The Associated Press

AUBURN, Ala. - Former Auburn coach Terry Bowden said on tape two years ago that boosters were funneling thousands of dollars to football players when he became coach in 1993, a time when the Tigers already were on NCAA probation.

"They were paying players cash, $12,000, $15,000 to sign," Bowden said on a recording reviewed by The Associated Press. "All I was told to do was shake hands and say, 'Thank you. I appreciate how much you love Auburn."'

Bowden did not make clear whether he reported the payment scheme to the NCAA, but said on the tape: "When I came here, I put an end to it."

Bowden's comments were reported Sunday by the Opelika-Auburn News. A columnist taped the comments in a meeting about two years ago, and a copy of the tape was made available to AP.

Bowden did not return a phone call by the AP to his home in Orlando, Fla. He is a sports commentator for ABC Sports, where spokesman Adam Freifield said Bowden contended the remarks were off the record and had no further comment.

A statement issued by Auburn questioned why remarks made by Bowden in 2001 are only now being reported. The columnist who taped the comments, Paul Davis, said Tuesday there had been concern that Bowden's remarks were "off the record" and not for publication. Davis said Bowden has sent him an e-mail encouraging their publication.

The school's statement also said Bowden repeatedly had certified to the NCAA from 1993 through 1998 that "he was unaware of any unreported violations of NCAA rules by anyone involved with the Auburn football program."

Even though there is a four-year statute of limitations for NCAA violations, there is an exception if the infraction is considered "blatant." NCAA spokeswoman Kay Hawes wouldn't comment on the specifics of the allegations.

William Muse, who was president of Auburn during Bowden's term as coach, also said in newly released transcripts that he had heard rumors of a pay-for-play scheme but that it was never verified during the NCAA investigation. His comments were transcribed by Auburn history professor Wayne Flynt for a book and were made public recently by university archives.

Mitch Sneed, who became managing editor of the newspaper in February, said Tuesday he decided to publish Bowden's taped remarks after the recent release of the Flynt transcripts, which included Muse saying Bowden told him much the same things that were on the tape.

Muse said he heard there was "a network of alums who each had agreed to provide X number of dollars per year for a particular player and that there was a book that listed all of these individuals and the amounts that they paid."

"There was even a rumor that, at one time, (an assistant coach) was the keeper of the book," Muse said. "In fact, after he left Auburn, Terry even told me that. But that has never been verified. In the NCAA investigation, there didn't turn out to be any evidence of that."

Auburn came under NCAA scrutiny when Pat Dye was head coach. Tapes secretly recorded by football player Eric Ramsey disclosed financial and other help being given to Ramsey in violation of NCAA rules.

Dye stepped down after the 1992 season and the NCAA hit Auburn with penalties that included scholarship reductions, two years of probation and a one-year ban on television appearances.

Dye, a fund-raiser for Auburn, did not immediately return a telephone message left at his office Tuesday.

Bowden resigned as coach during the 1998 season as his relations with a powerful trustee, Robert Lowder, became strained.

On the tape, Bowden said 25 to 30 boosters would meet in Birmingham and 15 to 20 would meet in Rome, Ga., and that they would give $5,000 each. He said that when he arrived at Auburn, an assistant coach collected the money.

On the tape, Bowden said he took a stand against the practice. "I'm going to finish that deal. That's over with," he said he told one of those involved.

Muse, amid his own difficulties with some trustees, left Auburn two years ago to become chancellor of East Carolina. He resigned that post Friday, taking a tenured faculty position, in the wake of two critical internal audits.

NOTRE DAME: Coach Tyrone Willingham chuckled when asked whether his team was striking a good balance between passing and running.

"That's an unfair question because of the numbers," he said Tuesday. "We're out of balance. We have not been very effective."

The Irish (1-1) actually have been balanced when it comes to passing and running. They have run 70 times and passed 58.

Trouble is, they haven't been good at either. They are rated 88th out of 117 Division I-A teams in rushing at 108 yards a game, and 112th in passing at 120 yards a game.

That adds up to 228 yards a game total offense, giving the Irish the second-worst offense in the nation. Only UCLA, at 223.5 yards a game, is worse.

"We have to have better execution," Willingham said.

Willingham hinted after the 38-0 loss to Michigan on Saturday that his patience with quarterback Carlyle Holiday was wearing thin. But Willingham said Tuesday that Holiday would remain the starter despite some dismal numbers.

Holiday is rated 97th in pass efficiency with a rating of 88.4. Holiday's yards-per-attempt of 4.25 yards is the lowest among the top 100 rated quarterbacks. He has completed 26 of 48 passes for 204 yards with two interceptions.

GEORGIA: Wide receiver Fred Gibson and tight end Ben Watson won't play for No.  7 Georgia on Saturday at No.  11 LSU.

Gibson re-injured a sore hamstring in a victory over South Carolina last weekend. He will be held out of practice this week in hopes of recovering in time for the Oct. 4 game against Alabama, which comes after the Bulldogs (3-0) have a week off.

Watson, who has a sprained ankle, didn't practice Tuesday and is definitely out for this week's game.

MIAMI: Hurricanes running back Frank Gore missed parts of practice Tuesday because of a sore left knee.

Gore, the first player in school history to run for 100 yards in each of the first three games, injured his knee against East Carolina on Saturday when he was tackled low. Coker said Gore should be fine for the second-ranked Hurricanes' game Saturday at Boston College.

KANSAS STATE: Quarterback Ell Roberson could miss his second straight start with an injured left wrist when No. 6 Kansas State hosts Marshall on Saturday.

Coach Bill Snyder said Tuesday that he had not ruled out starting Roberson, who injured his nonthrowing wrist against McNeese State on Sept. 6 - after throwing for five touchdowns and running for four more in just over two games.

UAB: Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan, the offensive coordinator at UAB, was diagnosed with cancer following surgery on his neck.

"The good news is that it is treatable," Sullivan said.

Details were not released, but the team was told the 53-year-old Sullivan had an operation to remove three lumps in his neck.

IOWA: Leading receiver Maurice Brown will miss at least four weeks with an ankle injury, coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday. Brown, a senior with three touchdowns and nearly half of the team's catches, got hurt making a TD catch in Saturday's victory at Iowa State.