KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / MONDAY, AUGUST 30.2010 / SPORTS
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL
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Texas Tech senior quarterback Taylor Potts throws a pass last season against Kansas. New coach Tommy Tuberville is already ur
Tuberville leads culture innovation at Texas Tech
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
LUBBOCK, Texas — Tommy Turberville can quickly form a right angle with his thumb and index finger like he's been doing it his whole life.
He has extolled the virtues of all things red as a fall fashion statement.
In the seven months since becoming the football coach at Texas Tech, Tuberville has done nearly everything humanly possible to put his stamp on the position. In the process, he's provided a case study in changing the culture of a program. Mike Leach was Texas Tech football for a decade until his firing in December.
"You have to get your philosophy over," Tuberville said. "If you don't sell that to your team and your fans, then you're going to have problems. You've got to let them know up front how you're going to handle things."
Tuberville's first target was the players following a rocky 2009 season that was strange, even by Leach standards. At the first team meeting, Tuberville apologized for what the team had endured, an easy gesture to make since Tuberville was still working for ESPN when all this went down.
Senior Bront Bird, who has been moved inside to middle linebacker, says everybody has bought into the system and believes.
"That's kind of the vibe around here," Bird said. "It's something in the air, and everybody feels it."
Unlike Leach, Tuberville has been a constant presence at all kinds of civic and fan functions. Tech claims more than 46,000 in season-ticket sales, a school record. In his farewell list of accomplishments, retiring athletic director Gerald Myers cited Tuberville, even though he has yet to coach a game at Tech.
a makeover — the weight room, the trophy cases. The coaches' offices, at least from the outside, trend toward flat-screen TVs and dark wood. Another innovation: defense matters just as much now as the guys who can catch passes. Backup quarterback Steven Sheffield confirmed pretty much what everybody already knew at Big 12 media days.
Everything, seemingly, received
For all the good will, Tuberville still needs to win. He acknowledged that early national TV home games against SMU (Sept. 5) and Texas (Sept. 18) are "huge" for setting a tone.
"This sounds bad, but they (the defense) were treated like the stepchild," Sheffield said. "They were off on their own and did about whatever they wanted."
He has been careful not to jettison everything from the Leach era, where bowl games were a given.
UNC copes with NCAA inquiries 'Meet the Heels'day is a welcome break
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina's entire football team, dressed in their home blue jerseys, took the Kenan Stadium field on Saturday for "Meet the Heels" day.
Given the uncertainty of an on
"That's going to be our Christmas card," Hughes, 30, of Holly Springs said, pointing the image on his digital camera of a smiling Preston with a football in his left hand and sandwiched between
going NCAA investigation into the program for academic fraud and improper contact with sports agents, there's a chance it could be the
the table between Austin and defensive end Robert Quinn for a picture.
"We're hoping it works out for the best."
Austin, the personable defensive tackle who has been at the center of the agent controversy, smiled and bobbed his head to the rap music on the stadium public address system while signing autographs and posing for pictures with fans.
"I hope that's not the case," senior quarterback T.J. Yates said. "We're hoping it works out for the best."
Those worries were absent on Saturday night, though, for the crowd of about 2,000 fans and the members of the football team, who were all in attendance for Saturday's event.
only time this season that happens.
T.J. YATES
Senior quarterback
Jamie Hughes and his wife, Whitney, propped their 21-month-old son, Preston, on
Thursday's admission by the university's administration that it uncovered possible academic misconduct between a former tutor and members of the football team cast a further larger cloud over the 2010 season, which had already been darkened by an NCAA investigation in mid-July into senior stars Marvin Austin and Greg Little.
two future NFL players.
Thursday's news did not deter Hughes from enjoying the day with his family and his favorite team.
"I love this team, and they've got my support," Hughes said.
It was that kind of sentiment, senior Zack Pianalo said, the Tar Heels needed to hear after a turbulent week.
"This is the start of a very exciting season," Davis said.
Saturday's crowd skewed young with an inflatable obstacle course in the East end zone and other carnival games. The weather could not have been more cooperative and most people killed time waiting in line for autographs by tossing around a football. Coach Butch Davis addressed the crowd after the players took their spots on tables set up around the sidelines. Davis didn't reference any of the summer-long NCAA distractions or Thursday's news.
"It's nice to get out here and see our fans," said Pianailo, the starting tight end. "It's great to see all these kids and have a chance to give back to them."
The excitement had been building since the football program's last public event at Kenan Stadium - the spring game - which was televised on ESPN in April and drew almost 30,000 people.
NATIONAL
Top amateur golfer takes Amateur title
UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — Peter Uihlein, the top-ranked amateur player in the world, has defeated David Chung 4 and 2 to win the 110th U.S. Amateur championship.
Uihlein was leading by two following the first 18 holes on Sunday morning. He finished off Chung on the 34th hole when Chung's tee shot on the drivable par-4 16th hole went into the deep, fescue grass.
Ranked No. 1 in the world by the Royal & Ancient, Uihlein has been considered one of the top young players in the world for many years, but had yet to capture a major championship until now.
The victory, coming on Uihlein's 21st birthday, was also his first over Chung in a match play setting. Chung was 2-0 against Uihlein until Sunday.
Wie wins second career LPGA event
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Michelle Wie has won the CN Canadian Women's Open for her second career victory on the LPGA Tour.
We shot a 2-under 70 on Sunday to move to 12 under for the tournament at the St. Charles Country Club.
Jiyai Shin of South Korea tied for second with Kristy McPherson of South Carolina, defending champion Suzann Pettersen of Norway and Jee Lee Young from South Korea.
Associated Press
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