Andrew Luck

Andrew Luck set the school record for the most career touchdown passes and eclipsed his own season mark, throwing for 233 yards and four scores to lead fourth-ranked Stanford past No. 22 Notre Dame, 28-14, in his home finale last night. Luck topped John Elway's record of 77 touchdown passes and helped the Cardinal (11-1) build a 21-0 halftime lead. He has thrown for 80 touchdowns in three years and 35 this season. Tommy Rees threw an interception, lost a fumble, and took a bruising blow to the ribs for Notre Dame (8-4)

The NFL players union has challenged commissioner Roger Goodell's authority to suspend players who participated in the Saints' pay-for-pain scandal and wants him removed from hearing appeals. The union filed a grievance late Thursday, one day after Goodell suspended four players who participated in bounties from 2009-11. The complaint says Goodell is prohibited from punishing players for any aspect of the case occurring before the new collective bargaining agreement was signed last August.

A first quarter interception. A third-quarter fumble. An interception returned for a touchdown that capped a disappointing night. Against a high-powered Oregon offense that Stanford's defenders couldn't catch, those rare miscues by Andrew Luck were enough to probably end his hopes for a national or Pac-12 championship and dent his Heisman Trophy candidacy. Luck turned the ball over three times and No. 3 Stanford allowed sixth-ranked Oregon to score three long touchdowns in the Cardinal's 53-30 loss on Saturday night to snap a school-record 17 game winning streak.

Mr. Irrelevant suddenly has a whole new meaning for Chandler Harnish. The Northern Illinois quarterback who was taken with the 253rd and final pick of the draft Saturday didn't just get a title and a vacation. He got a chance to play for his favorite NFL team and potentially to be a backup for Andrew Luck. First, he'll make the trip to Disneyland, appear in the Irrelevant Week parade in Newport Beach, Calif., and put his Colts license plate back on his car. Hey, it's OK — he's an Indiana native.

Andrew Luck is willing to learn from Peyton Manning. He just wants everyone to know he's ready to play next season, too. The Stanford quarterback said yesterday in Indianapolis he could co-exist as Manning's teammate even though his preference would be to play immediately. "I think every competitor wants to play, every down, every play," Luck said when asked about starting as an NFL rookie. "So, of course, who wouldn't want to start?" Luck spent less than 24 hours in Indianapolis, going through a battery of physical tests and learning the intricacies of nutrition at the...

INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts have made up their minds. A person with direct knowledge of the situation told the AP that the team will take Stanford quarterback Andrew with the No. 1 pick in next week's NFL draft. The team has informed Luck that he will replace Peyton Manning, whom the Colts parted ways with last month. The person spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because the team has not publicly disclosed its plans. Luck has been expected to be the top pick since he returned for his junior season with the Cardinal last year.

Andrew Luck is willing to learn from Peyton Manning. He just wants everyone to know he's ready to play next season, too. The Stanford quarterback said Thursday he could co-exist as Manning's teammate even though his preference would be to play immediately. "I think every competitor wants to play, every down, every play," Luck said when asked about starting as an NFL rookie. "So, of course, who wouldn't want to start?" Luck spent less than 24 hours in Indianapolis, going through a battery of physical tests and learning the intricacies of nutrition at the Gatorade...

Jim Irsay says team officials are even more impressed with Andrew Luck after a three-hour meeting Tuesday in Indianapolis. The Colts owner wrote on Twitter that it's easy to see why Luck and the No. 1 pick have been synonymous for two years. Irsay has said the Colts will take a quarterback with the No. 1 pick in this month's NFL draft. And while there have strong indications the Colts will take Luck, neither Irsay nor general manager Ryan Grigson have said the Stanford quarterback will be the choice for Indy.

Archie Manning says Peyton Manning was disappointed that Bill Polian was let go during the Indianapolis Colts' leadership shake-up but remains committed to coming back next season. The elder Manning spoke after presenting the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year awards at a hotel in the French Quarter ahead of Monday night's BCS title game between LSU and Alabama. Archie Manning says Peyton Manning's priority is his health, and the quarterback hasn't given much thought to how the upheaval in Indianapolis will affect him. Manning missed the entire season after a third operation on...

Andrew Luck threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 8 Stanford survived a shaky start to beat rival California 31-28 on Saturday night in a rain-soaked Big Game. Luck revived his Heisman Trophy campaign by tossing scores to Levine Toilolo and Ryan Hewitt, keeping the Cardinal's slim chances of a Pac-12 title and national championship alive. He overcame an early interception and rallied Stanford (10-1, 8-1) from six points down to make sure The Axe stayed on The Farm for the second straight season.

