Purdue wins high-scoring Motor City Bowl, 51-48

Chris Summers kicked a 40-yard field goal as time expired in the Motor City Bowl, lifting Purdue to a 51-48 win over Central Michigan on Wednesday night at Detroit

Curtis Painter threw for a school-record 546 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Boilermakers (9-5) build three 21-point leads and set up the winning kick.

The 99 points tied the second-highest total in a bowl game that ended in regulation, trailing only the 2003 Insight Bowl, where California beat Virginia Tech, 52-49.

“It reminded me of some of our early games at Purdue and also of the wacky WAC,” Boilermakers Coach Joe Tiller said. “It wasn’t my favorite game, but it was a heck of a game for the spectators.”

Central Michigan finishes the season 8-6.

Two Penn State players charged with assault in connection with a campus fight will sit out the Alamo Bowl.

Saturday’s game at San Antonio against Texas A&M; will be the second straight for the Nittany Lions without starting defensive tackle Chris Baker and backup linebacker Navorro Bowman, who also sat out the regular-season finale Nov. 17 against Michigan State.

Backup cornerback Knowledge Timmons will also sit out his second consecutive game. Timmons faces misdemeanor charges in an incident directly after the fight.

Also not making the trip are backup cornerback Willie Harriott, who was charged with driving drunk on Nov. 11, and backup defensive tackle Tom McEowen, who did not make the trip for undisclosed reasons.

BASEBALL

Prior agrees to one-year contract with Padres

Mark Prior has a chance to revive his once-promising career with his hometown San Diego Padres in pitcher-friendly Petco Park. The former Chicago Cubs ace agreed to a $1-million, one-year contract.

Prior’s career has been sidetracked by various injuries. He sat out the 2007 season with the Cubs after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder April 24.

The 27-year-old right-hander can earn $4.5 million more in performance bonuses, but it’s unlikely he’ll reach that total because he won’t make his first start until mid- to late May.

Roger Clemens’ lawyers are investigating accusations in the Mitchell Report that say the star pitcher used steroids and human growth hormone.

“On Roger’s behalf, we are investigating the allegations about him contained in the Mitchell Report,” Clemens’ attorney, Rusty Hardin, said in a statement. “To our surprise, we have identified several people who logic dictates the Mitchell team should have talked to but did not. That’s troubling. We are asking questions, and we encourage the news media to do the same.”

MISCELLANY

U.S. wins World Junior Hockey opener, 5-1

Kyle Okposo, the former Minnesota player set to sign with the New York Islanders, had a goal and an assist to help the United States open the World Junior Hockey Championships with a 5-1 victory over Kazakhstan at Liberec, Czech Republic.

In the other Group B game, Russia beat Finland, 7-4. In Group A play in Pardubice, three-time defending champion Canada defeated the Czech Republic, 3-0, and Sweden beat Slovakia, 4-3.

A South Korean boxer who lost consciousness after winning his World Boxing Organization intercontinental flyweight bout was in a coma with a brain injury.

Choi Yoi-sam was rushed to a hospital shortly after Tuesday’s fight against Indonesian challenger Heri Amol at Seoul. The 33-year-old South Korean was knocked down in the final round of the 12-round fight, but it was not known whether that caused him to pass out.

PASSINGS

Ex-Abilene Christian track coach Jackson, 87

Oliver Jackson, the former Abilene Christian track and field coach whose athletes won four Olympic gold medals and set 15 world records, has died. He was 87.