Category: College Football

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Utah quarterback Cameron Rising made his first start in more than a month against Arizona State Friday night after missing the Utes’ last three games with a laceration on his right (throwing) hand suffered against Baylor on Sept. 7. 

When Rising is in the lineup, Utah has been one of the best teams in the country. The Utes are 20-4 in games that Rising starts with two Pac-12 championships since 2021. They are 12-10 in all other games, including an 8-5 record and an unranked finish during the 2023 season, which Rising missed with an ACL tear. 

Freshman Isaac Wilson, the younger brother of NFL QB Zach Wilson, has made three starts this season in Rising’s absence. In two Big 12 games (1-1), Wilson has thrown two touchdowns to four interceptions and failed to complete 60% of his passes in a game. 

Rising suffered the injury at the end of the first half of a 23-12 win over Baylor when he cut his hand on an equipment cart while being forced out of bounds by a Baylor defender. Rising threw two touchdowns in the game, but Utah did not score again against the Bears. 

The senior has completed 64% of his passes for 5,918 yards, 53 touchdowns and 14 touchdowns at Utah. He has also rushed for 999 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. 

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The Augusta Sports Council announced Wednesday that Florida football’s senior punter Jeremy Crawshaw earned the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week award for his outstanding performance against the UCF Knights in Week 6.

Earlier in the week, the native of New South Wales, Australia, was named to the Ray Guy Award’s “Ray’s 8” honor, in which he was among eight finalists; a fan vote singled him out as a winner for the top accolade.

Crawshaw punted a total of four times against the Knights on Saturday, booting two for over 50 yards while landing three of those punts inside of the opponent’s 20-yard line. The latter includes an amazing kick that downed at the UCF three-yard line to start a drive in the second quarter.

So far this fall, the Aussie standout has punted 17 times in five games 777 total punt yards — good for a 45.7-yard average that ranks 27th in FBS this season.

2024 Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week Honorees

Week 1: Alex Mastromanno, Florida State

Week 2: Riley Thompson, Penn State

Week 3: James Burnip, Alabama

Week 4: Rhys Dakin, Iowa

Week 5: Caden Noonkester, NC State

Week 6: Jeremy Crawshaw, Florida

About the Ray Guy Award

The Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in 2000 to honor Thomson, Georgia, native and College and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Ray Guy.

Among the statistics used to identify the winner are net punting average, number of times punt is downed or kicked out of bounds inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, total yardage punted, average returned yardage and percentage of punts not returned with particular emphasis placed on net punting average.

The winner must display team leadership and self-discipline, and positively impact the team’s success.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes…

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Western Kentucky has the second-shortest odds to win the Conference USA championship this season while UTEP has the longest odds, so it’s no surprise there’s a large spread for Western Kentucky vs. UTEP on Thursday night. UTEP is no stranger to being significant underdogs this season as the Miners have been underdogs by 10 points or greater in three of their first five games en route to an 0-5 start. Meanwhile, Western Kentucky proved it can play with teams in the Power Four conferences as the Hilltoppers took a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter against Boston College before losing, 21-20, on Sept. 28. 

Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET from WKU’s Houchens Industries L. T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Ky. The Hilltoppers are 19.5-point favorites in the latest UTEP vs. Western Kentucky odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 56.5. Before making any Western Kentucky vs. UTEP picks, check out the college football predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. It has generated a profit of over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks since inception, and is 8-4 on top-rated college football picks over the past two weeks of this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen strong returns.

The model has set its sights on WKU vs. UTEP. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football betting lines for the spread, money line and over/under for the UTEP vs. WKU game: 

Western Kentucky vs. UTEP spread: Western Kentucky -19.5             
Western Kentucky vs. UTEP over/under: 56.5 points Western Kentucky vs. UTEP: Western Kentucky -1176, UTEP…..

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New Mexico State had 11 days to prepare for Jacksonville State. Unfortunately for the Aggies, it seemed like no amount of preparation could’ve prepared them for what happened during the game.

NM State (1-5, 0-3 Conference USA) were ran off the field by the Gamecocks (3-3, 2-0 CUSA) 54-13 on Wednesday evening, extending the Aggies’ losing streak to five. Despite scoring the first points and taking a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, JSU heavily outscored NM State the rest of the way en route to a blowout loss on the road.

Aggies coach Tony Sanchez took the blame for his team’s performance, believing it’s on him to improve NM State’s fortunes.

“Honestly, it’s an embarrassing performance,” Sanchez said. “That’s my fault. I’m the head coach. I’ll take full responsibility for it. I got to do a better job of preparing these guys.”

Sanchez didn’t have much of an update on junior running back Monte Watkins’ injury, only stating he’s “doing a lot better now.” Watkins was seriously injured on a botched trick play from the Aggies, when junior quarterback Santino Marucci looked away and pretended to hear instructions from coaches on the sideline before Watkins received a direct snap. He dropped, then fumbled that snap before being hit hard by a JSU defender. Watkins was stretchered into an ambulance and was later reported to have feeling in all of his extremities.

“He’s OK,” Sanchez said. “He was able to squeeze (his hands) and communicate.”

Sanchez is giving his team the day off on Thursday before a 120-minute practice on Friday. The Aggies have just six days from Wednesday before taking on Louisiana Tech (1-3, 0-1 CUSA) at home next Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs are also struggling and are currently on a three-game losing streak heading into Thursday’s contest with Middle Tennessee.

Sanchez says he’ll have the Aggies “ready to go,”…

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Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday that quarterback Quinn Ewers returned to practice during the top-ranked Longhorns’ bye week and that he feels good about the veteran’s availability for Saturday’s Red River Rivalry showdown against No. 18 Oklahoma. This comes a week after Horns247 reported that Ewers — who was injured his oblique Sept. 14 in the first half against UTSA — is on track to take the field as the starter against the Sooners. Texas is 16-1 over the past two regular seasons, with the only loss against Oklahoma in 2023. 

