Associated Press
The college football notebook …
NEW YORK ó Robert Griffin III was working on about 41/2 hours’ sleep after catching an early flight from Florida to New York on Friday.
Not that he was complaining. Griffin will trade sleep deprivation for a chance to bring No. 15 Baylor its first Heisman Trophy any day.
“This is what it is if you’re going to play well and your team is doing great things,” he said shortly after taking his seat at a table surrounded by reporters and video cameras in a hotel conference room. “People are going to want to talk to you, they’re going to want a piece of you. It’s exciting.”
The Bears’ thrilling dual-threat quarterback was one four Heisman finalists to arrive in New York on Friday afternoon, along with LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu and running backs Trent Richardson of Alabama and Montee Ball from Wisconsin.
Stanford QB Andrew Luck was in Baltimore receiving the Johnny Unitas Award and was scheduled to arrive in Manhattan this morning, about 12 hours before the Heisman will be presented.
ILLINOIS COACH
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. ó Tim Beckman has rebuilt a program before. He inherited a mess when he took over at Toledo, where the Rockets had finished three straight losing seasons and were in the middle of a point-shaving scandal.
At Illinois, the 46-year-old Beckman isn’t walking into a gambling crisis but there are steep hills ahead.
Beckman will be paid $9 million as he replaces Ron Zook, who was fired last month by athletic director Mike Thomas after seven seasons. Illinois started this season 6-0, but carries that six-game losing streak into the Dec. 31 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl against UCLA. The Illini are the first FBS team to open the regular-season with six straight wins, and close it with six consecutive losses.
WASHINGTON
SEATTLE ó Washington coach Steve Sarkisian is refuting a report that he has been contacted by UCLA for the Bruins head coaching position.
Sarkisian spoke after practice on Friday as the Huskies gear up for the Alamo Bowl against Baylor.
KANSAS
LAWRENCE, Kan. ó Charlie Weis knew little about the Kansas football program when his phone rang Wednesday morning. He knew that the Jayhawks won the Orange Bowl a few years ago, and that they finished 2-10 this season under Turner Gill, but that was about it.
When Athletic Director Sheahon Zenger began to talk to him about the job, though, Weis realized that he was hearing an opportunity too good to pass up: The chance to build a long-suffering program into a winner, and prove that his failed attempt at Notre Dame was a distant memory.
Weis was introduced as the Jayhawks’ coach during a news conference Friday, about 24 hours after he accepted the job and just a couple days after he emerged as the leading candidate.
“It was too good of an opportunity,” he said, “being able to go into a place that was down low and being able to see it through the rise back up top. Anyone who is goal driven in anything, whether it was a startup, taking a business and doing good ó this is what I do.î