8B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA KANSAN
THURSDAY, NOVERMBER 9,2006
BIG EAST FOOTBALL
Two undefeated teams to match up
No. 15 Scarlet Knights, No.3 Louisville game tonight claimed as 'biggest ever' since 1869
BY DAVID PORTER ASSOCIATED PRESS
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Students camping out. Temporary bleachers to accommodate the overflow crowd. Tickets that usually sell for $28, going for $200 on eBay.
No long ago was it hard to give away tickets to a Scarlet Knights
Rutgers football sure has come a long way in a short time.
game.' Now,
seats for
T h u r s d y
night's, battle
of unbeattens
between the
No. 15 Scarlet
Knights and
No. 3 Louisville
are so scarcce
that even Gov.
Jon S. Corzine
appealed to
athletic director Robert Mulcahy for an extra pair.
football game in 1869.
"He said, 'I'm sending a check,' Mulcahy said.
"I think it's a reaction that's in many ways almost an overreaction." Mulcahy said. "They wanted this for so long, the minute they could taste something, it was, 'Boom.'"
It is an understatement to say even the most ardent Rutgers followers probably could not have envisioned this level of hysteria when head coach Greg Schiano took over in 2001 and proceeded to lose
The game is being billed as the biggest ever played by the school that was part of the first college
34 of 46 games,
including 17
consecutive in
Big East play.
The former University of Miami defensive coordinator gradually built a winner out of a program with only three above. 500 seasons since 1984.
In 2005, Rutgers went to a bowl for the first time since 1978 and this year crashed the Top 25 for the first time in 30 years.
"When I would sit up here, and start talking about how we're going to win this and we're going to build this, I'm sure people would think,
'What's this guy smoking today?' Schiano said this week. "But the alternative is to sit there and say, 'Well, I don't know, we'll see.' So I think that kind of thinking is what carries you through the tough times, and it gives you a consistency that in the athletics world is hugely important."
Thursday's game will be the second in consecutive weeks that pits
two undefeated Big East teams, after Louisville's 44-34 defeat of then-No. 3 West Virginia last Thursday. The wintailed Louisville (-0) to thirdplace in the Bowl Championship Series standings, but detractors still question the conference's strength.
"What we feel is that we went out on the field and played great football," Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said. "We've played everybody we went up against and did a nice job. Our players here listen and are certainly motivated. We probably need to get (ESPN analyst) Lee Corso to keep talking about us."
Louisville (8-0) has already entered uncharted territory with its highest ranking and spot in the thick of the national title race.
A win by Rutgers (8-0) would dash Louisville's title hopes and move the Scarlet Knights into the national championship discussion.
While Louisville's win over West Virginia is viewed as a defining moment in the program's history, Rutgers is coming into the game off one of its worst performances of the season. The Scarlet Knights beat Connecticut 24-13 two Sundays ago with only one offensive touchdown.
MISS. STREET DELI INC.
CRIME
Miami Hurricane team mourns loss of player Police investigation continues for Bryan Pata
BY TIM REYNOLDS ASSOCIATED PRESS
Normal wasn't possible
Wednesday.
"They felt like Bryan would want to practice. They felt like Bryan would want to play," Miami coach Larry Coker said. "That's a decision that we respected, and I think it's the right decision. We've talked to a lot of teams that have had tragedies, and the thing that they've all said is 'You've got to get back.'"
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The plan called for the Miami Hurricanes to have a normal practice, two hours of working on third-down blitz packages and kickoff returns.
Pata, 22, was shot to death Tuesday night outside his off-campus apartment, less than two hours after practice and an informal team dinner ended. The 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive lineman was found dead in the apartment complex's parking lot when police arrived, and detectives ruled it a homicide.
Det. Roy Rutland, spokesman for the Miami-Dade County Police Department, said police searched Pata's apartment after the shooting. He would not provide any details about what officers sought and what was found. No other details were released.
Less than 24 hours after Bryan Pata, one of the Hurricanes' most respected players, was killed outside his apartment, his team was back on the football field, preparing for Saturday's game at No. 23 Maryland.
"The investigators are following all leads, and the release of any information at this time could compromise the investigation," Rutland said Wednesday.
Coker said two assistant coaches came into his office and told him the news shortly after the shooting.
"It's something you never anticipate, never," Coker said. "You expect maybe a sprained ankle but nothing more than that. Just
total shock. We had practice, then we had dinner after practice with the players. Just total shock."
Players returned to the athletic complex shortly after learning of Pata's death and stayed for several hours. They met with team chaplains and grief counselors, and several teammates were interviewed by Miami-Dade police detectives.
The Hurricanes have dealt with plenty of problems this season, including a July shooting in which safety Willie Cooper was slightly injured and a sideline-clearing brawl last month in a game against Florida International.
"It's spiritual, but God's not going to give you more than you can handle," Coker said. "And I'm just disappointed that he trusts us so much, because we've been getting a lot to handle."
Miami players were not available for comment after practice Wednesday. They walked off the field nearly in total silence, with some peeling off their orange, green and white jerseys before shuffling into the locker room.
Pata was the second UM student to be killed in the last week; senior John Warnecke died last Thursday in a car crash.
A memorial service for Pata was scheduled for noon Nov. 15, and former teammates expressed shock and outrage over his killing.
"It's a product of ignorant individuals and stupid people who don't care about life," said Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Jerome McDougle, a former Miami standout and a South Florida native. "It's tragic. I feel for him and his family."
Well-wishes also poured in from around the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Commissioner John Swofford released a statement offering prayers to Pata's family and the UM community, while many of the league's players and coaches expressed their condolences to Coker and the Hurricanes.
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