Luke Judge

Ohio State players broke the rules and got to play in the Sugar Bowl last year anyway. Coach Jim Tressel knew about infractions and let it all happen.

Now the Buckeyes and new coach Urban Meyer will pay for it next season.

The NCAA hit Ohio State with a one-year bowl ban and additional penalties Tuesday for violations that started with eight players taking a total of $14,000 in cash and tattoos in exchange for jerseys, rings and other Buckeyes memorabilia.

Tressel was tipped to the violations in April 2010 but didn’t tell anyone — even after the athletes got caught last December but were allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl against Arkansas if they served suspensions to start the 2011 season.

Tressel’s silence damaged Ohio State in the eyes of the NCAA, and the result is that the Buckeyes, with a plum 2012 schedule and one of college football’s best coaches in Meyer, will watch next year’s bowl games on TV.

Forced out in may and now on the staff of the Indianapolis Colts, Tressel was called out by the NCAA for unethical conduct and will have a hard time coaching at the college level again.

“He’s not going to appeal. He accepts the committee’s decision. That’s all there is to say,” said Gene March, an attorney for Tressel.

The university had previously offered to vacate the 2010 season, return bowl money, go on two years of NCAA probation and use five fewer football scholarships over the next three years.

But the NCAA countered with the postseason ban, probation through Dec. 19, 2014, and reduced football scholarships from 85 to 82 through the 2014-15 academic year.

Hawaii: Utah offensive coordinator Norm Chow has accepted the job as the Warriors’ head coach, a person with knowledge of the situation said.

Greg McMackin recently retired as coach with a year remaining on his five-year contract after the Warriors went a disappointing 6-7 and missed the postseason for the second time in his four years.

Iowa: Sophomore running back Marcus Coker has been suspended from the Dec. 30 Insight Bowl against Oklahoma after violating the university’s student-athlete code of conduct.

The university did not provide details.

Coker ran for 1,384 yards this season, the fourth-best total in school history, along with 15 touchdowns.

North Carolina: Wide receiver Dwight Jones has been declared ineligible for the Independence Bowl by the school after the senior allowed his name and photo to be used on a flyer promoting a party at a club.

Jones had 79 catches for 1,119 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Tar Heels, who play Missouri on Monday in Shreveport, La.

Penn State: Many players once coached by Joe Paterno are showing their support for their former coach through a letter being released in time for his 85th birthday on Wednesday.

At least 340 former players had signed on to the letter online as of Tuesday night. Lydell Mitchell, a standout Nittany Lions running back from 1969-71, helped organize the effort.

Paterno was fired last month in the aftermath of child sex-abuse charges against retired defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl: Rakeem Cato threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns to help Marshall (7-6) to a 20-10 victory over Florida International (8-5) in the Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Coach of the year: LSU’s Les Miles was voted the associated Press Coach of the Year in balloting by media members.

football Games coach jim, college football, jerseys, ncaa, plum, suspensions

two home games and a visit to intrastate rivals and BCS opponents Ohio State and Cincinnati highlight the University of Akron football program's 2011 nonconference schedule, second-year head coach Rob Ianello announced on Thursday. the Zips will open their 111th season on the gridiron on Sept. 3 at big ten opponent Ohio State and travel to big East program Cincinnati on Sept. 17. Tickets to both away games will be made available to Zips season ticket holders, with more details to be announced next week. UA's nonleague home schedule at two-year-old InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field will consist of matchups against Florida International on Sept. 10 and Virginia Military Institute on Sept. 24. in 2011 the Zips also will play host to Mid-American Conference rivals Kent State, Ohio, Temple and Central Michigan. "as a program, we are very much looking forward to the 2011 season and by design our nonleague schedule will help prepare us for MAC play," Ianello said. "We have nonconference home games against two quality opponents and it's exciting for our players and fans to visit big ten and big East venues at Ohio State and Cincinnati. the fact that we stay within the state of Ohio for the first four games of the season is a positive for the team and will make it easy for our fans to follow us." UA and OSU will meet on the football field for the first time since Sept. 8, 2007, when the then No. 11-ranked Buckeyes defeated Akron, 20-2, in Columbus. the Zips are 1-6 all-time against the Scarlet and Grey, with their lone victory in the series coming in the form of a 4-0 decision in 1891. Akron and Cincinnati will face off for the third time in six years. the Bearcats defeated the Zips 17-15 in the previous meeting on Sept. 27, 2008 at UA's old venue the Rubber Bowl, and also got the best of Akron 20-14 on Oct. 7, 2006 in Cincinnati. UC owns a 3-2 edge in the series, which dates to 1984. Akron and VMI will meet up for the second time ever, with the KeyDets claiming the prior contest 38-14 on Nov. 4, 1967 in Lexington, Va. UA and FIU will face one another for the first time. Both OSU and FIU wrapped up their 2010 campaigns with a bowl game victory. Ohio State scored a 31-26 win over Arkansas in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, and closed the season with a 12-1 record and a No. 5 ranking in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. FIU, which is a member of the Sun Belt Conference, topped MAC member Toledo 34-32 in the little Caesars Pizza Bowl and finished with a 7-6 overall mark. Cincinnati comes off a 4-8 season. VMI, which is a member of the big South Conference and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), went 3-8 last season. in conference play, the Zips will travel to Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio) and Western Michigan. All game times, conference dates and television coverage will be announced later. Renewal invoices for current Zips football season ticket holders will be mailed during the first week of February, and new season ticket packages will go on sale on Monday, Jan. 31 at 9 a.m. ET. Tickets can be purchased online anytime at GoZips.com/tickets, or from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays by either calling 1-888-99-AKRON (25766) or visiting the Akron Athletics Ticket Office at InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field (located at 375 E. Exchange Street, near Gate 1 at the southwest corner of the venue, at the intersection of E. Exchange and S. Union streets). 2011 Akron Football Schedule: Sat., Sept. 3 – at Ohio State Sat., Sept. 10 – FIU Sat. Sept. 17 – at Cincinnati Sat., Sept. 24 – VMI MAC Home Games: Kent State, Ohio, Temple, Central Michigan MAC away Games: Buffalo, Miami (Ohio), Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan

