THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” MONDAY AUGUST 19, 2024

Aug 19, 2024 | SPORTS NEWS AND SCORES, THE INDIANA SRN SPORTSPAGE

“THE SCOREBOARD”

INDIANA SRN WEEK ONE FOOTBALL BROADCAST SCHEDULE

EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL AT JASPER

HERITAGE CHRISTIAN AT COVENANT CHRISTIAN

GREENFIELD-CENTRAL AT BEECH GROVE

BATESVILLE AT TRITON CENTRAL

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WEEK ONE

ADAMS CENTRAL (0-0) AT GARRETT (0-0)

ALEXANDRIA (0-0) AT WES-DEL (0-0)

ANDREAN (0-0) AT MERRILLVILLE (0-0)

ATTICA (0-0) AT CULVER (0-0)

AVON (0-0) AT LAFAYETTE JEFF (0-0)

BATESVILLE (0-0) AT TRITON CENTRAL (0-0)

BELLMONT (0-0) AT HERITAGE (0-0)

BLOOMINGTON NORTH (0-0) AT MOORESVILLE (0-0)

BLOOMINGTON SOUTH (0-0) AT COLUMBUS EAST (0-0)

BOONVILLE (0-0) AT PAOLI (0-0)

BOWMAN ACADEMY (0-0) AT SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) (0-0)

BREMEN (0-0) AT EAST NOBLE (0-0)

BROWN COUNTY (0-0) AT OWEN VALLEY (0-0)

BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (0-0) AT CORYDON CENTRAL (0-0)

CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN (0-0) AT CENTERVILLE (0-0)

CASCADE (0-0) AT INDIAN CREEK (0-0)

CASTLE (0-0) AT EVANSVILLE NORTH (0-0)

CASTON (0-0) AT CARROLL (FLORA) (0-0)

CENTRAL NOBLE (0-0) AT WEST NOBLE (0-0)

CHRISTEL HOUSE (0-0) AT INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN (0-0)

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (TENN.) AT PROVIDENCE (0-0)

CHURUBUSCO (0-0) AT COLUMBIA CITY (0-0)

CLARKSVILLE (0-0) AT PIKE CENTRAL (0-0)

CLINTON CENTRAL (0-0) AT FRANKFORT (0-0)

CLINTON PRAIRIE (0-0) AT FRONTIER (0-0)

COLUMBUS NORTH (0-0) AT DECATUR CENTRAL (0-0)

COVINGTON (0-0) AT TRI-COUNTY (0-0)

CRAWFORDSVILLE (0-0) AT PARKE HERITAGE (0-0)

DEKALB (0-0) AT ANGOLA (0-0)

DELPHI (0-0) AT BENTON CENTRAL (0-0)

DELTA (0-0) AT MUNCIE CENTRAL (0-0)

EASTERN (GREENTOWN) (0-0) AT OAK HILL (0-0)

EASTERN (PEKIN) (0-0) AT WEST WASHINGTON (0-0)

EDGEWOOD (0-0) AT MITCHELL (0-0)

ELKHART (0-0) AT CONCORD (0-0)

ELWOOD (0-0) AT SOUTHERN WELLS (0-0)

EVANSVILLE HARRISON (0-0) AT EVANSVILLE REITZ (0-0)

EVANSVILLE MATER DEI (0-0) AT EVANSVILLE CENTRAL (0-0)

**EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL (0-0) AT JASPER (0-0)

FAIRFIELD (0-0) AT GOSHEN (0-0)

FISHERS (0-0) AT NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) (0-0)

FOREST PARK (0-0) AT PRINCETON (0-0)

FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK (0-0) AT BLUFFTON (0-0)

FORT WAYNE DWENGER (0-0) AT BROWNSBURG (0-0)

FORT WAYNE NORTH (0-0) AT NORTHRIDGE (0-0)

FORT WAYNE WAYNE (0-0) AT INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS (0-0)

FRANKLIN (0-0) AT NEW ALBANY (0-0)

FRANKTON (0-0) AT EASTERN HANCOCK (0-0)

GARY WEST (0-0) AT INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON (0-0)

GIBSON SOUTHERN (0-0) AT DANVILLE (0-0)

GREENCASTLE (0-0) AT MONROVIA (0-0)

GREENFIELD-CENTRAL (0-0) AT BEECH GROVE (0-0)

GREENSBURG (0-0) AT SHELBYVILLE (0-0)

HAGERSTOWN (0-0) AT KNIGHTSTOWN (0-0)

HAMILTON HEIGHTS (0-0) AT LAPEL (0-0)

**HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (0-0) AT CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) (0-0)

HAMMOND CENTRAL (0-0) AT SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON (0-0)

HAMMOND MORTON (0-0) AT PORTAGE (0-0)

HAMMOND NOLL (0-0) AT SOUTH BEND RILEY (0-0)

HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) (0-0) AT WEST LAFAYETTE (0-0)

HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (0-0) AT COVENANT CHRISTIAN (0-0)

HERITAGE HILLS (0-0) AT SOUTHRIDGE (0-0)

HIGHLAND (0-0) AT GRIFFITH (0-0)

HOBART (0-0) AT CHESTERTON (0-0)

HOMESTEAD (0-0) AT CARMEL (0-0)

HUNTINGTON NORTH (0-0) AT EASTBROOK (0-0)

**INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (0-0) AT BEN DAVIS (0-0)

**INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD (0-0) AT BREBEUF JESUIT (0-0)

INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI (0-0) AT SOUTHPORT (0-0)

INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA (0-0) AT FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA (0-0)

INDIANAPOLIS TECH (0-0) AT INDIANAPOLIS RITTER (0-0)

INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY (0-0) AT EDINBURGH (0-0)

IRVINGTON PREP (0-0) AT FAITH CHRISTIAN (0-0)

JAY COUNTY (0-0) AT BLACKFORD (0-0)

JEFFERSONVILLE (0-0) AT WHITELAND (0-0)

JENNINGS COUNTY (0-0) AT SOUTH DEARBORN (0-0)

JOHN GLENN (0-0) AT BOONE GROVE (0-0)

KNOX (0-0) AT NORTH JUDSON (0-0)

**KOKOMO (0-0) AT NEW PALESTINE (0-0)

LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (0-0) AT SEEGER (0-0)

LAPORTE (0-0) AT NEW PRAIRIE (0-0)

LAVILLE (0-0) AT TRITON (0-0)

LAWRENCE NORTH (0-0) AT LAWRENCE CENTRAL (0-0)

**LAWRENCEBURG (0-0) AT EAST CENTRAL (0-0)

LEO (0-0) AT FORT WAYNE LUERS (0-0)

LOGANSPORT (0-0) AT PERU (0-0)

LOUISVILLE ST. XAVIER (KY.) AT FLOYD CENTRAL (0-0)

LOWELL (0-0) AT CROWN POINT (0-0)

MARION (0-0) AT FORT WAYNE SOUTH (0-0)

MARION LOCAL (OHIO) AT LINTON (0-0)

MARTINSVILLE (0-0) AT BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE (0-0)

MCCUTCHEON (0-0) AT GUERIN CATHOLIC (0-0)

MICHIGAN CITY (0-0) AT WARSAW (0-0)

MILAN (0-0) AT RUSHVILLE (0-0)

MISHAWAKA (0-0) AT MISHAWAKA MARIAN (0-0)

MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE) (0-0) AT NOBLESVILLE (0-0)

MOUNT VERNON (POSEY) (0-0) AT NORTH POSEY (0-0)

MUNSTER (0-0) AT LAKE CENTRAL (0-0)

NEW CASTLE (0-0) AT FRANKLIN COUNTY (0-0)

NEW HAVEN (0-0) AT FORT WAYNE NORTHROP (0-0)

NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) (0-0) AT NORTH VERMILLION (0-0)

NORTH DAVIESS (0-0) AT WASHINGTON (0-0)

NORTH DECATUR (0-0) AT SOUTH DECATUR (0-0)

NORTH HARRISON (0-0) AT SALEM (0-0)

NORTH MONTGOMERY (0-0) AT NORTH PUTNAM (0-0)

NORTH NEWTON (0-0) AT WHITING (0-0)

NORTH WHITE (0-0) AT TAYLOR (0-0)

NORTHFIELD (0-0) AT NORTH MIAMI (0-0)

NORTHWESTERN (0-0) AT MANCHESTER (0-0)

NORTHWOOD (0-0) AT JIMTOWN (0-0)

NORWELL (0-0) AT MISSISSINEWA (0-0)

OSCEOLA GRACE AT CALUMET (0-0)

PARK TUDOR (0-0) AT GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN (0-0)

PENDLETON HEIGHTS (0-0) AT LEBANON (0-0)

PERRY MERIDIAN (0-0) AT FRANKLIN CENTRAL (0-0)

PIONEER (0-0) AT LEWIS CASS (0-0)

PRAIRIE HEIGHTS (0-0) AT WHITKO (0-0)

PURDUE POLY ENGLEWOOD (0-0) AT INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE (0-0)

RENSSELAER CENTRAL (0-0) AT KANKAKEE VALLEY (0-0)

RICHMOND (0-0) AT CONNERSVILLE (0-0)

RIVER FOREST (0-0) AT EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL (0-0)

RIVERTON PARKE (0-0) AT CLOVERDALE (0-0)

SCOTTSBURG (0-0) AT MADISON (0-0)

SEYMOUR (0-0) AT GREENWOOD (0-0)

SHENANDOAH (0-0) AT FREMONT (0-0)

SILVER CREEK (0-0) AT CHARLESTOWN (0-0)

SOUTH BEND ADAMS (0-0) AT CULVER ACADEMY (0-0)

SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH (0-0) AT LAKELAND (0-0)

SOUTH NEWTON (0-0) AT LAKE STATION (0-0)

SOUTH SPENCER (0-0) AT TECUMSEH (0-0)

SOUTHMONT (0-0) AT FOUNTAIN CENTRAL (0-0)

SOUTHWOOD (0-0) AT MACONAQUAH (0-0)

SPEEDWAY (0-0) AT SOUTH PUTNAM (0-0)

SPRINGS VALLEY (0-0) AT EASTERN GREENE (0-0)

SULLIVAN (0-0) AT NORTH KNOX (0-0)

SWITZERLAND COUNTY (0-0) AT CRAWFORD COUNTY (0-0)

TELL CITY (0-0) AT PERRY CENTRAL (0-0)

TERRE HAUTE NORTH (0-0) AT NORTHVIEW (0-0)

TERRE HAUTE SOUTH (0-0) AT PLAINFIELD (0-0)

TIPTON (0-0) VS. SOUTH ADAMS (0-0)

TRI-CENTRAL (0-0) AT MADISON-GRANT (0-0)

TRI-WEST (0-0) AT WESTERN (0-0)

TWIN LAKES (0-0) AT PLYMOUTH (0-0)

UNION CITY (0-0) AT TRI (0-0)

UNION COUNTY (0-0) AT NORTHEASTERN (0-0)

**VALPARAISO (0-0) AT PENN (0-0)

VINCENNES LINCOLN (0-0) AT EVANSVILLE BOSSE (0-0)

WABASH (0-0) AT ROCHESTER (0-0)

**WARREN CENTRAL (0-0) AT FORT WAYNE SNIDER (0-0)

WAWASEE (0-0) AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY (0-0)

WEST CENTRAL (0-0) AT WINAMAC (0-0)

WEST VIGO (0-0) AT SOUTH VERMILLION (0-0)

WESTERN BOONE (0-0) AT SHERIDAN (0-0)

**WESTFIELD (0-0) AT CENTER GROVE (0-0)

WHEELER (0-0) AT HANOVER CENTRAL (0-0)

WINCHESTER (0-0) AT MONROE CENTRAL (0-0)

WOODLAN (0-0) AT EASTSIDE (0-0)

YORKTOWN (0-0) AT ANDERSON (0-0)

ZIONSVILLE (0-0) AT PIKE (0-0)

**GAMES OF THE WEEK

USA TODAY INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL PRE-SEASON FOOTBALL POLLS

6A

1. BEN DAVIS (12) 129

2. CROWN POINT (1) 104

3. CENTER GROVE 97

4. (TIE) WESTFIELD 76

4. (TIE) WARREN CENTRAL 76

6. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 58

7. BROWNSBURG 51

8. CARMEL 35

9. CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) 33

10. CATHEDRAL 16

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: PENN 14. FORT WAYNE SNIDER 11. LAWRENCE NORTH 8. ELKHART 4. FISHERS 3.

5A

1. DECATUR CENTRAL (11) 126

2. MERRILLVILLE (1) 105

3. VALPARAISO 87

4. WHITELAND 75

5. BLOOMINGTON NORTH 74

6. WARSAW 57

7. EAST CENTRAL 55

8. MICHIGAN CITY 38

9. PLAINFIELD 23

10. CASTLE 18

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 16. CONCORD 11. COLUMBUS EAST (1) 10. EVANSVILLE NORTH 9. FLOYD CENTRAL 2. LAFAYETTE JEFF 2. KOKOMO 1

4A

1. NEW PALESTINE (10) 125

2. BISHOP CHATARD (1) 110

3. NEW PRAIRIE 84

4. BREBEUF JESUIT 79

5. MISHAWAKA (1) 66

6. GREENFIELD-CENTRAL 61

7. EVANSVILLE REITZ (1) 46

8. NORTHWOOD 30

9. MARTINSVILLE 25

10. LEO 20

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: HANOVER CENTRAL 13. MT. VERNON 12. EAST NOBLE 9. FORT WAYNE DWENGER 9. KANKAKEE VALLEY 8. NORTHRIDGE 7. MOORESVILLE 4. NEW HAVEN 4. MISSISSINEWA 2. JASPER 2. PENDLETON HEIGHTS 1.

3A

1. HERITAGE HILLS (10) 123

2. KNOX (1) 95

3. EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 77

4. GIBSON SOUTHERN 68

5. BATESVILLE 65

6. GUERIN CATHOLIC (1) 57

7. WEST LAFAYETTE 50

8. TRI-WEST 42 (1)

9. LAWRENCEBURG 39

10. MISHAWAKA MARIAN 29

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: HAMILTON HEIGHTS 19. FORT WAYNE BISHOP LUERS 18. TIPPECANOE VALLEY 12. SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH 5. SOUTHRIDGE 5. PERU 4. FAIRFIELD 3. MACONAQUAH 1.

2A

1. LUTHERAN (11) 127

2. LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (1) 88

3. NORTH POSEY (1) 81

4. EASTERN HANCOCK 76

5. LINTON-STOCKTON 63

6. TRITON CENTRAL 53

7. BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 51

8. SOUTHMONT 38

9. ADAMS CENTRAL 36

10. ANDREAN 33

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: LAPEL 14. BLUFFTON 11. HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 5. PAOLI 4. CENTERVILLE 3. ROCHESTER 3. BREMEN 3. TELL CITY 2. ALEXANDRIA 2. GREENCASTLE 1. SCECINA 1.

1A

1. SOUTH PUTNAM (8) 105

2. NORTH JUDSON (1) 88

3. SHERIDAN 83

4. NORTH DECATUR (1) 82

5. PROVIDENCE (3) 81

6. CARROLL (FLORA) 57

7. TRITON 46

8. LAVILLE 44

9. SPRINGS VALLEY 28

10. MADISON-GRANT 17

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: PIONEER 10. FOREST PARK 10. SOUTH DECATUR 7. MONROE CENTRAL 5. SOUTH ADAMS 4. MILAN 2. NORTH WHITE 1

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PRE-SEASON POWER POLLS

1A

  1. NORTH JUDSON
  2. SOUTH PUTNAM
  3. CARROLL FLORA
  4. NORTH DECATUR
  5. SHERIDAN
  6. TRITON
  7. LAVILLE
  8. PROVIDENCE
  9. SPRINGS VALLEY
  10. MONROE CENTRAL
  11. SOUTH ADAMS
  12. MILAN
  13. FOREST PARK
  14. PIONEER
  15. TAYLOR

2A

  1. INDY LUTHERAN (43 STRAIGHT WINS)
  2. NORTH POSEY
  3. LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC
  4. LINTON-STOCKTON
  5. PAOLI
  6. TRITON CENTRAL
  7. EASTERN HANCOCK
  8. BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL
  9. ANDREAN
  10. CENTERVILLE
  11. EASTERN GREENTOWN
  12. SOUTHMONT
  13. BLUFFTON
  14. ADAMS CENTRAL
  15. WESTERN BOONE

3A

  1. KNOX
  2. HERITAGE HILLS
  3. EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL
  4. LAWRENCEBURG
  5. GIBSON SOUTHERN
  6. GUERIN CATHOLIC
  7. BATESVILLE
  8. WEST LAFAYETTE
  9. MISSISSINEWA
  10. DELTA
  11. TRI-WEST
  12. HAMILTON HEIGHTS
  13. PERU
  14. FT, WAYNE LUERS
  15. HERITAGE

4A

  1. NEW PALESTINE
  2. BISHOP CHATARD (21 STRAIGHT WINS)
  3. GREENFIELD-CENTRAL
  4. MT. VERNON
  5. BREBEUF
  6. NORTHWOOD
  7. EVANSVILLE REITZ
  8. HANOVER CENTRAL
  9. NEW PRAIRIE
  10. EAST NOBLE
  11. COLUMBIA CITY
  12. LEO
  13. KANKAKEE VALLEY
  14. MARTINSVILLE
  15. PENDLETON HEIGHTS

5A

  1. MERRILLVILLE
  2. DECATUR CENTRAL
  3. VALPARAISO
  4. CASTLE
  5. WHITELAND
  6. EAST CENTRAL (21 STRAIGHT WINS)
  7. BLOOMINGTON SOUTH
  8. BLOOMINGTON NORTH
  9. CONCORD
  10. KOKOMO
  11. WARSAW
  12. LAFAYETTE JEFF
  13. FLOYD CENTRAL
  14. EVANSVILLE NORTH
  15. ANDERSON

6A

  1. WESTFIELD
  2. BEN DAVIS (10 STRAIGHT WINS)
  3. CROWN POINT
  4. WARREN CENTRAL
  5. CENTER GROVE
  6. CARMEL
  7. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN
  8. FT. WAYNE CARROLL
  9. CATHEDRAL
  10. FISHERS
  11. BROWNSBURG
  12. LAWRENCE NORTH
  13. ZIONSVILLE
  14. NOBLESVILLE
  15. LAWRENCE CENTRAL

INDIANA FOOTBALL DIGEST PRE-SEASON TOP 12

6A

  1. BEN DAVIS
  2. CROWN POINT
  3. WESTFIELD
  4. WARREN CENTRAL
  5. CENTER GROVE
  6. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN
  7. CATHEDRAL
  8. FORT WAYNE CAROLL
  9. CARMEL
  10. BROWNSBURG
  11. FORT WAYNE SNIDER
  12. FISHERS

5A

  1. DECATUR CENTRAL
  2. MERRILLVILLE
  3. WHITELAND
  4. VALPARAISO
  5. CASTLE
  6. CONCORD
  7. BLOOMINGTON NORTH
  8. EAST CENTRAL
  9. WARSAW
  10. BLOOMINGTON SOUTH
  11. KOKOMO
  12. LAFAYETTE JEFF

4A

  1. NEW PALESTINE
  2. BISHOP CHATARD
  3. BREBEUF
  4. GREENFIELD CENTRAL
  5. MOUNT VERNON
  6. EVANSVILLE REITZ
  7. HANOVER CENTRAL
  8. NEW PRAIRIE
  9. COLUMBIA CITY
  10. KANKAKEE VALLEY
  11. NORTHWOOD
  12. LEO

3A

  1. HERITAGE HILLS
  2. KNOX
  3. LAWRENCEBURG
  4. EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL
  5. GUERIN CATHOLIC
  6. WEST LAFAYETTE
  7. GIBSON SOUTHERN
  8. BATESVILLE
  9. FORT WAYNE LUERS
  10. DELTA
  11. MISSISSINEWA
  12. TRI-WEST

2A

  1. INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN
  2. LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC
  3. NORTH POSEY
  4. LINTON STOCKTON
  5. EASTERN HANCOCK
  6. PAOLI
  7. BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL
  8. CENTERVILLE
  9. ANDREAN
  10. SOUTHMONT
  11. TRITON CENTRAL
  12. EASTERN GREENTOWN

1A

  1. SOUTH PUTNAM
  2. NORTH DECATUR
  3. NORTH JUDSON
  4. SHERIDAN
  5. MONROE CENTRAL
  6. TRITON
  7. SPRINGS VALLEY
  8. PROVIDENCE
  9. LAVILLE
  10. SOUTH ADAMS
  11. CARROLL FLORA
  12. PIONEER

ORDER THE 2024 INDIANA FOOTBALL DIGEST: https://indianafootballdigest.com/

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES

MIAMI 3 NY METS 2

BALTIMORE 4 BOSTON 2

WASHINGTON 6 PHILADELPHIA 4

SEATTLE 10 PITTSBURGH 3

TAMPA BAY 8 ARIZONA 7 (12)

KANSAS CITY 8 CINCINNATI 1

HOUSTON 2 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 0

MILWAUKEE 2 CLEVELAND 0

LA DODGERS 2 ST. LOUIS 1

TORONTO 1 CHICAGO CUBS 0

TEXAS 6 MINNESOTA 5 (10)

COLORADO 3 SAN DIEGO 2

ATLANTA 3 LA ANGELS 1

SAN FRANCISCO 4 OAKLAND 2 (10)

DETROIT 3 NY YANKEES 2 (10)

MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES

INDIANAPOLIS 7 ST. PAUL 6

DAYTON 7 FT. WAYNE 1

CEDAR RAPIDS 4 SOUTH BEND 1

WNBA SCORES

INDIANA 92 SEATTLE 75

ATLANTA 82 CONNECTICUT

LAS VEGAS 87 LOS ANGELES 71

PHOENIX 86 CHICAGO 68

EARLY COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

SATURDAY, AUG. 24 IN WEEK ZERO:

AER LINGUS COLLEGE FOOTBALL CLASSIC: FLORIDA STATE VS. GEORGIA TECH (IN DUBLIN, IRELAND) | 12 P.M. ET | ESPN

MCNEESE AT TARLETON STATE | 2:30 P.M. ET| ESPN2

MONTANA STATE AT NEW MEXICO | 4 P.M. ET | FS1

FCS KICKOFF: NORTH ALABAMA VS. SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE (CRAMTON BOWL IN MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA) | 7 P.M. ET | ESPN

MEAC/SWAC CHALLENGE: NORFOLK STATE VS. FLORIDA A&M (CENTER PARC STADIUM IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA) | 7:30 P.M. | ABC

SMU AT NEVADA | 8 P.M. ET |CBS SPORTS NETWORK

DELAWARE STATE AT HAWAII

THURSDAY, AUG. 29

NORTH CAROLINA AT MINNESOTA | 8 P.M. ET | FOX

NORTH DAKOTA STATE AT COLORADO | 8 P.M. ET | ESPN

SACRAMENTO STATE AT SAN JOSE STATE | 10 P.M. ET | TRUTV AND MAX

FRIDAY, AUG. 30

TCU AT STANFORD | 10:30 P.M. ET | ESPN

SATURDAY, AUG. 31

AFLAC KICKOFF GAME: CLEMSON VS. GEORGIA (MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA) | 12 P.M. ET | ABC

PENN STATE AT WEST VIRGINIA | 12 P.M. | FOX

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE AT OKLAHOMA STATE | 2 P.M. ET | ESPN+

MIAMI (FL) AT FLORIDA | 3:30 P.M. ET | ABC

NOTRE DAME AT TEXAS A&M | 7:30 P.M. ET | ABC

GEORGIA STATE AT GEORGIA TECH | 8 P.M. ET | ACC NETWORK

TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE AT SAN DIEGO STATE | 8 P.M. ET | TRUTV AND MAX

SUNDAY, SEPT. 1

ORANGE BLOSSOM CLASSIC: NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL VS. ALABAMA STATE (HARD ROCK STADIUM IN MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA) | 3 P.M. ET | ESPN

