“THE SCOREBOARD”
ADAMS CENTRAL 45, WOODLAN 6
ALEXANDRIA 20, MADISON-GRANT 14
ANGOLA 14, EASTSIDE 3
AVON 14, NOBLESVILLE 7
BATESVILLE 55, CONNERSVILLE 14
BEDFORD N. LAWRENCE 28, COLUMBUS EAST 21
BEECH GROVE 28, FRANKLIN CO. 27
BLOOMINGTON NORTH 42, SOUTHPORT 14
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 47, SEYMOUR 0
BLUFFTON 32, LAKELAND 14
BOONE GROVE 45, HAMMOND NOLL 0
BROWNSBURG 21, HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 14
BROWNSTOWN 48, SCOTTSBURG 21
CARROLL (FLORA) 24, SHERIDAN 0
CARROLL (FT. WAYNE) 51, FT. WAYNE NORTH 14
CASS 38, SOUTHWOOD 14
CASTLE 24, EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 21
CENTER GROVE 45, INDPLS CATHEDRAL 38
CENTERVILLE 49, KNIGHTSTOWN 3
CHARLESTOWN 52, EASTERN (PEKIN) 14
CHRISTEL HOUSE MANUAL 68, INDPLS IRVINGTON 0
CHRISTIAN BROTHERS, MO. 47, WARREN CENTRAL 3
CLARKSVILLE 48, CRAWFORD CO. 34
COLUMBUS NORTH 22, SOUTH VIGO 20
CONCORD 46, PLYMOUTH 6
COVENANT CHRISTIAN 38, INDPLS RITTER 13
CRAWFORDSVILLE 44, FRANKFORT 12
CROWN POINT 38, MICHIGAN CITY 0
DANVILLE 23, N. MONTGOMERY 20
DECATUR CENTRAL 36, FRANKLIN 0
DELPHI 41, TAYLOR 13
E. CENTRAL 41, INDPLS RONCALLI 7
E. NOBLE 70, BELLMONT 7
EASTERN (GREENE) 43, N. CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) 6
EASTERN (GREENTOWN) 48, CLINTON PRAIRIE 20
EDGEWOOD 46, BROWN CO. 6
EVANSVILLE BOSSE 48, EVANSVILLE HARRISON 13
EVANSVILLE NORTH 72, EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 0
EVANSVILLE REITZ 14, EVANSVILLE MATER DEI 10
FAIRFIELD 33, CHURUBUSCO 0
FISHERS 34, ZIONSVILLE 14
FLOYD CENTRAL 47, NEW ALBANY 0
FRANKTON 47, BLACKFORD 6
FREMONT 34, FT. WAYNE BLACKHAWK 0
FRONTIER 21, S. NEWTON 20, OT
FT. WAYNE DWENGER 47, FT. WAYNE CONCORDIA 16
FT. WAYNE NORTHROP 35, FT. WAYNE SOUTH 17
FT. WAYNE SNIDER 37, FT. WAYNE WAYNE 0
GARRETT 22, CENTRAL NOBLE 7
GARY WEST 30, CALUMET 28
GIBSON SOUTHERN 35, BOONVILLE 8
GLENN 53, S. BEND WASHINGTON 20
GREENCASTLE 17, N. PUTNAM 9
GREENFIELD 44, NEW CASTLE 20
GUERIN CATHOLIC 42, CULVER ACADEMY 7
HAGERSTOWN 27, NORTHEASTERN 20
HAMILTON HTS. 26, W. LAFAYETTE 23
HANOVER CENTRAL 35, HAMMOND CENTRAL 0
HERITAGE 28, JAY CO. 6
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 48, PURDUE POLYTECHNIC 8
HERITAGE HILLS 50, WASHINGTON 7
HOBART 48, HIGHLAND 0
HOMESTEAD 10, FT. WAYNE LUERS 7
INDIAN CREEK 22, NORTHVIEW 21
INDPLS ATTUCKS 70, SOUTHSIDE HOME SCHOOL 6
INDPLS BEN DAVIS 50, INDPLS N. CENTRAL 3
INDPLS CHATARD 34, CIN. ELDER, OHIO 7
INDPLS PARK TUDOR 65, EDINBURGH 6
INDPLS WASHINGTON 20, INDPLS TINDLEY 14
INDY BREBEUF 48, NORTH VIGO 27
JASPER 13, VINCENNES 0
JENNINGS CO. 28, JEFFERSONVILLE 27, 2OT
KNOX 50, CASTON 0
LAPORTE 12, PORTAGE 0
LAVILLE 52, CULVER 0
LAFAYETTE CATHOLIC 26, WESTERN 7
LAFAYETTE HARRISON 42, RICHMOND 6
LAFAYETTE JEFF 34, KOKOMO 21
LAPEL 36, EASTERN HANCOCK 31
LAWRENCE CENTRAL 21, CARMEL 17
LAWRENCE NORTH 21, INDPLS PIKE 6
LAWRENCEBURG 42, S. DEARBORN 21
LEO 43, DEKALB 14
LOGANSPORT 34, ANDERSON 27
LOWELL 16, ANDREAN 14
MARTINSVILLE 13, PLAINFIELD 6
MCCUTCHEON 41, MARION 7
MERRILLVILLE 35, CHESTERTON 7
MILAN 43, MADISON 0
MISHAWAKA 41, WAWASEE 22
MISHAWAKA MARIAN 16, S. BEND ST. JOSEPH’S 10
MISSISSINEWA 42, EASTBROOK 6
MONROE CENTRAL 22, SHENANDOAH 6
MONROVIA 44, INDPLS SCECINA 0
MOORESVILLE 24, INDPLS PERRY MERIDIAN 14
MT. VERNON (FORTVILLE) 35, YORKTOWN 21
MT. VERNON (POSEY) 38, PRINCETON 0
MUNCIE CENTRAL 41, INDPLS TECH 12
MUNSTER 28, KANKAKEE VALLEY 24
N. DECATUR 47, SWITZERLAND CO. 0
N. JUDSON 33, PIONEER 12
N. POSEY 70, PIKE CENTRAL 0
N. VERMILLION 26, SEEGER 0
N. WHITE 20, W. CENTRAL 18
NEW HAVEN 47, HUNTINGTON NORTH 12
NEW PALESTINE 38, DELTA 7
NEW PRAIRIE 16, ELKHART 8
NORTHWOOD 22, GOSHEN 0
NORTHFIELD 18, N. MIAMI 8
NORWELL 28, COLUMBIA CITY 22
OAK HILL 63, ELWOOD 0
OWEN VALLEY 53, CLOVERDALE 14
PAOLI 37, N. KNOX 30
PENDLETON HTS. 28, SHELBYVILLE 6
PENN 42, S. BEND ADAMS 0
PERRY CENTRAL 47, MITCHELL 7
PERU 52, MANCHESTER 6
PROVIDENCE 35, N. HARRISON 0
RENSSELAER 33, TIPTON 0
RIVER FOREST 62, LAKE STATION 6
RIVERTON PARKE 20, COVINGTON 6
ROCHESTER 36, MACONAQUAH 14
RUSHVILLE 52, GREENSBURG 13
S. ADAMS 48, SOUTHERN WELLS 3
S. BEND RILEY 24, JIMTOWN 12
S. DECATUR 38, DAY. CHRISTIAN, OHIO 15
S. PUTNAM 20, CASCADE 17
S. VERMILLION 48, ATTICA 0
SALEM 43, W. WASHINGTON 36
SILVER CREEK 46, CORYDON 9
SOUTHRIDGE 49, FOREST PARK 17
SPRING VALLEY 50, N. DAVIESS 14
SULLIVAN 48, W. VIGO 0
TECUMSEH 41, OPH, ILL. 6
TELL CITY 55, S. SPENCER 15
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 51, BREMEN 16
TRI 60, UNION CO. 6
TRI-CENTRAL 21, CLINTON CENTRAL 14
TRI-COUNTY 56, N. NEWTON 20
TRI-WEST 21, SOUTHMONT 7
TRITON 35, WINAMAC 6
TRITON CENTRAL 40, SPEEDWAY 7
TWIN LAKES 24, NORTHWESTERN 19
VALPARAISO 47, LAKE CENTRAL 7
W. NOBLE 48, PRAIRIE HEIGHTS 6
WABASH 35, WHITKO 0
WARSAW 24, NORTHRIDGE 10
WES-DEL 42, CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN 6
WESTERN BOONE 27, LEBANON 21
WESTFIELD 28, FRANKLIN CENTRAL 19
WHEELER 27, GRIFFITH 6
WHITE PIGEON, MICH. 72, GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN 6
WHITELAND 28, GREENWOOD 24
WHITING 30, S. CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) 8
Winchester 49, Union City 7
SECTIONAL BRACKETS: 6A Bracket | 5A Bracket | 4A Bracket | 3A Bracket | 2A Bracket | 1A Bracket
INDIANA VOLLEYBALL SECTIONAL SCORES:
https://www.maxpreps.com/in/volleyball/scores/?date=10/12/2023
Class 4A Brackets | Class 3A Brackets | Class 2A Brackets | Class 1A Brackets
INDIANA BOYS SOCCER SECTIONAL MATCH-UPS:
Class 3A Bracket | Class 2A Bracket | Class 1A Bracket
INDIANA GIRLS SOCCER -THURSDAY SCORES:
https://www.maxpreps.com/in/soccer/girls/scores/?date=10/12/2023
Class 3A Bracket | Class 2A Bracket | Class 1A Bracket
INDIANA BOYS TENNIS STATE FINALS OCTOBER 13 AND 14
FRIDAY QUARTERFINALS
CULVER ACADEMIES VS. HOMESTEAD
CARMEL VS. NORTH CENTRAL
NOBLESVILLE VS. JASPER
FLOYD CENTRAL VS. COLUMBUS NORTH
SATURDAY FINALS @ NORTH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
CROSS COUNTRY SECTIONAL-SATURDAY OCTOBER 14
1. Highland (16) | Boys 10 am CT; Girls 10:45 am CT | Results
Calumet, Crown Point, East Chicago Central, Gary West Side, Griffith, Hanover Central, Hammond Bishop Noll, Hammond Central, Hammond Morton, Highland, Illiana Christian, Lake Central, Lighthouse CPA, Lowell, Munster, Whiting
2. Chesterton (14) | Boys 10:30 am CT; Girls 11:15 am CT | Results
Andrean, Boone Grove, Chesterton, Hebron, Hobart, Kouts, Lake Station Edison, Merrillville, Morgan Township, Portage, River Forest, Valparaiso, Washington Township, Wheeler
3. New Prairie (17) | Boys 10 am CT; Girls 10:45 am CT | Results
Glenn, LaPorte, Marquette Catholic, Michigan City, Mishawaka, Mishawaka Marian, New Prairie, Penn, South Bend Adams, South Bend Career Academy, South Bend Riley, South Bend Saint Joseph, South Bend Washington, South Central (Union Mills), Trinity Greenlawn, Tri-Township, Westville
4. Elkhart (Oxbow Park) (13) | Boys 10 am ET; Girls 10:30 am ET | Results
Bethany Christian, Bremen, Concord, Elkhart Christian Academy, Elkhart, Fairfield, Goshen, Jimtown, LaVille, Northridge, NorthWood, Wawasee, Westview
5. Rensselaer Central (14) | Boys 10:30 am CT; Girls 11:15 am CT | Results
Benton Central, DeMotte Christian, Frontier, Kankakee Valley, Knox, North Judson-San Pierre, North Newton, North White, Rensselaer Central, South Newton, Tri-County, Twin Lakes, West Central, Winamac
6. Manchester (16) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Argos, Columbia City, Culver Academies, Culver Community, Huntington North, Lakeland Christian Academy, Manchester, North Miami, Northfield, Plymouth, Rochester Community, Tippecanoe Valley, Triton, Wabash, Warsaw, Whitko
7. West Noble (15) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Angola, Carroll (Fort Wayne), Central Noble, Churubusco, DeKalb, East Noble, Eastside, Fremont, Garrett, Hamilton, Lakeland, Lakewood Park Christian, Leo, Prairie Heights, West Noble
8. Woodlan (The Plex) (14) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, Fort Wayne Canterbury, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran, Fort Wayne Northrop, Fort Wayne Northside, Fort Wayne Snider, Fort Wayne South Side, Fort Wayne Wayne, Heritage, Homestead, New Haven, Woodlan
9. Delta (Taylor University) (16) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Adams Central, Bellmont, Blackford, Bluffton, Delta, Eastbrook, Jay County, Monroe Central, Norwell, Randolph Southern, South Adams, Southern Wells, Union (Modoc), Union City, Wapahani, Winchester Community
10. Marion (Indiana Wesleyan University) (15) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Alexandria Monroe, Blue River Valley, Cowan, Daleville, Elwood Community, Frankton, Madison-Grant, Marion, Mississinewa, Muncie Burris, Muncie Central, Oak Hill, Southwood, West-Del, Yorktown
11. Logansport (16) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Carroll (Flora), Caston, Clinton Central, Clinton Prairie, Eastern (Greentown), Frankfort, Kokomo, Lewis Cass, Logansport, Maconaquah, Northwestern, Peru, Pioneer, Rossville, Taylor, Western
12. Harrison (West Lafayette) (14) | Boys 10 am ET; Girls 10:30 am ET | Results
Attica, Covington, Crawfordsville, Delphi, Faith Christian, Fountain Central, Harrison (West Lafayette), Lafayette Central Catholic, Lafayette Jefferson, McCutcheon, North Montgomery, Seeger, Southmont, West Lafayette
13. North Central (Indianapolis) (18) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Carmel, Heritage Christian, Herron, Indiana School for the Deaf, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard, Indianapolis Crispus Attucks, Indianapolis George Washington, Indianapolis Metropolitan, Indianapolis Shortridge, International School of Indiana, North Central (Indianapolis), Park Tudor, Riverside, Tindley, Traders Point Christian, University, Western Boone, Zionsville
14. Terre Haute North Vigo (17) | Boys 10 am ET; Girls 10:45 am ET | Results
Clay City, Cloverdale, Dugger Union, Greencastle, North Central (Farmersburg), North Vermillion, Northview, Owen Valley, Park Heritage, Riverton Parke, Shakamak, South Putnam, South Vermillion, Sullivan, Terre Haute North Vigo, Terre Haute South Vigo, West Vigo
15. Ben Davis (15) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Avon, Ben Davis, Bethesda Christian, Brebeuf Jesuit, Brownsburg, Cascade, Covenant Christian, Danville Community, Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter, North Putnam, Pike, Plainfield, Providence Cristo Rey, Speedway, Tri-West Hendricks
16. Noblesville (15) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Anderson, Anderson Preparatory Academy, Fishers, Guerin Catholic, Hamilton Heights, Hamilton Southeastern, Lapel, Lebanon, Liberty Christian, Noblesville, Pendleton Heights, Shenandoah, Tipton, Tri-Central, Westfield
17. Mt. Vernon (Fortville) (17) | Boys 9:45 am ET; Girls 10:30 am ET | Results
Beech Grove, Eastern Hancock, Franklin Central, Greenfield-Central, Indianapolis Arsenal Tech, Indianapolis Cathedral, Indianapolis Lutheran, Indianapolis Scecina Memorial, Irvington Preparatory Academy, Lawrence Central, Lawrence North, Morristown, Mt. Vernon (Fortville), New Palestine, Purdue Polytechnic, Victory College Prep, Warren Central
18. Connersville (15) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Batesville, Cambridge City Lincoln, Centerville, Connersville, East Central, Franklin County, Hagerstown, New Castle, Northeastern, Oldenburg Academy, Richmond, Rushville Consolidated, Seton Catholic, Tri, Union County
19. Shelbyville (Blue River Park) (16) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Center Grove, Decatur Central, Edinburgh, Franklin Community, Greenwood Christian Academy, Greenwood Community, Indian Creek, Mooresville, Perry Meridian, Roncalli, Shelbyville, Southport, Southwestern (Shelby), Triton Central, Waldron, Whiteland Community
20. Southwestern (Hanover) (Hanover College) (16) Boys 9 am ET; Girls 9:45 am ET | Results
Austin, Charlestown, Crothersville, Henryville, Jac-Cen-Del, Lawrenceburg, Madison Consolidated, Milan, New Washington, Rising Sun, Scottsburg, Shawe Memorial, Southwestern Hanover, Switzerland County, South Dearborn, South Ripley
21. Brown County (14) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Brown County, Columbus East, Columbus North, Edgewood, Eminence, Greensburg, Hauser, Jennings County, Martinsville, Monrovia, North Decatur, Seymour, South Decatur, Trinity Lutheran
22. Bedford North Lawrence (17) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Bedford North Lawrence, Bloomfield, Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Brownstown Central, Eastern (Pekin), Eastern Greene, Lighthouse Christian Academy, Linton-Stockton, Loogootee, Mitchell, North Daviess, Orleans, Salem, Shoals, West Washington, White River Valley
23. Crawford County (15) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Borden, Christian Academy of Indiana, Clarksville, Corydon Central, Crawford County, Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, Lanesville, New Albany, North Harrison, Paoli, Providence, Silver Creek, South Central (Elizabeth), Springs Valley
24. Jasper (14) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Barr-Reeve, Cannelton, Forest Park, Jasper, North Knox, Northeast Dubois, Perry Central, Pike Central, South Knox, Southridge, Tell City, Vincennes Lincoln, Washington, Washington Catholic
25. Evansville Mater Dei (Angel Mounds) (19) Boys 10 am CT; Girls 10:30 am CT | Results
Boonville, Castle, Evansville Bosse, Evansville Central, Evansville Christian, Evansville Day, Evansville F.J. Reitz, Evansville Harrison, Evansville Mater Dei, Evansville North, Evansville Reitz Memorial, Gibson Southern, Heritage Hills, Mt. Vernon, North Posey, Princeton Community, Signature, South Spencer, Tecumseh
INDIANA CROSS COUNTRY: HTTPS://IN.MILESPLIT.COM/
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 7 SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, OCT. 13
TULANE 31 MEMPHIS 21
FRESNO STATE 37 UTAH STATE 32
STANFORD 46 COLORADO 43 2OT
SATURDAY, OCT. 14
NO. 1 GEORGIA AT VANDERBILT | 12 P.M. | CBS
INDIANA AT NO. 2 MICHIGAN | 12 P.M. | FOX
NO. 3 OHIO STATE AT PURDUE | 12 P.M. | PEACOCK
SYRACUSE AT NO. 4 FLORIDA STATE | 12 P.M.
ARKANSAS AT NO. 11 ALABAMA | 12 P.M. | ESPN
MICHIGAN STATE AT RUTGERS | 12 P.M.
TEMPLE AT NORTH TEXAS | 12 P.M. | ESPNU
GEORGIA SOUTHERN AT JAMES MADISON | 12 P.M. | ESPN2
KENT STATE AT EASTERN MICHIGAN | 12 P.M. | CBSSN
SACRED HEART AT YALE | 12 P.M. | ESPN+
PRINCETON AT BROWN | 12 P.M. | ESPN+
SAN DIEGO AT MARIST | 12 P.M. | ESPN+
HOWARD AT HARVARD | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
BUCKNELL AT CORNELL | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
DARTMOUTH AT COLGATE | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
GEORGETOWN AT LEHIGH | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
ST. THOMAS (MINN.) AT DRAKE | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
FURMAN AT SAMFORD | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
TENNESSEE TECH AT SOUTH CAROLINA STATE | 1:30 P.M. | ESPN+
PENN AT COLUMBIA | 1:30 P.M. | ESPN+
NAVY AT CHARLOTTE | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
VMI AT THE CITADEL | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
TOLEDO AT BALL STATE | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
GARDNER-WEBB AT AUSTIN PEAY | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
NORTH DAKOTA STATE AT NORTH DAKOTA | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
YOUNGSTOWN STATE AT SOUTH DAKOTA | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
MOREHEAD STATE AT VALPARAISO | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
CAL AT NO. 16 UTAH | 3 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK
INDIANA STATE AT ILLINOIS STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
ALABAMA A&M AT GRAMBLING | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
ALABAMA STATE AT JACKSON STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
TARLETON STATE AT EASTERN KENTUCKY | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
SACRAMENTO STATE AT NORTHERN COLORADO | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT MURRAY STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
UNI AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
EASTERN ILLINOIS AT SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
UMASS AT NO. 6 PENN STATE | 3:30 P.M.
NO. 8 OREGON AT NO. 7 WASHINGTON | 3:30 P.M. | ABC
TEXAS A&M AT NO. 19 TENNESSEE | 3:30 P.M. | CBS
NO. 23 KANSAS AT OKLAHOMA STATE | 3:30 P.M. | FS1
TROY AT ARMY | 3:30 P.M. | CBSSN
FLORIDA AT SOUTH CAROLINA | 3:30 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
WAKE FOREST AT VIRGINIA TECH | 3:30 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
BYU AT TCU | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN
FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT SOUTH FLORIDA | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN2
AKRON AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
BOWLING GREEN AT BUFFALO | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
MIAMI (OHIO) AT WESTERN MICHIGAN | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
WOFFORD AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
OHIO AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS | 4 P.M. | ESPNU
NORTH ALABAMA AT ABILENE CHRISTIAN | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
PORTLAND STATE AT NORTHERN ARIZONA | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
MISSOURI STATE AT WESTERN ILLINOIS | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
LAMAR AT SE LOUISIANA | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
ROBERT MORRIS AT BRYANT | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
NORTHWESTERN STATE AT NICHOLLS | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
LINDENWOOD AT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
CHATTANOOGA AT MERCER | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
UNLV AT NEVADA | 5 P.M. | MOUNTAIN WEST NETWORK
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN AT CENTRAL ARKANSAS | 5 P.M. | ESPN+
TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE AT UIW | 5 P.M. | ESPN+
NORFOLK STATE AT TENNESSEE STATE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
EASTERN WASHINGTON AT IDAHO STATE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
NO. 14 LOUISVILLE AT PITT | 6:30 P.M. | CW NETWORK
MARSHALL AT GEORGIA STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN2
UL MONROE AT TEXAS STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
WYOMING AT AIR FORCE | 7 P.M. | CBSSN
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M AT HOUSTON CHRISTIAN | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
ARIZONA AT NO. 19 WASHINGTON STATE | 7 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORKS
AUBURN AT NO. 22 LSU | 7 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 10 USC AT NO. 21 NOTRE DAME | 7:30 P.M. | NBC/PEACOCK
NO. 25 MIAMI (FLA.) AT NO. 12 NORTH CAROLINA | 7:30 P.M. | ABC
MISSOURI AT NO. 24 KENTUCKY | 7:30 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
NO. 18 UCLA AT NO. 15 OREGON STATE | 8 P.M. | FOX
NC STATE AT NO. 17 DUKE | 8 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
UAB AT UTSA | 8 P.M. | ESPNU
CAL POLY AT MONTANA STATE | 8 P.M. | ESPN+
UC DAVIS AT WEBER STATE | 8 P.M. | ESPN+
MONTANA AT IDAHO | 10:30 P.M. | ESPN2
SAN DIEGO STATE AT HAWAI’I | 11 P.M. | CBSSN
ILLINOIS AT MARYLAND
IOWA AT WISCONSIN
IOWA STATE AT CINCINNATI
KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS TECH
BOISE STATE AT COLORADO STATE
WEEK 6 SCHEDULE
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2023
BALTIMORE RAVENS VS TENNESSEE TITANS (TOTTENHAM) 9:30A NFLN
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS 1:00P CBS
MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT CHICAGO BEARS 1:00P FOX
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS 1:00P CBS
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS 1:00P FOX
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT HOUSTON TEXANS 1:00P FOX
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 1:00P CBS
CAROLINA PANTHERS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS 1:00P CBS
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS 4:05P CBS
ARIZONA CARDINALS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS 4:25P FOX
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT NEW YORK JETS 4:25P FOX
DETROIT LIONS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 4:25P FOX
NEW YORK GIANTS AT BUFFALO BILLS 8:20P NBC
MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2023
DALLAS COWBOYS AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS 8:15P ESPN/ABC
WEEK 6 BYES: GREEN BAY PACKERS, PITTSBURGH STEELERS
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
FULL SCHEDULE FOR 2023 MLB POSTSEASON
LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
PRESENTED BY LOANDEPOT
SUNDAY, OCT. 15
TEX @ HOU, GAME 1, FOX/FS1
MONDAY, OCT. 16
AZ @ PHI, GAME 1, TBS
TEX @ HOU, GAME 2, FOX/FS1
TUESDAY, OCT. 17
AZ @ PHI, GAME 2, TBS
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 18
HOU @ TEX, GAME 3, FOX/FS1
THURSDAY, OCT. 19
PHI @ AZ, GAME 3, TBS
HOU @ TEX, GAME 4, FOX/FS1
FRIDAY, OCT. 20
PHI @ AZ, GAME 4, TBS
HOU @ TEX, GAME 5 (IF NECESSARY), FOX/FS1
SATURDAY, OCT. 21
PHI @ AZ, GAME 5 (IF NECESSARY), TBS
SUNDAY, OCT. 22
TEX @ HOU, GAME 6 (IF NECESSARY), FOX/FS1
MONDAY, OCT. 23
AZ @ PHI, GAME 6 (IF NECESSARY), TBS
TEX @ HOU, GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY), FOX/FS1
TUESDAY, OCT. 24
AZ @ PHI, GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY), TBS
WORLD SERIES
PRESENTED BY CAPITAL ONE
FRIDAY, OCT. 27
GAME 1 (AT BETTER 2023 RECORD), FOX
SATURDAY, OCT. 28
GAME 2 (AT BETTER 2023 RECORD), FOX
MONDAY, OCT. 30
GAME 3, FOX
TUESDAY, OCT. 31
GAME 4, FOX
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 1
GAME 5 (IF NECESSARY), FOX
FRIDAY, NOV. 3
GAME 6 (IF NECESSARY, AT BETTER 2023 RECORD), FOX
SATURDAY, NOV. 4
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY, AT BETTER 2023 RECORD), FOX
NBA PRE-SEASON
SAN ANTONIO 120 MIAMI 104
GOLDEN STATE 129 LA LAKERS 125
NHL SCOREBOARD
ARIZONA 4 NEW JERSEY 3
PITTSBURGH 4 WASHINGTON 0
WNBA SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES
COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP 25 PREVIEWS
JALEN MILROE, NO. 11 ALABAMA LOOK TO STAY HOT VS. ARKANSAS
Jalen Milroe no longer has to look over his shoulder and is firmly entrenched as Alabama’s starting quarterback.
Benched earlier this season, Milroe has since displayed he is the top signal-caller on the roster, and he will look to help the No. 11 Crimson Tide win their fifth straight game when they face Arkansas on Saturday in Southeastern Conference play at Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Milroe further stamped his name atop the depth chart by throwing three touchdown passes and compiling a career-high 321 yards through the air in last Saturday’s 26-20 road win over Texas A&M.
He lost the starting gig after throwing two interceptions in a 34-24 home loss to then-No. 11 Texas on Sept. 9.
The next week, he never got into the game as Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson handled the QB duties against South Florida. The Alabama offense was lethargic throughout that 17-3 victory, and it was a one-score game until the Crimson Tide scored a touchdown with 33 seconds left.
That contest made it clear to Saban that there was no longer a quarterback dilemma. The focus now is on helping Milroe improve.
“You cannot allow one play to affect the next play,” Saban said of Milroe. “And that’s something he’s learned and is doing a lot better, staying much more positive on the sidelines, communicating well with his teammates and coaches in terms of what he saw, what he didn’t see, what he needs to do to get it corrected.
“So that’s something that comes a little bit with experience. But I also think it comes with awareness, and I think we’re making good progress in both areas.”
Milroe has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 1,159 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions.
Wideout Jermaine Burton had a big day against the Aggies. He made a career-best nine receptions, matched his career high of 197 yards and caught two touchdown passes.
The Crimson Tide (5-1, 3-0) moved into first place in the SEC West by beating Texas A&M. Now they will face Arkansas (2-4, 0-3), which has dropped four straight games and has allowed an average of 33.3 points during the skid.
Saban is doing all he can to make the Razorbacks sound like a dangerous opponent, even though Alabama has won the past 16 matchups. The Crimson Tide lead the series 25-8.
“Arkansas is really a good team,” Saban said. “They’ve had some really tough games, some really close losses. But they’ve scored a lot of points.
“KJ Jefferson is a really good, big-time quarterback — big guy, hard to sack, can run, very talented arm.”
Jefferson has completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 1,300 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. In last Saturday’s 27-20 loss at Ole Miss, he passed for 250 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
“He’s just like everybody else on the team,” Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman said. “He’s got to continue to get better as well. I know he played extremely hard.”
Jefferson said his club needs to regroup entering the clash with Alabama.
“Just having faith in each other,” he said. “I mean just each and every day at practice and in the locker room as well, just make sure we’re still bonded together, we’re still having fun, we’re still in the moment and we’re still passionate about the team and this sport and the state.”
Jefferson has been sacked 12 times over the past two games, so Alabama defensive stalwarts Dallas Turner (6.5 sacks) and Chris Braswell (4.5) will look to pad their totals.
NO. 4 FLORIDA STATE LOOKS TO SMASH SYRACUSE AGAIN
No. 4 Florida State is one of four Atlantic Coast Conference teams that are undefeated in league play.
The Seminoles (5-0, 3-0) may be the best of the bunch, but in order to support that claim, they’ll need to defeat visiting Syracuse (4-2, 0-2) on Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla.
Florida State is in the midst of a three-game homestand that began last weekend with a 39-17 victory over Virginia Tech. The Seminoles have tallied at least 31 points in every game this season and rank sixth in the nation in scoring (42.4).
Jordan Travis is the engine driving the Seminoles, as he’s passed for 12 touchdowns with only one interception. He has thrown two TDs with no picks in each of the last four games and completed a season-high 75 percent of his passes against the Hokies.
“I’m not going to enjoy watching him play,” quipped Syracuse coach Dino Babers, “but when you get done, he’s one of those guys that you do turn on the TV to watch because he plays at an extremely high level.”
Travis lit up the Orange last season, completing 21 of 23 passes for 155 yards and three TDs in a 38-3 shellacking. The Seminoles lead the all-time series 13-2 and are 7-0 at home against Syracuse.
Babers knows the challenge that awaits his team, which has been outscored 71-21 over the last two weeks and is in the midst of a 34-day stretch without a home game.
“We’ve beaten a team in the top five before, but it’s very, very difficult to do, and it’s extremely difficult to do when you’re at their place,” Babers said.
If they have any hopes of pulling the upset, the Orange will need a big day out of Garrett Shrader. The senior signal-caller has been held under 200 yards passing in three of the last four games and has thrown at least one interception in four straight contests.
He also has rushed for a total of 102 yards in the last three games after erupting for 195 rushing yards and four scores in last month’s win over Purdue.
“Obviously you look at the course of work that he’s done over the last couple years, he’s a very talented player and can do a lot of great things with his arm,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “If you account for everybody in the passing game and don’t have eyes and a body on him, he’ll definitely make you pay as a runner.”
On the other side of the ball, Syracuse leans on a dangerous defensive line that has helped the Orange lead the ACC in tackles for loss (7.8 per game). Linebacker Marlowe Wax is a major factor as well, having registered a team-high 45 tackles, three forced fumbles, two sacks and an interception.
“You’re not going to see a team that brings more variations of pressures,” Norvell said. “Just the different looks from three down to four down to — they can blitz everybody on the field at some point. You have to be great with your eyes. You have to be great with your technique. We had a couple slow reactions where we gave up pressures there the other day.”
INDIANA LOOKING FOR ‘A CHANCE’ AT NO. 2 MICHIGAN
Indiana coach Tom Allen doesn’t see any weaknesses when he evaluates No. 2 Michigan.
The Hoosiers have the unenviable task of trying to slow down the Wolverines, who have cruised to victories in their first six games, when they play Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor, Mich.
“I think had Georgia maybe not played the way they did, (the Wolverines) could be No. 1 in the poll this week. They’ve definitely earned that discussion, for sure,” Allen said.
