2B
SPORTS / THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"They were going through some stuff last year at that particular time and I think they're a lot better team this year."
— Coach Bill Self on UCLA
FACT OF THE DAY
UCLA leads the all-time series against Kansas 10-5.
— Kansas Athletics
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: Of the 15 matchups, how many have been in tournament play?
A: Five, with UCLA winning every game.
Kansas Athletics
NFL
Chiefs cut LB Cole, sign CB Richardson
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs have signed free agent cornerback Mike Richardson. He attended camp with Kansas City this year but was released prior to the start of the regular season.
To make room, the Chiefs released linebacker Justin Cole, who was inactive for the first 1.1 games.
Richardson has recorded 20 tackles and 20 special teams tackles in action with the New England Patriots and Chiefs.
Associated Press
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
MJ's son scores 18 in upset of Florida
ORLANDO, Fla. — Marcus Jordan scored 18 points, Keith Clanton hit two free throws in the final seconds and Central Florida upset No. 18 Florida 57-54 on Wednesday night.
The Gators, ranked ninth in The Associated Press pre-season poll, lost to the Knights for the first time in 10 meetings and could drop from the rankings after another lackcluster effort.
Michael Jordan's son had a lot to do with this one.
Jordan was 6 of 11 from the field and played tight defense, creating all kinds of problems for the Gators (5-2).
His biggest shots came at the free throw line.
Associated Press
MORNING BREW
Stand up for the right to smile
Derek Anderson just wanted to smile. He was having a pretty bad day as the quarterback of the Arizona
Cardinals. Hed been playing pretty terrible and his team was on its way to a sixth straight loss.
So he sat down on the bench next to his buddy, teammate Deuce Lutui, probably wishing he could disappear into the ground. His buddy feels bad for him, so he tries to lighten an otherwise dreary mood with a humorous comment — because that's what friends do. Anderson chuckles for a minute, glad for the distraction, and then returns to thinking about the game.
Next thing he knows, he's in a press conference, getting questioned by a reporter as to what could possibly be funny on the losing side of a blowout in the NFL. The poor quarterback suddenly gets very angry and defensive about his right to laugh while playing sports and lets loose on a tirade that became an instant classic on SportsCenter, YouTube and anywhere else you can find amusing videos.
Next, all he can get out is "It's fine. It's fine! It's fine. It's fine! It'S fine," likely setting a record for consecutive "It's fine" utterances in an NFL press conference (although that hasn't been confirmed).
He isn't the most eloquent in his defense of merriment, first claiming that "what me and Deuce talk about is nobody's business."
BY JOEL PETTERSON ioetterson@kansan.com
Then he just overcompensates: "It's not funny, nothing's funny to me!"
Whoa, Derek. I'm sure he was quite upset and caught up in the heat of the moment, but in this instance, he really should have taken a stand for his right to chuckle instead of declaring that he was incapable of humor.
In the wake of all this lies a heated national debate that could change the course of basic human rights in this country: Should individuals be allowed to express happiness while getting beaten in a game?
Now, in Anderson's case, the reporter who prodded him about his smile does have an excuse: the reporter told ESPN that he was getting "bombared" with messages from fans demanding an explanation for why he dared to muddy the grand Cardinal legacy by appearing jovial for six seconds during a loss. He wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't bring up Anderson's bold break from utter depression.
So the fault here really lies with the fans. Don't get me wrong, I know what it's like to have your heart sunk by a pitiful performance by your favorite team — I'm a Denver Broncos fan, after all. But does that mean that athletes must cast themselves into pure sorrow every time they're not playing a game very well?
If anything, fans should glean hope from the instant of pearly white cheer that Anderson showed. After all, as he said during his tirade, "I take this (expletive) serious. Real serious." So if Angry Anderson, who knows his poor performance could cost him his job anytime, can find something to smile about, maybe it's time for those in the crowd to take this (expletive) a little less serious.
— Edited by David Cawthon
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TODAY
Men's Basketball
UCLA
8 p.m.
Lawrence
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Swimming & Diving
Georgia Invitational
All Day
Athens, Ga.
RDAY
Women's Basketball
SMU
2 p.m.
Dallas, Texas
Swimming & Diving Georgia Invitational All Day Athens, Ga.
Track & Field
Bob Timmons Challenge
All Day
Lawrence
Swimming & Diving Georgia Invitational All Day Athens, Ga.
SUNDAY
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Newton can play in SEC title game
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
AUBURN, Ala. The NCAA concluded that a violation of amateurism rules occurred during Cam Newton's recruitment last year, but the quarterback's eligibility was immediately reinstated with no conditions, Auburn announced Wednesday.