VEGAS KICKOFF CLASSIC: LSU VS. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (ALLEGIANT STADIUM IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA) | 7:30 P.M. ON ABC

MONDAY, SEPT. 2

BOSTON COLLEGE AT FLORIDA STATE | 7:30 P.M. ET | ESPN

INDIANA HOOSIERS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

AUGUST 31 VS. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 3:30

SEPTEMBER 6 VS. WESTERN ILLINOIS 7:00

SEPTEMBER 14 AT UCLA 7:30

SEPTEMBER 21 VS. CHARLOTTE TBA

SEPTEMBER 28 VS. MARYLAND TBA

OCTOBER 5 AT NORTHWESTERN TBA

OCTOBER 19 VS. NEBRASKA TBA

OCTOBER 26 VS. WASHINGTON TBA

NOVEMBER 2 AT MICHIGAN STATE TBA

NOVEMBER 9 VS. MICHIGAN TBA

NOVEMBER 23 AT OHIO STATE TBA

NOVEMBER 30 VS. PURDUE TBA

PURDUE BOILERMAKERS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

AUGUST 31 VS. INDIANA STATE 12:00

SEPTEMBER 14 VS. NOTRE DAME 3:30

SEPTEMBER 21 AT OREGON STATE 8:30

SEPTEMBER 28 VS. NEBRASKA 12:00

OCTOBER 5 AT WISCONSIN TBA

OCTOBER 12 AT ILLINOIS TBA

OCTOBER 18 VS. OREGON 8:00

NOVEMBER 2 VS. NORTHWESTERN TBA

NOVEMBER 9 AT OHIO STATE TBA

NOVEMBER 16 VS. PENN STATE TBA

NOVEMBER 22 AT MICHIGAN STATE 8:00

NOVEMBER 30 AT INDIANA TBA

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

AUGUST 21 AT TEXAS A&M 7:30

SEPTEMBER 7 VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS 3:30

SEPTEMBER 14 AT PURDUE 3:30

SEPTEMBER 21 VS. MIAMI (OH) 3:30

SEPTEMBER 28 VS. LOUISVILLE 3:30

OCTOBER 12 VS. STANFORD 3:30

OCTOBER 19 AT GEORGIA TECH TBA

OCTOBER 26 AT NAVY 12:00

NOVEMBER 9 VS. FLORIDA STATE 7:30

NOVEMBER 16 VS. VIRGINIA 3:30

NOVEMBER 23 AT ARMY 7:00 (YANKEE STADIUM)

NOVEMBER 30 AT USC TBA

BUTLER BULLDOGS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

AUGUST 31 VS. UPPER IOWA 1:00

SEPTEMBER 7 AT MURRAY STATE 6:00 CT

SEPTEMBER 14 VS. HANOVER 6:00

SEPTEMBER 28 VS. VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY-LYNCHBURG 1:00

OCTOBER 5 VS. MOREHEAD STATE 1:00

OCTOBER 12 AT DRAKE 1:00 CT

OCTOBER 19 VS. DAYTON 1:00

OCTOBER 26 AT DAVIDSON 1:00

NOVEMBER 2 VS. STETSON 1:00

NOVEMBER 9 AT VALPO 1:00 CT

NOVEMBER 16 VS. ST. THOMAS 1:00

NOVEMBER 23 AT PRESBYTERIAN 1:00

BALL STATE CARDINALS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

SEPTEMBER 7 VS. MISSOURI STATE 2:00

SEPTEMBER 14 AT MIAMI FL 3:30

SEPTEMBER 21 AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN TBA

SEPTEMBER 28 AT JAMES MADISON TBA

OCTOBER 5 VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN TBA

OCTOBER 12 AT KENT STATE TBA

OCTOBER 19 AT VANDERBILT TBA

OCTOBER 26 VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS TBA

NOVEMBER 5 VS. MIAMI OH TBA

NOVEMBER 12 AT BUFFALO 7:00

NOVEMBER 23 VS. BOWLING GREEN TBA

NOVEMBER 29 AT OHIO TBA

INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

AUGUST 31 AT PURDUE 12:00

SEPTEMBER 7 AT EASTERN ILLINOIS 7:00

SEPTEMBER 14 VS. DAYTON 6:00

SEPTEMBER 28 VS. HOUSTON CHRISTIAN 1:00

OCTOBER 5 AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE 2:00

OCTOBER 12 VS. MURRAY STATE 1:00

OCTOBER 19 AT MISSOURI STATE 3:00

OCTOBER 26 VS. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 1:00

NOVEMBER 2 VS. NORTH DAKOTA 1:00

NOVEMBER 9 AT SOUTH DAKOTA 2:00

NFL PRE-SEASON

WEEK TWO:

SUNDAY, AUGUST 18:

DENVER 27 GREEN BAY 2

SAN FRANCISCO 16 NEW ORLEANS 10

WEEK THREE:

THURSDAY, AUGUST 22:

INDIANAPOLIS AT CINCINNATI, 8:00 PM

CHICAGO AT KANSAS CITY, 8:20 PM

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23:

JACKSONVILLE AT ATLANTA, 7:00 PM

MIAMI AT TAMPA BAY, 7:30 PM

SAN FRANCISCO AT LAS VEGAS, 10:00 PM

SATURDAY, AUGUST 24:

CAROLINA AT BUFFALO, 1:00 PM

PITTSBURGH AT DETROIT, 1:00 PM

BALTIMORE AT GREEN BAY, 1:00 PM

L.A. RAMS AT HOUSTON, 1:00 PM

MINNESOTA AT PHILADELPHIA, 1:00 PM

L.A. CHARGERS AT DALLAS, 4:00 PM

N.Y. GIANTS AT N.Y. JETS, 7:30 PM

CLEVELAND AT SEATTLE, 10:00 PM

SUNDAY, AUGUST 25:

TENNESSEE AT NEW ORLEANS, 2:00 PM

ARIZONA AT DENVER, 4:30 PM

NEW ENGLAND AT WASHINGTON (NBC), 8:00 PM

NFL WEEK ONE SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, SEPT. 5

  • BALTIMORE RAVENS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS, 8:20 P.M. ET (NBC)

FRIDAY, SEPT. 6

  • GREEN BAY PACKERS VS. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (IN SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL), 8:15 P.M. ET (PEACOCK)

SUNDAY, SEPT. 8

  • PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS, 1 P.M. ET (FOX)
  • ARIZONA CARDINALS AT BUFFALO BILLS, 1 P.M. ET (CBS)
  • TENNESSEE TITANS AT CHICAGO BEARS, 1 P.M. ET (FOX)
  • NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS, 1 P.M. ET (CBS)
  • HOUSTON TEXANS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, 1 P.M. ET (CBS)
  • JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS, 1 P.M. ET (CBS)
  • CAROLINA PANTHERS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, 1 P.M. ET (FOX)
  • MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT NEW YORK GIANTS, 1 P.M. ET (FOX)
  • LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS, 4:05 P.M. ET (CBS)
  • DENVER BRONCOS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, 4:05 P.M. ET (CBS)
  • DALLAS COWBOYS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS, 4:25 P.M. ET (CBS)
  • WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, 4:25 P.M. ET (FOX)
  • LOS ANGELES RAMS AT DETROIT LIONS, 8:20 P.M. ET (NBC)

MONDAY, SEPT. 9

  • NEW YORK JETS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, 8:15 P.M. ET (ESPN/ABC)

TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES/NEWS RELEASES

COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS

COAST-TO-COAST CONFERENCES AND EXPANDED PLAYOFF MARK A SEASON OF CHANGE IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL

A new era has arrived in college football, with some of the most recognizable programs in history now playing in different leagues.

The postseason is different, too. The College Football Playoff expands from four to 12 teams, changing the calculus of the championship chase.

There’s also change for some of the game’s biggest names.

Jim Harbaugh won a national championship at Michigan, his alma mater, and returned to the NFL. Nick Saban retired from coaching with a record seven national titles and becomes an analyst on ESPN’s “College GameDay” show. The prolific Dillon Gabriel takes his big arm to his third school, Oregon, for his sixth and final season.

Fans’ biggest challenge will be remembering which teams are in which conferences. Save for the SEC, the era of coast-to-coast conferences is upon us.

What’s sure to be a wild ride takes off Aug. 24 with four Week Zero games headlined by No. 10 Florida State against Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland.

Conference realignment

The fall of the Pac-12 caused the conference map to be revamped.

First, Southern California and UCLA decided to defect to the Big Ten and then Oregon and Washington bolted to make it an 18-team conference.

Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah are now in a 16-team Big 12.Stanford and California and former American Athletic Conference member SMU are in now in a 17-team Atlantic Coast Conference.

Pac-12 holdovers Oregon State and Washington State have a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West. All MWC teams will play a game against one or the other.

Texas and Oklahoma begin their long-awaited first year in the Southeastern Conference.

Army goes from being an independent to a football-only member of the AAC, replacing SMU, and Kennesaw State is in Conference USA after moving up from the Football Championship Subdivision.

College Football Playoff

The expanded playoff will be spread over a month beginning Dec. 20-21 and could require the last two teams standing to play an unprecedented 17 games.

The 12 playoff teams will be the five conference champions ranked highest by the CFP selection committee, plus the next seven highest-ranked teams.

The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and receive first-round byes. The fifth conference champion will be seeded where it was ranked or at No. 12 if it is outside the top 12.

Seeds 5 through 12 will play first-round games at the higher-seeded team’s stadium or venue it designates. Winners advance to quarterfinals played at bowl sites against the four highest-ranked conference champions. The highest seed will receive preferential placement for the semifinals, which will be hosted by the Orange and Cotton Bowl.

The championship game is Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, easily the latest it has ever been held.

Georgia is preseason No. 1

Georgia is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll for the second straight year. The Bulldogs return a Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Carson Beck and, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, are the favorites to win the national title, at 3-1.

No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Oregon are the top two teams from the Big Ten in the preseason Top 25, and the SEC’s Texas and Alabama are Nos. 4 and 5.

Coach is in your ear

Football Bowl Subdivision teams will have the option to use coach-to-player communication through the helmet of one player on the field. That player will be identified by having a green dot on the back midline of his helmet. Communication will be turned off with 15 seconds left on the play clock or when the ball is snapped, whichever comes first.

For all three NCAA divisions, teams have the option of using tablets to view in-game video only. The video can include the broadcast feed and camera angles from the coach’s sideline and coach’s end zone.

A question for each FBS conference

ACC: Can Clemson, coming off its first four-loss season since 2011, ride the momentum of a 5-0 finish in 2023 and challenge Florida State?

Big Ten: Where does Michigan fit in? The Wolverines, at No. 9, have the lowest preseason ranking for a defending national champion since 2011.

Big 12: Can Deion Sanders, after losing eight of nine to end his first season, get Colorado to a bowl in its first year back in the conference?

SEC: Will Texas, with its highest preseason ranking since 2009, really challenge for a conference title in its first year in a much more rugged league?

AAC: Will Seth Henigan-led Memphis hold off UTSA and Tulane for its first league title since 2019?

Conference USA: Is Liberty, which went 13-1 with its prodigious offense and just-OK defense, the real deal?

Mid-American: Can Miami stop Toledo from winning a third straight league title?

Mountain West: Does preseason favorite Boise State earn the Group of Five’s automatic playoff bid?

Sun Belt: How will James Madison, 11-2 last season, fare without Curt Cignetti and a number of top players who joined him at Indiana?

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW-ACC: VIRGINIA TECH

PICK SIX

After a three-win transition season, and a 1-3 start to the second one, the light bulb finally went off for Brent Pry’s Virginia Tech program. Pry stressed the need for an improved rushing offense after the Purdue loss, and then focused on an improved rushing defense after the Marshall loss. Run the Ball, Stop the Run. The age-old formula of tough, hard nosed football became the identity and from there they outgained their final nine opponents by an average of +107 yards rushing per game. That dominance in the run game led the way to a 6-3 final nine games headlined by a 55-17 (+209 rushing) blowout in Charlottesville for their 18th Commonwealth Cup win in 19 games, and then a 41-20 (+229 rushing) drubbing of Tulane in the Military Bowl. Pry rode that momentum into the offseason – not so much with the giant transfer carousel – but rather in roster retention. At his spring press conference he stressed “stability, consistency, and the ability to retain players and coaches.” One by one, Tech’s top performers and All-ACC honorees announced their returns to Blacksburg. Both coordinators are back for 2024. The offense returns 10 starters, the defense has 9 back, and as a team they rank #1 in the Returning Production metric. That all strongly correlates to year-over-year improvement. It’s Pry’s third year, he’s got a senior-laden, experienced starting lineup. They found their franchise quarterback and a program identity. This is Virginia Tech’s best shot at a revival season in quite some time.

OFFENSE Virginia Tech’s offense went the entire 2022 season without a single 400-yard game. After the 2023 offensive scheme shift, they averaged 420 per game over the final nine. In September the offensive playcalling was 55% pass (Top 10 pass-heavy) but shifted to 60% run (Top 20 run-heavy) over the final nine games. The shift resulted in wide-ranging stat improvements. In my opponent-adjusted, per-play metric Virginia Tech surged from 68th of 70 Power 5 offenses all the way up to 29th in 2023. The rushing gains were just as big: 50th up to 11th. In my stat box categories on the left side of the page, Virginia Tech was outside the Top 100 in FBS in all 14 stats last year but improved to above average in 12 of 14 in 2023, and up into the Top 40 in all rushing categories. The commitment to the run game was brought on by the injury to original starting quarterback Grant Wells in the second game. Baylor transfer Kyron Drones took over and the staff quickly re-designed the scheme and playcalling to accentuate his dual-threat ability. Drones rushed for 881 yards – the third-most of any Power 5 quarterback – and his 176-yard explosion in the bowl was the second only to Mike Vick’s 200-yard game (2000 vs. Boston College). Drones took care of the ball with a 17-3 touchdown to pick ratio and broke Sean Glennon’s school-record for consecutive passes without an interception. In his second season as the starter there will be an emphasis to improve on the vertical passing game. Drones graded dead last among Power 5 quarterbacks with a 21% completion rate on deep shots. 32 Still, this was one of the most improved offenses in all of FBS after hitting nation-lows in several stat categories in 2022. Another transfer, Bhayshul Tuten led the team with 863 rushing yards and earned All-ACC recognition as a back and a returner with two kickoff touchdowns. He got the bulk of the carries, Malachi Thomas was second, and the duo returns for 2024. A year ago, Tech lost their offensive line coach and scrambled to add late transfers to round out a two deep. The situation is completely changed heading into 2024. After grading as one of the worst Power 5 lines in 2022, they improved to the Top 40 in OL Run Push and above average in Pass Protection sack rate. Now they reap the benefits of roster stability, as the entire starting five returns and is supplemented by a Top 20 transfer tackle in Georgia State’s Montavious Cunningham. From left to right, they are all back in Blacksburg: Xavier Chaplin, Braelin Moore, Kaden Moore, Bob Schick, and Parker Clements. The unit developed as the season unfolded and there is still room to grow this offseason. It’s a similar story on the outsides, as a weak unit in 2022 was developed in 2023 and returns as a strength for 2024. The so-called “Bad Boyz” receiver unit made a joint statement announcing all three starters would be returning. Da’Quan Felton, Jaylin Lane, and Stephen Gosnell combined for 1,553 yards which is the most starter production returning here since 2019. That total doesn’t even account for Ali Jennings who was a top-rated transfer last cycle who put up 2,000+ yards at Old Dominion but missed the 2023 season with an injury. The only lost starter was tight end Dae’Quan Wright who transferred out to Ole Miss. Benji Gosnell was basically a co-starter and played just five snaps less than Wright last year.

DEFENSE Pry’s Penn State defenses were aggressive, blitz-heavy, and always finished toward the top of my Negative Play Rate which tracks how often the defense is causing disruption in the backfield. It was an area of emphasis in his second year here, and Virginia Tech surged all the way into the national top ten. The next two areas to unlock are takeaways and limiting explosive runs. Both categories improved but there is still room for growth. In 2022 they registered just nine takeaways, nearly doubled that mark in 2023 but still ranked below the national average. The explosive rush defense calmed down after the 1-3 September start but they’ll need more progress. Defensive end Antwaun Powell-Ryland led the charge with 13.5 tackles for loss and finished second in the whole ACC with 9.5 sacks. He earned All-ACC honors and returns to lead the strong pass rush again. The defensive tackle spot lost three top guys – Mario Kendricks, Norell Pollard, and Pheldarius Payne – but the staff poached an All-ACC tackle off of Duke’s roster. Aeneas Peebles and Powell-Ryland form an all-league one-two punch. The staff also added Kelvin Gilliam (Oklahoma) and Kemari Copeland (JUCO) to battle behind starter Josh Fuga who is back for a final bonus year. Two more stars return to the secondary. Dorian Strong and Mansoor Delane are both pro targets for the 2025 draft and form one of the league’s top corner pairs. The safety room was already thin last year due to Nasir Peoples’ injury and converted receiver Jaylen Jones and true freshman Mose Phillips were forced into action ahead of schedule. Peoples is gone, projected nickel starter Derrick Canteen transferred to Cincinnati, so the two young safeties will contend for starting spots with Jalen Stroman. Pry and coordinator Chris Marve are linebacker experts and this position group needs the most development on the defense. They lose Alan Tisdale but team tackle leader Keli Lawson returns. Lawson’s spring injury provided extra reps for younger players but as a whole the group needs work. The middle backer depth was addressed via the portal as they added Sam Brumfield (Middle Tennessee State) and Kaleb Spencer (Miami).

OUTLOOK Virginia Tech won 10+ games eight straight years from 2004-2011, but have done so just once in the 12 years since. With an extremely veteran roster, a power run identity, and a potential Top 25 defense, this is Virginia Tech’s best shot at a revival season in quite some time. Pry has built two years for this breakthrough. I see them still a notch below the title contenders Florida State, Miami, and Clemson, however they benefit from drawing six of the ACC’s bottom nine.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW-ACC: SMU

PICK SIX

Dallas-based Southern Methodist completed the long, winding — and extremely frustrating – road back to Power 5 football. More than half of the old Southwest Conference programs were placed on probation for recruiting violations, but the NCAA ruled that SMU was the worst offender, and hit them with the so-called “Death Penalty” in 1987. From there until the end of the Southwest Conference in 1995, SMU went 13-61-3 – dead last in America. Texas, Baylor, A&M, and Texas Tech were invited to the Big Eight merger, the prestigious Big 12, but SMU was thrown to the WAC. Two decades later, the Big 12 invited two members – TCU and West Virginia – but continued to ignore SMU’s interest. Again in 2021, the same result, but this time twice the additions, including three of their conference peers UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston. Finally in 2023 the ACC invited SMU, amidst a final Big 12 denial and the Pac-12’s collapse. As bargaining chips, SMU was able to offer Dallas/Texas roots to the Tobacco Road, East Coast league, and even offered to forgo nine years of TV money. They impressed the high-academic ACC with their R1 research university plans as well as their $110 million expansion of Ford Stadium. Within a week of the breakthrough moment, a group of 30 SMU mega-boosters raised $100 million to offset the lost TV revenue. SMU then went on to dominate their American Athletic Conference peers and win its first league title since pre-sanction 1984. They went 11-3 last year. 11-0 against non-Power 5 teams, but 0-3 against the Power 5 losing by 17 to both Oklahoma and TCU and then by nine to Boston College in the Fenway Bowl. SMU was competitive in all three, within a score in the second half each time, but faded down the stretch. We saw a similar issue with UCF who blew six late leads in their Power 5 transition season, perhaps hinting at the high-quality depth within these power rosters. The four Power 5 newcomers last year went a combined 4-24 against legacy Big 12 teams, and all four finished with losing records. While growing pains are to be expected with such a rise in weekly competition, SMU has a stronger launching point than those four. SMU’s 2023 Game Grader is higher than the 2022 Game Grader rankings of those four teams, and they have more returning production by far than those transition teams.

OFFENSE Head coach Rhett Lashlee’s “Power Spread” offense tore through the AAC last year and SMU led the nation in scoring offense against conference opponents: 43.7 per game vs. the AAC. The offense has a heavy dose of Run-Pass Option, play-action, and vertical shots downfield. Preston Stone led the AAC in QB Rating while throwing for 3,197 yards, 28 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Stone broke his leg in the regular season finale, and Kevin Jennings stepped up to lead SMU past defending league-champs Tulane in the AAC title game. Jennings continued to get starter reps all of bowl season and throughout spring ball, but Stone is expected back for fall camp to retake his job. Stone is the centerpiece of a veteran offense set to return eight starters and the entire group of skill position players. Three backs averaged between 8 and 11 carries per game, and the whole committee returns for 2024: Jaylan Knighton, LJ Johnson, and Camar Wheaton. Converted receiver Brashard Smith is another Miami-to-SMU transfer, like how Knighton followed Lashlee here, and he adds firepower. 34 Similarly, the receiver room had a large group of contributors but no individual eclipsed the 600-yard mark. This was a Top 25 passing offense but seven receivers finished between 300 and 550 receiving yards and it took until the season finale to register a single 100-yard game. All seven return, but the likely breakout candidate will be Jordan Hudson who has drawn huge reviews this spring after being rated the #6 receiver transfer in the 2023 cycle. Jake Bailey led the team in receptions and yards and returns in the slot. Tight end RJ Maryland caught seven touchdowns, remains a key piece of the pass game, and could even draw All-ACC consideration. Fall camp and the early part of the season will be a shot for others to emerge from a deep and veteran room. Romello Brinson, Moochie Dixon, and Key’Shawn Smith all return from the rotation, and the staff added Ashton Cozart from Oregon. That makes six former four-star prospects packed into the receiver room. The only spot on the offense with roster turnover is the offensive line. Three starters are gone off of a line that excelled in pass protection (#12 in 2023, #20 in 2022) but remained average in my OL Run Push metric (#63 in 2023, #73 in 2022). The staff moved their best lineman Justin Osborne to center this spring, and they have a returning starter at guard in former Texas transfer Logan Parr. Speaking of transfers, SMU and Oklahoma completed a rare “transfer trade” of sorts, with SMU’s Branson Hickman heading to Norman, and Savion Byrd coming to Dallas. Byrd was a former Top100 prospect and was rated the #6 offensive tackle this transfer cycle after starting four games for Oklahoma last year. With Byrd and PJ Williams, the staff views their new tackles as upgrades compared to the 2023 line. Two more Power 5 experienced linemen transferred in after spring ball with the Arkansas duo of Paris Patterson and #22 rated offensive tackle transfer Andrew Chamblee.

DEFENSE In his second season on the Hilltop, coordinator Scott Symons led the biggest defensive turnaround from 2022 to 2023. SMU cut their points allowed per game in half (34 to 17) and went from a bottom ten ranking to the national top ten. They led the nation with five defensive touchdowns, and placed in the Top 25 of almost all of my defensive stat categories. In the stat graphic you see a whole lot of green, indicating Top 40 national ranks. That last row, returning production (#16), is a strong indicator towards continued success into 2024. Seven players earned All-AAC honors and just three depart: both starting corners Charles Woods and Chris Megginson and first-teamer Elijah Chatman. The big 2024 storyline, aside from the high number of starters and returning production, is the stockpiling of talented depth in the trenches. SMU added an incredible eight Power 5 defensive linemen to help bolster the interior and get them up to size with their new conference opponents. Two transfers helped transform the room last cycle, with Miami’s Elijah Roberts and Jordan Miller joining as instant starters. With Miller gone from the interior, the likes of Anthony “Tank” Booker (Arkansas), Mike Lockhart (West Virginia), and Jonathan Jefferson (Georgia) will battle for tackle spots. Roberts is poised for All-ACC consideration at defensive end, and opposite him at the “bandit” will be another Miami transfer Jahfari Harvey. Omari Abor (Ohio State) was a Top100 prospect stuck in a crowded room. In fact four of the incoming transfers were highly-touted Top200 signees out of high school, and five placed in the Top 30 of this cycle’s transfer rankings among defensive linemen. The linebackers return intact, with starters Kobe Wilson and Ahmad Walker along with third backer Alexander Kilgore who shined as a true freshman last year. Wilson earned second-team All-AAC honors. SMU ranked 9th in opponent QB Rating, an all-encompassing pass defense stat. But they are starting over at corner with both Woods and Megginson gone. Jahari Rogers and Deuce Harmon (Texas A&M) are both former four-stars with a combined 24 career starts between them. There are no questions at all in the safety room, where injuries provided opportunities for more guys to showcase skills. All six are back, headlined by all-league Jonathan McGill who choose to use his bonus year. Isaiah Nwokobia had four interceptions – two Pick Sixes – and was named the AAC Title Game MVP. Look for Symons to continue with more three-safety sets to get their best guys on the field.

