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News Nuggets, 10.16.06
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Coker suspends 8 Miami players after brawl

At least eight University of Miami football players will miss all or part of the team's next contest for their involvement in Saturday night's brawl during a game with Florida International, according to a Miami Herald report.

The five Hurricanes who were ejected from the game must at least sit out the first half of Miami's game at Duke next week, as mandated by NCAA rules. And Hurricanes coach Larry Coker suspended three additional players Sunday morning, though he said he had not decided for how long.

The brawl took place with about nine minutes left in the third quarter of Miami's 35-0 win. It lasted about five minutes and resulted in the ejections of a total of 13 players from both teams.

''It was disgraceful,'' Coker said of the brawl. ``That's not college football, it's not what we represent at the University of Miami, and it will not be tolerated.''

The five UM players ejected from the game were cornerbacks Bruce Johnson and Carlos Armour, running back Charlie Jones, and offensive linemen Derrick Morse and Chris Barney.

After seeing highlights of the brawl on TV late last night, Coker said he will also suspend safety Brandon Meriweather, linebacker James Bryant and safety Anthony Reddick. He indicated he may suspend others once he reviews the full tape of the incident.

''I didn't see the whole picture,'' Coker said. ``Some of it I saw on TV when I got home last night. I haven't seen the full TV copy. I'll see that later today, and when we get that copy [we'll decide].''

The Atlantic Coast Conference is also reviewing the matter. Miami athletic director Paul Dee said ACC officials met Sunday afternoon to discuss the brawl and any possible punishments.

''Probably we will take joint action,'' Dee said. ``We will do what we think and then [the ACC] will do anything further if they believe it's necessary.''

Pirate volleyball continues roll at UCF

The East Carolina volleyball team won its fourth straight match, sweeping Central Florida 3-0 (30-26, 30-22, 32-30) on Sunday afternoon at the UCF Arena.

The Pirates are now 14-9, 5-4 in C-USA while UCF drops to 5-14, 1-7 in C-USA action, according to an ECU athletic media relations release.

Kelley Wernert once again led the Pirates, as she finished the match with 20 kills. Heidi Krug dished out 33 assists in the victory and Trish Monroe posted 14 digs.

UCF had a chance to win game three, but the Pirates recorded two-straight points to break a 30-30 tie. After an attack error by UCF sophomore middle blocker Jenny Heppert, Wernert recorded the match-clinching kill.

The Pirates return home on Friday to host Rice in a 7 p.m. match in Minges Coliseum.

Szilard leads ECU women's soccer win

Amy Szilard scored both of East Carolina's goals as the Lady Pirates beat Southern Miss at Bunting Field in Greenville on Sunday afternoon in a Conference USA soccer match.

The Pirates controlled play in the first half with eight shots and seven corner kicks while the Golden Eagles managed only two shots and no corner kicks, according to an ECU athletic media relations release.

The two goals by Szilard give her the team lead in goals and points with 6 and 13, respectively.

Szilard started the scoring in the 17th minute, kicking the ball past Southern Miss goalie Christina Duvall after assists from East Carolina defensemen Kat Norris and Patty Pierce. Norris, along with Jami Dickerson, also assisted Szilard's second goal at 27:40.

ECU goalkeeper Amber Campbell recorded her fifth shutout of the season with four saves. With four regular season games left Campbell is two shutouts behind the ECU single-season record of seven, held by Amy Horton.

The second half was a defensive battle as both teams combined for only six shots. Southern Miss (4-10-1, 0-5-0) changed goalies for the second half as Holly Cox allowed no goals and tallied three saves in the second half.

"Our first half carried us today as we created a lot of opportunities and Amy was able to convert on a couple of them," said ECU head coach Rob Donnenwirth. "This is a big win because it keeps us in the hunt for the playoffs, but we have a tough road trip coming up so we have to remain focused."

ECU (7-6-2, 2-2-1) now faces its' final road contests of the season as it plays at Tulsa Oct. 20 and at Southern Methodist Oct. 22. The outcome of the road trip will have an impact on whether or not the Pirates will make it into the eight-team Conference USA Tournament, to be held in Dallas Nov. 1-5.

The Pirates' next home match will be Oct. 27 when they host Texas-El Paso.

Harris Poll's top 5 varies from BCS Standings

From staff reports and a HarrisInteractive.com release

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

Ohio State is also No. 1 in the BCS Standings released on Sunday, but from there the season's inaugural standings depart from the Harris results. Southern Cal, Michigan, Auburn and West Virginia follow in positions 2 through 5 in the BCS pecking order.

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

The Harris Poll is one of the elements in the BCS Rankings, which are used in the determination of teams that will participate in BCS postseason games, including the national championship game.

Oct. 15 Harris Interactive College Football Poll

Rank Team  (1st Place Votes)  Record  Points  Prev
  1. Ohio State        (112)    7-0    2,848    1
  2. Michigan            (1)    7-0    2,663    4
  3. Southern Cal        (1)    6-0    2,652    2
  4. West Virginia              6-0    2,502    5
  5. Texas                      6-1    2,360    6
  6. Louisville                 6-0    2,188    7
  7. Auburn                     6-1    2,055   10
  8. Tennessee                  5-1    2,009    8
  9. Florida                    6-1    1,935    3
 10. Notre Dame                 5-1    1,920    9
 11. California                 6-1    1,772   11
 12. Clemson                    6-1    1,607   12
 13. Georgia Tech               5-1    1,289   15
 14. Louisiana State            5-2    1,241   16
 15. Oregon                     5-1    1,136   20
 16. Nebraska                   6-1    1,068   19
 17. Arkansas                   5-1    1,044   22
 18. Boise State                6-0      942   21
 19. Rutgers                    6-0      746   24
 20. Oklahoma                   4-2      654   23
 21. Boston College             5-1      605   25
 22. Wisconsin                  6-1      567   NR
 23. Iowa                       5-2      290   13
 24. Georgia                    5-2      227   14
 25. Missouri                   6-1      221   17

Number of first place votes in parentheses.

Other teams receiving votes: Texas A&M 126; Wake Forest 122; Pittsburgh 110; Virginia Tech 75; Florida State 31; BYU 16; Vanderbilt 6; TCU 5; Tulsa 5; Purdue 4; Miami (FLA) 3; Penn State 3; Texas Tech 1; UCLA 1; Washington 1.

Dropped out of the Top 25: Virginia Tech.

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.

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