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UCLA QB Olson to have surgery on broken foot, miss at least two months
Associated Press
Updated: August 11, 2008, 2:36 PM ET

LOS ANGELES -- UCLA quarterback Ben Olson will have surgery on his broken right foot, an injury that's expected to keep him out for at least two months. The decision was announced Monday -- a day after the left-handed senior learned he had fractured the fifth metatarsal in his foot for the second time in four months. The surgery will be performed Tuesday, when Olson will have a screw placed in his foot to assist in the healing.

Olson is expected to miss at least five games. Kevin Craft, a transfer from Mt. San Antonio College, and redshirt freshman Chris Forcier are expected to compete for the Bruins' starting quarterback job.

UCLA opens its season at home against Tennessee on Sept. 1. First-year coach Rick Neuheisel said the Bruins will need to have a starter in place at least a week before facing the Volunteers. Olson was injured when he faked a handoff Saturday before taking a misstep. It was just the latest in a long time of injuries.

"I knew something was wrong," he said in a teleconference call. "I was hoping I only tweaked it a little bit. It's definitely been tough. You're not able to accomplish the goals you set. It's very frustrating because it seems every year that my progression as a quarterback has been halted by injury. But whining and complaining about things and asking 'Why did this happen to me?' does no good. You have to push forward."

Olson said he expects to return to action this season.

"It's a crushing blow to the young man," Neuheisel said. "He put so much time and effort into the program, it's just unfortunate. Sometimes you have a hard time understanding why things happen."

Patrick Cowan, who took over when Olson was sidelined by injury last season and was expected to be the No. 1 quarterback, had surgery after injuring his knee in spring practice and will miss the season.


Torn tendon knocks Clemson DT Jackson out until at least midseason
Associated Press
Updated: August 11, 2008, 3:02 PM ET

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Clemson defensive tackle Rashaad Jackson needs surgery to fix a torn tendon and will be out until at least midseason. Tigers coach Tommy Bowden made the announcement Monday, two days after Jackson tore a quad tendon during a scrimmage. The school said surgery is scheduled for Tuesday.

Jackson, a senior, started 10 of 13 games last year and made 37 tackles, seven for losses. Jackson is also a vocal leader on Clemson's defensive front.

"This is a big loss for our defense because Rashaad is not only a leader on the field but off the field as well," Bowden said.

Bowden said Jamie Cumbie will take over while Jackson is sidelined. Cumbie started three games in 2007 when Jackson was dealing with a knee injury. Jock McKissic will also get more playing time.

The Tigers start the season with five games in 28 days, beginning with their opener with Alabama at the Georgia Dome on Aug. 30 and running through a Sept. 27 contest with Maryland. Clemson, though, plays only twice in October: on Oct. 9, a Thursday night contest at Wake Forest, and on Oct. 18 at home against Georgia Tech.


Florida State RB Smith leaves practice because of dehydration
Associated Press
Updated: August 9, 2008, 5:03 PM ET

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State running back Antone Smith, the team's leading rusher last season, left practice early Saturday because of dehydration. Team officials said he was expected to return Monday.

After playing behind Leon Washington and Lorenzo Booker his first two seasons, Smith rushed for 819 yards and three touchdowns as Florida State's featured back in 2007. He entered fall practice as the starter but is expected to face competition from junior college transfer Tavares Pressley.

Pressley, who rushed for more than 800 yards and 11 touchdowns at El Camino (Calif.) Community College last season, has missed the first three practices waiting for eligibility clearance from the NCAA. Saturday's practice closed with a fight between defensive tackle Budd Thacker and offensive lineman Will Furlong. The altercation grew to include center Ryan McMahon and linebacker Kenny Ingram.

"I don't like to see fights," coach Bobby Bowden said. "I'm glad they are feisty, but we ain't got time to wait on them to get through fighting." y, but we ain't got time to wait on them to get through fighting."


Gunshot wound won't stop Louisville's Guy from playing this season
Associated Press
Updated: August 9, 2008, 2:15 PM ET

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Trent Guy can still hear the shots echoing through the parking garage moments after he left a local nightclub last month.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

Nineteen times a group of assailants fired at Guy and his fiancee in the early morning hours of July 5. Somehow, only one of the bullets struck the Louisville wide receiver, lodging in his back. A month later, the memories still haunt Guy. He's not sure what happened. He's not sure why it happened. But he does know he's thankful to have survived.

