IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa wide receiver Marcus Grant and offensive lineman Dan Heiar are leaving the football program. Coach Kirk Ferentz announced the departures Friday. Ferentz says Grant has decided to transfer to a school closer to his hometown of North Carver, Mass. The freshman appeared in a handful of games this season for the Hawkeyes.  Ferentz says Heiar, also in his first year at Iowa, is leaving school “to pursue other interests.”

Heiar joined the Hawkeyes in the spring after transferring from Iowa Western Community College. He was charged with operating while intoxicated in an April crash. Court records show he pleaded guilty and was given a suspended jail sentence.

Rural Iowans may hear the distant pop of shotgun blasts from the forests and fields this (Saturday) morning as the state’s shotgun deer hunting season opens. Iowa D-N-R deer biologist Tom Litchfield says he’s expecting about 60-thousand hunters for this first season. Litchfield says the two shotgun seasons on deer are Iowa’s most popular hunting seasons, when the most hunters are hunting and when the majority of deer are harvested. Up to 60-percent of the state’s deer are harvested in the two seasons. The first season runs today (Saturday) through December 7th and again from December 10th through the 18th. Litchfield says there will be plenty of targets.

He says the deer population was around 450-thousand pre-season while this spring, the numbers were around 290-thousand post-season. Litchfield says there will be no changes in hunting regulations for this deer season and he says the hunting will be good or more challenging, depending on where you go in the state.

He says hunters in northwest and north-central Iowa should see similar deer numbers compared to last year, though populations elsewhere may be down. Overall, Litchfield says the Iowa deer population has fallen about 12-percent compared to a year ago. Learn more at: “www.iowadnr.gov”.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

Hawkeye 10:

• Atlantic 68, Glenwood 49 (AHS – Dalton Franken 16, Sam Markham 14, Chad Christensen 12)

Rolling Hills:

• Adair-Casey 53, Iowa Christian Academy 46
• CAM 58, East Greene 34

Others:

• Boyer Valley 58, Whiting 19
• Carroll 60, Ballard 53
• IKM-Manning 89, Charter Oak-Ute 24
• Stanton 71, Clarinda Academy 61
• Nodaway Valley 77, East Union 33 (NV – Brad Baudler 9 points, 5 assists and Dean Frank had 4 points and 6 rebounds)

Hawkeye 10:

• Glenwood 71, Atlantic 29
• Lewis Central 37, Creston 32

Rolling Hills:

• Adair-Casey 46, Iowa Christian Academy 35
• CAM 64, East Greene 35
• Orient-Macksburg 46, Walnut 42
• Glidden-Ralston 50, Paton-Churdan 40

Others:

• Ar-We-Va 76, West Harrison 23
• Ballard 44, Carroll 43
• Bedford 62, Lenox 23
• Corning 51, Mount Ayr 31
• Guthrie Center 67, Madrid 48
• Panorama 90, Ogden 17
• Stanton 86, Clarinda Academy 25
• Underwood 50, Logan-Magnolia 20

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) – A person familiar with the decision says Florida Atlantic has offered Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini its head football coaching position and expects to introduce him on Monday.  The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed and details were not expected to be “totally done” until the weekend.  The 46-year-old Pelini would replace Howard Schnellenberger, who is retiring after the Owls finish their season Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe.  Pelini is the brother of Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini.  Under Carl Pelini’s direction, Nebraska was seventh nationally in total defense in 2009, 11th in that department last year and ranked 36th nationwide in yards allowed this season.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) – One of the only games that No. 16 Kansas State was expected to win during the Big 12 portion of its schedule was against Iowa State.  That was back in August, when the Wildcats were picked to finish near the bottom of the Big 12, and the Cyclones even worse. That was back before Kansas State strung together nine wins through its first 11 games, and put itself in position to win a share of the Big 12 championship.  That was back before Iowa State stunned then-No. 2 Oklahoma State.  Suddenly, a late-season meeting between also-rans has generated some national interest. Kansas State can win a share of the conference title by beating the Cyclones and getting some help from Oklahoma, which plays the Cowboys later Saturday night.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Beating Wisconsin once isn’t good enough for Michigan State.  The Spartans will have to do it all over again Saturday night when Kirk Cousins hopes to lead No. 11 Michigan State to its first Rose Bowl appearance since 1988. No. 15 Wisconsin is chasing back-to-back conference titles for only the third time in school history.  The inaugural Big Ten title game is a rematch of one of college football’s most exciting games of 2011. The Spartans won 37-31 after Michigan State receiver Keith Nichol pulled in a last-second pass and lunged across the goal line Wisconsin (10-2) is the only Football Bowl Subdivision team ranked in the top five in scoring offense (44.8 points) and scoring defense (15.2).

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – TCU is looking for another perfect ending in the Mountain West Conference.  The 18th-ranked Horned Frogs (9-2, 6-0 MWC) can clinch their third consecutive unblemished league title with a win Saturday at home over UNLV. They have won a record 23 consecutive Mountain West games since November 2008.  This will be TCU’s final Mountain West game before moving to the Big 12 next season.  TCU is a nearly six-touchdown favorite at home to win the regular season finale against UNLV (2-9, 1-5). The Rebels have lost four in a row, and seven of eight.  The Frogs have a six-game winning streak, the biggest being a 36-35 victory at Boise State three weeks ago.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III has one last chance to impress Heisman Trophy voters.  Griffin and the No. 19 Bears (8-3, 5-3 Big 12) host Texas on Saturday. Another big game against the Big 12’s best defense could persuade undecided Heisman voters he’s the best player in the country.  Baylor fans will be wondering if this will be Griffin’s last game in Waco. The junior says he hasn’t decided whether he’ll return next season or leave for the NFL. Griffin already has earned his degree in political science.  Texas hopes to knock Griffin out of the Heisman race instead of trying to help him win it.  The Bears will be playing for their first nine-win season since 1986. Texas (7-4, 4-4) is trying to avoid a second-consecutive season with a losing conference record.

There will be an all Southwest Iowa football coaches regional meeting at Atlantic High School on Wednesday, December 7, at 7:00 p.m. in the high school commons.   Agenda is to discuss the new classification and cross over games for the upcoming football season as well as other information impacting the upcoming season.   Snacks will be provided.   Questions can be directed to Gaylord Schelling, Atlantic, Iowa.