By JOHN P. WISEOne Great Season
Though Boston College suffered a 31-13 throttling at the hands of Notre Dame over the weekend, there was still some good to report from the Eagles' camp Saturday.
Alex Albright, a Cincinnati St. Xavier graduate now playing defensive end for Boston College, switched jersey numbers, from 98 to 78, to honor the late Matt James.
James was the St. X senior who died when he fell from a fifth-floor balcony at a Florida hotel last spring. He had signed to play on the offensive line for Brian Kelly at Notre Dame a month earlier.
James' parents were scheduled to attend Saturday's game between the Catholic rivals in Boston.
"We try to always stick together as a community," Albright told ESPN, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.
LOCKER TALK: Congratulations to Jake Locker and the Washington Huskies for their upset of USC for the second straight year.
But let's take it easy with the Jake-Locker-is-back-in-the-Heisman-hunt talk. The senior quarterback certainly deserves great credit for his 420 total yards and leading the late drive that culminated in the Huskies' game-winning field goal as time expired on Saturday. But these types of performances are what we've been expecting from Locker all along.
If he can add a couple more great efforts and signature wins, then let's talk about his candidacy for postseason awards. Until then, he'll continue to be overhyped and overrated.
PRYOR COMMENTS: In the current edition of ESPN The Magazine (The Oct. 4 NHL Preview issue), Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor is among eight athletes asked about groupies: "How big of a problem are unwanted advances?"
Pryor's reply, on a scale of 1 to 10: "Nine-point-five. It happens a lot, but I gotta say, the girls at Ohio State respect themselves."
"How big of a problem ... ?" Isn't the endless supply of women one of the perks these celebrated athletes enjoy the most?
SPEAKING OF OHIO STATE: With Texas falling out of the AP Top 25, the Buckeyes now enjoy the nation's longest streak of consecutive weeks ranked.
The Longhorns were ranked 162 consecutive weeks, dating back to Oct. 15, 2000.
Ohio State's streak stands at 89 weeks, and with a home game against Indiana Saturday, it's not unreasonable to think the Buckeyes can reach 90 without much difficulty.