News Nuggets, 10.29.04
NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...
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Compiled from staff reports
and electronic dispatches
Football grad rates keep Division I average from
sinking
PREVIOUS NUGGETS |
10.28.04: CBS,
Fox poised to challenge ABC for BCS rights ... Injury
sidelines prolific Blue Devils newcomer ...
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10.27.04: Coaches
predict Cards to dominate, Pirates to improve ... Seahawks
undergo management shuffle ...
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10.26.04: Mountain
West outsider banging hard on BCS door ... Southern Miss
dominates league's weekly awards ...
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10.25.04: C-USA
standings, scoreboard, schedule & TV ... Associated Press
college football poll ...
More... |
10.24.04: Bearcats
stagger heavily-favored Memphis ... College football
weekend: stars & storylines ...
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10.23.04: Blue
Raiders go hip-hop to fill empty seats
... No. 15 Louisville makes mince meat of Bulls ...
More... |
10.22.04: Black
coaches issue report cards to Division I schools ...
Mountaineers QB rumbles over Syracuse
...
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10.21.04: Holland
successor to head NCAA selection committee ... New BCS model
already begging to be recalled
...
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10.20.04: Cards
shake off loss to Miami, target USF for payback ... McCants
clarifies Chapel Hill 'jail' remarks
...
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10.19.04: Utah
earns lofty spot in BCS poll; Louisville, UAB on list ...
Bad back hounds Marquette basketball coach ... ACC rolls out
new seal, future division names
...
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10.18.04: New
look BCS to debut: Let the bickering begin ... C-USA
standings, scoreboard, schedule & TV ... AP college football
poll
...
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10.17.04: Army
streaking; C- USA, Carolinas scoreboard ... College football
weekend: stars & storylines
...
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10.16.04: Blazers
scorch Frogs to stay unbeaten in league ... Another Florida
school graduating to Division I
...
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10.15.04: 'Bama
matchup evokes perils of 2000 ECU game for USM ... Miami
comeback brings cocky Cardinals down to Earth
...
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10.14.04: Thompson:
Pinkney's redshirt year safe and secure ... Schnellenberger
ringside for U of L vs. Miami
...
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10.13.04: JV
Pirates live up to varsity's example
Toronto approves bid to host bowl game
...
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10.12.04: Herrion
anoints Badiane, Cook as team's leaders ... No. 1 Southern
Miss QB to miss 'Bama game ... Tar Heel trio sacked by pot
charges
...
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10.11.04: College
football weekend: stars & storylines ... C-USA standings,
scoreboard, schedule & TV ... Associated Press football poll
...
More... |
10.10.04: Army
sheds losing ways at Bearcats' expense ... Conference USA &
Carolinas football scoreboard
...
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10.09.04: Future
looks lonely for Temple Owls football ... Coug legend
Drexler enshrined in hoops Hall ...
More... |
10.08.04: Golden
Eagles claw out overtime win over Houston
ESPN2 HD to debut with C-USA doubleheader
...
More... |
10.07.04: Southern
Miss road warriors back home for primetime ... Louisville
building $10 million baseball stadium
...
More... |
10.06.04: Reported
dispute with coach nets suspension for ECU's Fox ... Holtz
sanctions receiver over academic issues
...
More... |
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INDIANAPOLIS The graduation rate for
major college football players increased for the fourth straight year, and
the rate for all Division I athletes remained at 62 percent, or 2 percent
higher than the general student population.
The figures, released this week by the
NCAA, were for athletes who entered college in 1997 and graduated within the
six-year window set by the U.S. Department of Education. Starting next year,
the NCAA will also compile separate rates that take transfers into account
and do not penalize schools if athletes left in good academic standing.
"Our academic reforms have begun to
phase in," NCAA President Myles Brand said. "However, it won't be until the
entering class of freshmen in 2003 graduates, that will reflect the total
academic reform initiatives."
This year's report showed 70 percent of
female athletes who entered Division I colleges on scholarship in 1997 have
graduated, compared with 55 percent of the male athletes over the same
period. Those figures, as well as the 62 percent overall rate, were
identical to those compiled last year, the first study since the NCAA
imposed more stringent academic requirements.
