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BIG 12 FOOTBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22. 2009
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Missouri wide receiver Danario Alexander takes a pass from quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Alexander's career was plagued with injuries before his breakout season this year.
Receiver emerges as go-to player
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Two years ago, Danario Alexander beat out future NFL first-round draft pick Jeremy Maclin for a starting wide receiver spot at Missouri. Then he broke his wrist.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
As a senior, and after four operations for various injuries, the often-injured Alexander has finally emerged as a go-to player who make Maclin proud.
Alexander had a career-high 180 yards on nine receptions in last week's loss at Oklahoma State, with a 48-yard catch and run that put the Tigers ahead in the second quarter, and added catches of 50 and 34 yards.
While sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert has been hobbled by an ankle injury the last two games and running back Derrick Washington has been bottled up by defenses. Alexander has been a constant threat.
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"Danario made a bunch of great plays," Gabbert said. "Defenses are starting to key on him a little more but somehow he always gets open."
Alexander has led the team in receptions in five of six games and has been especially productive on the road, averaging nearly 10 catches and more than 160 yards.
He's already achieved career single-season highs in every offensive category, leading the Tigers with 44 receptions for 627 yards and is tied for the team lead with five touchdowns heading into Saturday night's game against No. 3 Texas.
He's second in the Big 12 and ninth in the NCAA in receiving yards with an average of 104.5 yards.
"It might not be fair to compare him to Maclin, who might be the best single player at any position I coached in 32 years in college football," coach Gary Pinkel said. "But I've said all along that he's a guy that if hed have been healthy his whole career, hed be considered among the top 10 or so receivers in the country.
Alexander is from Marlin, Texas and grew up rooting for Texas and will be facing the Longhorns for the second time.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Kicker used tape to spot illegally
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama coach Nick Saban says his kickers won't use tape to spot field goals and extra points.
South Carolina Steve Spurrier pointed out Tuesday that Alabama's Leigh Tiffin used white tape to spot kicks
in last week's game. Spurrier reported it to the Southeastern Conference and said Wednesday he was told by the conference that what Tiffin did was against the rules.
is, so the kicker knows where the ball's going to be spotted. We even saw verification where last year South Carolina's kicker did it."
didn't know Tiffin was using the tape and says it isn't worth risking a 5-yard penalty. However, he says Tide coaches have found Tiffin wasn't alone in spotting the ball.
"We certainly don't want our players to do anything that's illegal," Saban said. "It is a 5-yard penalty if you do anything to enhance the spot. We've done some research on it, and over half the teams in the league do something with it.
"We certainly don't want our players to do anything that's illegal."
"They put a piece of grass there or a piece of mud or wherever it
Saban says he
Spurrier stopped short of accusing Alabama coaches of intentionally breaking the rule.
"I heard that was not supposed to happen, you're not
NICK SABAN
Alabama coach
supposed to use anything like that," Spurrier said. "I guess Alabama didn't know it was against the rules. They said you're not supposed to use anything to spot the ball there. I don't know if they knew it was
The NCAA rule states that "no material or device shall be used to improve or degrade the playing surface or other conditions and give one player or team an advantage."
illegal or legal but they dang sure did it last week. It looked funny watching the tape. Maybe they thought it was permissible. Maybe the kicker did it on his own. I don't know."
No penalties can be imposed after the game for an infraction. SEC spokesman Charles Bloom said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Alabama kicker Leigh Tiffin kicks a first quarter field goal during a game against Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., Oct. 10. Alabama coach Nick Saban says his kickers won't use tape to tap.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Senator wants Obama to investigate the BCS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON whose undefeated home state school was bypassed for the college football national championshiplast season urged President Barack Obama on Wednesday to ask the justice Department to
A senator
R Utah, said in a 10-page letter to Obama calling for an antitrust probe of the BCS. The Associated
"Mr. President, as you have publicly stated on multiple occasions, the BCS system is in dire need of reform."
ORRIN HATCH U.S. Senator
investigate theBowlChampionship Series, citing Obama's own concerns about the way the top team is crowned in building a case for action.
"Mr. President, as you have publicly stated on multiple occasions, the BCS system is in dire need of reform," Sen. Orrish Hatch,
Press obtained a copy of the letter.
Shortly after his election last year, Obama said he was going to "to throw my weight around a little bit" to nudge college football toward a playoff system.
Obama and Hatch
are among the many critics of how the BCS — a complex system of computer rankings and polls that often draws criticism — determines its national champion.
Hatch, who held a hearing on the BCS in July, told Obama that a "strong case" can be made that the BCS violates antitrust laws.
Under the BCS system, some athletic conferences get automatic bids to participate in top-tier bowl games while others don't, and the automatic bid conferences also get far more of the revenue. Hatch's home state school, the University of Utah, is from the Mountain West Conference, which does not get an automatic bid. The school
Thesystem "has been designed to limit the number of teams from nonprivileged
Hatch said the BCS arrangement likely violates the Sherman Antitrust Act because it constitutes a "contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce," quoting from the law
He said the system "artificially limits the number of nationally-relevant bowl games to five.
"The result is reduced access to revenues and visibility which creates disadvantages to schools."
conferences that will play in BCS games," Hatch wrote.
ORRIN HATCH U.S. Senator
The result is reduced access to revenues and visibility which creates disadvantages to schools in the nonprivileged conferences"
Hatch is the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary's subcommittee on
antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights.
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