OUTLOOK SMU is fresh off of a conference title, has a veteran roster with a ton of returning starters, and also packed their trenches with Power 5 linemen. They are better positioned than the 2023 Big 12 additions, and even draw the easiest ACC schedule – just two of the top ten. However, these league upgrades are never as smooth as expected. Within their new Power 5 context, SMU is dead last in the five-year recruiting average. And while recruiting rankings have their flaws, a giant gap of that magnitude can’t be ignored.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW-ACC: NORTH CAROLINA

PICK SIX

Five seasons into Mack Brown’s second Chapel Hill tour, North Carolina is the anti-Iowa. Iowa annually fields an elite defense that is unfortunately paired with the worst offense in Power 5. Their lines of scrimmage are stout, the front seven is tough as nails, their defense swarms to the ball and does not miss tackles. UNC has been the exact opposite, but similar in the scale of the imbalance. UNC has all the offensive firepower, talented skill players, and a modern scheme that Iowa lacks – but they have no strength in the trenches. Per the five-year average (2019-2023) in my opponent-adjusted, per-play metrics, UNC has the 5th best offense over that span, yet the 8th worst defense (63rd of 70 Power 5). That 58-spot difference makes UNC the most offense-heavy program in America. Their 2023 season was a repeat of the 2022 season in many ways. Both featured a Heisman-caliber quarterback and a stable of dynamic offensive skill players, but lacked even an average defense. Both seasons started strong but faded in November to stunt the offseason momentum and fan morale. And yes, both years came up short of program breakthroughs – an ACC crown, or a 10+ win season – that seemed within reach with a do-it-all future NFL 1st round quarterback under center. — 2022: 9-1 start, #13 national ranking – lost 4 final FBS games 2023: 6-0 start, #10 national ranking – lost 5 of final 6 FBS games After a physical mauling in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, a dejected Brown spoke candidly: “we’d be a 12 win team if we’d play better on defense.” Brown got started on that issue, again, this offseason with another defensive coordinator change. This time he had to cut long-time coaching friend Gene Chizik and pivoted to a completely new scheme and persona: the self-dubbed “Minister of Mayhem” Geoff Collins. For UNC to take the next step as a program, they need Collins’ defenses to resemble the ones he led as a coordinator at Florida and Mississippi State, and not the ones at Georgia Tech where he went 10-28 as the head man.

OFFENSE Over his two seasons as the starter, Drake Maye was the only quarterback in America to post 7,500+ passing yards and 1,000+ rushing yards. In many fewer games, Maye was still able to finish third in school history in touchdowns (79) and fourth in total offense (9,227 yards). Stats aside, Maye led UNC to its second-ever division title and may be remembered best for his pocket elusiveness and playground creativity, like on his scrambling touchdown pass against Pittsburgh where he switched hands and fluttered the ball with his left hand. With Maye on the field, UNC had a puncher’s chance in any game, no matter the opponent. That luxury is now gone. UNC pulled in an experienced SEC veteran in Texas A&M’s Max Johnson. The 6’6 grad transfer has started a game in each of his four SEC seasons, both with LSU and A&M, but eventually lost position battles to Heisman Jayden Daniels and five-star, future pro Conner Weigman. Those are hardly resume knocks, as Johnson has shown an accurate deep ball, the ability to lead an offense with the correct pre snap reads and adjustments, and deliver the ball where it needs to go. Behind Johnson is Conner Harrell, who started the bowl game and flashed some potential on his two early carries, but suffered an injury and threw a pair of picks in the loss. Jacolby Criswell transferred back to UNC after one season at Arkansas. An even bigger question resides in the trenches, as four offensive line starters are gone including star center Corey Gaynor. The group last year excelled in run blocking — #10 in my OL Run Push metric – but allowed a sack on 8% of attempts (97th nationally). And that was with one of the sport’s best scramblers evading pressure. Willie Lampkin is the sole returning starter, and the staff moved quickly in the portal here. Three transfers signed in the winter window: Austin Blaske (Georgia), Howard Sampson (North Texas), and Jakiah Leftwich (Georgia Tech). The offensive skill positions remain stacked, even despite the loss of third-team All-ACC standout receiver Tez Walker. The NCAA blocked his immediate transfer last summer, and it became a national headline before they caved and Walker proceeded to drop three touchdowns on Miami and maximized his shortened season. JJ Jones led the team with 711 receiving yards, Nate McCollum still has all-conference potential, and Kobe Paysour is back healthy. They were already well stocked at receiver, but the staff added three four-stars in the 2024 class: Jordan Shipp, Javarius Green, and the class headliner Alex Taylor. The tight end room is even deeper. Bryson Nesbit led the ACC tight ends in receiving and returns with his co-starter John Copenhaver. Jake Johnson followed his older brother here from Texas A&M. He is a former Top100 recruit and a matchup nightmare across the middle. British Brooks and Omarion Hampton started the season by sharing carries, but an early injury to Brooks ended up dealing Hampton the workhorse load. Hampton led the entire ACC with 253 carries, and had the 2nd highest per-carry average among the nation’s 250+ carry backs. Quantity and quality. Hampton is joined by the physical Darwin Barlow (USC via TCU).  

DEFENSE While Chizik ran a safe “bend don’t break” style defense — that consistently “broke” anyway — Collins brings a different mindset. While the 4-2-5 base formation looks the same, Collins brings way more blitzes and pressure, and his defenses attack in the backfield. UNC hasn’t fielded a Top 25 defense since 2009. All six of Collins’ defenses at Florida and Mississippi State placed in the Top 25. As they say, something’s gotta give. The 2023 unit opened with a nine-sack swarming of South Carolina, but never flashed that potential the rest of the season, and finished 94th in my Negative Play Rate that tracks how often a defense is causing disruption in the backfield. Two-time All-ACC Cedric Gray left for the pros after leading the team in tackles for three straight seasons and serving as the unquestioned vocal leader of the group. Defensive lineman Myles Murphy also went pro, and both starting safeties Gio Biggers and Don Chapman graduated. Luckily for Collins, one pro decision flipped at the last second, as edge rusher Kaimon Rucker returned. Power Echols takes over as the lead tackle-machine after playing alongside Gray the past two seasons. Amare Campbell moves into a full-time starting role after getting the nod in the bowl game as a true freshman. The staff pulled in an experienced starting safety from an unlikely spot: rival NC State. Jakeen Harris flips sides and brings 21 career starts with him. Will Hardy and Stick Lane will battle for the other safety spot, but keep an eye on 2024 Top150 recruit Malcolm Ziglar who has 10.8 100m track speed. Alijah Huzzie was the star transfer last cycle, and shined at cornerback last fall. Huzzie had three picks on the year, plus a wild 52-yard punt return touchdown in the Pittsburgh win.

OUTLOOK UNC had a window of opportunity with Sam Howell and Drake Maye under center – five years of NFL-caliber quarterbacks but no conference titles to show for it. Now without the elusive Maye, the offensive line’s rebuild becomes a bigger issue. Maybe the third time’s the charm for Brown’s defensive coordinator hires. But given their track record they will need to prove it first. Despite better on-paper recruiting than their peers, UNC slots in at #8.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW-ACC: GEORGIA TECH

PICK SIX

The 2022 season ended as a fourth straight losing year for Georgia Tech. But with head coach Geoff Collins fired in September, it provided an on the-job interview for Brent Key. He went 4-4, notched a pair of ranked wins, and showed enough immediate progress to earn the full-time job for 2023 and beyond. 2023 was the transition year, complete with a transfer portal haul, a new offensive coordinator, and a bunch of young starters. As such, it was a roller-coaster season that showed a lot of variance week-to-week. Not only did they alternate wins and losses every week until November, the style and magnitude of the results were striking. Georgia Tech managed to beat both of their ranked ACC opponents – as 19-point underdogs at Miami and 12-point dogs vs. UNC – and won four ACC games as underdogs. Yet in the same season they managed to get blown out by a MAC team and then again as touchdown-favorites against Boston College. In the same season, Georgia Tech was the #1 most improved offense in Power 5, yet had the 7th worst defensive collapse and needed a mid-year coordinator switch. Through the ups and downs, the most important result was in the win column as Key’s first team snapped the program’s four-year bowl drought, and then beat UCF to finished with a winning record.

OFFENSE No offense in Power 5 had a better statistical transition from 2022 to 2023. In his first offseason, Key raided the transfer portal and landed offensive players who would eventually start or rotate in the two-deep. He aced his coordinator hire, developed a young offensive line, and made a position switch that ended up resulting in the school’s first 1,000-yard back since the triple option era. Despite no previous Power 5 coordinating experience, Buster Faulkner grew right into the role. Former Texas A&M quarterback Haynes King came to Atlanta and ended up posting a dynamic stat line. King was one of just two FBS quarterbacks with 2,700+ passing yards, 600+ rushing yards, 25+ touchdown passes, and 5+ rushing touchdowns. The other was Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. Much like the duality of the overall team, King was a statistical peer with the Heisman, but also tossed a Power 5-worst 16 interceptions. After Miami’s botched victory formation, King led Tech 74 yards in 24 seconds for the shocking win. In the other ranked win, he tossed four touchdowns including the game-winner over then-#17 UNC. Along with King, most of the offensive starting lineup returns intact for 2024. Georgia Tech loses a starting right guard, a starting receiver, and a backup running back. Those 9 starters, along with a large chunk of the two-deep, give Georgia Tech a Top 10 rank in offensive returning production. Faulkner and Key made the call to move Jamal Haynes from receiver to running back and it paid off. Haynes went for 1,059 yards, a high 6.1 per-carry average, and returns with 3rd back Trey Cooley. Six of the top seven receivers return and Dominick Blaylock is the only departure. Blaylock shared time with Duquesne transfer Abdul Janneh who is a big-frame blocker on the outsides. Eric Singleton led the team as a true freshman with 48 catches and 714 yards. In the slot, Malik Rutherford is again the starter and Christian Leary hauled in the dramatic, Doug Flutie style, game-winner to beat Miami. They also get Chase Lane back after he missed half the season with an injury. 38 Tight end Brett Seither returns after posting four touchdowns, including the 35-yarder in the UNC win. Tech loses three other tight ends, but Seither is a former Georgia transfer who is ready for an even bigger 2024. The main reason for Georgia Tech’s offensive turnaround was their development in the trenches. A weakness in 2022 – they allowed 39 sacks – was turned into a strength in just one offseason. Not only did Georgia Tech improve that pass protection, they were one of just four Power 5 offensive lines to place in the Top 20 of both my OL Run Push and Sack Rate metrics. Key is a former Tech lineman himself and made a great hire with line coach Geep Wade. Four of those 2023 starters return and this will again be a team strength and top unit. Center Weston Franklin, right tackle Jordan Williams, left guard Joe Fusile, and left tackle Corey Robinson are all back in the starting lineup, plus Ethan Mackenny who pushed into the rotation last year as a true freshman. The right guard spot is the only opening but the staff added Keylan Rutledge from Middle Tennessee State where he was a two-year starter.

DEFENSE Georgia Tech fell in all 17 of my defensive stat categories from 2022 to 2023, and after being unable to stop, or even slow down, the MAC’s Bowling Green, Key made the midseason coordinator switch. Andrew Thacker had some bright spots in an otherwise awful era, but he was a holdover from the Collins era and Key felt it necessary to start fresh. Linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer stepped into the interim role and they saw some improvements like rising 15 spots in my opponent-adjusted, per-play metric (dead last pre Bowling Green, 55th after). They rose ten spots in my pass defense grade after the switch. But over the course of the full season the run defense remained as the worst in Power 5: dead last 70th of 70. For 2024 Key hired Tyler Santucci as the new full-time defensive coordinator. Santucci was Mike Elko’s hire at Duke and they led a surprising turnaround there in just one offseason. There is much less roster continuity on this side of the ball compared to the offense. Georgia Tech loses two defensive line starters, three of their top five backers, and five of their top ten defensive backs. Defensive end Kyle Kennard was the best playmaker in 2023 but he heads to South Carolina, and starting defensive tackle D’Quan Douse also transferred out to Michigan State. Nose tackle Zeek Biggers and end Kevin Harris are returning starters, Makius Scott could move back inside, and the staff landed former All Sun Belt Thomas Gore who was stuck in a crowded defensive line room at Miami. Kyle Efford led the team in tackles as a freshman and returns to lead the linebacker core with Trenilyas Tatum and Caleb Dozier who the staff flipped from Mississippi State. Veterans Paul Moala, Braelen Oliver, and Andre White all depart after combining for 112 tackles, 15 for loss, and 4.5 sacks last year. The starting safeties are back – Clayton Powell-Lee and LaMiles Brooks – but nickel KJ Wallace and corners Myles Sims, Kenan Johnson, and Jaylon King are all gone. Ahmari Harvey will move up into a starter role, and the staff landed two corners with starting experience. Warren Burrell started 22 games at Tennessee and had a notable 2021 season before an injury knocked him off course. Syeed Gibbs started at Rhode Island.

OUTLOOK Georgia Tech’s offense was a Top 25 unit last year and brings back a Top 10 amount of returning production – it will be a top offensive line and they will light up the scoreboard again. The uncertainties are King’s interceptions, and whether the defense can pull off an overnight boost similar to what Santucci led at Duke. With a brutal schedule draw – six of the ACC’s top eight, plus Georgia and Notre Dame – team improvements may not show up in the win/loss record. Georgia Tech slots in at #9 in the 17-team league.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW-ACC: CALIFORNIA

PICK SIX

University of California, Berkeley is located three miles from the Pacific Ocean, but in the bizarro 2024 conference realignment cycle, they now find themselves competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The move away from their historic spot in the Pac-12 was not by choice or by preference. USC and UCLA initiated the league’s death spiral, then Oregon and Washington accelerated it. Rather, it was a move of survival. Cal, along with longtime rival Stanford and Dallas-based SMU, join the east coast ACC for financial reasons and another decade-plus of security to remain playing football at the Power level. This will be the first football season in school history without a road game in the state of California. Instead of playing traditional West Coast and in-state rivals, Cal draws the following cross-country road trips: Pittsburgh, PA (2,600 miles), Tallahassee, FL (2,500 miles), Winston-Salem, NC (2,700 miles), Dallas, TX (1,700 miles), and a non-conference game in Auburn, AL (2,400 miles). It made the 2023 farewell tour that much more important, and Cal defeated rivals Stanford and UCLA, while drawing within a failed two point attempt of knocking off USC. They overcame a 3-6 start to win three straight and return to bowl season for the first time since 2019.

OFFENSE After battling for the head coaching job against each other here in late 2016, Justin Wilcox hired Jake Spavital last offseason and it offered the possibility of joining the two eras together: the defense-first Wilcox teams and the high-flying Bear Raid era before him. It wasn’t quite the home run that Cal fans had hoped for, as the defense slid and the passing offense took half the season to warm up. This cycle, Spavital left for the offensive coordinator job at Baylor, and Wilcox hired from within by elevating offensive line coach Mike Bloesch. Bloesch was rewarded for his quick development in the trenches. While serving as offensive coordinator at North Texas in 2021 and 2022 he built a Top 25 line, then here at Cal the line improved 30+ spots in both my OL Run Push (#44 nationally) and Pass Protection (#39) metrics. Even better, Cal had the biggest year-over-year improvement in the entire Pac-12 in my opponent-adjusted Rush Offense metric. 40 These results are impressive, especially in a transition season following a run of weak offensive lines. Their short passing game and max protection both helped the Sack Rate. Barrett Miller started all season at left tackle, TJ Session was the line MVP at right tackle, and Sioape Vatikani was a solid run blocker. For 2024, three starters return – Session, Vatikani, and Matthew Wykoff – but Miller and captain Matthew Cindric must be replaced. The staff added third-team Sun Belt guard Will McDonald (Coastal Carolina) who is projected as an instant starter. Most importantly for the run game, All-Pac 12 running back Jaydn Ott decided to return for 2024 to headline one of the ACC’s top running back rooms. Ott led the Pac-12 with 1,315 yards, placed sixth in Power 5 with 109 yards/game, and flashed explosiveness along with workhorse consistency. Former Oregon transfer Byron Cardwell returns for 2024 and has four-star upside, and speedster Jaivian Thomas will get the ball in a multitude of ways. Backup Isaiah Ifanse and King Doerue are gone, but this group has depth and a Heisman candidate in the top spot. Jack Endries grew from a walk-on to an all-around tight end and a key element of the offense. He’ll be joined by productive Maryland transfer Corey Dyches who had the fourth-most receptions among all FBS tight ends (49 for 491 yards). There was a notable statistical change halfway through the season, directly correlated to Cal’s decision at quarterback. Dual-threat TCU transfer Sam Jackson was the original starter, veteran NC State transfer Ben Finley started games when Jackson was injured, but ultimately freshman Fernando Mendoza earned the permanent starting job in the sixth game. The 6’5 true freshman displayed pocket presence and poise beyond his years, and already posted a QB Rating comparable to 2022 senior Jack Plummer and 2021 senior Chase Garbers. In my opponent-adjusted, per-play offense metric, Cal improved from 64th to 40th (of 70 Power 5) comparing the Jackson/Finley games to the Mendoza starts. – First five games: 64th of 70 Power 5 – Mendoza’s eight starts: 45th of 70 Power 5 Look for a second-year bonus from Mendoza, along with depth and healthy competition from incoming North Texas transfer Chandler Rogers who threw for 3,382 yards, 29 touchdowns and just 5 picks last year. Heading into 2023, Cal returned three of its top four receivers and supplemented the roster with five notable additions. As a unit, they fell short of expectations and now enter 2024 unproven and thin. Jeremiah Hunter was the top target but without a supporting cast of receiving threats, he was neutralized by opposing defenses. He led the team in all three categories – 63 receptions, 731 yards, 7 touchdowns – but transferred to Washington. Trond Grizzell takes over the top spot for 2024 after placing second last year. Cal added two four-star transfers in Mikey Matthews (Utah) and Tobias Merriweather (Notre Dame), and they hope Mavin Anderson can return to his freshman performance of 2022.

DEFENSE While their conference identity is changing, their program identity remains the same under eighth-year head coach Justin Wilcox. His trademarked defense took a statistical slide last year due to an injured front seven and a secondary susceptible to big plays. Defensive tackle Ethan Saunders was knocked out in the first game, All-America candidate and tackle machine Jackson Sirmon was injured in the sixth game, while fellow inside backers Nate Rutchena and Muelu Iosefa missed most of the season. Overall the defense fell 35 spots in scoring defense, and another 50 in defending explosive long-yardage passes. Those injuries did allow for some young linebackers to emerge, and Wilcox continued his conveyer belt of star backers with rising stars Kaleb Elarms-Orr and Cade Uluave. Elarms-Orr led the team with 92 tackles but went to TCU; Uluave is back after earning Freshman All-America honors. Cal’s top five outside backers return, headlined by former Utah transfer Xavier Carlton, and David Reese who led the team in sacks and got a medical waiver for a 7th collegiate season. Cal’s 2-4-5 gets a heavy rotation of outside backer / edge players so this depth will pay dividends, but overall their pass rush needs improvement. Look no further than my Negative Play rate that tracks tackles made at, or behind, the line-of-scrimmage: Cal placed 131st of 133 FBS teams. The interior defensive line also needs improvement. Ricky Correia is an experienced returning starter and rising juniors Derek Wilkins and Akili Calhoun originally came to Cal with four-star billings. Ethan Saunders and Nate Burrell are the projected starters at end. Uncharacteristic of the Wilcox era, the secondary had major struggles. Cornerback Jeremiah Earby failed to back up his 2022 Freshman All-America honors and transferred out to Boise State. The safeties were inconsistent and overall there were plenty of coverage busts. The corners should flip back to a strength in 2024 as standout Nohl Williams has NFL potential and is joined by FCS All-American Marcus Harris (Idaho). Matthew Littlejohn returns as the starting slot/nickel and Craig Woodson will be a third-year starter at safety. The staff added two more former four-star recruits from Power 5 schools in corner Jasiah Wagoner (Oklahoma) and Ryan Yaites (LSU).

OUTLOOK Cal did a great job adding quality players through the transfer portal and they bolstered their receiver room and secondary. They already found their quarterback last fall and Ott returns as the workhorse running back. Conference transitions are difficult but Wilcox has Cal well-positioned to compete. They draw four of the top seven ACC teams and Cal checks in at #10 in their debut season.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW-ACC:PITT

PICK SIX

Two years ago Pittsburgh broke the Clemson dynasty, won their first Power 5 conference title in school history, and sent their quarterback to the Heisman ceremony in New York. The year after that they won another nine games to bring the two-year total to 20 wins – the best consecutive seasons here since 1981-82. In such a short timeframe, just three decisions sent Pitt from a 40-year high down to a 30-year low. Following that ACC title, offensive coordinator Mark Whipple departed for Nebraska and head coach Pat Narduzzi decided to double-down on his old school offense preference by hiring Frank Cignetti. Then to fill the vacancy of five-year starter and NFL first-rounder Kenny Pickett, Pitt brought in USC’s Kedon Slovis. The following transfer cycle Cignetti brought his former Boston College quarterback – and local Pine-Richland superstar – Phil Jurkovec. Far from Pickett’s 42-7 touchdown to pick ratio, these two combined for 16-12 and barely completed 50% of passes. Was Pitt’s staff to blame for bringing them in? No, in fact both were highly-touted at the time, and both had shown flashes of high potential: Slovis as a freshman in 2020 and Jurkovec running Cignetti’s offense in 2021. The problem wasn’t bringing them to Oakland, it was the apparent lack of a true quarterback competition in either season. At the end of the 2022 season, the team rallied around backup Nick Patti, and similarly found a spark in 2023 from third-stringer Nate Yarnell. This calls into question either the talent identification, the offseason position battles, the scheme itself, or possibly all three. Entering 2024, Narduzzi’s tenth at the school, his program once known for stability and continuity looks almost completely different from the title team of 2021.

OFFENSE Narduzzi’s hire at offensive coordinator may end up as a defining moment of his long tenure. Not only did he fire Cignetti, he went far outside-the-box for the replacement. He picked 30-year-old Kade Bell from the FCS ranks – and even more notably, he picked an offensive style that is a complete shift away from his past. 42 Bell’s fast-paced, up-tempo attack broke the Division II scoring record in 2018 at Valdosta State. Then he helped turn around a losing Western Carolina team into an offensive juggernaut. His 2023 offense led the entire FCS in total offense (504 yards/game), placed third in passing, and fourth in scoring. Stylistically it looks completely different than the broken Pitt offense of the past two seasons. Western Carolina showed a lot of shotgun and pistol looks, frequent pre-snap motion to create mismatches and tip the defense’s coverage, and effective play-action. They also featured zone run concepts. With the new lightning-fast tempo, Narduzzi joked that at least they will never be called for a delay of game penalty. Jurkovec struggled and went 0-4 against FBS teams before moving to tight end, then backup Christian Veilleux threw more interceptions than touchdowns while completing just 51% of passes. While Veilleux did lead the win over #14 Louisville, he ended the season with the worst QB Rating in the entire ACC. Finally Yarnell got a shot, defeated Boston College, and is carrying that momentum into 2024. At the start of spring ball, Narduzzi explicitly called Yarnell the starter. Veilleux will battle Ty Dieffenbach, incoming Julian Dugger (WPIAL Penn Hills) and Eli Holstein the former Top 10 prospect who transferred in from Alabama. Rodney Hammond returns as the lead back after splitting carries with C’Bo Flemister, and Derrick Davis brings elite speed. Top tight end Gavin Bartholomew is also back in the lineup. While receiving leader Bub Means departs, the next three receivers – Konata Mumpfield, Daejon Reynolds, and Kenny Johnson – all return to form a nucleus of skill talent for Bell to build around. Bell even brought two playmakers with him from Western Carolina. The 5’8 do-it-all back Desmond Reid put up 150 yards/game and earned FCS All-America honors and receiver Censere Lee hauled in 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns the past two seasons. While the quarterback play was weak in 2023, the offensive line wasn’t any better. Together the two units broke the entire offense. Injuries played a role in the trenches, as Pitt needed to use ten different starting line combinations in 12 games. That inconsistency led to the worst OL Run Push grade in the whole ACC, and the pass protection Sack Rate was also below average. Branson Taylor and Ryan Baer are returning starters at the tackle spots, Terrence Moore is back at center, and the guard spots will be position battles into fall camp. Ryan Jacoby was the original left guard but was injured early and BJ Williams started six games as a true freshman.

