ORLANDO, fla. — Offensive lineman Andrew Rodriguez of No. 21 Nebraska was ruled out of the Capital One Bowl against No. 10 South Carolina because of a sprained foot.
Coach Bo Pelini said Tuesday that the left guard didn’t make the trip with the team but could be at the bowl site late in the week. Rodriguez missed the last three games. Seung Hoon Choi started in his place against Penn State and Michigan, and Jeremiah Sirles started against Iowa.
Tight end Ben Cotton, who missed two games with a left shoulder injury, returned to practice and is expected to play in the game Jan. 2.
Pelini also announced that linebackers coach Ross Els will take over new defensive coordinator John Papuchis‘ role as special-teams coordinator next season.
Clemson receiver Hopkins hurt in car wreck •CLEMSON, s.c. — Clemson receiver DeAndre Hopkins is recovering from a concussion after a car wreck on the way to meet his teammates for a trip to Florida for the Orange Bowl.
The school said the sophomore was driving from his home to meet teammates on campus Tuesday morning when he was in a crash and suffered a mild concussion.
Hopkins is Clemson’s second-leading receiver, with 62 receptions for 871 yards and four touchdowns this season. Coach Dabo Swinney said he hopes Hopkins can join the team in Miami. Swinney did not know if Hopkins would be able to play in the bowl game.
The 14th-ranked Tigers meet No. 23 West Virginia on Jan. 4 in the Orange Bowl.
Kidd-Gilchrist back in Kentucky after visiting mom•LEXINGTON, ky. — Kentucky forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist returned to the team after going home to New Jersey during the holiday break to visit his hospitalized mother.
Cindy Richardson, who was admitted last week for an undisclosed illness, was released.
Kidd-Gilchrist played in Kentucky’s 87-63 win last Wednesday against Loyola (Md.) after he learned Richardson had been hospitalized. He finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
The No. 3 Wildcats (11-1) play Lamar on Wednesday in their final game before hosting No. 4 Louisville on Saturday.
B Senior guard Jamal Wilson, the top scorer on the Rhode Island’s men’s basketball team, was suspended indefinitely for breaking unspecified team rules. Wilson averaged 17.5 points per game through the first 10 games of the season.
Winter triathlon championship moved to Montana •BUTTE, mont. — USA Triathlon moved its 2012 Winter Triathlon National Championship from Vermont to Montana because of a lack of snow in the Northeast.
The championship will be shifted to the Powder Hound Winter Triathlon on Jan. 29 at Homestake Lodge southeast of Butte.The race includes a 5-kilometer run, a 10-kilometer mountain bike ride and a 5-kilometer cross country skiing course.
Footnotes: Defending champion Spain hired former French Open finalist Alex Corretja as its new Davis Cup captain.
B Japanese prosecutors filed rape charges against two-time Olympic judo champion Masato Uchishiba. He is accused of raping a teenager at a hotel in September after intoxicating her with an alcoholic drink and taking advantage of her inability to resist. The Associated Press
