College football notes

Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller injured his throwing shoulder during Monday’s practice on a routine roll-out pass. He was a three-year starter for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller injured his throwing shoulder during Monday’s practice on a routine roll-out pass. He was a three-year starter for the Buckeyes.

OHIO STATE

Miller out for season

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller will miss the 2014 season, dealing a severe blow to the fifth-ranked Buckeyes' national title hopes.

Ohio State confirmed late Tuesday afternoon that Miller reinjured his throwing shoulder and will need surgery. The two-time Big Ten player of the year left practice in pain Monday after making a short throw.

"My goal is to come back from this injury stronger and better than ever," Miller said in a statement.

Miller's injury in Monday's practice came on a routine, unrushed rollout pass. Miller reportedly left the field after screaming in pain but was upbeat later while getting his shoulder iced. He had his arm in a sling Monday night.

It's a huge blow to a team considered to be one of the best in the Big Ten and the country, one which already has several major holes to fill on offense.

"My thoughts and prayers are with Braxton and his family," Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said. "This is an unfortunate injury to a young man who means so much to this program."

The senior and three-year starter partially tore the labrum in his right shoulder in a loss to Clemson at the Orange Bowl. He had surgery, did not face contact in spring practice and was held out of several practices this month due to soreness.

Redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett is Miller's top backup and will likely be the starter in the Aug. 30 opener against Navy in Baltimore.

Miller said he was on schedule to graduate with a degree in communications in December and that he wanted to attend graduate school "and then return to lead the Buckeyes next season."

Miller's options would include taking a medical redshirt and returning to Ohio State for one more season in 2015, or rehabbing the injury and making himself available for the NFL draft in the spring. He toyed with the idea of turning pro last spring but decided against it because of the shoulder surgery might hurt him with pro teams.

NOTRE DAME

Investigation binds Irish

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Quarterback Everett Golson said the adversity of abruptly losing four teammates while Notre Dame investigates whether they were involved in academic dishonesty is bringing the Fighting Irish together.

"I guess I can go back to my instance, where you really see who your true friends are," said Golson, who was suspended from school last fall for academic impropriety. "You see your true brotherhood through adversity. I think we've definitely come together."

Most of the other members of the 17th-ranked Fighting Irish who spoke during Tuesday's media day wouldn't comment about how the team was reacting to the losses of starting cornerback KeiVarae Russell, leading returning receiver DaVaris Daniels, defensive end Ishaq Williams and backup linebacker Kendall Moore. School officials have said they don't know how long the investigation will take.

MARYLAND

Scholarships guaranteed

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The University of Maryland says it will start guaranteeing scholarships to students-athletes until they graduate, regardless of injury or on-field performance.

Maryland announced Tuesday that the guaranteed scholarships will begin this November. They will go to athletes in all sports, not just the so-called revenue sports of football and basketball.

The new program will be implemented for incoming scholarship athletes, according to a statement by the school. Aid will be guaranteed through graduation for athletes who exhaust their eligibility before graduating, as well as those who are unable to compete because of injury. The program will also provide tuition, books and fees for athletes who leave the university in good academic standing and return to finish their degree.

NCAA rules allow scholarships to be renewed on a year-to-year basis and reduced or canceled for any reason. Critics have argued that such policies undermine the NCAA's argument that revenue-generating athletes should not be paid. Earlier this month, a federal judge issued an injunction that paves the way for future college football and basketball players to get monetary compensation.

Maryland said it's one of the first Division I schools to guarantee scholarships for athletes in all sports.

The Big Ten Conference endorsed guaranteed four-year scholarships in late July in a statement signed by each of the league's 14 presidents and chancellors. The Pacific-12 called for similar assurances as part of a sweeping set of proposals sent in a May letter to the presidents of schools in the other four major FBC conferences. Earlier this summer, Indiana announced its commitment to four-year scholarships for all full-scholarship athletes, and Southern California it would offer them to all athletes in football and men's and women's basketball.

Sports on 08/20/2014

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