DEFENSE The offense’s struggles impacted the defense by consistently dealing them short fields to defend. While the 2023 defense was certainly a step back from the elite Pitt units the past five seasons, when you view it from a per-play perspective – and not by the quantity stats that their offense directly impacted – this was another solid group. While most quantity stats show middle-of-the-pack ranks, my opponent-adjusted, per-play metric ranked Pitt #25 to mark a fifth consecutive Top 25 finish. Pitt is only one of eight schools to pull off that feat. A major factor has been defensive line coach Charlie Partridge, whose pass rush was consistently elite. He coached four defensive linemen to All-America honors – Calijah Kancey, Patrick Jones II, Jaylen Twyman, and Rashad Weaver – and finished in the national top five in sacks every year from 2019 to 2022. He has been the ace recruiter of the staff too, as he himself signed eight of the program’s 15 four star prospects since 2017. His departure to the Indianapolis Colts almost feels like losing a coordinator. It will also be a transition season lineup-wise. Both defensive tackles, two linebackers, both corners and the fifth defensive back must all be replaced. The pass rush production needs a boost after a relative dip in 2023. The secondary needs to fix their problem with explosive long-yardage passes (122nd nationally). And of course, some All-ACC playmakers need to emerge. The staff added a trio of Power 5 transfers to the line. Nate Matlack is a veteran Kansas State transfer who played in 39 games and posted four sacks last year, while David Ojiegbe is a former near-five-star who transferred in after just one season at Clemson. The interior is uncertain but four-star Indiana transfer Nick James and Sean FitzSimmons are penciled in for now. Starting backers Shayne Simon and Bangally Kamara depart after combining for 103 tackles last year, and the next man up Solomon DeShields also transferred out (Texas A&M). Brandon George is a veteran, but from there the room has unproven potential. Both safeties are back – Javon McIntyre and Donovan McMillon – plus the nickel PJ O’Brien. The corners are wide open after losing Mr. Pick Six MJ Devonshire to the pros. Ryland Gandy was named one starter, and the other spot will be either Rashad Battle or incoming Power 5 transfers Tamon Lynum (Nebraska) and Jaremiah Anglin (Kentucky).

OUTLOOK 2023 was a sharp decline from their two-year peak. There are some hurdles blocking their return back to the top of the ACC: two portal quarterback misses, recruiting rankings outside the Top 40, the loss of an ace defensive coach, and now a transfer exodus in the defensive front seven. There are too many questions across the roster and Pitt is in a dead heat with Boston College for 11th in the league.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW-ACC: BOSTON COLLEGE

PICK SIX

Jeff Hafley stunned Boston College by accepting an NFL coordinator position in February, well after the usual coaching carousel timing. Traditionally, a move from a Power 5 head coach job to a coordinator role was unheard of – but these are no longer traditional times in college football. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Hafley “wanted to go coach football again, in a league that is all about football.” Over the past few seasons, college football has become more about fundraising, NIL collectives, and social media presence. In addition to the normal high school recruiting process, coaches must devote extra time to “recruit” their own players to stay, and also evaluate hundreds of potential transfers at other colleges. Even as a Boston College alum myself, it is hard to disagree with Hafley’s reasoning for wanting to get back to pure X’s and O’s. His four-year tenure ends with a 22-26 overall record, and while his passion was appreciated, it was a roller-coaster filled with missed opportunities. Two shots of upsetting Clemson were blown in the final minute, an upset bid over #3 Florida State last September was ruined by a school-record 18 penalties. At different points, pundits thought BC had its best offensive line ever and its best receiving core ever, but neither helped break the seven-win barrier. Lastly, BC rode a 6 3 record and 5-game win streak into November, with “The Path” to the ACC title still possible, but lost the final three games to teams that combined for a 17-21 record. Ten days after the stunning departure, Boston College hired its most accomplished head coach in school history. Bill O’Brien is a well-respected offensive mind who was hired by legends Bill Belichick and Nick Saban. O’Brien worked with Tom Brady in New England, helped fix a broken, scandal ridden Penn State, was the Houston Texans head coach for seven seasons, and then led Alabama to top five offensive finishes. Two things stood out from his opening press conference. First, his commitment to “put a wall up around New England” to keep top recruits at home. This has been a challenge over the past decade plus, as Hafley only signed 25% of the top homegrown prospects – before him, Steve Addazio only managed 34%. Second, O’Brien mentioned a return to the formula of physicality that worked best here under Jack Bicknell, Tom Coughlin, and Tom O’Brien: “we will not be out-toughed.”

OFFENSE O’Brien’s offensive philosophy and play-calling have moved with the modern trends over the past two decades. At the start of his Texans tenure, his offense was the #1 most run-heavy scheme, but in his final season they were the #1 most pass-heavy team. He steadily increased the use of pre-snap motion, used more shotgun formation, and embraced run-pass option trends. That bodes well for the 2024 Boston College offense who found lightning-in-a-bottle last fall in dual threat quarterback Thomas Castellanos. After just two series in the opener, the staff took out assumed starter Emmett Morehead and gave Castellanos an opportunity he never relinquished. He completely changed the complexion of the offense, was an instant highlight-reel, and became the first BC quarterback ever to throw for 2,000+ yards and rush for 1,000+ yards. He was the best running quarterback here since Tyler Murphy (2014) but also added 28 total touchdowns. 44 Look for a second-year bonus now that he had a full season of in-game development, plus a full offseason of growth compared to his late summer transfer in from UCF. Turnovers and decision-making need improvement, as he threw the second-most interceptions in the ACC last year. The offensive line saw one of the biggest year-over-year improvements of any position group in Power 5. In 2022, they were set to replace four starters, and then lost their All-America candidate Christian Mahogany to a preseason injury. From that total disaster, BC improved in 2023 all the way to the Top 40 of both my Offensive Line Run Push (#34) and Pass Protection Sack Rate (#38). Drew Kendall played up to his blue-chip potential at center, the transfers Kyle Hergel and Logan Taylor bolstered the left side of the line, and Ozzy Trapilo developed into a consistent right tackle. Mahogany is gone to the pros but Kendall, Trapilo, and Taylor return. Boston College attacked the transfer portal at the offensive skill positions. Kamari Morales leaves UNC as their all-time leading receiving leader among tight ends. He brings an immediate receiving threat to the room while Jeremiah Franklin is back after starting half the season. The staff added a pair of Power 5 starting receivers in 6’5 big-frame Jerand Bradley who led Texas Tech in receiving in 2022, and the speedy return-ace Jayden McGowan from Vanderbilt. They both project as starters here after the BC receiving core finished in the national bottom ten with a poor 12% drop ball rate. Lewis Bond is the returning lead receiver, and Dino Tomlin returns to the rotation. At running back, they signed Treshaun Ward who shared carries at both Kansas State and Florida State while posting 500+ yards in each of the past three seasons. Kye Robichaux emerged from a crowded room here during the season, and four guys he passed on the depth chart have since transferred out.

DEFENSE O’Brien’s offensive coordinator hire was predictable, as Will Lawing has been on his staff for most of the past two decades. But the defensive hire – Tim Lewis – came out of left field. Lewis has six years of NFL coordinator experience (2000-2006) but has been out of the NFL since 2015. The past few years he’s been coordinating defenses in the spring minor leagues. In terms of base formation, Lewis is a 3-4 guy which contrasts with the 4-3 that Boston College has run for decades. I assume we’ll see a mix of 3-4, and even fronts when they shift to nickel packages. Like Hafley, he likes to pack the box with a safety, and rely on single-high coverage in the back. The first order of business is fixing the pass rush and defensive line disruption. Boston College finished dead last in America in my Negative Play Rate that tracks how often the defense makes plays in the backfield. The Sack Rate wasn’t much better. And they were bottom ten nationally in rushing defense yards/carry. Defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku showed star potential in 2022 but did not follow it up in 2023. He returns for 2024 and is the only established pass rusher to build around. As a run-stuffer, nose tackle Cam Horsley earned All-ACC honorable mention. Starters George Rooks and Neto Okpala also return for 2024. The linebacker group struggled in 2023 but there were enough young guys with potential that the staff didn’t push here in the first transfer window. Veteran Bryce Steele leads the pack, Sione Hala, Kam Arnold, and Daveon Crouch appear to be the next guys up, while Jaylen Blackwell is expected back from an injury. Tackle-machine Vinny DePalma led the team in tackles in both 2022 and 2023 but has exhausted his eligibility. Elijah Jones was on pace for All-ACC honors and had two interceptions against Syracuse before a mysterious suspension ended his BC career. With Jones in the lineup BC’s opponent-adjusted pass defense was 55th of 70 Power 5. Without him in November, they tanked to dead last 70th of 70. Amari Jackson had the Pick Six against Georgia Tech and is now a full-time starter but it’s possible the other three spots will all be transfers. Safeties Ryan Turner and Cameron Martinez are in from Ohio State and corner Bryquice Brown was a two-year starter at Georgia State.

OUTLOOK Hafley’s February departure was as shocking as Boston College’s Bill O’Brien haul. He is a proven program-builder and inherits a dynamic dual-threat in Castellanos. Given the late coaching change, the program has more returning production than you’d normally see in a transition year. Boston College is firmly in the middle-tier and the home games against Syracuse and Pitt are the swing games for bowl eligibility.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW-ACC: SYRACUSE

PICK SIX

Syracuse fans and athletic director John Wildhack had seen this story before. Syracuse opened the season with a 4-0 record – like their 6-0 start in 2022 — to mark the first consecutive 3-0 starts here since the 1959 national title team. However, both seasons came to screeching halts. Dino Babers’ squads went just 3-13 after those undefeated starts and the 2023 blowout-filled meltdown ended up ending his eight-year tenure. Wildhack fired Babers before the regular season finale. Six losing seasons in eight years, poor recruiting, weak lines of scrimmage, and as he put it “we’ve not had success in November.” While the team did rally to get its sixth win and clinch the first consecutive bowl bids here since 2012-13, the news and excitement quickly shifted off the field. The head coach selection goes against the conventional thinking, but the instant program shift and positive momentum cannot be questioned. 40 year-old Fran Brown has never been a head coach or coordinator but has coached alongside Matt Rhule’s rebuilding projects at Temple and Baylor, won a national title with Georgia in 2022, and was rated the nation’s #1 Brown’s coordinator hires have never called plays, but like Brown, the inexperience is covered with proven track records on the recruiting trail. Defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson was named the #1 recruiter of 2022 as he led Texas A&M’s historic signing class. Defensive ends coach Nick Williams was part of that A&M class and posted a Top 25 recruiter ranking last cycle at Colorado. Brown has drawn top praise from the leaders of the recruiting industry like On3’s national analyst Steve Wiltfong who called him “elite” and noted that “in 20 years covering recruiting, few do as good a job on the trail building relationships and projecting talent.” Located up in Central New York, hundreds of miles from talent hubs of North Jersey, Southeast Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh-based WPIAL, and the DMV region, the Syracuse program faces geography challenges and are often out-spent by their Power 4 peers with bigger NIL funds. Brown is a Camden, NJ native, coached at Rutgers and Temple, and has built key coaching relationships all across the area. While the NIL funding may be a longer-term issue, Brown’s past does help with location. They assembled a recruiting dynamo of a staff, and the results were instant. Just three weeks after the hiring, Syracuse posted its first Top 50 recruiting class since 2007, got an All American Bowl commitment on live TV, landed a five-star quarterback transfer, and leveraged the staff’s prior connections to pull in multiple Power 5 transfers.

OFFENSE Quarterback Garrett Shrader and running back LeQuint Allen led the nation with 12 combined rushing touchdowns over the first four games but once the schedule heated up their pace cooled off. The offense hit a wall in October with an average of just 6 points per game, and then as Shrader battled injuries in November they went extremely run-heavy. The Shrader era is done, and Syracuse welcomes in Ohio State’s 2023 starting quarterback Kyle McCord. The former five-star prospect waited behind future pros in Columbus and then led an 11-1 regular season, completed 66% of his passes for 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. There is a clear style shift in their mobility. Shrader was elusive in broken pockets and even a workhorse in the run game, like his 24-carry, 195-yard, four-touchdown rushing day in the Purdue win. McCord is a clear-cut pocket passer which means there is even more pressure on the struggling offensive line. Gone are the days of Shrader scrambling to cover up for line breakdowns. The line will again be the limiting factor and spot that needs the most development this offseason. A total of nine linemen return with starting experience, headlined by proven starting tackles Enrique Cruz and David Wohlabaugh. The staff added two Power 5 transfers in Joshua Miller (Georgia) and Savion Washington (Colorado) who started nine games last year. It’s all good news at the skill positions as the decisions leaned Syracuse’s way and the staff supplemented the unit with transfers. Allen broke the 1,000-yard rushing mark and earned second-team All-ACC honors. Taking over for a legend like Sean Tucker is a challenge for anyone, but Allen shined as Syracuse’s best offensive player, and is a respected team leader. Allen, along with converted quarterback Dan Villari, were featured extensively in November in the Wildcat package. Villari rushed for 154 yards and the clinching score in the Pittsburgh win and even went 14-14 passing the following week. Oronde Gadsden was on track for All-America consideration before a Week 2 injury ended his 2023 campaign. He decided to return to Syracuse for 2024 and is an unstoppable weapon as a hybrid wide receiver / tight end. Brown brought a pair of Georgia receivers with him and both are projected starters here for 2024. Former four-star Top200 prospect Zeed Haynes and Jackson Meeks were stuck in a crowded Georgia roster. 2023 starter Damien Alford transferred to Utah after spring ball, potentially showing the results of a spring position battle. Umari Hatcher and Donovan Brown return, and they added big-frame Top200 signee Jamie Tremble.

DEFENSE The 3-3-5 era is over. Syracuse had run the outlier 3-3-5 base defense for three years under defensive coordinator Tony White, and then again last season with Rocky Long, the founding father of the scheme. That scheme trades size for speed by subbing out a lineman in favor of another defensive back in the secondary. While Brown’s pedigree is in the secondary, his defensive coordinator hire Elijah Robinson is a defensive line guru who ran a 4-3 base at Texas A&M. Their recruiting efforts paid off immediately in the trenches as Robinson brought A&M starter Fadil Diggs with him, and then signed four-star edge KingJoseph Edwards. Diggs had 36 tackles and four sacks on a talented Aggies line last year. Look for Diggs to start at one end spot, for Denis Jaquez to return from his injury to start at the other end, but for youth at the tackle spots after starter Terry Lockett transferred out to James Madison. The linebacker unit was the strength of the defense last year, and the top two return for 2024. Marlowe Wax earned second-team All-ACC honors after finishing third in the league with 110 tackles. Wax is a team captain and swarmed all over the field to add 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, four forced fumbles, and a pick. Derek McDonald returns alongside Wax, while Stefon Thompson and Leon Lowery move on. West Virginia transfer James Heard could push into the lineup along with Anwar Sparrow. The staff added yet another star transfer, but this name is very familiar to Syracuse fans and ACC opponents. Duce Chestnut was a two-time All-ACC corner here at Syracuse before transferring to LSU in 2023 and subsequently coming back north this winter. He’ll either shift to free safety or remain at corner opposite Jayden Bellamy who had the key Pick Six against Pittsburgh. The safety room is loaded as returning starters Justin Barron and Alijah Clark are joined by ball-hawk, All-MAC transfer Devin Grant (Buffalo).

OUTLOOK Syracuse made a creative head coaching hire and packed the staff with big-time recruiters. They saw immediate gains with a Top 40 high school class and Top 25 transfer haul. The offense is veteran and adds in Ohio State’s starter at quarterback. They get a schedule boost by only facing three of the ACC’s top eight, while UVA and Duke face five each.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW-ACC: VIRGINIA

PICK SIX

Fresh off a three-win transition season, Tony Elliott’s Virginia program opened up 2023 with five straight losses – their first 0-5 start since 1982. Blowout losses, close heartbreaker losses, injuries, penalties, and breakdowns on both sides of the ball – it was a full bingo card for UVA in September. They notched their first win against their former head coach Mike London’s William & Mary squad, and then proceeded to shock the nation with a 31-27 upset over #10 North Carolina. As 24-point underdogs, UVA shook up the ACC title picture and landed their first-ever road win over a Top 10 opponent (0-30 prior). Virginia later knocked off bowl-eligible Duke, but the rest of the season was filled with missed opportunities. UVA suffered five one-score losses, with four coming within a field goal. – Led James Madison 35-24 in the fourth quarter, lost 36-35- Led BC 14-0, lost 27-24- Committed 3 personal fouls in the final minute against NCST, lost 24-21 – Lost to Miami in overtime 29-26- Led #11 Louisville by 7 in fourth quarter, lost 31-24 While there were some breakout individual performances, and some flashes of potential from young players, the defense collapsed and they were unable to finish off the close games. Bowl season was definitely within reach, but instead UVA finished with consecutive three-win (or worse) seasons for the first time since 1981-82. As college football enters an even more NIL-based era, Virginia has some big-picture limitations it needs to face and improve on. As a relatively small Power 5 school, they lack the TV and NIL punch that their peers can bring to the table. Unfortunately the former impacts future “super conference” potential, if we head that way, and the latter directly impacts talent acquisition and roster management.

OFFENSE This was one of the nation’s worst offenses in 2022, and out of the gates in 2023 it was more of the same. During the 0-5 start, UVA was averaging a nation-worst 75 rushing yards per game and remained unsettled at quarterback with original starter Tony Muskett getting injured in the opener. True freshman Anthony Colandrea struggled in September and tossed more interceptions than touchdowns. Muskett returned to the lineup to lead the wins over William & Mary and UNC before a second injury shut him down for good. Colandrea took over for the four November games, led the Duke win, and improved to pass for 8 touchdowns and just 3 picks, with a 63% completion rate, and an above average QB Rating. Both quarterbacks return healthy for 2024 and both should get a “second-year bonus.” Colandrea enters his second season at the college level, and while Muskett has several years under his belt, it will be his second year at the FBS level after transferring up from Monmouth. Colandrea displayed a big arm, ability to stretch the field vertically, and a dual-threat skillset in the run game. Both guys took reps with the first string in spring, and this battle will extend into fall camp. Virginia must replace its top playmaker as Malik Washington was drafted in the sixth round. Washington came to Charlottesville from Northwestern, and in just one season he re-wrote the school record books. He posted ten 100-yard games, 110 receptions, and 1,426 receiving yards – all UVA bests. Malachi Fields moves into the lead role after his 58-reception, 811-yard junior season. Chris Tyree is also an immediate starter after leading Notre Dame in receiving yards and per-catch average last year. Andre Greene had a big 2022 season for UNC, and JR Wilson surged up the depth chart after a productive spring. The offensive line was the limiting factor in 2023. Virginia was one of just four Power 5 offensive lines to place in the national bottom 25 in both my Sack Rate and OL Run Push metrics. They allowed the most tackles for loss in the entire ACC, and the second-most sacks. Not to excuse the statistical struggles, but there was a silver lining with the run game. After averaging a nation-worst 75 yards/game during the 0-5 start, they nearly doubled to 148 per game over the final seven. At the halfway mark the staff moved Dayton transfer Brian Stevens from right guard to center and he returns as the anchor for 2024. The line benefits from returning experience: tackle McKale Boley, guard Noah Josey, and guard Ty Furnish. Three backs got 75+ carries last year, but Kobe Pace had the biggest workload and returns as the feature back this year. Xavier Brown and Noah Vaughn are the backups, but Pace should get the bulk of carries. With five one-score losses, their red zone struggles get an even bigger spotlight. Virginia placed in the bottom ten of Power 5 in red zone touchdown percentage (115th nationally). That inability to cash in could have singlehandedly tilted them from bowl season to 3-9.

DEFENSE John Rudzinski pulled off the best year-over-year turnaround from 2021 to 2022, but his second season as defensive coordinator faced some serious headwinds. A mix of preseason transfers – like national headliners Nick Jackson and Fentrell Cypress — and early season injuries ended up undoing all of that 2022 progress. transferred to Marshall. Virginia had one of the most disruptive pass rushes in America in 2022, returned all four line starters, but the defense only generated 11 sacks – tied for the fewest in FBS. Rushing defense flipped from a strength to a bottom ten national ranking. They allowed 12 more points/game and 50 more yards/game and in total this was the worst defensive collapse in the ACC from 2022 to 2023, and fourth-worst in Power 5. Starting defensive tackle Olasunkonmi Agunloye was injured in the season opener and end Kam Butler was hurt in the fifth game, meaning half of the starting front was lost for the year. 2022 star Chico Bennett failed to register a single sack in 2023 after posting seven the previous season. Butler and Bennett return at the end spots, starting tackle Jahmeer Carter is back, but Agunloye Jonas Sanker led the team with 107 tackles and earned first-team All-ACC honors. Kam Robinson was a recruiting steal over Virginia Tech and Florida State, and the blue-chipper shined in his freshman season with 71 tackles, 4.5 for loss, and a Pick Six against Louisville – good for Freshman All-America honors. Both starting linebackers Robinson and James Jackson return, plus the group added Cincinnati starter Dorian Jones after spring ball. Sanker returns to lead the secondary along with do-it-all Antonio Clary. Two transfers are battling for a corner spot: Kempton Shine (Eastern Michigan) and Big South Freshman Player of the Year Jam Jackson (Robert Morris).

OUTLOOK Five one-score losses in 2023 combined with Top 10 returning production numbers for 2024 – that combo signals year over-year improvement for Virginia. To move up from the lower-tier, Virginia needs to continue the offensive line development and get back to playing defense like their 2022 unit. One of the quarterbacks needs to step up and get the ball to this expanded set of playmakers at receiver.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW-ACC:DUKE

PICK SIX

Two years ago Duke was in full meltdown mode. The end of the David Cutcliffe era came to a screeching halt plagued by a stale offense, a broken defense, and a run of blowout losses that sunk Duke to dead last in my 2021 Game Grader. Mike Elko fixed the program instantly. Duke was a combined 5-18 in 2020 and 2021, but Elko flipped the script and posted a 16-9 record in 2022 and 2023, earned ACC Coach of the Year honors, and became the second coach in school history to earn consecutive bowl trips. Following up the 9-4 debut season, Duke hosted ACC dynasty Clemson on Labor Day night. Not only did they pull the upset over the preseason conference favorites, they dominated Clemson. The win sent off a whirlwind for the program – a field storming of Duke students and fans, their first-ever College Gameday, and an eight-week run in the AP Poll to match their longest since 1957. Star quarterback Riley Leonard’s season-ending toe injury put a damper on the season as Duke went 2-4 in the back half of the season, but even with that finish, the trajectory and momentum of the program was night and-day compared to two years prior. Off the field, Elko put notable effort into the gameday experience at Wallace Wade Stadium by moving the location of the student section, fixing the tailgate atmosphere, and even distributing custom jerseys to the whole student body. After the regular season, Elko accepted the Texas A&M head coach job – with double the Duke salary – but leaves behind a program in better shape than when he inherited it. Yes, the long-term limitations still exist like their smaller student body and alumni base, struggles with big-money NIL funds, and the lack of local/public support. But the next head coach takes over a back-to-back bowl team with experience playing and winning in the national spotlight. Duke went with a similar hiring strategy this round: a proven defensive guru with Power 5 coordinator experience. This time though, their hire brings previous ACC head coach experience as a bonus. 50 Manny Diaz returns to the ACC after leading the Penn State defense the past two years. His 2023 Penn State defense finished #1 nationally in total defense, allowing just 223 yards/game, which is actually an FBS-best since the vaunted 2011 Alabama unit. Before that he was the head coach at Miami for three years and saw mixed results amid all the pressure that comes with a former powerhouse program hungry to return to the sport’s elite.

