Players Suspended for Roles in Brawl

Six Clemson players and six South Carolina players were suspended one game by their conferences Monday for brawling during a game between the in-state rivals Nov. 20.

The Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference handed down the punishment.

“These suspensions are intended to send a clear and unequivocal message to all student-athletes in the Southeastern Conference that this conduct will not be tolerated now or in the future,� SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said.

Both schools declined bowl invitations last week as punishment for their teams.

Clemson’s Duane Coleman, Nathan Bennett, Brandon Cannon, Roman Fry, Maurice Nelson and Anthony Waters were suspended. Four other Clemson players will receive letters of reprimand: Cory Groover, Tommy Sharpe, Nick Watkins and Bobby Williamson.

It will be up to the team to decide when the players will serve their suspensions. The Tigers open the season against Texas A&M; on Sept. 3.

For South Carolina, Daccus Turman, Jermaine Sims, Freddy Saint-Preux, Woodly Telfort, Moe Thompson and Charles Silas must sit out the season-opener against Central Florida on Sept. 3.

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Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden will face his former team for the first time in more than two decades when the 16th-ranked Seminoles play West Virginia in the Gator Bowl.

The Mountaineers (8-3) accepted an invitation to the Jan. 1 bowl at Jacksonville, Fla., on Monday, and bowl officials said Florida State (8-3) would be named the opponent today.

Bowden coached at West Virginia from 1970 to 1975. He took over at Florida State in January 1976.

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Matt Kubik’s two touchdown passes sparked a 35-point second quarter for Louisiana Tech (6-6, 5-3), and the Bulldogs rolled to a 51-14 victory over Rice (3-8, 2-6) in a Western Athletic Conference game at Houston.... Steve Spurrier said his son, Steve Spurrier Jr., would leave his position at Arizona and join his father’s staff as South Carolina receivers coach, probably by today.