“So, a lot of respect for them in how they’re playing right now and very well-coached at all positions. But up front, their D-line and O-line, is where they’ve really established themselves. … We’ve just got to find a way to slow down this offense and give ourselves a chance.”
Michigan (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) is returning home after two impressive conference road wins. The Wolverines disposed of Nebraska 45-7, then pounded Minnesota 52-10.
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy has completed 77.6 percent of his passes, including 11 touchdowns. He also has rushed for three touchdowns in the past two weeks. The offensive line has given McCarthy a clean pocket this season, as he has been sacked only three times.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh believes McCarthy belongs in the discussion with the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Caleb Williams of Southern California.
“I made the comment after (the Minnesota game) that I thought J.J. was the best quarterback in the country,” Harbaugh said. “After the game, I had a chance to watch USC on the flight home. (Williams) is really good, too. I would say now you’re in the world of talking about, who’s better, Kobe (Bryant) or Michael (Jordan)? Or Peyton Manning (or) Tom Brady. They’re both really great.”
The Wolverines’ defense has been dominant, holding opponents to 40 total points, the fewest allowed by a Division I team this season. That unit ranks third nationally in yards allowed per game (233.3).
The Hoosiers (2-3, 0-2) are coming off a bye week. All but one of their losses came against ranked teams (Ohio State, Louisville), but they had their worst outing of the season in their last game, getting blown out 44-17 by unranked Maryland.
Allen decided to make a coaching change afterward, as Rod Carey replaced Walt Bell as the offensive coordinator.
“Obviously, needed a new voice in that room and that’s the change we made,” Allen said.
Tayven Jackson, who has been limited to two touchdown passes this season, has started at quarterback, but his hold on the job is precarious. Dexter Williams II, who suffered a serious knee injury late last season, is close to returning.
“Every passing week, even this past week, was another chance to continue to get closer and closer to be able to allow him to play,” Allen said. “That will be a good discussion for us as a staff and to kind of make that opportunity. So, I’d like to be able to ease him into that opportunity as well. So, we’ll see how that plays itself out.”
Michigan has historically dominated the series 61-10, winning 26 of the last 27 meetings. The Wolverines have yet to face a ranked opponent this season and that won’t change until next month, but Harbaugh (7-1 vs. Indiana) brushes aside critics of the team’s schedule.
“Whatever is being said, all that kind of thing, we’re just trying to get good at football,” Harbaugh said. “Don’t really pay too much attention to what’s been said, good or bad.”
NO. 3 OHIO STATE SEEKS ‘INDIANA SWEEP’ AT PURDUE
Ohio State wants its third trip to the state of Indiana this season to be as successful as the first two when the No. 3 Buckeyes visit West Lafayette to play upset-minded Purdue on Saturday.
In a quirk of the schedule for the Buckeyes (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten), the matchup against the Boilermakers (2-4, 1-2) means they will have played as many games in their neighboring state as in Columbus so far this season.
Ohio State already owns victories in Bloomington against Indiana and South Bend against Notre Dame.
Logic suggests the Buckeyes will make it a sweep against a Purdue team still trying to find traction under first-year coach Ryan Walters, who replaced Jeff Brohm when he left for his alma mater, Louisville, after six seasons with the Boilermakers.
Purdue is coming off a 20-14 loss at Iowa in which quarterback Hudson Card was sacked six times and threw two interceptions. Walters said he and his staff need to put Card in better positions to succeed.
“We can also help him out in that area and give him better answers and put him in scenarios where the ball is designed to get out quick,” Walters said. “That’s one of the things that we’ve looked at, that we need to adapt and adjust to give our quarterback the best chance to be successful on Saturdays.”
Meanwhile, Ohio State’s once-dynamic offense failed to score a first-half touchdown for the second straight game and needed a pick-six by safety Josh Proctor to rally for a 10-10 halftime score before the Buckeyes prevailed 37-17 against Maryland last Saturday.
The Buckeyes totaled 142 yards in the first half. For the game, they rushed for only 62 yards while averaging 1.9 yards per carry.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day said the running game is not up to the Buckeyes’ standards.
“This is the expectation. I get it,” he said. “Nobody wants to run the ball more than me. We’ve just got to execute it better. We have to coach it better, and that starts with me.”
Team leading rusher TreVeyon Henderson missed the game due to an undisclosed injury, but Day said Tuesday that he expects him to be available Saturday.
Ohio State is nearly a three-touchdown favorite, but history says don’t count out the Boilermakers.
The last time Ohio State visited, in 2018, the unranked Boilermakers humiliated then-coach Urban Meyer’s second-ranked team 49-20. The lone loss of the season for the Buckeyes kept them out of the College Football Playoff.
Walters is embracing that upset and said it was addressed at a team meeting Tuesday.
“We’ve got some creative ways to just kind of give the history of this game and what it meant the last time they were here,” he said. “So they’ll definitely be aware.”
Proctor, Xavier Johnson and Matthew Jones are the only current Ohio State players who were on the 2018 team.
“It means a lot,” Proctor said of returning to Purdue. “I haven’t been back since, so I’m definitely looking forward to that one.”
The Boilermakers have won five of eight at home against the Buckeyes since 2000.
NO. 1 GEORGIA READY TO ROLL AGAIN AT VANDERBILT
Top-ranked Georgia will set out to extend a 23-game winning streak when it visits Eastern Division rival Vanderbilt on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.
The Bulldogs (6-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) haven’t always performed up to the standard that comes with being two-time defending national champions.
Two weeks ago, Georgia beat unranked Auburn, 27-20. Two weeks before that, it needed 21 unanswered second-half points in a 24-14 win over unranked South Carolina.
Last Saturday, Georgia looked more like the team that demolished TCU in last year’s national title game, scoring the first 21 points in a 51-13 rout of then-No. 20 Kentucky.
Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart was pleased with the discipline his team showed against the Wildcats.
“Our team had great discipline tonight to not get cheap penalties,” Smart said after the game. “We told them. We said, ‘Hey, look, Kentucky is going to have some penalties. They’ll have guys push you or shove you.’ I just said, ‘Don’t respond.’ I thought our guys were really good.”
More important factors were the play of quarterback Carson Beck (28-of-35 passing, 389 yards, four touchdowns, one interception) and tight end Brock Bowers (seven catches, 132 yards, one score). That was part of a 608-yard outburst against a Kentucky defense that, before Saturday, was allowing 297 yards a game.
The Bulldogs’ defense also finds itself in a familiar position, ranking first in the SEC in scoring defense (13.0) and second in total defense (270 yards), while leading the SEC in fewest yards allowed per play (4.32).
Georgia is getting the job done through depth. The Bulldogs don’t have a player ranked in the top 40 of the SEC’s tackle leaders. Safety Malaki Starks has a pair of interceptions, while defensive back Tykee Smith has three picks.
“There aren’t a lot of holes on this team,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said of the Bulldogs on Tuesday.
Vandy (2-5, 0-3), meanwhile, looks to stop a string of five consecutive losses, the latest coming in Saturday’s 38-14 defeat at Florida. But Georgia has won the past five in the annual series, including the past two by a combined 117-0.
“I think our frustration — and there is frustration — is based off what our expectations were,” Lea said, “and so right now we’re shifting the focus back to improving our team and identifying the areas where we can push forward and build to a better performance on Saturday.”
Interceptions — Vanderbilt has thrown an SEC-worst eight while adding a league-worst five fumbles lost — helped lead to quarterback Ken Seals unseating AJ Swann.
Seals has thrown for 539 yards, four touchdowns and one pick while starting the Commodores’ past two games.
Vandy will need to get wide receiver Will Sheppard (35 catches, 550 yards, eight touchdowns) more involved. The senior reeled in an 85-yard touchdown catch against Florida last week, but caught just two balls for 22 yards otherwise.
The team’s biggest problem may be pass defense. Vandy ranks 12th in the SEC in pass efficiency defense, allowing 7.6 yards per attempt and a league-worst 15 touchdowns (tied with LSU).
That could get worse on Saturday. On Tuesday, Lea said Vandy will be without a pair of starters, safety De’Rickey Wright and cornerback BJ Anderson, and termed starting corner Martel Hight “questionable.”
The Commodores will need punter Matt Hayball (an SEC-leading 50.1 yards per punt, 11 punts inside the 20) to help with field position.
AMID QB WOES, NO. 16 UTAH HOSTS CAL
The availability of Utah quarterback Cameron Rising remains the burning question as the No. 16 Utes prepare to host Cal in a Pac-12 Conference game Saturday in Salt Lake City.
Rising was the MVP of the Pac-12 title game last season but then suffered a significant knee injury against Penn State during the Rose Bowl and needed surgery to repair a torn ACL, meniscus and MCL.
He has seemed to be on the cusp of returning since early in the season, but the senior has yet to play.
“It was a big surgery, and it’s not an easy comeback,” Rising said last week. “I’ve been working my tail off.”
Rising has been doing drills with the Utes in recent weeks, and Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has deemed him questionable before games, but each time the quarterback has remained in street clothes.
Whittingham plans to make a decision on Rising earlier than normal leading up to the visit from Cal, but he said he doesn’t intend to reveal his decision.
“If someone can give me one reason why it would help us win more to announce it, then I’ll tell you,” Whittingham said. “I can’t think of one thing.”
If Rising is unable to play, freshman Nate Johnson likely will get another opportunity. He struggled two weeks ago in Utah’s most recent game, a 21-7 loss to Oregon State, completing just 8 of 23 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. He also carried the ball nine times for just 3 yards.
Johnson was replaced by Bryson Barnes after starting the game 3-for-12 for 35 yards, but Barnes absorbed a big hit in the fourth quarter and was briefly hospitalized with an undisclosed injury after finishing 5-for-8 for 40 yards.
Another freshman, Brandon Rose, was expected to battle for the backup spot this season, but he suffered an undisclosed injury during a scrimmage before the season and remains unavailable.
Utah (4-1, 1-1) won its first four games of the season before falling to Oregon State. The 21 points surrendered were the most allowed by the Utes this season and the fewest scored by Oregon State.
Cal (3-3, 1-2) has alternated wins and losses this season. The Golden Bears also are coming off a loss to Oregon State, but they made things interesting in the 52-40 defeat in Berkeley, Calif., last week.
Cal trailed by just three points at the start of the fourth quarter before surrendering 17 consecutive points.
“We’ll find out where the defenders are come next week, because boy — and this is not taking anything away from Oregon State because I really do think those guys do a great job coaching — but, man, ooh, that was bad defense right there by us,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said.
Cal has used three starting quarterbacks this season but is expected to come back with freshman Fernando Mendoza, who completed 21 of 32 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns, with an interception, in his first college start last weekend.
“He was not perfect but brought energy to the game. You could tell the tempo on offense was different,” Wilcox said. “He threw the ball pretty well, he made some plays with his feet. Overall, I’m very pleased with what Fernando did for his first start in that environment against that defense.”
NO. 23 KANSAS SOLID ON DEFENSE, TOO, AS OKLAHOMA STATE AWAITS
Oklahoma State will face a ranked opponent for the first time this season when No. 23 Kansas travels to Stillwater for a Big 12 contest on Saturday.
The Jayhawks (5-1, 2-1) bounced back from a 26-point loss at then-No. 3 Texas on Sept. 30 with a 51-22 defeat of conference newcomer UCF last Saturday in Lawrence, Kan.
Kansas rushed for a whopping 399 yards and five touchdowns against UCF. Devin Neal ran for 154 yards and a score, Daniel Hishaw Jr. added 134 yards and two TDs, and Dylan McDuffie rushed for 91 yards and two TDs.
The Jayhawks averaged 7.8 yards per carry and posted their highest rushing total since gaining 400 against Rutgers in 2018. However, Kansas coach Lance Leipold said he was just as pleased with his defense, which kept the Knights off the scoreboard until the third quarter.
“I think our defense is playing at a level that I’m — I don’t know surprised — but to a level that I’m pleased with,” he said Monday. “Some of the depth I was anticipating that could come is starting to come, especially at the second level at our linebacker position. I can’t really say surprised, though. I think that’s underselling those guys.”
Kansas played without starting quarterback Jalon Daniels for the second straight week and third time this season. Daniels did not practice Monday and likely will be a game-time decision Saturday. Backup Jason Bean was 8-of-12 passing for 91 yards and one touchdown against the Knights.
The Jayhawks rank second in the Big 12 in both scoring (36 points per game) and rushing (232.3 yards per game). They will face a Cowboys defense that ranks 11th in the league against the run, allowing 154 yards per game.
Kansas defeated Oklahoma State 37-16 last season to halt a 12-game losing streak in the series; however, the Jayhawks have not won in Stillwater since 2007.
The Cowboys (3-2, 1-1) are coming off a 29-21 victory at home last Friday night against Kansas State. That ended a two-game skid for coach Mike Gundy’s squad.
Ollie Gordon II rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown and Alex Hale booted five field goals for Oklahoma State. The defense came up with three interceptions, including a 35-yard pick-six by Cameron Epps just before halftime.
In last season’s loss to Kansas in Lawrence, the Cowboys had no answers for Neal. The Jayhawks’ workhorse rushed 32 times for 224 yards and a touchdown and caught six passes for 110 yards.
“They’ve got a good package. They are smart and know what they are doing,” Gundy said Monday about the Kansas running game. “Those backs have gained confidence. They like running the ball because they are running for 3 to 4 yards past the line of scrimmage and not getting touched.”
The Cowboys lost wideout De’Zhaun Stribling for the season to a hand injury sustained in practice last week. The Washington State transfer caught 14 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown in four games.
NO. 6 PENN STATE TAKES BIG TEN BREAK TO FACE UMASS
After rolling to three straight Big Ten victories by a combined 76 points, No. 6 Penn State will take a break from conference play when it hosts Massachusetts on Saturday in State College, Pa.
Another lopsided win appears likely for the Nittany Lions (5-0) despite coach James Franklin insisting that the Minutemen (1-6) are “maybe the most explosive team we’ve played this year.”
Penn State is healthy and eager to get back on the field following a bye week. The Nittany Lions haven’t played since rolling past host Northwestern 41-13 on Sept. 30 on the heels of a 31-0 rout of then-No. 24 Iowa.
A sturdy defense and balanced offense have helped steer the Nittany Lions to their unbeaten start.
In the Northwestern game, the Nittany Lions passed for 219 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 134 yards and three scores.
Quarterback Drew Allar passed and rushed for touchdowns behind an offensive line anchored by savvy center Hunter Nourzad, who has been especially impressive to Franklin of late.
“His approach, his maturity; gosh, he’s getting an MBA right now from Penn State. … He’s just one of those guys who’s a really great example of the importance of maturity on your football team,” Franklin said.
UMass enters Saturday’s game on a six-game losing streak. The program’s lone victory this season came on the road as quarterback Taisun Phommachanh contributed 288 yards of total offense and a rushing touchdown in a season-opening, 41-30 win at New Mexico State.
The Minutemen are coming off a 41-24 home loss to Toledo in which they were outscored 24-3 after halftime. Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams had 20 carries for a career-best 157 yards and a score, while Phommachanh passed for 272 yards and two TDs.
UMass coach Don Brown stressed that his team will need to sustain a notable effort throughout the afternoon if it expects to tread water at raucous Beaver Stadium.
“The place is going to be packed,” Brown said. “Going to be over 100,000 people there. And got to be a big boy and put your big-boy pants on and go to work. It’s real simple. Focus your attention on the task at hand and just stay in the fight for 60 minutes. And that’s kind of the deal. That’s the approach you got to take. It’s not rocket science.”
Penn State cruised past visiting UMass 48-7 in the lone previous meeting between the schools, on Sept. 20, 2014.
Smith and Franklin coached together at Maryland in 2009, with Brown serving as the Terrapins’ defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach and Franklin fulfilling duties as offensive coordinator/assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach.
Minutemen safety Tyler Rudolph transferred to the school after playing in 11 games for Penn State from 2019-21.
The Nittany Lions will close the regular season with six straight Big Ten games, beginning with an Oct. 21 visit to No. 3 Ohio State.
TEXAS A&M BRINGS DYNAMIC DEFENSE TO NO. 19 TENNESSEE
Texas A&M brings dynamic defense to No. 19 Tennessee
As Week 7 arrives for Southeastern Conference teams, Texas A&M and No. 19 Tennessee have reached the must-win portion of their schedules.
Meeting for the first time since 2020 and only the fifth time overall, the Aggies (4-2, 2-1) will visit the Volunteers (4-1, 1-1) on Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn.
Coming off a bye week following a 41-20 home blowout of South Carolina on Sept. 30, Tennessee has little margin for error as Texas A&M makes just its second trip to Rocky Top.
The win over the Gamecocks was tainted by the season-ending loss of reliable receiver Bru McCoy, who made a crucial catch before the last-second, game-winning field goal in last year’s 52-49 win over No. 3 Alabama.
However, Volunteers coach Josh Heupel said defense will be the key against the Aggies.
Tennessee and Texas A&M rank 1-2 in the country in average sacks per game, with the Vols topping the stat with 22 in five outings (4.4 per game) while the Aggies have 26 in six (4.3).
“Guys are playing violent, they’re disruptive, they’re jumping the football and winning one-on-one battles,” Heupel, the third-year Vols coach, said Monday. “We’re going to continue to need that. All offseason a point of emphasis for us was the ability to apply pressure to the quarterback, not just with (blitz) pressure, and our guys have done a good job.”
Texas A&M brings the nation’s 10th-ranked defense to Neyland Stadium, allowing just 268.8 yards per contest.
In its final two September games, the Aggies posted 30 tackles for loss — 15 each against Auburn and Arkansas in season-high-tying performances.
However, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe torched the Aggies for 321 yards and three touchdown passes in the Crimson Tide’s 26-20 win last Saturday at College Station.
Also of note is coach Jimbo Fisher’s dismal record in true road games since his 2018 arrival at Texas A&M: 7-14, with his best away campaign coming in COVID-affected 2020 when the Aggies won four of five.
One of those was a 34-13 triumph in Knoxville in front of just 22,645 fans in the teams’ regular-season finale.
Still, Fisher said he has not changed his approach in hitting the road in the competitive conference.
“What you approach is your maturity and how you practice,” Fisher said Monday. “Mature teams play well on the road. Mature teams that are confident and trust in things and believe in themselves. When you’re on the road in this league, it’s hard. Tennessee is one of those hard places, but hopefully your maturity will help.”
With each team already owning one SEC loss, no wiggle room likely exists for dropping games in the hunt for an SEC division title.
Tennessee still has back-to-back road games starting next week at No. 11 Alabama and No. 24 Kentucky, plus a Nov. 18 home matchup with top-ranked Georgia.
Meanwhile, Texas A&M still has tough road tests at No. 13 Ole Miss and No. 22 LSU on its slate to shape its fate.
NO. 7 WASHINGTON, NO. 8 OREGON PREPARED FOR MARQUEE MATCHUP
So just how big is Saturday’s matchup between No. 7 Washington and No. 8 Oregon?
It’s the first time both programs have been ranked in the Top 10 when meeting in the rivalry’s 123-year history.
ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be on hand in Seattle.
And the matchup features a pair of quarterbacks who are Heisman Trophy candidates: Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr.
“This is what we tell young people: This is why you come to UW, for games just like this,” Huskies co-defensive coordinator William Inge said.
Both the Ducks (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) and Huskies (5-0, 2-0) are coming off bye weeks that helped them get healthy.
Huskies wide receiver Jalen McMillan is expected to return after missing the past two games with a leg injury suffered at Michigan State. Fellow receiver Rome Odunze appeared to injure his midsection while recovering an onside kick Sept. 30 at Arizona, but UW offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said Odunze is “ready to go.”
Two starters in Oregon’s secondary, cornerback Khyree Jackson and safety Bryan Addison, are also expected back after getting banged up Sept. 30 at Stanford.
The Huskies defeated the Ducks 37-34 last season in Eugene, Ore., on a 43-yard field goal with 51 seconds remaining.
Penix threw for 408 yards and two touchdowns, including a 62-yarder with 3:07 to go that tied the score. Nix passed for 280 yards and two TDs and rushed for 55 yards and another score.
Penix is the current Heisman frontrunner at +200, while Nix is the No. 3 betting favorite at +600, according to the latest odds from BetMGM.
Penix is averaging 399.8 yards per game with 16 touchdowns; Nix has an 80.4 completion percentage with 15 TDs.
Ducks coach Dan Lanning, previously the defensive coordinator at Georgia when the Bulldogs won a national title, said he’s never seen a conference with the quarterback talent the Pac-12 has this season.
“I think it’s really impressive. There’s great quarterback play in this league right now,” Lanning said. “And we’re going to see all of them. So this is certainly, I think, one of the best, if not the best, that we’ve seen so far.”
This will be Lanning’s first trip as a head coach to Husky Stadium, one of the loudest venues in the country.
“Hostile can be fun,” he said. “I think this one will be one of those environments where there’s gonna be a lot of distractions, a lot of pieces going on outside the puzzle, but we’re really focused on being the eye of the storm, the calm within the storm. And I think our guys will handle that well.”
Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer, like Lanning in his second season, also learned a lot about the rivalry last year.
“It’s fun, and it’s special,” DeBoer said. “It was big going on the road at that time, getting a win there. … You get so caught up just preparing, and you live in your own little world just as far as what the game plan is going to be.
“You learn a lot just so far as the excitement and the passion … Obviously, (Nos.) 7 and 8 in the country. So, a lot of great football is going to be played on (Saturday) for sure.”
NO. 14 LOUISVILLE AIMS TO EXTEND PITT’S LOSING STREAK
Minutes after Louisville finished a 33-20 upset of then-No. 10 Notre Dame last weekend, first-year Cardinals coach Jeff Brohm sounded a warning.
“Once you win a game like that, the bar goes from here up to here,” he said. “Every week in college football, if you don’t come ready to play, you are not going to win.”
Complacency might pose a bigger danger for the 14th-ranked Cardinals than host Pitt for Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference matchup.
While Louisville (6-0, 3-0) is undefeated and jumped 11 spots in the AP poll this week, the Panthers (1-4, 0-2) are licking a plethora of wounds that come with a four-game losing streak and the benching of a quarterback.
Former Boston College starter Phil Jurkovec, who threw for 5,184 yards and 35 touchdowns in three years with the Eagles, completed just 50.9 percent of his passes before Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi pulled the plug days after a 38-21 loss on Sept. 30 at Virginia Tech.
Penn State transfer Christian Veilleux, who’s completed 12 of 27 passes for 145 yards in two games this year, will get the call against Louisville. Narduzzi hopes Veilleux can provide a spark for an offense that has been held under 300 yards in three of the last four games.
“Christian will be the guy lined up there,” Narduzzi said, “and we expect to have a good week this week. Nobody in our program is happy with where we are right now. It goes to everybody that sits in this room on a normal day here to get it done. Coaches coach and players play. So nobody’s happy.”
Not that lack of production on offense is the sole reason for Pitt’s skid. The Panthers allowed 79 points in ACC losses to North Carolina and Virginia Tech.
“We’ve got to play championship defense,” Narduzzi said. “We’ve got to get better. We’ve got to make more plays. We need to get off the field and give the ball back to our offense.”
That might be easier said than done against the Cardinals. Brohm has put together a balanced offense that pairs the passing of Cal transfer Jack Plummer with the explosive running of Jawhar Jordan.
In the win over Notre Dame, Jordan rushed 21 times for 143 yards, scoring on 45- and 21-yard runs in the second half after Louisville fell behind 10-7. Plummer was an efficient 17 of 24 for 145 yards and a 9-yard touchdown to Jamari Thrash in the first quarter.
Thrash has 30 catches for 519 yards and six scores, while Jordan has rushed for 653 yards and eight touchdowns. Plummer has 1,551 yards in the air with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. In other words, the Cardinals are on pace to have a 1,000-yard receiver, 1,000-yard rusher and 3,000-yard passer halfway through the season.
The Panthers own a 10-9 edge in the all-time series, although Louisville won last year’s matchup 24-10 at home.
JAYDEN DANIELS LOOKS TO STAY HOT AS NO. 22 LSU, AUBURN CLASH
No. 22 LSU’s high-scoring offense has been more balanced over the last two weeks.
Auburn’s offense is trying to do the same as these two sets of Tigers prepare to meet in a Southeastern Conference game on Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.
Jayden Daniels has been one of the most productive offensive players in the country for LSU (4-2, 3-1 SEC). He has been named SEC Offensive Player of the Week three times this season and leads a unit that ranks third best in the FBS in total offense (548.3 yards per game).
“The offense continues to do some great things,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said. “The offense is playing at an incredible level.”
So is Daniels, who also is the team’s No. 2 rusher. He completed 15 of 21 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns while adding 130 yards and a score on the ground in last Saturday’s 49-39 victory over Missouri.
“I see those little things that he’s doing under duress or under pressure or getting hit after he throws a very accurate ball are starting to separate him from good to great,” Kelly said of Daniels.
The offense was pass-heavy in the first few games of the season, but running back Logan Diggs has had back-to-back 100-yard rushing games to provide Daniels with some support.
But slowing other teams down has started to become an issue, as LSU is allowing opponents to put up 445.7 yards per game, ranking 121st in total defense in the FBS.
Kelly remains optimistic, though.
“We feel there’s some light there at the end of the tunnel for our defense,” Kelly said after Missouri scored just 14 second-half points last Saturday.
After playing four of its first six games away from home, facing ranked opponents in three of those contests, LSU will play five of its last six games at home.
“We’re right in the hunt and the season is in front of us,” Kelly said.
Unlike LSU, Auburn (3-2, 0-2) has leaned on its running game on offense, which ranks 13th in total yards per game (358.2) in the 14-team SEC.
“I do think you need to be balanced to win big games,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said. “That’s been a challenge for us to this point. We got to shorten this game (against LSU).”
Auburn is coming off a bye week after a hard-fought 27-20 home loss to No. 1 Georgia on Sept. 30.
Freeze said he and his staff spent time during the open week “trying to make sure our identity — particularly in the passing game — matches our personnel.
“Whatever we feel strongly in that,” Freeze continued, “then let’s do it over and over and over and over and over again until we are really, really confident and are really, really good at that.”
Freeze noted that Ole Miss’ and Missouri’s approach was to let their high-powered offenses try to outscore LSU in a shootout.
“But I think their makeup is a little different offensively,” Freeze said. “I’m not sure that is the plan for us.”
As evidence of that, Auburn’s Payton Thorne is ranked last among SEC starting quarterbacks in passer rating.
NO. 19 WASHINGTON STATE READY FOR DETERMINED ARIZONA
Arizona has competed well against top 10 teams in back-to-back weeks, with the Wildcats’ task not getting any easier in a matchup against No. 19 Washington State on Saturday at Pullman, Wash.
Arizona (3-3, 1-2 Pac-12) lost to then-No. 7 Washington 31-24 at home on Sept. 30 before falling 43-41 in three overtimes at then-No. 9 Southern California on Saturday night. The Wildcats outgained the Trojans 506-351.
“When you watch how our team played, what our team did in that game, it was really a fantastic football game with a disappointing outcome,” said Arizona coach Jedd Fisch, whose team was about a three-touchdown underdog in each of the past two weeks.
In those games, the Wildcats limited Michael Penix Jr. and Caleb Williams — arguably the top two Heisman Trophy candidates at the midpoint of the season — to a combined one touchdown pass.
Arizona will face another prolific passer this week in Cameron Ward, who is sixth nationally in passing yards per game (317.2). He has thrown 14 touchdown passes with two interceptions for the Cougars (4-1, 1-1), who were dealt their first loss of the season Saturday in a 25-17 decision at UCLA.
Washington State rushed for only 12 yards on 19 attempts.
“Let’s be honest, we got humbled. It happens. Back to the work,” said Cougars coach Jake Dickert. “There’s a toughness aspect that our team needs to play with, and UCLA beat us in that realm. We’ve got to respond to that and get back to who we are.”
The identity of the Arizona quarterback figures to be a key storyline. Jayden de Laura has missed the past two games with an ankle injury, which has allowed redshirt freshman Noah Fifita the opportunity to impress. Fifita completed 25 of 35 passes for 303 yards, with five touchdowns (two in overtime) and one interception against USC. He has quickly become a fan favorite.
The health status of de Laura remains something of a mystery, but Fisch said Monday: “If he is 100 percent healthy, he will start on Saturday.”
That would set up a rematch against de Laura’s old team. While at Washington State, he was the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2021, but he transferred to Arizona after the season when the Cougars added Ward from Incarnate Word.
When Washington State defeated host Arizona 31-20 last season, de Laura threw for 357 yards but was intercepted four times.
“My message to Jayden is always the same,” Fisch said. “When you play with poise, and when you play with confidence, you’re one of the best quarterbacks in the country. You’ve proven that.”
Washington State already has posted key home victories over then-No. 19 Wisconsin 31-22, and then-No. 14 Oregon State 38-35. Ward is spreading the ball to Josh Kelly (26 catches, 376 yards, five touchdowns), Lincoln Victor (24-337-3) and Kyle Williams (24-387-4), among others.
The Cougars are second nationally in passing (365.4 yards per game) but 117th in rushing (103.6).
Dickert called Arizona “the most improved team in the league.”
“The last two results against top 10 teams are no fluke,” Dickert said. “I think the challenge is real. I think they’re an explosive team. The best part is now this one’s back here at home.”
MISSOURI, NO. 24 KENTUCKY LOOKING TO BOUNCE BACK
No. 24 Kentucky will look for quarterback Devin Leary to get back on target when the Wildcats host Missouri on Saturday in Southeastern Conference action in Lexington.
Leary completed just 10 of 26 passes for 128 yards as the Wildcats (5-1, 2-1) fell 51-13 last weekend at No. 1 Georgia.
“Usually, I don’t say a whole lot during games to a quarterback … but there’s no excuse to not hit some of those passes,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “I mean, we had some guys wide open, you know? We missed some open plays to keep it close early.”
After reviewing the game video, Stoops identified some fixes Leary will need to make before the Wildcats take on Missouri (5-1, 1-1).
“Sometimes it is his feet or his footwork and sometimes him maybe expecting a receiver to run out at a different angle,” Stoops said. “There’s some little things and there’s some that (you) just have to make. He doesn’t need me to sit here and make an excuse for him. He’s a big boy and he owns it. Just like everybody else on our team, you have to have the courage to see the areas that you need to improve on and you have to own it.”
Leary has completed 54.8 percent of his passes for 1,257 yards and 12 touchdowns, with five interceptions, this season.
His inconsistency has led the Wildcats to rely more heavily on Ray Davis, who has rushed for 653 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 7.2 yards per carry.
“Really good vision and burst, I think he’s running this year better than maybe he did last year,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “But he’s now playing behind a really good offensive line that has a variety of run schemes.”
Kentucky will catch Missouri coming off a 49-39 home loss to then-No. 23 LSU. Missouri raced to a 22-7 lead before fading.
“I think we were all disappointed in the outcome, but we were not devastated,” Drinkwitz said. “That’s the thing about this league, every week you’re going to go out there and you’re going to compete, you’ve got to lay it on the line — and that doesn’t guarantee you the result you want.”
Missouri’s Brady Cook completed 30 of 47 passes for 411 yards and two touchdowns, but he also had his first two interceptions of the season.
Overall, Cook has thrown for 1,879 yards, 13 touchdowns and a 71.8 percent completion rate while demonstrating good mobility. He has three rushing touchdowns.
Cook’s top targets are Luther Burden III (54 catches, 793 yards, five touchdowns) and Theo Wease Jr. (28-334-4).
Cody Schrader (577 yards, six touchdowns) and Nathaniel Peat (266 and two) alternate at running back for the Tigers. Schrader ran for 114 yards and three touchdowns against LSU despite playing with a strained quadriceps muscle. Drinkwitz listed him as “questionable at best” for Saturday’s game.
Missouri defensive back Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (groin) will be sidelined, but the Tigers hope to get wide receiver Mekhi Miller (undisclosed) back.
