David Ball
The New Hampshire wide receiver recently passed Jerry Rice as the all-time NCAA Division I leader for career touchdown receptions. He now has 51 career touchdown catches.
Ball grew up idolizing Rice and jokingly apologized to the NFL great for breaking the record.
Arkansas
There are plenty of teams you'd expect to be sitting at the top of the SEC West, but the Razorbacks aren't one of them. After wins against Auburn and Alabama, Arkansas has the inside track to the conference championship game. Their only blemish is a season-opening loss to Southern Cal.
John L. Smith
He's (deservedly) taken some heat for his coaching decisions (and press conference behavior), but no one can fault Smith for the way he handled the Kellen Freeman-Davis/Eric Andino incident. Smith booted the players off the team indefinitely. They've also been removed from the roster on MSU's official Web site.
The suspensions may have hurt during the Spartans' loss to Michigan (MSU had practiced several multiple-tight end sets in the week leading up to the game), but they were absolutely necessary, even if charges have yet to be filed.
Nike
First, it put bra straps on the back of the Miami Hurricanes' uniforms. Then, it gave Florida and Virginia Tech one odd-colored sleeve. But the swoosh has gone and outdone itself again. Oregon's diamond-plate uniforms were bad enough, but a single glance at California's new mustard-colored jerseys could induce vomiting. The football gods will never let either team seize control of the Pacific-10 from Southern Cal as long as they're donning those awful threads.
(But as long as Nike keeps pumping out great commercials like "Briscoe High," all is forgiven.)
Teams nicknamed "Tigers" in the SEC West
LSU and Auburn both went down on Saturday — and hard. The Tigers (the ones in purple and gold) imploded on special teams against Florida, giving away fumbles on punt and kick returns that led to a touchdown and a safety for the Gators. LSU lost, 23-10. The other Tigers (the ones in navy and orange) didn't even show up in a road game against Arkansas, falling — at home — by a 27-10 score. The once-vaunted Auburn defense gave up 279 yards on the ground to the Razorbacks.
Bevo XIII
The Texas Longhorns' mascot died Monday. The 22-year-old steer, who roamed the sidelines for Texas for 16 seasons, starting in 1988, was the longest-tenured mascot in Longhorns' history. According to the Associated Press report, Bevo XIII "has gone to the big ranch in the sky." He's best remembered for dropping a deuce on the Nebraska Cornhuskers' logo after Texas' loss in the 1999 Big 12 championship game.
Seriously.
