LARAMIE — Wyoming coach Dave Christensen on Tuesday named freshman quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels the starter for Saturday’s game against UNLV.
Carta-Samuels, who has completed 26-of-53 passes for 294 yards with no interceptions and no touchdowns, will be the first true freshman to start for the Cowboys since 1974. He will start in place of junior college transfer Robert Benjamin, who has gone 25-of-56 for 209 yards in his three starts with no interceptions and no touchdowns.
• Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen (turf toe) and tailback Armando Allen Jr. (ankle) did not practice but are expected to play Saturday at Purdue.
• Nebraska quarterback Zac Lee (thumb) is expected to start Saturday against Louisiana-Lafayette.
• California receiver Nyan Boateng is expected to miss four to six weeks after undergoing surgery on his broken right foot.
• James Montgomery, Washington State’s top running back, will miss the rest of the season with a leg injury.
Henin returns with eye on Wimbledon
BRUSSELS — Barely a week after compatriot Kim Clijsters capped her comeback from retirement with a second U.S. Open championship, Justine Henin announced her return to tennis in hopes of capturing a Wimbledon title. It’s the only Grand Slam the former top-ranked player hasn’t won, and it loomed large in her decision to end a one-year retirement.
“It is a dream of mine,” Henin said. “I want to work to get it. I make it a priority.”
Footnotes.
Scott Hamilton will skate on TV for the first time since battling a brain tumor, joining fellow Olympian and cancer survivor Dorothy Hamill for a Thanksgiving Day special intended to inspire viewers to triumph over illness.
• Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. agreed to pay $5.6 million in back taxes before the Internal Revenue Service was poised to take the money from his purse after his comeback fight Saturday against Juan Manuel Marquez.
• The Minnesota Timberwolves waived former Nuggets guard Chucky Atkins.
• Dallas Mavericks forward Tim Thomas underwent surgery on his right knee, but a timetable has not been set for his return.
• Chicago Blackhawks wing Adam Burish will be out for six months after knee surgery.
• Bode Miller, in conjunction with the U.S. Ski Team, has scheduled a news conference for Thursday in which he is expected to address his intentions regarding the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the World Cup circuit — and it appears he will say “Yes” to both.
• Kyle Busch was docked 25 points and his crew chief fined $25,000 for failing a postrace inspection at New Hampshire on Sunday.
• Pinch-runner Rashad Eldridge raced home on a wild pitch by Oneli Perez in the bottom of the 11th inning as the Durham Bulls beat the Memphis Redbirds 5-4 in the Triple-A championship game in Oklahoma City.
• James Isch, the NCAA’s vice president for administration and chief financial officer, was named Myles Brand‘s interim replacement less than a week after the NCAA president died of pancreatic cancer at age 67. The Associated Press
