College football preview
WVU’s Harris playing close to home again ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – A week after a record-setting performance, West Virginia running back Kay-Jay Harris will try to put on another show playing close to home.
The 10th-ranked Mountaineers play at Central Florida, not far from where Harris attended high school in Tampa.
“The Citrus Bowl is 30 miles away from my house. I really want to give my home crowd something to cheer about,” he said. “They are going to expect something big from me, especially after (last) week.”
Harris ran for 337 yards and four touchdowns in the season-opening rout of East Carolina, shattering single-game rushing records for the school and Big East. He also set school bests for yards in a quarter (168) and half (223).
He’s not promising a repeat performance, but he’s not ruling out it out, either.
“That night was one night,” said Harris, whose previous career-high was 78 yards, also against East Carolina. “You never know what’s going to happen. If things start rolling, the offense is clicking, there’s no telling what could happen.”
Added coach Rich Rodriguez: “East Carolina’s struggled against the run, but it’s still hard to get that many yards if your back’s not hot. And he was hot that night. Hopefully, he can get hot again sometime soon.”
Penn State prepares for Boston College
BOSTON – Penn State coach Joe Paterno visited Boston often as an undergraduate at nearby Brown, and again when Penn State played Boston College every year in the 1980s and early ’90s.
But when the two former independents joined conferences – BC the Big East in 1991, and Penn State the Big Ten in 1993 – the regular matchups between the schools stopped.
“It will be good to go back,” Paterno said this past week as he prepared to play Boston College on Saturday.
The Eagles returned to Penn State last year, posting a 27-14 win – just their third victory in the 22-game series that dates back to 1949.
“Penn State’s a lot better than they were last year,” BC offensive lineman James Marten said Wednesday. “I know they’re going to take it to us.”
This year’s nationally televised game takes on added significance – not just because it may be the last between the teams for the foreseeable future with BC headed to the Atlantic Coast Conference – but because both teams see it as a launching pad for a successful season after winning their openers.
BC (1-0) opened the season with a 19-11 road win against Ball State. Penn State (1-0) beat visiting Akron 48-10.
Pittsburgh-Ohio shootout on the docket tonight
PITTSBURGH – Not long ago, Tyler Palko was Larry Fitzgerald’s roommate at Pitt and Ryan Hawk was Ben Roethlisberger’s roommate at Miami of Ohio.
If nothing else, the opposing quarterbacks in tonight’s Ohio-Pittsburgh game can chat at midfield about their famous friends who made roughly $29 million in NFL signing bonuses this season.
Given a choice, the two probably would rather talk about playing – something each had waited years to do. It’s why Hawk, the brother of Ohio State star linebacker A.J. Hawk, tired of being Roethlisberger’s backup and transferred to Ohio. It’s why Palko patiently put in time at Pitt, waiting for Rod Rutherford to use up his eligibility.
“I’ve waited three years to play, so I am itching to play and I know everyone here is itching to play,” said Palko, a former star at Pittsburgh’s suburban West Allegheny High.
Of course, Palko didn’t know he would have to wait this long; Pitt’s scheduled opener Monday at South Florida was postponed until December because of Hurricane Frances.
Today’s Top 25 games include:
No. 1 Southern Cal vs. Colorado State, 8 p.m.; No. 2 Oklahoma vs. Houston, 7 p.m.; No. 3 Georgia at South Carolina, 5:30 p.m.; No. 6 LSU vs. Arkansas State, 8 p.m.; No. 7 Texas at Arkansas, 8:45 p.m.; No. 8 Michigan at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.’ No. 9 Ohio State vs. Marshall, 3:30 p.m.; No. 10 West Virginia at UCF, 6 p.m.; No. 11 Florida vs. Eastern Michigan, 1 p.m.’ No. 12 California vs. New Mexico State, 6:30 p.m.; No. 13 Kansas State vs. Fresno State, Noon; No. 15 Virginia vs. North Carolina, 3:30 p.m.; No. 16 Iowa vs. Iowa State, Noon; No. 17 Utah at Arizona, 10 p.m.; No. 18 Auburn at Mississippi State, 12:30 p.m.; No. 20 Clemson vs. Georgia Tech, 8 p.m.; No. 21 Wisconsin vs. UNLV, Noon; No. 22 Minnesota vs. Illinois State, 3:30 p.m.; No. 23 Maryland vs. Temple, 6 p.m.; No. 24 Oregon vs. Indiana, 6:30 p.m.; No. 25 Purdue vs. Ball State, 1 p.m.