Virginia Tech Says Vick to Be Punished

Virginia Tech officials said they would review and deal with Marcus Vick’s apparent stomp on the leg of a Louisville player in the second quarter of Monday’s Gator Bowl.

Athletic Director Jim Weaver said Tuesday that the school was embarrassed by Vick’s behavior, calling his step on the left calf of NCAA sacks leader Elvis Dumervil after a tackle “unacceptable” and “not reflective of Virginia Tech football nor of the values we hold at Virginia Tech.”

He said in a statement that the administration “will not condone such acts of unsportsmanlike conduct. We will review and assess this incident further and deal with it accordingly.”

Weaver told the Associated Press that he had no timetable on any possible action.

A message left at the phone number listed for Vick in Virginia Tech’s online student directory was not returned.

Vick stepped on Dumervil’s calf after the defensive end tackled the Hokies’ junior quarterback. After the play, Vick seemed to pause before walking across Dumervil’s leg.

He was not penalized on the play but was rebuked at halftime by quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers, who said he even considered pulling Vick from the lineup.

Vick said later it was “an accidental play, and football is football.” He also said he had apologized to Dumervil. Dumervil said no apology had been offered.

“A no-character individual,” Dumervil said after the game.

Coach Frank Beamer said that he did not see the play and couldn’t comment on any possibly disciplinary action against Vick until he had a chance to review it. Beamer and Rogers did not immediately return phone messages left at their offices Tuesday.

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Air Force Coach Fisher DeBerry named a new running backs coach and reiterated his plans to return for a 23rd season.

Jemal Singleton, an Air Force captain, will move from junior varsity head coach to running backs coach. He replaces Tim Horton, who joined the coaching staff at Kansas State.

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Green Bay Packer receivers coach James Franklin was hired as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Kansas State.

Franklin is the ninth and final assistant hired by Ron Prince since he was hired to replace Bill Snyder as Wildcat coach.

Franklin, 33, has 11 years experience. Before coaching with the Packers last season, he served NFL minority coaching internships with the Dolphins in 1998 and Eagles in 1999.

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Defensive end Mario Williams helped North Carolina State complete its turnaround with a bowl victory, then decided there was nothing left to prove.

The 6-foot-7, 290-pounder announced he would give up his final year of eligibility and make himself available for the NFL draft after a season in which he led the Atlantic Coast Conference with 14 1/2 sacks.

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Maryland tight end Vernon Davis will skip his senior season and make himself available for the NFL draft. Davis led ACC tight ends with 51 receptions in 2005.

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Minnesota Coach Glen Mason agreed to a four-year extension worth $1.65 million annually. His 32 wins over the last four seasons is the best four-year total at the school in 100 years.

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Former Illinois coach Lou Tepper left Edinboro University to take over at Indiana of Pennsylvania.

Tepper, 60, was 40-25 in six seasons with Edinboro. He was at Illinois for five years in the mid-1990s, leading the Illini to a 25-31-2 record with two bowl appearances.

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Andy Coen was hired as Lehigh’s coach, returning to the school after spending the last six seasons as Penn’s offensive coordinator.

He replaces Pete Lembo, who was 44-14 in five seasons, including a 26-7 mark in the Patriot League -- more wins than any league school during that span. Lembo left to coach Elon.