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College Football Notebook: Ga. Tech loses Ball, Scott to academics
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Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball has been ruled academically ineligible for the Gator Bowl.
Cornerback Kenny Scott also is academically ineligible, the school said yesterday.
"You're disappointed for the young men and you're disappointed for the team," coach Chan Gailey said. "Although this is a very, very bad ending to the careers of these two young men, we can't forget the contributions they have made to the Georgia Tech program the last four years."
Ball, a senior, passed for 1,820 yards this season while starting every game. He threw for 20 touchdowns and was intercepted 14 times, but was criticized for inconsistency, especially after Tech's offense sputtered in a regular season-ending loss to Georgia and a loss to Wake Forest in the ACC championship game.
Scott was a three-year starter. This season, he had 50 tackles, two interceptions and 10 pass breakups.
Georgia Tech plays West Virginia in the Gator Bowl Jan. 1.
Gailey said he learned earlier in the day that Ball and Scott would be ineligible.
Oklahoma
Adrian Peterson's teammates at Oklahoma have a new reason to stay away from the bruising, record-setting tailback. Peterson is back in practice after missing seven games with a broken collarbone, but some of the Sooners have been a bit reluctant to test whether he's fully healed. "There's a couple guys that's been kind of hesitant to come up and hit me, so I've been hitting the ground a couple times and lowering my shoulder thinking I'm about to take on contact," Peterson said.
Notre Dame
Safety Tom Zbikowski is trying to decide whether to return to Notre Dame for his final season of eligibility. As No. 11 Notre Dame heads into the Jan. 3 Sugar Bowl against fourth-ranked LSU, Zbikowski ranks third in tackles on the Irish with 69. He also is Notre Dame's primary punt returner, averaging 9 yards a return. The senior has a year of eligibility left because he did not play as a freshman.
Idaho
After a national search to replace Dennis Erickson as football coach, Idaho had to look only 8 miles west to find Robb Akey. The 44-year-old Akey, Washington State University's exuberant defensive coordinator, was introduced as Erickson's successor and becomes the Vandals' third head coach in three years.
Arkansas
Coach Houston Nutt named Casey Dick as the starting quarterback against No. 6 Wisconsin in the Jan. 1 Capital One Bowl, but said Mitch Mustain would go into the game for Arkansas' third series.
First Published December 21, 2006 12:00 am
