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LSU RB Kenny Hilliard reportedly out for regular season
LSU running back Kenny Hilliard will miss the Tigers' final two games of the season.
Hilliard, per the AP and the Baton Rouge Advocate, has a shoulder injury. He injured his shoulder against Alabama last week and didn't return to the game.
He's not expected to travel to Arkansas. The Tigers play the Razorbacks on Saturday. However, according to the Advocate, Hilliard has not been ruled out for LSU's bowl game.
Hilliard, a senior, is LSU's third-leading rusher. He has 87 carries for 434 yards and six touchdowns in LSU's heavily ground-based offense. (By comparison, Tigers quarterbacks have 107 completions on the year.)
Hilliard's absence means freshman Leonard Fournette and senior Terrence Magee will likely take on more of LSU's rushing responsibilities. Fournette, a five-star recruit in the class of 2014 according to Rivals, leads the team with 152 carries for 736 yards and seven touchdowns. Magee has 81 carries for 447 yards and three touchdowns. Freshman Darrel Williams is fourth on the team in carries and yards.
For more LSU news, visit Tigerbait.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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FSU CB P.J. Williams reportedly fled scene of accident, was only issued two tickets
A Florida State football player fled the scene of a car accident in the early morning hours of Oct. 5, yet he was only issued two traffic tickets and not charged with hit-and-run by the Tallahassee Police Department, according to a report from the New York Times.
The accident involving Seminoles starting cornerback P.J. Williams, who was driving with a suspended license, left both cars totaled, but Williams “left his wrecked vehicle in the street and fled” along with two passengers, including Ronald Darby, the team’s other starting cornerback.
Tallahassee police responded to the accident, which occurred off-campus at 2:37 a.m. in the hours following FSU’s win over Wake Forest, and reached out to University police and the FSU athletic department.
The day after the accident, “it was as if the hit-and-run had never happened,” the Times wrote.
From the Times:
The New York Times looked into how the police handled this case, reviewing law enforcement records and interviewing witnesses, lawyers, the police and a university representative. The examination found that Mr. Williams, driving with a suspended license, was given a break by the Tallahassee police, who initially labeled the accident a hit-and-run, a criminal act, but later decided to issue him only two traffic tickets. Afterward, the case did not show up in the city’s public online database of police calls — a technical glitch, the police said.
Williams did eventually return to the scene of the accident “approximately 20 minutes later” and police did not test him for alcohol consumption. Additionally, a police report did not say “whether they asked if (Williams) had been drinking or why he had fled. It also “minimized the impact of the crash on the driver of the other car.”
The driver, 18-year-old Ian Keith, was driving home from a shift at Olive Garden and suffered “cut and bruised hands” when his airbag deployed. His Honda CRV was hit by a Buick Century that “darted in front of him, attempting a left turn.”
Two FSU officers, including the shift commander, were sent to the scene, but they “wrote no report about their actions that night,” saying their role in the incident was “too minor” to complete a report. Additionally, Tallahassee police chief Michael DeLeo said an investigation would be conducted “to determine what happened and whether the (TPD) officers acted appropriately.”
“This was a routine matter of our agency responding to a simple request from TPD and it was all together proper for our officers to go to the scene,” Campus Police Chief David L. Perry said in a statement after reviewing the actions of his officers.
When reached by the Times, Florida State “declined to make anyone available for an interview,” but did provide a series of written responses to questions. The Times described FSU’s answers as “shifting.”
Florida State declined to make anyone available for an interview. In a series of written responses to questions, the university gave shifting answers, at one point saying, incorrectly, that Mr. Williams drove his car home and that the Tallahassee police were required to call campus police under a “mutual aid agreement.” A Tallahassee police spokesman said there was no policy requiring its officers to contact the university when its students commit traffic violations.
Later on at the scene, Keith said a football player said that they “had a lot on the line” and apologized for leaving the scene of the accident. Keith said the player was “sort of rambling” and a friend told him to stop talking.
“She said to him, ‘Be quiet, you sound like you’ve been drinking,’ ” Keith said. “I remember that very clearly because it surprised me that she would say it. But the way he was speaking, I definitely had suspicions about drinking.”
Officer Derek Hawthorne filled out a form “labeling the incident a ‘hit and run,’” but later issued Williams with two traffic tickets.
