Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis held his usual news conference Sunday alone and with no news about his future employment status. Weis said he and Swarbrick have not had any such meeting. They saw each other only briefly in the locker room Saturday, after Notre Dame dropped to 6-5 with a 33-30 home loss in overtime to Connecticut (5-5).
The crescendoing barely had stilled Saturday at Ryan Field when Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald began the bold vittling that is likely to continue until the Wildcats' bowl assignment is announced Dec. 6.
The Juice got loose and helped get Northwestern back into the win column.
Maybe it's time Notre Dame thinks about a monumental change. One that goes deeper than the football coach. One that lets the Irish keep their national-championship options open but gives them other options as well.
Tyler Smith made two clinching free throws with 13.7 seconds left, and No. 10 Tennessee held off DePaul 57-53 in the semifinals Sunday of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
Charlie Weis met the media Sunday and tried to deflect questions about his Notre Dame future with about as much success as his 6-5 team’s had this season. The embattled Weis said he had not met with athletic director Jack Swarbrick and did not discuss quitting.
CHAMPAIGN -- Now the season officially has started at Illinois: Bruce Weber brought out his first message hook for enigmatic playmaker Demetri McCamey in No. 23 Illinois' 94-48 rout of Presbyterian on Saturday.
Arms locked with his players, emotions anything but in check, Charlie Weis walked onto the field at Notre Dame Stadium for what certainly will be the last time as Irish coach. ''Just us being behind coach Weis 110 percent,'' quarterback and captain Jimmy Clausen said of the idea he and other team leaders devised.
Josh Pastner has ''Gratefulness'' posted above his office door. He gets his kicks coaching and doesn't need any additives to enjoy life.
NU coach Pat Fitzgerald (right) clearly was showing the strain of his team's sweet-and-dour season after its 33-31 upset of visiting Wisconsin completed a surprising 3-0 November and an 8-4 campaign. He delivered a pointed lecture on what bowl strata he believes his program and university deserve, snapping at media: ''Our resume is pretty attractive to any bowl game. I would hope that the representatives from any bowl we are eligible for would be attracted to us. Although [the media] will write other things, our fan base travels outstanding to bowl games, so make sure you check your facts. If you need any, see [NU athletic director] Dr. Jim Phillips. He'll make sure you have them, and they are crystal clear, when you write about the facts of our bowl attendance.'' ... The 32,150 who showed up at Ryan Field on Saturday -- the majority of whom wore Wisconsin red -- enabled the Wildcats to complete their seven-game home schedule with an announced average attendance of just more than 24,000 per game. That translates to approximately 52 percent capacity at Ryan Field. Maybe they will bring friends to the Northwestern bowl game. ... A much warmer postgame note was provided when NU defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz was presented with a game ball. Hankwitz, 61, was fired two years ago by Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema and has proved to be a heaven-sent mentor and calming influence to Fitzgerald and the Wildcats' defense. After the game, he admitted, ''[The win] was special for our players with what we've been through this season. To go 3-0 in November and beat two ranked teams -- it's one of the best [things] I've ever been part of.'' ... Hankwitz's defense held John Clay -- the Big Ten's leading rusher -- to 100 yards on the ground, 24 under his Big Ten average. Still, when asked if the Cats showed him anything he didn't expect, Clay replied, ''No. We did good studying this week, and we felt like we knew them pretty good. They didn't throw too much at us that we couldn't handle.'' ... Andrew Brewer, once a starting quarterback for Northwestern, left 'em with something to talk about at Ryan Field, finishing with six catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns. He has been the team's primary deep threat.
Virginia Commonwealth never trailed in an 82-69 upset of No. 17 Oklahoma on Saturday night in Richmond, Va.
ATHENS, Ohio -- It looked like all Northern Illinois' potent offense needed was one final at-bat to pull off a come-from-behind victory in a wild-and-wooly affair with Ohio on Saturday. But the Huskies failed twice in the final five minutes to seal their fate in a 38-31 loss in a Mid-American Conference crossover.
Avoiding mistakes was the key, and Ohio State did exactly that Saturday while defeating Michigan 21-10 in Ann Arbor for its sixth consecutive victory in the series.
