The punch, which left him with a black eye outside a South Bend bar in the wee hours, should remind Jimmy Clausen that it's time to go. No matter the circumstances -- even if it was as innocuous as Clausen being coldcocked by a jerk as he and his girlfriend were leaving C.J.'s Pub -- it should have been clear as he was absorbing a sucker punch that there's no good reason to return to Notre Dame next season.
There is nothing new about Bob Stoops matching coaching wits with old mentor and boss Bill Snyder. They've done plenty of that over the years in Big 12 cross-divisional play.
But that doesn't mean Stoops isn't a little surprised to see Snyder, 70, back on the Wildcats sideline. The longtime Kansas State coach retired four years ago to pursue opportunities outside coaching, but was lured out of retirement last winter.
Stoops, whose 22nd-ranked Sooners host the Wildcats on Saturday, admits it's a little unexpected to be going up against his old boss again, but he was stunned when Snyder was no longer there, too.
When asked to explain what he would like to see from his team, first-year Browns head coach Eric Mangini offered this: "Aggressive, intense, tough, physical, finishing ... consistency, execution (editor's note: I'm in favor of it!), communication ... good, solid, sound, fundamental, tough football. Physical football. Intense football. That's what I want every week."
He made these comments shortly after the Browns lost their sixth game in seven tries, this one a steady-as-she-goes 31-3 defeat to the Packers. Last month, after an 0-3 start, fans started an online petition begging owner Randy Lerner to sell the team. Nothing came of it, so the sights have been set a little lower: fire Mangini. This time the Akron Beacon Journal's Patrick McManamon is leading the charge.
Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford said Sunday that he plans to have season-ending shoulder surgery and enter next year's NFL Draft, bringing the college career of the reigning Heisman Trophy winner to a premature end.
Bradford, who might have been the No. 1 overall pick if he had entered this year's draft, suffered a shoulder injury in the season opener against BYU and aggravated the injury against Texas last week. He said he's ready to move on:
So much for Todd Reesing and the whole Heisman Trophy conversation. The same can be said for the 25th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks and their once-promising season.
On an afternoon when the Jayhawks had a chance to make a major statement against a respectable Oklahoma team, they simply showed they aren't ready for the big time in a 35-13 drubbing in front of their home crowd at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Reesing, third in the country in passing yardage per game coming into the contest, threw three interceptions during the Jayhawks' first three possessions . Oklahoma defensive back Dominique Franks was the recipient of the third, which he promptly returned 85 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to help the Sooners take a 14-6 lead into halftime.
It's the great mystery in Norman, Okla., right now.
Is quarterback Sam Bradford's career over at Oklahoma? Will the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner opt for surgery to repair the sprained AC joint in his right shoulder? Could he play again this season or next?
Those are all burning questions that Sam Bradford was supposed to address following Wednesday's Oklahoma Sooners practice, but he called off a scheduled press conference. Oklahoma associate athletic director for media relations Kenny Mossman told FanHouse that Bradford wants to gather more information. There is no rescheduled date set and that Bob Stoops will not be taking any questions on Bradford after practice.
Whether or not Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford returns to the Sooners this season, or if he has indeed played his last college game, seems to be anybody's guess.
DALLAS -- The play and the driving hit on a blitz from a Texas cornerback that left Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford squirming on the ground seemed eerily familiar Saturday afternoon at the Cotton Bowl.
Just a week after Bradford returned from a four-week rehab stint after suffering a third-degree AC joint sprain in his right throwing shoulder, he re-injured that same shoulder again early in the first quarter and did not return during the 20th-ranked Sooners' 16-13 loss to No.3 Texas in the annual Red River Rivalry.
Six weeks after he injured his shoulder against BYU, Bradford is on the sideline of another big game in the Dallas area after the Heisman-winning quarterback went down early in the first quarter of Saturday's Red River Rivalry game against Texas.
Cornerback Aaron Williams came untouched at Bradford and drove his right (throwing) shoulder into the turf again, a near repeat of the way Bradford injured his shoulder against BYU at Cowboys Stadium
DALLAS -- Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford's emotions were sprawled all over the place on the night of Sept. 5 as uncertainty about his injured shoulder weighed on him, when a text message of inspiration popped onto his cell phone.
"I'm praying for you and I hope you can get back as soon as possible."
There is nothing new about Bob Stoops matching coaching wits with old mentor and boss Bill Snyder. They've done plenty of that over the years in Big 12 cross-divisional play.
When asked to explain what he would like to see from his team, first-year Browns head coach Eric Mangini offered this: "Aggressive, intense, tough, physical, finishing ... consistency, execution (editor's note: I'm in favor of it!), communication ... good, solid, sound, fundamental, tough football. Physical football. Intense football. That's what I want every week." 
So much for Todd Reesing and the whole Heisman Trophy conversation. The same can be said for the 25th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks and their once-promising season.
It's the great mystery in Norman, Okla., right now.
DALLAS -- Sam Bradford is hurt again.
