More College Football News & Notes

Kentucky: Coach Mark Stoops says sophomore quarterback Drew Barker will miss “significant” time with a back injury that won’t require surgery.

Barker started the Wildcats’ first three games but was injured on their first series in last week’s contest against New Mexico State. He did not return. Stoops said after Wednesday’s practice that Barker saw a specialist who recommended rest for “two, three, four weeks” instead of surgery before being evaluated.

Barker’s injury means junior Stephen Johnson will make his first start for the Wildcats (1-2, 0-1) in Saturday night’s Southeastern Conference game against South Carolina (2-1, 1-1). Johnson shook off a rocky start to complete 17 of 22 passes for a career-high 310 yards and three touchdowns to help the Wildcats earn a wild 62-42 victory.

Florida: Cornerback Quincy Wilson’s unusual reference to predict the Gators will beat Tennessee for a 12th straight time hasn’t riled up the Vols.

Wilson asked “Have you ever seen a duck pull a truck?” while referring to Florida’s winning streak against Tennessee. Wilson added that “ducks don’t pull trucks. Nobody has ever seen a duck pull a truck. Florida Gators are going to win, simple as that.”

Gators coach Jim McElwain said Wednesday he’d only heard “bits and pieces” of Wilson’s comment. The 19th-ranked Gators (3-0, 1-0 SEC) are 6 1/2-point underdogs in Saturday’s game at No. 14 Tennessee (3-0, 0-0).

McElwain said during the Southeastern Conference coaches’ teleconference that Wilson “better go back it up, I guess, whatever he said.”

Tennessee coach Butch Jones dismissed the comments as “clutter and distractions.”

Ivy League: The Ivy League has proposed tightening NCAA rules to prevent coaches from recruiting high school athletes before their junior years.

The NCAA already has rules against coaches making early contact with prospective athletes pre-junior year, but holes in the regulations have accelerated the recruiting process and led to nonbinding scholarship offers, contact during camps and unofficial campus visits.

Under the Ivy’s proposal, coaches would not be allowed to make verbal offers of financial aid or provide support in the admission process before the prospective athlete’s junior year. Coaches would be prohibited from initiating or receiving telephone calls, planning unofficial visits and having recruiting conversations at camps and clinics before the start of a high school athlete’s junior year.

The proposal will be considered for legislation by NCAA membership in January.

Rutgers: Athletic director Pat Hobbs has apologized after a video of him downing a beer at a school-sponsored tailgate party was posted online.

The video shows Hobbs speaking to the crowd Saturday at a tailgate party dubbed, “The Alley” ahead of the football game against New Mexico before being egged on to drink a beer by fans.

Hobbs tells NJ.com he felt the party was getting out of control and he was addressing the crowd out of concern “for the safety and well-being of our students.”

Rutgers said Tuesday it would be shutting down the tailgate “due to safety concerns.”

NJ.com reports school officials say the first tailgate this year drew 500 to 800 students, but social media boosted the attendance for Saturday’s party to 2,500 to 3,000 students.

Associated Press