Sports: U of M Wants Harbaugh

Michigan Wants Coach Harbaugh

The University of Michigan wants to make San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh the highest paid coach in the college ranks.  Several media reports say U of M has offered Harbaugh a six-year, 48-million-dollar contract.  The deal would pay him nearly one-million-dollars more a year than Alabama's Nick Saban, who made over seven-point-one-million this season. The former Michigan quarterback has one year remaining on his five-year, 25-million-dollar contract with the 49ers.  The Wolverines have not made any comments about head coach candidates since Brady Hoke was fired from the position earlier this month.

Pistons

The Detroit Pistons dropped their eleventh straight game at The Palace with a 117-106 loss to the visiting Dallas Mavericks last night.  Andre Drummond led Detroit with 19 points and 24 rebounds, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 14 points, and both Brandon Jennings and Jonas Jerebko had 13 points.  Chandler Parsons lead the way for the Mavs with 32 points. Monta Ellis added 25 points and eight assists, while Dirk Nowitzki had 18 points.  The Pistons, now 5-21 on the season, host the Toronto Raptors tomorrow night.

College Basketball

MSU Wins

The 23rd-ranked Michigan State Spartans improved their record to 8-3 after a 66-46 win over Eastern Michigan last night at the Breslin Center. Bryn Forbes paced the Spartans with 14 points, Travis Trice scored 13 and Marvin Clark junior contributed 11.

Senior forward Branden Dawson's night ended after he fell during a dunk attempt early in the second half, but he was back on the bench with an ice bag on his left wrist before the game ended.  Raven Lee led the way with 12 points for the Eagles (8-2). Anali Okoloji had seven points and five rebounds in a losing cause.  MSU returns to action Saturday afternoon when Texas Southern visits East Lansing.

CMU Wins

Braylon Rayson netted 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting to lead his Central Michigan Chippewas to an 80-67 non-conference victory over the Northwestern Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena last night.  Luke Meyer contributed 18 points and five rebounds for Central Michigan (7-1), which has won two in a row.

Spartan Honored

Michigan State safety Kurtis Drummond was named a first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) on Wednesday night.  Fellow Spartans' captain and defensive end Shilique Calhoun represented No. 8-ranked Michigan State (10-2) as a second-team selection. The Spartans are gearing up for their Cotton Bowl Classic showdown with No. 5-ranked Baylor (11-1) on Jan. 1 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Lions

The Detroit Lions practiced outside yesterday as they get ready to travel to Chicago for a division showdown with the Bears on Sunday. Defensive end George Johnson did not participate in drills yesterday because of an illness, while receiver Calvin Johnson, linebacker Ashlee Palmer. Cornerback Mohammed Seisay and safety Don Cary were all limited with injuries.

Yesterday, the NFL named safety Glover Quinn NFC Defensive Player of the Week.  Quinn intercepted a pass in the second quarter of the Lions win over the Vikings and returned it 56 yards to the Minnesota 11-yard line. Detroit then scored a touchdown and held on for the 16-14 victory.

The Lions have placed tackle LaAdrian Waddle on season-ending injured reserve. Waddle was carted off the field in the third quarter of Detroit's win over Minnesota Sunday after a Vikings player rolled onto his leg.  The second-year tackle had missed four games earlier this year with a calf injury and a concussion. Rookie Cornelius Lucas is expected to take Waddle's spot in the lineup.

The Chicago Bears are benching quarterback Jay Cutler for their upcoming game against the Detroit Lions.  ESPN reports the team will start backup Jimmy Clausen instead. Chicago has lost three straight and is in the NFC North cellar at 5-and-9.  Cutler leads the league with 18 interceptions and 12 fumbles.  Clausen has thrown for 16-hundred yards, three touchdowns and nine interceptions in 16 games over his five-year career out of Notre Dame.  The Lions are 10-and-4 and tied with the Packers for first place in the division. Detroit currently holds the tiebreaker, having beaten Green Bay back in Week Three.

Thursday Night Football

There is no flex scheduling on Thursday nights, meaning the NFL Network's television vehicle will not exactly be going out with a bang this season.  The Tennessee Titans will play the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014's final Thursday Night Football game. Both teams enter the contest with 2-12 records.