RALEIGH, N.C. — Mike Smith did his job Saturday night against the Hurricanes.
The Lightning goaltender made 24 saves. He lunged, he sprawled. His right-leg save in the third period on Brandon Sutter's backhand from point-blank range was a thing of beauty.
GAINESVILLE — Tim Tebow had barely finished his victory lap around Florida Field and made it to the locker room before his mind starting drifting toward this week's showdown with archrival Florida State.
Saturday afternoon, Tebow set the SEC record for total touchdowns with a 54-yard run. Then backup quarterback John Brantley added three touchdowns to lead the Gators to a 62-3 victory over Florida International at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
TAMPA — There were enough wild ups and downs to match USF's promising, frustrating season in a single afternoon, but in the end, there was enough B.J. Daniels for Bulls fans to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Daniels threw for 304 yards and rushed for 141, both personal bests, and the Bulls escaped with a 34-22 victory against Louisville, a win that assures USF of playing in a bowl game for a fifth consecutive year.
TALLAHASSEE — Mickey Andrews, Florida State's retiring defensive coordinator, doesn't like to be the center of attention, but his players had other plans.
Shortly after the Seminoles rallied in the final moments to beat Maryland 29-26 in their home finale Saturday afternoon, a win they needed to become bowl eligible for a 28th straight year, Andrews' guys encircled him and gently hoisted him on their shoulders.
A 64-year-old man was killed Friday night when he stepped in front of a car while crossing 62nd Avenue N in St. Petersburg, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Geoffrey C. Owen, of 3301 58th Ave. N, was trying to cross 62nd Avenue at 33rd Street when he was struck by a westbound Toyota Echo driven by Kathleen Edyth Prince, 59, of St. Petersburg. Prince was not injured. The accident is under investigation.
INDIAN SHORES –– A registered sex offender was charged with molesting a child and possessing child pornography after he was found having sex with a 16-year-old girl on Friday night, Indian Shores police said.
After several hours of questioning, Kenneth E. Rosier, 25, of Largo, admitted to molesting the girl as well as other molestations in other cities and counties, according to Indian Shores police Det. Jason Routzahn. Investigators later charged Rosier with 23 counts of child pornography possession as well as lewd and lascivious molestation.
DUNEDIN –– A Pinellas County sheriff's deputy was injured early Saturday in a head-on crash with a wrong-way driver, the Sheriff's Office said.
Deputy Jana Demperio, 42, was driving north in the 1200 block of Bayshore Boulevard in Dunedin at 12: 11 a.m. Marie Elise Spirtos, 42, of Tarpon Springs was headed south in the northbound lane and struck Demperio's cruiser, according to the Sheriff's Office.
TAMPA — Police have identified the University of Tampa student and a friend who were critically injured in a hit-and-run accident on Kennedy Boulevard early Saturday.
Erik V. Nicoletti, 20, and Cree Alisha Riley, 19, were walking just after 1 a.m. on the north sidewalk of Kennedy near North Boulevard when a gray sedan traveling west on Kennedy veered over the curb and onto the sidewalk, striking both victims at about 30 mph, said Lt. Jack Diaz.
TAMPA — A Hillsborough County Regional Transit Authority bus struck and killed a pedestrian near the University of South Florida early Saturday, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office reported.
At 6:19 a.m., the out-of-service bus with no passengers hit Robert L. Lewis, 66, on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard across from the James A. Haley VA Medical Center, sheriff's spokesman Larry McKinnon said. Lewis was crossing Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and apparently didn't see the bus coming, McKinnon said.
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