VIEW THE MOBILE ALPHA VERSION OF THIS SITE

News Nuggets, 04.17.05
 —  —  —  —  —
NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...

Previous Day Nuggets...             Next Day Nuggets...

Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Spurrier draws big crowd, TV for USC spring game

Some 38,806 fans showed up at South Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday to catch a glimpse of Steve Spurrier's new-look Gamecocks.

ESPN2 was even in Columbia for the ``Garnet and Black'' game, which traditionally draws about 10,000 fans.

``We have not done anything to earn the spotlight,'' Spurrier said. ``Hopefully, our play will earn more nationally televised games. ... We have a good team. How good? I don't know. We should be competitive.''

Spurrier, the former Florida coach coming off a disappointing stint with the NFL's Washington Redskins, took over the team in November, replacing the retired Lou Holtz.

``We were anxious to come see Mr. Spurrier,'' said Margaret Hester, 61, of Newberry County. ``Our hopes for next season are really, really high.''

South Carolina was 6-5 last season and 16-19 in its last three seasons under Holtz.

Blake Mitchell led the Black team to a 20-10 victory, completing 12 of 23 passes for 175 yards.

``Blake did a lot better than he's done,'' Spurrier said.

Redshirt freshman Antonio Heffner was 7-for-14 for 129 yards and an interception for the Garnet.

``He struggled today,'' Spurrier said of Heffner. ``Again, the quarterback situation is just as wide open as it was probably the first day.''

Receiver Noah Whiteside was taken off the field on a cart after he was flattened following a catch over the middle. Spurrier said Whiteside probably dislocated his right ankle but he was being evaluated after the game.

``There's a chance he'll be back. I think he'll be back for the season,'' Spurrier said. ``That was the worst play of the whole day.''

Reports: Doherty heading to Sunshine State

BOCA RATON — Former North Carolina coach Matt Doherty will be the new basketball coach at Florida Atlantic, two newspapers reported Saturday.

The Palm Beach Post and The Boca Raton News, citing unidentified sources, reported on their Web sites that a formal announcement of Doherty's hiring could come as soon as Monday.

A message left by The Associated Press on Doherty's cell phone was not immediately returned, and Florida Atlantic athletic department spokeswoman Katrina McCormick said she didn't know if the hiring process was complete.

Doherty toured the campus Wednesday and met with athletic director Craig Angelos and school president Frank Brogan about the position.

Florida Atlantic would be the third coaching stop for the 43-year-old Doherty, who lasted three seasons as Bill Guthridge's successor at North Carolina before being forced to resign.

Doherty, a starter on North Carolina's 1982 national championship team, went 53-43 leading the Tar Heels before resigning after the 2002-03 season. Many of his top recruits helped North Carolina win this year's NCAA title.

He had previously served as head coach at Notre Dame for one season (22-15), and was an assistant for seven seasons at Kansas under current North Carolina coach Roy Williams.

Doherty would succeed Sidney Green, who was fired last month after his third straight losing season.

Doherty's hiring would give Florida Atlantic two high-profile coaches; Howard Schnellenberger has been the Owls' football coach since the program's inception in 2000.

Full-count walk costs UT hurler perfect game

AUSTIN, TX — Adrian Alaniz threw the third no-hitter in Big 12 history, leading Texas to a 4-0 victory over Oklahoma on Saturday night.

Alaniz struck out six and retired his last 15 batters in what was almost a perfect game. Alaniz (3-0) walked Ryan Rohlinger in the fourth inning on a 3-2 count with two outs, the only base runner the redshirt freshman allowed.

Rohlinger almost broke up the no-hitter in the seventh on a deep fly ball to left field, but Texas' Nick Peoples made an acrobatic catch against the wall.

It's the 19th no-hitter in Texas baseball history and the first since Beau Hale no-hit Sam Houston State in 2000.

Taylor Teagarden had an RBI triple and David Maroul was 2-for-4 with a double for Texas.

On April 2, Missouri used two pitchers to no-hit Texas Tech in a 25-0 win.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2005 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007 12:23 PM