OFFENSE Diaz built his staff to recreate what worked at Miami. His offensive coordinator hire Jonathan Brewer was an offensive analyst with Rhett Lashlee during the Diaz era at Miami. Brewer followed Lashlee to SMU as quarterbacks coach (2022) and then offensive coordinator (2023). The 2022 SMU passing offense finished in the national top ten, the 2023 unit was top ten in scoring and again placed in the top 20 of most passing metrics while winning the AAC title. The goal is to recreate SMU’s wide-open passing offense – like the 2020-2021 Miami offenses – here in Durham. They will have to start over at quarterback and in the trenches. Two-year starting quarterback Riley Leonard was poached by Notre Dame which leaves behind a fall camp battle between incumbent Grayson Loftis and Texas transfer Maalik Murphy. Loftis started six games when Leonard was injured and out of the lineup. Murphy was a former Top200 four-star and was rated as the #6 quarterback transfer this cycle; he has the stronger arm but needs to improve on his accuracy. He had some game experience at Texas too, as he started and won two games last year when starter Quinn Ewers was injured. Two-year starting running back Jordan Waters transferred out to NC State which elevates Jaquez Moore to the workhorse role for 2024. Moore rushed for 674 yards (5.8 per carry) and six touchdowns last year and Quran Boyd impressed in the spring game as the new #2 back. Duke returns a proven one-two punch with slot receiver Sahmir Hagans and outside receiver Jordan Moore who is the unquestioned star of the offense. Moore led with 835 receiving yards which is the third highest among returning ACC receivers. They got two big boosts from fifth-year super-seniors deciding to return to Durham for final bonus seasons. Outside receiver Eli Pancol is 6’3 and was missed last year, and tight end Nicky Dalmolin brings 40 games of experience. While the skill positions have familiarity, the offensive line is a complete rebuild as Duke sent their best two to the pros. Graham Barton earned second-team All-America honors and was drafted in the first round – just the fourth Duke first-rounder in the modern draft era (1967-2024). Jacob Monk was picked in the fifth round and they leave behind a mess in the trenches. Left tackle Jack Purcell transferred in from Penn, Brian Parker is at right tackle, and Justin Pickett is a surefire starter. The staff added eight transfer linemen – five from the FCS ranks. Given the loss of star power and lack of experience, it will be unlikely that Duke matches their above-average ranks last year: 30th in Pass Protection and 61st in OL Run Push.

DEFENSE Diaz is known for scheming up the most aggressive, attacking defenses in college football. As the head coach at Miami, his defenses consistently placed atop my Negative Play Rate which tracks how often the defense makes plays at or behind the line of scrimmage. Last year as the coordinator at Penn State it was more of the same, and they surged all the way to #1 overall in my opponent-adjusted defense metric. Duke had a defensive resurgence too under Elko, but almost all the top stars have departed. Longtime leader DeWayne Carter was drafted and tackle Ja’Mion Franklin and corner Al Blades made pro rosters. Then four more starters transferred out to other Power 5 programs: Aeneas Peebles (Virginia Tech), RJ Oben (Notre Dame), Dorian Mausi (Auburn), and Brandon Johnson (Oregon). Four proven stars are gone from the defensive line. The next duo up is Vincent Anthony and Wesley Williams who combined for 56 tackles, 10.5 for loss, and 3.5 sacks. Kendy Charles transferred in for one final season after a long, productive career at Liberty. Tre Freeman led the team in tackles (106), Nick Morris was third (61) and together they form a pair of returning starters at the linebacker level. Jaylen Stinson is the headliner in the secondary and has earned some All-ACC credentials throughout his career at safety. Birmingham Bowl MVP Chandler Rivers returns at one corner spot. Johnson’s transfer out to Oregon hurts the transition-year defense as he was a two-time All-ACC defensive back. The staff added linebacker Alex Howard (Texas A&M) and corner Tre’Shon Devones (Rice) in the post-spring transfer portal window. Diaz hired a familiar face at defensive coordinator. Jonathan Patke was on Diaz’s Miami staff from 2016-2021 and then led the Texas State defense to the national top ten of sacks and tackles-for-loss last year. Sounds like a Diaz defense.

OUTLOOK After an impressive two-year run Duke is back into rebuilding mode. I like the head coach hire but it will take at least one transition season due to the extreme roster turnover. All nine offensive/defensive linemen are gone along with almost all the star defenders. Duke falls to the ACC’s bottom three at #15.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW-ACC: WAKE FOREST

PICK SIX

Over the course of the past decade, Dave Clawson has built Wake Forest into a consistent winner through top-notch player development, staff consistency, and designing schemes to highlight their roster strengths. All of that stability was thrown out the window in 2023. It really started in late 2022 after the season, when the transfer portal hit all-time heights and Wake Forest was unable to retain some of their top end star players. In a developmental program like this one, the veteran players carry even more importance and Wake operates best when their starting lineup is packed with fifth and sixth-year players. There was no bigger loss than program legend quarterback Sam Hartman, who re-wrote the school record book – completions, yards, touchdowns – broke the ACC passing record, but then elected to play his final season at Notre Dame. Symbolically it was a stark reminder of the college football “food chain.” But the on-field damage was worse, as Wake Forest unsuccessfully cycled through quarterbacks all season and ended up sputtering to a 4-8 final record. It was the worst season for Wake Forest since 2015 — Clawson’s second year – and snapped their seven-year bowl streak. A losing record stung even worse for Clawson this time considering how far he is into his tenure: “I’m 10 years into this, and we aren’t starting a program. We have a program, and that was a bad performance.” Clawson noted that this time around, they had more success fending off other programs and retaining their veteran players. The slogan for his 2024 team is simple, yet a reminder that the bowl streak didn’t happen by accident, and that past teams can’t make today’s plays: “Earn It.”

OFFENSE It was a revolving door at quarterback and as a result the offense never got up to speed. Mitch Griffis was Hartman’s backup for four years, started the 2022 opener with Hartman recovering from an injury, and then started the 2023 season as the full-time starter. In his FBS games, he threw as many interceptions as touchdowns, and was pulled in the sixth game. Michael Kern finished off the Virginia Tech game but was also injured, so third-stringer Santino Marucci surprised and led the last-second win over Pittsburgh. Griffis returned to the lineup for games eight through ten before getting pulled again for Kern who led the final two games. Griffis and Kern went 0-7 in ACC play, and it’s a total reset of the quarterback room heading into 2024. Wake Forest landed Hank Bachmeier, who started games for Boise State and Louisiana Tech while amassing career totals of 8,663 yards, 51 touchdowns (24 picks) and a steady 63% completion rate. The veteran certainly brings game experience, but it will be a step up in competition from the non-AQ level to the ACC. Bachmeier led the first-team offense in the spring game and is the projected starter, although they will carry out the three-man race until kickoff. 52 Griffis and Marucci transferred out, but Kern remains in the position battle despite missing spring with injuries. In his absence, a wildcard option emerged in the spring game as incoming true freshman Jeremy Hecklinski led with three touchdown passes. The unsettled quarterback room led to the collapse of other trademark features of Clawson’s offense: vertical passing, ball security, and maximizing in the red zone. They fell to #117 nationally in explosive, long-yardage passing, #108 in turnovers lost, #113 in TD/INT ratio, and #129 in red-zone touchdown percentage. This simply wasn’t the Wake Forest we are used to.

To break out of the funk in 2024, in addition to stable quarterback play, they will need the offensive line to play to its veteran experience level and need the talented wide receiver room to make game-changing plays. All-ACC guard Michael Jurgens is gone, and they’ve still been feeling the absence of star Zach Tom. But the line returns three other starters for 2024, headlined by sixth-year DeVonte Gordon who shifted over to left tackle and immediately helped with pass protection. Gordon earned All-ACC honors in 2022, Luke Petitbon is a fifth-year and was named a captain, and Matt Gulbin returns at guard. Coordinator Warren Ruggiero called last year a “distribution problem” and they need to get the ball to their playmaking receivers – the top unit on the team. Donavon Greene missed 2023 with an injury but will be back in fall camp and should be the best of the bunch. Slot receiver Taylor Morin is certainly the veteran of the group, having placed in the team’s top three in receptions each of the past four seasons. Two starters are gone with Jahmal Banks and Wesley Grimes transferring out, but Walker Merrill, Horatio Fields, and Jeremiah Melvin keep the room packed. Fields has flashed big potential and Melvin was already drawing AT Perry comparisons. Justice Ellison transferred out to Indiana but rushing leader Demond Claiborne and backup Tate Carney are both back. In the spring game, we saw plenty of the familiar Slow Mesh plays and Wake hopes to improve on their low rushing outputs the past two seasons. best athletes on the whole team.

DEFENSE 2023 was the worst-rated defense of the Clawson era, as they placed 59th of 70 Power 5 teams in my opponent-adjusted defense ranking. The pass defense was even worse – 69th of 70 – as they were torched on vertical shots all season. Even worse news, four of their top defensive backs are gone. All-ACC safety Malik Mustapha and corner Caelen Carson left early for the pros and Wake will be relying heavily on incoming transfer Capone Blue (Kent State) and redshirt freshman Davaughn Patterson to step into starting roles right away. Patterson would have played as a true freshman last year but was injured but the staff is considering him one of the Captain safety Nick Andersen and nickel Evan Slocum return to lead the secondary. Linebacker Dylan Hazen led the team with 86 tackles and he’ll be joined by incoming Southern Illinois transfer Branson Combs, who defensive coordinator Brad Lambert called the most productive of spring. The strength of the defense is in the trenches – at least in terms of experience levels and potential star power. They fell 30 spots in rushing defense (yards/carry) but the point of attack should be stronger this year. ACC honorable mention Jasheen Davis is the headliner after posting 17 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, and the top five linemen are all back. Kevin Pointer, Justin Cody, and Kendron Wayman are returning starters.

OUTLOOK Wake Forest suffered without their four-year record-breaking quarterback and did not make enough transfer moves to bolster their roster. In fact they barely made any transfer moves at all, right there with Clemson and Stanford as the least active. Unlike those two, they do not have a blue-chip high school recruiting trend to fall back on: 63rd of 70. They finished second-worst in the ACC last year and without any significant roster change, or extraordinary amount of returning starters, they remain in that spot for 2024.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW-ACC: STANFORD

PICK SIX

A decade ago Stanford was in the middle of its Golden Age – a six-year run when Jim Harbaugh built Stanford into a physical bully, David Shaw continued the “Intellectual Brutality” and they won three Pac-12 crowns and two Rose Bowls. From 2010 to 2015 they went 66-15 overall, 44-10 in the Pac-12, and shared the lead role with Oregon. The current Stanford program is not even recognizable to that 2010s machine. Once known for physical dominance in the trenches, Stanford fell all the way to dead last in the “Run the ball, Stop the run” metric measuring yards/carry gained and allowed. They closed out the Pac-12 era on a 3-21 run in conference play, lost nine straight on The Farm, lost four of five Big Games to Cal, and have lost 13 straight ranked matchups – 12 of which were double-digit blowouts. With Shaw’s retirement last offseason coupled with a gutted roster by departing transfers, a transition year was expected. It’s one thing to expect it, but another to actually live it week to week in the fall. Stanford suffered five losses by 30+ points, lost to all three CA rivals, lost by a combined 98-16 to Big Ten bound USC and UCLA, and ultimately capped off a third straight 3 9 season. Oh, and they lost to new head coach Troy Taylor’s former team, Sacramento State, for the second FCS loss in school history (2005 UC Davis). There were silver linings from both sides of the ball. Taylor’s offense mounted a school-record comeback against Hollywood-favorite Colorado and erased a 29-0 halftime deficit to win a 46-43 double-overtime thriller that earned “Game of the Year” consideration. Bobby April’s defense held the dynamic Washington State offense to just 7 points and 4 rushing yards in the 10-7 win. Stanford’s academic prestige creates a hurdle to incoming transfers and they are getting no help from the transfer portal. Instead, Stanford doubles down on player development and roster retention. For 2024, they are relying heavily on a second-year coach bonus and year-over-year statistical gains with their high amount of returning production.

OFFENSE 54 If you are looking for an old-fashioned college football program, Stanford enters the 2020s decade as a complete throwback: signing classes exclusively from the high school level, high roster retention, player development, and extra emphasis on academics. Taylor’s offenses feature spread formations, air raid pass concepts, pre-snap motion, and run-pass options – the main objective: “finding space, creating space.” His Big Sky title teams at Sacramento State showed balance by placing in the top ten of both passing and rushing. His transition offense here was dealt a tough hand from the start with extreme roster turnover, as the entire starting offensive line, three receivers, and starting quarterback left. At quarterback, the preseason battle between Ashton Daniels and Justin Lamson was never settled. Taylor continued to rotate them throughout the whole season, with Daniels as the primary passer and Lamson taking on a 10 carry/game workload. Passing-wise, they combined to complete just 55% of passes, tossed 10 picks to just 11 touchdowns, and they both finished in the league’s bottom three in the all-encompassing passer rating. This will again be a fall camp battle in 2024 with the addition of two four-stars Elijah Brown (Mater Dei, CA) and redshirt freshman Myles Jackson. Daniels will start as the preseason favorite and he was the clear top performer in the spring game. Lamson will still be a factor in the run game, but Brown is fresh off a state title run and turned down offers from Alabama, USC and Michigan to enroll early at Stanford and compete. The entire starting lineup transferred out last offseason and the young, transition unit struggled in both pass protection and run blocking. Stanford was one of just four Power 5 offensive lines to place in the national bottom 25 in both my Sack Rate and OL Run Push metrics. That 2023 youth now pays dividends as all five starters return for 2024, headlined by Connor McLaughlin and line MVP Levi Rogers. Stanford needs to establish a traditional run game after relying too heavily on Lamson’s quarterback carries last year. Seniors Casey Filkins and EJ Smith (Texas A&M) are gone but Sedrick Irvin looks poised for the top spot in 2024. Irvin flashed in the Arizona game when he broke five tackles on one carry and later added a touchdown. The staff flipped four-star Chris Davis from Ole Miss and he should push for carries as well. Tight end Benjamin Yurosek is a major loss after he transferred out to Georgia, but otherwise the receiving unit returns intact and is the clear strength of the team. The top four wide receivers are back including starters Elic Ayomanor and Tiger Bachmeier and rotational guys Bryce Farrell and Mudia Reuben. Ayomanor should push for All-ACC honors after his 1,000-yard season. He broke the school record with 294 yards in the Colorado thriller – one touchdown was a 97-yarder and another was an acrobatic catch over media darling Travis Hunter. Yurosek was injured early in the season and Sam Roush rose to the starting tight end spot. He started 10 games and finished third on the team with 288 yards.

DEFENSE Already a statistical weakness in 2022, Stanford’s defense fell even worse in 2023. This was arguably the worst overall defense in the entire nation. There were 133 FBS teams in 2023 and Stanford finished 130th or worse in almost all key metrics. The defensive line has lost its strength over time and continues to be an area of weakness. Tobin Phillips and Anthony Franklin are the defensive line veterans but will be pushed by incoming four-stars Benedict Umeh and Dylan Stephenson. Jaxson Moi had a promising future here but instead transferred out to Tennessee. New defensive coordinator Bobby April had to replace the entire secondary, and then lost his starting safety Jimmy Wyrick in the season opener. That situation boomerangs here in 2024 as they return the whole secondary, with the exception of starting safety Alaka’i Gilman who transferred to Utah. Collin Wright is a standout at one corner spot, Jshawn Frausto-Ramos returns on the other side, and incoming blue chippers Brandon Nicholson and Cam Richardson could push into the starting rotation. The strength of the defense is at the linebacker level with David Bailey and Ernest Cooper on the outsides and Tristan Sinclair and Gaethan Bernadel in the middle. Sinclair earned All-Pac 12 honorable mention and Bernadel led the team with 87 tackles. The outside backers need to get more involved in the pass rush as Stanford placed 124th in America in my Negative Play rate that tracks disruption in the backfield.

OUTLOOK To get back to competing for bowls and league titles, there is still a laundry list of to-dos. They need to rebuild the traditional run game, they need offensive line improvement, the defense needs to beef up their line and create more disruption in the backfield. 2023 was a total rebuild and Taylor went with a youth movement. Stanford had the fifth-most snaps by freshmen and that will pay dividends in 2024 and 2025. They are in for a second rebuild year before potentially moving up the conference ladder in 2025.

NFL NEWS

RAIDERS TAB GARDNER MINSHEW AS STARTING QB

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew will be under center to start the team’s season opener against the host Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 8, head coach Antonio Pierce announced Sunday.

Minshew got the nod over Aidan O’Connell, who started 10 games during his rookie season in 2023.

Pierce credited Minshew’s experience — among other things — as the reason that he was named the starting quarterback for the start of the 2024 season.

“Experience. The operation, the processing. Everything we saw in practice, some of it showed up in the games,” Pierce said. “Lot of stuff he can get better at; I don’t think anything here is a finished product. Based off where we want to go in the first quarter of the season, we feel like Gardner gives us the best opportunity.”

Minshew, 28, was signed in the offseason as a free agent after spending last season with the Indianapolis Colts. He passed for 3,305 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 17 games (13 starts) and was a Pro Bowler for the first time.

But with the Colts committed to Anthony Richardson as their long-term option at quarterback, Minshew departed and chose the Raiders as his best option to get on the field in 2024.

O’Connell, 25, completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 11 games last season after being a fourth-round pick out of Purdue. He was 5-5 in his 10 starts.

He was especially good late in the season, firing eight touchdown passes against no interceptions over the final four games.

–Field Level Media

REPORTS: EAGLES OL MEKHI BECTON INJURES LEG AT PRACTICE

Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Mekhi Becton exited practice Sunday with an apparent injury to his right leg, according to multiple reports.

Becton, who primarily has played offensive tackle, is competing to start at right guard with Tyler Steen, who was injured during the Eagles’ 14-13 win over the host New England Patriots on Thursday.

The Eagles signed Becton, 25, as a free agent in April to a one-year contract worth $2.75 million.

The New York Jets made Becton the 11th overall selection of the 2020 NFL Draft, and the Louisville product started 13 of his 14 games as a rookie. However, a knee injury in Week 1 ended the left tackle’s second season, and Becton moved to right tackle, only to miss all of the 2022 season because of another knee injury.

The 6-foot-7, 363-pound lineman started all 16 games he played in 2023, playing 95 percent of the offensive snaps. The Jets did not pick up the fifth-year option on Becton.

–Field Level Media

REPORTS: BUCS TO RELEASE NO-SHOW RANDY GREGORY

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers reached an agreement with edge rusher Randy Gregory and will release him next week, according to multiple reports.

The Bucs placed Gregory on the reserve/did not report list on July 23 when veteran players were required to arrive at training camp.

Gregory, 31, missed the team’s two preseason games this month, and he was absent from voluntary offseason workouts and the three-day mandatory minicamp — the latter an unexcused absence. He reportedly has been fined more than $1 million.

Coach Todd Bowles said he has not gotten a reason why Gregory did not report and said, “You can’t miss what you didn’t have.”

Tampa Bay signed Gregory as a free agent on April 3 to a one-year, $3 million contract with an additional $2 million possible with incentives.

Gregory filed a lawsuit in June against the NFL and the Denver Broncos, claiming discrimination in violation of Colorado law for his right to disability accommodations. According to the lawsuit filed in Colorado, Gregory has been fined more than $530,000 since March 2023 for use of synthetic cannabis, banned by the league. Gregory said in the complaint that taking prescriptions involving THC is necessary in his treatment for social anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

He started three of four games last season for the Broncos and had nine tackles, one sack and two quarterback hits before his Oct. 6 trade to San Francisco.

Gregory appeared in 12 regular-season games and three playoff games as the 49ers advanced to the Super Bowl LVIII, which they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. He had 2.5 sacks and eight QB hits.

The Dallas Cowboys selected Gregory in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of Nebraska.

For Dallas (2015-21), Denver (2022-23) and San Francisco, Gregory totaled 117 tackles, 22 sacks, 69 QB hits, 10 forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception in a career marred by injuries and league suspensions, including all of the 2017 and 2019 seasons.

–Field Level Media

REPORTS: VIKINGS, CB STEPHON GILMORE REACH 1-YEAR DEAL

Free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore and the Minnesota Vikings agreed to terms on a one-year contract worth up to $10 million, multiple media outlets reported Sunday morning.

Per ESPN, the deal includes $7 million in guaranteed money.

Gilmore, who visited the Vikings on Monday, turns 34 on Sept. 19.

A two-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection, Gilmore recorded 68 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble while starting all 17 games last season with the Dallas Cowboys.

Gilmore has 561 tackles, 31 interceptions, seven forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in 165 career games (158 starts) with the Buffalo Bills (2012-16), New England Patriots (2017-20), Carolina Panthers (2021), Indianapolis Colts (2022) and Cowboys (2023).

He was the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year and won Super Bowl LIII with the Patriots.

The Vikings are in need of help in their secondary after Mekhi Blackmon suffered a torn ACL in training camp last month. The Southern California product was viewed as a top contender to serve as the Vikings’ third cornerback this year following the death of rookie Khyree Jackson in a July 6 car accident.

–Field Level Media

2024 NFL PRESEASON, WEEK 2: WHAT WE LEARNED FROM SUNDAY’S DOUBLEHEADER

DENVER VS. GREEN BAY

Comebacks in full swing for Broncos. Tim Patrick gave Denver something to smile about for the second game in a row following a pair of lost seasons due to ACL and Achilles injuries. Patrick hauled in a 2-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter from Bo Nix, who went to the receiver early and often en route to Patrick compiling four catches for 30 yards. Preseason or not, it’s pleasant to see the snakebitten Patrick performing well. Another Bronco with bad injury luck has been Greg Dulcich, a playmaking tight end who’s been limited to 12 games over his first two seasons due to injuries. He hauled in a pair of catches Sunday, including a nice 18-yarder. Perhaps most importantly, Javonte Williams averaged 5.7 yards on three carries, showing some great burst and delivering some hard contact. This is Williams’ second season back since tearing up his knee in 2022. If he gets back to where he was trending as a rookie in 2021, it will be a major benefit for the Broncos. It’s comeback season in Denver.

Packers backup QBs cause for concern. When it comes to Green Bay’s Jordan Love, it’s all puppies and rainbows when discussing the promise for the season ahead. However, there should be some cause for concern below Love on the depth chart. To the surprise of some, Green Bay went with then-rookie Sean Clifford as the backup last year. This season, it’s Clifford presumably at QB2 and rookie Michael Pratt behind him. With Clifford struggling, there’s been some rumblings Pratt should get the backup role, but neither elicited much confidence Sunday. Albeit playing against Broncos starters in the first half, Green Bay’s offense was shut out while Clifford (6 of 10 for 43 yards and an interception) and Pratt (10 of 16 for 52 yards) piloted an offense that totaled 10 first downs and 168 yards.

SAN FRANCISCO VS. NEW ORLEANS

Passtronaut is a whole lot of fun. Quarterback Brock Purdy was one of the 49ers starters who saw the field and didn’t do much, hitting on 2 of his 6 passes during two fruitless drives. Leave it to Joshua Dobbs to wake up this sleepy Sunday afternoon affair. Dobbs was just fun to watch, leading the 49ers on three scoring drives to end the first half, culminating with a 1-yard touchdown run in which he juked Jordan Howden en route to six. The score was set up by a beauty of a deep ball from Dobbs to fourth-round rookie Jacob Cowing. Dobbs was simply making it work, running around like he was on a playground, creating plays and excitement. Over the autumns, the 49ers’ backup quarterback spot has been absolutely crucial for the perennial Super Bowl contenders. In a pinch, Dobbs has a track record of coming through off the bench, and he can most certainly keep it interesting.

