Invite These Guests to Your Next Block Party

In Starkville, Miss., they call it the Dog Pound Rock.

If you caught any of Monday’s Labor Day matchup between Mississippi State and Memphis, you might have noticed the Bulldogs whooping it up on the sideline after taking control of the game in the third quarter.

The reason for the hoopla?

A blocked punt by Curtis Stowers that produced a touchdown, thus igniting the crowd of 45,662 and sending numerous Bulldog players in search of their dance shoes until wide receiver Harold Lindsey proudly led them in their ritual.

All this fuss over a special teams play? Apparently, it’s a catchy trend.

Central Michigan’s James King might have become the patron saint for special teams performers after his effort against Michigan State on Saturday.

King tied a Division I-A individual and team record with four blocked punts in a 35-21 loss to the Spartans. Memphis’ Ken Irvin blocked four punts in 1992 and three other teams have blocked four punts in a game.

“It was a team effort,” King said of his individual achievement. “It took all 11 players. If everyone doesn’t hit their gaps in time, I don’t have a window.”

When King blocked his third and fourth punts of the game--and they were returned for touchdowns--the Chippewas cut it to35-21 with 6:41 left, but couldn’t get closer.

King, a freshman defensive back, blocked his first of five punts this season in Central Michigan’s 42-28 victory over Eastern Kentucky last week.

From the team perspective, there are few that do it better than Air Force, which makes blocking kicks an art form.

The Falcons, who practice special teams as much as any team in the nation, blocked two field goals and a punt in a 42-0 rout of Tennessee Tech on Saturday.

Air Force (1-1) has blocked 71 kicks since 1990 and averaged nine blocks in the last four seasons.

“A lot of teams kind of take it for granted,” defensive tackle Eric Thompson said. “Some teams, their starters will be out there and they kind of take it as a break. We take it as an opportunity.”

Ask This Audience

Anyone got a lifeline?

Regis Philbin could be in need of one if he ever sets foot in Lincoln, Neb.

Philbin, the host of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” turned down a billionaire’s invitation to attend the weekend’s biggest college football game.

Philbin declined an offer from stock market investor Warren Buffett to attend the Notre Dame-Nebraska game in Lincoln because he had to tape an episode of the game show. It turned out to be for the best after Nebraska’s 27-10 spanking.

A 1953 Notre Dame graduate and fervent Fighting Irish fan, Philbin aired Thursday’s episode of his talk show, “Live! With Regis and Kelly,” from the South Bend, Ind., campus.

He shot good-natured barbs at Nebraska fans all week, saying Saturday’s game against the Irish surely must be a big event.

“But bigger than Troy State? And TCU before that?” he asked, taking a jab at Nebraska’s first two opponents this season.

Philbin had picked No. 17 Notre Dame to upset fifth-ranked Nebraska, 24-21.

“That ... is my final answer,” he said. “Notre Dame by three points.”

Making Their Point(s)

Georgia Tech isn’t new to making history on the scoreboard.

After all, the Yellow Jackets are owners of the record for most lopsided game in history--222-0 against Cumberland in 1916.

They didn’t quite reach that level again, but they did hand Navy its worst loss since the Midshipmen began playing football in 1879, a 70-7 thrashing.

Georgia Tech’s 42-0 halftime lead was the school’s most prolific since its 96-point second half against Cumberland.

“This was a total surprise. We weren’t expecting this,” said Georgia Tech running back Joe Burns.

Dogs Will Be Hungry

South Florida’s spread offense gave Pittsburgh and the nation’s gamblers fits.

The Bulls, 24-point road underdogs and playing only their eighth game at the Division I-A level, handed the Panthers arguably their most stunning loss in 111 years, a 35-26 setback.

Things don’t get easier for Pittsburgh either because the Panthers next week play another team (Alabama Birmingham) that employs the same attack.

“It seems that some people have had some success with this, and everybody’s jumping on the bandwagon, so to speak, so we’re having to learn how to defend it and, hopefully, we’ll have some success at it,” defensive coordinator Paul Rhodes told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette leading up to the game.

Guess he’d better work overtime this week.

300 and Counting

Joe Paterno better not look over his shoulder or he might see Roy Kidd fast approaching.

Kidd became the seventh Division I coach to reach 300 victories as Eastern Kentucky defeated Liberty, 30-7, at Richmond, Ky.

Kidd joins Grambling’s Eddie Robinson, Alabama’s Bear Bryant, Pacific’s Amos Alonzo Stagg, Temple’s Pop Warner, Florida State’s Bobby Bowden and Penn State’s Paterno as coaches with 300 or more victories.

When the game ended, fans stormed the field and tore down the goalposts to celebrate Kidd’s milestone.

“There’s been so much talk about it,” Kidd said as he smoked a victory cigar. “I’m just glad we got the win. We’ve been trying to get it for two years now.”

In addition to his 300-117-8 record--third behind Paterno and Bowden among active Division I coaches--Kidd has won two Division I-AA national championships (1979, 1982) and has been honored as the Ohio Valley Conference coach of the year 10 times.

Meanwhile, Paterno stands one victory shy of Bryant’s all-time mark of 323 and has a date at Virginia on Thursday for his latest attempt.

Deja Cougs

The last time a Brigham Young quarterback won the first five starts of his career, the Cougars won a national championship.

Senior Brandon Doman may not be Robbie Bosco incarnate, but now he can at least be mentioned in one breath with the 1984 hero after BYU’s 44-16 victory over California pushed the Cougars to 3-0 this season and 5-0 since Doman started the last two games of 2000.

Doman, 24, doesn’t have the pedigree of past BYU quarterbacks, but at least he’s learning from a good source. Yes, Bosco is the Cougars’ quarterbacks coach.

Compiled by Jim Barrero