Report: Mack Brown to Texas

North Carolina’s Mack Brown will be named head coach at University of Texas, a source told The Associated Press on Wednesday night.

Brown, whose Tar Heels are ranked seventh and are a candidate for an alliance bowl berth, was interviewed by Texas officials Wednesday and was offered the job later in the day, the source said.

“Mack Brown has committed to come to Texas. Everyone’s ecstatic,” the source said, adding that a news conference is expected to be held in Austin, Texas, by Saturday.

Steve Kirschner, North Carolina’s director of media relations for football and basketball, said Wednesday night, “Coach Brown has been offered the job at the University of Texas.

“He will consider the job and will make a quick decision. He has not accepted it at this time. He is waiting to talk with [ North Carolina Athletic Director] Dick Baddour before making his decision.”

Brown would become Texas’ 28th coach, replacing John Mackovic, who was fired and reassigned Saturday after finishing his sixth season. The Longhorns (4-7) allowed 399.9 yards per game and a school-record 33.2 points per game.

Early focus in the Texas search had been on Northwestern’s Gary Barnett, and then on Miami’s Butch Davis. Both withdrew from consideration Wednesday.

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Former Grambling State quarterback Doug Williams will be introduced as the school’s new coach at a press conference today, replacing his former coach, Eddie Robinson.

Williams, the coach at Morehouse College in Atlanta this season, has the blessing of Robinson, who retired at 76 with 408 victories--the most ever for a college coach.

“Doug is a fine man,” Robinson said. “There’s no question he’ll do a fine job.”

Baylor assistant Lee Fobbs, and Louisiana State assistant Jerry Baldwin and Williams all interviewed for the job.

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No. 8 Washington State, which had trouble filling its football stadium all season, is having trouble filling requests for Rose Bowl tickets.

School officials have received 350,000 requests for the 35,000 tickets allocated for Washington State’s first Rose Bowl appearance in 67 years. The Cougars play No. 1 Michigan (11-0) on Jan. 1.

The ticket requests are far more than the 199,000 fans who attended the six home games in Pullman, Wash., this season. Only one game was a sellout.

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Georgia Tech (6-5) will play in the Carquest Bowl on Dec. 29, the school’s first bowl appearance in six years. The Yellow Jackets’ opponent will likely be either West Virginia (7-4) or Virginia Tech (7-4), which are being considered by the Gator Bowl. The decision will be made after Saturday’s games. . . . Cincinnati (7-4) ended a 47-year bowl absence by accepting a bid to play Utah State (6-6) in the inaugural Humanitarian Bowl on Dec. 29 in Boise, Idaho. It will be only the fourth bowl in 100 years for Cincinnati and its first since a 14-13 loss to West Texas State in the 1950 Sun Bowl.