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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Petrino gives LSU job a look

Associated Press

Louisville football coach Bobby Petrino has met with LSU officials about the Tigers’ job but refused to say if he expected further talks.

“There’s no offer on the table,” he said Tuesday.

The LSU job opened when Nick Saban left for the Miami Dolphins. Petrino, who called his session with LSU a “preliminary meeting,” is in Memphis, where the No. 7 Cardinals play No. 10 Boise State in the Liberty Bowl on Friday.

“We agreed my focus would go to the bowl game and to finish the season – the great season that we’ve had,” Petrino said after practice at the University of Memphis.

He said LSU officials sought permission to talk with him from Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich.

“They asked for a quick meeting, and with Tom’s permission, I agreed to meet with them,” Petrino said. “We sat down Sunday morning in Nashville on my way here.”

Six days ago, Petrino received a raise from $550,000 to $1 million a season guaranteed, with more than $860,000 also possible in incentives.

Saban will coach LSU in the Capital One Bowl against Iowa on Saturday. Saban had the nation’s richest college football contract, a seven-year, $18.45 million deal he signed after winning a share of the national title in 2003. The school is completing a stadium expansion and a new football operations center.

Meanwhile, LSU officials received permission from Arkansas to talk to Razorbacks coach Houston Nutt, an Arkansas spokesman said.

San Jose reportedly hires Tomey

Dick Tomey, the career leader in coaching victories at both Arizona and Hawaii, has been hired to revive San Jose State’s struggling program, a school source said.

The source said that Tomey was chosen to succeed Fitz Hill, who resigned earlier in the month after four losing seasons.

San Jose State scheduled a news conference for today, but didn’t disclose the reason.

The 66-year-old Tomey is the assistant head coach at Texas under Mack Brown, helping to prepare the team for Saturday’s Rose Bowl.

The Longhorns declined comment.

Player killed over ‘trash talk’

Vanderbilt running back Kwane Doster was shot to death after his friends and a group of other men exchanged “trash talk” about their cars, Tampa, Fla., police said.

Police continued to appeal for help in making an arrest in the Sunday morning shooting. Police said they have suspects, but need witnesses who might have seen who fired the fatal shot.

Doster, 21, was shot to death at a sandwich shop after visiting a local club with two friends about 1:30 a.m. Sunday. While leaving the club, Doster’s friends had a discussion with three other men about their cars.