Spurrier Upset With Penalties

Florida is the second-most penalized team in the Southeastern Conference, and Coach Steve Spurrier doesn’t think the Gators are that prone to mistakes.

“Our players are not that bad of violators,” Spurrier said. “The little shoves in the back, the holds on wide receivers or whatever are not anything like what some other teams do.”

The Gators, 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the Southeastern Conference, have been called for 58 penalties for 468 yards heading into Saturday’s game against Auburn (1-4, 1-3). The number of penalties is second to Kentucky, and the yardage is third to Alabama and Kentucky.

Meanwhile, Florida quarterback Jesse Palmer underwent surgery to have a pin placed in the collarbone he broke in last week’s game against Louisiana State. Palmer is expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks.

*

Craig Thompson, who has been commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference for eight seasons, will head a new conference being assembled by eight schools leaving the Western Athletic Conference.

The announcement was made by Albert Yates, president of Colorado State, which is joining Air Force, Wyoming, Utah, San Diego State, New Mexico, Nevada Las Vegas and Brigham Young in the new conference.

*

Boise State Coach Dirk Koetter disciplined his fourth player in six weeks when freshman running back Marty Johnson was dismissed from the squad for violating team rules. . . . The San Diego State-New Mexico game in Albuquerque not be televised live in San Diego because it starts at the same time (5 p.m.) as the first game of the World Series between the Padres and the Yankees. The game will be shown after the World Series. . . . It probably will be next week before Nevada quarterback David Neill learns whether he still faces a felony count of fraudulent use of a credit card or if the charge will be reduced. Neill, who is suspended from the team until the case is resolved, set a major-college freshman passing record of 611 yards last Saturday against New Mexico State.