $2.5 million per team.

It’s 1 vs. 2 in Gator Bowl

It’s certainly not Florida-Florida State, but the Gator Bowl is being billed as the national championship of defenses.

West Virginia enters today’s game at Jacksonville, Fla., with the nation’s No. 1 defense, allowing 217.5 yards per game. No. 12 North Carolina has the nation’s top scoring defense (10.0 points per game) and is No. 2 in total defense.

“I think the key word here is patience,” said North Carolina coach Mack Brown, who has led the Tar Heels (9-2) to five consecutive bowl appearances. “We have to take some deep shots, they will take some deep shots, but I don’t think you will see either offense try to go crazy and throw it every time against these two defenses because that’s when you get into trouble.”

North Carolina, trying to crack the top 10 in the final poll for the first time since finishing No. 9 in 1981, will be without all-ACC quarterback Chris Keldorf, who broke an ankle in the regular-season finale against Duke. That means sophomore Oscar Davenport will get his first start for the Tar Heels.

The No. 25 Mountaineers (8-3) recorded a school-record 54 sacks.

Penn State right at home

From the time the Fiesta Bowl served as little more than a chance for Arizona State to get in a postseason game, Joe Paterno has been making successful journeys to the desert for rewards both big and small.

Five times in the last 20 years Paterno has brought Penn State to Tempe, Ariz., for the Fiesta. Each time, he has come away with a win. The ultimate prize came a decade ago when the Nittany Lions headed home with a national championship after beating Miami.

“Obviously we’re very comfortable out here,” Paterno said Tuesday, amid final preparations for No. 20 Texas. “There’s no question that has helped us win.”

The stakes aren’t as high tonight when No. 7 Penn State takes on the upstart Longhorns, whose roller-coaster season was supposed to have ended long before the New Year’s Day bowl games. Neither team has hopes of a national championship, and neither has a gaudy record to protect.

But Penn State’s rich Fiesta Bowl tradition - which accounts for fully a fourth of the school’s bowl wins - will be on the line against a team of Texas gamblers who are on a roll of their own coming into their first Fiesta Bowl game.

Comings and goings

Juniors Tremain Mack and Kenard Lang will leave Miami for a shot at the NFL.

Lang, a 255-pound defensive end, is considered one of the best in the country. This season, Lang had 66 tackles and led the Hurricanes with 11-1/2 sacks.

Mack was considered the most likely candidate for an early shot at the NFL after enhancing his market value with an MVP performance in the Carquest Bowl.

California tight end Tony Gonzalez on Tuesday said he will forego his senior season to enter the NFL draft.

Gonzalez, a second-team All-American, led the nation’s tight ends with 44 receptions and 699 yards. He had nine catches for 69 yards in Cal’s Aloha Bowl loss to Navy on Christmas day.

Gonzalez also is a power forward for Cal’s basketball team. He is averaging 2.4 points and 2.8 rebounds a game.

Hue Jackson, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at California this season, has been hired to perform those duties at Southern California.

USC also announced that wide receivers coach Mike Sanford has been promoted to assistant head coach.