National sports briefs: Tebow could start at LSU
Published 12:00 am Thursday, October 1, 2009
Associated Press
GAINESVILLE, Fla. ó Tim Tebow could be back in time for Florida’s biggest game of the season.
Coach Urban Meyer said Monday that his star quarterback was feeling better and eating well two days after sustaining a concussion at Kentucky. Although Tebow still has “a little bit of a headache,” Meyer hopes he will be able to play when the Gators (4-0) return to the field Oct. 10 at LSU.
“I think so, but I don’t know that,” Meyer said.
The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner was put through a battery of tests Monday and was scheduled for more today, Meyer said. Meyer said he did not know what grade concussion Tebow has.
* CHAPEL HILL ó Shaun Draughn didn’t want to even think about football. T.J. Yates couldn’t help but cringe while watching the game film.
There was no escaping the fact that North Carolina’s young offense has taken big step back just in time for ACC play.
The Tar Heels (3-1, 0-1) managed a meager 154 total yards, including just 17 on the ground, in a weekend loss at Georgia Tech. That inept outing seemed to undermine all the gains made in a fourth-quarter comeback at Connecticut followed by a strong all-around showing in a win against East Carolina. It was also a reminder that the Tar Heels have a tenuous hold on their offense and might be prone to more growing pains in the coming weeks.
“I think we’re playing the best players that we’ve got,” coach Butch Davis said Monday. “We’ve got to look at what are their capabilities, what can they realistically do and how can they get better at what we’re trying to do?
“I think the worst thing we can do is some kind of magical hodgepodge where you move the offensive line around. They’ve got to get some consistency and continuity over the course of the week and the course of the season. We’ve got to be more effective. We’ve got to get the ball in the hands of our playmakers better.”
The schedule would seem to give them a little bit of help. Starting with Saturday’s game against Virginia (0-3), UNC plays five of its next six games at home.
* GREENVILLE ó A two-game losing streak is history, and ECU coach Skip Holtz hopes his Pirates continue to make progress this week when they visit Marshall.Holtz hinted at working other players into the mix at tailback. Jonathan Williams has two fumbles in his last handful of carries. Kentucky transfer Brandon Jackson and junior-college transfer Giavanni Ruffin could gain additional playing time.
* LUBBOCK, Texas ó Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said he has banned his players from using Twitter after one of his linebackers noted the coach’s tardiness to a team meeting in a tweet Sunday.
NFL
DAVIE, Fla. ó Dolphins QB Chad Pennington dislocated his right shoulder and may seek a second opinion to determine how long he’ll be sidelined, a person familiar with his status said.
Other media outlets reported Pennington had a torn capsule and was likely to miss the rest of the season.
* SANTA CLARA, Calif. ó San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore is expected to miss three weeks because of a right ankle strain.
COLLEGE HOOPS
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ó Tennessee officials say forward Emmanuel Negedu is in stable condition after collapsing during practice.
NBA
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio ó After months of hype, LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal are finally wearing the same uniform.
The larger-than-life superstars, united by an offseason trade, were together as the Cleveland Cavaliers held a media day like none before in the team’s 40-year history. Nearly 150 media members chronicled the duo’s first day together.
“Day One of the madness,” guard Mo Williams said.
GOLF
FARGO, N.D. ó A golfer in North Dakota made two holes-in-one in the same round. Troy Radermacher of Ellendale, N.D., used a pitching wedge Sunday to ace the 116-yard 15th hole at Oxbow Country Club. The ball found the cup again on the 135-yard fifth hole.
Golf Digest calculates the odds of two aces in the same round at 67 million to one.
TENNIS
NEW YORK ó Sam Querrey cut his right forearm in a freak accident after practicing for the Thailand Open in Bangkok and will be out at least four to six weeks.
USTA spokesman Tim Curry said Querrey sat on a glass table after practice and fell through, hurting his arm. The injury required emergency surgery.