NEWARK, N.J. — A couple of extra days off could not have come at a better time for Rutgers’ football team.
With 10 days between games, the Scarlet Knights will get some down time to deal with the devastating injury that left teammate Eric Le-Grand paralyzed from the neck down and to gather themselves after a disappointing 41-21 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Coach Greg Schiano did not update LeGrand’s condition Sunday during a conference call, but the junior defensive tackle was able to watch the game from his room at Hackensack University Medical Center. LeGrand’s condition has not changed since he was injured making a tackle on a kickoff return against Army on Oct. 16, Schiano said after Saturday’s loss at Pittsburgh.
Schiano had been planning to give his team some time off during this period as soon as the schedule came out. Still, he said it comes at a perfect time.
“We’re not going to be totally separated from one another,” Schiano said Sunday, “but it will give guys a chance to catch their breath.”
A win would have let the players really enjoy the rest, but Pittsburgh was clearly the better team on Saturday.
“That doesn’t change the situation,” Schiano said. “Right now, physically and emotionally, I think it is good for the guys to just catch their breath, and when we work, it’s time to work and it’s time to get better.” BAYLOR
Heady Days
WACO, Texas - Baylor entered the AP rankings Sunday at No. 25 for the first time since 1993 and are No. 25 in the BCS rankings after a win over Kansas State that made the Bears eligible to end a 16-year bowl drought.
Heady stuff around campus in Waco.
“It’s certainly a step in the right direction, you know,” third-year Coach Art Briles said. “Important thing is to be in it when the season’s over, that’s the important thing, but it’s definitely a positive step perception-wise, no doubt.”
Baylor (6-2, 3-1 Big 12) beat Kansas State 47-42 on Saturday behind quarterback Robert Griffin III to become bowl eligible for the first time since joining the Big 12 in 1996. The win on homecoming came a week after the Bears held Colorado out of end zone in the closing seconds of a 31-25 win on the road.
“It is a growing point for our football team and for Baylor nation in general,” Briles said.
The last time the Bears were ranked for more than a week was 1991, when they were still part of the Southwest Conference. To match that, they’ll likely need to win at Texas this Saturday.
NOTRE DAME
Two Irish hurt
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Notre Dame nose guard Ian Williams and inside linebacker Carlo Calabrese were scheduled for MRI exams Sunday after being injured in the second half of the Irish’s 35-17 loss to Navy.
Williams hurt his left leg and was sporting a brace on the sideline Saturday after leaving the game. The exact nature of the injury was not known.
Calabrese hurt his hamstring, Coach Brian Kelly said Sunday. Wide receiver T.J. Jones, who moved to the slot on Saturday with Theo Riddick sidelined by an ankle injury, also had a tender hamstring but was doing OK Sunday. Kelly said Jones was bothered by fatigue more than anything.
The Irish also played Saturday without injured leading receiver Michael Floyd (hamstring).
COLORADO
Hansen ruptures spleen
BOULDER, Colo. - Colorado quarterback Tyler Hansen is likely out for the restof the season with a ruptured spleen.
Hansen was hurt in the second quarter of a 27-24 loss to Texas Tech on Saturday when he was hit hard on an option pitch to tailback Rodney Stewart.
The school announced he had bruised ribs. Hansen came back out and tried to throw passes at halftime, but he said later that he was in too much pain and had trouble breathing. He watched from the sideline as backup Cody Hawkins played the rest of the game.
Hansen, a junior, was hospitalized in Boulder on Saturday night and may remain there for the next few days, where surgeons might have to remove his spleen.
The team said there’s a chance Hansen could return to the field if the Buffaloes (3-4, 0-3 Big 12) qualify for a bowl game.
MISSISSIPPI STATE
Bulldogs refocus
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen isn’t surprised his team came out sluggish during Saturday’s game against Alabama-Birmingham.
He’s just glad it didn’t cost them a victory.
The Bulldogs, playing as a nationally ranked team for the first time since 2001, rallied for a 29-24 victory after trailing early in the fourth quarter. Though there were plenty of sloppy moments, Mullen said film study showed key plays were made when they had to happen.
“We didn’t play our best game,” Mullen said, “but we did the important things you need to do to win.”
Now that the thrill of being ranked has subsided, Mullen expects Mississippi State (6-2, 2-2 SEC), now No. 23 in the Associated Press poll, to be much more focused as it prepares to host Kentucky (4-4, 1-4) on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.
“All that’s behind us - that’s old hat now,” Mullen said. “When you get that attention for the first time, you can lose a little bit of what got you there.Now we’re bowl eligible, we don’t have to worry about that, and we can concentrate on being a better football team.” OKLAHOMA STATE
Cowboys reload
STILLWATER, Okla. - In its biggest game yet this season, Oklahoma State got into the kind of shootout that had proven to be a path to victory before.
Only this time, Nebraska was up to the challenge.
Eventually, the Cowboys’ high-powered offense stopped producing and the defense never could stand its ground in a 51-41 loss to the Cornhuskers on Saturday.
Coach Mike Gundy said the first taste of adversity will show what the team is made of.
“That’s a part of the college football season. It’s a long season and you can’t have too big of a hangover on a win or too big of a hangover on a loss,” Gundy said Sunday. “You’ve got to move forward and get ready for the next game.”
The Cowboys (6-1, 2-1 Big 12) are still in the thick of the South division race heading into Saturday’s game at Kansas State, where they have lost six straight times. Oklahoma State is tied for second with No. 9 Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1) and a half-game behind No. 25 Baylor (6-2, 3-1).
TENNESSEE
Moore recovering
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee Coach Derek Dooley says senior wide receiver Denarius Moore should be fine after a hard hit on the second play of the Vols’ loss to Alabama.
Moore took the ball on an end-around run and was hit hard as he was slipping by DeMarcus Milliner’s shoulder. The Tatum, Texas, native did not play in the rest of the 41-10 loss as a precaution.
Dooley said Sunday he’ll have a better idea of Moore’s status on Monday but expects him to be day-to-day.
The coach says he thought Milliner’s hit was vicious but not outside the rules of play.
Sports, Pages 19 on 10/25/2010