News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

10.08.06: Jeff Blake bows out of hall induction ... NCAA's tax status under investigation ... North Dakota challenges NCAA mascot policy

10.07.06: Amato continues mastery of Seminoles ... ECU volleyball triumphs at home over UAB ... Millican continues bid for spot on LPGA Tour

10.06.06: Big Ten announces fines, reprimands ... Central Florida wins late field goal battle ... Millican shoots 74 in qualifying event

10.05.06: Gold captures ECU World Series with 8-7 win ... Tulsa runs past Southern Miss ... Former ECU golfer Millican in LPGA qualifying

10.04.06: TV exposure continues for C-USA teams ... Former UVa stars make $1 million gift ... SMU takes two of three weekly league honors

10.03.06: Curry to receive Stagg award ... Inspired by fallen teammate, Rice whips Army ... ECU women's golf team finishes 11th

10.02.06: Takeaways, sacks mean good things for UVa ... Gators pull even with WVU in Harris BCS poll ... Swofford presented with Homer Rice Award ... Tulsa win streak continues at ECU's expense

10.01.06: Cavs blast Duke 37-0 in Durham ... Vols deal Memphis a resounding defeat ... Pirate women's cross country wins meet

09.30.06: Wave home after record road trip ... NIT selection committee adds two ... ECU women's golf gets underway

09.29.06: NCAA graduation rate inches higher ... ECU tennis alumni will hold Oct. 7 reunion ... Tulane's return home to be televised

09.28.06: ECU rolls out Mini Pack deal on football tickets ... O'Leary cites mistakes in loss to Southern Miss ... Finances major factor in Bunting's status

09.27.06: Struggling Cavaliers face winless Duke ... Upon further review: Review unwarranted ... ECU netters get singles wins in Port City

09.26.06: ECU diamond slate loaded with home games ... East Carolina 2007 Baseball Schedule ... Rice's Lloyd collapses at workout, dies ... Golden Knights-Golden Eagles collision on TV ... C-USA announces football players of week ... ECU gets tie in women's soccer

09.25.06: O'Brien: Buckeyes, Auburn, USC, WVU tops ... Ohio State, Southern Cal lead Harris BCS poll ... Blazers topped in OT for Bulldogs' first win ... Tulsa edges Navy on blocked kick ... UTEP tops East Carolina 3-0 in volleyball

09.24.06: Clemson recognizes 1981 national champs ... Ref gets assignment involving Stoops family ... ECU volleyball falls at Tulane, hosts UTEP

09.23.06: ACC football struggling despite expansion ... Cavs may have found their quarterback ... Southern Miss freshman setting records

09.22.06: Pirate baseball announces fall scrimmages ... Tulane football in ESPN spotlight today ... Southern Miss AD will chair NCAA group

09.21.06: Holland addresses crowd behavior ... WVU game at center of Pirate Club weekend ... AFCA cuts ties with Hula Bowl

09.20.06: Bad officiating costs Oklahoma against Oregon ... ECU women's hoops will travel to Cancun ... Pirate volleyball a shutout winner over A&T

09.19.06: Memphis ousts defensive coordinator Dunn ... ECU's Kasey Ross earns
C-USA weekly honor ... Sept. TV calendar filling up for
C-USA teams

09.18.06: Mountaineers have some things to work on ... New Jersey will test prep players for steroids ... ECU women's soccer falls 1-0 to Penn

09.17.06: Knife trouble nothing new at Northern Colorado ... South Carolina QB will rejoin team ... Pirate volleyball sweeps Grambling State

09.16.06: Yahoo report says Bush accepted benefits ... Pirate volleyball gets fourth shutout ... ECU women's soccer edged by Seahawks

09.15.06: Amato post-Akron comments fueling reactions ... Stabbed N. Colorado punter watches team ... Pirate volleyball topped by Herd

09.14.06: NFL rosters filled with C-USA alums ... Southern Miss coach Bower calls Pack "scary" ... Rice goalkeeper McClintock gets national honor

09.13.06: Pirate punter Dougherty on Guy watch list ... ECU golfers finish ninth at Mid Pines ... East Carolina sweeps Campbell in volleyball

09.12.06: WVU, Pirates to be shown on ESPN 2 ... UAB's Felder honored for game- saving strip ... C-USA volleyball accolade for Pirates' Krug

09.11.06: Buckeye cheerleader drinks, drives, hits veep ... Houston's Kolb sets school mark in rout ... Krug sets ECU volleyball assists mark

09.10.06: Aundrae Allison on Biletnikoff watch list ... SEC's artificial noise penalties reinstated ... ECU volleyball falls to North Florida

09.09.06: UAB focuses on covering Aundrae Allison ... Ga. Southern mourns death of Erk Russell ... Shelby named to ECU women's hoops staff

09.08.06: NCAA's Brand calls for 80 percent grad rate ... ECU women's soccer gets regional ranking ... Soccer Buzz recognizes ECU's Nicole Moore ... Pirates get volleyball sweep over UNCW

09.07.06: Tigers, Pack, Deacs highlight ECU hoops slate ... Record contradicts Tressel's poll vote claim ... Winston- Salem State coach gets extension

09.06.06: Holland featured speaker at power lunch ... College games shorter after rule changes ... Full day in
C-USA includes Pirates vs. Blazers ... C-USA names football players of the week

09.05.06: Holtz discusses loss to Navy, challenge at UAB ... UAB pleased with performance vs. Sooners ... U of L's Bush has surgery for broken leg

09.04.06: Ole Miss survives Memphis in Sunday opener ... Blazers narrowly miss upset bid at Oklahoma ... Early showdown tonight for 'Canes, 'Noles ... Cavaliers turn back Pirates in volleyball final

09.03.06: NCAA president Brand at Elon on Wednesday ... Pirate volleyball 2-0 after topping Georgetown ... National honor for Memphis soccer player

09.02.06: Miners prevail over Aztecs in season opener ... East Carolina has Wright stuff in volleyball ... ECU women's soccer gets another shutout

09.01.06: UAB game off limits to Peterson's Dad ... Tulsa rolls past Stephen F. Austin in opener ... Pirates announce nine women's track signees

Ohio State collected 112 of 114 first-place votes in this week’s Harris Interactive College Football Poll, the third for the 2006 college football season. Southern Cal, Florida, Michigan and West Virginia round out the top 5.

