B.C.'s Herzlich plans to play in opener

BOSTON - Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich is back on the practice field and planning to play for the Eagles against Weber State on Saturday.

The Atlantic Coast Conference's defensive player of the year in 2008 and a former star at Conestoga High School, Herzlich missed all of last season after he was was found to have a rare form of cancer called Ewing's Sarcoma.

He was pronounced cancer-free by doctors last fall, but during this year's training camp he sustained a stress fracture in his right foot.

He returned to practice on Tuesday and was back on the field Wednesday.

Coach Frank Spaziani said he was not sure what to expect from Herzlich on Saturday. But the only issue is his conditioning, not his health.

Utah vs. Pittsburgh. Utah's win over Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl may have been too long ago to qualify this game as a rematch.

The 15th-ranked Panthers and Utes play each other in the season opener on Thursday night in just the second ever football game between the two schools. The first was a 35-7 victory for Utah in the Fiesta Bowl, capping a perfect 2004 season.

That was Utah coach Kyle Whittingham's first official victory as head coach, although he was sharing the duties with fellow "co-head coach" Urban Meyer.

Whittingham says the Panthers are a much better team than the 2004 squad.

Pittsburgh was a heavy preseason favorite to win the Big East, and the Panthers' No. 15 ranking is their highest since opening at No. 10 in 2003.

Utah has won 17 straight at home.

Hawaii vs. USC. Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz is doing everything possible to get a good look at Southern California - he's even gone virtual.

Besides taking snaps in practice, Moniz has been taking on the Trojans regularly on his PlayStation 3 in hopes of getting a feel for the USC defense he'll face in real life Thursday night in Honolulu.

So who wins in the video game? "Last one, we lost by seven," Moniz said. "But I'm a rookie at the game. I'm not a rookie on the field. So it'll be different."

No. 14 USC opens as three-touchdown favorites in the Trojans' first game under NCAA sanctions and new coach Lane Kiffin.

Honor at West Chester. The late Michael Horrocks, a former West Chester University quarterback, will be honored Sept. 11 before the Rams' game against Edinboro University.

Horrocks, who joined the Marines after graduation, was copilot of the second airliner that was hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

A statue will be unveiled at Farrell Stadium in a ceremony beginning at 10:30 a.m. It will include the Marine Corps Color Guard.