College Football News

Isn't it funny how life can gave us some twists and turns and unexpected situations that completely change the direction our lives go - some for the good and some bad.

Take the case of UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker. Two weeks ago, he wouldn't have been invited to even a C or D-list Hollywood party. Now he's the toast of Los Angeles and spending more time in the media spotlight than Paris Hilton or Brittany Spears.

His rise in popularity came last Saturday when UCLA shocked the college football world with a 13-9 upset of USC, knocking Pete Carroll's Trojans out of the BCS Championship game and pushing Walker into the media spotlight.

And make no mistake about it. Walker, who was a coach with the Washington Redskins before coming to UCLA this season, is the reason the Bruins ended their seven-game drought to USC. The UCLA offense managed only one touchdown and did a good job of protecting the football, but it was the defense that shined.

UCLA limited the Trojans to just 55 yards rushing on 29 carries and minus-7 yards in the second half. USC was held scoreless in the second half of a game for the first time in 77 contests. The Trojans NCAA-record 63-game streak of scoring 20 or more points also came to a crashing halt.

Despite registering only two sacks on QB John David Booty, the Bruins harassed the junior all day long, disrupting his rhythm on almost every play. UCLA is headed to the Emerald Bowl where they'll take on Florida State and now Walker is a front-runner for many coaching vacancies in college and quite possibly future ones in the pro ranks.

One of those job vacancies is at Stanford, who only days ago fired Walt Harris after a 1-11 season, the worst by the Cardinal since an 0-10 season in 1960. The 11 losses were the most in school history. Harris finished his two-year stint with a 6-17 record, the shortest tenure at Stanford since Rod Dowhower left after one season in 1979 with a 5-5-1 record.

And now Walker's name is being whispered about as a top candidate. He has the experience in the NFL and college and his aggressive style of play lifted a Bruin defense that was ranked near the bottom last season into one of the best in 2006.

What a difference a year and a game can make.

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Ohio State's Troy Smith and Notre Dame's Brady Quinn were selected as finalists for the Heisman Trophy on Wednesday, along with Arkansas running back Darren McFadden.

Smith is the heavy favorite to win the award Saturday night in New York. The senior quarterback entered the season with plenty of Heisman hype and then backed it up with brilliant play for the unbeaten Buckeyes.

Smith is fourth in the nation in passer rating (167.9) and has thrown for 2,507 yards and 30 touchdowns with only five interceptions.

Quinn, a senior quarterback, was fourth in Heisman voting last season and has thrown 35 touchdown passes in 2006. McFadden, a sophomore, rushed for 1,558 yards and led Arkansas to the Southeastern Conference title game.

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Former University of Miami and NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar would like to return to the Hurricanes — as their next coach.

Miami television station WFOR reported Tuesday night that Kosar would like the job, and The Miami Herald quoted Kosar in its Wednesday editions saying "I'm interested."

Kosar has no coaching experience, but he often serves as a mentor to quarterbacks at Miami, where he serves as a university trustee. He retired from the NFL after a 12-year career with the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins.

Kosar was a fan favorite as the Hurricanes quarterback from 1983 to 1984, leading Miami to a national championship as a freshman, beating Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

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Ohio State middle linebacker James Laurinaitis won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Monday night, awarded to the nation's best defensive player by the Charlotte Touchdown Club.

Laurinaitis, the first sophomore to win the award, leads the top-ranked Buckeyes with 100 tackles and five interceptions. He also has four sacks.

Laurinaitis, a native of Hamel, Minn., had only nine tackles as a true freshmen last season playing behind senior Bobby Carpenter. But after gaining 10 pounds in the offseason, he burst onto the scene this year for the 12-0 Buckeyes. He had an interception in four straight games early in the season and was named first-team All-Big Ten.

The 14-year-old Bronko Nagurski Trophy is named after the late All-American at Minnesota in 1929. He led the Chicago Bears to three NFL championships and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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Louisiana Tech fired football coach Jack Bicknell on Monday following a 3-10 season.

Bicknell leaves after eight seasons and an overall record of 42-53.

During his tenure at Tech, Bicknell led the Bulldogs to the program's first Associated Press Top 25 ranking in 1999 when the program went 8-3 and recorded a 29-28 win over No. 18 Alabama, the eventual SEC Champion.

Two years later, Bicknell led Tech to the 2001 Western Athletic Conference championship and an appearance in the Humanitarian Bowl.


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