Starting for the Denver Broncos today against the Miami Dolphins, Tebow did the thing he does best when it mattered: He won.

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Making the morning rounds.

• All in the game. The blood and tears hadn’t even had a chance to dry in Spartan Stadium Saturday before freshly wounded Wolverine fans began flooding YouTube, Twitter and every other outlet at their disposal with complaints of thuggish play in Michigan State’s 28-14 win over Michigan, most notably a pair of personal fouls by MSU defensive end William Gholston for grabbing and twisting Denard Robinson’s facemask at the end of a play and later throwing a punch at lineman Taylor Lewan. Both were flagged, but neither was enough for Michigan players or coaches to bite when reporters gave them the opportunity to call their rivals out after the game.

Coach Brady Hoke: “I don’t know how they played dirty. They had some personal fouls on late hits on the quarterback, but you can get those all the time.” Denard Robinson: “They were playing football. It’s a dirty game.” Defensive tackle Mike Martin: “We knew what type of game this was going to be. It was going to be a tough physical game.” Safety Jordan Kovacs: “They were definitely more physical. They pounded us. They beat us up. You’ve got to give them a lot of credit.”

And from Michigan State’s perspective? It was 60 minutes of unnecessary roughness and thats what we tried to achieve,” said defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. “That’s what we tried to do, 60 minutes of unnecessary roughness. I’m just glad it didn’t get called every play.” [Detroit News, MGoBlue.com, Lansing State Journal]

• Talk to the hand. Investigators are running aground in the sprawling, ongoing probe into improper benefits at Miami, according to “an official close to the NCAA’s investigation,” who told the Miami Herald that it’s proving difficult to corroborate charges in Yahoo! Sports’ massive exposé because former players named in the report are refusing to cooperate. Hurricane coaches “told me there might be a little penalty,” a local recruit told the Herald, “but not as bad as some people think.” Considering that some people think “death penalty,” this may not be an entirely meaningful statement.

Meanwhile, from the same article: Suspended ‘Cane receiver Aldarius Johnson (right) continues to deny his alleged role in the scandal, but now plans to turn pro next year rather than transfer to another school for his final year of eligibility. [Miami Herald]

• On second thought… Auburn‘s starting quarterback job for this weekend’s visit to LSU is officially in the air on the heels of Saturday’s 17-6 win over Florida, in which backup Clint Moseley led the Tigers to ten fourth quarter points in place of struggling starter Barrett Trotter. “We’ll come back and evaluate it some more. [Offensive coordinator] Gus [Malzahn] and I will talk about it,” coach Gene Chizik said on Sunday. “By the next time we practice, I know what we’re going to do.”

One thing they’re not going to do: Hand the reins to true freshman Kiehl Frazier, the resident running option in “Wildcat” sets. “He’s a different entity,” Chizik said. [al.com]

• Family matters. Hyped Elk Grove (Calif.) defensive lineman Arik Armstead, a borderline five-star prospect according to Rivals, said Sunday he’s no longer committed to USC next year — at least in part because team doctors have refused to clear his brother, current Trojan Armond Armstead, even after outside doctors gave him the green light following a frightening bout of chest pains in the spring. “Obviously, [Arik] was disappointed with the way things were handled between the school and our family the last six months,” said his father, Guss Armstead. Said Arik: “I’m still looking at SC and I’m still talking to them. I love the coaches there, so I’m considering them as a possibility.” [Rivals, Orange County Register]

• Rebels down. Ole Miss, already down one senior defensive captain after linebacker D.T. Shackelford tore his ACL in the spring, will play the rest of the season without two others now that cornerback Marcus Temple and defensive end Wayne Dorsey have been ruled out for the rest of the year due to ankle and arm injuries, respectively. Dorsey currently leads the Rebels in sacks and tackles for loss; Temple is second on the team with two interceptions. Both careers are over. “Two really good players and two captains that have done a lot for us,” said coach Houston Nutt. [Clarion-Ledger]

Quickly… Oregon State loses defensive tackle Castro Masaniai for the year to a broken fibula. … Mark Richt says the post-game confrontation between Georgia and Vanderbilt coaches has been addressed. … Lane Kiffin says last year’s loss to Notre Dame was the “worst loss that I’ve been a part of ever.” … Skip Holtz is not happy with the officials in South Florida’s loss to UConn. … Washington re-enters the polls, and is immediately tabbed as a 20-point underdog. … Several dozen people were ejected from Wisconsin’s win over Indiana, including 17 arrests. … A long look at the diverse cultures of Missouri as it postures for a move to the SEC. … One last nod to the best gif of the weekend. … And Southern Miss has won over a Brazilian superfan, which is cool. But maybe lose the Thunderstix?