Wide receiver Golden Tate said Saturday he might not be back for his senior season. ''I don't know,'' said Tate, who had nine catches for 123 yards in the 33-30 home loss to Connecticut. ''Coach [Charlie] Weis and I will talk about that when the time's appropriate. Right now, I'm playing for the seniors; I'm trying to win the last game.'' Tate set a host of records, including two on the same 39-yard pass play in the first quarter. He became Notre Dame's single-season leader in receptions when he lined up as a tailback and caught his 79th pass in the left flat, breaking Jeff Samardzija's record set in 2006. Tate's 1,253 yards also eclipsed Samardzija's mark for most receiving yards in a season (1,249) set in 2005. Tate owns the school record with 14 career games of 100 or more yards receiving. Tate broke Tom Gatewood's mark of 13 (1969-71) and is tied with Gatewood (1970) for most 100-plus games in a season (eight). He also said he wants Notre Dame to bring back Weis for a sixth season. ''I want to see him come back,'' Tate said. ''We have a great relationship on and off the field. Without coach Weis calling these plays, I wouldn't be where I am right now.'' ... UConn coach Randy Edsall said the game ball was going to the family of Jasper Howard, the Huskies player who was murdered Oct. 18. ''Because I know one thing, that little No. 6 was up there looking down on us today,'' Edsall said. ''It's just another game, but you've got to understand the human part of this, and you've got to understand what this team has gone through. A couple of close games, and then you lose a teammate, you lose a brother, you lose a son and you're trying so hard to honor him by winning on the field. We hadn't done that. It is emotional. If it wasn't emotional, to me, you're not human.'' ... Senior right tackle Sam Young became Notre Dame's all-time leader in games started. It was his 49th consecutive start over four seasons. ... For the second consecutive game, starting right guard Trevor Robinson left with an injury. ... The Irish were happy to have Ben Turk back punting against UConn. Turk, who missed the Pittsburgh game because of the flu, averaged 47 yards per punt. Eric Maust averaged only 28.5 yards per punt at Pittsburgh. ... Kicker Nick Tausch was a pregame scratch because of an injury and missed his second straight game. ... One of the recruits hosted by Notre Dame on Saturday was Kyle Prater, a 6-5, 205-pound wide receiver from Proviso West. Prater reportedly has given a verbal commitment to USC but now has interest in Notre Dame, Illinois and Oklahoma.
Connecticut finally won one for their slain teammate, beating Notre Dame on senior day and handing Fighting Irish coach Charlie Weis another bitter defeat. Andre Dixon scored on a 4-yard touchdown run in the second overtime to give the Huskies a 33-30 victory, their first win since cornerback Jasper Howard was stabbed to death.
Wisconsin fans will bring the energy. Northwestern fans will bring the bon mots and brie. And the unpredictable regular season of the Wildcats will thankfully, happily, mercifully pitter-patter to an end at Ryan Field today.
Mike Kafka hit Andrew Brewer with two first-half touchdown passes and Brian Peters and Jordan Mabin made key defensive plays late as Northwestern beat No. 17 Wisconsin 33-31 on Saturday.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Tate Forcier threw four interceptions and fumbled in his end zone, and No. 9 Ohio State took advantage to beat Michigan 21-10 Saturday for its sixth straight win in the series.
Jeffrey Jordan is eligible to make his season debut when No. 23 Illinois hosts Presbyterian tonight. But unlike his brother, Marcus, who provoked a firestorm by insisting on wearing Nikes at Adidas-affiliated Central Florida, there will be no shoe controversy involving the Illinois chapter of Heir Jordan -- the Illini are longtime members of the Nike camp.
DeKALB, Ill. -- Second to one. That's where players on the Northern Illinois and Ohio University football teams find themselves as they prepare for today's Mid-American Conference crossover game in Athens, Ohio. The Huskies and Bobcats are both 7-3 overall and 5-1 in their respective divisions.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Even though this could be Charlie Weis' last home game as Notre Dame's coach, he insisted he won't be thinking about that when the Irish host Connecticut today.
Jeremiah Kelly had a career-high 18 points and eight rebounds, and DePaul closed with a 20-6 run to beat Northern Iowa 60-52 on Friday in the first round of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Joey Elliott threw a career-high four touchdown passes to help Purdue beat Indiana 38-21 on Saturday and retain the Old Oaken Bucket.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Daryll Clark passed for 310 yards and four touchdowns as No. 13 Penn State wrapped up its regular season with a 42-14 victory at Michigan State on Saturday.
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- James Vandenberg threw for 117 yards, fellow freshman Brandon Wegher ran for a touchdown, and No. 15 Iowa kept alive its hopes for a BCS bowl bid by beating Minnesota 12-0 on Saturday.
