MyrtleBeachOnline.com: Sports

Report: Swinney to be named Tigers' coach

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:28 EST

The State newspaper in Columbia is reporting that Clemson and Dabo Swinney have agreed in principle to make Swinney the Tigers' next football coach.

According to the newspaper's report, an announcement is expected either today or Tuesday. Contractual details are yet to be finalized; however, the announcement could be made before negotiations are completed.

Swinney, 39, was retained from former coach Tommy Bowden's staff to serve as the Tigers' interim coach for the final six games of the regular season. He spent the previous five seasons as the team's receivers coach.

Change is in the air

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:30 EST

It could be just like old times for South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia, whose next start looks as if it will be in his hometown of Tampa, Fla.

A day after watching Chris Smelley throw a career-high four interceptions in a 31-14 loss at Clemson, Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier pulled the trigger on another move at quarterback.

Spurrier announced Sunday that Garcia, who did not play against Clemson, would start USC's bowl game, which by all indications will be the Outback.

Noll's double-double leads Chants past Cobras

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:30 EST

Jessica Noll had game highs of 12 points and 13 rebounds for her first career double-double in leading the Coastal Carolina women's basketball team to a 64-31 win over Coker on Sunday.

Noll, a St. James High graduate, led Coastal in scoring for the second consecutive day. She scored 15 in the Chanticleers' 76-36 win over Southern Virginia on Saturday.

Courtney Grambley added 10 points for Coastal (6-1), which had 10 players score.

Two assistants leaving USC one fired, one heading to Vols

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:28 EST

South Carolina lost two assistant coaches Sunday, although only one left by his own volition.

Steve Spurrier fired much-maligned offensive line coach John Hunt, who worked with Spurrier at three coaching stops but failed to produce lines at USC that could open up running lanes or protect the Gamecocks' quarterbacks.

Meanwhile, recruiting coordinator David Reaves will join the staff of his brother-in-law, Lane Kiffin, who will be announced as Tennessee's new coach today. Reaves said he will coach the Volunteers' quarterbacks.

Sooners get nod from BCS

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:30 EST

A week before the final standings are released and the Bowl Championship Series is already ticking people off.

Oklahoma - not Texas - is headed to the Big 12 championship game with an inside track to the national title game by moving ahead of the Longhorns in the BCS standings Sunday.

Texas' victory against the Sooners in October wasn't enough to give the Longhorns the advantage in a three-way tie between the Red River rivals and Texas Tech atop the Big 12 South. And that's sure to leave many in Austin dismayed - at the least.

Player safety still a concern in NFL

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:28 EST

New York Giants receiver Amani Toomer used to snicker and scoff when he'd notice pro athletes traipsing around town with personal bodyguards.

He isn't laughing now. Not after hearing about various violent episodes involving NFL players, the latest being when teammate Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a New York nightclub.

"I used to see guys walk into clubs with security, and I was like, 'Who do they think they are?' But now I'm like, 'Wow. This is a big deal,'" Toomer said Sunday after the Giants' 23-7 victory over the Washington Redskins.

Choi birdies 18 to clinch victory

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:28 EST

K.J. Choi holed an 11-foot birdie putt worth $270,000 on the 18th hole Sunday to win the 26th Skins Game with $415,000.

Stephen Ames missed a 9-footer that would have tied the hole and forced the foursome including Phil Mickelson and Rocco Mediate into a playoff.

Instead, Choi's putt gave him $340,000 for Sunday's nine holes and made him the fifth international player to win the title.

Thigpen gets first victory as Chiefs' starter

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:30 EST

When two of the NFL's worst teams meet, it figures that a botched play would be the biggest.

That's just what happened Sunday when Maurice Leggett scooped up a fumble on a fake field goal attempt and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown to help the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Oakland Raiders 20-13 and snap a seven-game losing streak.

"I was surprised they actually ran a fake," Leggett said. "It surprised me. When I saw the ball on the ground, it was an opportunity to make a play. ... It's a great win - a big confidence boost."