football Games infocision stadium, matchups, quality opponents, season ticket holders

Was USC over its head against a Western Athletic Conference team’s spread offense? Will a return to conventional opponents provide a welcome relief to a Trojans defense that surrendered 588 yards against Hawaii?

That was the view of a former Pacific-10 Conference coach who watched the Trojans’ 49-36 victory over Hawaii.

“I didn’t think schematically they had a good plan,” said the coach, who did not wish to be identified. “You just can’t play man-to-man defense the whole game against Hawaii. They tried zone a couple times but couldn’t get any pressure on Hawaii’s quarterbacks and didn’t make any adjustments.

“Their defensive game plan did not have an answer for anything. They let a WAC team take them to school.”

the critical analysis, the coach believed things would improve for the Trojans when they start facing Pac-10 teams.

“They will be fine in the conference,” he said. “They can run their cover two (zone defense) against the pro-style offenses.”

And what about the offense that scored 49 points against the Warriors?

“(Wide receiver) Ronald Johnson is a good player and (tailback) Marc Tyler is a good player,” the coach said. “But people will be able to defend them in the conference. That’s not a great football team right now.”

More pressure

USC coach Lane Kiffin said Sunday he was disappointed the Trojans didn’t force any turnovers against Hawaii.

“They had turned the ball over in 34 or 37 straight games

and I thought we’d get more pressure on them,” Kiffin said. “Every time we came close to making a significant play we didn’t.”No tackling

Even though tackling was an issue against Hawaii, Kiffin said there would be no tackling in practices this week because of concerns about the defense’s lack of depth.

“That sounds like an easy answer (to practice it),” Kiffin said. “We really can’t.”

Kiffin noted USC allowed 76- and 68-yard scoring drives in the fourth quarter when he substituted more freely.

Line praise

Kiffin said right tackle Tyron Smith played “great” and also complimented left tackle Matt Kalil. He said the interior linemen and the backups were less effective against Hawaii.

Robey overworked

Kiffin lamented freshman cornerback Nickell Robey participated in 95 plays against Hawaii on defense and special teams.

“We played Nickell too much,” Kiffin said. “As warm as it was at the start of the game … we wore him down. We need to monitor his reps better.”

On Leinart

Kiffin said he didn’t expect the Arizona Cardinals to release former USC quarterback Matt Leinart over the weekend.

“Obviously it’s a huge surprise he has not been successful when you look at his college winning percentage and the fact he came from a pro-style offense,” Kiffin said. “You hear stories about other quarterbacks like Rich Gannon who were successful when they got a new start somewhere else.”

Corp aid

Former USC quarterback Aaron Corp completed 18 of 32 passes for 183 yards with an interception in Richmond’s 34-13 loss to Virginia. USC plays Virginia on Saturday at the Coliseum.

“He’s what we thought he was,” coach Latrell Scott told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “He’s savvy. He’s a leader. I think he made plays with his feet. He made good decisions.”

football Games man defense, pac 10, spread offense