In brief: Carroll declines to name starting QB for Trojans
While coach Pete Carroll declined to identify Southern California’s starting quarterback before the 13th-ranked Trojans left Los Angeles for Saturday’s game at Notre Dame, third-year sophomore Mark Sanchez appears on track to get the call.
John David Booty sat out USC’s 20-13 victory over Arizona last weekend because of a broken middle finger on his throwing hand. Sanchez filled in, and completed 19 of 31 passes for 130 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions in his first career start.
“The Baylor assistant football coach cited for public urination resigned. Offensive line coach Eric Schnupp was suspended indefinitely by the university this week after being cited for urinating on the bar at a tavern.
“Nebraska interim athletic director Tom Osborne responded to reports that football coach Bill Callahan said the former coach was “trying to run things from Washington” while he was a U.S. congressman. Callahan allegedly called Osborne a “crusty old (expletive),” according to former Nebraska football trainer Doak Ostergard.
College basketball
Media grills Sampson
Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson tried to talk basketball.
Instead, he spent much of a 30-minute news conference in Bloomington, Ind., answering more questions about his latest NCAA infractions.
At times, Sampson appeared frustrated, saying, “This is the last thing I’m going to say about this, period.”
At another point, when asked about making phone calls to Roderick Wilmont, now playing in the National Basketball Development League, Sampson drew laughter when he humorously cut off the question by saying “be careful with that word.”
Sampson tried talking about practice, the progress of highly touted freshman Eric Gordon and how good this year’s Hoosiers might be. Still, the questions about more impermissible phone calls would not go away.
“There’s no distractions. We practice every day,” Sampson said.
“A lawyer who represented a Rutgers University women’s basketball player complained to the school that her coach pressured the athlete to drop a lawsuit against Don Imus over the radio host’s sexist and racist remarks about the team.
Junior Kia Vaughn dropped her slander and defamation suit in September against Imus, who called Rutgers’ players “nappy headed hos.”
“Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett received a two-year contract extension that could keep him at the school through 2013.
Miscellany
Beckham returns
Jozy Altidore’s header in the 16th minute gave the New York Red Bulls a 1-1 tie with Los Angeles in Carson, Calif., when David Beckham played for the first time in 1 1/2 months and the Galaxy kept their slim playoff hopes alive. Beckham entered as a substitute in the 68th minute.
“Michael Allen matched his career-low round with a 7-under-par 63 to take the first-round lead in the Fry’s Electronics Open at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.