THE SCOOP
Longtime Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti said he will retire following next week’s game against Texas in the Alamo Bowl. Aliotti has spent 24 seasons with the Ducks, including 17 as defensive coordinator. He said it was time to step away from football after 38 years in coaching, including a brief stint in the NFL with St. Louis as an assistant in the 1990s.
FIRST START
Shane Morris sat out most of his senior season in high school with mononucleosis and spent a good portion of his first in college watching games from the sideline. After two years of mostly idling, the big-armed quarterback will be thrust into a spotlight unlike any he’s seen before: as Michigan’s starter against Kansas State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
“Just getting back to football after sitting out has been crazy and now to start in a bowl game is pretty amazing,” Morris said.
Devin Gardner sustained a turf-toe injury in Michigan’s regular-season finale against Ohio State and suffered a setback last week, showing up in Arizona for the bowl game wearing a protective boot. The Wolverines have fallen from a 3 to a 5-point underdog.
“Obviously, we recruited (Morris) at Michigan to be the quarterback at Michigan,” Hoke said. “This is a great opportunity. We have a lot of faith.”
MISSING
Nebraska defensive end Avery Moss will not play against Georgia in the Gator Bowl. Coach Bo Pelini told reporters Moss is dealing with a “personal” issue. Moss has a scheduled court date Monday to answer public-indecency charges from a December 2012 incident. He is accused of exposing himself to a convenience-store worker.
BY THE NUMBERS
2 Pitt records that fell in the Panthers' 30-27 victory in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl over Bowling Green. James Conner rushed for 229 yards, breaking Tony Dorsett's record set against Georgia in the 1977 Sugar Bowl, and fellow freshman Tyler Boyd caught eight passes for 173 yards, surpassing Gordon Jones' mark in the 1978 Gator Bowl agianst Clemson.
About the Author