The overnight wait paid off for Stanford tight end Coby Fleener. He's reuniting with his college quarterback, a guy named Andrew Luck. Fleener wasn't chosen in the first round of the NFL draft, in which Luck was the top selection. He got a nice consolation prize Friday night when the Indianapolis Colts grabbed him with the second pick of the second round. Chances are very good Fleener will become a starter - and a main target - for Luck. "I just sent [Luck] a text message that had a lot of exclamation points in it," said Fleener, who had 10 touchdown catches last season and 18 in his career for...

Once the NFL draft got past quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, it was like a day on Wall Street. Everybody wanted to make a trade. The wheeling and dealing started even before the Colts opened the proceedings as expected Thursday night by taking Luck and the Redskins followed by selecting RG3. Behind closed doors, general managers around the league were gabbing away, jockeying to position their teams to land the most coveted player on their draft board. When it was over, there were eight trades involving 12 of the league's 32 teams and draftniks breathlessly...

Andrew Luck knew exactly where he was heading and the daunting task he faces. So did Robert Griffin III. What the NFL draft lacked in surprise and suspense with its top two picks, it certainly delivered in challenges for the league's newest stars. Luck, the Stanford quarterback and overall No. 1, heads for Indianapolis, where he must replace Peyton Manning, who merely won four MVP awards and a Super Bowl. RGIII answers the call in Washington, where he will try to soothe a devout but highly critical fan base.

NEW YORK —Six weeks after saying goodbye to Peyton Manning, the Indianapolis Colts handed Andrew Luck a blue and white jersey and the daunting task of leading a rebuilding team as its quarterback for the next decade. Luck couldn't have chosen a tougher act to follow, but many believe he is the most NFL-ready passer to enter the league since Manning went No. 1 overall in 1998. All Manning did was win an unprecedented four MVP awards and a Super Bowl for Indy. ‘‘You don't really replace a guy like that," Luck said.

Andrew Luck knew exactly where he was heading and the daunting task he faces. So did Robert Griffin III. What the NFL draft lacked in surprise and suspense with its top two picks, it certainly delivered in challenges for the league's newest stars. Luck, the Stanford quarterback and overall No. 1, heads for Indianapolis where he must replace Peyton Manning, who merely won four MVP awards and a Super Bowl. RGIII answers the call in Washington, where he will try to soothe a devout but highly critical fan base.

Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III? There have been some tough quarterback decisions with the No. 1 overall draft pick since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. Some teams made the right call, others missed on their supposed franchise anchor. Examine other drafts with at least two QBs in the top three: 2002: Texans took David Carr at No. 1, Lions took Joey Harrington at No. 3 Hindsight: Turned out to be a dreadful draft for QBs — David Garrard being the class star. Houston would've been better off beefing up its defense with Julius Peppers (taken 2d)

Down on the bayou, they've been saying, "Honey Badger for Heisman," for months. Still, the first time Tyrann Mathieu heard the nickname LSU fans had given him, the cornerback wasn't thrilled because he didn't like the "honey" part. Eventually, the 5-foot-9, 180-pound Mathieu bought into the campaign that compared him to a small, ferocious animal. Mathieu appreciates now how the catchy nickname drew more attention to the mayhem he caused opposing offenses, and to his highlight-reel exploits on special teams.

The leading candidates for college football's top individual award: Andrew Luck, Stanford This week: 20 of 30, 206 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT vs. Oregon State. Season: 194 of 272, 2,424 yards, 26 TDs, 5 INTs. Comment: In his first game in Oregon, Luck helped the Cardinal improve to 9-0 for the first time since 1952. Kellen Moore, Boise State This week: Played UNLV (late). Season: 174 of 228, 2,010 yards, 24 TDs, 5 INTs.

Andrew Luck knows exactly where he's heading, and so does Robert Griffin III. For the rest of the college stars preparing for the NFL draft Thursday night, the anxiety is building. Nobody is looking forward to the green room at Radio City Music Hall. "It kind of made me a little nervous when we were talking to the commissioner and he said, 'You'll be back there for an hour and it'll feel like you've been back there for five days,"' Southern California tackle Matt Kalil said.

Robert Griffin III is vibrant and fun-loving. Mike Shanahan is businesslike and no-nonsense. Nevertheless, Shanahan thinks they'll get along just fine. The Washington Redskins coach assured eager fans Wednesday that he will indeed let Robert be Robert when RGIII comes into the fold, starting Thursday night when the Heisman Trophy winner from Baylor is selected No. 2 overall in the NFL draft. Shanahan joked that he won't hold it against Griffin "just because he's got a lot of charisma and I don't.