Per the Times:
In the crash report, Officer Hawthorne indicated there was no suspected alcohol or drug use, and he issued Mr. Williams traffic tickets for an improper left turn and for “unknowingly” driving with a suspended license. On the form for the impounded Buick, the officer used a pen to cross out earlier notations indicating the car would be held as evidence, writing: “No hold, no processing.”
When consulting court records, the Times found that Williams paid $296 in unpaid fines on Oct. 7, two days after the incident, in order to get his license reinstated. However, the $392 in fines from the Oct. 5 incident “remained unpaid, and overdue, as of this week.” Because of this, Williams’ “license was suspended again.”
TPD provided the Times with seven other cases where “someone hit a car and left the scene but were not charged with hit and run.” The Times said that none of those other cases were “comparable in severity or circumstances” to the crash involving Williams.
This report comes a little more than a month after another Times report that detailed a pattern of leniency when Tallahassee police responds to incidents involving Florida State football players.
The undefeated Seminoles, now ranked No. 3 in the country, play Miami on Saturday night.
For more Florida State news, visit Warchant.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
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Spread Options: Dr. Saturday's Week 12 picks against the spread
.500 is fleeting. We were 4-6 last week and are now 46-63-1 on the year. Onward.
Virginia Tech at Duke (-5.5), Noon ET: Two things are at play here. One, Duke has been old reliable this year, so we're going with the Blue Devils until they let us down. Two, Virginia Tech is a far cry from the team that beat Ohio State. Since this game is in Durham, Duke shouldn't have an issue at all and the march to 11-1 continues.
Ohio State at Minnesota (+14), Noon ET: Upset alert for the Buckeyes? Nah. Minnesota may not be as good as it looked in blowing out Iowa last week, but it's not as bad as the Illinois loss either. The Gophers have the ability to keep this game close and not let Ohio State stampede away like what happened in the second half against Michigan State. J.T. Barrett is still the difference, however.
South Carolina (+7) at Florida, Noon ET: It's the perfect battle of weakness aginst weakness. Florida's offense has struggled for most of the season and South Carolina's defense, well, yeah, it has as well. While Steve Spurrier and Will Muschamp are friends and Spurrier is a Florida alum, you know how fun it'd be to have a quotable Spurrier joyous after a victory. The Gamecocks put a dagger in Florida's dim SEC East title hopes.
Rice (+21.5) at Marshall, 2:30 p.m. ET: Rice is on a six-game winning streak after starting 0-3. The three losses were to Notre Dame, Texas A&M and then a three-point loss to Old Dominion. Yes, Marshall blew out ODU, but we're betting on the carbohydrates to keep it relatively close, though Marshall stays undefeated and tries to get into a New Year's Bowl.
Mississippi State (+8.5) at Alabama, 3:30 p.m. ET: The Tide wins this game and throws the College Football Playoff into more craziness, but this game isn't going to be a home shellacking. Mississippi State does give up over 300 yards a game through the air, but the Bulldogs are 35th in FBS in pass efficiency defense. Stopping Alabama WR Amari Cooper is easier said than done, but our bet is MSU bottles Cooper up enough to help cover the number.
Indiana at Rutgers (UNDER 55), 3:30 p.m.: Since losing two quarterbacks against Iowa, Indiana has scored 17, 10 and 7 points in its last three games. Rutgers' last three games have gone 17, 24, 0. Oh, yes, each team is on a three-game losing streak. Why are we writing about this? Who the heck would put a bet on this? Who is going to watch this?
Georgia Southern at Navy (UNDER 63), 3:30 p.m. ET: Georgia Southern scores almost 43 points per game while Navy is at just under 32. But this game ends up below average for both teams because the schools are used to defending each other. Both option-based teams have incredible advantages against their opponents because of the style and rarity of its offenses. But we're counting on defensive familiarity here. Fun fact: Georgia Southern is No. 1 in rushing offense and No. 125 in passing offense. Navy is No. 2 in rushing offense and No. 126 in passing offense.
Utah (+8) at Stanford, 6 p.m. ET: Does Stanford need the game for bowl eligibility? At 5-4, there's a scenario where the Cardinal loses to Utah, Cal and UCLA and finishes 5-7. Or you could say that Stanford wins all three games and finishes 8-4. While the scoreline against Oregon looked bad for Utah, if Kaelin Clay doesn't drop the ball, who knows what happens. And the Utes took Arizona State to overtime on the road. Stanford is not the caliber of either team.
