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News Nuggets, 01.05.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Glorious night for LSU profitable one for Saban

NEW ORLEANS — There's no question who's No. 1 to the thousands of purple-and-gold partyers in tiger stripes who packed the Superdome and Bourbon Street. That LSU will have to share the national title hardly matters.

By holding off Heisman Trophy winner Jason White and Oklahoma 21-14 at the very end Sunday night in the Sugar Bowl, these Tigers certainly proved they belonged in the Bowl Championship Series finale.

"I'm just happy that we could make this state proud," LSU coach Nick Saban said. "We got tired at the end of the game, but we played from the heart."

Now, too bad for college football fans everywhere that there's not one more game left for No. 2 LSU — against top-ranked Southern California.

The Tigers automatically received the USA Today/ESPN coaches' crown for winning this game over the third-ranked Sooners. But a split championship was the result because top-ranked USC won The Associated Press title with a 28-14 victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.

Freshman Justin Vincent ran loose for 117 yards and was selected the Sugar Bowl's most outstanding player, defensive end Marcus Spears scored on an interception return and coach Nick Saban's team never trailed in bringing LSU its first crown since 1958.

And it was a rewarding win for Saban. He makes $1.5 million, but a clause in his contract said that if he won this game, he was guaranteed $1 more than the highest-paid college coach — Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, at $2.3 million.

New life sought for defunct Seattle Bowl

SEATTLE — A promoter is trying to revive the Seattle Bowl, which was discontinued this season after a financially troubled two-year run.

Pro Sports and Entertainment, Inc., of California has taken the first steps necessary to bring back a bowl game for Seattle by agreeing to terms with First & Goal Inc. for the use of Seahawks Stadium late next year, The Seattle Times reported Tuesday.

Paul Feller, who has been based in Santa Barbara, Calif., is president of Pro Sports and Entertainment, Inc.

The Seattle Bowl was born in 2001 and continued through myriad financial problems last year. The promoter, Terry Daw of Honolulu, relinquished ownership of the game after it nearly was canceled at the 11th hour last December. In the spring, the NCAA didn't recertify the game for 2003.

Jim Muldoon, assistant commissioner of the Pac-10 Conference, said the league previously has had discussions with Feller about "various bowl options that have not gone anywhere.''

Feller's contract with First & Goal, the Seahawks' parent company, calls for PSEI to have use of the stadium for a game next year between Christmas and New Year's Day.

First & Goal is hoping to have the Seattle Bowl certified again next spring.

"It's all hinging on certification,'' said Steve Eckerson, director of facilities, sales and marketing for First & Goal. ``But obviously, we're pretty confident.''

First & Goal was formed by billionaire Paul Allen in 1997 after Washington state voters approved a proposal to build Seahawks Stadium and an exhibition center. Allen is owner of the Seahawks.

Rose Bowl ratings made huge leap

NEW YORK — Television ratings for last week's Rose Bowl were up 27 percent as top-ranked Southern California reached for a share of the national title with a victory over No. 4 Michigan.

USC's 28-14 victory over the Wolverines on Thursday delivered a 14.5 rating and a 24 share for ABC, up from the 11.4 rating and 19 share for last year's game between No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 7 Washington State, which had no bearing on the national championship.

Last year's Fiesta Bowl, between Ohio State and Miami, was the only Bowl Championship Series game that had a bearing on the national championship.

In other bowl games broadcast on ABC, ratings for the Capital One Bowl rose 25 percent, while the ratings for the Orange Bowl matched last year's numbers.

Georgia's 34-27 overtime victory over Purdue in the Capital One Bowl drew an 8.0 rating and a 15 share, up from last year's 6.4 and 12 for the game between Penn State and Auburn. It was the highest rating for the game since Michigan State and Florida drew a 9.3 and 19 in 2000.

Miami's 16-14 win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl drew a 9.7 rating and a 16 share and matched last year's totals for the Sugar Bowl, between Georgia and Florida State, which occupied the same time slot.

Concussion study equates football collisions to car wrecks

BLACKSBURG — Football players were struck in the head 30 to 50 times per game and regularly endured blows similar to those experienced in car crashes, according to a Virginia Tech study that fitted players' helmets with the same kinds of sensors that trigger auto air bags.

University researchers are compiling a database of blows to the head their starting players endured this year, with plans to study how much trauma the brain can take.

The study adds to a growing body of research into concussions, the blows to the head that helped end the careers of quarterbacks Troy Aikman of the Dallas Cowboys and Steve Young of the San Francisco 49ers, among others.

The data so far surprised team physician P. Gunnar Brolinson, who said he didn't realize players were absorbing so many serious hits, especially since only about five came off the sidelines this season with concussions.

"There are probably factors that we don't fully understand that make players better able to withstand higher accelerations (football hits) than other people," he said.

It's possible that some players can withstand stronger blows because they have stronger neck and shoulder muscles or that they're simply more robust genetically than others, Brolinson said.

The researchers recorded 3,312 hits during 35 practices and 10 games this season, rotating eight specially fitted helmets among 38 players. Project leader Stefan Duma said offensive linemen endured the most hits, followed by defensive linemen, running backs, linebackers, wide receivers and defensive backs. Quarterbacks recorded the fewest hits.

"If you ask somebody what kind of head injury are you going to worry about, everybody thinks of the receiver running down the sideline getting popped by the safety," Duma said. "But to me, the interesting part is going to be these lower speed but high frequency hits we're seeing on the (offensive and defensive) line. The fact that these players are getting headaches all the time after every game, there's something going on there."

Duma, an engineer who specializes in car crashes and safety equipment, plans to use the data to improve protective gear for players. The data also could help researchers understand and prevent concussions, a common condition in college football that can be hard to diagnose.

The helmets measure hits in multiples of the force of gravity. Half of the hits recorded this season were greater than 30 Gs, Duma said. The hardest hits measured more than 130 Gs.

"An impact of 120 Gs would be like a severe car accident, which you could survive if you were wearing a seat belt," Duma said.

Duma said Tech plans to expand the program using more helmets next year. With enough monitoring, he said, medical staffs should be able to reduce football concussions by accurately predicting the number and degree of blows a player can handle.

The monitoring helmets were developed by SIMBEX, a New Hampshire company that develops safety equipment. The system transmits the angle and severity of impacts from the helmets to a laptop Duma monitors from the sidelines.

SIMBEX founder and owner Rick Greenwald said his company will begin selling the monitoring system this year. Equipping a team of 50 to 75 players would cost $165,000 to $195,000, Greenwald said.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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