Young and the relentless. Having turned heads throughout training camp, Chase Young continued to impress Sunday against the squad he ended last season with. Young’s motor was on high, chasing 49ers starter Brock Purdy and ball-carriers, alike. In 15 snaps, he racked up a pair of tackles and three QB pressures. Saints 2023 first-rounder Bryan Bresee also had three QB pressures and got in a hit on Purdy. If Young keeps this trajectory going into the regular season, the former can’t-miss No. 2 overall pick might be back on target and a massive boon for the Saints defense.

BASEBALL NEWS

MLB ROUNDUP: RAYS BLOW 6-0 LEAD, RECOVER FOR 12-INNING WIN

Dylan Carlson’s RBI single in the 12th inning helped the Tampa Bay Rays overcome a blown six-run lead and sweep the Arizona Diamondbacks with an 8-7 win Sunday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Carlson’s liner to left scored Alex Jackson and handed Justin Martinez (5-4) his second loss of the three-game series. Edwin Uceta (1-0) earned his first career win with a scoreless 12th.

Brandon Lowe had two hits, including a two-run homer. Christopher Morel was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and a walk, after replacing Yandy Diaz (left forearm contusion) in the first inning. Jose Caballero had a two-run double, a run and three stolen bases, giving him an American League-leading 35.

Arizona’s Corbin Carroll had two hits, including a two-run homer, and Adrian Del Castillo swatted a three-run shot, the latter coming in the ninth to send the game to extra innings. Diamondbacks All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte reinjured his left ankle while pinch-hitting in the ninth.

Brewers 2, Guardians 0

Colin Rea allowed two hits over seven shutout innings and Milwaukee completed a three-game sweep of visiting Cleveland.

Rea (11-4) struck out five, didn’t walk a batter and hit two. Bryan Hudson came in to get three outs in the eighth after Rea hit Jhonkensy Noel for the second time to lead off an inning. Brice Turang had two hits and scored a run for Milwaukee.

With closer Devin Williams unavailable, Brewers left-hander Jared Koenig, who blew his only two save opportunities earlier this season, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first major league save. Cleveland starter Ben Lively (10-8) allowed two runs and five hits in six innings, striking out five and walking two.

Orioles 4, Red Sox 2

Gunnar Henderson homered for the fourth time in five games and Albert Suarez threw six shutout innings as Baltimore ended a homestand by defeating Boston.

Adley Rutschman also homered as the Orioles forged a split of the four-game series between American League East playoff contenders. The Orioles won despite producing only three hits — compared to 11 for Boston — along with one walk and two hit batsmen.

Suarez (6-4) had been given an extra day of rest and took full advantage. He allowed seven singles and struck out six without a walk. Seranthony Dominguez worked 1 1/3 innings with three strikeouts for his fourth save despite giving up Rob Refsnyder’s solo home run, his eighth of the season, with one out in the ninth.

Dodgers 2, Cardinals 1

Clayton Kershaw (2-2) threw six scoreless innings, holding St. Louis to four hits and a walk for visiting Los Angeles.

Michael Kopech closed out the victory to earn his 11th save, and Shohei Ohtanti hit his National League-leading 39th homer for the Dodgers.

Lars Nootbaar homered for St. Louis and Sonny Gray (11-8) took the loss.

Braves 3, Angels 1

Charlie Morton (7-7) gave up one run and two hits in 5 1/3 innings and got just enough offensive support for Atlanta in Anaheim, Calif.

Marcell Ozuna had two hits, Ramon Laureano homered and Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth for his 26th save for the Braves, who won two of three in the series.

Los Angeles starter Jack Kochanowicz (1-3) took the loss.

Marlins 3, Mets 2

Derek Hill scored the tying run in the seventh inning and hit the go-ahead RBI single an inning later as visiting Miami salvaged the finale of a three-game series by edging New York.

Nick Fortes lofted a sacrifice fly in the third inning while Hill, Emmanuel Rivera and Otto Lopez had two hits apiece for the Marlins, who improved to 6-10 this month. Francisco Lindor laced an RBI single and Brandon Nimmo homered for the Mets.

Reed Garrett (7-5) issued three walks while recording two outs in the eighth before Hill greeted Phil Maton with an RBI single. Calvin Faucher worked around a pair of ninth-inning singles to preserve the win for Andrew Nardi (3-1).

Nationals 6, Phillies 4

Jacob Young hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to lift visiting Washington to a win over Philadelphia in the finale of a four-game series.

Washington loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth against Phillies reliever Matt Strahm (4-2). With one out, Young’s sacrifice fly helped the Nationals avoid a sweep. James Wood blasted a 417-foot solo home run in the ninth to complete the scoring.

Jacob Barnes (7-2) earned the win with 1 1/3 innings of perfect relief, and Kyle Finnegan picked up his 31st save. Trea Turner, Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh belted solo homers as Philadelphia said goodbye to a four-game winning streak.

Rangers 6, Twins 5 (10 innings)

Adolis Garcia went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and scored the game-winning run as Texas knocked off Minnesota in 10 innings in Arlington, Texas.

Garcia, who began the bottom of the 10th on second, came around to score on Josh Jung’s one-out infield single and third baseman Jose Miranda’s throwing error. Marcus Semien went 3-for-5 with an RBI for the Rangers. Their bullpen threw seven innings of one-run ball, as Andrew Chafin (4-2) picked up the win with a scoreless 10th.

Minnesota closer Jhoan Duran (6-6) recorded the loss, despite not allowing an earned run. Starter Pablo Lopez threw six scoreless innings for the Twins, allowing six hits and three walks while striking out three. Ryan Jeffers finished 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs as Minnesota had its three-game winning streak snapped.

Royals 8, Reds 1

Brady Singer tossed six shutout innings as visiting Kansas City completed a dominating three-game sweep by routing Cincinnati.

Singer (9-8), who snapped a personal two-game skid, was not bothered by a 45-minute rain delay, limiting the Reds to just five singles. He struck out six and walked one. Vinnie Pasquantino drove in three runs for the Royals, who had 41 hits and outscored the Reds 28-3 in the series, their eighth sweep of at least three games this season.

Cincinnati starter Andrew Abbott (10-10) was charged with four runs and six hits over five innings, including a 413-foot homer to center by Dairon Blanco. The regular ninth-place hitter, Blanco entered the weekend with one homer and five RBIs. He belted three homers while driving in eight over the final two games.

Mariners 10, Pirates 3

Seattle’s offense came alive with 13 hits, including three home runs, to snap a five-game losing streak and avoid being swept with a win against host Pittsburgh.

Each of the Mariners’ nine starters had at least one hit. Cal Raleigh hit his 27th homer of the year, and Josh Rojas had two hits and two runs, including a home run. George Kirby (9-9) held Pittsburgh to two runs on four hits and struck out five across six innings.

Oneil Cruz had two of five hits for Pittsburgh, which had won its past two games. Joey Bart hit a two-run homer.

Astros 2, White Sox 0

Framber Valdez recorded his fourth scoreless start of the season and Yainer Diaz snapped a deadlock with a leadoff home run in the sixth inning as host Houston claimed the rubber match of a three-game series with a win over Chicago.

Valdez (13-5) improved to 8-0 over his last 10 starts by limiting the White Sox to three hits and one walk while notching nine strikeouts over seven innings. He retired 11 consecutive batters after surrendering a leadoff single to Nicky Lopez in the first inning.

Jose Altuve provided the Astros an insurance run with his 16th home run leading off the eighth against White Sox reliever John Brebbia. Josh Hader recorded his 27th save with an 11-pitch ninth inning that featured strikeouts of Lopez and Luis Robert Jr.

Rockies 3, Padres 2

Jacob Stallings had two hits, including a tiebreaking RBI single in the sixth inning, and Colorado beat San Diego in Denver.

Angel Chivilli (1-1) picked up the win in relief of Bradley Blalock. Victor Vodnik notched his ninth save as the Rockies won the three-game series and finished 8-5 against the Padres this season.

Manny Machado homered for San Diego, which lost for just the sixth time since the All-Star break but also lost shortstop Ha-Seong Kim to a jammed right shoulder.

Blue Jays 1, Cubs 0

Bowden Francis held host Chicago to three hits over seven innings, and Joey Loperfido’s homer made the difference in Toronto’s win.

Loperfido’s third home run of the season, a shot to right, came in the second off Cubs starter Shota Imanaga and was estimated at 409 feet. Francis (6-3) struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter in winning his second straight start and denying the Cubs a three-game sweep.

Imanaga (9-3) yielded just the one run on four hits and one walk. He struck out six but was pulled to start the sixth after throwing 97 pitches, 69 for strikes. It was his first loss since June 21.

Giants 4, Athletics 2 (10 innings)

Jerar Encarnacion and Michael Conforto hit back-to-back home runs in a three-run 10th inning for visiting San Francisco.

That gave the Giants a 2-2 split in the season series and the final Bridge Trophy, which goes to the winner of the series between the two Bay Area teams. The Athletics are scheduled to move to Sacramento next season.

The Giants’ Blake Snell struck out 10 in seven inning, and the Athletics’ JP Sears fanned nine in 7 2/3 innings. Each pitcher surrendered just one run. Ryan Walker (8-3) got the win, while Dany Jimenez (1-3) took the loss after giving up the late homers.

–Field Level Media

WNBA NEWS

ACES COACH BECKY HAMMON DENIES ANY WRONGDOING IN WAKE OF SUIT

Aces coach Becky Hammon is adamant that she never mistreated former Las Vegas forward Dearica Hamby because of her pregnancy back in July 2022.

Hamby filed a lawsuit in federal court against both the Aces and the WNBA last Monday, claiming that she was the target of “repeated acts of intimidation, discrimination and retaliation from the Aces” after revealing that she was pregnant.

The team found out that Hamby had a child on the way just weeks after the three-time All-Star discovered that she was pregnant. Hamby was then traded to the Los Angeles Sparks in January 2023, a move that Hamby believes stemmed from the pregnancy.

In the lawsuit, Hamby also claims that the WNBA did not conduct a sound investigation.

Las Vegas played Hamby and the Sparks on Sunday and came away with an 87-71 victory. Following the game, Hammon was asked about the lawsuit.

“Here’s some facts,” Hammon said. “I’ve been in either the WNBA or the NBA for now 25 years. I’ve never had an HR complaint. Never, not once. I still didn’t, actually, because Dearica didn’t file any. She didn’t file with the players’ union, she didn’t file with the WNBA. Those are facts.

“It’s also factual that nobody made a call about trading her until Atlanta called us in January (2023). That’s a fact. So … it just didn’t happen. I’m sorry, the bullying? I spoke with her every day. If she wanted to practice, she practiced. If she didn’t, she didn’t. Over-the-top care, actually. Over-the-top care.”

Back in May 2023, Hammon received a two-game suspension following the WNBA’s investigation, which lasted months. The league said that Hammon had violated Respect in the Workplace policies.

Hamby, 30, spent the first eight seasons of her WNBA career with the Aces, who were known as the San Antonio Stars for her first three years in the league.

In 242 games (85 starts) with Las Vegas/San Antonio, Hamby averaged 9.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists from 2015-22. She won a ring with the Aces in 2022 and was a two-time Sixth Woman of the Year Award winner (2019, 2020).

This season, Hamby has averaged career highs in points (18.3), rebounds (10.1) and assists (3.6) across 27 games (all starts).

Hamby was held to 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field on Sunday.

–Field Level Media

SKY’S ANGEL REESE SETS ROOKIE MARK, BUT MERCURY PREVAIL

Sophie Cunningham achieved her first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, helping lead the host Phoenix Mercury to their second win over the Chicago Sky in the last four days, prevailing 86-68 Sunday night.

Phoenix (15-13) beat the Sky 85-65 at Chicago on Thursday in the first game following the month-long Olympic break.

Chicago (11-16) played on back-to-back days on the road after winning 90-86 Saturday at the Los Angeles Sparks.

The Sky trailed by as many as 20 in the first half before the Mercury led 52-35 at halftime behind Diana Taurasi’s 15 points.

Taurasi finished with 23 points and five assists and Brittney Griner had 18 points.

Monique Billings, signed earlier Sunday to a seven-day contract, added 13 points and eight rebounds.

Kahleah Copper, who had 29 points in the Mercury’s win at Chicago on Thursday, finished with seven points on 2-for-11 shooting from the field.

Angel Reese led the Sky with 19 points and a career-high 20 rebounds.

The rookie has 20 career double-doubles after 27 games, the fastest rate at the start of a career in WNBA history.

Chennedy Carter finished with 16 points, six rebounds and six assists and Kamilla Cardoso finished with 12 points.

Phoenix outscored Chicago 11-3 in the first quarter to take a 22-11 lead with four minutes left.

The Mercury built a 32-19 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Taurasi had 12 points in the first quarter on 3-of-5 shooting from the field while making all five of her free-throw attempts.

Phoenix scored the first seven points of the second quarter, capped by a put-back by Billings to increase the lead to 39-19 with 7:02 remaining until halftime.

After Griner made a layup on the first possession of the second half, giving Phoenix a 54-35 lead, Chicago responded with a 12-0 run.

A jump shot by Carter with 6:03 left in the third cut the lead to 54-47.

Phoenix responded by scoring 11 unanswered points to build a 69-50 lead at the end of third quarter.

In that game-clinching run, Natasha Cloud and Griner each had four points while Chicago missed seven consecutive shots and committed three turnovers.

–Field Level Media

A’JA WILSON DOES IT ALL AS ACES CRUSH SPARKS

A’ja Wilson recorded game highs of 34 points, 13 rebounds, five steals and two blocked shots to power the Las Vegas Aces past the visiting Los Angeles Sparks, 87-71, on Sunday.

Behind Wilson’s dominant effort, Las Vegas (17-9) bounced back after losing its first game since the Olympic break. In the process, the Aces ended a two-game skid while sending Los Angeles (6-21) to its fourth consecutive defeat.

Wilson went 12-for-20 from the floor and 10-for-11 from the free-throw line en route to her third 30-point outing against the Sparks this season. She went for 31 points in a June 9 meeting and 35 in a July 5 contest.

However, Los Angeles knocked off the two-time defending WNBA champion Aces the previous two times. Las Vegas avoided a third such defeat and salvaged a split of the four-game regular-season series between the teams by holding the Sparks to 18 points or fewer in each of Sunday’s final three quarters.

The Aces’ defense forced Los Angeles into 21 turnovers, including six from Dearica Hamby. Las Vegas limited Hamby to 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the floor, including a 1-of-5 showing from 3-point range.

The Aces outshot the Sparks 49.2 percent to 40.3 percent overall and 44.4 percent to 26.1 percent from deep.

Rickea Jackson led the Sparks with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, but she was 0-for-3 from long range. Jackson finished with five rebounds, while Hamby led the team with 11.

Kia Nurse rounded out the Sparks’ double-figure scorers with 12 points.

For Las Vegas, Kelsey Plum went for 18 points and knocked down 4 of 7 shots from 3-point range. Jackie Young added 10 points and dished out four assists, and Tiffany Hayes posted 11 points coming off the Aces’ bench.

The Sparks were within 54-51 with 3:13 left in the third quarter following a pair of Crystal Dangerfield free throws, but Las Vegas answered with an 8-0 run that included four points from Wilson and four from Sydney Colson.

The Aces went on to lead by as many as 19 in the fourth.

Wilson had 13 points and seven boards in the first half, sending Las Vegas into the break with a 44-37 edge.

–Field Level Media

FEVER SALVAGE ONE WIN IN SEASON SERIES VS. STORM

Kelsey Mitchell poured in 27 points and Caitlin Clark broke a nearly 30-year-old rookie assist record as the host Indiana Fever topped the Seattle Storm 92-75 on Sunday afternoon.

Clark finished with 23 points, and her nine assists gave her 231 for the season, the most by a rookie since Ticha Penicheiro racked up 225 for the Sacramento Monarchs, one of the league’s original eight franchises.

Clark set the record early in the third quarter when she made a long pass up the floor to Mitchell for a layup and a 40-34 lead.

Lexie Hull was on fire from long range, making six 3-pointers and scoring 22 points, both career highs, as Indiana (13-15) salvaged its final game against Seattle after three losses this season. The Fever also matched their win total from a year ago. Hull was 6 of 7 from long range.

Seattle (17-10) got 26 points from Jewell Loyd and 15 from Skylar Diggins-Smith. Nneka Ogwumike finished with 14 points on 5 of 15 shooting, and contributed nine rebounds. The Storm have lost two straight.

The Storm trailed 35-34 at the half and 59-58 at the end of three after a 3-point attempt by Sami Whitcomb bounced off the rim as time expired.

Aliyah Boston’s jumper with 5:51 to go in the game gave the Fever their largest lead of the day at 75-65, and Indiana created even more separation when Hull hit her final 3-pointer with 4:09 to go, stretching the lead to 81-69.

Indiana missed its first six 3-pointers of the day but finished went 15 of 22 the rest of the way.

Seattle made five 3-pointers in the first half and shot just 7-of-21 overall from long range.

The Fever took command of the game in the fourth, outscoring the Storm 33-17. They led by as many as 19.

–Field Level Media

DREAM TOP SUN, EARN RARE BACK-TO-BACK WINS

Tina Charles had 22 points and 15 rebounds and the host Atlanta Dream held off the Connecticut Sun 82-70 Sunday afternoon in College Park, Ga.

Jordin Canada added 19 points, six assists and six steals, Rhyne Howard scored 13 points and Allisha Gray had 11 as the Dream (9-17) won their second straight game for just the second time this season and first since May 29 and 31.

Alyssa Thomas had 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Brionna Jones had 12 points and eight rebounds, Tyasha Harris scored 12 and Marina Mabrey added 11 to lead the Sun (19-7), who got outscored 11-0 in the final two minutes.

DeWanna Bonner made two free throws to start the fourth-quarter scoring, triggering a 9-0 run that gave Connecticut its first lead of the game, 61-59.

Naz Hillmon’s layup gave the Dream their first points of the period and tied the score, but Harris followed with a three-point play for the Sun. Connecticut led by as many as five points before an 8-0 run gave Atlanta a 71-68 lead.

The Sun got within one point, but Gray made two free throws and Howard added a 3-pointer to give the Dream a 76-70 advantage with 59 seconds left.

The Sun never led in the first half, but Jones scored the first four points of the third quarter to get even at 38. The Dream scored the next four points and held a four-point lead on four more occasions.

Canada’s second straight 3-pointer gave the Dream a 54-47 lead with 2:23 left in the quarter. Thomas made consecutive field goals to trim the lead to three points, before Atlanta rebuilt the lead to 59-52 at the end of the period.

Howard scored the first five points of the game to kickstart the Dream’s offense. They led by as many as seven points on two occasions before holding a 19-15 edge at the end of the period.

Veronica Burton’s three-point play and DiJonai Carrington’s two free throws helped the Sun get within one point early in the second quarter. Canada had two assists and made two free throws to start a 12-4 run and Atlanta expanded the lead to nine points.

Bonner scored five points and added an assist to help Connecticut close within 38-34 at halftime.

–Field Level Media

GOLF NEWS

NICK DUNLAP IN, TOM KIM OUT AS FEDEX CUP PLAYOFFS DOWN TO 50

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — South Korean Tom Kim’s loss was Nick Dunlap’s and Keegan Bradley’s gain on Sunday, when the results of the FedEx St. Jude Championship helped finalize the top 50 players in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama won the tournament by birdieing his final two holes, and he jumped from eighth to third in the FedEx Cup points standings. But every shot mattered for players not in contention for the victory, because the top 50 after the St. Jude not only qualified for next week’s BMW Championship, but they also earned entry into all eight PGA Tour signature events in 2025.

Bradley, the captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2025, entered the week 39th in FedEx Cup points but looked to be heading the wrong way by finishing the tournament 1 over. However, Bradley landed at No. 50 after Kim’s late stumble pushed him to the wrong side of the playoff bubble, the first man out at No. 51.

Kim finished his final round with a bogey and two straight double bogeys, plummeting from 6 under to 1 under for the tournament. It’s all but certain that he would have made the cut for the top 50 if he’d had a steadier finish.

Kim said he played so much in 2024, including the Olympics earlier this month, that he lost some mental sharpness over the past few weeks.

“I told myself before the day that if I didn’t play well, I really felt like I was going to finish 51,” Kim said. “I kind of told myself, ‘If that happens, I’ve done everything I could to be inside that top 50 and hopefully give myself a chance at Tour Championship.’ But I couldn’t, and I’m going to look forward to a really good offseason because I’m pretty tired.”

One huge beneficiary this week was Dunlap, who shot up from No. 67 to No. 48 in the standings thanks to a T5 finish at the St. Jude.

The PGA Tour rookie has two victories this season, but his first — The American Express in January — came when he was an amateur, and therefore didn’t accrue him FedEx Cup points by rule.

Dunlap was in contention on Sunday before settling for a 1-under 69. He finished four strokes behind Matsuyama.

“I was a train wreck,” Dunlap said. “I’m not going to lie to you. I was arguably the most nervous I’ve ever been, to be honest. I just didn’t want the season to end. I’ve been having so much fun.”

The 50 players who moved on to the BMW Championship in Castle Rock, Colo., are as follows (in order of FedEx Cup points):

1. Scottie Scheffler
2. Xander Schauffele
3. Hideki Matsuyama
4. Collin Morikawa
5. Rory McIlroy
6. Wyndham Clark
7. Ludvig Aberg
8. Sahith Theegala
9. Patrick Cantlay
10. Sungjae Im
11. Shane Lowry
12. Robert MacIntyre
13. Akshay Bhatia
14. Tony Finau
15. Byeong Hun An
16. Viktor Hovland
17. Russell Henley
18. Sam Burns
19. Billy Horschel
20. Matthieu Pavon
21. Aaron Rai
22. Justin Thomas
23. Christiaan Bezuidenhout
24. Sepp Straka
25. Jason Day
26. Davis Thompson
27. Taylor Pendrith
28. Tom Hoge
29. Brian Harman
30. Denny McCarthy
31. Tommy Fleetwood
32. Chris Kirk
33. Corey Conners
34. J.T. Poston
35. Stephan Jaeger
36. Matt Fitzpatrick
37. Will Zalatoris
38. Austin Eckroat
39. Cameron Young
40. Thomas Detry
41. Adam Scott
42. Adam Hadwin
43. Max Homa
44. Si Woo Kim
45. Alex Noren
46. Eric Cole
47. Max Greyserman
48. Nick Dunlap
49. Cam Davis
50. Keegan Bradley

–Field Level Media

KEN TANIGAWA COMES FROM BEHIND TO WIN ROGERS CHARITY CLASSIC

Ken Tanigawa completed an impressive two-day rally with a 6-under 64 on Sunday to win the Rogers Charity Classic in Calgary.

Tanigawa worked his way into contention on Saturday, moving 36 spots up the leaderboard and into a tie for fourth thanks to a 9-under 61 that featured a hole-in-one at the par-3 16th. He then rattled off eight birdies against two bogeys on Sunday to finish at 17-under 193 for the tournament, two shots ahead of Australian Richard Green.

And perhaps Tanigawa has a home-cooked meal to thank for his strong finish.

Tanigawa was staying at the home of some family friends, who cooked for him on Friday night ahead of his big second round. From there, it was smooth sailing for the 56-year-old.

“Boy, I just holed putts,” said Tanigawa, whose first-round 68 had him five strokes back on Friday. “You start making putts and then you start feeling it, and they just started going in. … It’s just putting. I made some putts and I missed a couple today, but made some good ones as well.”

Green, the second-round leader, went 2 under on Sunday due to a rocky finish at Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club. He was 4 under through 13 holes after collecting five birdies from Nos. 8-13, but he settled for bogeys at the par-3 14th and par-4 17th and never recovered.

“It’s nice to be competing and contending to do what I want to do,” Green said. “It’s just a shame that things just at the end there didn’t really fall my way. I thought they were going my way there a little bit through the middle of the round, and probably my start today didn’t really help me very much.”

Englishman Darren Clarke (65 on Sunday) and Jason Caron (67) tied for third at 14-under 196. Clarke turned in a bogey-free round, while Caron’s only slip-up came at No. 16, which he bogeyed.

