Yahoo! Sports

Saban glad to be out of Miami and coaching in college

Joe Zedalis — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:45:13 PDT

Nick Saban never was comfortable in front of a microphone. That hasn't changed. He still says things he shouldn't. He still squirms. He still reflects on his time in Miami, too. On Thursday at the Southeastern Conference Media Days, Saban said his brief stay with the Dolphins was a tough time for his family.

''It was a difficult situation for the Sabans,'' he said. ``This has nothing to do with any particular place. But we love college coaching.''

Saban coached the Dolphins for two seasons and went 15-17 before leaving South Florida for Tuscaloosa, Ala. One year after Saban left, the Dolphins had the worst season in their history (1-15). For Saban, it was a valuable life lesson.

''Sometimes you learn about yourself when you go places and do things,'' Saban said. ``We took a tremendous amount of criticism for that, and as hard as we tried to stay focused and stay on the task at hand, it was difficult at times.''

Saban has been back in his coaching comfort zone, college football, for more than a year now, but it has been anything but relaxing. In his first 18 months with the Crimson Tide, Saban has endured more player arrests (10) than losses (six). Despite the tough beginning, Saban said his team's energy and fan base's energy is positive.

''It's a great time to be at the University of Alabama right now,'' Saban said.

Saban went 7-6 in his first season with the Crimson Tide. The losses included one to a former employer (LSU), one to a former directional school (Louisiana-Monroe), one to the SEC West's traditional doormat (Mississippi State) and one to an intrastate rival (Auburn).

Saban was reminded of the embarrassing loss to Louisiana-Monroe on Thursday, when a reporter asked him what he thought about Les Miles' latest joke about the Crimson Tide. Last week, Miles reportedly told an LSU booster club in New Orleans not to get excited about the victory against Alabama because ``a lot of teams in Louisiana beat that team.''

USC-UCLA rivalry adding sizzle to LA summer

Joe Zedalis — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:30:10 PDT

Rick Neuheisel skipped to the dais for his first Pac-10 media day on Thursday like a blond surfer who just caught a fresh wave. Two words later — two words! — he was buffeted by a swell that has seemingly tossed him around forever wrote Los Angees Times columnist Bill Dwyre.

"Rick, USC has built its defense around . . ."

Neuheisel interrupted with a complaining cry.

"First question, USC!" he shouted.

But he was still beaming. The mention of the Trojans wasn't the end of his fun, it was only the beginning.

"You have to embrace it," he said. "They're that elephant in the living room. . . . You can't be a football coach at UCLA and not find ways to be successful against USC."

And yes, he said, he will find a way.

"The good news is that when we catch them — I say when we catch them — we're going to not only have caught the leader of the Pac, but be among the programs that challenge for the big prize," he said.

About 30 minutes later, the Trojans' Pete Carroll took the same dais, wearing the same smile.

He was talking about his involvement in an Aug. 2 Live Peace walk, inviting the presidential candidates to join him, when I couldn't resist.

"Are you going to invite Neuheisel and Chow as well?" I asked.

"I'm sure they're going to be busy," he said.

When the laughter died, he quickly explained that, of course, everyone was invited.

But the shiny, new-car feel to this rivalry needs no clarification.

California QB first member of Washington's 2009 class

Joe Zedalis — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:10:26 PDT

Washington's Tyrone Willingham won't have to answer is why the Huskies don't have any commitments for the recruiting Class of 2009. The Huskies got their first one Wednesday from 6-foot-2, 181-pound quarterback Keith Price of St. John Bosco High in Bellflower, Calif.

Washington is the last school in the Pac-10 to get a commitment for the class of 2009, with some surmising that questions about Willingham's future is making recruits leery. Every other Pac-10 school has at least four. Price admitted as much, saying he might have committed earlier otherwise.

"That was my main hesitation," he said.

But he said a few conversations with Willingham helped soothe his worries.

"I have faith in coach Willingham and the program and that he's going to turn it around," Price said.

Price is described as a dual-threat quarterback in the Dennis Dixon mold, running for just over 300 yards and eight touchdowns last season and passing for 955 and six touchdowns. Last year was his first as a starting quarterback, and he said his team spent a lot of the season with an offense based around its running back, reasons why he was viewed as under-the-radar in recruiting circles. His only other listed offers were from Utah and Nevada. But his stock rose after he was reportedly impressive in summer camps, including a performance at Washington's a few weeks ago. He said UW didn't begin recruiting him until June but then quickly made an offer. He said UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano told him that "I was perfect" for the spread offense the Huskies are now operating, which includes liberal doses of quarterback runs.

On-line ad prompts rapid response by Notre Dame

Joe Zedalis — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:37:20 PDT

Notre Dame moved quickly Tuesday to protect the eligibility of two of its most vital athletic performers thanks to, of all things, an online advertisement for cellular ring tones. The school said it sent a cease-and-desist letter to Cellular Services Worldwide in Boston for its impermissible use of images of quarterback Jimmy Clausen and Big East basketball Player of the Year Luke Harangody in an advertisement that appeared on NDNation.com.

Notre Dame expects that letter to satisfy any issues with the amateurism of both Clausen and Harangody, since the photos appear to be game-action shots lifted from the public domain. An NCAA spokeswoman said she could not comment on possible violations without working with the specific school on the specific issue. But according to NCAA Bylaw 12.5.2.2, if a student-athlete's name or image is used to promote a commercial product without his or her knowledge, the athlete or the school is "required to take steps to stop such an activity in order to retain his or her eligibility for intercollegiate athletics."

NDNation.com, meanwhile, severed its contract with Google, which placed the ad on the site. Google's software, according to site owner Mike Coffey, checks the context of the page and then posts what it deems to be an appropriate ad. Coffey said attempts are made to screen for inappropriate content. He also sent a missive to Google, alerting it that some advertisers are creating unnecessary angst over amateurism.

"After I received a call (from Notre Dame on Tuesday), I took Google out of our rotation," Coffey said. "With luck, that hopefully ends the problem."