North Carolina cuts Austin, two others made ineligible

North Carolina defensive tackle Marvin Austin was kicked off the football team Monday and the school said the NCAA declared receiver Greg Little and defensive end Robert Quinn permanently ineligible.

The announcements from the school and the NCAA came as part of the ongoing investigations into whether players received improper benefits from agents.

The NCAA said Little and Quinn were ineligible because they violated rules governing agent benefits, preferential treatment and ethical conduct, saying they each accepted jewelry, travel accommodations and other benefits. According to facts submitted by the university, Little took nearly $5,000 worth of benefits and the value of Quinn's total exceeded $5,600.

In a one-paragraph statement announcing Austin's dismissal, the school said the decision also involved violations of rules for agent benefits, preferential treatment and ethical conduct.

Austin and Quinn are projected as NFL first-round draft picks.

Tough guy award. Virginia Tech left guard Greg Nosal postponed the reattachment of a torn-off tip of his left pinkie to keep playing on Saturday against Central Michigan.

Nosal lost the fingertip when it got caught between two helmets in the first half. After a brief search, team doctors found the severed piece inside his glove and determined that it could be reattached.

They gave 6-foot-6, 293-pound redshirt junior the option to do it immediately or have the fingertip put on ice.

He chose to keep playing, received some pain medication, and went back in.

The fingertip was reattached in the fourth quarter, after the pain medication had started to wear off and the Hokies were substituting liberally in a 45-21 victory.

Quakers' QB honored. Penn's freshman quarterback Ryan Becker won Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors on Monday after leading the Quakers to 31-10 victory over Bucknell Saturday in Lewisburg, Pa.

In just his second career start, Becker guided a Penn offense that put up 437 yards of total offense and scored more than 31 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 2007. The freshman threw for one touchdown, went 14 for 22, and had 194 passing yards.

Both the FCS media and coaches polls have the Quakers as a Top 25 football team this week. Penn ranks 25th in the FCS Coaches Poll as well as in The Sports Network/Fathead.com Top 25 media poll.

Rutgers to start Dodd. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano named true freshman Chas Dodd his starting quarterback for Saturday's game against Army (4-2) at New Meadowlands Stadium,.

Schiano declined to say whether Dodd, who threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns in last Friday's 27-24 win over Connecticut, would be the starter once sophomore Tom Savage is healthy enough to return from the hand injury he sustained Oct. 2 against Tulane.