“Just felt good about the speed of the greens, and next thing you know, I played good the first day, second day and today you never know what happens,” Caron said. “I played really solid again today.”

Mario Tiziani (67) landed in fifth at 13 under, and Steven Alker of New Zealand (70) had sole possession of sixth at 12 under.

Matt Gogel (66), Shane Bertsch (66) and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington (70) were T7, six shots off the lead.

–Field Level Media

BROOKS KOEPKA GETS BEST OF JON RAHM IN PLAYOFF TO WIN LIV GREENBRIER

Brooks Koepka defeated Jon Rahm on the first playoff hole to win the LIV Greenbrier title on Sunday in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.

Koepka’s final-round, 7-under-par 63 allowed him to force a playoff with his Spanish counterpart at 19-under 191. Rahm had the overnight lead and posted a 5-under 65, but Koepka made his push by birdieing three straight holes at Nos. 12-14 at The Greenbrier.

Koepka went on to make par at the first playoff hole, and Rahm had a long par putt to extend the match, but it kissed the right edge of the cup and lipped out.

Koepka had double the reason to celebrate because his team, Smash GC, took home the team title by three shots over Ripper GC, captained by Cameron Smith of Australia. Koepka, Talor Gooch, Jason Kokrak and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell combined to go 18 under par Sunday, pushing their three-day total to 53 under.

It marked Koepka’s fifth LIV victory, the most in the league’s brief history.

“I think this is probably my favorite one,” Koepka said. “It’s always good when you battle good players. I battled Gooch for a while last year, felt like every tournament, but yeah, Jon is a hell of a player. For whatever reason, he’s always got the better of me a little bit as of late. So it feels nice just to get one.”

The two playoff participants have seven major championships between them, with Koepka owning five. But Rahm got the best of Koepka in a head-to-head battle down the stretch at the 2023 Masters, before Rahm left the PGA Tour for LIV.

“I wasn’t thinking about it,” Koepka said. “It was just one of those things, just go play golf and go get it in the hole as quickly as possible.”

Koepka and Rahm finished one stroke ahead of Kokrak, who also shot a 63 Sunday. Australia’s Marc Leishman (64) and England’s Richard Bland (65) tied for fourth at 17 under.

Rahm, who fired a second-round 62 Saturday, couldn’t believe his par putt in the playoff lipped out.

“I thought it was in,” said Rahm, who was looking for his second LIV title. “I guess there’s just so many good things done this week, and only the third bogey of the week to make it in a playoff. It’s unfortunate.”

–Field Level Media

AUTO RACING

NASCAR CUP RACE AT MICHIGAN POSTPONED TILL MONDAY

The NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., was postponed until Monday at 11 a.m. after inclement weather forced the red flags to come out Sunday evening.

Chase Elliott was in the lead with Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace behind him 51 laps into the second of three stages. Ryan Blaney won the opening stage.

Rain has marred NASCAR’s whole weekend in Michigan. First, qualifying was canceled Saturday due to the poor weather, with Denny Hamlin awarded the pole position.

Sunday’s race was scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. but was delayed about 2 1/2 hours by the weather.

–Field Level Media

TOP INDIANA SPORTS/NEWS RELEASES

INDIANA FEVER

LEXIE HULL’S CAREER NIGHT HELPS FEVER OUTLAST STORM

By Madie Chandler | FeverBasketball.com

The Indiana Fever were winless in three games against Seattle entering the fourth and final matchup with the Storm on Sunday, but this one was different. Fighting for playoff positioning, Indiana sought a high-profile win, and Seattle sat at fourth in the overall rankings. Looking to elevate above the seventh position, the Fever swaggered onto the court prepared to rain on Seattle’s parade.

They did just that, one 3-point basket at a time, as they took the fourth game in the season series against Seattle in a thrilling display of shooting.

Lexie Hull stamped the first half with a timely 10 points as she navigated herself to space around the rim and beyond the 3-point line, and played her role to perfection as she connected on four of her first six shots to bring her within two points of her 2024 season high (12). Her sense for spacing created the opportunity that became Caitlin Clark’s 225th assist of the season – a WNBA rookie-assist-record setting dump-off pass as both players ran to the rim in transition. More importantly, Hull was a vital piece in the Fever’s offensive surge to flip the score by the halftime buzzer.

A slow start saw Indiana score just 13 points on 33 percent shooting and finish the first quarter without a 3-point basket. Hull made two in the second quarter as the Fever overcame a seven point deficit to lead at the break, 35-34. Kelsey Mitchell followed suit and knocked down two more in the third quarter on her way to a 10-point frame, and 27 points overall.

Indiana and Seattle remained separated by just a single point through three frames, the Fever leading 59-58.

“We felt like we could have just played with a little bit of a faster tempo,” Clark said. “We’re really good at transition, but even in the half court, we were just kind of moving a step slow, like we wanted a little more energy in the ball.

“And I think once we got that in the second half, their rotations, once they got tired, just weren’t as good. And then we were able to get, you know, not as many contested shots, and we were able to knock them down. And I don’t know what we shot there in the fourth quarter, but I felt like we made just about every shot.”

The fourth quarter swagger from the Indiana sideline was contagious. Hull took an offensive foul on the first possession of the quarter, knocked down two more 3-pointers, and then took another charge on defense. The crowd was amped, and the players on the court drew from that energy, extending the lead to 10 points with 5:51 left to play.

“Confidence is everything,” Clark said. “Confidence is good for the group, and it’s also contagious. So the more we’ve had of that, the better we’ve been. But like Christie said, obviously, playoffs is our goal. That’s my goal for this team, but it has to be one game at a time. You can’t get too ahead of yourself. That’s how good every single team in this league is.”

Indiana would ride that wave of confidence to a 33-point fourth quarter, outscoring the Storm by 16 on their way to a victory over one of the league’s top-5 teams. They dropped in eight 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, shooting a scorching 80% from deep range. Hull made four total 3-point baskets in the pivotal fourth quarter offensive effort from Indiana, ensuring their 92-75 win over Seattle and a new career high of 22 points. She made six of her seven deep tries overall – an 85% success rate from the 3-point line.

Hull got to enjoy her moment with family as her grandma and sister traveled to Indiana to sit courtside for her career night.

“To get a win in front of anyone is great,” Hull said. “To win in front of my grandma, who came all the way from Spokane, and my sister who came from Austin, It’s amazing. And to have them courtside was super cool too. So really good, really good feeling tonight.”

Hull’s family enjoyed the game with 17,272 other fans as Gainbridge Fieldhouse recorded yet another sellout for a Fever home game. They’ve performed in front of sellout crowds for all but three regular season games, and they’re using that momentum to earn an opportunity to play in the WNBA’s postseason.

“Sometimes when there’s shots that are made or something big happens, I’ve coached in this league a long time, and the way the crowd sounds and what that feels like, it’s like you’re playing in the championship,” coach Christie Sides said. “And that, for our players to experience this every night that we’re putting on our shoes and coming out and playing these minutes, it’s incredible. It’s incredible. Great time for Women’s Basketball. Great time for the Fever.”

INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS

INDIANS SEAL SWEEP OF SAINTS ON GORSKI’S WALK-OFF HOME RUN

INDIANAPOLIS – Matt Gorski launched a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to complete a comeback effort and clinch a six-game sweep for the Indianapolis Indians over the St. Paul Saints on Sunday afternoon at Victory Field, 7-6.

The Indians (24-19, 57-59) scored three unanswered runs in the final four innings to complete their fifth come-from-behind victory of the series. The six-game sweep is Indy’s second since Minor League Baseball moved to the weekly format in 2021, the other occurring July 23-28 at Iowa.

Eight pitches into the game, the Saints (18-27, 56-63) took a 2-0 lead on Michael Helman’s 13th homer of the season to left field. The back-and-forth contest took off from there, with Indianapolis plating three in the bottom of the second on an RBI double by Gorski and two-run single by Seth Beer.

Beer continued to be at the center of the Indians’ run production, trading RBI singles with Yunior Severino in the fifth inning before St. Paul retook the lead in the sixth. Rylan Bannon launched a two-run home run before an out was recorded in the inning, and Payton Eeles followed with a two-out RBI single.

The Indians began their rally in the bottom of the sixth by loading the bases with no outs on three consecutive singles. Liover Peguero scratched one run across on a groundout bobbled by the shortstop Bannon, but the threat ended there. Gorski doubled to open the seventh and swiped third base with one away but was stranded before Henry Davis tied the game on a solo homer in the eighth.

Gorski’s walk-off home run was Indianapolis’ first since Joshua Palacios launched a two-out solo homer on July 26, 2023, vs. Louisville. It was his second professional walk-off home run, the first coming in the ninth inning of a career-high three-homer performance with High-A Greensboro on May 22, 2022, vs. Bowling Green.

Aaron Shortridge got the start for the Indians and allowed five runs (four earned) over 5.1 innings. Isaac Mattson and Brady Feigl (W, 7-2) went to work as the offense battled back, posting 3.1 scoreless frames.

Indianapolis tagged five of six Saints pitchers for at least one run. Caleb Baragar (L, 0-1) entered in the ninth inning and gave up the game-winning blast.

As the eighth and ninth batters in Indy’s lineup, Gorski and Beer combined for six of Indy’s 11 hits and five of seven RBI.

The Indians travel to Columbus, Ohio, to begin a six-game series with the Clippers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, on Tuesday at 6:15 PM. Neither team has named a starting pitcher for the series-opening contest.

PURDUE WOMEN’S SOCCER

PURDUE SOCCER FALLS TO BUTLER

INDIANAPOLIS – The Purdue soccer team suffered a 3-0 loss at Butler on Sunday night at the Sellick Bowl in Indianapolis.

Concluding the opening weekend of the season away from home, the Boilermakers (1-1-0) had three shots, two on goal. The Bulldogs (1-0-1) were credited with 25 shots, nine on target, and earned 11 corner kicks.

Senior forward Gracie Dunaway and senior midfielder Cloey Uddenberg both had one shot on goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Emily Edwards made a career-high six saves, and Butler’s keeper stopped both shots she faced.

Sunday night’s matchup was the first between the Boilermakers and Bulldogs since 2012, and Purdue’s first game in Indianapolis since 2009. The Old Gold and Black fell to 6-2-0 in the in-state series.

Edwards made her first save less than one minute into the game. The Boilermaker defense then prevented shots on a pair of Butler corner kicks.

The Bulldogs took 1-0 lead at 12:45, as Norah Jacomen scored shortly after a corner kick. Another Edwards save came in the 20th minute.

Off the bench less than six minutes earlier, Dunaway quickly made her presence felt and had a chance in the 29th minute, but the Butler goalkeeper moved to her left to make the save.

Following Dunaway’s shot, the Boilermaker defense blocked four shots to conclude the first half, two of which came one minute after Dunaway’s opportunity.

The home side had nine shots, three on target in the first half, and the visitors had one shot, which went on goal. Butler had seven corner kicks and did not allow one.

BU extended its lead to 2-0 when Talia Sommer scored at 55:52. The goal was assisted by Caitlin O’Malley.

Edwards made her third save in the 62nd minute, and Purdue’s sophomore goalkeeper made two more stops on back-to-back chances 10 seconds apart less than four minutes later.

Uddenberg had an opportunity in the 68th minute, but her shot was saved.

Butler made it a 3-0 game as Alexei Whittaker scored at 78:01, with an assist to Leila Lister.

Junior defender Sabrina Blount had a shot high in the 80th minute, and Edwards made her sixth save of the night 30 seconds later.

In the second half, Butler had 16 shots, six on goal, and Purdue had two shots, one on target. The Bulldogs earned four corners.

Purdue returns home for two games next week, beginning against Loyola Chicago on Thursday, August 22, at 7 p.m. Kickoff is free for all fans to the contest and each regular-season home game at Folk Field.

NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S SOCCER

HUGE SECOND HALF LEADS TO 6-0 WIN AT SAMFORD

HOMEWOOD, Ala. – Notre Dame women’s soccer competed in its first road contest of the 2024 season and earned victory No. 1 as well, defeating the Samford Bulldogs, 6-0. It was just 1-0 at the half, then the Irish poured it on with five goals in the second. It marked the first time Notre Dame scored 5 goals in a half since defeating Detroit Mercy 8-0 on Sept. 9, 2021.

Freshman Izzy Engle stole the spotlight in the victory, recording a second-half hat-trick. In fact, she scored all three goals in a 10-minute and 30-second span.

Engle’s hat trick tonight is the third quickest in program history as Kerri Hanks (2005) and Rosella Guerrero (1992) each had one in their season openers. Engle tied Hanks for earliest for a true road game (Hanks had back-to-back hat tricks to start her career – neutral site then road).

Engle also joined elite company with Irish great Melissa Henderson, who was the last freshman to record a hat trick (Henderson – at Cincinnati on Sept. 28, 2008 in a 6-0 win).

Sophomore Atlee Olofson started in net to help secure the first victory of the year. She only needed to make two saves but the first in particular was a tremendous one, stopping a point-blank shot in the eighth minute.

Lastly, get this – out of the 17 points recorded in tonight’s 6-0 win, 15 were registered by freshmen or sophomores.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Notre Dame’s top-returning points-getter Ellie Ospeck netted the first goal in the 20th minute. Freshman Lily Joseph collected her first career assist by dumping a ball into the box for Ospeck, who then touched it past the keeper and a defender and buried it. The Irish ultimately carried a 1-0 lead into halftime.

The second goal came in the 55th minute off a corner kick and it was a freshman-to-freshman connection. After playing it short to Grace Restovich, the St. Louis native crossed it to the back post and found defender Abby Mills for her first goal in an ND uniform. For Restovich, it was her second assist in as many games.

Next, was the flurry of four goals that came in a 10.5 minute span – three of which came from Engle.

Engle’s first goal was an absolute golazo and #SCTop 10 worthy. From distance, Engle bent a shot into the upper-90 right-hand side.

Engle’s second goal was yet another freshman-to-freshman connection as Annabelle Chukwu toe-poked a ball forward past the Samford defense to a sprinting Engle who tucked it away.

The third goal was scored similarly. Sophomore Charlie Codd found Engle who found a hole in the Bulldog defensive line. The result was a one-touch into the corner for the hat trick.

Sprinkled into the Engle hat trick was a Restovich goal in the 82nd minute. Sophomore Morgan Roy hit a cross from the right side of the box and Restovich headed it in from just inside the six-yard box. Restovich earned three points on the night and quickly has four on the season.

BUTLER WOMEN’S SOCCER

BUTLER NETS THREE, SHUTS OUT PURDUE

INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler women’s soccer team shut out Purdue, 3-0, for its first win of the 2024 season. The Bulldogs (1-0-1) scored one in the first half and added a pair in the second, outshooting the Boilermakers (1-1-0) by a 25-3 margin. With the win, Co-Head Coach Tari St. John is now 2-1 when coaching against her alma mater.

Key Moments

13′ | Abigail Isger serves a corner kick just inside the bar. A Purdue defender heads the ball away, but Norah Jacomen sends the bouncing ball directly in from nine yards out. Butler jumps in front, 1-0.

HALFTIME

56′ | A Caitlin O’Malley diagonal ball from the defensive line finds Talia Sommer in the middle of the field. Sommer advances and sends a high-arching shot between two defenders and over the outreached hands of the Boilermaker keeper, putting the Dawgs up two.

78′ | Leila Lister has the ball on the right side and plays it toward the top of the area. As Purdue’s keeper prepares to collect the bouncing ball, Alexei Whittaker slides past the last defender and punches in the final goal of the match.

Butler Points Summary

GOALS: Norah Jacomen, Talia Sommer, Alexei Whittaker

ASSISTS: Caitlin O’Malley, Leila Lister

Bulldog Bits

·   Norah Jacomen’s goal was her first of the season and the 10th of her career.

·   Talia Sommer’s goal was her first of the season and the 12th of her career.

·   Alexei Whittaker’s goal was her first of the season and the fifth of her career.

·   Caitlin O’Malley’s assist was her first of the season and the second of her career.

·   Leila Lister’s assist was her first of the season and the second of her career.

·   Anna Pierce had two saves for her first shutout of the season, the seventh of her career.

·   Butler’s most recent win over a Big Ten opponent was a 1-0 upset of No. 9 Michigan on August 21, 2022. The program’s most recent win in the Sellick Bowl was a 3-1 victory over Northwestern on August 26, 2021.

Up Next

The Bulldogs travel to Drake for a match on Sunday, August 25.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S SOCCER

MASTODONS DRAW AT HEFNER IN HOME OPENER

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne women’s soccer team earned a scoreless draw in the 2024 home opener against Illinois State on Sunday (Aug. 18) afternoon.

The Mastodons nearly found the back of the net in the 32nd minute. Lauryn Brucchieri ripped a shot from just outside of the box that deflected off the crossbar. Purdue Fort Wayne rallied behind this shot, as they controlled possession and attempted two more shots before the half came to a conclusion. Three of the Mastodons’ four shots in the first half came from the bench.

Illinois State had back-to-back chances at the opening of the second half, both were saved by Jordan Imes. The redshirt junior Imes finished with five saves in the game to earn her first career shutout.

The final 31 minutes of the contest saw only five combined shots attempted with the ‘Dons taking four of them. The ‘Dons finished with a 9-8 edge in shots in the game.

Purdue Fort Wayne moves to 0-1-1 and Illinois State is now 1-0-1. The Mastodons will host Tiffin on Thursday (Aug. 22) at the Hefner Soccer Complex at 7 p.m.

SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S SOCCER

USI DROPS SEASON OPENER AT ARKANSAS STATE

JONESBORO, Ark. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer opened its 2024 season by falling 3-0 on the road to Arkansas State University on Sunday afternoon.

USI got some offensive momentum out of the gate by putting together three possessions ending in shots on goal in the first twenty minutes. The best scoring chance early came off the leg of senior midfielder Maggie Duggan (Defiance, Missouri) from outside the box that forced Arkansas State’s goalkeeper to make a save to her left.

The Screaming Eagles were solid on defense in the opening minutes, holding the Red Wolves scoreless through the first 20-plus minutes of the game. Then the Red Wolves put one in the back of the net to go up 1-0 in the 25th minute after a free kick led to a secondary chance and a header in.

From there, Arkansas State built on its momentum in the attacking half. A strike from outside the box that found the top corner of the goal doubled the Red Wolves’ advantage, 2-0, before closing out the rest of the first half.

Southern Indiana began the second stanza with good urgency, possessing the ball in the offensive midfield and hindering Arkansas State from transition opportunities in the early minutes of the second half. USI sophomore midfielder Pilar Torres (Chula Vista, California) had one of the Eagles’ best chances out of the intermission with a shot that deflected off a defender and barely missed the bottom corner of the goal in the 51st minute.

Arkansas State went on to add a third goal in the 61st minute from the penalty spot that just snuck past the outstretched glove of USI redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Anna Markland (Hoover, Alabama).

Markland finished with six saves in the match, including a diving save on a close-range shot in the 74th minute.

Despite USI generating a similar number of second-half shot chances to Arkansas State, the Screaming Eagles ran out of time. Southern Indiana produced seven shots in the second half compared to four in the first half of play.

Southern Indiana totaled 11 shots with four on goal Sunday afternoon. Torres had a team-high three shots for the Eagles. Arkansas State placed nine of 18 shot attempts on target while improving to 2-0 with the win.

USI continues its non-conference schedule on Thursday at 7 p.m. when the Screaming Eagles make their home debut from Strassweg Field against Robert Morris University. Coverage links for Thursday’s match can be found at usiscreamingeagles.com.

MARIAN WOMEN’S SOCCER

KNIGHTS COME OUT VICTORIOUS IN HOME OPENER AGAINST ST. AMBROSE

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Marian women’s soccer team opened up their 2024 campaign with a 4-2 win over St. Ambrose.

Marian took an early lead with Layla Brown scoring the first goal within a minute of play. Katie Koger quickly followed up with a goal a few minutes later at the 4:19 mark to allow the Knight to take a quick 2-0 lead over the fighting bees. St. Ambrose pushed at the Knights lead with a goal by Kendall Wendt to bring the game down to a one goal difference. Kendall Wendt brought it to a tied game with another goal bringing the game 2-2 at the 25:14 mark. The Knights defense held for the remainder of the first half. With 14 shots seven on goal and eight corner kicks totaling for the first half.

The Fighting Bees started off the second half with four shots but were to no avail. Mycheala Johnson put in the work defending the goal. Koger started off a six shot rally for the Knights to break the tie but were held back by the Fighting Bees defense. Marian Corro Celma benefited off of a penalty kick at the 72nd minute to put the Knights in the lead 3-2 and score the game winning goal. Lizzie Chlystun finished the night off with her first goal for Marian with the assist from Naomi Walters to finish off the game 4-2.

The home team out-shot the visitors 26-6 (15-3 on target). The Knights had 12 corner kicks, while the Fighting Bees had one. Koger led the team with six shots, four on goal, while Olivia Parmer had three all on goal, and Brown had three two on goal. Johnson took home the first win of the season.

The Knights will be back in action at home Wednesday against IU Kokomo with kickoff set for 7:00 pm.

INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEBSITES

INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/

EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/

WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/

FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/

ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/

ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index

TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index

BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/

DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/

HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/

MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/

HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/

OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx

ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index

IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/

IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/

IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/

PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/

INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx

GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/

ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/

GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/

HOY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php

TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/

VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index

NUMBERS IN SPORTS

4 – 46 – 30

August 19, 1911 – NY Giant Christy Mathewson loses after beating Reds 22 straight times

August 19, 1917 – Sunday benefit baseball game at New York’s Polo Grounds results in John McGraw & Christy Mathewson’s arrest for violating Blue laws

August 19, 1921 – Detroit’s Tiger Ty Cobb, is 4th to get 3,000 hits against Boston Red Sox, the youngest ever

August 19, 1945 – The Philadelphia Phillies Number 4, Jimmie Foxx, at age 37, pitched the 1st 7 innings versus the Cincinnati Reds and won. Remember for the majority of his career he played first base, Third base and catcher.

August 19, 1951 – He may have had the smallest MLB strike zone ever! In a publicity stunt of sorts, the St Louis Browns, Bill Veeck sent Eddie Gaedel, a 3’7″ little person, to pinch-hit. The season was all but lost for the Browns and Veeck had a reputation for stirring up interest for the team even in the worst of years. As for Gaedel’s at bat, he walked on four pitches, became the smallest MLB player on record and had the most unique jersey Number of all, Number 1/8.

August 19, 1965 – Cincinnati Reds pitcher Jim Maloney, Number 46 threw his second no-hitter of the season in 1-0 win over the Chicago Cubs

August 19, 1990 – Los Angeles Dodgers’ infielder Jose Offerman, Number 30 hit a home run in his first MLB at bat against the Montreal Expos.

FOOTBALL HISTORY

This day in football history

August 19, 1983 – Former LSU and AFL/NFL football star Billy Cannon (see August 2) was sentenced to 5 years in prison for counterfeiting after getting involved in some bad real estate investments. After serving 2-1/2 years he was hired by the correctional facility he served time in to be their dentist, a profession he had practiced after college.

August 19, 2000 – Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium opened for its first live action in a preseason contest as the Bengals hosted the Chicago Bears. In our Newspapers.com Football History Headline of the day we use the Cincinnati Enquirer’s August 20, 2000 headline of :

Bengals Finally Capitalize in Redzone

The story celebrates the fact the Bengals offense went 3 for 3 inside the Chicago Bears twenty yard line for 3 first half touchdowns to help them to a 24-20 victory. Former number one pick Akili Smith went 21 of 29 for 184 yards and led three scoring drives in the win giving hope to Bengals fans on the 1999 NFL Draft number 3 overall selection.

Hall of Fame Birthdays

August 19, 1946 – Bob Johnson was a center from Tennessee who  entered the College Football Hall of Fame ranks in 1989. Johnson finished 6th in the Heisman voting in 1967, pretty darn great for a an offensive lineman!

August 19, 1958 – Ontario, California – Anthony Muñoz was a 6-6, 278 pound offensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals for 13 seasons. He was named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade and NFL 75th Anniversary Teams. His great play at the position earned him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in 1998.