How NFL players with local ties fared Sunday

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:30 EST

Robert Geathers, DE, Bengals

The Carvers Bay High graduate did not play in the Bengals' game Sunday because of a knee injury.

Jerome Simpson, WR, Bengals

Panthers rally for win over Packers

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:30 EST

The Carolina Panthers should have been trudging into a snowy Green Bay night wondering for the second week in a row if they're really as good as their record would indicate.

Instead, they were celebrating an improbable come-from-behind victory Sunday, thanks to late back-to-back-to-back big plays by Mark Jones, Steve Smith and DeAngelo Williams - and a Green Bay Packers team that seemed intent on giving the game away.

But with division rival Tampa Bay coming to Charlotte, N.C., next Monday night, Smith wasn't gloating about the Panthers' stunning 35-31 victory in wintry conditions at Lambeau Field.

The best, worst and amusing from auto racing in '08

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:30 EST

It's just like the Oscars, only fewer gowns, fewer tuxes and fewer waifish entertainment reporters giggling at clever quips on the red carpet.

There will be no giggling here. Or red carpets, for that matter.

These are the Auto Racing Confidential season-ending awards, and they're a very serious matter. We'll break down this year's best, worst and most amusing.

Swedes win World Cup

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:28 EST

Henrik Stenson of Sweden knew the contending teams in the World Cup of Golf had their "hot rounds" during the tournament. He hoped the Swedes would have their moment on Sunday.

They did.

Robert Karlsson and Stenson birdied the first hole and added eight more without dropping a shot to lift Sweden to its second World Cup title, shooting a 9-under 63 in alternate-shot play to beat Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal by three strokes.

Steelers sting Patriots

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:30 EST

The Steelers snapped the Patriots' spell over them with a plan that has worked all season: knock 'em down, steal the ball and keep them from gaining yards.

Pittsburgh's top-ranked defense got rolling in the second half, leading the Steelers to a 33-10 win on a cold and rainy Sunday, only their second victory in eight games against New England.

"We heard a lot of talk about it being a rivalry," Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said. "It hasn't been much of a rivalry until you win some. That's what we talked about coming up here."

Falcons improve playoff chances as Chargers see postseason hopes fade

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:30 EST

It's all but over for the star-studded San Diego Chargers, who were done in Sunday by a rookie quarterback, a rookie head coach and a former teammate.

Yes, Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and the surprising Atlanta Falcons are very much alive in the NFC playoff picture, thanks to their 22-16 win over the collapsing Chargers.

Ryan, the rookie from Boston College, threw two touchdown passes and Turner, the former understudy to LaDainian Tomlinson, ran for 120 yards against his former team.

Bucs shut down Brees, Saints

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:28 EST

Relentless all day long, Tampa Bay's defense finally shut down Drew Brees when it mattered most.

Jermaine Phillips and Phillip Buchanon intercepted the NFL's leading passer in the closing minutes and Matt Bryant kicked a 37-yard field goal with 1:55 remaining Sunday to help the Buccaneers stay atop the NFC South with a 23-20 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

Brees, on pace to break Dan Marino's single-season yardage record, threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns on a rainy day but also was picked off three times once in the end zone and bothered by the Bucs' pass rush all afternoon.

Texans to make their Monday night debut against disappointing Jaguars

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:28 EST

Jacksonville enters tonight's matchup with the Houston Texans as a team in disarray.

Fred Taylor doesn't know what the problem is, but the 11-year veteran called this team the worst he's ever been on. This season's 4-7 start has been a shocking turnaround from last year's 11-5 regular-season finish and trip to the second round of the playoffs.

"It has to be something," Taylor said. "Right now the chemistry, it's not good ... the team, the [team] concept more so than our franchise. The chemistry is bad. The chemistry, the mix isn't ... something's not right."

Giants cruise past Redskins

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:30 EST

The New York Giants have shoved every distraction aside, including a shooting incident involving their star receiver, to become as dominant as, say, a Chicago Bulls team with Michael Jordan.

Perhaps that's no coincidence.

