Louisville cornerback hurts leg, will sit out Orange Bowl

Louisville cornerback Gavin Smart broke his right leg during practice Thursday in Miami and will not play in the Orange Bowl on Tuesday against Wake Forest.

Smart, who knocked down a last-second pass in an Oct. 14 victory over Cincinnati, started 10 games this season and had 28 tackles, eight pass breakups and three interceptions.

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An Ohio State investigation has concluded no NCAA rules violations occurred at a spaghetti-dinner fund-raiser in Akron, Ohio, to help families of four Ohio State players attend the national title game. The players could have been suspended if they were found in violation of rules that prohibit athletes from receiving special benefits.

“The bottom line on this issue is: Did these student-athletes receive an extra benefit or not?” said NCAA spokesman Bob Williams. “Everything that I have heard is that they did not.”

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Penn State Coach Joe Paterno, 80, who is recovering from a broken left leg, wants to return to the sideline for the Outback Bowl, standing on his own.

“The only thing is I don’t want to be on the sidelines where everybody is worried about me,” Paterno said of the game Monday at Tampa, Fla. “They still got to concentrate on ... the field.”