Kentucky guard Kenneth Horsey (leg) is questionable for Saturday, and safety Jalen Geiger (elbow) will be sidelined for “a few weeks,” Stoops said.
TEZ WALKER, NO. 12 UNC TRY TO STAY PERFECT VS. NO. 25 MIAMI
No. 12 North Carolina aims to keep its unbeaten record intact on Saturday when it opposes No. 25 Miami in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The Hurricanes (4-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) are still licking the wounds from their first loss of the season, an arguably self-inflicted defeat at home to Georgia Tech.
Miami led 20-17 and could have knelt on the ball to end the game on a third-and-10 play, as there was just 33 seconds left and the Yellow Jackets had no timeouts remaining, but instead the Hurricanes ran the ball and fumbled it. Moments later, Georgia Tech’s Haynes King tossed the game-winning touchdown pass.
Second-year Miami coach Mario Cristobal took the blame for the blunder during a press conference this week.
“I made the wrong call,” Cristobal said. “I take full ownership in not taking a knee and giving them the opportunity to have a couple extra plays and preventing us from sealing the win.”
He added: “The guys are very eager to get back to work and prepare for this weekend’s opportunity.”
What awaits Miami is its toughest on-paper opponent yet, with the Tar Heels (5-0, 2-0 ACC) led by a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback.
North Carolina’s Drake Maye showed off his talent again last weekend in a 40-7 home victory over Syracuse, completing 33 of 47 passes for 442 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 55 yards and a score. Maye is the conductor of an offense that scores an average of 36.6 points per game, tied for 18th best in the FBS.
And Maye and the Tar Heels offense just got stronger, as Devontez “Tez” Walker finally made his North Carolina debut last weekend after receiving an eligibility waiver from the NCAA. Maye and Walker seemingly had chemistry right away as the wideout hauled in six catches for 43 yards. Last season at Kent State, Walker tied for the Mid-American Conference lead in receiving touchdowns with 11.
Walker, a native of Charlotte, transferred to North Carolina to be closer to his ailing grandmother.
“It’s heartwarming that she finally got to see me play,” Walker said. “I just felt blessed to be out there.”
As for Miami, despite an inconsistent offensive performance last week, the unit can be potent behind a quarterback who is a proven playmaker. Tyler Van Dyke leads the ACC in completion percentage with 72.6 percent of his throws landing in the mitts of his receivers. Van Dyke also has more passing touchdowns than Maye (12 to eight).
Before the loss to Georgia Tech, Miami scored at least 38 points in each of its first four games.
“They’re the most talented team that we’ve played to this point,” North Carolina coach Mack Brown said. “They’ve got speed all over the place, and we’ll have our hands full this weekend.”
North Carolina is 13-11 against Miami and has won four straight games in the series. The Hurricanes haven’t won in Chapel Hill since 2017.
NO BREAK FOR NO. 21 NOTRE DAME WITH NO. 10 USC IN TOWN
Although Notre Dame has played seven consecutive weeks, coach Marcus Freeman insists his team isn’t tired.
It’s starting to look that way, though, as the 21st-ranked Fighting Irish have dropped two of their last three games heading into Saturday’s marquee meeting with No. 10 Southern California in South Bend, Ind.
But for Freeman, the tumultuous schedule is no excuse, and a meeting with another ranked opponent presents a perfect opportunity to get back on track.
“We’re not tired. You play Saturday night. You’ve got all day to rest. That’s what a part of being at Notre Dame is about,” Freeman said. “We’re fortunate. We get four prime-time games, and that’s how we’ve got to look at it.
“We get another prime-time game versus USC at Notre Dame Stadium. And if you don’t have the bubbles in your stomach, then you’re not the elite competitor that we need you to be.”
Notre Dame (5-2) is coming off last weekend’s 33-20 loss at then-No. 25 Louisville. Irish quarterback Sam Hartman completed 22 of 38 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw his first three interceptions of the season.
The Irish went into the break tied 7-7, but their defense faltered in the second half, allowing 26 points.
Things won’t get any easier on Saturday with the Trojans (6-0) coming to town.
USC leads the FBS in average points per game (51.8) and ranks fourth in total offense (523.3 yards per game). Its success on that side of the ball has been fueled by star quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, who already has thrown for 1,822 yards and 22 TDs against just one interception.
Williams also has rushed for six scores.
“He is very elite with arm talent, with decision-making, with the ability to extend plays. He is a well-rounded, very talented football player,” Freeman said of Williams. “Our defense will have its work cut out for it, for sure.”
The Trojans’ spirits are high after beating Arizona 43-41 in triple overtime last Saturday. USC escaped with the victory despite being outgained 506-365, and coach Lincoln Riley knows his high-octane offense will face another challenge this week against an experienced Notre Dame defense.
“They’ve obviously (been) playing at a high level defensively again, like they did last season — return a lot of familiar faces,” Riley told Trojans Live. “They’re one of the older defenses that we’ll play, seniors all over the place.”
Saturday will mark the 94th meeting between the programs, and the Irish hold a 50-38-5 advantage in the all-time series. USC won 38-27 last season in Los Angeles.
Riley wants his players to understand the history of the USC-Notre Dame rivalry, but he doesn’t want them to be consumed by it.
“We did a little bit last year before the game, we’ll do a little bit this year, just to give them a taste of the history,” Riley said. “I don’t want us to focus on that, but I don’t want us to just completely miss it and not understand it either.
“This is an important game to college football.”
NO. 17 DUKE HOPES TO HAVE RILEY LEONARD VS. NC STATE
The quarterback topic is running hot when it comes to Saturday night’s Atlantic Coast Conference game between visiting North Carolina State and No. 17 Duke in Durham, N.C.
The Wolfpack (4-2, 1-1) have broken in a new starter, while the Blue Devils (4-1, 1-0) are hoping for a clean bill of health for their QB1.
Duke has been off since a devastating Sept. 30 loss to Notre Dame, with Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard hurt in the final minute and his status in question because of a high ankle sprain.
“We have to prepare for him, first of all, until we find out he’s not playing,” North Carolina State coach Dave Doeren said. “We’ve heard a lot of different things.”
Duke coach Mike Elko said Leonard is day-to-day and made good strides in recovering during the team’s open week. But certainly the Blue Devils are preparing backup Henry Belin IV to be ready for action.
By Monday, Leonard was “moving around and throwing the ball,” Elko said. “We’ll see what happens this weekend. I do think the outlook for him is really positive for the rest of the season. We’ll see when we can get him back.”
This will be the first meeting between the teams since 2020 and the Wolfpack’s first visit to Duke’s campus since 2013.
“Haven’t been to Duke in a long time so look forward to playing them in their stadium,” Doeren said. “I know our guys are excited. They’re coming off a bye week, so we expect them to be pretty rested compared to us.”
The Blue Devils should be full of energy.
“When you get that (open) week after Week 5, you get healthy and kind of head into this backstretch of the season with a fresh team, and I think we were able to accomplish that,” Elko said.
North Carolina State’s MJ Morris made his first start of the season in last week’s 48-41 win against visiting Marshall, throwing for 265 yards and four touchdowns, with three interceptions.
“You don’t win a lot of games with three turnovers,” Doeren said. “Something we have to do better, particularly getting ready for this next game this week. I do expect him to grow and improve each week. The challenge changes each week as well, but the game does slow down the more you play it.”
Morris replaced graduate transfer Brennan Armstrong in the first-string spot, but the Wolfpack are still working to smooth out inconsistencies.
Duke’s defense has been solid, with its first-string unit not allowing a second-half touchdown until the Notre Dame game.
Doeren said the Blue Devils won’t be easy to push around.
“We have to do a great job of taking care of the football,” he said. “Protecting it, protecting the runners with blocking and the quarterback with protection. It’s going to be a great challenge. Their front does a really good job, their line stunts with their four-man rush packages, and different things that they do.”
The Wolfpack will be without safety Rakeim Ashford, who is out for the season after suffering a knee injury in the win against Marshall.
NO. 18 UCLA CONTINUES TOUGH STRETCH AT NO. 15 OREGON STATE
No. 18 UCLA will face its third consecutive top-15 opponent when the Bruins visit No. 15 Oregon State on Saturday in Pac-12 Conference action in Corvallis, Ore.
UCLA (4-1, 1-1) opened that stretch with a 14-7 setback at then-No. 11 Utah on Sept. 23. The Bruins returned from a bye week to beat then-No. 13 Washington State last Saturday, 25-17.
Despite the diverging results, UCLA allowed only one offensive touchdown to both the Utes and Cougars.
The Cougars came in averaging 45.8 points per game and had not scored less than 31 points in any of their four previous contests. Meanwhile, the 17 points Washington State finished with were the most the Bruins have allowed this season.
“Our defense played outstanding. The effort that whole group played the entire game, and it was at all levels,” UCLA coach Chip Kelly said Monday. “Our guys did a great job containing a very mobile quarterback.”
The Bruins allowed just 216 total yards of offense, including 12 rushing yards.
UCLA heads into Saturday’s matchup ranked third nationally against the run at 64.6 yards allowed a game, and eighth in points given up at 12.2 a contest — though the latter statistic is skewed by both Utah and Washington State scoring touchdowns off of interceptions by Bruins freshman quarterback Dante Moore.
Oregon State (5-1, 2-1) will counter UCLA’s standout defense with an offense scoring an average of 38.5 points per game.
The Beavers rebounded from a 38-35 loss at Washington State on Sept. 23 by winning their lowest-scoring game of the season thus far, a 21-7 grinder Sept. 29 at Utah, then held off Cal 52-40 last weekend.
Oregon State ran for 203 yards against Cal with the running-back tandem of Damien Martinez and Deshaun Fenwick combining for 165. The Beavers average 205 rushing yards per game, good for No. 16 in the country.
However, D.J. Uiagalelei set the pace last week with his best passing performance of the campaign. He completed 19 of 25 attempts for 275 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions against the Golden Bears.
“Not just completing the pass, but hitting them in stride. You see some of the catches and the yards gained after it — thinking about the two third-down throws to Anthony Gould, how accurate down the field those were,” Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith said Monday.
Protecting Uiagalelei against a UCLA defense that Smith described as “long, athletic” with “as good of pass-rushers as we’ve seen” should prove crucial in this conference matchup, the last between the programs before the Bruins join the Big Ten next season.
UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu has five sacks this season, with linebacker Darius Muasau boasting four. The Bruins rank No. 14 nationally in total team sacks with 18, and No. 12 in tackles for loss with 44.
Oregon State has allowed only six sacks in six games but has given up 30 tackles for loss.
STANFORD COMPLETES RECORD RALLY, TOPS COLORADO IN 2 OTS
Joshua Karty kicked a game-tying field goal on the final play of regulation and booted the winning 31-yard field goal in the second overtime to give Stanford a dramatic 46-43 victory in Pac-12 play on Friday night at Boulder, Colo.
The Cardinal trailed 29-0 at halftime before pulling off the biggest comeback win in program history.
Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels completed 27 of 45 passes for 396 yards and four touchdowns, and Elic Ayomanor caught three scoring passes during a stellar performance while setting the school’s single-game record for receiving yards.
Ayomanor had career-best figures of 13 receptions and 294 yards, including scoring plays of 97, 60 and 30 yards. The yardage surpassed the program mark set by Troy Walters in 1999, 278 yards vs. UCLA.
Bryce Farrell scored two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) as Stanford (2-4, 1-3 Pac-12) halted a four-game losing streak.
Shedeur Sanders completed 33 of 48 passes for 400 yards, five touchdowns and a costly interception for Colorado (4-3, 1-3). Xavier Weaver accounted for three scores for the Buffaloes.
Two-way Colorado standout
Two-way Colorado standout Travis Hunter returned from a three-game absence caused by a lacerated liver to catch 13 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Weaver caught seven passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns and also scored on a reverse.
After Karty’s 46-yard field goal ended regulation, the Buffaloes had the ball first in overtime and scored on Sanders’ 4-yard pass to Javon Antonio.
On Stanford’s first possession, Ayomanor made an acrobatic 30-yard scoring grab, trapping off the upper back and helmet of Hunter before completing the catch.
Alaka’i Gilman intercepted Sanders in the end zone to end Colorado’s second OT possession. A short time later, Karty’s kick completed the comeback.
Colorado scored 29 unanswered points before Stanford exploded with the next 26. The Cardinal comeback started with Farrell scoring on a 2-yard run with 9:01 left in the third quarter to get the frenzy started.
A short time later, Stanford was backed up at its own 3-yard line and Ayomanor caught the ball 4 yards downfield and was in the clear. Colorado’s Shilo Sanders gave chase but missed his diving tackle attempt at the Colorado 25 and Ayomanor completed the touchdown. A two-point pass failed, leaving the Cardinal down 29-12 with 6:18 left in the third quarter.
Just 93 seconds later, Ayomanor caught a 60-yard touchdown pass to bring Stanford within 10.
In the fourth quarter, Stanford backup quarterback Justin Lamson entered the game on first-and-goal from the 1 and scored on a keeper to move the Cardial within 29-26 with 12:29 left in the game.
Colorado needed just 92 seconds to answer as Hunter caught a 16-yard scoring from Sanders to make it a 10-point margin. Stanford answered with Daniels’ 3-yard scoring pass to Ferrell with 5:06 remaining.
Earlier, Sanders threw touchdown passes of 9 yards to Weaver and 24 to Hunter in the first 11:24 as the Buffaloes took a 14-0 lead.
Weaver caught a 39-yard scoring pass from Sanders and Caleb Fauria added a two-point run with 8:42 left in the second quarter. Weaver ran 14 yards on the reverse with 2:57 left in the half to make it 29-0.
NFL WEEK 6 CAPSULES
COLTS PREVIEW VS. JACKSONVILLE
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (3-2) AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (3-2)
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 2023
GAME TIME: 1:00 PM ET
CBS: Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta, Amanda Renner
SiriusXM (team name linked to SXM App) IND: 108 or 388 JAX: 113 or 230
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY
REG. SEASON: IND leads series, 27 -18 (JAX won 3 of past 4)
POSTSEASON: —
THE LAST TIME …
REG. SEASON: 9/10/23: JAX 31 at IND 21
POSTSEASON: —
COLTS NOTES:
Shane Steichen vs. Opponent (incl. postseason): 0-1 Reg. Season: 3-2 (.600) Postseason: 0-0
WEEK DATE Opponent ET TV/RESULT RECORD
1 Sep. 10 Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00 PM L, 31-20 0-1
2 Sep. 17 at Houston Texans 1:00 PM W, 31-20 1-1
3 Sep. 24 at Baltimore Ravens 1:00 PM W, 22-19 (OT) 2-1
4 Oct. 1 Los Angeles Rams 1:00 PM L, 29-23 (OT) 2-2
5 Oct. 8 Tennessee Titans 1:00 PM W, 23-16 3-2
QB GARDNER MINSHEW completed 11 of 14 atts. (78.6 pct.) for 155 yards with season-high 112.8 rating last week. Started 20 games for Jax. over 2 seasons (2019-20) with 34 TDs (33 pass, 1 rush) vs. 9 INTs & 92.9 rating. • RB JONATHAN TAYLOR made season debut last week. Has 627 scrimmage yards (125.4 per game) & 3 rush TDs in 5 career games vs. Jax. • RB ZACK MOSS had career-high 195 scrimmage yards (career high 165 rush, 30 rec.) & 2 rush TDs last week. Has 100+ scrimmage yards & TD in 4 of his past 5 overall & each of his past 3 vs. division. Ranks 3rd in NFL with 445 rush yards this season. • WR MICHAEL PITTMAN has 5+ catches & 50+ rec. yards in 4 of 5 games this season. Has 21 catches for 231 yards (115.5 per game) & TD in his past 2 vs. Jax. • WR JOSH DOWNS (rookie) led team 6 catches for season-high 97 yards last week. Has 6+ catches & 55+ rec. yards in 2 of past 3. Ranks 4th among rookies with 23 catches this season. • LB ZAIRE FRANKLIN had 12 tackles & PD last week & joins Zach Thomas (2005) as only players since 2000 with 12+ tackles in each of team’s 1st 5 games of a season. Has 0.5+ sacks in 2 of past 3. Had career-high 17 tackles, FF & PD in Week 1 meeting. Leads NFL with 69 tackles this season. • DT DEFOREST BUCKNER had 6 tackles in Week 5. Had 7 tackles, sack, FF & FR in Week 1 meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Jax. with sack. • DE SAMSON EBUKAM had sack last week & has sack in 3 of past 4. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Jax. with TFL. • S JULIAN BLACKMON had 1st INT of season in Week 5. Aims for his 7th in row with 5+ tackles.
JAGS NOTES:
Doug Pederson vs. Opponent (incl. postseason): 3-1 Reg. Season: 54-47-1 (.534) Postseason: 5-3 (.625)
JAGUARS won back-to-back games in London & are 1st team ever to win 2 international games in a season. • QB TREVOR LAWRENCE completed 25 of 37 atts. (67.6 pct.) for season-high 315 yards & TD vs. 0 INTs with 102.9 rating last week, his 7th-career game with 300+ pass yards & 1st in 2023. Aims for 3rd in row with 0 INTs & 100+ rating. Has 9 TDs (7 pass, 2 rush) vs. INT & 102.7 rating in 5 career starts vs. Ind., with 100+ rating in each of past 4. • RB TRAVIS ETIENNE had career-high 184 scrimmage yards (136 rush, 48 rec.) & 2 rush TDs last week, 3rd-most scrimmage yards ever in an international game. Has 100+ scrimmage yards in 3 of 5 games this season, with 135+ in 2 of past 3. Ranks 2nd among RBs with 540 scrimmage yards this season. • WR CALVIN RIDLEY had 7 catches for season-high 122 yards in Week 5. Had 8 catches for 101 yards & TD in Week 1 meeting. • WR CHRISTIAN KIRK aims for 5th in row with 50+ rec. yards & 3rd in row with 6+ catches & 75+ rec. yards. Has rec. TD in 2 of his past 3 vs. Ind. • WR ZAY JONES has TD catch in 2 of 3 games this season. Had 5 catches for 55 yards & TD in Week 1 meeting. • TE EVAN ENGRAM is only TE with 4+ catches in 5 games this season. Has 5+ catches in each of 4 career games vs. Ind. • LB JOSH ALLEN had 3 sacks in Week 1 meeting & has 2+ sacks in 3 of his past 4 vs. Ind. Has 6 sacks in his past 5 vs. division. • LB FOYESADE OLUOKUN aims for his 8th in row with 7+ tackles. Had 13 tackles & PD in Week 1 meeting. • LB TRAVON WALKER had 1st-career FR in Week 5. • CB DARIOUS WILLIAMS had INT & FF last week. Aims for 3rd in row with INT. Is 1 of 2 in NFL with PD in 5 games this season.
BALTIMORE RAVENS (3-2) VS. TENNESSEE TITANS (2-3)
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 2023 GAME TIME: 9:30 AM ET
NFL Network: Rich Eisen, Kurt Warner, Jamie Erdahl
Westwood One: John Sadak, Derek Rackley
SiriusXM (team name linked to SXM App) BAL: 134 or 383 TEN: 81 or 226 National: 109 or 225
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY
REG. SEASON: TEN leads series, 11-10 (won 2 of past 3)
POSTSEASON: BAL leads series, 3-2
THE LAST TIME …
REG. SEASON: 11/22/20: TEN 30 at BAL 24
POSTSEASON: 1/10/21 AFC-WC: BAL 20 at TEN 13
RAVENS NOTES:
RAVENS will be playing in 2nd reg. season international game in franchise history (2017 vs. Jax. in London). • QB LAMAR JACKSON totaled 281 yards (236 pass, 45 rush) last week. Has 330 rush yards (110 per game) in 3 career starts vs. Ten., incl. playoffs. Leads QBs with 265 rush yards this season & ties for lead with 4 rush TDs. • RB GUS EDWARDS aims for 5th in row with 45+ rush yards. • RB JUSTICE HILL rushed for 3rd TD of season last week. • TE MARK ANDREWS aims for 3rd in row with 5+ catches & 65+ rec. yards. Had 5 catches for 96 yards & TD in last reg. season meeting. Tied for lead among TEs with 3 rec. TDs this season. • WR ZAY FLOWERS (rookie) had 5 catches for team-high 73 yards in Week 5. Has 55+ rec. yards in 4 of 5 games this season. Ranks 2nd among rookies with 29 catches & 3rd with 317 rec. yards. • WR NELSON AGHOLOR had 4 catches for season-high 64 yards last week. Has 4+ catches in 3 of past 4. • WR ODELL BECKHAM JR. has 18 catches for 201 yards (100.5 per game) & TD in 2 career games vs. Ten. • LB ROQUAN SMITH led team with 11 tackles & had PD last week. Aims for 4th in row with 10+ tackles & PD. Had 11 tackles, 2 PD & sack in only career game vs. Ten. (11/8/20 w/ Chi.). Ranks 3rd in NFL with 54 tackles this season. • LB PATRICK QUEEN had 7 tackles, PD & half sack in Week 5. Aims for his 15th in row with 5+ tackles. • CB MARLON HUMPHREY made season debut last week. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Ten. with 5+ tackles, incl. playoffs. • CB ARTHUR MAULET had season-high 2 PD & 1st sack of season in Week 5. Aims for 3rd in row with TFL. • S KYLE HAMILTON had 2 TFL last week & has 2 TFL in 2 of past 3.
JAGS NOTES:
TITANS will play in 2nd reg. season international game in franchise history (2018 vs. LAC in London). • QB RYAN TANNEHILL completed 23 of 34 atts. (67.6 pct.) for season-high 264 yards last week. Has 65+ comp. pct. in 3 of past 4. Completed 22 of 31 atts. (71 pct.) for 259 yards & 2 TDs with 104.1 rating in last reg. season meeting. Has 2 TD passes in both career starts in London. • RB DERRICK HENRY has 60+ scrimmage yards in 4 of 5 games this season. Has 368 rush yards (122.7 per game) in his past 3 vs. Bal., incl. playoffs. Had rush TD in only career game in London. Has 10,008 career scrimmage yards, joining Eddie George (12,153) as only players in franchise history with 10,000+ career scrimmage yards. • RB TYJAE SPEARS (rookie) had season-high 69 scrimmage yards (35 rec., 34 rush) & rushed for 1st-career TD last week. Has 55+ scrimmage yards in 3 of past 4. • WR DEANDRE HOPKINS led team with season highs in catches (8) & rec. yards (140) in Week 5, his 150th-career game, becoming 4th player ever with a catch in each of 1st 150 games. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Bal. with 7+ catches & 80+ rec. yards. • TE CHIG OKONKWO had season-high 5 catches last week. • S KEVIN BYARD had 9 tackles last week & has 6+ tackles in 4 of 5 games this season. Has 4 INTs in 5 career games vs. Bal., incl. playoffs, with PD in each game. • CB ROGER MCCREARY had 8 tackles, sack & 1st-career FF last week. Has sack in 2 of past 3. • LB AZEEZ AL-SHAAIR tied career high with 15 tackles in Week 5. Aims for 4th in row with 9+ tackles. Has TFL in 2 of past 3. • DE DENICO AUTRY has 0.5+ sacks in 4 of 5 games this season.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (2-3) AT ATLANTA FALCONS (3-2)
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 2023
GAME TIME: 1:00 PM ET
CBS: Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan, AJ Ross
SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) WAS: 83 or 386 ATL: 85 or 227
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY
REG. SEASON: WAS leads series, 16-10-1 (won past 2)
POSTSEASON: WAS leads series, 1-0
THE LAST TIME …
REG. SEASON: 11/27/22: ATL 13 at WAS 19
POSTSEASON: 1/4/92 NFC-DIV: ATL 7 at WAS 24
COMMANDERS NOTES:
QB SAM HOWELL set career highs in completions (37), atts. (51), comp. pct. (72.5) & pass yards (388) last week, his 1stcareer 300-yard game. Has 25+ completions & 95+ rating in 3 of his past 4 starts. • RB BRIAN ROBINSON has 50+ scrimmage yards in 7 of his 8 career road games. Aims for his 3rd in row on road with rush TD & 7th in row on road with 50+ scrimmage yards. Had career-high 125 scrimmage yards (105 rush, 20 rec.) & 1st-career TD catch in last meeting. • RB ANTONIO GIBSON had season-high 64 rec. yards last week. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Atl. with 50+ scrimmage yards. • WR TERRY MCLAURIN had 6 catches for 123 yards & 2 rec. TDs in last road meeting. Aims for his 8th in row on road with 50+ rec. yards. • WR CURTIS SAMUEL had 6 catches for 65 yards & 1st rec. TD of season last week. Aims for his 3rd in row with TD. • TE LOGAN THOMAS led team with 9 receptions & 77 rec. yards & had 2nd rec. TD of season last week, his 14th-career TD catch. • DT JONATHAN ALLEN had 3rd sack of season last week & aims for his 3rd in row with sack. • DT DARON PAYNE had 5th-career FF last week. Had 2 TFL & PD in last meeting. Has PD in 3 of his past 4. • DE MONTEZ SWEAT had 1.5 sacks & PD last week. Is 1 of 5 players in past 5 seasons with 1.5+ sacks in 3 of his team’s 1st 5 games. Has 6 TFL in 5 games this season & aims for his 3rd in row with TFL. • DE CHASE YOUNG has 3 sacks & 4 TFL in his past 4 & aims for his 3rd in row on road with sack. • S KAMREN CURL aims for his 15th in row with 5+ tackles.
FALCONS NOTES:
QB DESMOND RIDDER had career-high 25 comps. on 37 atts. (75.7 pct.) for career-high 329 yards & TD vs. 0 INTs for 111.2 rating & had 2nd-career rush TD last week. Is 5-0 with 7 TDs (5 pass, 2 rush) vs. INT for 100.4 rating in 5 career home starts. • RB BIJAN ROBINSON (rookie) had 58 scrimmage yards (46 rush, 12 rec.) & 2nd-career rec. TD in Week 5. Is 1 of 3 rookies (Zay Flowers & Puka Nacua) with 50+ scrimmage yards in 5 games this season. Ranks tied-2nd among RBs with 21 receptions. • RB TYLER ALLGEIER rushed for 54 yards in last meeting. • WR DRAKE LONDON had 6 catches for season-high 78 yards last week. Has 5+ catches in 5 of his past 6 at home & aims for his 3rd in row at home with 65+ rec. yards. • TE KYLE PITTS had season-highs in receptions (7) & rec. yards (87) last week. Had 50 rec. yards in last home meeting. • TE JONNU SMITH had 6 catches for 67 yards last week. Aims for his 4th in row with 5+ catches. • S JESSIE BATES had 4th PD of season last week. Had INT in his last game vs. Was. (11/22/20 w/ Cin.). • S RICHIE GRANT had 1st TFL of season in Week 5. • DL GRADY JARRETT had 5th-career PD in Week 5. • DL CALAIS CAMPBELL has 2 sacks, 3 PD & FF in his past 4 games vs. Was. Needs 1 sack to become 5th active player with 100+ career sacks. • DL DAVID ONYEMATA has PD in 2 of 3 home games this season. • LB NATE LANDMAN led team with 7 tackles in Week 5 & aims for his 3rd in row with 7+ tackles. • LB LORENZO CARTER has TFL in 3 of his past 4 at home. • CB DEE ALFORD had 2nd-career game with 2 PD & TFL last week. Aims for his 3rd in row with TFL.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (1-4) AT CHICAGO BEARS (1-4)
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 2023
GAME TIME: 1:00 PM ET
FOX: Brandin Gaudin, Robert Smith, Jen Hale
SiriusXM (team name linked to SXM App) MIN: 134 or 383 CHI: 81 or 226
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY
REG. SEASON: MIN leads series, 65-56-2 (won past 4)
POSTSEASON: CHI leads series, 1-0
THE LAST TIME …
REG. SEASON: 1/8/23: MIN 29 at CHI 13
POSTSEASON: 1/1/95 NFC-WC: CHI 35 at MIN 18
VIKINGS NOTES:
QB KIRK COUSINS completed 29 of 47 atts. (61.7 pct.) for 284 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 92.9 rating last week. Leads NFL in TD passes (13) & completions (137) & ranks 2nd in pass yards (1,498) in 2023. Has 20 TDs (16 pass, 4 rush) & 97.2 rating in 11 career starts vs. Chi. Had TD pass vs. 0 INTs & 130.2 rating in last meeting. • RB ALEXANDER MATTISON had 2nd rec. TD of season last week, his 5th-career TD catch. Had 2 rush TDs in last meeting. • WR K.J. OSBORN had season-high 5 receptions in Week 5. Had 5 receptions for 117 yards in last meeting & aims for his 3rd in row vs. Chi. with 5+ catches. • WR JORDAN ADDISON led team with 6 catches for 64 yards & had his 3rd rec. TD of season last week, tied-most among rookies. Has 50+ rec. yards in 4 of his 1st 5 career games. • TE T.J. HOCKENSON had 5 catches for 51 yards last week. Leads TEs with 30 receptions & ranks 3rd with 254 rec. yards this season. • LB DANIELLE HUNTER had NFC-leading 6th sack of season last week & has 6+ sacks in 8 of his 9 career seasons (missed 2020 season). Ranks tied-1st with 9 TFL & is 1 of 2 (Ed Oliver) with TFL in 5 games in 2023. Has 10 TFL in 12 career games vs. Chi. • LB JORDAN HICKS had 10 tackles & 1st PD of season last week. Has 10+ tackles in 3 of his past 4. • LB MARCUS DAVENPORT had 2nd sack of season last week & aims for his 3rd in row with sack. • S CAMRYN BYNUM had 8 tackles & PD in Week 5. Leads all DBs with 51 tackles in 2023. • S HARRISON SMITH had 10 tackles last week & aims for his 3rd in row with 10+ tackles.
BEARS NOTES:
QB JUSTIN FIELDS passed for 282 yards & 4 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 125.3 rating & had 57 rush yards in Week 5. Became 4th QB since 1970 with 5,000+ pass yards (5,255) & 1,500+ rush yards (1,754) in 1st 30 career starts. Is 1st player since 2021 (Joe Burrow) with 4+ TD passes & 125+ rating in consecutive games. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Min. with TD pass vs. 0 INTs. • RB KHALIL HERBERT rushed for 76 yards last week & aims for his 3rd in row with 75+ rush yards. Is 1 of 4 RBs with 5+ yards per rush average (5.1) since 2021, min. 250 rush atts. • WR DJ MOORE had 8 receptions & set career highs with 230 rec. yards & 3 rec. TDs in Week 5, 1st Chi. WR with 200+ rec. yards & 3 rec. TDs in game since 1954 (Harlon Hill). Has 100+ rec. yards in 3 of his past 4. Aims for his 3rd in row with 100+ rec. yards & 4th in row with TD catch. • TE COLE KMET had 5 catches & 3rd rec. TD of season last week. Aims for his 3rd in row with 5+ receptions & TD catch. Had rec. TD in last meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row at home vs. Min. with 50+ rec. yards. • DL YANNICK NGAKOUE had 1st sack of season last week. Had sack in his last game vs. Min. (12/17/22 w/ Ind.). • LB T.J. EDWARDS had 10 tackles & 1st sack of season in Week 5. Has 9+ tackles in each of his past 9. Had 10 tackles, TFL & PD in his last game vs. Min. (9/19/22 w/ Phi.). • LB TREMAINE EDMUNDS has 8+ tackles in each of his 5 games this season. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Min. with PD. • DB GREG STROMAN had 1st-career sack & 3rd-career INT last week. Has TFL in 3 of his past 4. Had INT in last meeting. • DB TERELL SMITH (rookie) had 1st-career FF & 1st-career FR last week. Aims for his 4th in row with 5+ tackles.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (3-1) AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (2-3)
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 2023
GAME TIME: 1:00 PM ET
CBS: Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, Evan Washburn
SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) SEA: 158 or 384 CIN: 109 or 225
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY
REG. SEASON: Series tied, 10-10 (CIN won 2 of past 3)
POSTSEASON: CIN leads series, 1-0
THE LAST TIME …
REG. SEASON: 9/8/19: CIN 20 at SEA 21
POSTSEASON: 12/31/88 AFC-D: SEA 13 at CIN 21
SEAHAWKS NOTES:
SEATTLE tied franchise-record with 11 sacks in Week 4 & became 1st team since 2018 with 11 sacks in single game. • QB GENO SMITH had TD pass & 95.8 rating in Week 4. Has 19 TDs (18 pass, 1 rush) vs. 5 INTs for 107.9 rating in his past 10 road starts. Has 95+ rating in 8 of his past 9 starts on road. • RB KENNETH WALKER rushed for 79 yards & had his 5th rush TD of season in Week 4. Aims for his 3rd in row on road & 4th in row overall with rush TD. Has 50+ scrimmage yards in each of his past 8 games. • WR TYLER LOCKETT has 5 rec. TDs in his past 5 on road. Aims for his 4th in row on road with 50+ rec. yards. Had TD catch in last meeting. • WR DK METCALF had 2nd rec. TD of season in Week 4. Has 70+ rec. yards in 4 of his past 5 road games. Had 89 rec. yards in last meeting, his NFL debut. • LB BOBBY WAGNER led team with 17 tackles & had 4th-career game with 2 sacks in Week 4. Has 8 career games with 15+ tackles, most among active players. Had FR-TD in his only career game at Cin. (10/11/15). • LB JORDYN BROOKS had 10 tackles, career-high 2 sacks & 3rd-career FR in Week 4. Has 10+ tackles in 3 of his past 4 & TFL in 4 of his past 5. • LB UCHENNA NWOSU had 1st 2 sacks of season & 8th-career FF in Week 4, his 5th-career 2-sack game. Aims for his 3rd in row on road with FF. Has 7 TFL in his past 6. Had 2 sacks, FF & FR in his last game at Cin. (12/5/21 w/ LAC) & aims for his 4th in row vs. Cin. with sack. • CB DEVON WITHERSPOON became 1st rookie since 2000 with 2 sacks & INT-TD in single game in Week 4. Aims for his 4th in row with PD.