"An inch to the right it would have hit my spine, an inch to the left it would have hit a vital organ," Guy said.

Instead, doctors were able to remove the bullet shortly after the attack. Now, a month later, Guy has declared himself pain free and is already preparing for his return. He began running on Friday and could be cleared for contact drills in September.

"I just want to help my team as much as possible," he said. "There's no reason for me to sit out if I can go out and play. I just want to be a part of the team."

Getting back on the field is what kept Guy going during the sobering days following the shooting. Even as doctors tended to the wound, searching for serious damage, Guy stayed focused on football.

"What was going through my mind the whole time I got show was 'Am I going to be able to play football again?" Guy said. "When the doctors came in and told me I'm a very lucky young man, I didn't tell them I was lucky, I told them I was blessed."

No arrests have been made, but Guy isn't living in fear. He called the shooting a "wake-up call," he's begun attending church more regularly and says he has no malice toward his attackers.

"I don't feel any kind of way toward the guys about it," he said. "I just pray to God about the situation and pray for those guys."

Guy's recovery has inspired a program that appeared in disarray following a disappointing 6-6 finish last season. His first stop after leaving the hospital was the school's football complex, and there were tears in the eyes of some of his teammates when he walked into the locker room.

"Trent was probably four inches away from where that bullet hit of not being here right now," coach Steve Kragthorpe said. "Our guys, I think it gave them a better appreciation for life, No. 1 their own life and then also their teammates and their friends."

Guy had planned on 2008 being a breakout year after spending two seasons in a largely backup role. He caught 11 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns last year and returned both a punt and kickoff for touchdowns on special teams. He still might make those plays, but until then will spend training camp as a pseudo graduate assistant, working with some of the team's young receivers.

"Coach K has me helping the guys, teaching the young guys," he said. "It's a learning experience for me. It helps me learn plays and it helps me learn defenses."

The 5-foot-9 Guy has lost about 10 pounds off his already slender frame, and knows long days in the weight room are ahead. Now, though, he sees those sometimes torturous training sessions in a new light. If anything, they'll keep him occupied while he waits for doctors to give him the OK to play.

"Every time I go back, I'm like 'Am I released yet? Can I get back on the field?" said Guy, whose next doctor's appointment is Aug. 20. "But I'm not going to rush. I can't do that."

Maybe, though it's all Kragthorpe can do to keep Guy at bay.

"He's lobbying hard right now," Kragthorpe said. "I've got the reins on him. You've got to pull him back. He's like a thoroughbred on the backstretch a little bit. You've got to settle him down for the stretch run."

Guy expects that run to begin sooner rather than later. Whenever he returns, he knows he won't be the same person he was before the shooting, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. He's more careful now about where he goes and who he's with. These days, it's usually just his family and his teammates.

"Coach tells us all the time that we wear our names on our backs, a lot of people know who we are," he said. "When we go out, people know us. I'm not saying things like that should happen, but they can happen. We just have to watch what we do."


USC quarterback's injury not as bad as first thought
ESPN.com news services
Updated: August 9, 2008, 9:00 PM ET


USC quarterbacks Mitch Mustain and Aaron Corp might not have much time to compete for Mark Sanchez's starting job. Sanchez collapsed in obvious pain before the Trojans began stretching drills on Friday. His injury came as he jumped while tossing a warm-up pass. He was later wheeled off the field before undergoing X-rays.

Sanchez was later diagnosed with a dislocated kneecap. He hopes to return for the Trojans' Aug. 30 opener at Virginia.

"Mark's injury is not as bad as a lot of people feared it was, so we'll take the reps until he gets back and we'll see what happens then," Mustain told the Los Angeles Times on Saturday after practice.

Corp, who passed for three touchdowns in USC's final drill on Saturday, said he's happy his teammate's injury is minor.
Pac-10 blog

"I'm happy for Mark that the injury is not as serious as it could have been," Corp told the Times. "But my thinking hasn't changed at all. I'm still going to compete for first team reps. It's the same kind of opportunity, just shortened a little I guess."

Sanchez sat on a golf cart with his left leg elevated during the Trojans' walkthrough Saturday. He will begin rehab on Monday. Sanchez said he fell asleep in the MRI exam machine after he was injured.

"I woke up and thought I was in a bad dream," he told the Times. "I was like, 'No!' And then it all sunk back in and I was like, 'Man.' But it could be a lot worse. I should be thankful."