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Mike Sanfords rush to get to his first head coaching job got him a speeding ticket on his way to Western Kentucky.Sanford doesnt expect any bumps in the road while keeping the Hilltoppers cruising at top speed.Hours after WKU athletic director Todd Stewart announced Wednesdays hiring of the former Notre Dame offensive coordinator, Sanford recalled his 2010 stopover at WKU during his journey through the coaching ranks.I realized right then and there that this is the job I would love to have at some point, the 34-year-old Sanford said during his introductory news conference. There are no words to quantify just how excited I am to be the head football coach here. That was evidenced by the speeding ticket as we transitioned from Indiana to Bowling Green. The ticket was only for five miles an hour (over the speed limit), so it wasnt a big one.But it gives you an illustration of how excited we are to be here.Sanford received a four-year contract that pays an annual base salary of $800,000.Sanford had spent the past two seasons as Notre Dames offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He also coached QBs and was passing game coordinator at WKU in 2010 under Willie Taggart, part of a 12-year coaching career with stops at Stanford, Yale, UNLV and Boise State, where he played QB from 2000-04.Sanford replaces Jeff Brohm, who left WKU last week to take Purdues head coaching job. He inherits a Hilltoppers program that went 30-10 in three seasons under Brohm and has won back-to-back Conference USA championships.Defensive coordinator and interim coach Nick Holt will guide WKU (10-3) in the Boca Raton Bowl against Memphis (8-4) on Dec. 20 before handing the reins over to Sanford. Given his background and familiarity with the program and community, Stewart foresees a smooth transition on and off the field.Mike is not new to WKU and in 2010 he experienced firsthand the challenges this program was facing, the AD said. I said we would hire the best person to keep this train rolling, and I could not be happier or have more confidence in our next conductor.Sanford guided a Fighting Irish offense that averaged 466.4 yards per game in 2015 -- the third-highest in program history -- and 34.2 points while reaching the Fiesta Bowl. He also mentored QB Deshone Kizer, who passed for 2,925 yards and 26 touchdowns this season for Notre Dame (4-8); he also rushed for another 472 yards with eight scores.The junior announced Monday that he will forego his senior season and enter the NFL draft.Sanfords offensive expertise comes in handy as he takes over WKUs high-powered offense that Brohm built.The Hilltoppers have averaged 44.6 points and 526.2 yards per game behind quarterbacks who completed 69 percent of their passes for nearly 357 yards per contest. WKU scored 131 touchdowns under the offense-minded Brohm.Sanford promised an up-tempo, multiple offensive scheme at WKU with a focus on defense and added thats important to do things that reflects the roster he has.Everything here is about the pursuit, he said.The WKU program has been a springboard to bigger jobs coaches who have recently run it. Besides Brohms departure to the Big Ten Conference, Bobby Petrino led WKU to an 8-4 mark in 2013 before returning for a second stint at Louisville and guiding the Cardinals entrance into the Atlantic Coast Conference.WKUs new coach thanked them and Taggart -- hired last week at Oregon -- for laying the groundwork. The married father of three again referred to his previous time here and sounded like someone ready to establish long-term roots.Said Sanford, I remember looking over at an assistant and saying, `is this not the best place to be?---More AP College Football: www.collegefootball.ap.orgCheap Phillies Jerseys . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. Phillies Jerseys 2019 . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. https://www.cheapphilliesjerseys.us/ . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. Stitched Phillies Jerseys .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. Philadelphia Phillies Store . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls.LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Jeff Walzs belief his team can always play better didnt stop the Louisville coach from finding positives in a victory that welcomed another player into an exclusive club.Mariya Moore scored nine points to surpass 1,000 career and No. 4 Louisville held Chattanooga to 30 percent shooting for a 63-47 victory on Monday night to wrap up site play in the Hall of Fame Challenge.Playing their third game in as many days, the Cardinals (6-0) were never threatened in their tuneup ahead of Sundays Challenge matchup against third-ranked South Carolina. They controlled the pace, spread the ball around and held Chattanooga (3-3) to 17 of 57 shooting from the field in ending its two-game winning streak.I thought we did a lot of really good things in that first part of the game, said Walz, whose team shot 44 percent and made 18 assists on its 25 baskets. We got the pace going that we wanted, we executed well, and we passed the ball, a lot of good things.When we subbed, we kind of took a step back and thats something I talked to our bench players about. ... We should go forward. That part was a little bit of a concern for me, but overall our effort was good.Besides becoming Louisvilles 27th player to break 1,000 points, Moore had seven assists and four rebounds. Myisha Hines-Allen had 10 boards along with seven points.Moore was presented with a specially-designed ball after the game and said of her milestone, Its a blessing. It just shows hard work, I guess, but Im more happy that were 6-0.Queen Alford scored 20 points and Jasmine Joyner had 15 rebounds and seven blocks for Chattanooga. The Mocs committed 19 turnovers in its third game of the Challenge, an eight-team, round-robin competition being played at several sites. The event continues Sunday in Sprinngfield, Massachusetts.ddddddddddddPOLL IMPLICATIONSLouisville followed up its one-spot rise in the poll with an easy win ahead of Sundays showdown against third-ranked South Carolina that will affect its ranking.THE BIG PICTUREChattanooga: The Mocs 1-of-8 start from the field helped dig 25-12 first-quarter hole that they spent the rest of the game trying to climb out of. We came out tentative in a way that surprised me, coach Jim Foster said. We played with effort, but we needed 40 minutes of effort and just got 30. For the first 10 minutes, it wasnt where it needed to be.The Mocs finished even on the boards (36-36) and blocked three more shots than Louisville (8-5) thanks to Joyner, who has 29 rebounds and 16 rejections the past two games.Louisville: The Cardinals shot 50 percent in the first half before cooling off to 44 percent for the game. While their scoring total was the lowest this season, 11 of 13 players scored while playing for the third straight day. Louisville also made all 10 free throws, its best single-game percentage with double-digit attempts going back to 2000. The Cardinals entered the game averaging 65 percent from the line.UP NEXTChattanooga: The Mocs return home from their weekend in Louisville to host Wisconsin-Green Bay on Friday.Louisville: The Cardinals face their first major test this season against No. 3 South Carolina on Sunday when the Hall of Fame Challenge moves to Springfield, Massachusetts. It will mark the first game between the schools since the Cardinals won 74-47 Nov. 29, 1991, one of just four wins over the Gamecocks in 20 meetings.---More AP College Basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '