Foot Injury Not Expected to Sideline Weinke

Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke is expected to play next Saturday against No. 10 Miami after tests showed he did not break any bones in his left foot during Thursday night’s victory at Maryland.

“Chris has a midfoot sprain,” Dr. Tom Haney said Friday. “He will be protected during practice, but we do expect him to be able to practice Monday. How much he can actually do at practice we don’t know yet.”

Weinke threw three touchdown passes before leaving early in the third quarter of the No. 2 Seminoles’ 59-7 victory over Maryland.

“I’m just relieved that there is nothing that says I’m definitely out,” Weinke said. “Obviously, I’ve got a lot of confidence in our medical staff and I trust what they tell me. I’m a lot sorer today then I was last night, but I’ve got a few days to rest before we get going.”

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Hundreds of Penn State faculty, students, staff and fans attended a rally for partially paralyzed defensive back Adam Taliaferro.

Taliaferro, a freshman, has been unable to move his fingers or his legs since he injured his spine making a tackle Saturday at Ohio State.

He had spinal fusion surgery Monday and was transferred from Ohio to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli, Penn State’s director of athletic medicine, said metal support and bone grafts had been inserted to stabilize the spine in Taliaferro’s mid-lower neck area.

“What happened to Adam is out of our hands,” Penn State Coach Joe Paterno said. “It’s in the hands of a God who is still creating miracles, a God we still believe in and a God we pray to.”

Kenny Jackson, the coach who recruited Taliaferro, visited Taliaferro on Thursday.

“He laid in his bed and he talked and he showed me that he can move his arms a little bit just like this,” Jackson said, pumping his arms in a running motion. “So don’t worry, Adam will be back.”

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Pete Schmidt, Indiana’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, died after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 52.

“It’s not often you get an opportunity to hire one of your idols, yet I was fortunate enough to do that four years ago when I hired Pete,” Indiana Coach Cam Cameron said.

Schmidt was one of the first coaches Cameron hired after being hired as coach in November 1996. He was diagnosed with cancer in October 1999 after complaining of an intense pain in his hip the night before Indiana played at Iowa.

Indiana plays host to Iowa today.

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Washington State will be without leading rusher Deon Burnett today against California. The sophomore running back has a bruised left knee. David Minnich, the Cougars’ second-leading rusher, has a twisted ankle but is expected to play. . . . Quarterback Steve Cutlip was expelled from Colorado State after being arrested for the fourth time in two years. . . . Jacksonville, Austin Peay, Davidson and Morehead State will join Division I-AA Pioneer League next season in football.