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Stoops leaving FSU to lead Kentucky

 
FSU doesn’t know if defensive coordinator Mark Stoops will stick around through bowl season.
FSU doesn’t know if defensive coordinator Mark Stoops will stick around through bowl season.
Published Nov. 28, 2012

TALLAHASSEE — Florida State defensive coordinator Mark Stoops is leaving to become the head coach at Kentucky.

FSU and Kentucky officials confirmed the news Tuesday afternoon.

"I'm very proud of him and very happy for him," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. "He got an opportunity to go on and further his career, and it's something he wants to do. I'm elated for him."

Fisher said Stoops will stay through the ACC Championship Game, but he was unsure about his status for a potential Orange Bowl appearance a month later.

"I am thrilled to be named the head football coach at the University of Kentucky," Stoops, 45, said in a Kentucky news release. "I am grateful for the support of all Seminole fans as we focus on the ACC championship."

Kentucky scheduled a news conference for Sunday.

Stoops is the third brother in his family to lead a program. Bob Stoops is head coach at Oklahoma, and Sooners defensive coordinator Mike Stoops was coach at Arizona.

"Everybody's happy for him," FSU defensive end Bjoern Werner said.

USF: Playing spoilers

TAMPA — After losing their shot at the postseason in a rout at Miami, the Bulls are hoping to finish a disappointing year by doing the same to Pittsburgh.

"We talk about, 'If we can't go to a bowl, they can't go' — that's our mind-set right now," defensive tackle Cory Grissom said. "It's the last one. … I'm just going to give it my all. They handled us (last year), so it's our job to repay them the favor."

Last season's 44-17 loss at Pittsburgh might be motivating the players, but coach Skip Holtz said this isn't a "revenge game."

"I think more than anything else it's an opportunity to redeem ourselves, more than it is revenge … to prove what type of football team we really have here," he said.

more usf: Speedy receiver Derrick Hopkins returned to practice recovering from a knee injury sustained against Syracuse on Oct. 27. Holtz said Hopkins is questionable. … Grissom, who has started every game this season, accepted an invitation to play in the 2013 Senior Bowl. "When I first found out, I didn't know whether to jump up and down, just laugh out loud or cry; I did all three, actually," he said.

UF: Coach extended

GAINESVILLE — Florida gave coach Will Muschamp a contract extension before the season.

School president Bernie Machen and athletic director Jeremy Foley met in August and agreed to extend Muschamp's contract for a year, through 2017. Financial terms remain the same, giving Muschamp another year at $2.7 million annually.

Around the nation

ONE AND DONE: Southern Mississippi fired coach Ellis Johnson after an 0-12 season. Johnson, 60, is due a $2.1 million buyout over the next three seasons.

ACC SUES TERPS: The Atlantic Coast Conference filed a lawsuit against Maryland seeking full payment of the approximately $53 million exit fee for the school's move to the Big Ten.

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ACC AWARDS: Miami running back Duke Johnson was named conference rookie of the year and top offensive rookie in a vote of 46 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. FSU cornerback Ronald Darby won defensive rookie of the year.

OLE MISS: The SEC fined the school $5,000 after fans rushed the field following Saturday's 41-24 win over Mississippi State.

Times correspondent Joe Polito contributed to this report, which used information from the Associated Press.