THE SCOOP
Florida once turned to Duke for a head coach who knew a little something about offense.
The Gators hope that their new offensive coordinator from Durham, N.C., can help right the ship and improve the worst offense in the SEC.
Kurt Roper will remain with Duke through the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Tuesday and then join Will Muschamp’s staff with a big goal.
“He has a diverse, up-tempo background on offense and does a good job of adapting to what the players do best,” Muschamp said. “The most important thing, though, is he has always remained balanced. He has had success calling plays in the SEC and has tutored three NFL quarterbacks. He has had players produce at every offensive position, and he is one of the most well-respected coaches in the country.”
Roper, an 18-year veteran, has coached at Ole Miss, Tennessee and Kentucky.
It will be a make-or-break 2014 season for Roper, Muschamp and the Gators. Unless there’s improvement, the Florida boosters will be back at athletic director Jeremy Foley’s door calling for Muschamp’s scalp if the Gators are anywhere near as bad as they were during their recently concluded 4-8 season that ended with seven consecutive losses, including an embarrassing home setback to Georgia Southern.
SUSPENSION
Michigan State has suspended senior linebacker Max Bullough for violating team rules with no explanation of what rules were broken, making him ineligible to play in the Rose Bowl. He is a two-time team captain, a third-team All-American and a first-team All-Big Ten selection. He had 76 tackles this season and has 299 for his career.
HE SAID IT
“We still have a chance for a 12-win season, Sugar Bowl championship, which is huge. It’s a BCS bowl. Not a lot of teams in Alabama history have won 12 games. Not only that, I saw something someone sent me, that (Las) Vegas (oddsmakers) said if we played Florida State or Auburn again we’d still be favored in points. So we have a chance to show the country we are the best team. We might not win the national championship, but we can have everyone talking about us more than the national-championship team.” — Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron
BY THE NUMBERS
4 Teams in FBS history with three 1,000-yard receivers. Florida State could become the fifth. Rashad Greene (981 yards), Kelvin Benjamin (957) and Kenny Shaw (929) each enters the BCS Championship game within striking distance.