The poll, commissioned by the Bowl Championship Series, ranks the Top 25 teams and is compiled from ballots submitted by Harris Interactive’s panel of former coaches, players and administrators, and current and former media. For this week’s poll, 114 panelists, including Bonesville columnist Denny O'Brien, submitted their top 25 college football team rankings. (Click here to view O'Brien's ballot.)

Rank Team (1st Place Votes)  Record Points Prev
1. Ohio State (112)            6-0    2,848    1
2. Southern Cal (1)            5-0    2,621    2
3. Florida (1)                 6-0    2,599    5
4. Michigan                    6-0    2,557    4
5. West Virginia               5-0    2,434    5
6. Texas                       5-1    2,246    8
7. Louisville                  5-0    2,181    7
8. Tennessee                   5-1    1,959   13
9. Notre Dame                  5-1    1,917   12
10. Auburn                      5-1    1,728    3
11. California                  5-1    1,712   16
12. Clemson                     5-1    1,499   15
13. Iowa                        5-1    1,244   18
14. Georgia                     5-1    1,150   10
15. Georgia Tech                5-1    1,084   20
16. Louisiana State             4-2    1,035    9
17. Missouri                    6-0      914   23
18. Virginia Tech               4-1      855   19
19. Nebraska                    5-1      830   21
20. Oregon                      4-1      822   11
21. Boise State                 6-0      803   22
22. Arkansas                    4-1      532   NR
23. Oklahoma                    3-2      430   14
24. Rutgers                     5-0      416   24
25. Boston College              4-1      204   25

Other teams receiving votes [records in brackets]: Wisconsin [5-1] 194; Florida State [3-2] 54; Penn State [4-2] 32; Pittsburgh [5-1] 30; Washington [4-2] 26; UCLA [4-1] 22; Texas Christian [3-2] 18; Brigham Young [4-2] 15; Navy [5-1] 11; Wake Forest [5-1] 9; N.C. State [3-2] 6; Texas Tech [4-2] 5; Tulsa [4-1] 4; Miami, FL [3-2] 3; South Carolina [4-2] 1.

Bonesville columnist Denny O'Brien is a member of the 2006 voting panel for the Harris Interactive College Football Poll, commissioned by the Bowl Championship Series. O'Brien is also the editor of The Pirates' Chest, a senior writer for Bonesville Magazine and co-host of WNCT-AM Talk 1070's Game Day Countdown Show.

The fifth-ranked Florida Gators football team celebrated homecoming in fine fashion on Saturday with a 23-10 victory over ninth-ranked LSU (4-2/1-2 SEC) in front of 90,714 fans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, according to a Florida athletic media relations release.

The second-largest crowd in school history watched the Orange and Blue emerge successful on homecoming for the 18th-straight time. Florida improved to 6-0 overall for the first time since 1996 and raised its Southeastern Conference mark to 4-0 with its eighth consecutive victory dating back to last season and its 13th win in a row in The Swamp.

Freshman Tim Tebow threw the first two touchdown passes of his career and the UF defense collected three interceptions, two by junior cornerback Ryan Smith, recovered two fumbles and tallied a safety. Senior Chris Leak was 17-of-26 for 155 yards as Florida totaled 288 yards of offense.

The East Carolina volleyball team won its second straight match, defeating Conference USA opponent Memphis 3-1 (30-28, 20-30, 30-28, 30-23) on Sunday afternoon in Minges Coliseum.

ECU improves to 12-9, 3-4 in C-USA while Memphis drops to 16-4, 3-3 in C-USA, according to an ECU athletic media relations release.

Junior Kelley Wernert led the Pirates with 17 kills while Melissa Zentner added 16. Mignon Dubenion tallied 10 kills in the win. Trish Monroe led the team defensively, with 11 digs while Hannah Fenker added 10. Setter Heidi Krug recorded 47 assists on the day.

The Pirates return to action at 7 p.m. on Friday at Southern Mississippi. ECU will then travel to Orlando, FL, for a 1 p.m. match against Central Florida on Sunday.

The East Carolina women's soccer team notched its first Conference USA win of the season with a 5-0 shutout of Marshall at a damp and chilly Bunting Field on Friday afternoon, according to an ECU athletic media relations release.

Freshman Amy Szilard scored twice for the Lady Pirates while Tara Shaw, Jami Dickerson and Madison Keller also tallied goals. Freshman Sarah Kirkley contributed three assists in the win. The Lady Pirates outshot the Herd 11-6 with eight of the team's shots coming in the second half. Keeper Amber Campbell's fourth shutout of the season moved her into second place all-time on ECU's shutout chart.

The scoreless first half featured little action as both teams tried to adjust to the wet playing surface. ECU improved its record to 6-5-2 overall and 1-1-1 in league play.

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 electronic services and other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.