Nov 27, 2012 4 min read

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky has hired Florida State defensive coordinator Mark Stoops as the Wildcats’ football coach.

Stoops replaces Joker Phillips, who was fired on Nov. 4. Phillips went 13-24 in three seasons at Kentucky and the Wildcats were 0-8 in the Southeastern Conference this year.

Kentucky made the announcement on Tuesday and the 45-year-old Stoops will be introduced here at a news conference on Sunday. No. 13 Florida State (10-2) plays Georgia Tech Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

Stoops’ hiring concludes a quicker-than-expected coaching search by the university. After Saturday’s season-ending loss at Tennessee, Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart said he had no timetable to find a replacement for Phillips.

But it didn’t take long for Barnhart and the Wildcats to make a move. The decision makes Stoops a head coach for the first time in his career.

“I want to thank (Kentucky) President Eli Capilouto and Mitch Barnhart for this opportunity,” Stoops said in a statement. “I promise the faithful of the Big Blue Nation I will be focused and driven to create a positive, winning atmosphere for the program and an environment that all of Kentucky can be proud of.”

Johnson out at Southern Miss: Southern Mississippi has fired coach Ellis Johnson after one disastrous season that saw the program plummet from Conference USA champion to the worst record in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Athletic director Jeff Hammond announced the decision on Tuesday morning, three days after the miserable 0-12 season ended with a loss to Memphis on Saturday.

“At Southern Miss we expect to compete hard and succeed both in the classroom and on the field,” Hammond said in a statement. “This is not the exception.This is in fact the standard, the norm, our identity and who we are.”

The decision wasn’t unexpected, though it will cost the Golden Eagles. The 60-year-old Johnson is due a $2.1 million buyout over the next three seasons.

Manziel could change history: In the 77-year history of the Heisman Trophy, no freshman has ever won the award.

Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, the player who proved coach Kevin Sumlin’s prolific offense could work in the SEC, may finally change that.

Manziel accumulated 4,600 yards of total offense and 43 touchdowns this season along with a signature win over then top-ranked Alabama to make him a front-runner for the Heisman.

In the past some voters have been reluctant to pick a freshman for the award. But those attitudes might be changing.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops coached Adrian Peterson in 2004 when he finished second in voting – still the highest finish ever for a freshman.

“A player is a player, it shouldn’t matter what age he is,” Stoops said.

Manziel spoke to the media for the second straight day Tuesday after not being available all season because Sumlin doesn’t allow freshman to talk to the media. He danced around the question almost as deftly as he avoids defenders when scrambling out of the pocket when asked if he thought age should matter in Heisman voting.

“I’ve heard a lot about it and people have their different opinions on that,” he said. “I just think that situation will play itself out.

Ole Miss fined for fan celebration: Mississippi has been fined $5,000 by the Southeastern Conference after fans rushed the field following the football team’s 41-24 victory over No. 25 Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl Saturday.

The win snapped the school’s three-game losing streak in the Egg Bowl and also made the Rebels bowl eligible for the first time since 2009.

The conference said in a statement Tuesday that this was the university’s first violation of the policy that bans fans from entering the competition area since it went into effect in 2004. The policy covers football, men’s and women’s basketball.

A second violation would cost the school $25,000 while a third and any subsequent violations would be a $50,000 penalty.