Tuesday Hub Slings Mud

• Bush Speaks! Chilling at the Sundance Film Festival [instead of running himself into a coma to develop into an every-down, between-the-tackles back who doesn't fumble twice a game, dammit! - ed. throwing Saints cap], Reggie Bush broke his self-imposed "No Snitchin'" policy in response to the onslaught of incrimination brought on by the release of Don Yaeger's book and the well-compensated claims of quasi-agent Lloyd Lake therein. In only the most outwardly-projected, non-incriminating way, of course:

The line of ill-fated men foolish enough to meet Reggie Bush at the 50-yard-line is literally zero bodies long at this point, about the same level of public credibility possessed by a multimillionaire whose lips have remained doggedly closed on the subject of his alleged rule-shattering for two years and who is presumed to have paid others for their silence suddenly claiming he's anxious to have the affair aired in court. As usual in cases of word vs. word, no one's word here carries any credibility.

•Meyer Under Fire. Salt Lake Tribune reporter Lya Wodraska, writing last week on the paper's improbable "U of U Football and Gymnastics Blog," read (or was e-mailed) this story in the Gainesville Sun on Urban Meyer's recruitment of junior college receiver Carl Moore and few little reporter sirens went off. Meyer apparently realized Moore was a "package deal," along with his girlfriend, an ex-UCLA gymnast who left the Bruins because of an injury and was leaning to enrolling at Arizona - and taking Moore with her. So Meyer consulted with UF gymnastics coach Rhonda Faehn and called Moore's girlfriend up, then called her again, and again - even as she was telling her enthusiastic boyfriend, "No, I'm not good enough to go there anymore" - until she relented ("It's going to be tough to make the lineup but I'm excited for the challenge") and signed on with the Gator gymnastics team, delivering Moore to Meyer. Sez Wodraska: The Orlando Sentinel reported today Meyer met with Florida's compliance guru last week and "emerged from that meeting thinking he had committed no NCAA recruiting violations," but could not reach said compliance guru and cites no other sources other than Meyer, who is not likely to tell a reporter, "I broke the rules!" Prediction: nothing will come from this other than adding to Meyer's growing rep as a dirty recruiter and increasing his standing in very serious newspapers' "Who Do You Hate Most?" polls, which is sky high to begin with because his teams are good. Oooh, fear the "Urban Liar" signs.

• We Hardly Knew Ye: Uh, Sean Penix? The six-foot, 170-pound Arkansas receiver and Porn Name All-American, possessor of a career stat line that reads "Did Not Play or No Stats Accumulated," is following teammates Darren McFadden and Felix Jones into the draft with a year of eligibility remaining:

Penix will be graduating this semester, and his status isn't likely to change all that much as long as Casey Dick is the quarterback, Bobby Petrino passing magic or no. Why not? Maybe that much pure moxie is worth a flier in the seventh round.

Coming and Going.
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• Alabama's only interview for its vacant offensive coordinator position, Michigan refugee Scott Loeffler, took a job with the Detroit Lions instead, leaving the Tide casting about in the direction of two men who refuse to admit any connection to the opening.

Well, the Birmingham News, obviously, and also the Hunstville Times, Mobile Press-Register  and like a thousand 'Bama message boards. Get your head in the game, Watson.

• Texas is mourning the death of booster "Rooster" Andrews, a five-foot-tall, one-time water boy who came on to drop kick extra points for UT during World War II-depleted seasons and threw a touchdown pass to Bobby Layne in the 1946 Cotton Bowl, then became an Austin institution as (apparently) an outspoken sporting goods dealer along the lines of a more jovial Cotton Hill - there's a bronze statue of him outside the UT athletic complex, across the street from Darrell Royal Stadium, that initially makes no sense in its miniature proportions. If only he'd asked for royalties for the contribution of his, uh, intellectual property:

It's the best logo in the country, and it is everywhere in Texas. The Dallas Morning News profiled Andrews back in 2001.

• Oklahoma thinks its recruiting class could be the best in the country if the Sooners can sway coveted Alabama receiver Julio Jones, long a presumed Crimson Tide commit, when Jones visits Norman this weekend.

• Rick Neuheisel's hiring of ex-USC coordinator Norm Chow and futile run at current Trojan assistant Ken Norton Jr. is part of a concerted effort to emulate Pete Carroll's outfit across town: "Our goal is for us to get where they are." Just one question for Bruin-backing, U$C haters: is that with or without the alleged $?

L.A. Daily News Trojan reporter Scott Wolf provided a quick history lesson on Chow's departure from SC.

• Dallas native Chris Perry is transferring to Texas Tech after one redshirt year at Miami; the defensive tackle said he wanted to be closer to home, liked Texas Tech on an unofficial "visit" as part of his high school track team and, of course, Mike Leach: "He's just a cool dude." Perry was a top 25 defensive tackle by Rivals and Scout (though just PS#33 according to Phil Steele) and would have been the highlight of the Raiders' class last year if he'd signed out of high school.

• Former Texas A&M offensive coordinator Dino Babers was hired as receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Baylor.

The Rap Sheet
Crimes, misdemeanors and eligibility-crippling issues legal, academic, institutional and otherwise.
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Elbowed, a Stillwater police officer, by Oklahoma State tight end Brandon Pettigrew in the process of an arrest for public intoxication early Sunday:

Mike Gundy's testimony as a character witness would be high entertainment, certainly, but Pettigrew is 22, which makes him - legally-speaking - a man. He'll be arraigned later today.

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