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A long overdue dismissal was finally handed out by head coach Bobby Bowden of the Florida State Seminoles. After his third arrest since 2006 and second arrest in one year junior Preston Parker will keep his scholarship at FSU, but will no longer wear the garnet and gold on the gridiron.
Parker was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after an officer found him asleep in his car on Jan. 21, 2009. The car was still running. Police reported that the junior up-and-coming star admitted he had been drinking and smoking marijuana.
In 2006 Parker was arrested for attempting to steal a DVD from Best Buy. What an Idiot. The charge was dropped after he enrolled in a diversionary program and paid $200 in court costs.
Merely a slap on the wrists as obviously the ignorant athlete learned no lesson. As a full-time student on a full-ride scholarship to play the game you love don’t you think you would make a little bit better decision?
Parker had recently been arrested and suspended for the first two games of the 2008 season. His arrest took place in April 2008 in Palm Beach County. He was arrested on felony weapon and drug charges. After a guilty plea Parker’s charges were reduced and he was only sentenced to 50 hours of community service, one year probation, and weekly drug tests.
Parker’s dismissal leaves the FSU receiving core very thin. With Greg Carr’s departure the Seminoles will look with very sharp eyes at the newly recruited class. If the new class doesn’t bring with them more class Florida State University will soon become the Felonies Start Up School. Their new motto: “come learn to be a criminal in garnet and gold.”
Too bad the junior is not a baseball star. He would be more affiliated with the term “Three strikes and you’re out”.
College Football’s B.C.S. system, how do you feel about it? Personally I hate it. I think it is the worst system possible for Division I football. Perhaps a playoff would be better. Take the NFL for example. Where would the Arizona Cardinals fall? After losing four of their last six regular season games where would they be ranked? Playing in the National Championship game? I think not.
Would a B.C.S. system be better in the NFL than a playoff system? I disagree. I think the NFL’s playoff system is the most efficient working program possible.
Sports Writer Harvey Araton thinks different. Read his take: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/sports/football/01araton.html?_r=1&ref=sports
Readers weigh in. What do you think? Post responses as comments.
-Kyle Bennett
Kyle Bennett can be contacted at minaret.overtime@gmail.com
The University of Tampa hosted the ESPN College Football Showcase on Monday January 26th. The crowd in attendance looked to easily be larger than any home UT soccer game.
Students disregarded classes as they realized this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see some big name players. Although the stands were crowded the roar of the crowd sounded like a peanut gallery. If you didn’t know any better you would have thought it was a high school football practice rather than 13 players entering the NFL draft. We’ll see if ESPN adjusts the sound to make UT sound like we actually care about football
Perhaps the most well known names, among others, in attendance were Quarterbacks Chase Daniel and Graham Harrell. Missouri Quarterback Daniel started the contest in the State Farm Accuracy Competition.
I do not know how much the University was involved with the organization of the event, but it did not start off right. You would think that with ESPN piloting the competition that at the very least the equipment chosen would work, right? Wrong. In the first competition the crowd had to endure about a 10 minute delay, with a less than humorous announcer, because of a dead battery on a golf cart being used. (In case you missed the event, large signs holding point values were placed on the side of four golf carts and driven across the field. Each Quarterback had to hit the targets as they moved across the field.)
Surprising to me, there was a large portion of female faces in the crowd. Not so surprising however was the fact that most of these females were infatuated with elementary school crushes on either Daniel or Harrell.
During one of the intermissions between events the announcer asked the crowd who wanted a kiss from Harrell. He did not disappoint the excited fan, as he blew a kiss to the girls that cheered when the question was probed.
The event as a whole was very disappointing. The athletes, described by many as the ‘stars of tomorrow’, were a huge let down. None of the athletes went all out. Frankly, it looked like none of them cared about being there, period. Outside of Cal Poly’s Ramses Barden not one player improved their draft status. Barden is the only player that seemed to be running as hard as he could during the events.
Following the conclusion of the competition some of the advertisements used during the event were given away to the crowd. Powerade water bottles were handed out as well as huge advertisement signs. I was lucky enough to snag a box of about 60 water bottles as well as a Lifelock and Mercedes Benz sign.
It’s safe to say that the water bottles were the best part of the entire event.
– Kyle Bennett
Kyle can be reached at minaret.overtime@gmail.com
The great rivalry between the Michigan Wolverines and the Penn State Nittany Lions clashed again Saturday Oct. 18. Unranked Michigan struck first against the third ranked Nittany Lions. Wolverine running back, Brandon Minor, capped of a 14 play, 83 yard drive with a five yard touchdown run. The Wolverine drive took six minutes and 36 seconds.
A Penn State fumble gave the ball back to the Wolverines on their own 45 yard line. The two minute and 27 second drive ended with a twenty seven yard field goal by K.C. Lopata.
Penn State returner Chaz Powell fired up the Nittany Lions with a return to the PSU 43 yard line. The drive ended quickly with a 44 yard touchdown run by Evan Royster.
Michigan Wolverine Sam McGuffie took the kickoff from Penn State and was blown up on the return by freshman Michael Mauti. McGuffie coughed up the ball on the return, but was able to pounce back on to the loose ball before a PSU defender could corral the ball.
With Michigan driving, the first quarter came to an end, the score being Michigan ten Penn State seven. The change of field did not stop the Wolverine drive. Michigan’s ten play, seventy eight yard drive ended with a one yard touchdown run by Brandon Minor.
The two teams exchanged punts. Following a forty one yard drive by Penn State kicker Kevin Kelly came onto the field to attempt a forty five yard field goal. Kelly missed the field goal attempt. Michigan went three and out. PSU followed with a three and out as well as another punt by the Wolverines.
Penn State received the punt with just over two minutes left in the half. Assisted by a personal foul penalty on the punt, the Nittany Lions showed why they are the number one offense in the big ten. Penn State quickly drove down the field completing a nine play drive for 59 yards in just over one and half minutes. The drive was led by PSU running back Evan Royster who completed the half with 112 yards rushing on 10 carries.
The score at halftime was Michigan seventeen and Penn State fourteen. An extremely surprising score. Number three Penn State did not look like a third ranked team. But then again, USC should not be ranked sixith either. Washington State allowed 60 points in four straight games. You really aren’t that good Southern Cal.
The thought of upset was quickly shot down as Penn State dominated the second half of the game. Building on the momentum gained on the last drive of the first half the Nittany Lions scored 32 unanswered points in the second half. The game got ridiculous. It was a blow out. Rich Rodriguez’s Wolverines looked like a Pop Warner football team against the Penn State defense.
I would have liked to see Penn State lose, to shake up the BCS standings, but also it’s pleasing to me to see Rich Rodriguez get destroyed. Personally I think Rodriguez is a sellout and should not be allowed anywhere near college football. Maybe a little extreme? But that’s okay. That is how I feel.
Evan Royster finished the game with 174 yards rushing on 18 attempts. Daryll Clark racked up 171 passing yards by throwing 18/31. The second half of this game was a routing worse than I have seen this year. Even back-up quarterback Pat Devlin got in on the action by throwing one pass at the end of the fourth quarter. He connected with running back Stephfon Green for an 80 yard touchdown pass with two minutes left in the game.
To me, this showing was more impressive than even that of USC putting up 60 points. USC played a team whom has given up 60 points in the past four games. Washington State is garbage. The definition of an impressive showing is not by putting up 60 points against a team such as Washington State but it is that of winning against a ranked opponent such as: Florida 51 LSU 21.
If USC finds themselves in the top three I will be furious. I’m tired of hearing about them. They are all hype.
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