College Athletics

One of USC's top track athletes, who set state records as a high school sprinter in Long Beach, is in the hospital after being shot three times in the legs a few blocks from the school, police said. Bryshon Nellum, 19, was walking out of a restaurant at Vermont Avenue near West Adams Boulevard with a few other people about 2 a.m. Friday when several men drove by in a car. One of them may have yelled a gang slogan before opening fire, Los Angeles Police Officer Sam Park said Saturday.

If we are going to rant about educational shortcomings in big-time college sports, then we also need to pump up the positives. Which brings us to Ben Howland. UCLA's basketball coach is not in a good spot right now. His team, picked to win its Pacific 12 Conference division this season, has started 0-2. Its first loss was to Loyola Marymount, which hadn't beaten the Bruins since 1941. Next came Tuesday night's 20-point loss to Middle Tennessee, a very good team, likely an NCAA tournament team, but with no history of big-time excellence.

Is this a great country or what? In six years, Scott Brooks has gone from Horned Frog to Anteater to Patroon to Philadelphia 76er. Me? Oh I'm staying with a teammate of mine, perhaps you've heard of him. Charles Barkley . One moment a guy is too small to play in the National Basketball Assn. and is happy to find work in the Continental Basketball Assn.; the next he's the starting point guard for the team of his dreams, the 76ers, and in so doing develops something of a cult following.

Kevin Prince's strong recent play as UCLA's quarterback is beginning to affect his father's work. "When Kevin wasn't playing, none of my patients wanted to talk about him," said Stephen Prince, a dentist. "Now, I can't get any work done. I have to tell them, 'I can't do my job if you're talking.' " Prince has led the Bruins to three victories in four games and a share of the lead in the Pac-12 Conference's South Division heading into Saturday afternoon's game at Utah. He did so with gusto, rushing for 163 yards in a 31-14 victory over California.

It isn't easy to lose to a team with a 3-8 record. But Western Kentucky pulled off that feat in dramatic fashion, blowing a 20-3 third-quarter lead to fall, 20-24, to Arkansas State. The Hilltoppers (0-12) thus chalked up their 20th straight defeat, the longest losing streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision, whatever that is. And, most important, wacky WKU captured the Bottom Ten title. Lowlights of the season included three games in which WKU gave up more than 60 points, including 68 to No. 5 North Texas, a team that finished 2-10.

San Diego State academic adviser Veston Thomas resigned amid allegations that football players improperly received community college credits that were later transferred to San Diego State.

USC showed off a little bit of the future Friday night in a 42-17 victory over Colorado at Folsom Field. Linebackers Lamar Dawson and Tre Madden made their first college starts, adding to an already sizable contingent of USC freshman first-teamers. Counting redshirts, the Trojans had seven freshmen in the starting lineup against the Buffaloes. Dawson started at middle linebacker in place of senior Chris Galippo. Madden started at an outside spot in place of the injured Dion Bailey, another freshman.

When the recruit staggered out of the Thunderdome pugil-stick arena, he had the early signs of concussion: glassy eyes, confusion, unsteadiness on his feet. His face had been gashed by a smashing blow from his opponent — another would-be Marine desperate to please drill instructors with a display of unrelenting aggression. Not that long ago, the drill instructors might have ordered the woozy recruit back into line for another session. But times have changed at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot.

Thousands of college football fans had their pick of games Saturday — historic rivals Michigan and Michigan State and Oklahoma State and the University of Texas faced off in anticipated games, while top-ranked LSU took on the Tennessee Volunteers. On Sunday, the National Football League drew fans in similar legions, crowding stadiums in Detroit and Chicago, New England and Green Bay; millions more watched from couches across America. Both days are sports extravaganzas, and lucrative ones.

Ara Parseghian was honored before Miami (Ohio) played Army on Saturday when a statue of his likeness, along with those of John Pont, Bo Schembechler and Earl Blaik, was added to the school's "Cradle of Coaches" plaza. The plaza recognizes the accomplishments of eight Miami graduates who earned recognition as college or professional coaches of the year or have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The statues unveiled Saturday joined those of Weeb Ewbank, Paul Dietzel and Carmen Cozza that were dedicated last year.

It's not a city battle like UCLA against USC, or a state war like Auburn against Alabama. The Cotton Bowl isn't as pretty as the Rose Bowl, and you may even like your state fair better than theirs. When Oklahoma and Texas are both undefeated in football, though, there's no barbecue better. When everything is magnified, as it is this year, the cotton candy tastes sweeter and the livestock get livelier. Oklahoma-Texas, in its 106th incarnation, is what happens when rivalry meets revelry in the shadow of a carnival ride.

A month ago, Tyler Gonzalez was washing soccer uniforms. On Saturday, he'll be kicking at the Rose Bowl ... if UCLA scores a touchdown or gets in field-goal range. Gonzalez, who was the team manager for UCLA's soccer team, will handle field goals and extra points against Washington State. "We're going to let Tyler have a shot, at least on the short stuff," Coach Rick Neuheisel said. "We'll see how it plays out. " UCLA lost kicker Kip Smith to a hip flexor injury.

Kip Smith attempted one field goal Tuesday, banked the ball off the upright and through, and then walked to the training room. Just when it seemed UCLA's kicking problems were on better footing, a problem arises. Smith, who made both his field-goal attempts in the 27-17 victory over San Jose State on Saturday, did nothing the rest of practice. Coach Rick Neuheisel said Smith was "nursing a sore hip flexor and should be fine. " Still, punter Jeff Locke was dusting off his field-goal technique after practice.

Rick Neuheisel has already framed UCLA's season, though the phrase won't find its way into any marketing campaign. "We have to get over the hump of this mediocrity," Neuheisel said. That could be viewed as making a molehill out of a mountain after a 4-8 record in 2010 that has Neuheisel's job in jeopardy. But the Bruins start the 2011 season confident that the age of mediocrity, and the culture of acceptance, are in the past. "The program was different when I got here," senior safety Tony Dye said.