With Friends Like This, Who Needs Humility?

Brigham Young quarterback Ty Detmer says the Cougars’ loss to Oregon two weeks ago brought him down to earth.

Not that he needs help staying humble.

Detmer told Robert Mims of the Associated Press: “Our team is pretty close, and there are two or three people who will keep you in line.”

Detmer described the aftermath of a recent blind date: “We went to one of those photograph booths . . . and one of my roommates got hold of (the pictures) and printed up some wedding invitations and circulated them around. It was kind of rough.”

Trivia time: Name the six National Hockey League players who do not wear a helmet.

America’s coach: At the beginning of the NFL season, Coach Bill Parcells of the New York Giants replaced cornerback Perry Williams, a six-year starter, with Mark Collins.

Williams complained to the media but returned to the starting lineup after Collins was injured. In a recent victory over the Miami Dolphins, Williams had an interception, forced a fumble and made several tackles.

Asked whether the benching motivated Williams, Parcells yelled at reporters: “You guys! You guys are all like Communists. You’re insidious. You want to stir up trouble.”

America’s prep coach: In August, when actress Julia Roberts was in Abbeville, S.C., to film “Sleeping With the Enemy,” she called the town “horribly racist” after a black friend was refused service at a restaurant.

Dennis Botts, Abbeville High football coach whose team is 7-0 this season after going winless in 11 games last year, said Thursday:

“It’s a reward to everybody, and especially to our community. Our community kind of got slapped in the face with that Julia Roberts thing. Maybe in some little way the success we’re having is bringing some pride back to the people here. It’s something that they can get behind.”

Having problems in your community? Just win seven high school football games in a row.

Prep coaches, con’t.: More news from South Carolina: In Chesterfield County this week, verbal salvos filled the air after McBee High’s 75-14 victory over Bethune last Friday.

A case of running up the score? Darn right, McBee Coach David Green said Wednesday. He wasn’t going to stand around and let the Bethune players hurl obscenities and ice at his kids.

But Bethune Coach Randy Lowery said: “I feel like he was using those two things to try to justify running the score on us.”

Trivia answer: Randy Carlisle of Winnipeg, Guy Lafleur of Quebec, Rod Langway of Washington, Craig MacTavish of Edmonton, Brad Marsh of Toronto and Doug Wilson of Chicago.

Quotebook: John Russell, co-trainer of heavyweight champion Buster Douglas: “Evander Holyfield takes more shots than a diabetic.”