Virginia Tech (11-1) extended its winning streak to eight games, the Hokies’ longest since they won nine in a row to open the 1995-96 season.

Green played a career-high 30 minutes in relief of Atlantic Coast Conference scoring leader Malcolm Delaney, who sprained his left ankle just over a minute into the game and did not return.

Dana Smith scored 11 points to lead Longwood.

Virginia Tech opened the game on a 19-4 run, holding the Lancers (3-11) without a field goal for nearly nine minutes.

Since then, Goodell has announced stricter return-to-play guidelines that make it tougher for players to get back on the field after head injuries. He has made every team enlist an independent neurologist who can be consulted when players have concussions.

The committee will hold a session called “Legal Issues Relating to Football Head Injuries, Part II” on Monday in Detroit. At a hearing Oct. 28 in Washington, lawmakers questioned NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about the league’s approach to concussions.

There are other combinations in which Pittsburgh could sneak in, but it’s unlikely the Steelers would make it unless New England wins.

The Steelers , losers of five of seven, would make it in if they beat Miami, the Patriots defeat Houston, and the Bengals beat the New York Jets.

The Patriots and Bengals have little to play for except which team will be seeded No. 3 in the AFC. With a wild-card playoff game awaiting each team next week, the Patriots and Bengals are expected to rest some starters to avoid possible injuries.

The Colts also signed receiver John Matthews and linebacker Brandon Renkart to the practice squad. The team also announced that defensive back De’Von Hall, who was waived Saturday, was claimed by Tampa Bay.

Willy was the Colts’ emergency third quarterback in Sunday’s loss to the New York Jets. The Colts waived Willy before re-signing him.

Liggett said Texas Tech general counsel Pat Campbell approached him outside the courtroom and told him that win, lose or draw in the hearing, Leach was out effective immediately.

The school handed a termination letter to Leach’s attorney, Ted Liggett, just minutes before the two sides were to appear in a Lubbock, Texas, courtroom for a hearing on the coach’s suspension.

As for Leach’s reaction, Liggett said, “Well, he’s not thrilled.”

When Liggett entered the courtroom he told the judge there was no need for the hearing on Leach’s request that he be reinstated to coach the Alamo Bowl.

“We can guarantee that the fight has just begun,” he said.

Liggett said he planned to file a lawsuit on Leach’s behalf against the school “soon.”

“So they pulled the trigger,” Liggett said. “They don’t want that coming out.”

Liggett said Leach’s side has evidence that shows the decision to suspend the coach was without merit.

Leach was suspended by the university on Monday after receiver Adam James alleged the coach twice confined him to small, dark spaces while the team practiced.

In February, Leach and the school agreed to a five-year, $12.7 million contract. According to terms of the deal, Leach was due a $800,000 bonus on Dec. 31 if he were still the head coach at Texas Tech.

“We appreciate that the university conducted a fair and thorough investigation,” said a statement from the James family. “From the family’s point of view this has always been about the safety and well being of our son and of all the players on the team.”

James is the son of former NFL player and ESPN analyst Craig James.

Tech is the second Big 12 school to launch an internal investigation into a coach’s treatment of his players.

Texas Tech plays Michigan State on Saturday in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.

Mangino resigned Dec. 3 after reaching a settlement with the school that was later disclosed as a $3 million buyout.

On Nov. 16, Kansas investigated Mark Mangino, who got a big raise after he was national coach of the year and went 12-1 in 2007. Some players said he was insensitive, though others defended him.

Several former and current Texas Tech players and coaches defended Leach and harshly criticized James’ work ethic in e-mails obtained by CBSSports.com.

In an affidavit included in Tuesday’s court filing, Leach said he “would never intentionally harm or endanger a player” and that he has been “forced into this situation without being afforded any process.” He also said “absolutely” no evidence had been given to him that showed he had violated any university rules or standards.

Morris told The Associated Press on Wednesday the letters were written as school administrators began looking into the incident, before Leach was suspended. Morris said they wanted to show their support for Leach and show James’ possible motives.

Among those were former Texas Tech wide receiver Eric Morris, who wrote that James was “never known as a hard worker” and “seemed to have a negative attitude toward the football program the majority of the time.”

“He told me he would never do anything” to harm a player, Morris said. “He was trying to hold someone accountable.”

Morris said he spoke with Leach as the incident began unfolding.

