FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino agreed to a new seven-year contract Saturday through the 2017 season.
The contract comes amid speculation that Petrino was a potential candidate for the Florida opening after Urban Meyer resigned Wednesday.
The deal will increase Petrino’s average annual salary to $3.56 million, a raise from $2.7 million under his previous contract. It also expands his current noncompete clause to all Southeastern Conference schools rather than just SEC West.
Petrino is 23-14 in three seasons at Arkansas, improving from 5-7 his first season to 10-2 this year. The No. 8 Razorbacks will face Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 4, the school’s first BCS bowl game.
KENTUCKY
QB Hartline suspended for bowl game after arrest
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline has been suspended for the BBVA Compass Bowl following his arrest on charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct.
Coach Joker Phillips said Saturday the decision to suspend Hartline was difficult but the expectations for the program are clear.
Sophomore Morgan Newton will start in Hartline’s place when the Wildcats play Pittsburgh in Birmingham, Ala., on Jan. 8. Newton started eight games as a freshman after Hartline injured a knee but has thrown for only 54 yards this season.
An attorney for Hartline entered a not guilty plea Friday, hours after the player and Ashley Carnes were arrested following a dispute with another woman earlier in the day.
@BR Scoreline:Villanova 42, Appalachian St. 24
BOONE, N.C. -- Receiver Matt Szcur rushed for two touchdowns, passed for one and caught another to lead Villanova to a win over Appalachian Stat in the Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinal.
The Wildcats (9-4) will face either Eastern Washington or North Dakota State next weekend in the semifinal. Villanova led 21-10 after Szcur’s passing score to Norman White for 54 yards and his 31-yard touchdown catch from Chris Whitney. Szcur’s 25-yard run in the second marked the first time he’s passed, caught and rushed for a score in one game. He scored from 1-yard away in the fourth quarter.
@BR Scoreline:Texas Southern 11, Alabama State 6
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Backup quarterback Riko Smalls accounted for 174 yards on offense in a starting role as Texas Southern held off Alabama State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.
Texas Southern (9-3) won its first SWAC title since 1968.
@BR Scoreline:Delta State 29, Shepherd 17
CLEVELAND, Miss. -- Micah Davis threw for 193 yards and three touchdowns as Delta State beat Shepherd in a rain-soaked NCAA Division II semifinal game.
Delta State (11-3) has won five straight games and advances to its second title game in school history. The Statesmen won the 2000 national championship.