BENGALS NOTES:
QB JOE BURROW set season highs in completions (36), comp. pct. (78.3), pass yards (317), TD passes (3) & rating (108.1) last week, his 15th-career game with 3+ TD passes. Has 2+ TD passes & 105+ rating in 2 of 3 career starts vs. NFC West. Has 23 TDs (20 pass, 3 rush) vs. 4 INTs with 107.5 rating in his past 9 starts vs. NFC. • RB JOE MIXON had 94 scrimmage yards (season-high 81 rush, 13 rec.) last week. Is 1 of 2 RBs (Christian McCaffrey) with 70+ scrimmage yards in 5 games this season. Has rush TD in 2 of past 3 at home. • WR JA’MARR CHASE had career-high 15 catches (franchise record) for 192 yards & 3 TDs last week, becoming 1st player in NFL history with 10+ catches, 150+ rec. yards & 3+ rec. TDs in multiple games within 1st 3 seasons (Week 17, 2021). Aims for 4th in row with 7+ catches & 70+ rec. yards. Has 80+ rec. yards in 9 of his past 10 at home. Is 1 of 3 in NFL with 5+ catches in 5 games this season. Ranks 2nd in NFL with 44 catches. • WR TEE HIGGINS has 5+ catches in 6 of his past 7 vs. NFC. • WR TYLER BOYD had 6 catches in Week 5 & has 5+ catches in 3 of past 4. Had 8 catches for 60 yards in last meeting. • WR TRENTON IRWIN set career highs in catches (8) & rec. yards (60) last week. • DE TREY HENDRICKSON led team with season-high 2.5 sacks & had PD & 1st FF of season in Week 5. Has 5 sacks in his past 3. Is 1 of 5 in NFL with 6+ sacks this season. • DE SAM HUBBARD had 1st FR of season last week. Has sack in 2 of past 3. Had 10 tackles & 2 sacks in last meeting. • LB GERMAINE PRATT led team with 10 tackles & had 2 TFL & 1st INT of season last week. Has 7+ tackles in 4 of 5 games this season. • CB CAM TAYLOR-BRITT had 2 PD & 11-yard INT-TD last week.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (5-0) AT CLEVELAND BROWNS (2-2)
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 2023
GAME TIME: 1:00 PM ET
FOX: Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi
SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) SF: 133 or 385 CLE: 82 or 228
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY
REG. SEASON: CLE leads series, 12-8 (Home team has won past 4)
POSTSEASON: —
THE LAST TIME …
REG. SEASON: 10/7/19: CLE 3 at SF 31
POSTSEASON: —
49ERS NOTES:
49ERS improved to 5-0 for 5th time in franchise history & 1st time since 2019. Have won 15 consecutive reg.-season games. Have 30+ points in 8 straight reg.-season games, 5th-longest streak ever. • QB BROCK PURDY had career highs in TD passes (4) & rating (144.4) in Week 5 & became 3rd QB since 1970 to win each of his 1st 10 career reg.-season starts. Has highest passer rating (121.1) & 2nd-highest comp. pct. (70.4) by QB in 1st 10 career starts ever. Leads NFL with 123.1 rating in 2023. • RB CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY has TD in 14 consecutive games, incl. postseason, tied 4th-longest such streak in NFL history. Leads NFL in scrimmage yards (678), rush yards (510) & ranks tied-1st in scrimmage TDs (8). Has 3 rush TDs in 2 career games vs. Cle. • TE GEORGE KITTLE had career-high 3 rec. TDs in Week 5, 1st SF TE with 3 rec. TDs in game since 2009 (Vernon Davis). Has 34 career rec. TDs & surpassed Brent Jones (33) for 2nd-most by TE in franchise history. Had rec. TD in last meeting. • WR DEEBO SAMUEL has 85+ scrimmage yards in 3 of his past 4 overall & 90+ scrimmage yards in 3 of his past 4 road games. Aims for his 5th in row on road with 5+ receptions. • WR BRANDON AIYUK has 50+ rec. yards in 6 of his past 7. Has 8+ catches, 100+ rec. yards & rec. TD in 2 of his past 3 on road. • DL NICK BOSA aims for his 5th in row with TFL. Had 2 sacks, FF & FR in last meeting. • DL JAVON HARGRAVE aims for his 4th in row with TFL. • LB FRED WARNER had sack, FF & 5th-career INT in Week 5. • LB DRE GREENLAW had 2 TFL & 3rd-career sack last week. • S TASHAUN GIPSON had 1st INT of season, his 33rd-career INT, 3rd-most among active players. Had 14 INTs in 4 seasons (2012-15) with Cle.
BROWNS NOTES:
QB DESHAUN WATSON is 3-1 as starter at home since joining Cle. Has rush TD in 2 of his past 3 at home. Has 0 INTs & 100+ rating in 5 of his past 6 starts vs. NFC. • QB DORIAN THOMPSON-ROBINSON completed 19 of 36 atts. (52.8 pct.) in 1st-career start in Week 4. • RB JEROME FORD had career-high 5 catches in Week 4. Has 50+ scrimmage yards & TD in 2 of past 3. • RB PIERRE STRONG lead team with season-high 49 rush yards in Week 4. • RB KAREEM HUNT rushed for 2 TDs in only career game vs. SF (9/23/18 w/ KC). • WR AMARI COOPER has 7 catches & 90+ rec. yards in 2 of past 3. Has TD catch in 2 of his past 3 vs. NFC West. • TE DAVID NJOKU led team with season-high 6 catches for 46 yards in Week 4. Aims for 4th in row with 4+ catches. • DE MYLES GARRETT has sack in 3 of 4 games this season. Had sack in last meeting & has sack in each of 4 career games vs. NFC West. Has 12 sacks in his past 8 at home, with sack in each of past 3. Has 80 career sacks & tied T.J. Watt (88 games) as 2nd-fastest player to reach 80 sacks since 1982. • DE ZA’DARIUS SMITH had sack, FF & FR in his last game vs. SF (11/5/20 w/ GB). Aims for his 3rd in row vs. SF with sack. • DE OGBO OKORONKWO had season-high 2 TFL & sack in Week 4. Has 0.5+ sacks in 3 of 4 games this season. • LB ANTHONY WALKER led team with season-high 8 tackles in Week 4. Aims for 4th in row with 4+ tackles. • CB DENZEL WARD has PD in 3 of 4 games this season, with 2 PD in 2 of past 3. • S GRANT DELPIT has 5+ tackles in 3 of 4 games this season.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (3-2) AT HOUSTON TEXANS (2-3)
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 2023
GAME TIME: 1:00 PM ET
FOX: Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth, Kristina Pink
SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) NO: 121 or 387 HOU: 135 or 229
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY
REG. SEASON: N0 leads series, 3-2 (Home team won all 5)
POSTSEASON: —
THE LAST TIME … REG. SEASON: 9/9/19: HOU 28 at NO 30 POSTSEASON: –
SAINTS NOTES:
QB DEREK CARR had 2 TD passes vs. 0 INTs for season-high 114.7 rating last week. Aims for his 3rd in row on road with TD pass vs. 0 INTs. Has 1,084 pass yards (271 per game) & 8 TDs vs. 3 INTs for 103.5 rating in 4 career starts vs. Hou. Aims for his 4th in row vs. Hou. with 115+ rating. • RB ALVIN KAMARA rushed for 80 yards & TD last week. Has 73 career TDs & surpassed Marques Colston (72) for most TDs in franchise history. Had 7 catches & 169 scrimmage yards (97 rush, 72 rec.) in last meeting. Aims for his 7th in row with 80+ scrimmage yards. • RB KENDRE MILLER (rookie) had 90 scrimmage yards (53 rec., 37 rush) in Week 5. • WR CHRIS OLAVE had 1st rec. TD of season last week, his 5thcareer TD catch. Has 85+ rec. yards in 2 of 3 road games this season. • WR MICHAEL THOMAS had 4 catches for team-high 65 rec. yards last week. Is 1 of 3 (Stefon Diggs & Puka Nacua) with 50+ rec. yards in 5 games in 2023. Has 5+ catches in 6 of his past 7 road games. Had 10 catches for 123 yards in last meeting. • TE FOSTER MOREAU had 13th-career rec. TD last week. • DE CAMERON JORDAN had half sack & 11th-career FR in Week 5. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Hou. with sack. • DE CARL GRANDERSON had sack & tied his career high with 3 TFL in Week 5. Has sack in 4 of his past 5 on road. • LB DEMARIO DAVIS had 1st PD of season last week. • LB PETE WERNER had 1st-career INT in Week 5. • CB MARSHON LATTIMORE has PD in 2 of 3 road games this season. Aims for his 5th in row with 5+ tackles. • S TYRANN MATHIEU had 4th-career INT-TD last week, his 30thcareer INT. Had 89 tackles, 3 sacks & 2 INTs in 2018 with Hou.
TEXANS NOTES:
QB C.J. STROUD (rookie) completed 20 of 35 atts. (57.1 pct.) for 249 yards & TD vs. 0 INTs last week. Is 1st QB in NFL history with 0 INTs in 1st 5 career starts (min. 30 atts. in each start) & his 186 atts. this season without an INT are most-ever to begin a career. Ranks 3rd in NFL with 1,461 pass yards & is 4th QB in NFL history with 1,400+ pass yards & 0 INTs in team’s 1st 5 games of season. Has 2 TD passes & 100+ rating in 3 of past 4. • RB DAMEON PIERCE aims for 3rd in row with 80+ scrimmage yards. Has 75+ scrimmage yards in 5 of 6 career games vs. NFC. • RB DEVIN SINGLETARY has 95+ scrimmage yards & rush TD in 2 of his past 3 vs. NFC South. • WR NICO COLLINS has 14 catches for 314 yards (157 per game) & 3 rec. TDs in 2 home games this season. Aims for his 3rd in row at home with rec. TD. Ranks 4th in AFC with 467 rec. yards this season. • WR TANK DELL (rookie) had 57 rec. yards last week & has 55+ rec. yards in 3 of past 4. Ranks 2nd among rookies with 324 rec. yards. • TE DALTON SCHULTZ led team with season-high 7 catches for 65 yards & TD in Week 5. Aims for 3rd in row with rec. TD. Had 5 catches in his last game vs. NO (12/2/21 w/ Dal.). • LB HENRY TO’OTO’O (rookie) led team with season-high 12 tackles last week. Aims for 5th in row with 7+ tackles. Has PD in 2 of past 3. Leads rookies with 39 tackles this season. • LB BLAKE CASHMAN set career highs in tackles (9) & TFL (2) last week. Has 5+ tackles in 2 of past 3. • DE JERRY HUGHES aims for 4th in row with TFL. • DE JONATHAN GREENARD aims for 3rd in row with TFL. • S JALEN PITRE had season-high 11 tackles, PD & 1st FR of season in Week 5. Has 13+ tackles in 3 of his past 4 at home.
CAROLINA PANTHERS (0-5) AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (4-1)
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 2023
GAME TIME: 1:00 PM ET
CBS: Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, Melanie Collins
SiriusXM (team name linked to SXM App) CAR: 98 or 289 MIA: 111 or 231
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY
REG. SEASON: MIA leads series, 5-2 (CAR won 2 of past 3)
POSTSEASON: —
THE LAST TIME …
REG. SEASON: 11/28/21: CAR 10 at MIA 33
POSTSEASON: –
PANTHERS NOTES:
QB BRYCE YOUNG (rookie) completed 25 of 41 atts. (61 pct.) for 247 yards & career-high 3 TD passes last week. Aims for his 5th start in row with 20+ completions. • RB MILES SANDERS has 60+ scrimmage yards in 2 of 3 road games this season. Had 105 scrimmage yards (83 rush, 22 rec.) & TD catch in his only career game vs. Mia. (12/1/19 w/ Phi.). • RB CHUBA HUBBARD has 50+ scrimmage yards in 9 of his past 11. • WR ADAM THIELEN had 11 receptions for 107 yards & had his 58th-career rec. TD last week, his 7th-career game with 10+ catches & his 23rd-career game with 100+ rec. yards. Is 1 of 3 (Ja’Marr Chase & Puka Nacua) with 2 games of 10+ catches & 100+ rec. yards in 2023. Ranks 4th in NFL with 38 receptions. Had rec. TD in his last game at Mia. (10/16/22 w/ Min.). • WR JONATHAN MINGO (rookie) had career-highs in catches (5) & rec. yards (48) last week. • WR DJ CHARK had 20th-career rec. TD last week & aims for his 3rd in row on road with TD catch. • LB BRIAN BURNS had 4th sack of season last week. Aims for his 4th in row on road with sack & 5th in row on road with TFL. Had sack, 2 TFL & FF in last meeting. • LB FRANKIE LUVU has 5+ tackles in 8 of his past 9. Has 9 TFL in his past 7 road games. Had FR in last meeting. • DT DERRICK BROWN has 5+ tackles in 4 of 5 games this season. Aims for his 5th in row on road with 5+ tackles. Ranks 2nd among DL with 29 tackles in 2023. • CB C.J. HENDERSON had 1st-career sack in Week 5. • S SAM FRANKLIN had career-high 8 tackles last week. • S VONN BELL led team with season-high 9 tackles in Week 5. Had career-high 2 INTs in his last game vs. Mia. (9/29/22 w/ Cin.).
DOLPHINS NOTES:
DOLPHINS lead NFL with 2,568 total yards of offense this season, most by a team in their 1st 5 games of a season in NFL history. • QB TUA TAGOVAILOA completed 22 of 30 atts. (73.3 pct.) for 308 yards & 2 TDs with 100.4 rating last week. Is 1 of 2 QBs (Brock Purdy) with 90+ rating in 5 games this season. Completed 27 of 31 atts. (87.1 pct.) for 230 yards & TD with 108.3 rating in last meeting. Leads NFL with 1,614 pass yards this season. • RB DE’VON ACHANE (rookie) rushed for 151 yards & TD last week, his 3rd-straight game with 100+ rush yards & rush TD. Is 3rd player ever with 100+ rush yards & rush TD in 3 of 1st 4 career games. Ranks 3rd in NFL with 7 TDs (5 rush, 2 rec.), 2ndmost ever by player in 1st 4 career games. • RB RAHEEM MOSTERT rushed for 65 yards & TD in Week 5. Ties for NFL lead with 8 TDs & 7 rush TDs. Had rush TD in his last game vs. Car. (10/27/19 w/ SF). Achane & Mostert are 3rd pair of teammates ever each with 7+ TD in team’s 1st 5 games of season. • WR TYREEK HILL had 8 catches for 181 yards & TD last week, 11th-career game with 150+ rec. yards & rec. TD, tied 4th-most ever by player in 1st 8 seasons. Joined Wes Welker (2011) as only players ever with 150+ rec. yards & rec. TD in 3 of team’s 1st 5 games of season. Has 19 catches for 202 yards (101 per game) & 2 TDs in 2 career games vs. Car. Leads NFL with 651 rec. yards in 2023. • WR JAYLEN WADDLE had 1st TD catch of season in Week 5. Had 9 catches for 137 yards & TD in last meeting. • DT ZACH SIELER had 7 tackles, 3 TFL & career-high 2 sacks last week. Aims for 3rd in row with TFL. Had PD in last meeting. • DE EMMANUEL OGBAH had season-best 1.5 sacks last week & has sack in 2 of past 3. Had sack & PD in last meeting. • CB XAVIEN HOWARD had PD last week. Had INT in last meeting.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (1-4) AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (2-3)
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 2023
GAME TIME: 4:05 PM ET
CBS: Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson
SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) NE: 158 or 384 LV: 109 or 225
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY
REG. SEASON: NE leads series, 18-15-1 (won 6 of past 7)
POSTSEASON: NE leads series, 2-1
THE LAST TIME …
REG. SEASON: 12/18/22: NE 24 at LV 30
POSTSEASON: 1/19/02 AFC-DIV: OAK 13 at NE 16
PATRIOTS NOTES:
HC BILL BELICHICK can become 3rd coach in NFL history to win 300+ reg. season games, joining HOFers Don Shula (328) & George Halas (318). • QB MAC JONES aims for his 3rd in row vs. AFC West with 0 INTs. • RB RHAMONDRE STEVENSON had career-high 172 rush yards & rush TD in last meeting. Aims for his 5th in row on road with 40+ scrimmage yards. • RB EZEKIEL ELLIOTT had rush TD in only career game vs. LV (11/25/21 w/ Dal.). Has rush TD in 3 of his past 5 vs. AFC West. • WR KENDRICK BOURNE has 40+ rec. yards in 2 of past 3. • WR JUJU SMITH-SCHUSTER has 6+ catches in 2 of 4 career games vs. Raiders. • WR DEVANTE PARKER aims for his 4th in row vs. Raiders with 40+ rec. yards. • TE HUNTER HENRY has 50+ rec. yards in 3 of 5 games this season. Has rec. TD in 2 of his past 3 at Raiders. • TE MIKE GESICKI had career-high 10 catches for 86 yards in his last game vs. LV (9/26/21 w/ Mia.). Aims for his 3rd in row vs. LV with 50+ rec. yards. • LB JOSH UCHE had half sack & FF in last meeting. • LB JA’WHUAN BENTLEY led team with season-high 11 tackles & had 1st sack of season last week. Aims for his 15th in row with 5+ tackles. Has TFL in 2 of past 3. Had 10 tackles & sack in last meeting. • DE DEATRICH WISE tied career high with 7 tackles in Week 5. Has sack in 2 of his past 3 on road. • S KYLE DUGGER aims for 4th in row with 6+ tackles. Has TFL in 3 of past 4. Had 16-yard INT-TD in last meeting. • CB MYLES BRYANT had 5 tackles & 1st sack of season in Week 5. Has 5+ tackles in 4 of 5 games this season.
RAIDERS NOTES:
QB JIMMY GAROPPOLO completed 22 of 31 atts. (71 pct.) for 208 yards & TD vs. INT last week. Completed 20 of 25 atts. (80 pct.) for 277 yards in only career start vs. NE (10/25/20 w/ SF). Was selected by NE in 2nd round of 2014 NFL Draft & spent 3 seasons with team (2014-16), appearing in 17 games (2 starts). • RB JOSH JACOBS led team with 89 scrimmage yards (season-high 69 rush, 20 rec.) & had rush TD last week. Aims for 4th in row with 80+ scrimmage yards & 3rd in row with rush TD. Had 110 scrimmage yards (93 rush, 17 rec.) in last meeting & aims for his 3rd in row vs. NE with 80+ scrimmage yards. Needs 25 rush yards to become 4th player in franchise history with 5,000+ career rush yards. • WR DAVANTE ADAMS has 75+ rec. yards in 3 of past 4. Has 6+ catches in 4 of 5 games this season. Has 6+ catches in 2 of 3 career games vs. NE. Has 982 rec. yards (98.2 per game) in 10 home games since joining LV. • WR JAKOBI MEYERS led team with 7 catches for 75 yards & TD last week & has 7+ catches & 75+ rec. yards in 3 of his 4 games this season. Spent 1st 4 seasons of career (2019-22) with NE. • DE MAXX CROSBY had sack & tied career high with 4 TFL in Week 5. Aims for 4th in row with sack & 3rd in row with 2+ TFL. Ranks tied-3rd in NFL with 8 TFL this season. • LB ROBERT SPILLANE had 9 tackles & career-high 2 INTs last week. Aims for his 10th in row with 5+ tackles. • LB DIVINE DEABLO had 10 tackles & TFL in Week 5. • CB MARCUS PETERS aims for 3rd in row with PD. Has 5+ tackles in 2 of past 3. Had INT, FF & FR in his last game vs. NE (9/25/22 w/ Bal.). Has PD in 2 of his past 3 vs. NE. • CB AMIK ROBERTSON had game-sealing INT in 4th qtr. last week, 1st INT of season. Had career-high 3 PD in last meeting.
ARIZONA CARDINALS (1-4) AT LOS ANGELES RAMS (2-3)
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 2023
GAME TIME: 4:25 PM ET
FOX: Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, Shannon Spake
SiriusXM (team name linked to SXM App) ARI: 83 of 386 LAR: 85 of 227
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY
REG. SEASON: LAR leads series, 46-40-2 (won 2 of past 3)
POSTSEASON: LAR leads series, 2-0
THE LAST TIME …
REG. SEASON: 11/13/22: ARI 27 at LAR 17
POSTSEASON: 1/17/22 NFC-WC: ARI 11 at LAR 34
CARDS NOTES:
QB JOSH DOBBS aims for his 3rd in row with 2+ TD passes & aims for his 3rd in row on road with 0 INTs. Has 40+ rush yards in 3 of his past 4 starts. • RB EMARI DEMERCADO (rookie) had 57 scrimmage yards (45 rush, 12 rec.) & 1st-career rush TD last week. • TE ZACH ERTZ had 1st rec. TD of season last week, his 46thcareer TD catch. Aims for his 3rd in row on road with 6+ receptions. • WR MARQUISE BROWN led team with 4 catches for 61 yards & had 3rd rec. TD of season last week. Has TD catch in 3 of his past 4 & aims for his 5th in row with 50+ rec. yards. Had career-high 14 receptions for 140 yards in his last game vs. LAR (9/25/22) & had 2 rec. TDs in his only career game at LAR (11/25/19 w/ Bal.). • WR RONDALE MOORE had season-high 76 scrimmage yards (50 rush, 26 rec.) in Week 5. • WR MICHAEL WILSON ranked tied-5th among rookies with 255 rec. yards. • LB DENNIS GARDECK has TFL in 4 of 5 games this season & aims for his 3rd in row on road with sack. • LB ZAVEN COLLINS had sack in Week 5 & has 0.5+ sacks in 3 of his past 4. Had TFL & PD in last meeting. • LB KYZIR WHITE had 11 tackles & TFL last week & has TFL in 5 of his past 6 games. Aims for his 8th in row with 7+ tackles. • DT DANTE STILLS (rookie) had 2 TFL & 1st-career sack in Week 5. • CB MARCO WILSON had career-high 11 tackles last week. • S K’VON WALLACE had career-high 10 tackles & 1st-career INT in Week 5. Has 4 PD in 5 games this season. • S JALEN THOMPSON had 1st-career FF last week. Has 5+ tackles in 4 of his past 5 road games & has 5+ tackles in 3 of his 4 career games at LAR.
RAMS NOTES:
QB MATTHEW STAFFORD passed for 222 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 92.4 rating in Week 5. Ranks 4th in NFL with 1,451 pass yards & 124 completions in 2023. Has 31 TD passes & 96.1 rating in 15 home starts with LAR. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Ari. with 100+ rating. • RB KYREN WILLIAMS rushed for 53 yards last week & aims for his 6th in row with 50+ scrimmage yards. Aims for his 3rd in row in 2023 vs. NFC West with 2 rush TDs. • WR COOPER KUPP had 8 receptions for 118 yards in his season debut last week, his 28th-career game with 100+ rec. yards, tied3rd most such games since 2017. Had TD in 2 of his past 3 vs. Ari. Has 5+ catches & 75+ rec. yards in 11 of his past 12 home games. • WR PUKA NACUA (rookie) had 7 catches for 71 yards & his 2ndcareer rec. TD last week. Became 3rd player ever with 5+ catches in each of 1st 5 career games & 6th player ever with 50+ rec. yards in each of 1st 5 career games. Leads NFL with 46 receptions & ranks 2nd with 572 rec. yards. • WR TUTU ATWELL had 2nd rec. TD of season last week. • TE TYLER HIGBEE had 8 catches for 73 yards in last meeting. • DT AARON DONALD has 16 sacks & 23 TFL in 18 career games vs. Ari. Has sack & 2+ TFL in 2 of his past 3. • LB ERNEST JONES had career-high 15 tackles & tied his career high with 3 TFL in Week 5, his 7th-career game with 10+ tackles. Is 1 of 3 (T.J. Edwards & Zaire Franklin) with 9+ tackles in each of 1st 5 weeks. Had 10 tackles in last home meeting. • CB AHKELLO WITHERSPOON had 2nd INT of season last week, his 10th-career INT. Aims for his 4th in row with PD. • DB JORDAN FULLER had career-high 12 tackles last week.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (5-0) AT NEW YORK JETS (2-3)
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 2023
GAME TIME: 4:25 PM ET
FOX: Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez, Laura Okmin
SiriusXM (team name linked to SXM App) PHI: 133 or 385 NYJ: 82 or 228
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY
REG. SEASON: PHI leads series, 12-0
POSTSEASON: —
THE LAST TIME …
REG. SEASON: 12/5/21: PHI 33 at NYJ 18
POSTSEASON: —
EAGLES NOTES:
PHILADELPHIA improved to 5-0 for 4th time in franchise history (1981, 2004, 2022 & 2023). • QB JALEN HURTS had 5th-career game with 300+ pass yards & 50+ rush yards in Week 5, tied 3rd-most such games all-time & became 3rd QB (Josh Allen & Cam Newton) with 30+ rush TDs (30) in 1st 4 career seasons. Phi. has won 22 of past 23 games started by Hurts. Aims for his 3rd in row with 300+ pass yards. Aims for his 3rd in row on road with rush TD. • RB D’ANDRE SWIFT had 6 catches & 108 scrimmage yards (70 rush, 38 rec.) in Week 5. Aims for his 5th in row with 75+ scrimmage yards. Ranks 4th in NFL with 434 rush yards in 2023. • WR A.J. BROWN had 6 catches for 127 yards last week & has 100+ rec. yards in 3 straight games for 1st time in career. Has 13 games with 125+ rec. yards since 2019, 4th-most in NFL. Ranks 4th in NFL with 541 rec. yards in 2023. • TE DALLAS GOEDERT led team with 8 receptions & had 117 rec. yards & 20th-career TD catch in Week 5, his 5th-career game with 100+ rec. yards. Had 6 catches for 105 yards & career-high 2 rec. TDs in last meeting. • LB HAASON REDDICK had 2 sacks in Week 5 & has 5 games with 2 sacks since 2022, tied-2nd most in NFL. Aims for his 3rd in row with sack. Had 1.5 sacks in his last game vs. NYJ (9/12/21 w/ Car.). • DT JALEN CARTER (rookie) had 2 sacks in Week 5, 1st. Phi. rookie with 2 sacks in game since 2017 (Derek Barnett). Leads team & all NFL rookies with 3.5 sacks in 2023. • DE JOSH SWEAT had 2nd FF of season last week. Had 1.5 sacks in last meeting. • S REED BLANKENSHIP led team with 7 tackles last week & aims for his 5th in row with 7+ tackles. Has PD in 3 of his past 4.
JETS NOTES:
QB ZACH WILSON completed 19 of 26 atts. (career-high 73.1 pct.) & totaled 225 yards (199 pass, 26 rush) last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 70+ comp. pct. Has 0 INTs in 2 of past 3. Completed 23 of 38 atts. (60.5 pct.) for 226 yards & 2 TDs & rushed for TD in last meeting. • RB BREECE HALL had season-high 194 scrimmage yards (career-high 177 rush, 17 rec.) & rush TD last week, his 2ndcareer game with 175+ scrimmage yards, becoming 1st NYJ player ever with 2 games with 175+ scrimmage yards within 1st 2 seasons. Aims for 3rd in row with 65+ scrimmage yards. Has 593 scrimmage yards (98.8 per game) in 6 career home games. • RB DALVIN COOK has 55+ scrimmage yards in 3 of his past 4 vs. NFC East. • WR GARRETT WILSON aims for 3rd in row with 50+ rec. yards. Has 5+ catches in each of 1st 3 home games this season. • TE TYLER CONKLIN led team with 4 catches for season-high 67 yards last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 55+ rec. yards. • LB QUINCY WILLIAMS had 9 tackles, career-high 2 sacks & 1st FF of season in Week 5. Aims for 4th in row with 9+ tackles & TFL. Aims for his 10th in row at home with TFL. Had 13 tackles in last meeting. • LB C.J. MOSLEY led team with season-high 13 tackles & had PD last week. Aims for 4th in row with 10+ tackles & 3rd in row with PD. Has 13 tackles in both career games vs. Phi. • DL QUINNEN WILLIAMS aims for 3rd in row vs. Phi. with 5+ tackles. • CB SAUCE GARDNER had 5 tackles & season-high 2 PD in Week 5. Has 6 PD in his past 4 vs. NFC. • CB BRYCE HALL had 39-yard FR-TD in 4th qtr. last week, 1stcareer TD. Had 6 tackles & PD in last meeting.
DETROIT LIONS (4-1) AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (3-1)
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 2023
GAME TIME: 4:25 PM ET
FOX: Adam Amin, Daryl Johnston, Pam Oliver
SiriusXM (team name linked to SXM App) DET: 121 or 387 TB: 135 or 229
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY
REG. SEASON: DET leads series, 31-28 (TB has won past 2)
POSTSEASON: TB leads series, 1-0
THE LAST TIME …
REG. SEASON: 12/26/20: TB 47 at DET 7
POSTSEASON: 12/28/97 NFC-WC: DET 10 at TB 20
LIONS NOTES:
QB JARED GOFF completed 20 of 28 atts. (71.4 pct.) for 236 yards & had 4 TDs (3 pass, 1 rush) vs. 0 INTs & 132.4 rating in Week 5, his 2nd-career game with 3+ pass TDs & rush TD. Ranks 2nd among NFC QBs in rating (104.4) & comp. pct. (69.8) in 2023. Has 893 pass yards (446.5 per game) & 5 TD passes in 2 career games vs. TB, incl. career-high 517 pass yards vs. TB on 9/29/19 w/ LAR. • RB DAVID MONTGOMERY had 129 scrimmage yards (109 rush, 20 rec.) & 6th rush TD of season last week, 2nd-most rush TDs among NFC RBs. Aims for his 5th in row with 70+ scrimmage yards & rush TD. Had rush TD in his only career game vs. TB (10/8/20 w/ Chi.). • RB JAHMYR GIBBS (rookie) has 50+ scrimmage yards in each of his 1st 4 career games. • WR AMON-RA ST. BROWN has 5+ catches & 50+ rec. yards in each of his 1st 4 games this season. Has 5+ catches in 12 of his past 13 games. Aims for his 3rd in row on road with rec. TD. • TE SAM LAPORTA became 3rd rookie TE in NFL history with 25+ catches (25) in 1st 5 career games. Leads all TEs with 289 rec. yards in 2023. • DL AIDAN HUTCHINSON had sack & INT in Week 5. Became 3rd player (Shaquille Leonard & HOFer Brian Urlacher) since 1982 with 10+ sacks (14) & 4+ INTs (4) in 1st 2 career seasons. Is 1 of 2 (T.J. Watt) with 4+ sacks (4.5) & 4+ PD (4) in 2023. Aims for his 4th in row with sack. • LB ALEX ANZALONE led team & tied his career high with 11 tackles in Week 5, his 4th-career game with 10+ tackles. Has 5+ tackles in 22 straight games, tied-4th longest active streak in NFL. • CB JERRY JACOBS had 3rd INT of season last week & aims for his 3rd in row with INT. • CB WILL HARRIS had 1st-career FR in Week 5.