August 19, 1960 – Morten Andersen was Pro Football Hall of Fame Kicker most notable for the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saint in the NFL. The Danish- American kicker had a remarkable 26 year career in the NFL! He attended Michigan State University prior to his NFL career. For his career Andersen booted  565 field goals through the uprights in 709 attempts  and he kept a lofty 98.8 % accuracy with his 849 extra points made in 859 attempts. Morten is only one of three kickers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame that did not play another position. The others were Jan Stenerud and Ray Guy.

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

Aug. 19

1909 — The Philadelphia Phillies were rained out for the 10th consecutive day, a major league record.

1913 — The Chicago Cubs tagged Grover Alexander for nine straight hits and six runs for a 10-4 triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies.

1921 — Detroit’s Ty Cobb got his 3,000th career hit at age 34, the youngest player to reach that plateau. The milestone hit was a single off Elmer Myers of the Boston Red Sox.

1934 — Moose Solters of the Boston Red Sox hit for the cycle in an 8-6 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park.

1951 — Eddie Gaedel, a 65-pound midget who was 3-foot-7, made his first and only plate appearance as a pinch-hitter for Frank Saucier of the St. Louis Browns. Gaedel wearing No. 1/8 was walked on four pitches by Detroit Tigers pitcher Bob Cain and then was taken out for pinch-runner Jim Delsing. The gimmick by Browns owner Bill Veeck was completely legal, but later outlawed.

1957 — New York Giants owner Horace Stoneham announced that the team’s board of directors had voted 8-1 in favor of moving to San Francisco. The Giants would start the 1958 season in Seals Stadium.

1965 — Jim Maloney of the Cincinnati Reds no-hit the Cubs 1-0, in 10 innings in the first game of a doubleheader at Chicago. Leo Cardenas homered in the 10th for the Reds.

1969 — Ken Holtzman of the Cubs blanked the Atlanta Braves with a 3-0 no-hitter at Wrigley Field. Ron Santo’s three-run homer in the first inning provided the Cubs’ offense.

1990 — Bobby Thigpen recorded his 40th save as the Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers 4-2. Thigpen became the eighth — and fastest — to accomplish this feat.

1992 — Bret Boone made history when he became part of the first three-generation family to play in major league baseball. Boone is the grandson of Ray Boone, who played from 1948-60, and son of Bob Boone, from 1972-90. Bret, 23, completed the triangle when he started at second base for the Seattle Mariners against Baltimore.

2007 — Johan Santana finished with a franchise-record 17 strikeouts in eight innings to help Minnesota edge Texas 1-0.

2009 — Florida reached 10 hits for the 15th straight game in a 6-3 loss at Houston, matching the longest streak since the St. Louis Browns had one that long in 1937. The Marlins were held to four hits the next game.

2011 — LaGrange, Ky., starter Griffin McLarty struck out 12 and hit a homer in a 1-0 victory over the hometown favorites from Clinton County in the Little League World Series at South Williamsport, Pa. The game drew 41,848 fans, breaking the record of 40,000 set in the 1989 and 1990 championship games.

2016 — Jose Altuve homered and had five RBIs, and the Houston Astros beat the Baltimore Orioles 15-8 despite allowing four home runs in the first inning. The Orioles became the first team in the modern era (since 1900) to open a game with four home runs before making an out. Adam Jones hit Collin McHugh’s first pitch into the seats in left field and Hyun Soo Kim singled before Manny Machado, Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo homered in succession.

Aug. 20

1912 — Walter Johnson won his American League-record 15th straight game, downing Cleveland 4-2 in the opener of a doubleheader. Washington’s Carl Cashion pitched a six-inning no-hitter to give the Senators a 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians in the second game, which was called to allow Cleveland to catch a train to Boston.

1938 — New York’s Lou Gehrig hit his 23rd and the final grand slam of his career and drove in six runs to lead the Yankees to an 11-3 win over the Philadelphia Athletics.

1945 — Tommy Brown, 17 years, 8 months, 14 days, of the Brooklyn Dodgers became the youngest major league player to hit a home run when he connected in Ebbets Field against Preacher Roe of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

1957 — Bob Keegan of the Chicago White Sox pitched a 6-0 no-hit victory over the Washington Senators in the second game of a doubleheader.

1958 — Detroit’s Jim Bunning pitched a no-hitter to lead the Tigers to a 3-0 win over the Boston Red Sox in the opening game of a doubleheader at Fenway Park.

1961 — The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Milwaukee Braves 7-4 in the second game of a doubleheader to snap a 23-game losing streak, a modern record.

1965 — Milwaukee’s Eddie Mathews hit his 28th home run, and the Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3. With the homer, the duo of Mathews and Hank Aaron passed the Babe Ruth-Lou Gehrig total of 772 home runs to become the top home-run tandem in major league history.

1974 — Nolan Ryan of the California Angels struck out 19 Tigers in a 1-0, 11-inning loss to Detroit. It was the third time this season that Ryan struck out 19 batters in a game.

1980 — Pittsburgh’s Omar Moreno stole his 70th base of the season in a 5-1 loss to Houston, to become the first player this century with three consecutive 70-steal seasons. The fleet outfielder swiped 71 in 1978, 77 in 1979.

1989 — New York’s Howard Johnson hit his 30th home run of the season in the Mets’ 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers and joined Bobby Bonds and Willie Mays as the only players to achieve 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in two different seasons.

1995 — Jose Mesa of the Cleveland Indians picked up his 37th save in 37 opportunities to set a major league record, and the Indians beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-5.

2005 — The Kansas City Royals ended baseball’s longest losing streak in 17 years, defeating the Oakland Athletics 2-1 to end a club-record 19-game skid.

2014 — The San Francisco Giants became the first team since 1986 to win a protest. Rain caused a delay during an Aug. 19 game after the grounds crew couldn’t put the tarp down quickly, and the umpires deemed the field unplayable. The Cubs were declared the winners by a 2-0 score after 4 1/2 innings. MLB ruled to resume the rain-shortened game with the Cubs batting in the bottom of the fifth.

2019 — By defeating the Blue Jays, 16 – 3, Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers notches win #166 to pass Sandy Koufax for most by a lefthander in franchise history.

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Aug. 21

1926 — Ted Lyons of the Chicago White Sox pitched a no-hitter over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The 6-0 victory was achieved in 1 hour, 7 minutes.

1930 — Chick Hafey of the St. Louis Cardinals hit for the cycle and drove in five runs in a 16-6 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies.

1931 — Babe Ruth hit his 600th home run as the Yankees beat the St. Louis Browns 11-7.

1947 — The first Little League World Series was at Williamsport, Pa. The Maynard Midgets of Williamsport won the series.

1972 — Steve Carlton of Philadelphia had his 15-game winning streak snapped when Phil Niekro and the Atlanta Braves beat the Phillies 2-1 in 11 innings.

1975 — Pitching brothers Rick and Paul Reuschel of the Chicago Cubs combined to throw a 7-0 shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Rick went 6 1-3 innings and Paul finished the shutout for the first ever by two brothers.

1982 — Milwaukee pitcher Rollie Fingers became the first player to achieve 300 career saves as the Brewers beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2.

1986 — Spike Owens had four hits and became the first major league player in 40 years to score six runs in a game as the Boston Red Sox routed the Cleveland Indians 24-5 with a 24-hit attack.

2007 — Garret Anderson of the Los Angeles Angels drove in a team-record 10 runs in an 18-9 rout of the New York Yankees. Anderson hit a grand slam, a three-run homer, a two-run double and an RBI double to become the 12th player in major league history to have 10 RBIs in a game.

2007 — Arizona’s Mark Reynolds tied the major league record for consecutive strikeouts by a non-pitcher when he fanned in his ninth straight plate appearance in a 7-4 loss to Milwaukee. Reynolds struck out in his first two at-bats against Dave Bush to match the record. Bush hit Reynolds with a pitch in the sixth, ending the streak.

2011 — Johnny Damon lost a grand slam to a video review in the seventh inning, then hit a game-ending home run in the ninth that lifted the Tampa Bay Rays over the Seattle Mariners 8-7. Damon connected for a leadoff shot in the ninth on the first pitch from Dan Cortes. The Rays trailed 5-4 in the seventh when Damon launched a drive to right-center field. First ruled a home run, the umpires changed the call to a three-run double after a video review.

2015 — Mike Fiers pitched the second no-hitter in the major leagues in nine days, leading the Houston Astros to a 3-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Having never thrown a complete game in his five-year career, Fiers was dominant. He struck out 10 and walked three, retiring the final 21 batters. Fiers struck out Justin Turner on his 134th pitch to end it.

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Aug. 22

1917 — Pittsburgh’s Carson Bigbee set a major league record — since tied — with 11 at-bats in a 22-inning game against Brooklyn. Pirate Elmer Jacobs pitched 16 2-3 innings in relief. The game was also the fourth consecutive extra-inning game by the Pirates for a total of 59 innings, a National League record.

1934 — Pitcher Wes Ferrell hit two home runs to give the Boston Red Sox a 3-2 triumph over the Chicago White Sox in 12 innings. Trailing 2-1, Ferrell hit a home run in the eighth inning to tie the score and with two out in the 12th, Ferrell connected again for the game-winner.

1961 — Roger Maris, en route to his 61-home run season, became the first player to hit his 50th homer in August. He connected off California pitcher Ken McBride in a 4-3 loss to the Angels.

1965 — In the third inning of a game against Los Angeles, pitcher Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants hit catcher John Roseboro of the Dodgers in the head with his bat. A 14-minute brawl ensued and Roseboro suffered cuts on the head. Marichal thought Roseboro threw too close to his head when returning the ball to Sandy Koufax.

1971 — The Oakland Athletics opened and closed the game with solo homers to beat the Boston Red Sox 2-1. Boston pitcher Sonny Siebert gave up both, Bert Campaneris lead off the game and Reggie Jackson ended it with two out in the ninth inning.

1984 — New York Mets right-hander Dwight Gooden, at 19, fanned nine San Diego Padres to become the 11th rookie to strike out 200 batters in one season.

1989 — Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers became the first pitcher to strike out 5,000 batters. Ryan struck out 13, walked two and allowed only five hits in a 2-0 loss to Oakland. Ryan began the night needing six strikeouts and fanned Rickey Henderson swinging, leading off the fifth inning, for the record.

1999 — Mark McGwire became the first player to hit 50 homers in each of four consecutive seasons, hitting Nos. 49 and 50 in the first game of a doubleheader against the New York Mets.

2007 — The Texas Rangers became the first team in 110 years to score 30 runs in a game, setting an American League record in a 30-3 rout of the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of a doubleheader. It was the ninth time a major league team scored 30 runs, the first since the Chicago Colts set the major league mark in a 36-7 rout of Louisville in a National League game on June 28, 1897.

2012 — Oakland A’s P Bartolo Colon is suspended for 50 games for testing positive for testosterone, eight days after Giants OF Melky Cabrera was also suspended for using the same performance-enhancing substance.

2016 — Adrian Gonzalez hit three of the Dodgers’ seven homers — driving in a career-high eight runs — to lead Los Angeles to an 18-9 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

2021 — Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers becomes the 28th player to hit 500 home runs with a solo home run off of Steven Matz of the Blue Jays.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

Aug. 19

1909 — The first race is held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Twelve-thousand spectators watch Austrian engineer Louis Schwitzer win a five-mile race with an average speed of 57.4 miles per hour. The track’s surface of crushed rock and tar breaks up in a number of places and causes the deaths of two drivers, two mechanics and two spectators.

1921 — Detroit’s Ty Cobb gets his 3,000th career hit at age 34, the youngest player to reach that plateau.

1934 — Helen Hull Jacobs wins the women’s title in the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championships.

1981 — Renaldo Nehemiah sets the world record in the 110 hurdles with a time of 12.93 seconds in a meet at Zurich, Switzerland.

1984 — Lee Trevino beats Gary Player and Lanny Wadkins by four strokes to take the PGA championship at Shoal Creek, Alabama.

1993 — Sergei Bubka wins his fourth consecutive pole vault title at the World Track and Field championships at Stuttgart, Germany.

1995 — Mike Tyson starts his comeback, knocking out Peter McNeeley in 89 seconds at Las Vegas. McNeeley’s manager Vinnie Vecchione jumps into the ring to stop the fight after his boxer is knocked down twice in the first round.

2001 — Michael Schumacher gets his fourth Formula One championship and matches Alain Prost’s series record of 51 victories by winning the Hungarian Grand Prix.

2004 — American swimmer Michael Phelps wraps up the 200/400m individual medley double at the Athens Olympics when he wins the 200m (1:57.14 OR) ahead of teammate Ryan Lochte.

2016 — Usain Bolt scores another sweep, winning three gold medals in his third consecutive Olympics. At the Rio de Janeiro Games, Bolt turns a close 4×100 relay race against Japan and the United States into a typical, Bolt-like runaway, helping Jamaica cross the line in 37.27 seconds. Allyson Felix wins an unprecedented fifth gold medal in women’s track and field, running the second leg of the 4×100-meter relay team.

2018 — Novak Đoković beats Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4 in the final of the Cincinnati Masters to become the first player to win all 9 Masters 1,000 tennis tournaments since the series started in 1990.

2018 — Jockey Drayden Van Dyke wins a record-tying seven races at Del Mar, including the $200,000 Del Mar Mile. He ties Hall of Famer Victor Espinoza for most wins in a single day in the seaside track’s history. Van Dyke’s only loss in eight mounts comes when he finishes second in the sixth race.

Aug. 20

1921 — Molla Bjurstedt Mallory beats Mary Browne, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to win the U.S. women’s national tennis title at the Germantown Cricket Club in Philadelphia.

1931 — Helen Wills Moody beats Eileen Bennett Whitingstall 6-4, 6-1 to capture the women’s title in the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championship.

1944 — Robert Hamilton upsets Byron Nelson in the final round 1 up to win the PGA Championship.

1960 — Holland’s Hairos II, driven by Willem Geersen, wins the second International Trot at Roosevelt Raceway before a record crowd of 54,861.

1990 — George Steinbrenner steps down as NY Yankee owner.

1995 — Monica Seles completes a remarkable first week back in tournament tennis, routing Amanda Coetzer 6-0, 6-1 to capture the Canadian Open. Her 74 games sets a tournament record for the fewest played by a champion.

1999 — 7th Athletics World Championships open at Seville, Spain.

2000 — Tiger Woods wins the PGA Championship in a playoff over Bob May, becoming the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three majors in one year. He’s the first player to repeat as PGA champion since Denny Shute in 1937.

2003 — The U.S. wins the women’s overall team gold medal at the gymnastics world championships. It is the first gold for the Americans — men or women — at the biggest international event outside the Olympics.

2004 — Michael Phelps matches Mark Spitz’s record of four individual gold medals in Olympic swimming by winning the 100-meter butterfly. He edges teammate Ian Crocker to win his fifth gold medal. Shortly after winning his seventh medal of these Olympics, Phelps gives up his spot in the medley relay to Crocker.

2006 — Tiger Woods wins the PGA Championship for a five-shot victory over Shaun Micheel and his 12th career major. He becomes the first player to win the PGA twice on the same course, having done so at Medinah in 1999.

2008 — Usain Bolt of Jamaica breaks the 200-meter world record, winning in 19.30 seconds at the Beijing Games. He is the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to sweep the 100 and 200 at an Olympics.

2012 — Augusta National invites former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore to become the first female members since the club was founded in 1932.

2016 — Allyson Felix and LaShawn Merritt anchor the 4×400 relay teams, and the U.S. exits the final night of action at Olympic Stadium with 31 medals — its most in a non-boycotted Olympics since 1956. The U.S. women’s basketball team beats Spain 101-72 for a sixth straight title.

2018 — Alabama becomes the second team to be ranked No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll for three straight seasons. The preseason AP poll started in 1950 and since then only Oklahoma from 1985-87 had started No. 1 in three straight years.

2023 — FIFA Women’s World Cup Final, Stadium Australia, Sydney: Spanish captain Olga Carmona scores the only goal of the game as La Furia Roja score a 1-0 win over England.

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Aug. 21

1901 — William Larned wins the first of seven men’s singles titles in the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championship.

1914 — Walter Hagen captures the U.S. Open golf title by edging Chick Evans.

1920 — Jock Hutchinson wins the PGA golf tournament with a 1-up victory over J. Douglass Edgar.

1931 — Babe Ruth of New York hits his 600th home run as the Yankees beat the St. Louis Browns 11-7.

1932 — Helen Hull Jacobs beats Carolyn Babcock to win the women’s singles title in the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association.

1982 — Mystic Park becomes the first 3-year-old trotter to win the American Trotting Championship.

1985 — Mary Decker sets the world record in the mile run with a time of 4:16.71 in Zurich.

1990 — Kelly Craig becomes the first female starting pitcher in Little League World Series history, opening for Trail, British Columbia. She fails to retire any of the three batters she faces but the Canadian champions rally for an 8-3 victory over Matamoros, Mexico.

2003 — Paul Hamm puts together a near-perfect routine on the high bar to become the first American man to win the all-around gold medal at World Gymnastics Championships. Needing a 9.712 or better to beat China’s Yang Wei, Hamm strings together four straight release moves during his 60-second routine — one of the toughest feats in gymnastics — for a 9.975 and the gold.

2004 — American super-swimmer Michael Phelps wins his 6th gold medal of the Athens Olympics even though he doesn’t swim the final of men’s 4 x 100m medley relay; US wins in world record 3:30.68.

2008 — At the Summer Olympics in Beijing, Yukiko Ueno pitches 28 innings in two days, including seven to shut down the U.S. softball team, 3-1, and give Japan the gold medal. It was the first loss for the Americans since Sept. 21, 2000 — 22 straight games. LaShawn Merritt upsets defending champion Jeremy Wariner to lead a U.S. sweep of the 400 meters track event. David Neville gets the bronze. The U.S. men and women both drop the baton in the Olympic 400-meter relays and fail to advance out of the first round. Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown easily wins the 200 meters to cap the first sweep of all four men’s and women’s Olympic sprints in 20 years.

2010 — Kyle Busch makes NASCAR history with an unprecedented sweep of three national races in one week, completing the trifecta with a victory in the Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch, winner of the Nationwide race a day earlier and the Trucks race on Aug. 18, becomes the first driver to complete the sweep since NASCAR expanded to three national series in 1995.

2011 — The Los Angeles Sparks run off 16 straight points to overcome a 15-point, second-half deficit and hand the Tulsa Shock their WNBA-record 18th consecutive loss with a 73-67 victory. The Atlanta Dream lost 17 in a row in their inaugural season of 2008.

2016 — Kevin Durant scores 30 points and helps the Americans rout Serbia 96-66 for their third straight gold medal. That caps an Olympics in which the U.S. dominated the medal tables, both the gold (46) and overall totals (121). The 51-total-medal margin over second-place China the largest in a non-boycotted Olympics in nearly a century.

2018 — Liu Xiang of China sets a world record time of 26.98 seconds to win the women’s 50-meter backstroke gold medal at the Asian Games. Liu becomes the first woman to swim under 27 seconds in the event, breaking the mark of 27.06 set by fellow Chinese swimmer Zhao Jing at the 2009 world championships in Rome.

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Aug. 22

1851 — The United States wins the first international yacht race. The schooner named “America” beats 14 British yachts.

1885 — Richard Sears beats Godfrey M. Brinley, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 to win the U.S. men’s national tennis championship held at the Newport (R.I.) Casino.

1898 — Malcolm Whitman beats Dwight F. Davis, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 to win the U.S. men’s national tennis championship held at the Newport (R.I.) Casino.

1948 — The Chicago Cardinals beat the College All-Stars 28-0 in front 101,220 fans at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

1949 — The Philadelphia Eagles beat the College All-Stars 38-0 at Chicago’s Soldier Field. It’s the largest shutout in the series, later matched by Green Bay in 1966.

1950 — Althea Gibson becomes the first black tennis player to be accepted in competition for the national championship.

1957 — Floyd Patterson knocks out Pete Rademacher in the sixth round to retain his world heavyweight title at Sicks Stadium in Seattle.

1965 — In the third inning of a game against Los Angeles, pitcher Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants hits catcher John Roseboro of the Dodgers in the head with his bat. A 14-minute brawl ensues and Roseboro suffers cuts on the head. Marichal thought Roseboro threw too close to his head when returning the ball to Sandy Koufax.

1984 — Evelyn Ashford sets the world record in the 100-meter dash with a clocking of 10.76 seconds in a meet at Zurich, Switzerland.

1987 — Brazil snaps the 34-game winning streak of the U.S. men’s basketball team with a 120-115 victory in the Pan Am Games. Oscar Schmidt scores 46 points to lead Brazil. Cuba wins a record 10 of 12 gold medals in boxing and beats the U.S. 13-9 in the baseball final.

1989 — Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers becomes the first pitcher to strike out 5,000 batters in a 2-0 loss to the Oakland Athletics. Ryan fans Rickey Henderson swinging on a 3-2, 96 mph fastball for No. 5,000.

1994 — DNA testing links O.J. Simpson to murder of Nicole Simpson & Ron Goldman.

1999 — Jenny Thompson breaks Mary T. Meagher’s 18-year-old 100-meter butterfly record at the Pan Pacific swim championships. Thompson with a time of 57.88 seconds lowers the mark of 57.93 set by Meagher.

2004 — American sprinter Justin Gatlin wins the coveted Olympic 100m gold medal in Athens in 9.85 ahead of Francis Obikwelu of Portugal & American Maurice Greene.

2007 — The Texas Rangers becomes the first team in 110 years to score 30 runs in a game, setting an American League record in a 30-3 rout of the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of a doubleheader.

2008 — Usain Bolt helps Jamaica win the 400-meter relay final in 37.10 seconds for his third gold medal and third world record of the Beijing Games. Bolt becomes only the fourth man, and the first since Carl Lewis in 1984, to win all three Olympic sprint events. Bryan Clay wins the decathlon, the first American to win the 10-discipline event at the Olympics since Dan O’Brien at Atlanta in 1996.

2018 — Ohio State suspends football coach Urban Meyer three games for mishandling repeated professional and behavioral problems of an assistant coach, with investigators finding Meyer protected his protege for years through domestic violence allegations, a drug problem and poor job performance.

2018 — The NCAA ditches the RPI for its own evaluation tool to select teams for the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Evaluation Tool will rely on game results, strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, net offensive and defensive efficiency and quality of wins and losses. NET will be used for the 2018-19 season by the committee that selects schools and seeds the tournament.

TV SPORTS MONDAY

MLB REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTV
Arizona at Miami6:40pmYurView
Bally Sports Florida
Cincinnati at Toronto7:07pmBally Sports Ohio
Sportsnet
Baltimore at NY Mets7:10pmMASN
SNY
Pittsburgh at Texas8:05pmATTSN-PIT
Bally Sports Southwest
LA Angels at Kansas City8:10pmBally Sports West
Bally SPorts Kansas City
Boston at Houston8:10pmNESN
SCHN
Minnesota at San Diego9:40pmFS1
Bally Sports North
Padres.TV
Tampa Bay at Oakland9:40pmBally Sports Sun
NBC Sports California
Chi. White Sox at San Francisco9:45pmNBC Sports Chicago
NBC Sports bay
Seattle at LA Dodgers10:10pmROOT
SNLA
SOCCERTIME ETTV
Serie A: Lecce vs Atalanta12:30pmParamount+
La Liga: Real Valladolid vs Espanyol1:00pmESPN+
Fubo
Serie A: Juventus vs Como2:45pmParamount+
EPL: Leicester City vs Tottenham Hotspur3:00pmUSA
Peacock
Fubo
La Liga: Villarreal vs Atlético Madrid3:30pmESPN+
Fubo
Argentina Primera División: Unión Santa Fe vs Argentinos Juniors5:45pmFanatiz USA
Fubo
Argentina Primera División: Godoy Cruz vs Deportivo Riestra5:45pmFanatiz USA
Argentina Primera División: Defensa y Justicia vs Banfield8:00pmParamouunt+
Fanatiz USA
Fubo
TENNISTIME ETTV
US Open Qualifying11:00amESPN2