Money talks, but Krag walks away. If the source for this wasn’t a longtime member of several U of L boards, both for the university and the athletic department, I wouldn’t waste the ink passing along the rumor. It is absolutely unbelievable, but the source swears it to be so. So here goes. It is said that Steve Kragthorpe turned down an offer from SMU, including a several million dollar bonus, to remain at U of L. I’m also advised that AD TJ, despite his close relationship with the current U of L coach, would be willing to waive any buyout provisions, should Kragthorpe choose to move on.
SchnellSpeak of the week. Contemplating any lingering fallout from FAU’s decimation at the hands of the mighty Florida Gators, Schnell got in touch with his inner Vietnam-era Walter Cronkite: “There were no bodies in the body bags.” Philosopher-Physician Schnell extrapolated: “I think we’ve established there is no correlation to the age of your program and the number of injuries you have. It really doesn’t matter if you are the No 1. team in the nation or No. 113 when it comes to injuries.”
Last Saturday, the Fighting Owls throttled Florida International in what has become known as the Shula Bowl. After the game, the coach of the NFL’s last undefeated team talked with our boy. The Schnell on the encounter: “He said I was like Belichick, he likes to run the score up. We didn’t run the score up. We had our freshmen out there midway in the third — well, we didn’t get them out there quite that early. We wanted to get them in there a lot earlier than that.”
On the importance of the win: “With this magnificent win that will buoy our confidence and our spirits, we will have a legitimate chance to go up there and beat Troy at their place.”
On coaching his last game in the Orange Bowl: “At game’s end there is plenty of time to think about the venue and give it the proper sendoff. It is my inclination to drop down to both knees and pay homage and to say goodbye to the grand old lady.”
BY SEEDY K
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