COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Oregon State names new offensive coordinator

John Garrett, whose long coaching resume includes stints with a number of National Football League teams, has been named to the position of offensive coordinator/quarterbacks and tight ends coach at Oregon State University.

Beavers head coach Mike Riley on Tuesday announced the hiring of the 48-year-old Garrett, who spent the 2013 season as wide receivers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. From 2007 to 2012 Garrett was on the staff of the Dallas Cowboys; his brother Jason Garrett is head coach of the Cowboys.

“John comes from a great football family and brings with him to Oregon State a wealth of knowledge about the game,” Riley said. “In addition to his NFL experience, he has coached at the college level and knows the recruiting aspects of the game at this level.”

Garrett was a volunteer assistant coach at Princeton, his alma mater, in 1990. He also coached in the college ranks at Virginia, where he was an offensive assistant from 2004 to 2006.

At Oregon State, Garrett replaces longtime offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf, who stepped down last month to become quarterbacks coach of the NFL’s New York Giants.

“I’m excited to be joining the coaching staff at Oregon State University,” Garrett said. “I have tremendous respect for what Coach Riley, his staff and players have accomplished over the years and I look forward to being part of the program’s continued success. I consider it an honor to represent Beaver Nation as a coach for Oregon State.”

Garrett’s father, Jim, spent 38 years in the NFL as a scout and an assistant coach. His brother Judd is the current director of pro scouting for the NFL’s Cowboys.

Substitution rule proposal questioned

The chairman of the NCAA Football Rules Committee said Tuesday that a proposal to prohibit snapping the ball until at least 10 seconds run off the 40-second play clock should not go forward without hard evidence showing that up-tempo offenses endanger defensive players.

Air Force coach Troy Calhoun, the committee chairman, said he has yet to see a medical study linking the rapid pace of an offense to potential health issues for defensive players.

“If there is nothing that arises that’s firm, there’s no way you want to enact a rule. That doesn’t make any sense,” Calhoun said during a call with reporters. “But if there is something that surfaces where there is legitimate concern here, now you’re talking about some responsibility that’s involved.”

The Playing Rules Oversight Commission, which meets on March 6, is the body that would approve the proposal for it to go into effect next season. Calhoun said evidence would need to be presented before the comment period ends on March 3.

That oversight panel is made up of commissioners and administrators and deals with rule changes for all NCAA sports. Commissioners Larry Scott of the Pac-12 and Jon Steinbrecher of the Mid-American Conference — two leagues in which up-tempo offenses are pervasive — are members.

The rule would allow defenses time to make a substitution without the offense changing players — as is currently required — and with no fear that the ball will be snapped before 29 seconds are left on the play clock. An exception would be made for the final two minutes of each half, when the offense could snap the ball as quickly as it wants. A violation of the rule would result in a 5-yard penalty.

The proposal has sparked an outcry among coaches who run up-tempo offenses.

NBA

Blazers’ Aldridge out for a week — Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge will be out for a week because of a left groin strain. The Blazers said Tuesday their three-time All-Star will be reevaluated at the end of the week. He has been bothered by the injury since Portland’s victory over the Timberwolves earlier this month. Aldridge is averaging 23.9 points and 11.4 rebounds this season. The Blazers also said Tuesday that center Meyers Leonard sprained his left ankle in practice and will miss up to three weeks. Leonard is averaging 2.7 points and three rebounds in 21 games this season. Portland’s frontcourt had already suffered a blow when backup center Joel Freeland went down with an MCL injury before the All-Star break. He is expected to be sidelined for up to eight weeks.

Spurs’ Parker out indefinitely with injuries — San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker sat out Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers, and San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich says the six-time All Star will be sidelined for quite some time because of multiple injuries. Popovich said earlier Tuesday that Parker would be out of action “for the foreseeable future” because of numerous aches and pains involving his back, groin and calf. The 13-year veteran, who played 11 minutes Sunday in the NBA All-Star game, is the Spurs’ leading scorer.

SOCCER

Barca takes big lead in Champions League — Feeling they had a point to prove, Barcelona’s players delivered in style, leaving Manchester City bitter and bruised. Advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals should be a formality after Lionel Messi scored a penalty kick in the 54th minute and Dani Alves added a goal in the 90th to secure a commanding 2-0 advantage over City on Tuesday night in the first leg of their second-round matchup. In the night’s other game, Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice, between goals from Blaise Matuidi and Yohan Cabaye, as Paris Saint-Germain won 4-0 at Bayer Leverkusen. The second legs of both games are on March 12. No team has overcome a 4-0 deficit from the first leg in the Champions League.

NFL

Richie Incognito apologizes on Twitter — After briefly deleting his Twitter account over the weekend, Miami Dolphins offensive linemane Richie Incognito was back to his old self Monday and Tuesday — often in the wee hours of the morning. Incognito’s tweets were as erratic as his locker room behavior. In the span of 24 hours, he appeared to fire his representatives, mega-firm Athletes First, only to take it back, telling the agency, “I love you.” Incognito, who is the center of the Dolphins’ bullying scandal, was far more conciliatory early Tuesday morning. Incognito, Mike Pouncey and John Jerry await the NFL’s decision on what to do with Ted Wells’ damning report on the Dolphins’ locker room misconduct scandal. Suspensions and fines are likely, and insiders believe Incognito and Jerry will both struggle to find work again.

— From wire reports