- – -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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Making the morning rounds.

• All in the game. The blood and tears hadn’t even had a chance to dry in Spartan Stadium Saturday before freshly wounded Wolverine fans began flooding YouTube, Twitter and every other outlet at their disposal with complaints of thuggish play in Michigan State’s 28-14 win over Michigan, most notably a pair of personal fouls by MSU defensive end William Gholston for grabbing and twisting Denard Robinson’s facemask at the end of a play and later throwing a punch at lineman Taylor Lewan. Both were flagged, but neither was enough for Michigan players or coaches to bite when reporters gave them the opportunity to call their rivals out after the game.

Coach Brady Hoke: “I don’t know how they played dirty. They had some personal fouls on late hits on the quarterback, but you can get those all the time.” Denard Robinson: “They were playing football. It’s a dirty game.” Defensive tackle Mike Martin: “We knew what type of game this was going to be. It was going to be a tough physical game.” Safety Jordan Kovacs: “They were definitely more physical. They pounded us. They beat us up. You’ve got to give them a lot of credit.”

And from Michigan State’s perspective? It was 60 minutes of unnecessary roughness and thats what we tried to achieve,” said defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. “That’s what we tried to do, 60 minutes of unnecessary roughness. I’m just glad it didn’t get called every play.” [Detroit News, MGoBlue.com, Lansing State Journal]

• Talk to the hand. Investigators are running aground in the sprawling, ongoing probe into improper benefits at Miami, according to “an official close to the NCAA’s investigation,” who told the Miami Herald that it’s proving difficult to corroborate charges in Yahoo! Sports’ massive exposé because former players named in the report are refusing to cooperate. Hurricane coaches “told me there might be a little penalty,” a local recruit told the Herald, “but not as bad as some people think.” Considering that some people think “death penalty,” this may not be an entirely meaningful statement.

Meanwhile, from the same article: Suspended ‘Cane receiver Aldarius Johnson (right) continues to deny his alleged role in the scandal, but now plans to turn pro next year rather than transfer to another school for his final year of eligibility. [Miami Herald]

• On second thought… Auburn‘s starting quarterback job for this weekend’s visit to LSU is officially in the air on the heels of Saturday’s 17-6 win over Florida, in which backup Clint Moseley led the Tigers to ten fourth quarter points in place of struggling starter Barrett Trotter. “We’ll come back and evaluate it some more. [Offensive coordinator] Gus [Malzahn] and I will talk about it,” coach Gene Chizik said on Sunday. “By the next time we practice, I know what we’re going to do.”

One thing they’re not going to do: Hand the reins to true freshman Kiehl Frazier, the resident running option in “Wildcat” sets. “He’s a different entity,” Chizik said. [al.com]

• Family matters. Hyped Elk Grove (Calif.) defensive lineman Arik Armstead, a borderline five-star prospect according to Rivals, said Sunday he’s no longer committed to USC next year — at least in part because team doctors have refused to clear his brother, current Trojan Armond Armstead, even after outside doctors gave him the green light following a frightening bout of chest pains in the spring. “Obviously, [Arik] was disappointed with the way things were handled between the school and our family the last six months,” said his father, Guss Armstead. Said Arik: “I’m still looking at SC and I’m still talking to them. I love the coaches there, so I’m considering them as a possibility.” [Rivals, Orange County Register]

• Rebels down. Ole Miss, already down one senior defensive captain after linebacker D.T. Shackelford tore his ACL in the spring, will play the rest of the season without two others now that cornerback Marcus Temple and defensive end Wayne Dorsey have been ruled out for the rest of the year due to ankle and arm injuries, respectively. Dorsey currently leads the Rebels in sacks and tackles for loss; Temple is second on the team with two interceptions. Both careers are over. “Two really good players and two captains that have done a lot for us,” said coach Houston Nutt. [Clarion-Ledger]

Quickly… Oregon State loses defensive tackle Castro Masaniai for the year to a broken fibula. … Mark Richt says the post-game confrontation between Georgia and Vanderbilt coaches has been addressed. … Lane Kiffin says last year’s loss to Notre Dame was the “worst loss that I’ve been a part of ever.” … Skip Holtz is not happy with the officials in South Florida’s loss to UConn. … Washington re-enters the polls, and is immediately tabbed as a 20-point underdog. … Several dozen people were ejected from Wisconsin’s win over Indiana, including 17 arrests. … A long look at the diverse cultures of Missouri as it postures for a move to the SEC. … One last nod to the best gif of the weekend. … And Southern Miss has won over a Brazilian superfan, which is cool. But maybe lose the Thunderstix?

- – -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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Gumbo brings people together – especially a really big pot of it.

That’s what New Orleans chefs John Folse and Rick Tramonto and former Alabama and Miami Dolphins nose tackle Bob Baumhower are cooking up on Nov. 5 for the annual LSU-Alabama rivalry game to help raise money for Alabama tornado relief.

The day-long (LouisiBama Gumbo Bowl) extravaganza will be the creation of the world’s largest pot of gumbo by chefs Folse and Tramonto, along with Baumhower and his Executive Chef Steve Zucker. The team will create a monster pot of gumbo, using a 300-year-old cast iron pot from the sugar cane fields of South Louisiana. The World’s Largest Gumbo recipe calls for 750 pounds shrimp, 450 pounds catfish fillets, 100 pounds claw crabmeat, 50 pounds white crabmeat, 200 pounds alligator meat, 25 pounds Louisiana crawfish tail meat, 200 pounds diced onions, 75 pounds diced celery, 100 pounds diced green bell pepper, 150 pounds sliced okra, 50 pounds dehydrated garlic and 20 pounds butter. After simmering for three hours, the pot will be weighed via a forklift, and the world record will be confirmed by Guinness Book of World Record. Then, the delicious, steaming contents will be doled out to hungry football fans during the spirited pre-game tailgate at the University of Alabama.

The proceeds of the LouisiBama Gumbo Bowl, which will be held outside of Bryant-Denny Stadium will go to Nick Saban’s charity, Nick’s Kids, and Caring Days Adult Day Care.

So if you happen to be at the LSU-Alabama game, be sure to stop by and get your gumbo. Sounds like a lot of deliciousness right there.

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Gumbo brings people together — especially a really big pot of it.

That’s what New Orleans chefs John Folse and Rick Tramonto and former Alabama and Miami Dolphins nose tackle Bob Baumhower are cooking up on Nov. 5 for the annual LSU-Alabama rivalry game to help raise money for Alabama tornado relief:

The centerpiece of the day-long [LouisiBama] Gumbo Bowl extravaganza will be the creation of the world’s largest pot of gumbo by chefs Folse and Tramonto, along with Baumhower and his Executive Chef Steve Zucker.

The team will create a monster pot of gumbo, using a 300-year-old cast iron pot from the sugar cane fields of South Louisiana. The World’s Largest Gumbo recipe calls for 750 pounds shrimp, 450 pounds catfish fillets, 100 pounds claw crabmeat, 50 pounds white crabmeat, 200 pounds alligator meat, 25 pounds Louisiana crawfish tail meat, 200 pounds diced onions, 75 pounds diced celery, 100 pounds diced green bell pepper, 150 pounds sliced okra, 50 pounds dehydrated garlic and 20 pounds butter.

After it’s simmered a while, the pot will be weighed by forklift for the benefit of the Guinness Book of World Records, which will be on hand to confirm that it is, in fact, the single-largest pot of gumbo in all of recorded human history. Then, the tailgaters outside Bryant-Denny Stadium get to eat. Proceeds will go to Nick Saban’s charity, Nick’s Kids, and Caring Days Adult Day Care.