Newton
NCAA vice president for academic and membership affairs Kevin Lennon said the decision was "based on information available to the
"restatement staff at this time."
"We do not have sufficient evidence that Cam Newton or anyone from Auburn was aware of this activity, which led to his restatement," Lennon said.
The NCAA's investigation determined that Newton's father, Cecil, and the owner of a scouting service worked together to actively market the quarterback as part of a pay-for-play scheme in return for Newton's commitment to Mississippi State.
NCAA rules do not allow individuals or entities to represent prospective student-athletes in order to gain compensation from a school.
As a result of the discovery, Auburn declared Newton ineligible Tuesday but immediately sought reinstatement from the NCAA national office staff, which can
include conditions such as suspension or repayment of benefits. Newton was reinstated without any conditions.
"We are pleased that the NCAA has agreed with our position that Cam Newton has been and continues to be eligible to play football at Auburn University," Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs said. "We appreciate the diligence and professionalism of the NCAA and its handling of this matter."
As part of the decision, Auburn has limited access Newton's father has to the athletics program. Mississippi State has also disassociated the scouting service member, presumably former Bulldogs player Kenny Rogers.
"The conduct of Cam Newton's father and the involved individual is unacceptable and has no place in the SEC or in intercollegiate athletics," SEC commissioner Mike Slive said. "The actions taken by Auburn University and Mississippi State University make it clear this behavior will not be tolerated in the SEC."
The NCAA said reinstatement decisions are independent of the NCAA enforcement process and typically are made once the facts of the student-athlete's involvement are determined.
The reinstatement process is likely to conclude prior to the close of an investigation. It is NCAA policy not to comment on current, pending or potential investigations.
Auburn had no further comment.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Chizik hopes having undefeated experience helps vs. Gamecocks
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
COLUMBIA, S.C. — There aren't many areas where Gene Chizik's resume can compare with Steve Spurrier's.
However, Auburn's head coach can boast one thing Spurrier cannot. Chizik has been part of two undefeated seasons — Auburn's 2004 season and 'Texas' 2005 season. Both times, Chizik was the team's defensive coordinator.
Spurrier has six SEC titles and a national championship, but he has never had an undefeated season in 30 years of coaching, including his five years as an assistant. Chizik is hoping having experienced two undefeated seasons will help him Saturday when he tries to guide his No. 2 Tigers to 13-0 against South Carolina in the SEC title game.
pionship game.
"Ithashelped me because as we all know, it's extremely difficult to do," Chizik said. "Just being blessed enough to have gone through it
rankings and one win away from a spot in the national championship game in Chizik's second season, which has to be considered a surprise even to the people who supported his hiring in 2009. There weren't a ton of those people. In the two seasons prior to taking over Auburn's program, Chizik compiled a 5-19 record as Iowa State's head coach.
That resume got a lukewarm reception from most of the Auburn fan base when Chizik was hired. A YouTube video of an Auburn fan greeting Tigers athletic director Jay Jacobs at the airport when he returned from a meeting with Chizik has received more than 650,000 views and came to represent the Auburn people's frustration with the hire.
The reality wasn't like that at all,
"We can't control everybody's opinion, and we don't try to."
GENE CHIZIK Auburn head coach
The Tigers are No.1 in the BCS
two other times, there are things that I'm able to pull to help our coaches and team understand at that point in time, what in my opinion, are the important things to keep you undefeated."
Chizik said this week.
"We can't control everybody's opinion, and we don't try to," he said. "Our fan-base has been great for the most part. The majority of our fans
have been great since the day my family and I came back to Auburn after spending three previous years here."
Chizik, who was the Tigers' defensive coordinator from 2002-2004, isn't concerned with
whether this season has proved his doubters wrong, he said.
"No," he said. "I just know that we have a very important game coming up Saturday, and we have to win it. That's what we'll do every week as long as I'm the head coach here. There's no vindication in my world. That's not how I live, that's not what's important to me."
Chizik has a history that South Carolina fans can easily hate. He graduated from Florida, where he was a reserve linebacker, and earned a master's degree from Clemson, where he got his first collegiate coaching job as a graduate assistant in 1988 and 1989. From there, he went from Middle Tennessee State to Stephen F. Austin to Central Florida before being hired by Tommy Tuberville at Auburn in 2002.
Chizik walks a fine line between taskmaster and confidant, his players say.
"He's going to get everything out of you, every living thing," defensive back Demond Washington said. "He just wants everything perfect."
Still, tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen said, Chizik has a soft touch with his players off the field.
"He's a real players' coach," Lutzenkirchen said.
Both players added that Chizik has leaned heavily on his experience from those previous two undefeated seasons to guide them through the potential pitfalls.
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