Sports Briefs September 13, 2011

Football

Minnesota coach Jerry Kill could be back on the sideline as early as this week after collapsing during his team's loss over the weekend.

Kill remained hospitalized Monday, recovering from a seizure suffered late in Saturday's game against New Mexico State. His doctors offered an encouraging prognosis.

Dr. Pat Smith, the university's physician, said Kill was "doing very well" and that his gut feeling was that Kill would "absolutely" be able to coach the team on Saturday against Miami of Ohio.

"The reality of this disorder is this is a common problem," Smith said, saying Kill has a benign idiopathic seizure disorder. "People live normal lifestyles with this."

• New Mexico State quarterback Andrew Manley, New Mexico State defensive back Jonte Green and Fresno State punt returner Devin Wylie were named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference offensive, defensive and special teams players of the week, respectively.

Manley, a sophomore, was 20-of-31 for 288 yards and three touchdowns in New Mexico State's 28-21 win at Minnesota.

Green, a senior, led the Aggies with 10 solo tackles in the win over Minnesota. He also forced a fumble and broke up a pass while recording his second double-digit tackle game of his career.

Wylie, a senior, returned five punts for 110 yards including a 67-yard return for a touchdown to open the scoring in Fresno State's game at Nebraska.

• The Big Sky Conference has suspended Eastern Washington running back Mario Brown for his team's game against Montana on Saturday.

Brown, a sophomore, threw a punch after the defending FCS champions lost 30-17 at South Dakota on Sept. 10.

Eastern Washington also suspended Brown for the punch. The suspensions will run concurrently.

Fullerton commended EWU athletics director Bill Chaves and football coach Beau Baldwin for issuing the suspension, but said the league's rules also required the conference to suspend him.

Brown is averaging 12 yards per game for the Eagles, who fell from first to 10th in both The Sports Network and FCS coaches polls after their record fell to 0-2.

• Athletes from Montana and Montana State swept the Big Sky Conference football player of the week honors.

MSU running back Cody Kirk was honored along with Montana linebacker Caleb McSurdy and Griz return man Jabin Sambrano.

Kirk, a sophomore, rushed 22 times for a career-high 155 yards and scored two touchdowns in now fifth-ranked Montana State's 38-14 victory over UC Davis.

McSurdy, a senior, had a career high 17 tackles, including five solo tackles, and a forced fumble in now 12th-ranked Montana's 37-23 win over Cal Poly.

Sambrano, a senior, returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown against Cal Poly and 244 all-purpose yards.

Basketball

A pivotal stretch in the NBA lockout begins today, when full bargaining committees return to the table.

That could move players and owners closer to a new labor deal, but it also could send things in the wrong direction with time running down if more voices in the room leads to discord.

Any setback now would diminish hopes of the preseason opening without delay.

"The reality is our training camp would be scheduled to start on Oct. 3rd I believe, and so if there's any intention of trying to get that started on time, then we both have to figure some things out very quickly," players' association president Derek Fisher of the Lakers said last week. "That's just the reality of the situation."

The process toward getting a new collective bargaining agreement seems to have gotten back on track after three meetings in the past two weeks between top negotiators from each side.

- The Associated Press