Hamilton moves into No. 2 job after Sauter released\nINDIANAPOLIS -- Joe Hamilton's legs are healthy and apparently so is his right arm.\nAfter missing two NFL seasons because of a knee injury, Hamilton is returning to the NFL as Peyton Manning's top backup.\nThe Indianapolis Colts released 21 players Sunday but only announced 10 of the cuts. One player waived was quarterback Cory Sauter, who was expected to be the Colts' No. 2 quarterback until Hamilton, the 1999 Heisman Trophy runner-up, beat him out.\n"I had a good feeling that I would be one of the three quarterbacks here," Hamilton said. "You're talking to a very excited man right now."\nSauter's release and Hamilton's ascent was Sunday's biggest surprise. The Colts also released two veteran free agents -- defensive backs Corey Chamblin and Kato Serwanga -- and tackle Jim Newton, who played in three games with the Colts last season.\nHamilton, 27, impressed the Colts with his mobility, knowledge of the offense and ability to lead a team. In the preseason opener at San Diego, Hamilton used the final three minutes to lead the Colts on a game-winning touchdown drive.\nThere have always been questions about Hamilton, most notably his size. Listed at a generous 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, some have wondered how the 1999 Heisman Trophy runner-up would hold up in the NFL.\nHamilton never threw a pass in two seasons with Tampa Bay before a knee injury in NFL Europe put him on the Buccaneers injured reserve list in 2002. He didn't play at all in 2003, then joined the Arena Football League's Orlando Predators this spring.\nAfter throwing for 2,919 yards and 57 touchdowns, the Colts signed Hamilton as a free agent in June. Coach Tony Dungy, who kept him on the Bucs roster, liked what he saw from Hamilton during the past month.\n"He picked up our offense as fast as anybody since I came in here," Dungy said. "We could have a very different package with him, naked bootlegs, things like that. It would give us a very different look."
Boilers embarrass Syracuse 51-0\nWEST LAFAYETTE -- Kyle Orton passed for 287 yards and a career-high four touchdowns as No. 25 Purdue used a slew of big plays Sunday to beat Syracuse 51-0, the Boilermakers' first shutout in four years.\nOrton hit Brian Hare for a 75-yard score in the first quarter, Taylor Stubblefield for TDs of 33 yards in the second quarter and 67 yards in the third period, and Brandon Jones for 32 yards late in the third.\nBen Jones' 34-yard field goal gave Purdue a 37-0 lead going into the final period, when Brandon Kirsch replaced Orton in the opener for both teams.\nThe Boilermakers got their final touchdowns on a 44-yard run by Jerome Brooks and a 47-yard pass from Kirsch to freshman Dustin Keller with just over two minutes to go.\nFor Syracuse, it was the worst shutout loss since a 59-0 beating at Miami in 2001. The last Purdue shutout came in the 2000 season opener against Central Michigan.\nPurdue's defense was just as dominant against the Orange, who started a freshman at quarterback for the first time since Todd Norley in 1982. Joe Fields was 8-for-15 for 93 yards, and he was sacked twice, intercepted once and constantly pressured.\nThe Orange didn't drive past their own 36 until late in the second quarter, when Purdue already was ahead 20-0.\nRuns of 11 yards by Walter Reyes and 15 yards by Greg Hanoian took Syracuse to the Purdue 25. Reyes then ran 21 yards, which would have been his longest gain, but the play was called back on a holding penalty.\nThe Orange later reached the Purdue 2, but Fields lost five yards and on fourth down. The Orange then botched the field goal attempt with a bad snap with 15 seconds left.\nThe Boilermakers had to punt on their first series of the third quarter, but Orton's 67-yard touchdown to Stubblefield came on the first play of their next possession. After the TD pass to Brandon Jones, Reyes fumbled the kickoff, setting up the field goal by Ben Jones.\nReyes, coming off two 1,000-yard seasons rushing, was held to 31 yards on 12 carries. Perry Patterson, who replaced Fields at quarterback late in the third quarter, was 7-for-10 for 64 yards.\nJerod Void rushed for 83 yards and the first Purdue touchdown, while Stubblefield finished with five catches for 121 yards.
