The plane carrying USC's football team to South Bend plummeted during a severe thunderstorm, forcing the pilot to abort his first landing attempt.
There were about 125 people, including 82 players, on the chartered flight Thursday night for the cross-country trip for today's game.
"That was terrifying," fullback Stanley Havili told the Los Angeles Times. "I thought I was going to die."
Some passengers were thrown from their seats by turbulence as lightning crackled around the storm-tossed plane, USC sports information director Tim Tessalone told The Associated Press on Friday. Safety Taylor Mays was screaming.
"It was a little bit of a roller coaster drop there for a minute," Tessalone said. "We had some people fly out of some seats. Everybody is fine, but it was a frightening little dip there."
The pilot aborted the approach and circled around the storm before landing without incident about 20 minutes later to the relief of the shaken team and the spouses of some staff members also on the flight, Tessalone said.
Defensive end Lawrence Jackson said he was going to see the team trainer because a Popsicle stick pierced the inside of his mouth during the drop.
"It wasn't the worst flight I've ever been on," quarterback John David Booty said. "But it was definitely the biggest drop."
OREGON WR SUSPENDED
At Eugene, Ore., the seventh-ranked Oregon Ducks have suspended sophomore receiver Derrick Jones indefinitely for violation of team rules.
The suspension means the Ducks' thin receiving corps just got thinner. Already out for the season was Brian Paysinger, who had knee surgery, and Cameron Colvin, who broke his ankle in Oregon's victory over Washington State last weekend.
True freshman Aaron Pflugrad, whose father is receivers coach Robin Pflugrad, will likely start when the Ducks visit Washington today.
It will be his first college start.
Coming in after Colvin got hurt against the Cougars, Pflugrad caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Dennis Dixon for his first touchdown.
TEBOW VS. WOODSON
At Lexington, Ky., a week after knocking off then-No. 1 LSU in triple overtime, Kentucky faces a team coming off a grueling loss to the same Tigers. No sweat, right? History suggests otherwise.
Next up today for the No. 8 Wildcats (6-1, 2-1 SEC) is No. 14 Florida (4-2, 2-2), the defending national champions who have rattled off 20 straight victories against Kentucky.
Kentucky coach Rich Brooks knows his team has the talent to break the streak, and the credentials. But the Gators have something more -- Tim Tebow, a star quarterback who can beat a team with not only his arm but, more problematic for the Wildcats, his legs.
"It's hard to equate toughness," Brooks said. "We did defeat the No. 1 team, but Florida presents a different set of problems."Braxton Kelley's game-saving tackle in triple-overtime accomplished something for Kentucky the Gators were unable to do five times the week before against LSU -- stop a fourth-down conversion. Kelley is well aware of the difficulty Tebow poses.
"He's a big, strong runner and can throw the ball," Kelley said. "I've heard he's one of the strongest guys on the team."
Two of the top quarterbacks in the country will be on display at Commonwealth Stadium, but they're two who go about their business completely differently.
Unlike Tebow, Kentucky's Andre Woodson is a pure pocket passer skilled at deciphering defenses at the line. Until he was picked off earlier this month, he had set an NCAA record with 325 straight passes without an interception.
Woodson has racked up 1,786 passing yards while Tebow has 1,455 yards throwing and another 500 running.
Last year, South Carolina's Syvelle Newton -- a quarterback similar to Tebow's style, but not his talent -- ran all over the Wildcats, as did other versatile offenses.
Kentucky's defensive players -- creeping toward respectability a year after ranking second-to-last nationally -- are aware Tebow could reverse their momentum.
"We have to do our best to try to pin him in," defensive end Jeremy Jarmon said. "When he gets to the next level and he's one on one with a linebacker or safety, he's the kind of guy who can embarrass you."
Florida coach Urban Meyer has watched the maturation of Woodson from a sophomore two years ago who often appeared lost. Now Woodson is right alongside Tebow and others amid Heisman Trophy consideration.
"He is a veteran player, and you can spot a veteran a mile away," Meyer said. "Inexperienced quarterbacks have a tendency to wait until guys are open to let it go. I think they do a very good job of checking the ball at the line of scrimmage."
This game could go a long way toward deciding the wide-open SEC East. The Gators have lost two in a row -- first to Auburn, then LSU -- and with the off week, haven't actually won a game since squeaking by Ole Miss nearly a month ago.
"They've got talent all across the field," Tebow said.
"They've got speed. They play with a lot of heart. They believe in themselves and that they will win in every game they play."
Kentucky, which features the top scoring offense in the SEC and No. 7 in the nation, will be trying to extend a school-record eight consecutive wins at Commonwealth Stadium. Still, few road teams have been as successful there as the Gators, who have won 15 of 25 meetings in Lexington.
As for the streak of 20 straight, the Florida players take little credit for that.
"This is the University of Florida," linebacker Dustin Doe said. "That's what we expect to do. We expect to dominate every team we play. We don't care what happened in the past."
Although these two teams are used to squaring off as basketball rivals, a football game of this magnitude is unfamiliar territory.
For the first time, ESPN's "College GameDay" is setting up shop in Lexington for the weekend.
"It is kind of strange," Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes said.
------ AP Sports Writer Mark Long in Gainesville, Fla., contributed to this report.
AP-WS-10-19-07 1617EDT
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