TheMatadorSports

Fires Threaten UCLA Season Opener

Amid growing concerns over wildfires in LA, UCLA has decided that it will play it’s season opener this Saturday against San Diego State.  However, school officials are still monitoring the situation and could postpone the game if need be. During his weekly press conference, Bruin coach Rick Neuheisel announced that the game will be played as scheduled. “We’re going to leave that to the experts, the people in Pasadena and the people fighting the fire,” Neuheisel said. “We just wish them all the best and send out our best to the families and the people who are fighting it. (more…)

Dover Downs, Delaware

The U.S. Court of Appeals released its 23 page opinion today regarding Delaware’s sports wagering plan. Last week, the court ruled that Delaware’s single game betting plan on a variety of sports violated federal law. The opinion clearly outlines what is not a violation.

To conform to the ruling, the state is very limited and can only institute multigame (parlay) betting on at least 3 NFL games (no other sports).

The state did not comment on the ruling, but the state is obviously disappointed that the single game betting plan was banned. The state does have 14 days to seek review by the full court or can appeal directly to the Supreme Court. (more…)

All 10 SWAC football teams will wear the #9 on their helmets to remember McNair

In a sign of sportsmanship and respect, all 10 Southern Western Athletic Conference (SWAC) football teams will wear a #9 sticker on their helmets to commemorate Steve McNair.

McNair’s performance while playing for Alcorn State significantly boosted the image of Alcorn State and the SWAC. Not too many people outside of Lorman, Mississippi heard of the Braves until McNair took the reigns and landed 3rd overall in the 60th Heisman Trophy race (behind Rashaan Salaan and Ki-Jana Carter) and was drafted #3 by the Oilers (behind Ki-Jana Carter and Tony Boselii) in the 1995 NFL draft. (more…)

PSU fans are #1

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit just announced his 9th Annual Herbie Awards.  Again, he awards the Penn State Nittany Lions with the Best Student Section Award.  

In keeping with the rich tradition of winning this award, the PSU fan nation just announced the 2009 themed game days (for 6 of the 8 home games): (more…)

USF DE George Selvie (#95) attributes his quick feet ability to Dance Dance Revolution

South Flordia’s DE George Selvie has been a dominate presence on the field since his sophomore season with the Bulls. He has great speed off of the end and is always accounted for by his opponents.  His greatness led him to be South Florida’s first Two-Time All American.

As a senior, he is destined to make one last impact before moving on to the next level. For all you kids wondering how Slevie developed Michael Jackson type swift moves with his feet, well the answer lies with the ever popular Nintendo Wii.

Selvie’s secret is countless hours in front of Nintendo’s Dance Dance Revolution game. He attributes his fancy footwork on the field to dancing to MJ’s music hit Black or White. When asked about this unconventional training, Slevie stated, “during the summer, we lift in the mornings, so I got bored during the day.” “I got me a little Wii, a little Dance Dance Revolution.” “You’ve got some steps you have to do that are pretty hard, pretty fast.” (more…)

Greg Paulus is starting QB and named Co-Captain

Greg Paulus must be a special person. Not only was he named the starting quarterback last week for the Orange, but the team just voted Paulus as one of four team captains. Paulus is no stranger to the responsibilities of being captain as he was an All-American two time captain for Coach K and Duke.

Paulus is clearly making a solid impression with his coaches and teammates and is taking advantage of his final year of college eligibility.

From day one, coach Doug Marrone has been impressed with Paulus and his leadership from his days at Duke to his work ethic during preseason practice. (more…)

Debose Sidelined With Injury

Florida freshman Andre Debose may require surgery to repair a torn tendon in his hamstring. The injury is an ongoing one that Debose suffered during a Florida high school track meet this past spring. This is disheartening news to the Gators as Debose  was expected to be the playmaker on offense who would replace Percy Harvin. The severity of the injury is unknown at this point but Debose is scheduled to undergo an MRI which will give the medical staff and coaches of where Debose stands.

Florida coach Urban Meyer had the following to say about Debose: “We found out there is some damage to [Debose's] hamstring,” Meyer said. “It doesn’t happen very often. It’s a tendon, and we’re going to evaluate the significance of it. It’s a real injury. We were worried it was just a tight hamstring, a hamstring pull or a hamstring strain. It might be something more. We’ll have more details on Monday.” (more…)

Saban Signs Contract Extension With 'Bama

It looks as if Nick Saban has finally decided on a permanent place to lay his roots. Saban signed a contract extension that will keep him in Tuscaloosa until 2017.“Coach Saban has impressively led the Alabama football program back to national prominence in a short period of time,” Moore said on the school’s Web site Saturday. “This contract extension is a clear statement of our mutual commitment to building on the foundation he has established.” (more…)