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Tech's Ball ruled out of Gator Bowl

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Date published: 12/21/2006

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATLANTA--Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball has been ruled academically ineligible for the Gator Bowl.

Cornerback Kenny Scott also is academically ineligible, the school said yesterday.

"You're disappointed for the young men, and you're disappointed for the team," coach Chan Gailey said. "Although this is a very, very bad ending to the careers of these two young men, we can't forget the contributions they have made to the Georgia Tech program the last four years."

Ball passed for 1,820 yards this season while starting every game. He threw for 20 touchdowns and was intercepted 14 times, but was criticized for in-consistency, especially after Tech's offense sputtered in a regular season-ending loss to Georgia and a loss to Wake Forest in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

The four-year starter from Stone Mountain, Ga., compiled 8,579 yards of total offense, including 8,128 passing yards with 57 touchdowns during his career.

Scott, from Daytona Beach, Fla., was a three-year starter. This season he had 50 tackles, two interceptions and 10 pass breakups.

Gailey said backup quarterback Taylor Bennett would start for Tech against West Virginia in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1 in Jacksonville, Fla., and Jahi Word-Daniels would take Scott's place at cornerback.

Tech officials said they could not be more specific on the nature of the academic ineligibility, but Gailey said Ball and Bennett were eligible at the beginning of the semester.

NORMAN, Okla.--Adrian Peterson's teammates at Oklahoma have a new reason to stay away from the bruising, record-setting tailback.

Peterson is back in practice after missing seven games with a broken collarbone, but some of the Sooners have been a bit reluctant to test whether he's fully healed.

"There's a couple guys that's been kind of hesitant to come up and hit me, so I've been hitting the ground a couple times and lowering my shoulder thinking I'm about to take on contact," Peterson said yesterday, addressing reporters for the first time in two months.

Sooners coach Bob Stoops said Peterson refused to wear a blue jersey that would make him off-limits to contact. But Peterson has relented and worn a yellow cap over his helmet, which points out to defenders that he's recovering from an injury.

Boise State doesn't figure to take it easy on Peterson in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1.

"Plenty of time has passed," Stoops said. "According to doctors, with that break he is no different right now than any other player just being susceptible to breaking it. Just like anyone, if you fall on it wrong, he or anyone else could break it."

Peterson, the 2004 Heisman runner-up, was the nation's No. 2 rusher when he injured himself on a fourth-quarter touchdown run Oct. 14 against Iowa State.

A junior, Peterson is considered a likely first-round pick in next year's NFL draft if he decides to turn pro.

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Date published: 12/21/2006