Auburn (+2) at Georgia, 7:15 p.m. ET: Auburn gives up 130 yards a game rushing while Georgia gives up 153. Yes, Georgia's number is inflated because of the Florida game, but this number is different if Auburn doesn't have two self-inflicted turnovers in the waning minutes against Texas A&M. The Tigers are the better team and get the edge in both the running and passing game, even with Todd Gurley back for the Bulldogs.
Florida State (-3) at Miami, 8 p.m. ET: Sorry, the upset's not happening, Miami. While Brad Kaaya has received deserved attention for his play as a freshman, look for Florida State to force Kaaya to win the game by focusing on Duke Johnson and Miami's running game. Meanwhile, Jameis Winston continues his theme of playing his best when there's a ton of focus on Florida State and the Seminoles win this one pretty easily.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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What to Watch, Week 12: Mississippi State is in a marquee matchup again
It’s difficult to claim one week of the college football season better than another, especially when it gets down to these late, important weeks, but Week 12 will have some serious implications on the College Football Playoff by the time the dust clears.
All eyes are on No. 1 Mississippi State and whether it can pull off yet another top 10 upset this season and knock Alabama out of the playoff running. Or will the Tide best the Bulldogs and throw the entire top four on its head?
As we’ve said all along, the College Football Playoff rankings are a fluid thing and will change every week. Depending on which way that Alabama-Mississippi State game goes, the SEC could go from having three teams in the playoff to just one, opening the door for a slew of other possibilities moving forward.
Here’s what to watch in Week 12:
Game of the week:
No. 1 Mississippi State at No. 5 Alabama, 3:30 p.m. ET
Alabama and Mississippi State are the only two remaining SEC teams that control their own fate when it comes to the College Football Playoff, and after this weekend’s contest, only one might be left in contention. The Bulldogs ascended to No. 1 in the rankings by virtue of a stretch that saw them beat three consecutive top 10 teams. However, two of those teams have since fallen out of the top 10 and one is barely hanging on. Mississippi State has struggled in its two SEC games against lesser opponents and the Bulldogs head into this contest playing less that stellar football. Alabama is in the complete opposite boat. It’s coming off an overtime win at LSU and while it’s offense has struggled at times this season, it is playing some of the best football of any team in the country. If Alabama quarterback Blake Sims can let loose with the ball, he’s going to find success against Mississippi State’s porous pass defense that allows 300 yards per game. Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott, who has been just OK in the past few games, needs to find that spark that helped his team during that top 10 stretch and use it in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.
Game to watch:
No. 16 Nebraska at No. 20 Wisconsin, 8 p.m. ET
While this game won’t decide the Big Ten West title, it will start to create clarity. Nebraska and Wisconsin are locked in a three-way tie atop the division with Minnesota, which plays Ohio State this weekend. This is also a chance to watch two of the best running backs in the game. Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon has been the Badgers offensive leader by rushing for at least 122 yards in all but one game this season. Similarly, Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah has four 200-yard rushing games, but suffered a knee injury against Rutgers a couple weeks ago, barely played against Purdue last week and might be limited in this contest. If that’s the case, it’s going to be tough for the Huskers to pull this win out since they rely on Abdullah so much. To compound problems, the Huskers have lost four of their last five road games against ranked teams and are 3-8 during coach Bo Pelini’s tenure.
Also check out…
No. 3 Florida State at Miami, 8 p.m. ET
There’s been a lot of hype surrounding this game as the last possible trap for Florida State before it reaches the ACC title game. However, that might be a stretch. While Miami is playing well, it’s definitely made its hay against the lesser competition in the conference. With the exception of its win against Duke, it’s other two conference wins came against opponents with losing records. Still, quarterback Brad Kaaya has been impressive this season with 20 touchdowns and 14.5 yards per completion. His numbers are actually better than those of reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston. Also, Miami running back Duke Johnson is one of the most dangerous players in the ACC and could have been a gamechanger during last year’s meeting between these two teams, but suffered a season-ending knee injury. Florida State has won 25 consecutive games and hasn’t lost to Miami since 2009. It is 42-3 in its past 45 games against the Hurricanes.
Don't waste your time with:
No. 6 Arizona State at Oregon State, 10:45 p.m. ET
#Pac12AfterDark has been a treat all season with lots of close finishes, Hail Mary’s and other crazy stuff to entice even the East Coast college football fan to stay up late. However, this is not that game. Arizona State is in a unique position where if it wins out, it could play in the College Football Playoff, and it’s hard to believe that it would let a team that is 1-5 in conference play derail those plans. The Sun Devils should run away with this game early. Still, it is a #Pac12AfterDark game and stranger things have happened. If you must tune into this one, do so early because it should be over by halftime.
