Notre Dame coach Weis rips up knee in sideline collision
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis expects to undergo surgery in the next few days after tearing ligaments in his left knee when an Irish player was blocked into him during a punt return late in the second quarter of a 35-17 victory over Michigan in South Bend, Ind.
“Tommy Brady’s got nothing on me,” Weis joked afterward, talking about the Patriots quarterback he used to coach when he was New England’s offensive coordinator.
Brady injured his knee in the Patriots first game and is out for the season.
Despite Weis’ injury that had him on crutches the rest of the game with his leg in a wrap, Weis was in a good mood following the victory.
“I feel like an athlete. First time in my life,” he said.
The injury occurred when Irish defensive end John Ryan, who is 6-foot-5, 264 pounds, was blocked and crashed into Weis in the leg. Weis was looking in the other direction because the ballcarrier had run past him.
“I never saw it coming. I just knew as soon as I was hit,” he said.
Weis said he tore both his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments. He said he could undergo surgery as early as Tuesday. He is not expected to miss the game Saturday at Michigan State.
Boxing
Guzman backs out
Unified world lightweight champion Nate Campbell walked away from the Beau Rivage Casino still the champ and untouched when his bout with Joan Guzman was called off in Biloxi, Miss., in an unusual chain of events.
Guzman went to his promoters about four hours before the bout and said he wasn’t feeling well enough to fight. The fight was already on the ropes following Friday’s weigh-in.
Guzman weighed in at 1381/2 pounds, more than 3 pounds heavier than the 135-pound benchmark. Guzman was given a two-hour grace period to re-weigh in, but he never returned.
Track and field
Powell wins 100
Asafa Powell cruised to victory in the 100 meters and Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt won the 400 at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany, which included a world record in the women’s javelin.
With Usain Bolt home in Jamaica celebrating his three Olympic titles and world records, Powell won in 9.87 seconds, far off Bolt’s record of 9.69.
Merritt nipped Jeremy Wariner at the finish to win the 400 in 44.50, repeating his win over his fellow American at the Olympics. Wariner finished 0.01 behind.
Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic set a world record in the javelin with a throw of 237 feet, 2 inches. She collected a bonus of $100,000 for the record and took home $30,000 for winning the event.
In the 400 hurdles, Olympic silver medalist Kerron Clement of the U.S. caught Danny McFarlane of Jamaica at the final hurdle and won in 48.96. Olympic champion Angelo Taylor of the United States opted to run the 400 and finished fourth.
Former Washington State Cougars star Bernard Lagat broke from the pack near the end to win the 3,000 for another U.S. victory.
Golf
Eaks, Jenkins share lead
Tom Jenkins shot a 7-under-par 65 for a share of the second-round lead with defending champion R.W. Eaks in the Greater Hickory Classic in Conover, N.C.
Jenkins, in contention for his first Champions Tour victory in two years, matched Eaks at 15-under 129 on the Rock Barn Golf and Spa course. Eaks shot a bogey-free 68 after opening with a 61, the best score on the tour this year. Gil Morgan (66) was four strokes back at 11 under.
•Stanford out front: Angela Stanford shot her second straight 5-under 67 to take a four-stroke lead in the Bell Micro LPGA Classic in Mobile, Ala.
Stanford had seven birdies to reach 12-under 204 on The Crossings course at Magnolia Grove.
Canadian Women’s Open winner Katherine Hull was 8 under after a 68, and Angela Park (69) and Shanshan Feng (70) were tied for third at 6 under. Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., shot a 68, leaving her at 6-over 222.
Auto racing
Hornaday tops field
Ron Hornaday Jr. put aside the questions and distractions from his admission of testosterone use, got in his No. 33 Chevrolet and did what he does best – go out and dominate a trucks race.
Hornaday took the lead on a restart with 42 laps to go and was out front most of the way en route to a victory in the Craftsman Truck Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H.
Hornaday raced to his series-high fifth victory of the season, holding off a late charge by points leader Johnny Benson to win his second straight race.
Miscellany
Big Brown in form
Big Brown refused to lose his final prep race for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.
The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner opened a big early lead and then held off a determined challenge by Proudinsky the entire length of the stretch to capture the $500,000 Monmouth Stakes by a neck in Oceanport, N.J.
It was the 3-year-old colt’s seventh victory in eight starts and it has the potential to set up a spectacular Breeders’ Cup Classic – Big Brown against Curlin, last year’s Horse of the Year.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic is Oct. 25 at Santa Anita in California.
•Jones finishes first: American Adam Jones won the freestyle motocross event in the Toyota Challenge in Salt Lake City.
Australian Robbie Madison was second, followed by Jeremy Lusk of the U.S.