A quirky coach sometimes called a mad scientist because of pass-happy offense, Leach arrived in West Texas in 2000 with his high-octane spread offense. Since then, eight time has a Texas Tech quarterback led the nation in passing.

Leach’s dismissal comes a year after he was Big 12 coach of the year and led Tech to the best season in the history of the program. The Red Raiders went 11-2 last season.

In 10 seasons, he won 84 game, surpassing predecessor Spike Dykes this season as the winningest coach at the school.

He parlayed his penchant for pirate lore into his coaching, telling his players they need to “swing their swords” to perform at their best. He began to not acknowledge players’ injuries in 2003 to the media.

The year before he came to Lubbock, Leach was offensive coordinator under Bob Stoops at Oklahoma. Before that he spent two years at Kentucky and five years at Valdosta State in Georgia.

He was not able to out-recruit Big 12 South rivals Texas and Oklahoma, but during his tenure the Red Raiders challenged those teams better than they ever had before.

While piling up victories, he’s also occasionally spoken to Donald Trump - an acquaintance since the time Leach tried to just drop in on Trump before even meeting him while visiting New York.

Quite an ascension from the being the head coach for a European League team in Finland.

For his success on the field and unique personality off it, he has become generally adored by Texas Tech fans.

Not unlike Bob Knight when he came to coach the Red Raiders basketball team for 6 1/2, Leach has raised the profile of the city and the school. He appeared on “60 Minutes” and been profiled in the New York Times Magazine.

Leach’s name surfaced in recent years when other coaching spots have opened up. Two years ago it was Arkansas and UCLA. Last year there were reports Tennessee might be interested and he traveled to Washington during contentious contract extension negotiations when the school was looking for a new coach.

He’s handed out dating advice on his weekly local show, done the weather forecast for a Lubbock TV station and drawn cheers by buying barbecue for the thousands of students camped out at the stadium before a big game.

The friends are expected to be matched up during the game Sunday night. Ochocinco insists coach Marvin Lewis told him the Bengals are “playing to win.”

The chatty Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver took some playful shots at the Jets cornerback in an entertaining conference call with the New York media Wednesday, saying Revis couldn’t cover him “in a brown paper bag on a corner of a Manhattan street inside a phone booth.“

Ochocinco said he has a scoring celebration planned in which he’ll make like Fireman Ed by putting on a Bengals firefighter’s helmet and sit on the goal post or one of his linemen’s shoulders to quiet the crowd.

Williams tore a muscle in his foot in Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Doughty sustained a high ankle sprain after making his first career interception in the game.

Also Wednesday, the team signed running back P.J. Hill and cornerback Marcus McCauley.

The Redskins now have 12 players on IR.

Hill was signed off the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad. McCauley has been with the New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings in his three NFL seasons. He was cut last week by the Saints.

Crosby was among the easiest picks for executive director Steve Yzerman, the longtime Red Wings captain whose choices have been debated and evaluated for months in hockey-obsessed Canada, which virtually shut down for the announcement.

The youngest captain in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup was chosen Wednesday for Canada’s Olympic hockey team, four years after being left off the underachieving squad that finished a disappointing seventh in Turin, Italy.

Niedermayer is the captain, with Pronger, Crosby and Iginla as alternate captains.

Among those selected were goaltender Martin Brodeur, who recently set the NHL record with his 104th career shutout; defensemen Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger; forward Jarome Iginla, the star of Canada’s 2002 gold-medal winning team; Joe Thornton, the NHL scoring leader; and Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, a pair of 24-year-old Anaheim Ducks teammates.

In an uncapped year, players would need six years in the NFL, up from the current rule of four years, to be unrestricted free agents able to sign with any team.

According to a list obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday, there are 212 players who would be considered restricted free agents - instead of unrestricted - if there is no salary cap in 2010.

Starting quarterbacks Kyle Orton of Denver and Jason Campbell of Washington are in the group of potentially affected players.

A board veterinarian will be able to take samples from horses wherever they are kept. Owners and trainers of horses stabled outside the state but within 100 miles of a New York track can be ordered to New York tracks for testing.

The New York State Racing and Wagering Board said Wednesday the new policy for all horses applies within 180 days of a race date in New York. The policy takes effect Friday.

Trainers or owners who fail to comply will face suspensions, fines and possible license revocation. A horse can be declared ineligible for 120 days if it is not made available for testing in a timely manner.