Ewers’ return sends Arch Manning back to the bench after what Manning described on Instagram as a “fun few weeks.” That Ewers would reclaim his job after Manning’s dynamic 10 quarters of football is a foregone conclusion for Longhorns fans, but not everybody sees it that way. 

All it took was one pro-Manning tweet from Mike Renner, a CBS Sports NFL and NFL Draft analyst, to spur an email chain between Renner and national college football reporter Chris Hummer, a Texas alumnus who lives in Austin. 

Hummer is adamant Quinn Ewers should remain Texas’ starter for the remainder of the season, barring further injury. Renner, who worked at Pro Football Focus before joining CBS, is in the Team Arch camp as the Longhorns chase their first national championship since 2005. 

From: Mike Renner
Subject: Why Arch Should Start

Hey Chris,

I get it — Texas is in a great position at quarterback. You could go with the proven guy, Quinn Ewers, who’s likely to be a first-rounder next spring and could be a QB1. I actually have Ewers going third overall in my mock draft this week. But Texas’ goal is to win the national championship and the roster is absolutely stacked. So the Longhorns want whichever…

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The Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns are just days away from renewing one of the greatest rivalry games sports has to offer. The Red River Rivalry pits the undefeated Longhorns against the 4-1 Sooners in Dallas.

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables has chosen six captains to represent his team in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday. Tight end Bauer Sharp and offensive lineman Febechi Nwaiwu represent the offense, while defensive linemen Damonic Williams and Ethan Downs, linebacker Danny Stutsman and defensive back Billy Bowman represent the defense.

Sharp, a transfer from Southeastern Louisiana, is making his first appearance in this rivalry. He’s been OU’s leading receiving tight end so far this season. While he’s struggled a bit with blocking, he’s been a reliable target over the middle in the passing game.

Nwaiwu is also a newcomer to this game, after transferring in from North Texas. He’s been a constant at right guard for OU this season, and has had his fair share of good and bad up front. Still, he’s been healthy and good enough to hold down the starting gig.

Williams is another new face in this matchup after arriving in Oklahoma from TCU via the portal. A big NIL and recruiting win for Venables, he’s been a strong starter on OU’s nasty defensive front. Sooner Nation is still waiting for Williams’ true breakout game, but he’s been very good in his first five games in Norman.

Downs is a Red River veteran, playing in his fourth game against Texas. He was one of the stars of this matchup a season ago, pressuring QB Quinn Ewers again and again. Downs is one of many players that OU rotates in and out at defensive end, but his veteran leadership and his technique are huge for the coaching staff.

Stutsman continues to serve as the leader of OU’s defense and is responsible for so much from play to play. His now-iconic quote…

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Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday that quarterback Quinn Ewers returned to practice during the top-ranked Longhorns’ bye week and that he feels good about the veteran’s availability for Saturday’s Red River Rivalry showdown against No. 18 Oklahoma. This comes a week after Horns247 reported that Ewers is on track to take the field against the Sooners. 

“I thought he looked good coming off the bye. I think if anybody benefitted from the time off, it was probably him,” Sarkisian said during his weekly press conference. “We’re going to monitor him daily just to kind of see how he continues to progress. But I feel good about how he was today. I feel good about him going into Saturday, but that remains to be seen.”

Sarkisian also noted that if Texas had a game Monday, Ewers would be listed as the starter. 

Ewers exited Texas’ Week 3 win against UTSA with an abdominal strain and has not suited up since. Prior to the setback, Ewers entered the Heisman Trophy conversation by throwing for 691 yards and eight touchdowns in less than three games of action. 

He completed 66.7% of his passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns in Texas’ huge early season win on the road against then top-10 Michigan. Texas backup quarterback Arch Manning earned the first two starts of his career in Ewers’ stead, leading the Longhorns to a 2-0 record in that span. 

Ewers’ potential return is still big for a Texas team with national championship upside. Saturday will be one of Texas’ biggest remaining tests, and it also offers Ewers an opportunity to get revenge after he threw two…

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Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti’s first season with the Hoosiers is off to a multi-million-dollar start.

IU’s 41-24 victory Saturday at Northwestern improved its record to 6-0, continuing its best opening to a season since 1967 and making the Hoosiers the first college football team to become eligible for a bowl this season.

INSIDER: This IU team is nothing like the IU anyone has ever known. It’s ruthless.

TOP 25: IU moves up to No. 20 in latest college football coaches poll

Assuming they make such an appearance, Cignetti’s contract with Indiana calls for an array of incentives to go into effect:

∎ An automatic one-year contract extension and a $250,000 pay increase that that begins with the start of his next contract year, Dec. 1, 2024.

The increase means the additional contract year is now scheduled to be worth $5.1 million and add at least $3.3 million in guaranteed value to the deal, which would go through Nov. 30, 2030.

∎ A $200,000 bonus to be paid after this season.

∎ A $500,000 increase over the current budget for Indiana football assistant coaches, strength coaches and operations staff, beginning Jan. 1, 2025. (This season, the assistants each are now set for bonuses of an amount equal to 10% of their respective base salaries.)

This adds up to quite a haul for Cignetti, who last season was making a little more than $555,000 as James Madison’s head coach, excluding a $120,000 retention payment that he did not get because he signed with Indiana in December 2022.

Cignetti’s deal with Indiana originally was set to be for six seasons, with a scheduled value of $27 million.

The agreement includes a variety of other possible bonuses that, in a best-case scenario, would pay a total of $3.3 million. For example, with the Hoosiers now 3-0 in Big Ten play, if they get two more conference wins, Cignetti would…

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