LITTLE ROCK — WAC Report: football to end
DENVER - The commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference says it has become apparent the league is “unlikely” to have enough football members to compete next season.
Jeff Hurd tells The Denver Post the conference is now emphasizing simply having enough members to remain a Division I non-football league.
Hurd told the newspaper thatin July “it became apparent that it was unlikely we could continue with football.”
The WAC still needs to add two to three new members for 2013 in order to have the seven required by the NCAA to be a Division I conference.
Hurd says the conference will do everything possible to avoid shutting down, but “There aren’t any obvious answers out there.”
The WAC now has seven football members, though five have plans to leave next year.
KENTUCKY
Smith picked as QB
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Kentucky Coach Joker Phillips named sophomore Maxwell Smith as starting quarterback on Monday.
Smith started three games as a freshman after junior Morgan Newton suffered a shoulder surgery, completing 84 of 153 passes for 819 yards, 4 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He was named to the coaches’ freshman All-SEC team.
Smith earned the job over Newton,who did not participate in spring practice due to offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum. Phillips said Monday that true freshmen Patrick Towles and Jalen Whitlow were also considered. Newton will be second string.
Phillips said Smith carried the momentum over from being the only quarterback of the four to have participated in spring practice, giving him an upper hand in the competition.
Kentucky’s season opens Sept. 2 at Louisville.
Sports, Pages 17 on 08/21/2012