IN BRIEF

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

UNLV's Summers makes Doak Walker Award list

UNLV's Frank Summers and UNR's Luke Lippincott were among 43 candidates announced Thursday for the 2008 Doak Walker Award presented annually to the nation's top college running back.

Summers, a senior, rushed for 928 yards and six touchdowns last season. He also caught 23 passes for 252 yards and four TDs.

Lippincott, a senior, led the Western Athletic Conference in rushing with 1,420 yards and a WAC-best 18 touchdowns.

In addition to Summers, the Mountain West Conference is represented on the list by Utah senior Darrell Mack, Brigham Young sophomore Harvey Unga, New Mexico senior Rodney Ferguson and Texas Christian junior Joseph Turner.

Also: Oregon quarterback Nate Costa will be out for the season after surgeons repairing a torn meniscus in his left knee also found a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

The sophomore injured the knee in a noncontact drill in the week before the Wednesday surgery, which the team had hoped would allow him to play part of the season.

GOLF

Woods back in swing ... on own video game

The only golfing Tiger Woods is doing these days is in video games.

"I do play quite a bit," Woods said. "A heck of a lot more now."

The world's top-ranked golfer has been sidelined since winning the U.S. Open in June, recovering from surgery on his left knee to repair a torn ligament.

Woods said in a telephone interview that he plays friends in tournaments on EA Sports' Tiger Woods PGA Tour game. He plays as self-created characters: "One's a really buffed-out dude," another is pudgy.

Woods expects to be out swinging real golf clubs in January, but said it's too soon to know when he'll be able to compete again.

"It's frustrating. I really have no idea," he said.

Also: Ryder Cup hopefuls Darren Clarke and Colin Montgomerie had encouraging first rounds in the Johnnie Walker Championship in Gleneagles, Scotland.

Clarke shot 1-under-par 72 and Montgomerie had a 74 as Frenchman Gregory Havret took the first-round lead with a 68.

The UNLV men's team is ranked 22nd in the Golf World's coaches preseason poll released this week.

Defending national champion UCLA is ranked No. 1.

PRO BASKETBALL

Hornets sign veteran forward-center Marks

The New Orleans Hornets signed free agent Sean Marks, a nine-year NBA veteran who can play power forward and center.

The 6-foot-10-inch, 250-pound Marks has been a role player throughout his career with Toronto, Miami, San Antonio and Phoenix, averaging 3.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.

Also: The Memphis Grizzlies signed 7-2 free-agent center Hamed Haddadi, who played for the Iranian national team in the Olympics.

MISCELLANEOUS

Stars' Barnes ends 16-year NHL career

Dallas Stars center Stu Barnes is retiring after 16 years in the NHL.

The Stars announced that Barnes, 37, has agreed to a two-year contract to join Dave Tippett's coaching staff as an assistant.

Barnes had 261 goals and 336 assists for 597 points in his 1,136-game career. He played 329 of those games with the Stars. He also played in 116 Stanley Cup playoff games in 12 postseasons.

Also: Colten Teubert, the 13th pick in this year's NHL Draft, agreed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings.

The 18-year-old defenseman had seven goals and 16 assists in 66 regular-season games for Regina of the Western Hockey League last season and one goal and four assists in six playoff games.

Defenders Danny Califf, Michael Orozco and Marvell Wynne were added to the U.S. roster for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Cuba, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Midfielder Ricardo Clark also was among 20 players selected by U.S. soccer coach Bob Bradley.

Gymnast Nastia Liukin, who won five medals in the recently completed Olympics, and decathlete Bryan Clay, who captured the gold medal, will get their own special edition Wheaties boxes, General Mills Inc. announced.