Penn State lands lauded J.C. QB

Junior college quarterback Tyler Ferguson of Bakersfield, Calif., gave an oral commitment Friday to attend Penn State, several recruiting websites reported. The move came one day after the Nittany Lions lost out on Jake Waters, the nation's No. 1 junior college quarterback who committed to Kansas State.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Ferguson, who played for College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif., passed for 2,615 yards and 22 touchdowns with 12 interceptions this season.

Ferguson, who on Thursday decided on Houston but withdrew his commitment after hearing from Penn State, will enroll in January and join sophomore-to-be Steven Bench as the Nittany Lions' two scholarship quarterbacks at spring practice. He will have three years' eligibility.

Shippensburg quarterback (and Perkiomen Valley grad) Zach Zulli on Friday won the Harlon Hill Trophy as the top player in Division II.

Zulli set NCAA Division II records by accounting for 336 points and 56 touchdowns, and tied the national record with 54 touchdown passes.

North Carolina tailback Gio Bernard is entering the NFL draft after earning all-America honors as a sophomore. The school announced Bernard's decision Friday morning.

The 5-foot-10, 205-pound tailback led the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing, scoring, all-purpose yards, and punt-return average. He was a first-team all-ACC selection the last two years, and was named a third-team all-American by the Associated Press.

Cliff Brown, 60, the first African American to start at quarterback for Notre Dame, died Monday in Harrisburg, Pa. The cause of death was not given.

Mr. Brown was a sophomore when took over during the fifth game of the 1972 season. He started the rest of that 8-2 season, completing 56 of 111 passes for 669 yards with four touchdowns and nine picks.

West Chester sophomore linebacker Ronell Williams was named to the Associated Press Little All-America first team on Thursday. A Rustin High grad, he was the only sophomore on the first or second Little All-America teams. He led the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference with 119 tackles.

At the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Salem, Va., on Friday, top-ranked Mount Union of Alliance, Ohio, beat No. 3 St. Thomas of St. Paul, Minn., 28-10, for the Division III crown. The Purple Raiders went 15-0 this season. The Tommies fell to 14-1.

Indiana State has hired Mike Sanford as its head football coach. He replaces Trent Miles, who left Nov. 30 after a third straight winning season for the top job at Georgia State.

Louisiana Tech has hired Skip Holtz as its new football coach, replacing Sonny Dykes, who left last week to coach at California.