So if you happen to be at the LSU-Alabama game, be sure to stop by and get your gumbo. Sounds like a lot of deliciousness right there. A whole lot.

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Making the morning rounds.

• How can we help you gentlemen? Multiple players are cooperating with the NCAA’s investigation into the Nevin Shaprio scandal at Miami, according to the Miami Herald, specifically implicating former assistant coaches Clint Hurtt and Joe Pannunzio. Shapiro and another anonymous source told Yahoo! Sports that both coaches accompanied recruits on visits to Shapiro’s mansion, and that Shapiro picked up the tab for Hurtt (right) when he took “large groups of Hurricane football recruits” to dinner at a swank Miami Beach restaurant. Shapiro also provided a check stub made out to Hurtt for $2,500, which he claimed was half of a $5,000, zero-interest loan that Hurtt later paid back in full. (The other half was allegedly paid in cash.) The father of safety Ray-Ray Armstrong — who’s currently in the middle of a four-game suspension mandated by the NCAA — told the Herald his son stayed with Hurtt during a recruiting trip, another violation.

“How did my son even meet this creep? He would never have met Shapiro without Pannunzio,” said another father, who requested anonymity because the NCAA has asked the players not to reveal what they said. “To have one of the coaches deliver him up to this guy, it’s incredible.”
[Miami Herald]

• Another Buckeye down. In actual on-field news, suspension-ravaged Ohio State will be even more depleted against the ‘Canes Saturday after ruling out its top pass rusher, Nathan Williams, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Wednesday that will keep him out of the lineup indefinitely. Williams also sat out last week’s narrow escape against Toledo. “You always want your [best] guys playing,” said defensive coordinator Jim Heacock. “But he sat out last week, it’s obviously been bothering him, so they decided to try and clean it up and hopefully get him back as soon as we can.” [Columbus Dispatch]

• Serious coach are serious. In an effort to be more “physical” against Michigan State, Notre Dame allowed “full-speed, take-him-to-the-ground tackling” during Wednesday’s practice — the first time since coach Brian Kelly‘s arrival the Irish have hit at full-speed in a mid-week session. “I think I’ve said this a number of times: I really like the way we practice,” Kelly told the Chicago Tribune. “Our problem has been Saturday, taking care of the football, attention to detail, as it relates to specific assignments throughout the game. So we’ve been hard on them this week. It’s probably the hardest I’ve been on the guys in the week in terms of attention to the smallest of details. Because those are the things that are getting us beat.” [Chicago Tribune]

• That was fast. Memphis defensive coordinator Jay Hopson “resigned” Wednesday rather than be reassigned to a new position, just a few days after the Tigers allowed 611 total yards in a 47-3 thrashing at Arkansas State. Through two games, Hopson’s D ranks dead last nationally in both total and scoring defense, and the Tigers are already on the road to oblivion. [Associated Press]

• Recommended reading. If you haven’t already, get thee to heavyweight civil rights historian Taylor Branch’s heavyweight, 14,500-word evisceration of the NCAA for The Atlantic, which may legitimately be the most important article ever written about college sports. If not, it’s certainly the most comprehensive, tracing the history of the NCAA from its humble, impotent origins, and making the most convincing case yet that the organization is not only the bastion of an exploitive, plantation-like system that violates antitrust law, but may in fact be little more than a basketball tournament with an empty office building in Kansas City. (Also: It includes a former coach describing his profession as “whoremaster.”) [The Atlantic]

Quickly… Rutgers loses its leading rusher over a demotion on the depth chart. … Illinois loses a fullback for the season to a broken leg. … South Carolina loses a running back to an ACL tear. (No, not that running back.) … Alabama‘s not giving up on Phillip Sims as its part-time quarterback, at least when it’s playing North Texas. … The Associated Press takes on the craze for gaudy uniforms. … B.J. Daniels is forcing his father to root against his own employer. … The bald eagle who crashed into a luxury box window during the ritual pre-game at Auburn is doing just fine. … And compared to the state flag motif it rocked in the opener, Maryland‘s decision to break out the all-black look against West Virginia is downright conservative.

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Matt Hinton is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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