Neil Hayes: Let's not overcomplicate a process that already should have begun at Notre Dame. If Jack Swarbrick decides Brian Kelly is his top candidate, he should make the Cincinnati coach an offer. Notre Dame's athletic director should give him an exclusive, 48-hour negotiating window after which any potential deal will be withdrawn.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- As Notre Dame prepares to host UConn in the last home game of the season (1:30, Ch. 5, 890-AM), Irish coach Charlie Weis gave his seniors one more task before they're honored Saturday.
The biggest order of the day Saturday for Northwestern defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz will be trying to stop Wisconsin running back John Clay.
Prophetically -- as seam-gazing seers from Amos Alonzo Stagg to Kirk Herbstreit have understood the game's mystic -- the parents met at a sign-up desk for a touch-football league.
The name ``Meyer’’ has been synonymous with men’s basketball at DePaul. The name ``Bruno’’ has had the same distinction for the school’s women’s program.
About 10 years ago, I heard then-Northwestern football coach Randy Walker speak at a high school fund-raiser. Walker, who tragically passed away from heart failure in the summer of 2006, said a few things that resonated with me.
Efficiency is why Butler has been a good program for a long time, but consistency is the reason why the No. 11 Bulldogs have become a dominant mid-major program in recent years.
Robbie Harman scored 20 points, including six three-pointers, to power Central Michigan to a 67-48 rout Wednesday of UIC in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Nick Nikolich insists he's not being modest. He's simply telling it like it is when he says the Defensive Player of the Year award he received this week should be divided 11 ways.
Coach Charlie Weis reopened the punting competition at Notre Dame this week after Eric Maust averaged 24.8 yards on five punts in the Irish's 27-22 loss Saturday at Pittsburgh. Ben Turk, who also has been inconsistent, didn't travel to Pittsburgh because he was sick with the flu.
It might be true, as coach Bruce Weber says, that Illinois' starting five isn't set. But the way things are going, his two precocious freshmen, Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson, are looking rock-solid.
By the time Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis held his weekly news conference Tuesday, he had lost neither his job, nor his sense of humor. Weis was asked if he believed a decision had been made by the ND powers that be about his future.
Balanced scoring and solid three-point shooting combined to power Loyola past Canisius 89-69 Tuesday night before 2,114 at the Gentile Center.
With less than a minute to play Tuesday and DePaul's lead whittled to three points against Columbia, senior captain Will Walker huddled his team with a reminder that it was a new season.
The question has baffled the most astute Northwestern observers for the last two seasons, and it again appeared to stump coach Pat Fitzgerald: Why have his Wildcats (7-4, 4-3 Big Ten) been more successful on the conference road than at Ryan Field since the start of the 2008 league season?
When Illinois put together its unusual schedule, which features nonconference games against college teams after Big Ten play for the first time since 1910, it was expecting to be staying sharp by shortening the time between a bowl appearance. With its losing taking that off the table, the bye this week poses a challenge from a motivational standpoint.
Illinois will only be playing its second game when it takes on Northern Illinois tonight. But a pattern already is emerging with Bruce Weber's best recruiting class: When it comes to taking charge, you can't tell the freshmen from the juniors without a scorecard.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis says he doesn’t believe a decision has been made yet on whether he will be back with the Fighting Irish in 2010.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Brandon Paul scored all 20 of his points in the first half, leading No. 23 Illinois to a 80-61 victory over Northern Illinois on Tuesday night.
Northwestern senior forward Kevin Coble opted to have season-ending surgery on his left foot after an appointment with a second foot specialist Monday.
Through their struggles last season, the DePaul Blue Demons would end their huddles saying ''One, two, three -- together.''
Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema was nothing if not candid Monday when asked about facing Northwestern defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz for the first time Saturday, when the No. 17 Badgers (8-2, 5-2 Big Ten) visit the Wildcats (7-4, 4-3) at Ryan Field (2:30 p.m., BTN, 720-AM).
Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema was nothing if not candid Monday when asked about facing Northwestern defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz for the first time Saturday, when the No. 17 Badgers (8-2, 5-2 Big Ten) visit the Wildcats (7-4, 4-3) at Ryan Field (2:30 p.m., BTN, 720-AM).
Ron Zook believes the Illini aren't that far off in terms of bouncing back next year.