BUCS NOTES:
QB BAKER MAYFIELD completed 25 of 32 atts. (78.1 pct.) for 246 yards & 3 TDs vs. INT for 116.9 rating in Week 4, his 9thcareer game with 3+ TD passes. Has 90+ rating in 3 of 4 starts in 2023. • RB RACHAAD WHITE had 78 scrimmage yards (56 rush, 22 rec.) in Week 4. Aims for his 3rd in row at home & 4th in row overall with 50+ scrimmage yards. • WR MIKE EVANS aims for his 4th in row at home with rec. TD, 5th in row at home with 5+ catches & 7th in row at home with 50+ rec. yards. Had 10 catches for 181 yards & 2 rec. TDs in last meeting & has 2 rec. TDs in 2 of his 3 career games vs. Det. • WR CHRIS GODWIN had season highs in receptions (8) & rec. yards (114) in Week 4, his 19th-career game with 100+ rec. yards. Has 5+ catches & 50+ rec. yards in 11 of his past 12 games. Had rec. TD in last meeting & aims for his 4th in row vs. Det. with 5+ catches & 65+ rec. yards. • TE CADE OTTON had 1st rec. TD of season in Week 4. • LB LAVONTE DAVID has TFL in 2 of his past 3 at home & 8+ tackles in 4 of his past 5 home games. Has FF in 4 of his 5 career games vs. Det. • LB DEVIN WHITE had 10 tackles, 2 TFL & sack in last meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row at home with PD. • LB SHAQUIL BARRETT has 2 sacks, 2 TFL & FF in 3 career games vs. Det. • DL VITA VEA had 3rd career game with 2 sacks & had 2ndcareer FF in Week 4. Has TFL in 3 of 4 games this season. • S ANTOINE WINFIELD JR. led team with 9 tackles & had 2 TFL, sack, FF & FR in Week 4. Became 4th DB since 1982 with 2+ sacks in each of 1st 4 career seasons.
NEW YORK GIANTS (1-4) AT BUFFALO BILLS (3-2)
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 2023 GAME TIME: 8:20 PM ET
NBC: Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark
Westwood One: Ryan Radtke, Ross Tucker
SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) NYG: 81 or 226 BUF: 85 or 227 National: 88
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY
REG. SEASON: BUF leads series, 7-6 (won 3 of past 4)
POSTSEASON: NYG leads series, 1-0
THE LAST TIME …
REG. SEASON: 9/15/19: BUF 28 at NYG 14
POSTSEASON: 1/27/91 SB XXV: BUF 19 at NYG 20
GIANTS NOTES:
QB DANIEL JONES completed 14 of 20 atts. (70 pct.) in Week 5. Is only NFC QB with 3 games of 70+ comp. pct. • QB TYROD TAYLOR completed 9 of 12 atts. (75 pct.) last week. Started 43 games in 3 seasons (2015-17) with Buf. & had 8,857 pass yards & 51 TD passes with 1,575 rush yards & 14 rush TDs. • RB SAQUON BARKLEY has 155 scrimmage yards (77.5 per game) & 2 TDs (1 rush, 1 rec.) in 2 games this season. Had 135 scrimmage yards (107 rush, 28 rec.) & rush TD in last meeting. • RB MATT BREIDA had 3 TDs (2 rec., 1 rush) with Buf. in 2021. • TE DARREN WALLER led team with 8 catches & 86 rec. yards in Week 5, both season highs. Has 6+ catches & 75+ rec. yards in 2 of 3 road games this season. • WR WAN’DALE ROBINSON aims for his 3rd in row with 5+ receptions. • LB KAYVON THIBODEAUX had 4th sack of season & 3rd-career FR in Week 5. Aim for his 3rd in row on road & 4th in row overall with sack. Had 12 tackles, 3 TFL, sack, FF & FR-TD in his only career road SNF game (12/18/22 at Was.). • LB BOBBY OKEREKE led team with 10 tackles & had 1st INT of season last week, his 4th-career INT. Aims for his 3rd in row with 10+ tackles & PD. Has 5+ tackles in each of his past 13 games. • S/LB ISAIAH SIMMONS had season-high 9 tackles in Week 5. • S JASON PINNOCK had 1st FF of season & 102-yard INT-TD in Week 5, his 1st-career INT & TD, longest INT-TD since 2017 (Aqib Talib – 103 yards in Week 2). • S XAVIER MCKINNEY had season-high 8 tackles, PD & 2ndcareer FF last week. Aims for his 4th in row on road with 7+ tackles. Has 4 PD in 5 games this season. • CB DEONTE BANKS ranks tied-2nd among rookies with 4 PD.
BILLS NOTES:
BILLS lead NFL with 21 sacks, most by Buf. in 1st 5 games of a season in team history. • QB JOSH ALLEN completed 27 of 40 atts. (67.5 pct.) for season high 359 yards & 2 TDs vs. INT for 102 rating & rushed for 41stcareer TD, surpassing Jack Kemp for 3rd-most rush TDs by QB in NFL history. Aims for 3rd in row with 300+ pass yards, 2+ TD passes & 100+ rating & 4th in row with rush TD. Passed for 253 yards & had 2 TDs (1 pass, 1 rush) vs. 0 INTs in last meeting. Is 4-0 in 4 career starts on SNF, with 2+ TDs in each game. • RB JAMES COOK has 75+ scrimmage yards in 3 of past 4. • WR STEFON DIGGS led team with 8 catches for 121 yards & TD last week, his 3rd-straight game with 6+ catches & 100+ rec. yards & 2nd-straight with rec. TD. Is only player in NFL with 100+ rec. yards in 4 games this season. Has 887 rec. yards (88.7 per game) in 10 career games on SNF, with rec. TD in 2 of past 3. Tied for NFL lead with 5 rec. TDs & ranks 3rd with 39 catches. • WR GABE DAVIS had 6 catches for season-high 100 yards & TD last week, his 4th-straight game with rec. TD, longest active streak in NFL. Can become 4th Buf. player ever with rec. TD in 5 straight. • TE DAWSON KNOX has rec. TD in 4 of his past 5 in Buf. • LB VON MILLER made season debut last week. Has 4 TFL & 3 sacks in 2 career games vs. NYG. Has 15 sacks in 17 career games on SNF, 1 of 6 players with 15+ sacks on SNF since 1982. • DE LEONARD FLOYD had 2 sacks & 1st FF of season in Week 5. Has 2 sacks in 2 of past 3. Had 1.5 sacks, FF & FR in his last game vs. NYG (10/17/21 w/ LAR). • DE A.J. EPENESA set career highs in PD (3) & sacks (2) last week & had 1st FF and FR of season. Aims for 5th in row with PD. Has sack in 2 of past 3.
DALLAS COWBOYS (3-2) AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (2-2)
DATE: Monday, October 16, 2023 GAME TIME: 8:15 PM ET
ESPN: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters
Westwood One: Kevin Harlan, Mike Golic
SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) DAL: 81 or 226 LAC: 83 or 225 National: 88
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY
REG. SEASON: DAL leads series, 7-5 (LAC won 3 of past 4)
POSTSEASON:–
THE LAST TIME …
REG. SEASON: 9/19/21: DAL 20 at LAC 17
POSTSEASON: —
COWBOYS NOTES:
QB DAK PRESCOTT has completed 43 of 54 atts. (79.6 pct.) in 2 career games vs. LAC. Is 4-1 with 14 TDs (13 pass, 1 rush) vs 2 INTs for 124.3 rating in 5 career MNF starts, incl. 2+ TD passes & 95+ rating in each of his 5 starts. • RB TONY POLLARD had 64 scrimmage yards (35 rec., 29 rush) in Week 5) & is 1 of 3 RBs (Christian McCaffrey & Joe Mixon) wth 60+ scrimmage yards in each of 1st 5 games this season. Aims for his 6th in row in primetime with 50+ scrimmage yards. Had 140 scrimmage yards (109 rush, 31 rec.) & rush TD in last meeting. • WR CEEDEE LAMB had 8 receptions for 81 yards in last meeting. Has 60+ rec. yards in 5 of his past 6 primetime games & aims for his 4th in row on Monday with 60+ rec. yards. • WR BRANDIN COOKS had 7 catches for 57 yards & rec. TD in his last game vs. LAC (10/2/22 w/ Hou.). Aims for his 4th in row vs. LAC with 5+ catches. • LB MICAH PARSONS has sack in 2 of 3 road games this season. Had sack in last meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row on Monday with TFL. Has 12 TFL in 12 career primetime games. • DE DEMARCUS LAWRENCE has sack in 2 of 3 road games this season. Has 10 sacks in 6 career Monday games, incl. 2 of his 3 career games with 3 sacks. • CB STEPHON GILMORE has 5 PD in 3 road games this season & aims for his 4th in row on road with PD. • CB DARON BLAND aims for his 3rd in row with PD. • CB JOURDAN LEWIS had 2nd-career FF & 7th-career FR in Week 5. • S JAYRON KEARSE had 1st sack of season & 2 TFL last week. Has 18 TFL since 2021, most among DBs. Had TFL & PD in last meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row on Monday with PD.
CHARGERS NOTES:
QB JUSTIN HERBERT has 0 INTs & 95+ rating in 3 of 4 games this season. Rushed for career-high 2 TDs in Week 4. Completed 31 of 41 atts. (75.6 pct.) for 338 yards in last meeting. Is 3-1 with 7 TDs vs. 2 INTs & 91.6 rating in 4 career starts on MNF. • RB AUSTIN EKELER can make 1st appearance since totaling 164 scrimmage yards (117 rush, 47 rec.) & rush TD in Week 1. Had 115 scrimmage yards (61 rec., 54 rush) & 9 catches in last meeting. Aims for his 4th in row on MNF with 75+ scrimmage yards & TD. Has 4 rush TDs in his past 3 in primetime. Has 393 catches in 90 career games & can become 4th-fastest RB ever to reach 400 catches. • WR KEENAN ALLEN has 6+ catches & 75+ rec. yards in 3 of 4 games this season. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Dal. with 100+ rec. yards. Has 5+ catches & 60+ rec. yards in 5 of his past 6 at home. Has 53 catches (6.6 per game) in 8 career games on MNF. • WR JOSHUA PALMER had season-high 77 rec. yards in Week 4. Aims for 3rd in row with 65+ rec. yards. • LB JOEY BOSA has sack in 2 of his 3 games this season. Has sack in 3 of 4 career games on MNF. • LB KHALIL MACK had career-high 6 sacks with 2 FFs in Week 4, tied for 2nd-most sacks in a single game in 1982. Joined HOFer Derrick Thomas as only players since 1982 with 5+ sacks in multiple career games. Has PD in 2 of past 3. Has 3 sacks in 2 career games vs. Dal. Has sack in 5 of his past 6 on MNF. • DE MORGAN FOX aims for 4th in row with sack. Had career high 2 sacks in his last game on MNF (12/26/22 at Ind.). • CB ASANTE SAMUEL JR. had 1st INT of season in Week 4. Aims for 3rd in row with PD. Had career-high 3 PD & INT in last meeting. Has PD in each of 3 career games on MNF.
DESHAUN WATSON OUT AGAIN FOR BROWNS WITH SHOULDER INJURY, P.J. WALKER STARTING AT QB AGAINST 49ERS
BEREA, Ohio (AP) The Cleveland Browns didn’t wait for Deshaun Watson to tell them he couldn’t play.
Two weeks after Watson surprised them before kickoff by saying he couldn’t play with a shoulder injury, the Browns officially ruled the quarterback out Friday and named P.J. Walker, currently on the practice squad, their starter Sunday against unbeaten San Francisco.
Watson, who unexpectedly sat out an Oct. 1 loss to the Baltimore Ravens despite being medically cleared by the Browns, didn’t practice this week with a bruise suffered on a running play against Tennessee three weeks ago.
Watson had been expected to return this week following the team’s bye, but the 28-year-old didn’t practice at all and instead stayed inside the team’s facility for rehab.
Approached at his locker, Watson told The Associated Press the injury has improved and that he’s been “doing all medical procedures” to get back. Watson also said he didn’t know if he’ll be back next week when the Browns (2-2) play at Indianapolis.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski declined to provide any specifics on what Watson did this week behind the scenes.
He did confirm that Watson did some throwing on his own, but Stefanski, who has reiterated that the QB’s shoulder does not have a tear and is structurally sound, wouldn’t characterize any level of improvement.
“It’s part of a rehab, so he’s making progress,” Stefanski said. “He’s getting better. He’s very disappointed. He wants to play. He wants to be able to compete with his teammates, so he’s just got to focus on getting better every day.”
Watson’s injury didn’t appear to be serious a few weeks ago. Although he was limited in practice during the week leading into the Baltimore game, Watson had insisted he would play before telling the team he couldn’t following an on-field workout three hours before kickoff.
The Browns started rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who had a rocky NFL debut, throwing three interceptions in a 28-3 loss.
Stefanski has been somewhat guarded with comments about Watson, who was hurt in the second half of the Sept. 24 win over the Titans. The injury came in Watson’s best performance in his nine starts since signing a controversial $230 million contract with Cleveland last season.
Watson served an 11-game NFL suspension for allegations of sexual assault and harassment before debuting for the Browns.
Stefanski said Watson has to be able to “function” and has no doubt the former Pro Bowler with Houston would play if he felt he could help the Browns.
“I know what he’s made of,” Stefanski said. “I know how badly he wants to be out there. I know how badly he wants to compete. I’ve seen him play through injuries. He’s a very tough individual, so he’s pushing through it. He’s going to be out there as soon as he’s ready.”
Until then, Walker, who was signed in August, will start.
The 28-year-old was moved ahead of Thompson-Robinson on the depth chart this week, and his experience should give the Browns a little more confidence going against the 49ers (5-0), who have won 15 consecutive regular-season games.
Walker went 4-3 in seven starts over the past three seasons for the Carolina Panthers. In 15 career games, he’s completed 131 of 228 passes (57.5%) with five touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Walker said he’s undaunted and relishes being a heavy underdog.
“I’ve been there before,” Walker, who put himself on the radar of NFL teams by starring in the XFL. “We’ve been there before. It’s going to be what it’s going to be. So for me, it’s nothing that we can control. That’s what the outside noise is. So for us, we’re gonna go out there and prove them wrong on Sunday.”
Walker has already pulled off one surprise win, leading the Panthers to a 21-3 win last season over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
However, its nothing he’s hanging his helmet on.
“For me, it ain’t about that,” he said. “It’s going out there. It’s a new day, new game. I can’t go out there thinking about what I did last year, whole different team. So I’m with these guys right now. And that’s all that matters.”
NOTES: Browns All-Pro LG Joel Bitonio (knee) will also sit out Sunday, ending his streak of starting 102 straight regular-season games. Stefanski said Bitonio had his knee scoped during the bye week. … TE David Njoku returned to practice after missing three days. He’s still recovering from burns to his face and hand suffered when he was starting a fire pit at his house. Despite his injuries, Njoku played two days later and caught six passes in a loss to Baltimore on Oct. 1.
GIANTS QUARTERBACK DANIEL JONES WON’T PLAY AGAINST THE BILLS BECAUSE OF NECK INJURY
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones will not play Sunday night against the Buffalo Bills because of a neck injury.
Coach Brian Daboll on Friday listed Jones as out for the game along with left tackle Andrew Thomas, rookie center John Michael Schmitz, outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari and backup tackle Matt Peart.
“I think he’s getting better but not good enough to play for this game,” Daboll said Friday of Jones, who has been sacked 28 times this season.
Veteran backup Tyrod Taylor, who spent three seasons with the Bills, will start for New York, his first start since late in 2021 with Houston. Tommy DeVito, an undrafted free agent out of Illinois, either will be elevated from the practice squad or signed to the roster to be his backup.
“Tyrod’s a pro,” Daboll said. “He comes out every day and approaches it the right way in the backup situation, but he always approaches it as if he’s the starter. He’s had a good week, he’s prepared well, but he does that every week.”
The Giants have given up a league-high 30 sacks and the concern about the line increased over the past two days when right tackle Evan Neal sustained an ankle injury. The seventh-pick in last year’s draft practiced on a limited basis on Thursday and did not practice Friday. He was listed as questionable for the game.
If Neal cannot play along with Thomas and Peart, that would leave Josh Ezeudu as the only healthy tackle on the active roster. Tackles Jaylon Thomas and Yodny Cajuste are on the practice squad along with offensive lineman Justin Pugh, who has played tackle but has not played since hurting a knee last year. They could be elevated for the game or signed to the roster, provided another player if placed on injured reserve.
Star running back Saquon Barkley, who sprained an ankle on Sept. 17, has been close to returning the past two weeks. His status was listed as questionable.
Daboll said Jones, who signed a four-year, $160 million contract earlier this year, was in the Giants headquarters. He was hurt in the fourth quarter Sunday when he was sacked on a blind-side hit by Miami Dolphins edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel. He immediately left the game and Taylor played the final 12 minutes in the 31-16 loss, New York’s third straight.
This will be the first regular-season game Jones has missed since sitting out the final six games of the 2021 senior with another neck injury. The No. 6 overall pick in 2019, Jones said the injuries are not the same.
Jones is 104 of 151 for 884 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions, while running for 197 yards and a TD.
NHL NEWS
BJUGSTAD AND SCHMALTZ SCORE IN SHOOTOUT AS COYOTES BEAT DEVILS 4-3
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) Nick Bjugstad and Nick Schmaltz scored in the shootout, and the Arizona Coyotes recovered after giving up a two-goal lead and rallied to beat the New Jersey Devils 4-3 on Friday night.
Schmaltz also had a goal and an assist in regulation, and Matt Dumba and Sean Durzi also scored for the Coyotes in their regular season opener. Rookie forward Logan Cooley had two assists in his NHL debut and Karel Vejmelka made 33 saves.
“We played an elite team. We knew what to expect,” Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said. “We had urgency. We had pace.”
Jesper Bratt had two goals and an assist, Dougie Hamilton had a goal and an assist, and Jack Hughes had three assists for New Jersey, which lost one night after beating Detroit at home 4-3 in its opener. Akira Schmid finished with 30 saves.
Bjugstad and Schmaltz scored on Arizona’s two attempts in the shootout, and Vejmelka stopped New Jersey’s Timo Meier and Bratt to secure the win.
“Everybody came to play. We have a lot of new guys and there was a lot of excitement in the room,” said Schmaltz, who is in his sixth season with the Coyotes. “We did a really good job and we were hard on them.”
Dumba opened the scoring at 6:22 of the first, rifling a shot past Schmid. Dumba made his Coyotes debut after signing as a free agent following 10 seasons with Minnesota.
Durzi made it 2-0 on the power-play at 4:23 of the second, but the Devils then scored three goals in an 11-minute span to take the lead.
“It was a disappointing start to the game; first period again,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said of his team’s slow start. “I thought they looked fresher, ready to play in their first game. We know there’s no easy game so if you don’t have your ‘A’ game right off the bat, the other team could take it to you.”
Bratt got New Jersey on the scoreboard at 8:09 of the second, sending a pass from Hughes past Vejmelka, and Hamilton tied it with his second goal in two nights with 7:31 left in the middle period.
Bratt got his second goal of the game with 1:07 remaining in the second to put New Jersey ahead 3-2.
Schmaltz converted on the power-play with 6:05 left in the third to tie it again off a pass from Cooley.
“I just whacked it and it went in,” Schmaltz said.
Hughes, who led the Devils with 43 goals and 99 points last season, now has five points in two games after scoring twice the previous night.
NICE DEBUT
For the 19-year-old Cooley, the third overall pick in the 2022 draft who played for the University of Minnesota last year, the evening was special following his customary rookie lap in warmups.
“I thought I did a good job of staying focused. I just wanted to have fun,” he said. “I was a little nervous at the start but once you get going, it’s just another hockey game.”
NEW FACES
The Coyotes added six free agents during the offseason including forwards Dumba, Bjugstad, Jason Zucker, and Alex Kerfoot, and defensemen Travis Dermott and Troy Stecher. Arizona acquired Durzi with a trade with the Los Angeles Kings.
NOTES: The teams meet again March 16 in Arizona. … New Jersey scratched D Chris Tierney, D Colin Miller and F Curtis Lazar. … Arizona scratched F Travis Boyd and Stecher.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host Florida on Monday night.
Coyotes: At the New York Rangers on Monday night.
CROSBY AND MALKIN LEAD THE WAY AS THE PENGUINS BEAT THE CAPITALS FOR THEIR FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON
WASHINGTON (AP) Eighteen years running, the Sid and Geno Show is still rolling along and capable of being a hit performance.
Sidney Crosby scored twice on the power play, Evgeni Malkin had a goal and three assists and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the rival Washington Capitals 4-0 Friday night for their first win of the season.
“When they’re at their best, I think they’re still elite players,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “They just control everything within their power to set themselves up for success and we get the privilege to watch it every day.”
Crosby’s first goal came while he was falling in front of the net, and his second was a one-timer off a pass from Malkin, who opened the scoring with a shot past Charlie Lindgren. Offseason acquisition Erik Karlsson made the play to keep the puck in at the blue line to set up Malkin’s goal.
At the other end of the ice later in the second period, Tristan Jarry stopped Alex Ovechkin on a breakaway, one of his 19 saves for the shutout.
“He had a zone and a half between him and our player, so it was just getting out, challenging and making sure I was at a good spot, and if he were to deke or shoot I was prepared for it,” said Jarry, who has stopped 51 of the 54 shots he has faced through two starts. “It is two games in, so I just want to keep improving every game, making sure I’m getting better in practice, making sure I’m focusing on the details and I think that’s going to help my game throughout the year.”
Malkin also assisted on Reilly Smith’s goal in the third that made it 4-0 and gave him a four-point night.
“He was just all over the ice,” Crosby said of Malkin. “Nights like this where he’s feeling it, he’s going to set up guys or create chances himself. He was just all over the puck.”
The play of their longtime franchise cornerstones, newest addition and No. 1 goaltender helped the Penguins bounce back from a season-opening 4-2 loss to Chicago earlier in the week.
They also spoiled the debut of new Capitals coach Spencer Carbery, behind the bench for Washington’s first game of the season. Lindgren, starting because Darcy Kuemper’s wife gave birth to the couple’s first child, was sharp throughout and wasn’t to blame for the four goals he allowed on 35 shots.
“The was great and made a lot of good saves,” center Nicklas Backstrom said. “We all know what he’s capable of. He’s very calm back there, very cool.”
It’s the first time the Capitals have been shut out in 49 season openers.
“Just move on,” Ovechkin said. “We didn’t get the results, you know? Boys was ready, but we gonna watch the video and gonna play better the next game.”
NOTES: Clay Stevenson backed up Lindgren for Washington in Kuemper’s absence. Aliaksei Protas was sent to Hershey of the American Hockey League to clear the salary cap space for Stevenson, paving the way for 5-foot-7 training camp standout Matthew Phillips to play his first game in a Capitals uniform. … Former Capitals center Lars Eller got a video tribute and standing ovation in his first game back as a visitor since being traded to Colorado and signing with Pittsburgh on July 1. Eller played six-plus seasons with Washington and scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in 2018.
UP NEXT
Penguins: Host the Calgary Flames on Saturday night.
Capitals: Host the Flames on Monday night.
AVALANCHE SIGN DEFENSEMAN DEVON TOEWS TO A SEVEN-YEAR EXTENSION WORTH $50.75 MILLION
DENVER (AP) The Colorado Avalanche have signed defenseman Devon Toews to a seven-year contract extension worth $50.75 million.
Toews will count $7.25 million against the salary cap from when the new contract kicks in next season through 2031.
General manager Chris MacFarland said Friday it was a priority for the front office to get a deal done at the start of the season. The Avalanche are one game in after beating Los Angeles on Wednesday.
“We’re thrilled to have him in an Avalanche sweater for the next eight years,” MacFarland said. “He has emerged as one of the best defensemen in the NHL and is a huge part of the core of this team. He logs heavy minutes in all situations – 5-on-5, power play and penalty kill, plays against the opposition’s top lines and is one of the top point-producing defenders in the game, as well. And most importantly, he is one of our team leaders both on and off the ice.”
Toews, 29, had an assist in Colorado’s season opener. He had 50 points last season after playing nearly 26 minutes a game during the Avalanche’s 2022 Stanley Cup run.
The Abbotsford, British Columbia, native has 230 points in 383 NHL regular-season and playoff games for Colorado and the New York Islanders since making his debut in 2018. The Avalanche acquired him in October 2020 for two second-round picks.
In a statement released by the team, Toews thanked ownership, MacFarland, president of hockey operations Joe Sakic and coaches for trusting and believing in him.
“I couldn’t be more excited to remain with the Avalanche and continue to build upon what we’ve accomplished so far,” Toews said. “Denver has become home to my family, and we love being a part of this community. I’m excited to get this deal done and focus on our goal of bringing the Stanley Cup back to Colorado.”
NBA NEWS
76ERS STAR JAMES HARDEN SAYS HE HAS ‘LOST TRUST’ IN DARYL MOREY, FRONT OFFICE
CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden remained steadfast that his fractured relationship with the front office can’t be repaired.
Harden has yet to play in the preseason. But he did attend training camp and continues to practice with the 76ers in the wake of the disgruntled guard’s trade demand.
Harden in June picked up his $35.6 million contract option for this season with the belief the team would try to trade him. He blasted team president Daryl Morey at a promotional event in China when no trade materialized, calling Morey a liar.
“It’s not even about this situation. This is life,” Harden told reporters Friday at team’s complex in New Jersey. “When you lose trust in someone, it’s like a marriage. When you lose trust in someone, you know what I mean? It’s pretty simple.”
Harden has been one of the league’s top players for the past decade, having won three scoring titles and the 2018 league MVP award. He led the league in assists last season.
Harden said he could try to play in the Sixers’ preseason finale on Friday against Atlanta. Harden was evasive about the status of his trade demand.
“You’ve got to talk to the front office about that,” he said. “I’ve just been here working my butt off. I love the game of basketball, so I’m just in the gym putting the work in. It’s all I can control.”
Part of Harden’s complaint stems from his belief he should have earned a long-term contract with the Sixers after last season. It never came, thus the trade demand.
“I wanted to be here and retire a Sixer, and the front office didn’t have that in their future plans,” he said. “It’s literally out of my control. It’s something I didn’t want to happen to be in this position.”
Harden is a 10-time All-Star but essentially forced his way with trades out of Houston and Brooklyn and now still seems intent on adding the Sixers to the list, saying he showed up in large part to meet certain contractual requirements. It appeared playing as the second option behind NBA MVP Joel Embiid and chasing a championship in Philly is no longer seriously on the table.
But he is still in uniform. And with him, the 76ers remain a threat under new coach Nick Nurse – though behind favorites Milwaukee and Boston – to emerge out of the East.
“I’m here putting work in. that’s all I can do. I work my butt off,” Harden said. “You can say whatever you wanna say about me, but you don’t get this far in this league without putting work in. That’s what I hang my hat on. So whenever things fail or things don’t go how you feel they should go, you just continue to work, and that’s it.”
GOLF NEWS
LEXI THOMPSON FALLS SHORT IN HER BID TO MAKE PGA TOUR CUT IN LAS VEGAS
LAS VEGAS (AP) Lexi Thompson delivered star-power moments built for a stage like Las Vegas, and when she poured in a pair of long birdie putts Friday, she was on the cusp of history.
Thompson was 4 under with seven holes to play. In her sights was a chance to become the first woman in 78 years to make a 36-hole cut on the PGA Tour.
One poor swing, one mediocre chip and one missed putt at end left her on the outside of the cut at the Shriners Children’s Open, but no less proud of two days she won’t soon forget. She wanted to inspire kids to chase their dreams, and she did all of that at the TPC Summerlin.
“Playing with the guys – amazing feeling,” Thompson said after a 2-under 69. “Growing up with guys, I’ve always wanted to be out on a PGA Tour event and tee it up. But the biggest thing was seeing the kids out there outside the ropes and then meeting a few of the Shriners ambassadors. That was the most special.”
Her golf was a close second.
Thompson made five birdies in a 10-hole stretch, only to make two bogeys toward the end and missing a 6-foot birdie putt on her final hole. She had rounds of 73-69 to finish at even-par 142, missing the cut by three shots.
Lanto Griffin ran off five straight birdies for a 66, while Cameron Champ had a 67 in the morning wave. They shared the lead at 12-under 130. Henrik Norlander (64) was another shot behind, with Canadian Open champion Nick Taylor (67) and J.T. Poston (69) two behind.
“Very proud. I played really well today,” said Thompson, who hit 12 of 14 fairways and only missed four greens. “As the day went on, I tried to stay committed to my targets out there and to my swing thoughts and just enjoyed the whole experience.”
Her 69 was one short of the record by a female on the PGA Tour – Michelle Wie twice shot 68 in the Sony Open, once as a 14-year-old when she missed the cut by one shot.
“I knew I had to play my ‘A’ game,” Thompson said, adding that golf was only part of her being in Las Vegas. “Just coming into the week there was more of a message than just playing golf. To inspire the kids, that’s what I enjoy most.”
Thompson looked as though she might be around for all four days.
She finished the opening round, which had been suspended by darkness, by missing a 20-foot par putt on the 17th hole and making a tough par save on the 18th for a 73. Then, she began her second nine with a bogey on the 10th hole.
But the 28-year-old American came to life. She stuffed her approach to 4 feet on the 11th for a birdie. She was just off the green on the par-5 13th and took two putts for birdie. She drove the 296-yard 15th green for a two-putt birdie.
Thompson made the turn and promptly holed a birdie putt from just inside 25 feet for birdie, and then she poured in a birdie putt from just inside 30 feet.
She was 4 under for the round through 11 holes, and 2 under for the tournament.
“I knew once I had made a few birdies in a row that I would be somewhat close, but I knew the cut line would keep on going lower and lower with these guys, especially with not that much wind out there,” Thompson said.
“I tried to stay focused on my game and focused on my swing thoughts, picking small targets and staying 100% committed.”
It all changed with one swing – and one smart decision. Her tee shot on the par-3 fifth was well to the right into the native area, the pin toward the right side of the green. Instead of taking a big risk by trying to hit out of the desert, she took a penalty drop for a clean lie 98 yards from the hole and hit wedge to 5 feet to escape with bogey.
Her hopes faded on the long par-3 eighth. Her 2-iron went just over the green, chipped weakly to 12 feet and missed the par putt. Needing a birdie on the par-5 ninth to have any chance, she chipped 6 feet by the cup and missed the putt.
The cut was at 1 under when she walked off the ninth green, but already was at 2 under after she had signed her card with ideal scoring conditions, it was bound to go lower.
Thompson was the seventh woman to play on the PGA Tour. Babe Didrikson Zaharias was the last to make a 36-hole cut in 1945.
This was never about winning. Thompson was 11 shots out of the lead after the first round. She finished in a tie for 85th in the 132-player field.
Even so, Thompson delivered a highlight in an otherwise rough year. She hasn’t won on the LPGA Tour in more than four years, and she was in jeopardy of losing her LPGA card until posting a pair of top 10s before arriving in Las Vegas.
