Football: Roundup

Star receiver's appeal shot down by NCAA

Detroit News wire services

Oklahoma City -- The NCAA has rejected a final appeal to reinstate Dez Bryant and Oklahoma State has probably seen the last of its All-America receiver.

The NCAA rejected Oklahoma State's appeal to reinstate Bryant on Thursday, meaning he won't be back this season. The junior is considered a top NFL prospect and few expect him to come back for another season in Stillwater.

Bryant sat out the last five games for No. 18 Oklahoma State (6-2, 3-1 Big 12) after the school ruled him ineligible for lying to an NCAA investigator looking into Bryant's offseason meeting with former NFL player Deion Sanders.

Bryant caught 87 passes for 1,480 yards and 19 TDs last season while scoring twice on punt returns.

'Cryer' shirts shelved

Ohio State sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor is a "cryer" no more to a Penn State student group.

The Penn State Marketing Association has pulled T-shirts mocking the dual-threat sophomore that were to be sold for this weekend's game between the No. 15 Buckeyes (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten) and the No. 11 Nittany Lions (8-1, 4-1).

The white shirt depicted the Nittany Lion mascot with one arm around Pryor and the other holding a box of tissues. Pryor is drawn in uniform reaching for a tissue. Below the drawing was the phrase, "The Nutcracker -- a Terrelle Cryer Story."

Gator ups his suspension

Originally suspended for only the first half of this Saturday's game against Vanderbilt, Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes went to coaches and asked they make it a full game for his attempted eye gouge of a Georgia player last weekend.

"I really don't want to be a distraction to the team," Spikes told reporters.

Bowl business

The Atlantic Coast Conference renewed six bowl deals and reached agreements with two others -- the El Paso, Texas, Sun Bowl and Shreveport, La., Independence Bowl -- for 2010-13.

Thursday's games

No. 22 Virginia Tech 16, (at) East Carolina: 3: Freshman Ryan Williams ran for a season-high 179 yards, passed the 1,000-yard mark and Virginia Tech (6-3) avoided its first three-game losing streak in six years, holding off East Carolina (5-4).

(At) Northern Illinois 50, Eastern Michigan 6: Tommy Davis returned the opening kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown, and Chad Spann ran for a career-high 174 yards and two TDs as Northern Illinois (6-3, 4-1 Mid-American Conference) routed winless Eastern Michigan (0-9, 0-5).