Keep an eye on:
Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
Gordon has been Mr. Reliable when it’s come to 100-yard games, but he hasn’t faced a rushing defense like Nebraska’s. The Huskers are allowing just 123.8 rushing yards per game. Granted, they haven’t yet faced a running back of Gordon’s skill level except when going against their own Ameer Abdullah in practice. The Badgers need Gordon, who is averaging 166.78 yards per game, to be at his best if they want to win this game and stay atop the Big Ten West. And Gordon needs to have a strong showing if he wants that coveted invitation to the Heisman ceremony.
Upset alert:
Rice (-21) at Marshall, 2:30 p.m. ET
It was slim pickings for upsets this week, but this one seemed as plausible as any. After starting the season 0-3, Rice has rattled off six consecutive wins to achieve bowl eligibility. Of course, the Owls have done that against some of the worst competition in its conference, but they have gained enough confidence to at least keep this game against the Thundering Herd mildly close. Marshall has run over its competition to-date, but perhaps the fact that the Herd is getting no national ranking love will start to wear on them and cause them to slip up. OK, who am I kidding? Marshall is superior to all the competition on its schedule and will probably win this game by 30.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - What to Watch, Week 12: Mississippi State is in a marquee matchup again
UCLA's Bruin bear spray-painted with USC trash talk (Photo)
UCLA and USC don't play until November 22, but UCLA's Bruin bear has already been defaced.
Apparently USC already got to #UCLA's Bruin bear, a week and a half prior to the rivalry game: http://ift.tt/1BpsEjl
— BruinSportsReport (@UCLARivals) November 13, 2014
Bruin bear and Tommy Trojan, a statue on USC's campus, are usually the target of attacks during the week of the game. And because of the tradition, students from each school guard the respective landmarks during the week so that nothing crazy happens to them. But it looks like there was a pre-emptive strike to sneak in before the week officially began, even if the "SC runs LA" spray-painted on Bruin bear isn't all that truthful. UCLA has won the last two games between the teams.
UCLA is off on Saturday while USC beat Cal 38-30 on Thursday night.
For more UCLA news, visit BruinSportsReport.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - UCLA's Bruin bear spray-painted with USC trash talk (Photo)
Oregon center Hroniss Grasu could 'miss a couple games'
Oregon is usually tight-lipped when it comes to injuries, so it took a player to let something slip to learn about the status of center Hroniss Grasu. Grasu, a senior, went down with a leg injury last weekend against Utah and left guard Hamani Stevens said Grasu is expected to miss “a couple of games.”
“It was strange to see because I’ve never seen Hronnis hurt,” Stevens said per The Oregonian. “We’ve never seen it before. It looks like he’ll miss a couple of games. It’s obviously a big loss. We’ll have to step up as a team.”
Grasu’s injury is the latest in a string of setbacks along the offensive line for the Ducks (9-1, 6-1 Pac 12) this season. While the Ducks have a well-timed bye this week, if Grasu can’t go on Nov. 22 against Colorado, he would be the fifth starter on the line to miss at least one game. Grasu, a first team All-Pac 12 performer, has started all 50 games in his career, so his absence would be a big blow for the second-ranked Ducks.
Following the Colorado game, Oregon will end its regular season on the road against Oregon State on Nov. 29 before the Dec. 5 Pac-12 Championship Game.
With Grasu out, redshirt freshman Doug Brenner is expected to start at center.
For more Oregon news, visit DuckSportsAuthority.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Oregon center Hroniss Grasu could 'miss a couple games'
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Here's Lane Kiffin videoboming the SEC Network (Photo)
That crazy Lane Kiffin is everywhere.
Alabama's offensive coordinator may not be making many media appearances as Nick Saban limits the media availability of his coordinators, but he was in the background of ESPN's Tom Rinaldi on Thursday when Rinaldi was filming a segment for SEC Now at Alabama's football facilities.
Lane Kiffin just photobombed Tom Rinaldi on #SECNow. Carry on... http://ift.tt/1u7DCn2
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) November 14, 2014
The face combined with the wave is just perfect Kiffin, isn't it? If Alabama's offense dominates Mississippi State on Saturday, we're now expecting a Kiffin-wave after the game.
For more Alabama news, visit TideSports.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Here's Lane Kiffin videoboming the SEC Network (Photo)