Thompson said she would take the next few weeks off before returning to the LPGA in Florida for the conclusion of the season.
INDIANA RELEASES/TOP HEADLINES
INDIANA FOOTBALL GAME NOTES VS. MICHIGAN
INDIANA NOTES:
SETTING THE SCENE
• Indiana travels to Michigan for its second straight road contest of the season on Saturday (Oct. 14) at Michigan Stadium. The
game will be aired on FOX and kickoff at Noon as part of FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff.
• In the all-time series, Michigan owns a 61-10 edge with Indiana’s last win coming during the 2020 season in Bloomington.
• The first meeting in the series came in Bloomington during the 1900 season and the two teams have played each season since
2013, which includes all 10 seasons of the Big Ten’s East/West Division format.
• Michigan has won two straight in the series since Indiana’s 38-21 victory at Memorial Stadium during the 2020 season, which
includes a win at Michigan State in 2021.
NEWS & NOTES
• Per Pro Football Focus, redshirt senior Andre Carter ranks No. 5 in the Big Ten with 20 total pressures (sacks, QB hits or
hurries), a total that sits No. 28 in the Power 5 and tied for No. 41 in the FBS.
• With 2.0 tackles for loss in each of the first two games of the season, Carter’s 4.0 TFLs were the most by a Hoosier in the first
two games of a season since 2004 when Kyle Killion posted 5.5 tackles for loss.
• With 43 tackles, redshirt senior Aaron Casey ranks No. 7 in the Big Ten and his 8.6 tackles per game are No. 46 nationally entering
Week 7. His his 6. 0 tackles for loss are tied for No. 2 in the conference and includes 2.0 sacks.
• Sophomore Jaylin Lucas produced the first multi-touchdown game of his career in Week 2 versus Indiana State with a pair of
rushing scores. He has seven career touchdowns with four rushing, one receiving and two kickoff return scores.
• Senior Louis Moore grabbed his first career interception in the second quarter versus Akron and followed that with his first
defensive touchdown in the third quarter on a 22-yard interception return for a score versus the Zips.
• With three interceptions on the season, sophomore Phillip Dunnam continues to sit near the top Big Ten leader board and
tied for No. 7 in the FBS. One of two true freshman not to redshirt in 2022, Dunnam has takeaways versus No. 3/4 Ohio State,
Louisville and Akron.
• With its successful onside kick to start the second half versus Louisville at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indiana snapped a streak of eight
straight unsuccessful onside kick attempts and recovered its first onside kick since the 2017 game at Purdue.
• Head coach Tom Allen won his 32nd career game over Akron in Week 4 and is just one win shy of joining the top five winningest
coaches in program history. Of the 32 wins, 13 have come in one possession games, including a 5-1 mark in overtime.
• The Indiana special teams units blocked its first kick of the 2023 season at Maryland to move its streak to 12 straight seasons
with at least one blocked kick. Special teams coordinator Kasey Teegardin’s crew has blocked at least one kick in each of his
four seasons as the corps leader.
MICHIGAN GAME NOTES:
What You Need to Know
• Michigan and Indiana will play for the 72nd time on Saturday.
• U-M is 6-0 for the three straight seasons for the first time since 1972- 74; won the first 10 games in each of those seasons.
• The Wolverines have won 31 of their last 34 games, including 18 straight Big Ten games which is one shy of the school record (1990-92).
• U-M has won 22 consecutive regular season games, tied for the seventh-longest streak in conference history.
• The U-M defense ranks top 12 nationally in eight statistical categories.
U-M Ranks Top 20 in Scoring Offense and Defense
• The Wolverines head into this weekend’s match-up with Indiana ranked among the top teams nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
• U-M leads the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing just 6.7 points per game, while listing 17th in scoring offense (37.3 avg.).
• The Maize and Blue has scored 30-plus points in all six games this fall and in a school-record nine consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Wolverines and Hoosiers
• This will be the 72nd meeting in the all-time series with Indiana.
• Michigan’s .859 winning percentage against Indiana is the program’s highest versus any conference school.
• The Wolverines lead the series, 61-10, and have won 26 of the past 27 games against the Hoosiers.
• Michigan has won 41 of the previous 43 games played between the two schools.
• Coach Jim Harbaugh has a 7-1 record against Indiana.
Series vs. IU: Michigan leads 61-10
Series Streak: Michigan won 2
Last Meeting: 2022 (#4 U-M 31, IU 10)
Last Michigan Win: 2022
Michigan When Ranked vs. Indiana
• This will be the 48th time that Michigan enters a match-up with Indiana ranked in the top 25 of the Associated Press national poll.
• The Wolverines have compiled a 44-3 record in those contests, with their only setbacks coming in 1954, 1987 and 2020.
• Michigan is a perfect 26-0 against Indiana when ranked in the top 10 of the national polls.
• The two programs have played four times when both teams were ranked in the top 25 of the polls.
• U-M has compiled a 2-2 record against the Hoosiers when both teams enter the game listed in the top 25 of the AP poll, winning games in 1968 and 1988 and suffering losses in 1987 and 2020.
• U-M has been ranked in the national polls for all 23 games against Indiana at Memorial Stadium.
Game Notes Nuggets
• The Maize and Blue are in the midst of an 18-game conference winning streak, one shy of matching the program record (19) set from 1990-92. The current streak is the fifth-longest in Big Ten history.
• U-M has won 22 consecutive regular season games, tied for the seventh-longest streak in Big Ten history (Ohio State, 2018-21).
• The Wolverines return home this weekend, where they have won 19 straight games at Michigan Stadium dating back to 2021, the program’s longest streak since 1998-2001 under Lloyd Carr (21).
• U-M has scored 30-plus points in nine straight games, the longest streak in program history. The 1976 squad (eight straight games) previously held the record.
• The 52 points scored at Minnesota were the most in a road game in the series’ 105 meetings and tied for the sixth-most scored in series history. The U-M defense (two interceptions returned for touchdowns) outscored Minnesota’s 10 points on offense.
• The Wolverines are averaging a scoring margin of +30.7 across their six wins this season, the third-highest figure in the country and the best in the Big Ten. U-M ranks 17th in scoring offense (37.3 points per game), second in the Big Ten (Penn State, 40.6).
• U-M’s 0.620 points per play on offense is the best rate in the Big Ten and sixth overall. The Wolverine defense allows 0.122 points per play against, the lowest rate in the nation. U-M’s rate of 0.4 punts per score is the third-lowest rate nationally and best in the Big Ten.
• Ten (10) players have made their first starts as Wolverines this season, including four on offense (AJ Barner, LaDarius Henderson, Myles Hinton, Drake Nugent) and six on defense (Rayshaun Benny, Kenneth Grant, Keshaun Harris, Quinten Johnson, Keon Sabb, Josh Wallace).
• Michigan holds top-10 PFF grades and ranks in eight of 13 major team categories: overall team, No. 1 (97.0), offense, No. 4 (92.4), receiving, tied-No. 4 (85.2), run-blocking, No. 3 (79.7), defense, No. 4 (92.7), run defense, No. 3 (91.6), tackling, No. 6 (87.0), and pass rush, No. 4 (84.0).
• In J.J. McCarthy’s 19 career starts, U-M is 18-1. In that span, the offense has registered 182 drives in which the quarterback starts and finishes the possession (excludes kneel-downs). The Wolverines have points on 109 of those drives (59.9 percent) with 80 touchdowns (43.9 percent of all drives) and 29 field goals.
• Through six games in 2023, McCarthy has completed 97-of-125 pass attempts for a completion percentage of 77.6, third-best in the country. He also ranks fourth in pass efficiency (189.5) and sixth in yards per pass attempt (five-spot jump from last week; 10.44) and leads the Big Ten in all three categories.
• McCarthy’s 77.6 percent completion rate is not just on easy throws. It comes paired with an average depth of target (ADOT) of 10.7 yards downfield, tied for the third-deepest average in the Big Ten.
• McCarthy’s season-long YPA is buoyed by a 13.5 YPA figure on play-action concepts (31-of-37 for 563 yards).
• McCarthy is up to 38 career passing touchdowns, four shy of Steve Smith (1980-83) for eighth-most all-time. He is one of two Big Ten quarterbacks with double-digit passing touchdowns through five weeks this season (Tagovailoa, Maryland). McCarthy’s 7.5 career touchdown percentage ranks fourth-best all-time at Michigan.
• Running back Kalel Mullings has set career highs in rushing yards in three consecutive weeks (40 yards, 43 yards, 47 yards) averaging 6.89 yards per carry in that span (19 carries, 131 yards) with long runs of 20-plus yards in two of three games.
• Blake Corum is up to 2,986 rushing yards, good for 10th all-time at Michigan and 86 yards shy of passing Billy Taylor for ninth. In eighth place is Rob Lytle (3,317 career rushing yards). Corum’s 41 career rushing touchdowns place him tied-fourth all-time at U-M.
• Corum is one of five players in Michigan history with at least 40 career rushing touchdowns, along with: Hart (41), Denard Robinson (42), Tyrone Wheatley (47), and Anthony Thomas (55).
• Corum is tied as the national leader in rushing touchdowns (10) while wide receiver Roman Wilson is third in receiving touchdowns (eight). Corum ranks fourth in total points scored (60).
• Wilson’s eight receiving touchdowns are the most by a Wolverine since Donovan Peoples-Jones in 2018. Jehu Chesson (nine, 2015) has the most among Harbaugh-era wide receivers.
• Cornelius Johnson has had at least 71 receiving yards in four of six contests including a season-best 86 yards against Minnesota. Johnson has at least one catch of 20-plus yards in five of six contests.
• Three Wolverine pass catchers are among the Big Ten’s leaders in yards per route run: Wilson (3.78) ranks 14th in the country and first in the conference, Johnson (3.05) ranks 45th nationally and fourth in the league, and Colston Loveland (2.16) is 14th among players with at least 12 targets. Among tight ends only, Loveland’s figure ranks No. 9 across the country (minimum 12 targets).
• Efficient offensive play has led to one of the country’s best conversion rates on third down (55.6 percent, fourth) and team pass efficiency ratings (180.83, seventh).
• Through five weeks, Michigan averages 55.44 percent of second-half possession time. The only Big Ten school with a higher rate is Penn State (58.99). Last weekend’s opponent, Minnesota, averaged 55.95 percent but was limited to a 46.89 percent share against the Wolverines.
• Michigan’s offensive line has allowed only three sacks on the season, the second-fewest nationally. With that unit as the engine, no team permits fewer negative plays per game (2.17) than the Wolverines.
• The Wolverine defense ranks among the nation’s best in interceptions (19th, seven) rushing defense (12th, 90.8 yards per game), pass efficiency defense (eighth, 101.75), fourth down conversion rate against (sixth, .250), third down conversion rate against (fourth, 55.6 percent) total defense (third, 233.3), first down defense (third, 67), passing yards allowed (second, 142.5); the unit leads the nation in red zone defense (first, 0.375), defensive touchdowns (tied-first, three), and scoring defense (first, 6.7 points per game).
• U-M has allowed 40 points across five games for an NCAA-leading 6.7 points allowed per game, the lowest average scoring against through five weeks since 2015 (6.3). Opponents are averaging 0.129 points per possession against U-M (eight scores on 62 possessions).
• Prior to this one, the last season in which U-M held each of its first six opponents to seven points or fewer was 1973, when the season-high for points against was 13 in week eight and only two teams reached double-digit scoring (10 points allowed in week 11).
• On the season, U-M has allowed 67 first downs, an average of 11.2 per game which is the lowest rate nationally. On average, teams reach a first down by passing 5.8 times per game, the second-lowest rate in the country (Marshall).
• The Wolverines have three interceptions returned for touchdowns this season (Sainristil, W. Johnson, Sabb), one shy of matching the program record (four) set in 1998 and matched in 2018. On the season, U-M has allowed two passing touchdowns to seven interceptions.
• U-M is dominant out of the locker room. Opponents have accumulated seven total first downs in six third quarters played. No team has reached 70 yards of offense in the quarter and three teams have been held under 10 yards of total offense.
• Opponents are averaging 5.0 rushing first downs per game against the Wolverines, tied for the seventh-fewest in the country. U-M is one of two Big Ten programs allowing fewer than six per game (Penn State, 5.3).
• Mason Graham (90.8, 10th, No. 1 Big Ten) and Kris Jenkins (88.0, 21st) are both top-25-graded run defenders among front-seven FBS players.
• When considering only the Big Ten, U-M has four players in the top 16: Jenkins, Derrick Moore (ninth), Braiden McGregor (13th), and Jaylen Harrell (16th). Only U-M and Northwestern are represented with multiple players in the top 10.
• The 12.7 completions per game U-M’s pass defense is permitting are the fewest in the country.
• Opponents average 0.5 red zone trips per game against the Wolverines, the fewest in the country by 0.7 and the best rate in the Big Ten by a factor of more than three (Ohio State, 1.8).
• The NCAA-leading 2.8 points per half that U-M is allowing across first halves so far this season are a full 0.7 points less than the next-closest team (UCLA, 3.5) and 1.5 points clear of the next Big Ten team (Penn State, 4.3).
• Ten (10) different players have recorded at least a share of a sack so far this season, led by Harrell (2.5). Josaiah Stewart (22.9 percent) has the best pass rush win rate in the Big Ten (minimum six pass rush snaps per game) and 11th-best nationally while Moore (21.2) ranks second in the league and 22nd in the nation and Harrell (20.8) ranks fourth and 24th. U-M is the only team with more than one player ranked in the top 25 of pass rush win rate — and they have three such players.
• Punter Tommy Doman is averaging 4.49 seconds of hangtime per attempt, the best average of any punter in the country (minimum one punt per game). U-M’s net punting (42.62 yards per attempt) ranks 15th nationally.
• The Wolverines are also among the best kickoff return defense units in the country, allowing 12 yards per return attempt (third, NCAA). Doman has delivered 27 touchbacks on 39 kickoffs this season.
PURDUE FOOTBALL NOTES VS. OHIO STATE
PURDUE NOTES:
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Football returns home to host No. 3 Ohio State in a cross-divisional matchup. It will be a blackout in Ross-Ade Stadium with all fans encouraged to wear black to cheer on the Boilermakers. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET on Peacock.
The contest will also be the team’s annual Hammer Down Cancer game, raising money for the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research. The last time Purdue hosted Ohio State (Oct. 20, 2018), the Boilermakers rolled past the No. 2 Buckeyes 49-20 behind inspiration from superfan Tyler Trent.
Purdue is the only team to have three wide receivers ranked in the B1G’s Top 10 for receptions. Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen ranks third with 25, while Deion Burks and TJ Sheffield are tied for sixth with 24 catches apiece. The Boilermakers are one of only two teams (Maryland) in the Big Ten to average at least 240 passing yards per game and at least 140 yards rushing yards per game. Purdue leads the Big Ten in first downs (140), including 76 passing first downs which also tops the conference.
HONORARY CAPTAIN
• Seth Morales (2000-02) will serve as the honorary captain for Saturday’s game.
• The former Boilermaker wide receiver is remembered for one of the most famous plays in Purdue Football history, catching the game-winning 64-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to beat Ohio State (Oct. 28, 2000).
• Morales’ big catch, as well as his 35 receptions for 556 yards throughout the 2000 season, helped the Boilermakers win the Big Ten and go to the Rose Bowl.
OPPONENT SNAPSHOT
• No. 3 Ohio State enters Saturday’s matchup with a perfect 5-0 (2-0 B1G) record following a 37-17 victory over Maryland.
• The Buckeyes are one of six teams in the country to score three defensive touchdowns, while only allowing 10.2 ppg to rank third nationally.
• Ohio State paces the Big Ten in passing offense, averaging 302.8 yards per game led by starting quarterback Kyle McCord (1,375 yards).
• Marvin Harrison Jr. averages 99.8 receiving yards per game to top the conference.
• Ryan Day is in his fifth season as OSU’s head coach, promoted in 2019 following two seasons as the team’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
WINS OVER TOP-5 BUCKEYES
• Purdue is no stranger to upsetting Ohio State.
• The Boilermakers have defeated a ranked OSU team eight times throughout history, including four times when the Buckeyes were ranked in the Top 5.
LAST MATCHUP IN ROSS-ADE
• The last time the Boilermakers welcomed the Buckeyes to Ross-Ade Stadium (Oct. 20, 2018), it was a night Purdue fans will never forget.
• Inspired by Purdue superfan Tyler Trent’s fight against cancer, the Boilermakers blew out No. 2 Ohio State 49-20.
• Ethan Trent, Tyler’s brother, is a freshman offensive lineman for the 2023 Boilermakers.
• David Blough went 25-of-43 for 378 yards and three touchdowns.
• D.J. Knox rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns.
• Markus Bailey (Cincinnati Bengals) sealed the victory with a 41-yard pick-six.
THIENEMAN NAMED B1G FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK, AGAIN
• For the second time this season, defensive back Dillon Thieneman has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week, the conference office announced Monday morning (Oct. 9).
• Thieneman earned the accolade after hauling in his team-leading third interception of the season to go along with eight tackles (seven solo) against Iowa.
• The Westfield, Indiana, native led a secondary that held the Hawkeyes to just 6-of-21 (28.6%) for 110 yards through the air, the lowest completion percentage allowed since limiting Illinois to 27.6% 17 years ago (Nov. 11, 2006).
• With his third interception of the season, Thieneman became the nation’s only freshman with three INTs.
• Thieneman joined Devin Mockobee (2022), David Bell (2019) and Rondale Moore (2018) as Boilermakers to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Week multiple times throughout the past six seasons.
• Thieneman joins Frankie Williams as the only Boilermaker defenders to win the Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice.
OHIO STATE NOTES:
FIRST AND TEN: Ohio State, 5-0 and 2-0 in the Big Ten East, returns to Ross-Ade Stadium, where it has only a .590 winning pct. (13 wins; 9 losses), for a noon game Saturday against the Purdue Boilermakers (2-4 and 1-1 in the Big Ten West). The game will be streamed exclusively on NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service. Since the 2000 season, Ohio State is just 3-5 at Ross-Ade, including an upsetting, 49-20, loss in its last visit, in 2018, that was the only blemish on a 13-1 season that included a Big Ten championship game win over Northwestern and a Rose Bowl win over Washington. The initial CFP Playoff poll debuted 10 days after the 2018 Purdue loss. Ohio State was 10th and could only climb to sixth in the poll and missed the playoff s in Urban Meyer’s final season. f Ohio State has since been to three of the last four CFP Playoffs under Ryan Day, the only team in the country to do so. Day’s teams are 33-0 vs. unranked opponents with his program’s six losses to teams ranked Nos. 3, 1, 12, 5, 3 and 1, respectively. Day’s teams were the 2019 and 2020 Big Ten champions and are 33-2 vs. Big Ten competition.
Numbers to Know
50: Head coach Ryan Day has reached 50 career victories in 56 games. He is the second-fastest to 50 wins in Ohio State coaching history, trailing only Urban Meyer, who won 50 times in his first 54 games.
71-6: Ohio State has the best conference record – 71-6 – nationally since 2014, the first year of the current Big Ten divisional format. Purdue handed Ohio State one of those losses, 49-20, in 2018 in West Lafayette.
1:36: Brent Musburger’s memorable “Holy Buckeye” call occurred Nov. 9, 2002, at Ross-Ade after Craig Krenzel and Michael Jenkins saved the championship season with a 37-yard TD hookup with 1:36 left to play.
315: The game will be Ohio State’s first exclusively “streamed” broadcast and the first not to be televised live via a traditional network in 315 games, or since the 1996 tape-delayed (CBS) game at Minnesota.
Let’s Peacock!
- NBCUniversal’s Peacock is a part of the Big Ten Conference’s media rights agreement through the 2029-30 season.
- The agreement calls for eight regular season Big Ten football games annually and Big Ten regular season men’s (47) and women’s (30) basketball games.
Buckeye and Boilermaker History
- While Ohio State holds a 40-15-2 edge in the all-time series vs. Purdue, trips to West Lafayette have been anything but easy in the Buckeyes’ recent history.
- Ohio State is 1-3 in its last four trips to Ross-Ade Stadium with losses in 2018, 2011 and 2009.
- The two teams did not play last season; in their last meeting two seasons ago, Ohio State jumped out to a 45-17 halftime lead and won 59-31 at Ohio Stadium.
- Ohio State and Purdue will play again next year in Columbus.
Scouting Purdue
Purdue comes into Saturday’s game with a 2-4 record and 1-2 mark in Big Ten play following a 20-14 setback last Saturday at Iowa.
The Boilermakers are under first-year head coach Ryan Walters, who served as Illinois’ defensive coordinator last season.
Purdue’s offense is directed by quarterback Hudson Card, who spent three seasons at Texas before transferring to Purdue this offseason. His 1,491 passing yards through six games ranks second in the Big Ten behind only Taulia Tagovailoa of Maryland.
Defensive back Dillon Thieneman is the Big Ten leader in solo tackles with 41 and was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Monday after a seven-tackle, one-interception showing at Iowa last weekend.
Thieneman is the only freshman in the country with three or more interceptions this season.
Team Defense
Ohio State is eighth nationally in total defense allowing 264.8 yards per game. Penn State and Michigan are also outstanding defensively: ranking Nos. 1 and 3, respectively.
Ohio State is allowing just 158.4 passing yards per game (6th nationally) and just 10.2 points (3rd).
BUTLER FOOTBALL
BUTLER TO HOST DAVIDSON SATURDAY AFTERNOON AT THE SELLICK BOWL
INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler football team returns to Indianapolis for a 1 PM kickoff against Davidson this weekend. The Bulldogs are 3-0 at home and will look to stay undefeated against the visiting Wildcats. Fans can stream the action on FloFootball.com. Jon Cupo and Jared Thomas will be on the call.
GameDay
Date: Saturday, October 14
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. / Sellick Bowl
Live Stats: ButlerSports.com (Statbroadcast)
Watch: FloFootball.com
Bulldog Bits
– Davidson (45.2) and Butler (28.8) are the highest scoring teams in the PFL heading into Week 7.
– Davidson and Butler rank 1-2 in the league in total offense, rushing yards, rushing TDs, yards per rush, and completion percentage.
– Jyran Mitchell ranks sixth among all FCS running backs in rushing yards per game (114.8).
– Mitchell leads the PFL in all-purpose yards (127.0), touchdowns (9), rushing yards (689), yards per rush (6.4) and rushing attempts (107).
– Butler has scored a rushing touchdown and has recorded 10 or more rushing first downs in five-straight games.
– Butler had six more first downs than St. Thomas at O’Shaughnessy Stadium (18-12).
– Joey Audia had a 35-yard kickoff return in St. Paul, his longest of the season.
– The Bulldogs lead the PFL in scoring defense, allowing just 20.1 points per game this year.
– Nick Bafia led BU with 10 tackles at St. Thomas and forced a fumble that was recovered by Jack Burch.
– Tyson Garrett and Carson Gulgin shared a sack against the Tommies. Garrett led BU with 1.5 tackles for loss.
– Luka Zurak is 8-for-9 on field goal attempts this season and has not missed since Week 1.
PFL Standings
St. Thomas 3-0, 4-2
Davidson 2-0, 3-2
Drake 2-0, 2-3
Butler 2-1, 4-2
Marist 2-1, 2-3
San Diego 1-1, 1-4
Stetson 1-2, 3-3
Morehead State 1-2, 2-3
Presbyterian 0-2, 2-3
Valparaiso 0-2, 1-4
Dayton 0-3, 2-4
PFL Schedule – Week 7
San Diego at Marist 12:00 p.m.
Davidson at Butler 1:00 p.m.
Presbyterian at Dayton 1:00 p.m.
St. Thomas at Drake 1:00 p.m.
Morehead State at Valparaiso 2:00 p.m.
SCOUTING DAVIDSON: The Wildcats have won three-straight games and are 2-0 in the PFL after claiming victories over Marist and San Diego. They lost their first two games of the season (12-7 at VMI / 33-31 vs. Barton) and wrapped up their non-conference slate with a huge win over St. Andrews (84-6). The Wildcats are a run-first offense that are averaging 45.2 points per game. They have rushed the ball 238 times this season and have only passed 89 times. Mari Adams and Mason Sheron are tied for the team lead with six rushing touchdowns. QB Coulter Cleland is a dual threat that throws for 136 yards per game and rushes for 35. Davidson had two offensive linemen selected to the Preseason All-PFL team and the stout Wildcat defense is led by Daniel Carter and Jonathan Hammond.
Sophomore RB Mari Adams was tabbed PFL Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 1. Adams rushed for four touchdowns in a 55-33 win over San Diego. Adams led a Davison rushing attack that finished the game with 449 yards and seven touchdowns.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Davidson leads the all-time series over Butler 9-6. Four-straight Wildcat wins gave Davidson the advantage in a rivalry that began in 2003.
Davidson won the first five meetings vs. Butler, but the Bulldogs rebounded by winning the next six. Butler’s last win vs. Davidson came in 2016 (20-17).
TWO WEEK PREP: The Bulldogs are facing another opponent after that team’s bye week.
Butler has played Wabash, Presbyterian and now Davidson after the team’s bye week.
RUN IT BACK BURCH: Jack Burch set career-high totals at Davidson last year with five tackles against the Wildcats, including one tackle for loss and his first collegiate sack.
Will Mason also had a great day at Davidson last year, tying his career-high tackle total with eight stops vs. the Wildcats. Mason is coming off a season-high seven-tackle game at St. Thomas.
BIG DAY FOR BELSKIS: Jack Belskis came up with a season-high five tackles at St. Thomas.
Belskis has a tackle for loss in four-straight games.
HOME GROWN TALENT: Jeremiah Jackson ranks third on the team with 29 tackles and needs just three stops vs. Davidson to reach 50 career tackles. The BU linebacker is also second on the team in tackles for loss (5.5).
Jackson recorded a career-high seven tackles at St. Thomas last weekend.
FULL STRENGTH: Adam Sturtz was inactive for two weeks during the non-conference slate, but came back for PFL play and recently recorded a career-high nine tackles at St. Thomas.
Sturtz started in 10 games last year and ranked fifth on the team with 37 tackles. He’s averaging nearly six tackles per game in 2023.
ZERO ISSUES WITH ZURAK: K/P Luka Zurak hit his eighth field goal of the season at St. Thomas to bring his career total to 20.
Zurak holds the best career punting average in program history (39.8 yards per punt).
MITCHELL KEEPS IT MOVING: Jyran Mitchell found the end zone again last Saturday, giving him a rushing TD in five-straight games.
Mitchell has a 10+ yard rush in five-straight games. He only carried the ball 13 times at St. Thomas after averaging 28 carries per game over Butler’s first two PFL games.
BUSHKA IN BULLDOG HISTORY: Bushka topped 5,000 career passing yards at St. Thomas (5,093) and is now one of just six quarterbacks in program history to reach the milestone.
Bushka is one of 35 FCS players to make the Preseason Watch List for the Walter Payton Award. He needs 41 passing yards vs. Davidson to reach 1,000 for the season.
DUAL THREAT: Bret Bushka led Butler in rushing yards for the first time this season at St. Thomas (63). Bushka led the BU rushing attack eight times in 2022 (11 games).
Bushka ran for a career-high 102 yards at Davidson last year on just six carries. The longest rush of his career (36) also came on that day (10/1/22).
STRETCH THE FIELD: Seven different Bulldogs are averaging over 10 yards per catch this season.
Ryan Lezon leads this group with his 14.6 average. Lezon is also tied with Wooten with two receiving touchdowns.
UP NEXT: Butler will play at Dayton next weekend, facing the Flyers at 1 PM.
Butler snapped a seven-game losing streak vs. Dayton last year by shutting out the Flyers at the Sellick Bowl 31-0.
NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL GAME NOTES VS. USC
USC NOTES:
THE GREATEST INTERSECTIONAL RIVALRY IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL • USC and Notre Dame…two renowned brands…two iconic football programs…it doesn’t get any better. • USC travels to South Bend to challenge the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 94th meeting of the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football. It will be shown live nationally on NBC. • The game is a battle between schools with glorious gridiron heritages. The winner gets year-long possession of the jeweled Shillelagh. • In its last 11 games against the Irish, USC is 4-7. • USC is ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll and No. 9 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. •Last year, both teams were also ranked for this match up. USC was No. 5 and Notre Dame was No. 13. ARIZONA RECAP • Defending Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams led the Trojans to defeat Arizona 43-41 in a thrilling 3OT game. • Williams was 14-of-25 with 1 TD. He also rushed for 41 yards and 3 TDs and the game-winning 2 point conversion in triple overtime. • Williams’ 3 rushing TDs tied his single-game career-high. • USC’s comeback against Arizona was the biggest in the Lincoln Riley era at USC – the previous best being a comeback from 14 points down vs. UCLA last season. • USC has scored at least 42 points in every game this season, the first time in school history that it has scored 40 or more points in each of its first 6 games of the season. • The 43 points that USC scored were the most Arizona has allowed in a game this season (31 twice before). USC entered the game with a 53.6 scoring average, top in the country. USC currently still sits at No. 1 in the nation in scoring offense (51.8). Arizona was allowing its opponents to score 19.0 points per game in its first 5 games. • RB MarShawn Lloyd had 15 carries for 86 yards and a rushing TD. It was his fourth rushing TD of the season. • WR Kyron Hudson caught a 5-yard touchdown pass with 2 seconds remaining in the first half to bring USC within 3 points making it 17-14 at the break. He finished the game with 2 catches for 12 yards. • WR Brenden Rice led USC with 96 receiving yards on 4 catches. • S Jaylin Smith led the Trojans with 10 tackles. • RUSH Jamil Muhammad had 2 sacks in the second quarter and now has a team-leading 6 sacks this season. • In CB Jacobe Covington’s first start of the season, his critical INT of Arizona QB Noah Fifita in the second quarter allowed the Trojans to have a short field and set up USC QB Caleb Williams to score his first rushing TD of the night and put the first points on the board for USC. • It was Covington’s first INT of his career. • QB Caleb Williams and RB Austin Jones each rushed for TDs in the first and second overtimes, respectively. Williams then rushed for a successful 2-point conversion to push the Trojans ahead 43-41. Then the USC defense stopped Arizona’s attempt to win the game. • The last 3OT game for the Trojans was against Stanford in 2011, when USC lost 56-48. • Saturday’s game was the first 3OT win in program history. • It’s its history, USC has only played in 12 overtime games. • USC improved to 6-0 – back-to-back 6-0 starts for first time since doing so 3 straight years in 2004- 05-06. CALEB BY THE NUMBERS • This season, Williams is 119-of-166 for 1,808 yards with 22 TDs and 1 INT. He has also rushed for 124 yards this season with 6 TDs – all within 20 quarters of football throughout 6 games, including 3OTs against Arizona. • Compared to his first 6 games of his Heisman winning season in 2022 (122-of-188 for 1,590 yards with 14 TDs and 1 INT and 178 rushing yards with 3 TDs – playing 23 quarters of football), Williams has thrown 8 more TDs through 6 games this year. • He is currently No. 1 in the nation in passing efficiency (206.4), points responsible for (172), points responsible for per game (28.7) and passing TDs (22), No. 2 in the nation in yards per pass attempt (10.98), No. 7 in the nation in total offense (324.3), No. 8 in the nation in passing yards (1,808) and No. 9 in the nation in passing yards per completion (15.31). • He is the first FBS player in the last 25 years to throw for 6 passing TDs in a game for multiple schools. COUNT WITH CALEB Last 6 games Total Yards Passing TDs Rushing TDs vs. SJSU* 276 4 0 vs. Nevada * 361 5 0 vs. Stanford# 302 3 1 at Arizona State 332 3 2 at Colorado 415 6 0 vs. UofA 260 1 3 *played 3 quarters #played 2 quarters RILEY’S ELECTRIC OFFENSE • The Trojan offense is No. 1 in the nation for scoring offense (51.8), No. 3 in the nation for team passing efficiency (196.97), No. 3 in the nation for passing offense (355.2) and No. 4 in the nation in total offense (523.3). BREATHTAKING BRANCH • WR Zachariah Branch continues to impress the college football world with his shifty moves and electric returns. Against Stanford, he returned a punt for a 75-yard TD in the second quarter . He had a 96- yard kickoff return for a TD vs. San Jose State on Aug. 26. • He also has 2 TD receptions this season and is the first Trojan since Adoree’ Jackson in 2016 to have a punt return and kickoff return for a TD, as well as at least one receiving TD in the same season. Jackson had 2 punt returns and 2 kickoff returns for TDs and 1 TD reception during the 2016 season. • Since 1971 (when records are available) Branch is one of just 3 USC players to accomplish the feat, joining Jackson and Curtis Conway (1992 – 1 kickoff return TD, 1 punt return TD, 5 rec TD). He also had 4 receptions for 30 yards and 1 carry for 2 rushing yards against Stanford. • Branch is currently tied for No. 1 in the nation in kickoff return TDs (1) and punt return TDs (1). MORE NATIONAL RANKINGS • USC is No. 1 in the nation in tackles for loss with 57.0 and is tied for No. 3 in the nation in sacks with 22.0.
