Pathon Arrested, Released

University of Washington wide receiver Jerome Pathon was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of allegedly disobeying a police officer Tuesday afternoon.

Pathon was released on $100 bail and is expected to play in today’s Aloha Bowl game against Michigan State.

“It was just a misunderstanding,” Pathon said. “We were just screwing around. It’s no big deal.”

Pathon reportedly refused to follow a police officer’s orders to stop while driving a moped on a sidewalk in a grass area of Kapiolani Park in the Waikiki Beach area at 3:10 p.m. Tuesday.

Honolulu police said an officer on a bicycle was injured slightly when he flew over his handlebars as he avoided a collison with Pathon.

Saban denies report

Michigan State coach Nick Saban angrily disputed reports that he is interested in leaving the school to become the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

Saban’s name is often rumored in connection with NFL jobs due to his experience as a defensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns from 1991-94. But, Saban has denied the report several times, and Wednesday lashed out at reporters for continuing to speculate - he apparently is upset that it might distract his team in its preparation for today’s Aloha Bowl.

During Wednesday’s final Aloha Bowl news conference, Saban asked where the reporter who broke the story was, then said he had read on the Internet that that reporter was interested in another job.

“That’s just like you guys talking about me going here, there and everywhere,” Saban said. “That’s just taking the bucket and throwing the you know what at the wall and seeing what sticks. There’s a big difference between reporting the news and creating news. I haven’t talked to anybody from Indy or any other NFL team, for that matter, and I don’t intend to.

“I told you before that if that was my goal that I would be there now. I had that opportunity last year (with the New York Giants) and if that was my goal I would be there now.”

Saban then stormed out of the news conference without taking any more questions.

MSU linebacker Ike Reese said the speculation hasn’t been a distraction for the Spartans. “What he told you here is what he’s told us,” Reese said.

Holidays with the Huards

The intense religious beliefs of UW quarterback Brock Huard are well-known, and he says he’s somewhat torn about playing a game on Christmas Day.

But he also said that in his football-mad family, watching the Aloha Bowl was something of a family tradition.

“We’d wake up in the morning and open presents and then it was football time,” Huard said. “Crazy as that sounds, that’s the household I grew up in. It’ll be a little different playing in this game because I’ve watched a lot of them.”

Pac-10 drought

The Huskies are favored to win today’s game, but that hasn’t meant a thing in recent years. The last four Pac-10 teams to play in this game were all favored to win, and all were sent home losers.

Cal lost to Navy last year, 42-38; UCLA lost to Kansas in 1995, 51-30; Stanford lost to Georgia Tech in 1991, 18-17; and Arizona lost to Syracuse in 1990, 28-0.

The Pac-10, though, is off to a rousing bowl start after Oregon’s 41-13 win over Air Force in the Las Vegas Bowl, and the conference was 23-7 in non-conference games this year.

Saban is wary of the UW’s skill-position players, pointing out that the Pac-10 is known for its fast receivers and good quarterbacks.

“Their speed and skill level on offense and their speed and quickness on defense will be most challenging for us,” Saban said. “We think we are prepared, but you never know for sure, especially in a bowl game, how your team is going to play.”