"I'm happy we've maintained that high
level," Brand said. "I say it's a high level because you have to measure it
against the general student population, and when you get above 60 percent,
even 1 or 2 percent matters.
"Our academic reforms are going to be
able to move that needle a bit, but not very much," he said. "That's a very
difficult number to raise much higher than that, considering
student-athletes in general are already graduating at a higher rate than the
general student body."
The report covering 328 Division I
schools showed a 60 percent graduation rate for the overall student
population. In the NCAA's lower divisions, the graduation rates for Division
II freshmen who entered in 1997 were 53 percent for athletes and 46 percent
for all students, and 58 percent for athletes and 63 percent overall at
Division III schools, which do not award athletic scholarships.
The 62 percent in Division I matched
the figure set last year as the highest since the annual reports began in
1984.
In football, the Division I-A rate was
57 percent, up from 54 percent for the freshmen who entered college in 1996.
For all of Division I, the graduation rate for football players was 55
percent, a 1-percent increase from the previous report.
"We're doing a better job," Brand said
of the steady improvement for football players, especially among blacks.
"The athletic departments got the message, that academic performance is
important. They've listened to the concerns and are responding in a
favorable way."
The rates for men's basketball,
traditionally among the worst, also continued to climb, despite a drop from
52 percent to 48 percent for whites. An increase from 38 percent to 42
percent for blacks helped push the overall men's graduation rate for
basketball to 44 percent, 2 points higher than last year.
"Most elite programs, for
African-American men, they've increased 11 percent over four years. ... At
least for that population, we're seeing positive results," Brand said.
"We're not seeing that same level for white male basketball players, so
basketball overall continues to remain a challenge. I don't know if there's
anything specific that would account for that."
Among all Division I sports, 48 percent
of black male athletes and 59 percent of white males graduated, the same as
last year. Black female athletes' graduation rate was 62 percent, the same
as a year ago, while the rate for white females dropped from 72 percent to
70 percent.
Despite miscues, Hokies handle Georgia Tech
ATLANTA Virginia Tech just couldn't
seem to get going. There were turnovers. There were botched plays. There
were missed opportunities.
Then, in the last 5 1/2 minutes, Bryan
Randall and the Hokies turned it all around.
Randall threw two long touchdowns in
the fourth quarter and Roland Minor finished off Georgia Tech with a 64-yard
interception return, rallying No. 22 Virginia Tech to a wild 34-20 victory
Thursday night.
``It was one of the best moments of my
career,'' Randall said.
The senior passed for 304 yards, also
hooking up with David Clowney on a 34-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
But Randall really shined at the end.
He threw an 80-yard scoring pass to
Eddie Royal with 5:28 remaining, then completed a desperation pass for the
tying 2-point conversion.
``When we tied it, we knew we had the
momentum,'' Randall said. ``We didn't think our defense would give up any
more points.''
But Georgia Tech's did. On the Hokies'
next series, Randall ran for 32 yards, then connected with Josh Morgan on a
51-yard TD with 3:10 remaining.
Minor, a redshirt freshman, intercepted
two passes by Reggie Ball in the final 2 1/2 minutes, returning the second
for a touchdown that capped a 25-point fourth quarter by the Hokies (6-2,
3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Georgia Tech (4-3, 3-3) scored two
touchdowns less than a minute apart in the second quarter for a 14-0 lead.
But the Yellow Jackets couldn't hold it, their highly ranked defense falling
apart in the final period.
After giving up a total of 265 yards in
its two previous games, the Yellow Jackets were burned for 446 yards in this
one.
``It hurts to let one get away like
this, where we thought we were in pretty good shape going into the fourth
quarter,'' coach Chan Gailey said. ``We gave up some big plays and just
couldn't sustain anything offensively.''
Randall completed 18 of 31 passes and
also played a big role in the running game, accounting for 64 yards on nine
carries.
News Nuggets are
compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member
schools, and from Associated Press and
other reports. Copyright 2004
Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be
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