NOTRE DAME SCOUTING REPORT • The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are 5-2 overall. • They are coming off a 20-33 loss to Louisville on the road. • After starting the season 4-0, the Irish have lost 2 of their last 3 games. • QB Sam Hartman leads the Fighting Irish and is 118-of-183 for 16 TDs and 3 INTs. • RB Audric Estime (105 carries for 692 yards for 7 TDs) is Notre Dame’s top back. • TE Mitchell Evans is Notre Dame’s top pass catcher with 22 receptions for 343 yards and 1 TD. • TE Holden Staes has scored 4 receiving TDs for the Irish, the most on the team. • In addition to Evans and Staes, 10 other receivers have caught TDs for the Irish this season. • S Xavier Watts has intercepted 2 passes this season, while S DJ Brown, S Ramon Henderson, CB Clarence Lewis and CB Benjamin Morrison have each collected 1. • DL Howard Cross III leads the team with 42 tackles. He also leads the team in TFLs with 5 for minus 10 yards. • DL Jordan Botelho is the top sack man for the Irish with 2 sacks for minus 14 yards. • K Spencer Shrader is 7-of-12 in FGs this season with his long being 54 yards. RANKINGS • USC is ranked No. 10 in the latest AP Poll and 9th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. • Notre Dame is ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll and 21st in the USA Today Coaches Poll. SERIES • Notre Dame leads the series with USC, which began in 1926, 50-37-5 (not including Troy’s 2005 victory that was later vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 50-38-5). Including that 2005 vacated game, USC has won 12 of the last 20 meetings and 15 of the last 26 (including 8 in a row from 2002 to 2009), but ND has won 7 of the last 11. Since 1967, USC has gone 26-25-3 (not including the 2005 vacated game; original record: 27-25-3). • In South Bend, USC is 13-28-1 (not including the 2005 vacated game; original record: 14-28-1), with 2 other USC losses in Chicago. USC has lost in its last 5 trips to South Bend (its longest streak since dropping 7 consecutive there from 1983 to 1995), but Troy had won the previous 5 times there and 6 of the previous 8. USC AND NOTRE DAME BOTH RANKED • In USC-Notre Dame games in which both teams are ranked by AP, Notre Dame holds a 17-14-2 edge (not including 1 USC win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 17-15-2). When USC is the higher ranked team in such games, the Trojans hold an 12-6-2 advantage (not including 1 USC win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 13-6-2). IN OCTOBER • USC has a 317-125-19 (.708) all-time record while playing in the month of October (not including 5 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 322-125-19, .711). UNDEFEATED GOING INTO SOUTH BEND • When USC is undefeated (wins and ties) going in to South Bend to play Notre Dame, the Trojans are 5-2-1.
UNDEFEATED GOING INTO SOUTH BEND • This year’s USC-Notre Dame game is just the seventh Trojan night game ever at Notre Dame Stadium (2011 was the first and it also happened in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021). It also ties with those games as the latest USC-ND game ever (7:30 p.m. kickoff), as all 12 such night encounters in Los Angeles were 5 p.m. starts. ARTICIFIAL TURF • USC is 49-35-1 in its last 85 games on artificial turf (not including 3 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 52-35-1). SHILLELAGH • The winner of the USC-Notre Dame game gets year-long possession of the jeweled Shillelagh. The foot-long shillelagh—a Gaelic war club made of oak or blackthorn saplings from Ireland—has ruby-adorned Trojan heads with the year and game score representing USC victories, while emerald-studded shamrocks stand for Notre Dame wins. For tie games, a combined Trojan head/shamrock medallion was used. The first Shillelagh was retired after the 1989 game when it ran out of space for the medallions and a second one is now in use. There are now 50 shamrocks, 38 Trojan heads and 5 combined medallions on the shillelaghs (1 USC win was later vacated due to NCAA penalty). WINNING TRADITIONS • USC and Notre Dame have 2 of the top gridiron heritages in the country. The schools have both won 11 national titles (USC in 1928-31-32-39-62-67-72-74-78-2003-04 and Notre Dame in 1924-29-30-43-46-47- 49-66-73-77-88). Notre Dame is fourth in all-time victories among Division I-A schools (943, not including 21 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty) and USC is ninth (873, not including 14 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty). USC has played in 54 bowls (with 34 wins, not including 1 win and 2 appearances vacated due to NCAA penalty), while Notre Dame has been in 41 bowls (with 20 wins). Fourteen players from both schools have won Heisman Trophies (USC’s Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson, Charles White, Marcus Allen, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Caleb Williams and Notre Dame’s Angelo Bertelli, John Lujack, Leon Hart, John Lattner, Paul Hornung, John Huarte, Tim Brown). Notre Dame has had 201 All-American first teamers, while USC claims 175. USC has 35 players in the College Football Hall of Fame and Notre Dame has 49. Both schools have had 5 players selected first in the NFL draft and both are well-represented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (a record 14 from USC and 13 from Notre Dame). Both programs have had legendary coaches (USC’s Gloomy Gus Henderson, Howard Jones, John McKay, John Robinson and Pete Carroll, and Notre Dame’s Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy and Ara Parseghian). A WIVES TALE • If it had not been for the persuasiveness of a young bride in 1925, the Trojan-Irish series may never have been established. The series came about because of a discussion between two wives. USC’s graduate manager, Gwynn Wilson was a forerunner to the modern-day athletic director. He and his bride, Marion, got on the Sunset Limited train to Lincoln, Nebraska where Notre Dame was going to play the Cornhuskers. Mission: a USC-Notre Dame home-and-home series. Wilson didn’t get to meet with Rockne though, until after the game when they all got on a train to Chicago. “He told me that he couldn’t meet USC because Notre Dame was traveling too much,” Wilson said. “I thought the whole thing was off but as Rock and I talked, Marion was with Mrs. Rockne, Bonnie, in her compartment. Marion told Bonnie how nice Southern California was and how hospitable the people were.” “Well, when Rock went back to the compartment, Bonnie talked him into the game. But if it hadn’t been for Mrs. Wilson talking to Mrs. Rockne, there wouldn’t have been a series.” USC-NOTRE DAME CONNECTIONS • USC has no players from Indiana, while Notre Dame has 13 Californians on its roster. • USC ILB Mason Cobb and Notre Dame S Thomas Harper previously played together at Oklahoma State. • USC S Bryson Shaw and Notre Dame DL Javonte Jean-Baptiste previously played together at Ohio State. • USC DL Korey Foreman and Notre Dame CB Jaden Mickey were teammates at Centennial High School. • USC TE Jude Wolfe, RB Matt Colombo, P Will Rose, DL Kobe Pepe and Notre Dame DL Cole Aubrey all prepped at St. John Bosco. • USC QB Miller Moss, S Jaylin Smith and Notre Dame DL Junior Tuihalamaka all prepped at Bishop Alemany High School. • Notre Dame running backs coach Deland McCullough previously served as USC’s run game coordinator/running backs coach in 2017. • USC ILB Raesjon Davis, WR Kyron Hudson, WR Josiah Zamora, RUSH Solomon Tuliaupupu, CB Domani Jackson, WR Corey Nerhus and WR Raleek Brown were high school teammates with Notre Dame CB Clarence Lewis at Mater Dei. • The athletic departments and business schools at USC and Notre Dame, along with those at North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan and Texas, conduct the Sports Management Institute for mid- and upper-level sports administrators who aspire to be athletic directors, executive directors or general managers in college, amateur or pro sports.
NOTRE DAME NOTES:
IRISH ITEMS – BY THE NUMBERS
1
Fox Sports Big Noon Kickoff Show will appear outside Notre Dame
Stadium for the first time this weekend. Former Irish quarterback
Brady Quinn (‘06) is part of the broadcast crew that will preview the
Notre Dame – Southern Cal game (and all of the Saturday college football slate) from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET in the Library Quad, just north of
Notre Dame Stadium.
2
Mitchell Evans led Notre Dame with a career-best 134 receiving yards
against No. 17 Duke on Sept. 30, while Holden Staes paced the Irish
with 115 receiving yards at NC State. Notre Dame is the only FBS team
in the country with two different tight ends posting 100-yard receiving performances this season.
3
The Notre Dame defense ranks among the nation’s top 15 in three
crucial defensive statistics. The Irish defense is 12th in total defense
(279.4), third in pass efficiency defense (96.98) and 15th in scoring
defense (15.9).
4
This weekend’s prime time game is the fourth of an unprecedented four-straight night games for the Irish. The team has only played
three night games in a row four times previously. See page 10 for
more.
6
Notre Dame is facing its fourth-consecutive ranked opponent for the
sixth time in school history and first time since 2000. See page 10
for more.
14
Notre Dame and Southern Cal have combined to produce 14 Heisman
Trophy winners, seven from each program, which includes current
SC quarterback Caleb Williams. See page 9 for a look back at Notre Dame’s previous four meetings with a reigning Heisman Trophy
winner.
42
Senior defensive tackle Howard Cross III leads all FBS linemen with
42 tackles this season and is the only front-four defensive player in
the country with 40-or-more tackles. See page 7 for more.
50
Spencer Shrader became the first Notre Dame kicker to connect
from 50-or-more yards twice in a game last weekend at Louisville.
Shrader started with a 53-yard kick early in the third quarter, then
matched his own school record with a 54-yard field goal with 1:06
remaining in the same period. Shrader is now tied with Kyle Brindza
(2011-14) and Jonathan Doerer (2017-21) for the most 50-yard kicks in
a Notre Dame career with four.
Shrader leads all FBS kickers this year with four successful 50-yard
field goals.
126
Sam Hartman has thrown 126 passes in his career and has eclipsed
the 14,500-yard barrier in career passing yards. He is just the sixth
FBS quarterback to ever throw for 125 touchdowns with 14,500 passing yards. See page 6 for a full breakdown of Hartman’s prolific career.
NOTRE DAME – SOUTHERN CAL SERIES HISTORY • Notre Dame and Southern Cal will be meeting for the 94th time Saturday night with the Irish leading the all-time series 59-38-5. Notre Dame has won four straight over SC in Notre Dame Stadium dating back to 2015. All-time Notre Dame is 28-14-1 (.663) against Southern Cal in ‘The House That Rockne Built.’ • Saturday marks the eighth consecutive time ND and SC will meet with at least one team ranked in the AP top 25 (dating back to 2015) – Notre Dame is 5-2 in those contests. • Saturday night is the 35th time both ND and SC are meeting ranked among the AP top 25. The Irish are 17-15-2 (.529) in those meetings, but just one-for-the-last-five dating back to 2002. Before 2002, the Irish had won five consecutive games with both Notre Dame and Southern Cal ranked in the top 25. • Notre Dame has only met a 10th-ranked SC team once – in 1966 the Irish secured their claim to a national title with a 51-0 victory in Los Angeles. • Notre Dame and Southern Cal have spoiled each other’s run to a national title 14 times in the series history. The Irish handed the Trojans their first loss in 1927, 1947, 1952, 1973, 1988 and 1995. Notre Dame also tied SC in 1968 and 1969 providing the only blemish on the Trojan record that season. Southern Cal played the spoiler role in 1931, 1938, 1964, 1970, 1971 and 1980. • Two former participants of the Notre Dame – Southern Cal series will be a part of Fox Sports Big Noon Kickoff show, which will take place on Notre Dame’s campus for the first-time ever on Saturday: Brady Quinn (‘06) and Matt Leinart. • For a full list of the Notre Dame – Southern Cal series, including a box score from the most recent meeting, see page 13. GAME FACTS • Notre Dame is 14-3-0 all-time on October 14. That includes a 1-1 record against Southern Cal – a 30-0 win 1961 and a 24-7 loss to top-ranked SC in 1967. • Notre Dame is 7-2-0 all-time on October 14 at home and 4-1 in Notre Dame Stadium. • Notre Dame is 9-3-0 against the Associated Press 10th-ranked team all-time. The first victory was a 21-0 win by the 18th-ranked Irish over No. 10 Georgia Tech on Nov. 25, 1944. The most recent was 20th-ranked Notre Dame’s 20-3 outcome over No. 10 Michigan State in East Lansing on Sept. 15, 2012. • The Irish have played five games all-time as the AP No. 21-ranked team. The most recent was a 45-38 victory over No. 19 South Carolina in the 2022 Gator Bowl. • Notre Dame is 407-100-8 (.798) all-time in the month of October.
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – OFFENSE Jayden Thomas is the leading returning receiver for the Irish in 2023. He leads all wide outs on the team this season with 15 catches for 228 yards. He returned to the starting lineup at Louisville after missing the Duke game with an injury. Chris Tyree has shifted to wide receiver after three years as a running back with the Irish. Tyree has made a key play in each of Notre Dame’s five victories this season, which includes a career-best 76-yard touchdown reception against Central Michigan. True freshman Jaden Greathouse nabbed a 35-yard touchdown pass on his first career touch against Navy. He followed up with a 20-yard scoring catch later in the game. He missed the game at Duke and was limited at Louisville last weekend with a leg injury. Joe Alt, the son of former NFL All-Pro John Alt, is one of four team captains for the Irish this season, has been selected as a consensus preseason All-American and is on the Outland, Lombardi and Walter Camp Award watch lists. See page 7 for more on Alt. Pat Coogan made his first career start in just his second game played against Navy. He has started all seven games for the Irish at left guard this season. Zeke Correll has played guard and center during his career and now enters the season as one of the top snappers in the nation. He will make his 30th-career start on the Irish offensive line against Southern Cal and is on the Rimington Award watch list. Rocco Spindler joined Coogan in making his first career start, at right guard, for the Irish against Navy. He has started all seven games at the same position this season. Blake Fisher is one of the more athletic right tackles in the nation, Fisher combines with Joe Alt to provide Notre Dame one of the best offensive tackle bookends in the nation. Mitchell Evans leads the Irish in receiving with 22 catches for 343. He peaked with a career-best 134 receiving yards in the victory at No. 17 Duke. He also plays a key role in some of Notre Dame’s short yardage packages by taking direct snaps. He rushed for five first downs and a touchdown from under center last season. Holden Staes capped the scoring against Central Michigan with a four-yard catch which followed up his career-best game at NC State which included four catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Both of those touchdowns came from more than 30 yards (30, 45). Staes and Evans combine as the only two TEs, from the same team, to post two 100-yard receiving performances this season. Rico Flores Jr. earned his first career start against Central Michigan and responded with early career-highs of three catches and 60 receiving yards. His first career touchdown reception against Ohio State provided the Irish their first lead of the game. Flores also nabbed a crucial two-point conversion in the game’s final minutes at No. 17 Duke. Sam Hartman continues his ascent up the FBS career passing touchdown and yardage lists this season. See page 6 for much more on Hartman. Audric Estimé owns three 100-yard performances in the first seven games of the year, while rushing for 95 yards vs. Navy and 81 at Duke. Jadarian Price’s first career carry against Navy was a 19-yard touchdown. His second career catch was a 40-yard touchdown reception vs. Tennessee State. Spencer Shrader has quickly established himself as the best long-distance kicker in Notre Dame history. The USF transfer has kicked a school-record 54-yard field goal twice this season –at NC State and at Louisville. He shares the Notre Dame record for career kicks of 50 yards or more (four) with Kyle Brindza and Jonathan Doerer. Bryce McFerson has a booming leg showed that off against NC State. He punted six times in the game, averaging 50.7 yards per attempt. He also posted a career-best 59- yard punt against the Wolfpack. He also uncorked a 57-yard effort at Duke. Michael Vinson is in his sixth year at Notre Dame and is one of the top long snappers in the nation. He has developed into a clear leader not only for the Irish special teams, but the entire roster.
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – DEFENSE Jordan Botelho missed the first half of the Louisville game after being called for targeting late in the game at Duke. Botelho leads the team with two sacks this season and has 19 total tackles. Joshua Burnham posted his first career start in place of Botelho last weekend and finished the game with two tackles. Overall, Burnham has been disruptive in limited snaps, with 2.5 tackles-for-loss, a sack and two quarterback hurries. Rylie Mills is No. 10 on The Athletics Freak List for his work in the weight room and has been disruptive on the defensive line so far in 2023. Mills posted a career-best seven tackles in the victory at No. 17 Duke and followed up with five more stops at Louisville last weekend. Jason Onye posted an early-career-best game with five tackles against Tennessee State. He also blocked his first career field goal, preventing TSU points after the Irish fumbled a kick return and gifted the Tigers the ball at the ND 12-yard line. Howard Cross III is the only Power 5 defensive lineman with double-digit tackles in a game this season after his dominating 13-tackle, two-forced fumble performance at Duke. He was named the Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week, the Bednarik Award Player of the Week and the Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week. Javontae Jean-Baptiste played perhaps the best game of his career against Ohio State, posting a career-high eight tackles. JJB has been consistent across the Irish defensive line all season and is fourth on the team in tackles (31) and leads the Irish with six quarterback hurries. Nana Osafo-Mensah is a leader in the defensive line group and a steady force against the run. He had two key plays against Louisville last weekend, which included a tackle for-loss followed up by his first sack of the season. Marist Liufau enters his second full season as a starter in 2023 and has been all over the field through the first seven games of the year. He has 29 tackles on the season, two quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. JD Bertrand missed the CMU game in concussion protocol and has returned to the line up in top form over the past three games. He has 28 tackles in the last three outings, which includes 11 at No. 17 Duke and nine tackles, one sack and a shared tackle-for-loss at No. 25 Louisville last weekend. Jack Kiser does a little bit of everything for the Irish defense and can appear on the line or even as a spot safety if necessary. He is third on the team with 36 tackles after piling up a career-best 10 while starting at Mike linebacker for JD Bertrand against Central Michigan. Cam Hart was voted a captain by his teammates this season, and looks poised for a highly productive final season with the Irish. Hart began the second half at No. 25 Louisville with a forced fumble and recovery. DJ Brown returned for a fifth year and is the ‘quarterback’ of the back seven for Notre Dame’s defense. Brown picked off his fourth career pass against NC State, missed the CMU game with a leg injury but returned against Ohio State to finish with three tackles and two PBUs. He also finished with a career-high matching nine tackles at No. 25 Louisville. Xavier Watts has grown from a rookie wide receiver into one of Notre Dame’s starting safeties. Both of his interceptions this season (at NC State, at Duke) have set Notre Dame up in the red zone and directly led to 10 points (seven at NC State, three at Duke). Benjamin Morrison was a Freshman All-American last season, and is focused on taking his game to an even higher level in 2023. He intercepted his first pass of the season at NC State. See page 7 for more on Morrison. Clarence Lewis has played in 44 games at Notre Dame and scored his first career touchdown on a 33-yard interception return against Tennessee State. He started at nickle in place of Thomas Harpe at Louisville, who missed the game in concussion protocol. Thomas Harper, a transfer from Oklahoma State, made his first start in an Irish uniform against TSU and followed up with a team-high seven tackles at NC State. He continued his playmaking moments with his first career sack against Central Michigan. Harper missed the game at Louisville but is hopeful to return to the lineup against Southern Cal this weekend.
BALL STATE FOOTBALL
FOOTBALL RETURNS TO SCHEUMANN STADIUM WITH STREAK-BUSTING IN MIND AGAINST TOLEDO
MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State returns to Scheumann Stadium this week with sights set on its first conference win in 2023. The Cardinals aim to bust a three-game losing streak while halting a five-game win streak by Toledo which leads the MAC West Division.
** The Cardinals absorbed back-to-back road defeats to open the MAC campaign, falling at Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan the past two weeks. Now, Ball State hopes to even its MAC record with a pair of home games, this week and next.
** At Eastern Michigan, the Cardinals got a standout defensive performance, but couldn’t muster any second-half scoring in a 24-10 setback. Ball State managed 10 tackles for loss and five sacks, and limited EMU to 61 rushing yards. After trading field goals in the first period, the Eagles got a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter thanks to a Ball State fumble. The only scoring the rest of the game came on EMU’s 50-yard aerial in the third quarter.
** LB Cole Pearce has posted a season-high 10 tackles in each of the past two games. He had a pair of sacks at EMU and boasts three sacks among four TFL in those two games.
** The Cardinals are trying to get back on track in the MAC, three years removed from a conference title in 2020. After its 5-1 campaign in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and a win in the Arizona Bowl, Ball State finished 4-4 in the league in 2021 and 3-5 in 2022. Behind veteran-laden offensive and defensive lines leading play at the line of scrimmage, Ball State has high hopes of returning among MAC contenders in 2023.
WHAT A WIN MEANS:
** The Cardinals will run their record to 2-5 and win their first conference game of the season.
** Ball State would snap a three-game skid and avoid a four-game losing streak.
** Mike Neu will capture his 35th victory as head coach of his alma mater, passing Brady Hoke’s win total from 2003-08 with the seventh-most career coaching wins at Ball State.
INDIANA STATE FOOTBALL
SYCAMORES CONTINUE 2023 SEASON ON ROAD AT ILLINOIS STATE
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State hits the road in Valley play again this weekend as the Sycamores travel to Normal, Ill. to take on Illinois State on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff between the Sycamores and the Redbirds at Hancock Stadium is set for 3 p.m. and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
Quick Hits
The Sycamores won the last contest in Normal in the 2021 season finale as Indiana State rallied back to top Illinois State, 15-10. It marked ISU’s first win in Normal since 1997 when ISU topped the Redbirds, 16-13 … Indiana State enters the weekend still searching for its first win of 2023. It marks just the second time the Sycamores started the year with an 0-5 record since 2010 and first since 2017 … Wide receiver Harry Van Dyne has posted 15 catches for 216 yards and a touchdown over the first two MVFC games this season. The redshirt senior has posted at least 80 yards in each of his last three games … Indiana State has had players earn MVFC weekly honors in each of the last two weeks. Plez Lawrence (Newcomer) took home honors following his 203-rushing, 3-TD game against Murray State, while Jake Andjelic (Special Teams) connected on a pair of field goals in the Sycamores’ home conference opener against Northern Iowa.
About Illinois State
Illinois State enters the Saturday afternoon game with a 3-2 overall record and a 1-1 mark in Missouri Valley Football play. The Redbirds picked up wins over Dayton, Western Illinois, and Lindenwood, while falling at Eastern Illinois and South Dakota State on the year. Points have not been an issue for the Illinois State offense with the Redbirds scoring at least 34 points in all three wins.
Running back Mason Blakemore is the MVFC leader averaging 8.78 yards per carry and 87.75 yards per game through the first five games of the season. Three Illinois State wide receivers sit among the Valley’s top-10 in receptions, while Daniel Sobkowicz is among the conference leaders at 85.0 yards per game. Defensive back Keondre Jackson is tied for fifth in the MVFC in tackles per game, while linebacker Amir Abdullah is the conference leader with 6.5 sacks on the year. Illinois State is one of eight MVFC schools receiving votes on the year.
Sycamores on This Date
Indiana State has played 10 games all-time on October 14 dating back to their first contest against St. Joseph’s back in 1950. Indiana State won three consecutive games on October 14 spanning the 1967, 1972, and 1978 seasons includig a 1972 win at Illinois State (32-8). ISU is 1-1 all-time against the Redbirds on the date.
1950 – at St. Joseph’s – L, 7-0
1961 – vs. Evansville – L, 15-14
1967 – vs. Valparaiso – W, 47-12
1972 – at Illinois State – W, 32-8
1978 – vs. Drake – W, 13-0
1989 – vs. Northern Iowa – L, 24-21
1995 – at Northern Iowa – L, 27-10
2000 – vs. Illinois State – L, 21-0
2006 – vs. Northern Iowa – L, 34-14
2017 – at South Dakota – L, 56-6
Van Dyne Goes for 300 over 3
Harry Van Dyne continues one of the top stretches by an Indiana State wide receiver in recent history as the redshirt senior wide receiver has posted at least 80 yards in each of the last three games. His 296 receiving yards over 18 catches are the most by an Indiana State wide receiver since Dante Hendrix posted 333 yards in a trio of games in 2022 against North Dakota State, Youngstown State, and Illinois State.
Van Dyne is one game removed from his first 100-yard receiving effort against Murray State after hauling in 10 catches for 122 yards and adding a three-yard touchdown reception with 3:27 remaining in the game that pulled Indiana State back to within two points in the MVFC opener against Murray State.
Van Dyne became the first ISU receiver to post double-digit receptions since Dante Hendrix posted a 10-catch, 83-yard, two-touchdown game back on Nov. 13, 2021, against Southern Illinois. Hendrix had the last three double-digit reception games for the Sycamores dating back to the 2018 season when he hauled in 11 passes for 111 yards and two scores on November 3, 2018. The Sycamore wideout posted a season-long 54-yard reception on the first play of the second half against Northern Iowa.
Geoffrey Brown Milestone Watch
Indiana State junior linebacker Geoffrey Brown continues his pursuit to hit the 200-tackle mark as the Fishers, Ind. native enters the weekend sitting with 172 total tackles during his time with the Sycamores. Brown is second on the team with 27 stops through the first five games of the year including an eight-tackle performance at Indiana and seven against Murray State.
Brown is coming off a career-year with 84 total tackles as a sophomore in the middle of the field on his way to earning All-Conference recognition. His first season on the field in 2021 featured his first double-digit tackling contest in the season finale with 12 stops at Illinois State. He followed up with five double-digit tackling efforts in 2022 including a 15-tackle effort in the opener against North Alabama and 10 solo stops in the season finale against Missouri State. He remains the closest Sycamore on the roster to join the exclusive 300-career tackle club which currently sits at 18 members, last by Jonas Griffith (382 tackles, 2016-19).
Caton Receiving Watch
One of the longest tenured players on the Indiana State roster is back for his sixth season with the Sycamores this season as Dakota Caton returned to the roster in 2023. The Sullivan, Ind. native is closing in on 1,000 career receiving yards entering the Murray State week with 925 total yards over 80 receptions. He’s averaging a career-high 37.2 yards per game over the first five games of the season.
Caton built up an impressive reception streak over his career hauling in at least one catch in 20 consecutive games from 2018 to 2022. The streak started with a five-catch performance on October 13, 2018, against Missouri State and included his first collegiate touchdown on November 3 against South Dakota. The redshirt senior’s streak came to an end last year on October 22, 2022, against Illinois State, but he has since rebounded to haul in passes in each of his last five games including both contests in 2023. He enters the contest as the Sycamores’ current receiving leader, as well as one of ISU’s all-time returner leaders over his career.
Time of Possession
Indiana State put together one of the more dominant statistical lines in program history this past Saturday against Northern Iowa as the Sycamores held onto the ball for 39:58 in the contest. The time of possession edge 39:58-20:02 marks the largest in the Curt Mallory coaching era, surpassing the program’s previous single-game high 38:25 set last season against Western Illinois.
The Sycamores held onto the ball at least 10 minutes in three of the four quarters on Saturday night against Northern Iowa, including at least 11 minutes in the second quarter against the Panthers. Indiana State converted 8-of-14 third-down conversions and posted two double-digit play drives in the contest with both leading to field goals.
UINDY FOOTBALL
GLVC LEADERS SQUARE OFF IN BATTLE OF UNBEATENS
GAME 6
at 19 Truman State Bulldogs (5-0, 2-0 GLVC)
Saturday | October 14 | 1 p.m. ET
Two GLVC heavyweights go toe-to-toe this weekend when ranked unbeatens UIndy and Truman duke it out for the conference lead. The matchup marks the second straight season the conference rivals have met as top-20 opponents. UIndy owns a six-game winning streak in the series, including a 28-14 comeback win in last year’s regular season finale.
DID YOU KNOW?
Two of the stingiest defenses in the nation will be on display this weekend, as both UIndy (7th, 13.7 ppg) and Truman (21st, 16.5 ppg) rank highly in Division II in points allowed per game. No other GLVC team ranks in the nation’s top 50.
GAME NOTES: https://athletics.uindy.edu/documents/2023/10/12/GAME_6_at_Truman.pdf
MARIAN FOOTBALL
GAMEDAY GUIDE: NO. 5 MARIAN TRAVELS TO NO. 10 CONCORDIA
INDIANAPOLIS – After going on the road for the first time in a month last week, the Marian football team is ready to return to Michigan this Saturday, as they travel to No. 10 Concordia. The top-10 showdown is the first ranked matchup in MSFA Mideast play, and Marian’s second ranked contest of the season.
THE GAME
Although holding a one-sided 10-2 advantage all-time against Concordia, the series for Marian has been tightly contested for five of the last six meetings, with the five matchups staying within two scores for much of the game. Last year Marian snapped a two-game losing streak at Concordia and ended the Cardinals 27-home game winning streak, as they won 24-7.
Zach Bundalo threw for a pair of touchdowns last season with both going to Marian alum Ben Stevens, as the quarterback capped off two 90 yard drives with touchdowns. Former Knight Logan Blake led the team with 10 tackles in the win, while returners Deon Pettiford and Tyler Bukur each made key tackles for loss in last seasons win.
The Cardinals and Knights both enter the game undefeated, with both sides holding similar 5-0 overall records and 2-0 MSFA Mideast League marks. The Cardinals return 12 starters (6 offense, 6 defense) from last year’s matchup, while the Knights have 13 starters (7 offense, 6 defense) back from a year ago.
WATCH AND FOLLOW ALONG
Those fans unable to attend Saturday’s game can watch live through the Concordia Athletics Network, listed above. The Knights broadcast duo of Scott McCauley and Zach Graves will also be calling the game from Ann Arbor, with the audio-only broadcast of the game streamed through the ISC Sports Network. Fans can also find live statistics at marianstats.com. Live updates of the game will be posted on the official Marian Athletics Twitter/X page, @MUKnights.
TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets online now at the link above. All tickets are general admission and cost $10 per ticket. Children age five and under are admitted for free.
TAILGATING
Tailgating spaces are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Visiting fans can pay $10 for a parking pass at the entrance to the lot. Parking will be in the north lot of the stadium until full, and will then be moved to the adjacent grass area.
RAINY SATURDAY
For the first time this year, the Knights will have to overcome the weather, as Saturday’s game is forecasted to be a wet one. Rain is in the forecast for the entire day on Saturday, with high temperatures hovering around 48 degrees. Marian’s last rain game was the 2021 season opener against Tiffin.
Concordia does have an umbrella policy, and fans are only allowed to utilize them in the top rows of the grand stands (not in front of the press box) or at field level by the end zones.
RANKED SHOWCASE
This will be Marian’s second ranked battle of the year, as they travel north to play the 10th ranked Cardinals. Marian’s first ranked matchup of the season was a 28-21 win over then No. 13 St. Xavier in a game played at St. Vincent Field.
The last time Marian and Concordia matched up with the Cardinals as a ranked team came in 2021, when Marian scored a 25-7 home victory against the fifth-ranked team in the NAIA.