At one of the first meetings of training camp, coach Tom Coughlin discussed the 1991-92 Bulls as a team for the Giants to emulate in the bid to repeat as Super Bowl champions. That was the first season that MJ won a back-to-back, and the Giants remained solidly on pace to keep up with His Airness after Sunday's 23-7 victory over the Washington Redskins.

BCS STANDINGS

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:17 EST

Harris USA Today Computer BCS
Rk Pts Pct Rk Pts Pct Rk Pct Avg Pv

1. Alabama 1 2815 0.9965 1 1521 0.9974 3 0.920 0.9713 1 2. Oklahoma 4 2569 0.9094 2 1397 0.9161 1 0.980 0.9351 3 3. Texas 3 2575 0.9115 3 1396 0.9154 2 0.940 0.9223 2 4. Florida 2 2619 0.9271 4 1385 0.9082 6 0.820 0.8851 4 5. Southern Cal 5 2378 0.8418 5 1298 0.8511 8 0.730 0.8076 5 6. Utah 7 2111 0.7473 7 1153 0.7561 5 0.850 0.7844 6 7. Texas Tech 8 2090 0.7398 8 1116 0.7318 4 0.870 0.7805 7 8. Penn St. 6 2177 0.7706 6 1176 0.7711 9 0.670 0.7373 8 9. Boise St. 9 1937 0.6857 9 1044 0.6846 7 0.740 0.7034 9 10. Ohio St. 10 1856 0.6570 10 999 0.6551 11 0.590 0.6340 10 11. TCU 12 1502 0.5317 11 836 0.5482 10 0.610 0.5633 14 12. Ball St. 11 1526 0.5402 13 765 0.5016 12 0.550 0.5306 15 13. Cincinnati 13 1425 0.5044 12 770 0.5049 15 0.440 0.4831 16 14. Oklahoma St. 14 1217 0.4308 15 613 0.4020 t13 0.450 0.4276 12 15. Georgia Tech 16 1065 0.3770 16 590 0.3869 t13 0.450 0.4046 22 16. Georgia 20 833 0.2949 19 440 0.2885 16 0.410 0.3311 11 17. Boston College 19 834 0.2952 20 435 0.2852 17 0.380 0.3202 21 18. BYU 17 990 0.3504 18 461 0.3023 18 0.290 0.3142 18 19. Oregon 15 1076 0.3809 14 658 0.4315 23 0.100 0.3041 23 20. Missouri 18 896 0.3172 17 470 0.3082 20 0.220 0.2818 13 21. Michigan St. 21 688 0.2435 21 414 0.2715 19 0.250 0.2550 19 22. Northwestern 22 414 0.1465 22 333 0.2184 NR 0.000 0.1216 24 23. Pittsburgh 23 346 0.1225 23 154 0.1010 t24 0.080 0.1012 25 24. Florida St. 29 30 0.0106 29 15 0.0098 21 0.210 0.0768 20 25. Virginia Tech 27 71 0.0251 26 41 0.0269 22 0.120 0.0573 NR

The Sun News Caption Contest

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:10 EST

Ever read a photo caption and think that something else would have been a lot better ... or at least more comical? Well, here's your chance to show your word-crafting talents.

Look at the picture and then submit what you think would be the best sentence or word to describe it in the comment box below. While there, be sure to peruse what others have written, including a member of the sports staff to get the week started.

The ''From the Sidelines'' crew, the sports production staff that will debut a new blog around the first of August, will choose the top captions weekly and print them in Sunday's edition on the Scoreboard page. The only rules are that submissions must not contain vulgarity or be too suggestive. However, fun is encouraged.

WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP No. 1 UConn has easy time with No. 4 Sooners

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:16 EST

Renee Montgomery had a career-high 30 points and matched the Connecticut record with 13 assists to help the top-ranked Huskies rout No. 4 Oklahoma 106-78 on Sunday night.

Montgomery, who got the first double-double of her career, tied the assists record set by Laura Lishness in 1991 against Seton Hall.

Maya Moore added 27 points and 12 rebounds and Tina Charles had 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for UConn (5-0).