Running off at the typewriter …

It stinks that UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee injured his leg last week on the blue turf at Boise State, but thankfully no surgery was required and he should be back in a few weeks.

I’m a big JRP advocate not only because I think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country, but because he’s one of best role models in Orlando. He came to town as a transfer last season and has quickly become a team leader and a community treasure.

He makes time for everybody. He signs every autograph for fans and takes every selfie with them. He runs a summer football and baseball camp for kids. He’s donating all the proceeds of his jersey sales this year to the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. He accepted less NIL money from UCF’s collective — the Kingdom — and told them to spread it around among his teammates.

He’s absolutely Tebowesque in that whenever he’s in a crowd of fans, he makes a beeline for special-needs children so he can talk to them, interact with them and offer them some words of encouragement.

Here’s hoping JRP gets healthy soon.

UCF needs him on the field.

Orlando needs him in the community. …

SHORT STUFF: After kicking four field goals last weekend, including a 50-yarder, a school-record 55-yarder and the last-second game-winner, is there a more appropriately named athlete in sports today than UCF kicker Colton Boomer? In fact, here are my five most aptly named athletes in history: (5) Former NASCAR driver Lake Speed; (4) Women’s tennis legend Margaret Court; (3) Former American swimmer Jeff Float; (2) Golfing legend Tiger Woods; (1) Sprinting superstar Usain Bolt. … Did you see where the four Power 5 football programs in Florida and the three NFL teams in the state all won their games last weekend? And as an added bonus, even USF won. … All the facts haven’t come out yet, but here’s what we do know about Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker: He’s been suspended (without pay) by the Spartans for allegedly sexually harassing a rape survivor he brought in to speak to the team. That’s right; Tucker is accused of sexually harassing a sexual-assault prevention advocate. Tucker has $77 million left on the 10-year contract he signed a couple of years ago and he’ll get none of it if he’s fired with cause. …

And speaking of sexual assaults in college football, I have a question for Oklahoma’s administration, which freaked out and seemingly made offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby apologize after his father-in-law — disgraced former Baylor coach Art Briles — was seen on the field wearing an OU shirt and celebrating with the rest of the family after the Sooners’ victory over SMU last week: If you don’t want the taint of Briles and the sexual-assault scandal at Baylor associated with the OU program, then why did you hire Lebby in the first place? He was, after all, also on that Baylor coaching staff. In fact, it was former UCF coach Josh Heupel who threw Lebby a coaching lifeline and hired him as the Knights’ quarterback coach in 2018. After the Baylor scandal, Lebby was in coaching exile at Southeastern University — a tiny Christian college in Lakeland that competed as a low-level NAIA program — when Heupel rescued him and gave him a second chance. …

MIKEY LIKES: Tennessee over Florida by 10, FSU over Boston College by 30, UCF over Villanova by 28, Miami over Bethune-Cookman by 45, Jags over Chiefs by 4 in Upset Special, Bucs over Bears by 3, Dolphins over Patriots by 5, Natural Grass over Artificial Turf by 1 (Aaron Rodgers injury.) … Did you see where the U.S. Open women’s tennis semifinal was delayed for almost an hour by a climate protester who glued his feet to the floor at Arthur Ashe Stadium? Question: Does such a selfish act that inconveniences thousands of people really help bring awareness to climate change — or animosity? … Give Spectrum Cable and its parent company Charter Communications credit for doing something not even Gov. Ron DeSantis could do: They made Disney back down.. … I think sports betting is legal again in Florida. I think …

BREAKING NEWS: The Florida Gators are ranked No. 1 in the nation? No, not by the Associated Press football writers but by the Wall Street Journal, which has UF as the top public university in the nation in its “2024 Best Colleges Report.” In related news on Wall Street, Billy Napier stock is tumbling faster than Bitcoin bids. … From David Whitley of the Gainesville Sun: “The 11,000 runners (out of 30,000) were disqualified for cheating in the Mexico City Marathon. Oddly enough, all of them were wearing LSU basketball jerseys.” … How fast is Tyreek Hill? I believe he’s faster than the great Muhammad Ali used to be. And as Ali once said, “I’m so fast that when I turn off the light switch in my hotel room, I’m in bed and under the covers before the room gets dark.” … Can you believe our U.S. basketball team couldn’t even beat Canada in the bronze-medal game in the FIBA World Cup? Step aside, Dream Team, and make room for the Creamed Team. …

LAST WORD: Headline at TheOnion.com: “Putin Vows Retaliation Should Ukraine Become Member Of The Big Ten.”

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and HD 101.1-2