Kickoff from Ann Arbor on Saturday is scheduled for 1 p.m.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETICS
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/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
NFL STANDINGS
| American Football Conference | |||||||||||||
| East Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Miami Dolphins | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 | 0.0 | 181 | 135 | 2-0-0 | 2-1-0 | 3-1-0 | 1-1-0 | 1 W | |
| Buffalo Bills | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 1.0 | 159 | 80 | 2-1-0 | 1-1-0 | 2-2-0 | 1-1-0 | 1 L | |
| New York Jets | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 2.0 | 93 | 105 | 1-2-0 | 1-1-0 | 2-2-0 | 1-1-0 | 1 W | |
| New England Patriots | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 3.0 | 55 | 131 | 0-3-0 | 1-1-0 | 1-1-0 | 1-1-0 | 2 L | |
| West Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Kansas City Chiefs | 5 | 1 | 0 | .833 | 0.0 | 147 | 88 | 2-1-0 | 3-0-0 | 3-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 5 W | |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | 2.0 | 110 | 104 | 1-1-0 | 1-1-0 | 1-2-0 | 1-0-0 | 2 W | |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 2.5 | 79 | 114 | 1-1-0 | 1-2-0 | 1-3-0 | 1-1-0 | 1 W | |
| Denver Broncos | 1 | 5 | 0 | .167 | 4.0 | 129 | 200 | 0-3-0 | 1-2-0 | 0-4-0 | 0-2-0 | 2 L | |
| North Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 0.0 | 79 | 110 | 2-1-0 | 1-1-0 | 3-1-0 | 2-0-0 | 1 W | |
| Baltimore Ravens | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 0.0 | 109 | 75 | 1-1-0 | 2-1-0 | 3-2-0 | 2-1-0 | 1 L | |
| Cleveland Browns | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | 0.5 | 76 | 60 | 2-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 2-2-0 | 1-2-0 | 1 L | |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 1.0 | 83 | 114 | 1-1-0 | 1-2-0 | 0-3-0 | 0-2-0 | 1 W | |
| South Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 0.0 | 105 | 102 | 1-2-0 | 2-0-0 | 2-2-0 | 1-1-0 | 2 W | |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 0.0 | 120 | 115 | 1-2-0 | 2-0-0 | 3-1-0 | 2-1-0 | 1 W | |
| Houston Texans | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 1.0 | 115 | 100 | 1-1-0 | 1-2-0 | 2-2-0 | 1-1-0 | 1 L | |
| Tennessee Titans | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 1.0 | 88 | 93 | 2-0-0 | 0-3-0 | 2-2-0 | 0-1-0 | 1 L | |
| National Football Conference | |||||||||||||
| East Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 141 | 104 | 2-0-0 | 3-0-0 | 4-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 5 W | |
| Dallas Cowboys | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 2.0 | 134 | 83 | 2-0-0 | 1-2-0 | 1-2-0 | 1-0-0 | 1 L | |
| Washington Commanders | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 3.0 | 109 | 160 | 1-2-0 | 1-1-0 | 1-2-0 | 0-1-0 | 3 L | |
| New York Giants | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 4.0 | 62 | 153 | 0-2-0 | 1-2-0 | 1-3-0 | 0-1-0 | 3 L | |
| West Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| San Francisco 49ers | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 167 | 68 | 3-0-0 | 2-0-0 | 4-0-0 | 2-0-0 | 5 W | |
| Seattle Seahawks | 3 | 1 | 0 | .750 | 1.5 | 111 | 91 | 1-1-0 | 2-0-0 | 3-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 3 W | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 3.0 | 112 | 108 | 0-2-0 | 2-1-0 | 1-2-0 | 1-1-0 | 1 L | |
| Arizona Cardinals | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 4.0 | 108 | 136 | 1-2-0 | 0-2-0 | 1-3-0 | 0-1-0 | 2 L | |
| North Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 | 0.0 | 148 | 107 | 2-1-0 | 2-0-0 | 3-1-0 | 1-0-0 | 3 W | |
| Green Bay Packers | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 2.0 | 113 | 113 | 1-1-0 | 1-2-0 | 2-2-0 | 1-1-0 | 2 L | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 3.0 | 110 | 122 | 0-3-0 | 1-1-0 | 1-2-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 L | |
| Chicago Bears | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 3.0 | 115 | 157 | 0-2-0 | 1-2-0 | 1-2-0 | 0-1-0 | 1 W | |
| South Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3 | 1 | 0 | .750 | 0.0 | 84 | 68 | 1-1-0 | 2-0-0 | 3-1-0 | 1-0-0 | 1 W | |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 0.5 | 83 | 96 | 3-0-0 | 0-2-0 | 2-1-0 | 1-0-0 | 1 W | |
| New Orleans Saints | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 0.5 | 96 | 76 | 1-1-0 | 2-1-0 | 1-2-0 | 1-1-0 | 1 W | |
| Carolina Panthers | 0 | 5 | 0 | .000 | 3.5 | 91 | 144 | 0-2-0 | 0-3-0 | 0-5-0 | 0-2-0 | 5 L | |
NHL STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 New Jersey Devils | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 1-0-1 | — | 1-0-1 | |
| 2 Tampa Bay Lightning | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 | |
| 3 New York Rangers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | |
| 4 Carolina Hurricanes | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 | |
| 5 Boston Bruins | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 | |
| 6 Toronto Maple Leafs | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 | |
| 7 Philadelphia Flyers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | — | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | |
| 8 Pittsburgh Penguins | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 0-1-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-1-0 | |
| 9 Montreal Canadiens | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | — | 0-0-1 | 0-0-1 | |
| 10 New York Islanders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 11 Detroit Red Wings | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | — | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | |
| 12 Ottawa Senators | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | — | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | |
| 13 Columbus Blue Jackets | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0-1-0 | — | 0-1-0 | |
| 14 Florida Panthers | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | |
| 15 Buffalo Sabres | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0-1-0 | — | 0-1-0 | |
| 16 Washington Capitals | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0-1-0 | — | 0-1-0 | |
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 Vegas Golden Knights | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 2-0-0 | |
| 2 Colorado Avalanche | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | — | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | |
| 3 Vancouver Canucks | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 | |
| 4 Calgary Flames | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 | |
| 5 Minnesota Wild | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 | |
| 6 Arizona Coyotes | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | — | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | |
| 7 Dallas Stars | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 | |
| 8 Nashville Predators | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 1-1-0 | |
| 9 Chicago Blackhawks | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | — | 1-1-0 | 1-1-0 | |
| 10 St. Louis Blues | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | 0-0-1 | 0-0-1 | |
| 11 Anaheim Ducks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 12 Winnipeg Jets | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | — | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | |
| 13 Los Angeles Kings | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0-1-0 | — | 0-1-0 | |
| 14 San Jose Sharks | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0-1-0 | — | 0-1-0 | |
| 15 Edmonton Oilers | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | — | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | |
| 16 Seattle Kraken | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | — | 0-2-0 | 0-2-0 | |
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1905 In Game 5, Christy Mathewson blanks the A’s for the third time as the Giants beat the A’s 2-0 to win the World Series. It will be the only Fall Classic in which every game ends in a shutout.
1906 The White Sox, known as baseball’s ‘hitless wonders,’ complete their unbelievable World Series, upsetting their powerful crosstown rivals, beating the Cubs, 8-3, at South Side Park. The Cubs had won a record 116 regular-season games.
1908 As the result of a formative gathering of sports scribes from New York, Brooklyn, Chicago, and Cincinnati at the National League offices in New York in August, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America holds its first meeting with forty-three founding members in attendance in Detroit. The mission of the BBWAA will be to improve working conditions for writers, promote uniformity of scoring methods, and limit the press box to working reporters, telegraphers, and other professional personnel who need to be there.
1908 In front of the smallest crowd in World Series history, Chicago, behind the strong pitching of Orval Overall, beat the Tigers in just 85 minutes to capture the Fall Classic. The 6,210 fans witnessing the fifth and final World Series game at Detroit’s Bennett Park have no idea it will be the last time the Cubs will win a World Championship in the next 100+ years.
1952 The Reds obtain outfielder Gus Bell from the Pirates in exchange for Cal Abrams, Gail Henley, and Joe Rossi. The newest Cincinnati flychaser, considered one of general manager Gabe Paul’s best acquisitions for the team, will become a fan favorite and hit .288 during his nine-year tenure in the Queen City.
1969 Thanks to two great catches by Tommie Agee at Shea Stadium, the Mets beat the Orioles to take a 2-1 game lead in the World Series. The center fielder’s outfield heroics save the team at least five runs in the 5-0 victory over Baltimore.
1972 In Game 1 of the World Series, Gene Tenace, who went 1-for-17 in the ALCS, becomes the first player in history to hit two home runs in his first two at-bats in the Fall Classic. The catcher’s round-trippers in the second and fifth inning account for all of the A’s runs in the team’s 3-2 victory over the Reds at Riverfront Stadium and earn the Oakland backstop a $5,000 bonus from the usually tight-fisted owner of the club, Charlie Finley.
1973 The contest in which Willie Mays gets his last hit, an RBI single that plates the decisive run in the 12th inning of the Mets’ 10-7 victory over the A’s in the second game of the World Series. The game, best remembered for the aging superstar’s misadventures in the outfield when he loses two fly balls in the sun at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, takes four hours and 13 minutes to complete, making it the longest Fall Classic contest ever played.
1976 The Yankees dramatically win their 30th pennant on Chris Chambliss’ home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. The first baseman’s walk-off solo shot beats the Royals in Game Five and deciding contest of the ALCS, 7-6
1978 In the sixth inning of Game 4, Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda argues unsuccessfully that the umpires should call interference on Reggie Jackson when a throw from Dodger shortstop Bill Russell caroms off his hip near first base, allowing Thurman Munson to score from second. New York eventually overcomes a three-run deficit with a 4-3 walk-off victory in ten innings at the Bronx ballpark, tying the World Series at two games apiece.
1983 At Veterans Stadium, Jim Palmer pitches two innings of scoreless relief, getting credit for the win when the Orioles beat the Phillies in Game 3 of the World Series, 3-2. The Hall of Famer becomes the only pitcher in baseball history to win a Fall Classic game in three decades.
Amazon Together We Were Eleven Foot Nine: The 20-Year Friendship of Hall of Fame Pitcher Jim Palmer and Orioles Manager Earl Weaver
1984 The Tigers’ 8-4 clinching victory over the Padres marks the last time the World Series is played outdoors in sunlight. A scheduled daytime Fall Classic game will occur in 1987, but the contest is played indoors at the Metrodome in Minnesota.
1984 With the Tigers leading 5-4 in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the World Series, Kirk Gibson hits his second home run of the game, a three-run blast to the upper deck in right field, putting the game out of reach to give the Motor City its fourth World Championship in franchise history. Padres manager Dick Williams had ordered his pitcher to walk the Detroit right fielder intentionally, but after ignoring the walk sign at first, Goose Gossage convinces his skipper he can get the slugger out, only to be proven wrong two pitches later.
1985 “Go crazy, folks, go crazy.” – JACK BUCK, Cardinals broadcaster’s reaction to Ozzie Smith’s unlikely home run during the 1985 NLCS against Dodgers.
Ozzie Smith provides one of the most memorable moments in Cardinals’ history by hitting a dramatic homer to win Game 5 of the NLCS. The round-tripper was the first left-handed home run of the Wizard’s career, which spans 3,009 major league at-bats.
1986 After their dramatic come-from-behind 7-6 extra-inning win to stave off elimination in California, the Red Sox defeat the Angels again. Boston’s 10-4 victory at Fenway Park evens the ALCS at 3-3.
1992 Canada gets its first pennant when the Blue Jays clinch the American League crown with a 9-2 victory over the A’s in Game 6 of the ALCS. Toronto captures the World Series, beating the Braves in six games.
1992 Francisco Cabrera’s ninth-inning, two-out pinch-hit single drives in two runs, giving the Braves a stunning comeback victory, 3-2 over the Pirates in Game 7 of the NLCS. The backup catcher had only three hits during the regular season.
1997 At Turner Field, Kevin Brown tosses an 11-hit complete game to capture the Marlins’ first National League pennant. The flag, captured in only the fifth year of the team’s existence, is clinched in Game 6 of the NLCS when Florida beats Tom Glavine and the Braves, 7-4.
2000 Roger Clemens strikes out a record-setting 15 batters and one-hits the Mariners, 5-0, giving the Yankees a 3-1 lead in the ALCS. Al Martin’s seventh-inning double broke up the Rocket’s bid for a no-hitter in the Safeco Field contest.
2002 Japan’s Seibu Lions, ending the regular season with a record of 90-46-1, post the Pacific League’s highest win total in 46 years. Alex Cabrera fails to hit a home run in the team’s last five games and has to settle with tying the single-season home run record with 55, along with Sadaharu Oh (1964) and Tuffy Rhodes (2001).
2003 Holding a 3-0 lead over the Marlins and needing only five more outs to go the World Series for the first time since 1945, the Cubs give up eight runs on five hits, three walks, and an error. The team appears to come apart after a fan, later identified as Steve Bartman, sitting along the left-field line at Wrigley Field, tries to snag a foul ball that was about to be caught by Chicago outfielder Moises Alou for the second out of the inning.
2003 The Giants announced the renaming of Pac Bell to SBC Park. The new moniker will change again after the 2005 season due to the SBC merger with AT&T.
2005 After negotiations have broken down with their skipper, the A’s interview five candidates to replace outgoing manager Ken Macha, apparently a top choice for many other teams. GM Billy Beane and his former field boss agree to a surprising new three-year deal a week later.
2006 With a 6-3 victory in Game 4 of the ALCS, Jim Leyland’s Tigers sweep the A’s to win the American League pennant for the first time since 1984. Magglio Ordonez’s dramatic walk-off three-run homer sets off a wild celebration at Comerica Park by the fans, who suffered through a historic 119-loss season just three years ago.
2006 Silas Simmons, the oldest former professional baseball player of all time, celebrates his 111th birthday. The 17th-oldest person in the country, born the same year as Babe Ruth, is joined by former players of the Negro Leagues and receives a 1913 Homestead Grays jersey with No. 111 stitched beneath his name from Steve Henderson of the Devil Rays at his home in the Westminster Suncoast retirement community in St. Petersburg.
2010 In a widely anticipated hiring, the Braves sign Fredi Gonzalez to replace their long-time legendary manager Bobby Cox, who retired at the end of the season. Atlanta’s new skipper, who served as the team’s third-base coach from 2003-06, was unexpectedly fired in June by the Marlins, a move thought to be prompted by the benching of Hanley Ramirez for not hustling.
2015 In a game that includes the benches-clearing twice, the Blue Jays advance to the ALCS, defeating the Rangers, 6-3, in the decisive game 5. Toronto overcomes a one-run deficit, thanks to Texas’s three straight errors to start the bottom of the seventh inning, followed by a three-run homer hit by Jose Bautista, who annoys his opponents with an exaggerated bat flip while admiring his third-deck shot at the Rogers Centre.
2020 In the Dodgers’ 15-3 victory in Game 3 of the NLCS, the team puts together the highest-scoring inning ever in a postseason game, scoring 11 runs against the Braves, collecting seven hits, three walks, and a hit batter during the 32-minute first frame at Globe Life Field. LA surpasses the mark the Cardinals established last season of deciding Game 5 of the NL Division Series, crossing the plate ten times in the first inning against Atlanta.
WORLD SERIES HISTORY
1916 WORLD SERIES
Boston Red Sox (4) vs Brooklyn Robins (1)
Another World Series newcomer, the Brooklyn Robins (later known as the Dodgers) had paved their way to the 1916 Fall Classic with solid hitting by Zack Wheat and standout pitching from the arm of Jeff Pfeffer, a twenty-five game winner. They also boasted two World Series veteran acquisitions in Rube Marquard and Jack Coombs who had made several postseason appearances with the Giants and A’s.
The deck appeared stacked in their favor, but the returning World Champion Red Sox would have something to say about that. Brooklyn manager Wilbert Robinson felt that starting two lefthanders would give his team an upper hand, so he nominated veteran Marquard and another standout, Sherry Smith for Games 1 and 2 in Boston. Once again, the Red Sox turned to the cross-town Braves Field in favor of Fenway Park to handle to ever-increasing World Series crowds.
The Robins’ Marquard went up against the 1915 opener’s loser, Ernie Shore in what first appeared to be a standoff. The Red Sox were up 2-1 through six innings with neither pitcher flinching. That was until both clubs started a scoring frenzy. First, the Red Sox knocked Marquard for three runs in the seventh (forcing the veteran to be pulled in favor of Pfeffer) and one more in the eighth. Brooklyn answered back with four runs of their own in the ninth, sending Shore to the showers, but Boston brought in Carl Mays, who cinched the rally and held on for the 6-5 win.
Sherry Smith and another young lefty nicknamed “The Babe” went at it for Game 2 in what has been dubbed as both a “double masterpiece” and a ‘hitters nightmare”. Through thirteen innings, both had allowed only six hits and one run each. In the bottom of the fourteenth, Dick Hoblitzell set the stage for a dramatic finish by drawing his fourth walk of the game. Duffy Lewis followed suite by sacrificing Hoblitzell into scoring position at second. With all his pieces in place, Red Sox manager Bill Carrigan prepared to checkmate his opponent by sending in Mike McNally as a pinch-runner and Del Gainor as a pinch-hitter. Gainor stepped up and delivered, driving in Hoblitzell and sealing Boston’s 2-1 victory.
Robinson turned to another Series veteran for Game 3, but this time he chose a right-hander in Jack Coombs. In the first World Series game ever to be played at the newly constructed Ebbets Field, he combined with relief from Jeff Pfeffer, to pitch a 4-3 triumph that put his team back into play. Boston came back the very next day with a counter attack from Dutch Leonard who threw an eight hitter in a 6-2 reply. Larry Gardner backed him up by adding his second home run in two days with a three run blast.
Series veteran Ernie Shore returned in Game 5 for the Red Sox and shut the door on the Robins with a 4-1, Series deciding victory.
The Beantown Bombers had joined the ranks of baseball’s elite as back-to-back World Champions without ever playing a single postseason game in their own house. One of Brooklyn’s few standouts, an outfielder named Casey Stengel (who batted a Series leading .364) would go on to become one of the most successful postseason managers in the history of baseball. Unfortunately for Brooklyn fans, it would be with the New York Yankees and four of his wins would be over the Dodgers.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
1951 Christiansen returns
October 14, 1951 – Detroit Lions return man, Jack Christiansen, takes 2 punts to the house for touchdowns against the LA Rams. Pro-football-refernce.com recorded the statistics of the game as the first return Jack’s being a 69 yarder in the second quarter of a Doak Walker punt. The second return for a score occurred in the final stanza as Christianson took another of Walker’s 4th Down field flippers 49 yards to paydirt. Though the returns helped the Lions on the scoreboard they did not win the game as the Rams triumphed 27-21.
1985 NYJ 12 to the Rafters
October 14, 1985 – East Rutherford, New Jersey – New York Jets franchise retired Joe Namath’s jersey #12 on nationally televised Monday Night Football. Namath had sealed his legend in the Big Apple by many of his great plays, but especially making good on his famous promise of leading his underdog 1969 Jets team to a Super Bowl III victory over the heavily favored Baltimore Colts coached by Don Shula. Pro-football-reference.com informs us that the Jets had a great night against a Don Shula team in the 1985’s game too as they this time defeated the Miami Dolphins, 23-7.
1989 Baileys record day
October 14, 1989 – Texas A&I, Johnny Bailey sets NCAA season rushing record. According to twitter account @TXSports History Bailey ran for a record at 6,085 yards that surpassed Pittsburgh University’s Tony Dorsett’s previous NCAA record. Bailey Went on to become the only player to win the Harlon Hill Trophy for being the top player in Division II football three times. He was later drafted into the NFL and played for the Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals and the St. Lois/LA Rams scoring 9 NFL career touchdowns in 81 games played.
1990 Montana tosses Six
October 14, 1990 – Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium – San Francisco 49er quarterback, Joe Montana passes for 6 touchdowns versus the Atlanta Falcons. Five of the scoring strikes were to Montana’s favorite target Jerry Rice in the 45 to 35 Niners win over the Falcons.
1896 Tom Davies
October 14, 1896 – Gas City, Indiana – Tom Davies was born. The Davies family left Indiana to move to Washington, Pennsylvania when Tom was an 11 year old per his bio on Wikipedia. After high school Tom attended the nearby University of Pittsburgh and played halfback for the Panthers and their renown coach Pop Warner. Davies became a consensus All-American in 1918 and 1920 and in his four years he carried an average of 150 yards rushing per game played! His Pitt career was highlighted by the perfect Panther season of 1918 where the team went 9-0 and won the National Championship. In the 1920 game against the University of Pennsylvania Tom had his best individual effort as a collegian when he tossed a touchdown pass, scampered 80 yards for a touchdown, returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and returned a pick six 60 yards for a score! The National Football Foundation cemented Tom Davies into legendary status by inducting him into their College Football Hall of Fame in 1970.
1901 Harry Stuhldreher
October 14, 1901 – Massillon, Ohio – Harry Stuhldreher was born. It is reported on footballfoundation.org on Stuhldreher’s bio that Harry as a young lad would carry the bags for the Massillon Tigers star football player to get free entry into the games of the Tigers. That star player’s name was Knute Rockne! Rockne kept tabs on the kid and eventually that boy grew up into a fine football player that Rockne had the pleasure of coaching when he was at Notre Dame. Harry Stuhldreher became one of the legendary Four Horsemen of Notre Dame. Harry’s leadership qualities were the items that had Rockne chosen him to be the signal caller in the famed backfield. Harry was the smallest of the Horsemen at 5foot 7 inches tall and 151 pounds but his quickness and elusiveness made him a dangerous weapon in the famed Irish offense. Stuhldreher would later coach for many seasons at both Villanova and Wisconsin and had a career winning record as a coach. He was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1958.
1947 Charlie Joiner
October 14, 1947 – Many, Louisiana- Charlie Joiner was born. Charlie was a wide receiver out of Grambling State University and the Houston Oilers used their fourth round pick in the AFL-NFL Draft of 1969 to secure the rights of Joiner as a defensive back according to his bio on profootballhof.com. Charlie played bits here and there with the Oilers on defense and special teams until in 1972 when he was part of a multi-player deal with Cincinnati that made him a Bengal for the next four seasons of his career. In 1976 Charlie Joiner was part of another trade in which he became a San Diego Charger. This was a tremendous boost to his career, making him a star wide out in the offense of Coach Don “Air” Coryell and with a ball slinger with the talents of one Dan Fouts. Charlie played a total of 18 seasons, 11 with the Chargers and when he retired he was the NFL career leader in receptions with 750. Charlie’s total receiving yards at retirement were 12,146 and he scored 65 career TDs. The Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted him into their museum of legends in 1996.
1964 Paul Palmer
October 14, 1964 – Was the birthday of Paul Palmer who was a great running back that played for the Temple Owls. Palmer had a tremendous season in 1986 under Temple University’s Head Coach Bruce Arians, as he was number one in the nation as he rushed for 1866 yards, and averaged over 169 yards per game on the ground. Paul’s all-purpose yards that season of ‘86 broke the NCAA record held by Hall of Famer Marcus Allen! He placed second in the Heisman voting that year behind Vinny Testeverde. When he completed his collegiate career, Paul Palmer was Temple’s all-time leading rusher with 4,895 yards. The National FOotball Foundation placed Paul Palmer into their College Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
24 – 16 – 9 – 7 – 24 – 32 – 38 – 25 – 44 – 99 – 10 – 5 – 12 – 34 -16 – 22 – 18
October 14, 1862 – Early Baseball player James Creighton ruptured his bladder hitting a home run. The injury was so severe that the player passed away four days later on October 18.
October 14, 1905 – World Series Game 5 action saw the New York Giants defeat the Philadelphia A’s, 2-0 at the Polo Grounds to win first league sanctioned World Series, 4 games to 1. For pitcher Christy Mathewson it was his 3rd straight World Series game shutout
October 14, 1926 – Walter Johnson retired, signs 2-year contract to manage Newark
October 14, 1951 – Detroit Lions future Hall of Famer Number 24, Jack Christiansen returns 2 punts for touchdowns vs LA Rams
October 14, 1962 – Houston Oiler Number 16, George Blanda throws for 6 TD passes vs NY Titans 56-17
October 14, 1964 – Number 9, Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle (Number 7) each hit home run on back-to-back pitches
October 14, 1965 – World Series: LA Dodgers edge Minnesota Twins, 2-0 in Game 7 at Metropolitan Stadium. It was the Dodgers 3rd title since their move to LA. MVP: LA pitcher Sandy Koufax, Number 32
October 14, 1972 – Oakland catcher Number 38, Gene Tenace is first to homer in first 2 World Series at-bats as A’s beat Reds, 3-2 in Game 1 at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati
October 14, 1973 – 42 year old future Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder Number 25, Willie Mays’ last MLB career hit, as NY Mets beat A’s, 10-7 in World Series Game 2 in Oakland
October 14, 1976 – Chris Chambliss‘ (Number 10) 9th inning lead off homer gives the NY Yankees the franchise 30th pennant
October 14, 1978 – Despite Islanders Number 5, Denis Potvin’s hat trick in 3:21 NY Islanders lose 7-10 making Islander record when scoring a hat trick-22-2-1
October 14, 1978 – NY outfielder Reggie Jackson, Number 44 caused a World Series controversy when he interfered with a throw to 1st base. During the event Jackson deflected the ball away during Yankees, 4-3 Game 4 win over LA Dodgers at Yankee Stadium
October 14, 1979 – NHL NY Rangers retire Rod Gilbert‘s uniform Number 7, which was the first number to be retired by the franchise
October 14, 1979 – The NHL’s greatest scorer Number 99, Wayne Gretzky scored his 1st NHL goal as a member of the Edmonton Oilers
October 14, 1981 – Yankee Graig Nettles, Number 9 became the 1st player to get 2 hits in same inning of an ALSC game
October 14, 1985 – New York Jets retired Joe Namath’s Number 12 on nationally televised Monday Night Football. His former squad the Jets beat the Miami Dolphins, 23-7
October 14, 1989 – Dave Stewart, Number 34 of the A’s became the 1st since 1976 to start consecutive World Series openers
October 14, 1990 – San Francisco 49er Number 16, Joe Montana passed for 6 touchdowns vs Atlanta (45-35)
October 14, 1991 – NY Rangers right wing Mike Gartner, Number 22 becomes 1st NHL player to score his 500th goal, 500th assist, and 1000th point all in the same season
October 14, 2003 – Fan Steve Bartman deflects the ball away from Chicago Cubs outfielder Number 18, Moises Alou. Cubs gave up eight runs in the inning and lose to the Marlins 8-3, and the Bartman incident is seen as the turning point in the series
TV SATURDAY
| BOXING | TIME ET | TV |
| Middleweights: Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Vincenzo Gualtieri | 10:30pm | ESPN |
| COLLEGE FOOTBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Syracuse at Florida State | 12:00pm | ABC |
| Temple at North Texas | 12:00pm | ESPNU |
| Iowa State at Cincinnati | 12:00pm | FS1 |
| Kent State at Eastern Michigan | 12:00pm | CBSSN |
| Georgia Southern at James Madison | 12:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Ohio State at Purdue | 12:00pm | Peacock |
| Michigan State at Rutgers | 12:00pm | BTN |
| Indiana at Michigan | 12:00pm | FOX |
| Georgia at Vanderbilt | 12:00pm | CBS |
| Arkansas at Alabama | 12:00pm | ESPN |
| Navy at Charlotte | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Toledo at Ball State | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| California at Utah | 3:00pm | PAC12N |
| Akron at Central Michigan | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Florida Atlantic at USF | 3:30pm | ESPN2 |
| BYU at TCU | 3:30pm | ESPN |
| Bowling Green at Buffalo | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Miami (OH) at Western Michigan | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Kansas at Oklahoma State | 3:30pm | FS1 |
| Wake Forest at Virginia Tech | 3:30pm | ACCN |
| Illinois at Maryland | 3:30pm | NBC |
| Oregon at Washington | 3:30pm | ABC |
| UMass at 6 Penn State | 3:30pm | BTN |
| Troy at Army | 3:30pm | CBSSN |
| Texas A&M at Tennessee | 3:30pm | CBS |
| Florida at South Carolina | 3:30pm | SECN |
| Iowa at Wisconsin | 4:00pm | FOX |
| Ohio at NIU | 4:00pm | ESPNU |
| UNLV at Nevada | 5:00pm | MWN |
| San Jose State at New Mexico | 6:00pm | MWN |
| Louisville at Pitt | 6:30pm | CW |
| Auburn at LSU | 7:00pm | ESPN |
| Arizona at Washington State | 7:00pm | PAC12N |
| Kansas State at Texas Tech | 7:00pm | FS1 |
| Marshall at Georgia State | 7:00pm | ESPN2 |
| ULM at Texas State | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Wyoming at Air Force | 7:00pm | CBSSN |
| USC at Notre Dame | 7:30pm | NBC |
| Missouri at Kentucky | 7:30pm | SECN |
| Miami at North Carolina | 7:30pm | ABC |
| UAB at UTSA | 8:00pm | ESPNU |
| UCLA at Oregon State | 8:00pm | FOX |
| NC State at Duke | 8:00pm | ACCN |
| Boise State at Colorado State | 9:45pm | FS1 |
| San Diego State at Hawaii | 11:00pm | CBSSN |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| DP World Tour: Spanish Open | 7:30am | GOLF |
| PGA Tour: Shriners Children’s Open | 5:00pm | GOLF |
| Buick LPGA Shanghai | 11:00pm | GOLF |
| MLB PLAYOFFS | TIME ET | TV |
| NLDS Game 5: Philadelphia at Atlanta | 6:07pm | TBS |
| NLDS Game 5: Arizona at LA Dodgers | 9:20pm | TBS |
| MOTORSPORTS | TIME ET | TV |
| Xfinity: Alsco Uniforms 302 | 3:30pm | USA |
| NBA PRESEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| New Orleans at Atlanta | 3:30pm | NBATV |
| Minnesota at New York | 7:30pm | NBATV |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Philadelphia at Ottawa | 1:00pm | NBCS-PHI Sportsnet |
| Florida at Winnipeg | 4:00pm | Bally Sports Sportsnet |
| Nashville at Boston | 7:00pm | Bally Sports NESN |
| NY Rangers at Columbus | 7:00pm | Bally Sports MSG |
| Tampa Bay at Detroit | 7:00pm | Bally Sports |
| Chicago at Montréal | 7:00pm | NBCS-CHI Sportsnet |
| Calgary at Pittsburgh | 7:00pm | ATTSN-PIT Sportsnet |
| Minnesota at Toronto | 7:00pm | Bally Sports Sportsnet |
| Buffalo at NY Islanders | 7:30pm | MSG-BUF MSGSN |
| Seattle at St. Louis | 8:00pm | Root Sports Bally Sports |
| Colorado at San Jose | 10:00pm | ALT NBCS-CA |
| Anaheim at Vegas | 10:00pm | ATTSN-RM Bally Sports |
| Vancouver at Edmonton | 10:00pm | Sportsnet |
| Carolina at Los Angeles | 10:30pm | Bally Sports |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| UEFA Euro Qualifying: Ukraine vs North Macedonia | 9:00am | FS2 |
| UEFA Euro Qualifying: Slovenia vs Finland | 12:00pm | FS2 |
| Women’s Super League: Chelsea FC vs West Ham United | 12:30pm | Paramount+ |
| UEFA Euro Qualifying: Hungary vs Serbia | 2:45pm | FS2 |
| Friendly: USA vs Germany | 3:00pm | Peacock |
| CONCACAF Nations League: Aruba vs U.S. Virgin Islands | 3:00pm | Paramonut+ |
| CONCACAF Nations League: Puerto Rico vs Guyana | 3:00pm | Paramonut+ |
| CONCACAF Nations League: Bahamas vs Antigua and Barbuda | 6:00pm | Paramonut+ |
| Brasileirão: Cuiabá vs Cruzeiro | 8:00pm | Paramonut+ |
| MLS: Nashville SC vs New England | 8:30pm | MLS Pass |
| MLS: LA Galaxy vs Real Salt Lake | 10:30pm | MLS Pass |