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News Nuggets, 10.24.03
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Discipline in store for miscreant Mountaineer fans

MORGANTOWN — West Virginia University and city officials will study videotape and photographs to identify rowdy football fans who set fires in the streets after the Mountaineers' 28-7 upset of No. 3 Virginia Tech.

"If there are students in the pictures, and I'm sure there will be, they'll be hearing from our student affairs office and will be disciplined accordingly," university spokeswoman Becky Lofstead said Thursday.

No one was seriously injured, police Sgt. Mike Lantz said.

At least a dozen of about 90 fires set early Thursday were described as "sizable" by emergency officials. One car was damaged, the street was littered with broken glass, bottle rockets and firecrackers.

One student was charged with battery after punching an officer, police said. About 20 other people were charged with setting fires, disorderly conduct and public intoxication.

At one point, about 5,000 students gathered on the main road. Inside the stadium, police used pepper spray on fans who tried to tear down the goal posts after the Mountaineers' victory.

This week, West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez left messages on students' answering machines, taped a video shown on the football field scoreboard and made other requests for fans to act responsibly at Wednesday night's nationally televised game.

Earlier this month, the university disciplined three students who participated in similar post-game mayhem after the Mountaineers' 22-20 loss to No. 2 Miami, Lofstead said. One student was expelled.

"It's definitely out of hand," Lantz said. "We just can't continue like this every time we have a night game or a national game."

N.M. State, Utah State headed to WAC

EL PASO — New Mexico State and Utah State will likely be invited to join the Western Athletic Conference on Thursday.

WAC athletic directors held a conference call this week and recommended that the two schools be added to the conference, University of Texas-El Paso athletic director Bob Stull told the El Paso Times.

"I think it was unanimous that we all felt they would be two real good additions to the WAC because of their programs and geography reasons," Stull said. "When we went through the selection process, those two — by far — were the best picks."

New Mexico State athletic director Brian Faison and WAC commissioner Karl Benson would neither confirm nor deny that an announcement regarding league membership would be made.

But Utah State President Kermit D. Hall told the Deseret Morning News in Salt Lake City that a news conference had been scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

On Monday, the WAC identified eight schools as possible replacements for Rice, Tulsa and Southern Methodist, which will be leaving the league to join Conference USA.

U of L hoops scrimmage to benefit paralyzed former star

LOUISVILLE — University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino will provide a preseason look at the 2003-04 Cardinals when his team plays a Red-White intrasquad scrimmage tonight at 7 p.m. at Louisville Gardens.

Tickets for the event are $6 each with a portion of the proceeds directed to the Marques Maybin Medical Fund. Maybin, who led the Cardinals in scoring during his senior season in 2000-01, was left paralyzed from the waist down after an Aug. 5 motorcycle accident.

WABC bails Army radio network out of World Series dilemma

WEST POINT — Due to potential scheduling conflicts with the World Series, the Army Sports Network broadcast of Saturday's Conference USA battle between Army and Cincinnati will shift from 1050 ESPN Radio (1050-AM), New York, NY, to 50,000-watt powerhouse 77 WABC (770-AM), New York, NY.

The Black Knights (0-7 overall, 0-5 C-USA) begin a three-game road swing searching for their first win of the season, battling the league's defending co-champion Bearcats (3-3 overall, 1-2 C-USA). Kickoff time at Nippert Stadium is set for 3:05 p.m. with the Army Sports Network's pregame show beginning at 2:30 p.m.

John Minko (play-by-play), Dean Darling (color analyst), Casey Kahler (sideline reporter) and Bob Outer (program host) will call the action from Cincinnati for the Army Sports Network. In addition to 77 WABC, whose broadcast signal can be heard in 38 states and Canada, the ASN broadcast can also be heard in the Hudson Valley on WBNR (1260-AM), Beacon, NY, and WLNA (1420-AM), Peekskill, NY.

Georgia to be shorthanded against Blazers

ATHENS — Receiver Fred Gibson and fullback Jeremy Thomas probably won't play Saturday when No. 4 Georgia hosts UAB.

Gibson is still bothered by a bruised knee that kept him out of last week's victory over Vanderbilt. "I keep asking him if it's getting better," coach Mark Richt said. "He says it's getting better."

Thomas probably will be held out after suffering his second concussion of the year. He was hurt playing on special teams in the Vandy game. "I'm still having headaches. I'm still a little foggy," Thomas said. "I don't want to sit on the sidelines, but your head is pretty important. I don't want to mess with that."

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2003 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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