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  • 10 NFL QB observations for Week 13: Key to Dak Prescott MVP charge, Jordan Love sidearm, Derek Carr struggles

    10 NFL QB observations for Week 13: Key to Dak Prescott MVP charge, Jordan Love sidearm, Derek Carr struggles

    Joe Flacco might start for the Browns. Brock Purdy could deliver payback to the Eagles. Aaron Rodgers could be nearing a return four months after his Achilles injury. It’s just another week in the life of NFL quarterbacks. Here are 10 observations packed with world-class stats, video and analysis on the QB position entering Week 13.

    1. The secret to Dak’s MVP campaign 

    Dak Prescott has been playing like a man possessed since an embarrassing 42-10 loss to the 49ers in Week 5. Since then he’s completed 70 percent of his passes while averaging over 300 passing yards and three touchdown passes per game — a stretch that only five QBs have matched in a seven-game span all-time (Russell Wilson, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady).

    What’s been the key? He gave us the secret on the set of Amazon Prime’s postgame show on Thursday, sharing a realization he had after the 49ers game:

    “I’ve gotta extend plays more, I’ve gotta use my legs more, and honestly, that’s the way I grew up playing this game, that’s when I feel most free, and so, yea, it’s been a little bit of a conscious effort to use my legs,” he said.

    To Prescott’s point, his average time to throw is 2.90 seconds since the loss to San Francisco, up from 2.53 seconds prior. That’s nearly a half-second, which is an eternity for a QB. He has a perfect passer rating (158.3) when taking at least 3.33 seconds to throw in this hot stretch (37-of-47 passing for 7 touchdowns)

    Nothing shows the difference quite like this play.

    He’s turning back the clock with his legs, getting great protection and separation from his wide receivers. Now we’ll see if he can continue this play in probably the toughest stretch of his career with games against the Eagles, Bills, Dolphins and Lions coming up. 

    2. Jordan Love’s sidearm throws

    What a difference a month makes. The Packers GM didn’t give glowing reviews on Jordan Love a month ago when…

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  • Wyomissing football team ready to take on Northwestern Lehigh in PIAA Class 3A semifinal

    Wyomissing football team ready to take on Northwestern Lehigh in PIAA Class 3A semifinal

    Nov. 30—While it understandably may still linger in some players’ minds, no one in the Wyomissing locker room is talking about it.

    A year ago, the Spartans fell to Neumann-Goretti 20-17 in heartbreaking fashion on a touchdown with eight seconds left in the PIAA Class 3A football semifinals, missing out on a third-straight appearance in the state championship game.

    However, Wyomissing will get a shot at redemption Friday when it takes on Northwestern Lehigh at Kutztown University’s Andre Reed Stadium at 7 p.m. in its fourth straight state semifinal appearance.

    “I think there definitely is (remembrance to last season) but we don’t talk about it,” Spartans coach Bob Wolfrum said. “Every year is a new year. We want to do better than we did last year and I know that, even though we don’t talk about it much, the kids didn’t feel good about how that game ended. They want to do better in the same round this year.”

    Wyomissing has scored at least 42 points in each of its last three playoff games heading into Friday and has outscored its opponents 138-41 in that span.

    The District 3 champion Spartans (12-1) defeated Danville 48-27 in the quarterfinal round, while the District 11 champion Tigers (13-0) defeated District 2 champ Scranton Prep 23-16.

    Sophomore Chase Eisenhower scored a career-high four rushing touchdowns against the Ironmen and senior Ryker Jones ran for two touchdowns and had a game-high 156 rushing yards on nine carries.

    “It’s a blessing,” Jones said after the quarterfinal victory. “It’s really fun and I really appreciate being a part of this. We’re going to work to get that state championship. I think we just have to keep on doing what we’re doing and stick to the process.”

    The process that has been working for Wyomissing is the patented Wing-T offense that boasts several strong runners. The Spartans have recorded…

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  • Jerry Jeudy returns to practice Thursday

    Jerry Jeudy returns to practice Thursday

    Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy returned to practice Thursday after missing Wednesday’s work with a groin injury. He was a limited participant.

    Jeudy has 37 receptions for 440 yards and a touchdown in 10 games this season.

    Kicker Wil Lutz (right hip) and wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (hamstring) both remained limited, while outside linebacker Baron Browning (wrist) was again a full participant.

    The Broncos added cornerback Damarri Mathis (back) to the report as a limited participant.

    Tight end Chris Manhertz and defensive lineman Mike Purcell also were on the report for the first time this week, but neither is injured. Both players had rest days.

    Wide receiver Brandon Johnson (hamstring) was a full participant for the second consecutive practice and was removed from the injury report. He remains on injured reserve.

    The Broncos will announce game statuses for Week 13 on Friday.

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  • Liberty vs. New Mexico State odds: 2023 Conference USA Championship Game picks, predictions by proven model

    Liberty vs. New Mexico State odds: 2023 Conference USA Championship Game picks, predictions by proven model

    The Liberty Flames and New Mexico State Aggies meet with sky-high stakes on Friday night. Both programs entered Conference USA in 2023, and the Flames will take on the Aggies with a conference title on the line. Williams Stadium hosts the 2023 Conference USA Championship Game in Lynchburg, Virginia. New Mexico State is 10-3 overall and 7-1 in conference play, dropping its only game to Liberty. The Flames are 12-0 overall and riding a school-record winning streak.

    Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET. For this game, SportsLine consensus lists the Flames as 11.5-point favorites, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 56.5 in the latest New Mexico State vs. Liberty odds. Before making any Liberty vs. New Mexico State picks, check out the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

    The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a strong profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It finished the 2023 regular season a profitable 13-9 on top-rated spread picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

    Now, the model has set its sights on Liberty vs. New Mexico State and locked in its picks and CFB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the FBS college football odds and betting lines for New Mexico State vs. Liberty:

    New Mexico State vs. Liberty spread: Liberty -11.5New Mexico State vs. Liberty over/under: 56.5 pointsNew Mexico State vs. Liberty money line: Liberty -451, NMSU +342NMSU: The Aggies are 10-2-1 against the spread this seasonLIB: The Flames are 8-4 against the spread this…..

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  • How the Cowboys plan to attack the Seahawks’ ‘game-breaking’ length in the secondary Thursday night

    How the Cowboys plan to attack the Seahawks’ ‘game-breaking’ length in the secondary Thursday night

    FRISCO, Texas —  The Seattle Seahawks have been coached by Pete Carroll since 2010, and they have had a vision in which they use to build out their secondary: tall, lengthy, physical cornerbacks. From the “Legion of Boom” days that featured outside cornerbacks Richard Sherman (6-foot-3, 195 pounds) and Brandon Browner (6-foot-4, 221 pounds) to today’s group — Pro Bowl, second-year corner Riq Woolen (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) and 2023 fifth-overall pick Devon Witherspoon (6-foot, 185 pounds) — Carroll has a type. That’s something the Dallas Cowboys (8-3) have clearly noted as they ready to host the Seattle Seahawks (6-5) on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 13. 

    “I’ve respected what their play style is, how they play, I think that’s consistent,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said. “I think when you look at coaches that have coached a long time, your teams have an identity that is pretty consistent in your time there. Pete’s background being a defensive coach, as far as the way they play and the importance of the run game, I think they’re definitely doing some unusual things from a formation standpoint that will challenge you during the course of the week in the prep.”

    Woolen’s eight career interceptions are tied for the third-most in the NFL since 2022 with Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III. Six of those occurred in 2022, which co-led the league. Witherspoon, meanwhile, has 14 passes defended and three sacks this season. He is one of nine players with such a season in the past 18 years, and that list includes two Hall of Famers (Charles Woodson in 2008 and Brian Dawkins in 2005) and one future Hall of Famer (JJ Watt in 2012). 

    “You study the tape and you see not only, we call them POA tapes, the profiles of each guy, what do you think their strengths are,” McCarthy said Sunday when asked about the Seahawks’ length at corner. “Also being in touch with our guys. We don’t have just one…

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  • CBS Sports projects Wednesday night ACC-SEC matchups

    CBS Sports projects Wednesday night ACC-SEC matchups

    The college basketball experts over at CBS Sports have weighed in on this week’s ACC-SEC Challenge matchups, and the jury is split on how the Gators will fare against Wake Forest on Wednesday night.

    David Cobb, Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish all picked the Demon Deacons straight-up and to cover the four-point spread in favor of the Gators. Jerry Palm and Cameron Salerno took the Gators, both straight-up and with the points.

    Although the article reads in favor of Florida, the majority of the crew picked Wake Forest.

    “Wake Forest will face its third SEC opponent of the season Wednesday when they host Florida. The Demon Deacons have already suffered losses to Georgia and LSU this season and this should be a golden opportunity to get a key win on their resume before conference play starts next month.

    “Florida is coming off a close loss to Baylor in the NIT Season Tip-Off and this will mark its fourth ACC opponent they have faced this season after going 2-1 against Virginia, Florida State and Pitt.”

    The Gators have impressed early on but have yet to secure that signature win necessary to jump into the top 25. Beating Wake Forest might not do the trick either, but losing wouldn’t be good for Florida’s playoff résumé.

    The group also favored Virginia over Texas A&M, Duke over Arkansas, Auburn over Virginia Tech, Florida State over Georgia and Vanderbilt over Boston College, unanimously.

    Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

    Story originally appeared on Gators Wire

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  • DeSean Jackson announces his retirement

    DeSean Jackson announces his retirement

    Wide receiver DeSean Jackson said over the summer that he was not retired from the NFL, but that we would all know when he decided to hang up his cleats.

    That news came on Wednesday. The Eagles announced that Jackson will retire as a member of the team on Friday and serve as an honorary captain for Sunday’s game against the 49ers.

    Jackson entered the NFL as an Eagles second-round pick in 2008 and made three Pro Bowls while playing for the team through the 2013 season. He moved on to Washington and Tampa before returning to the Eagles in 2019 and 2020. He closed out his career by playing with the Raiders, Rams, and Ravens over the last two seasons.

    Jackson has 641 catches for 11,263 yards and 58 touchdowns in 183 career games. He also ran 72 times for 463 yards and four touchdowns and returned four punts for scores, including a walk-off return against the Giants in 2010 that likely goes down as his most memorable NFL moment.

    Jackson is 75th in catches and 38th in receiving yards in NFL history. He ranks sixth and third in Eagles history in those two categories.

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  • Oregon State names Trent Bray coach: Beavers elevate defensive coordinator to replace Jonathan Smith

    Oregon State names Trent Bray coach: Beavers elevate defensive coordinator to replace Jonathan Smith

    Oregon State is promoting defensive coordinator Trent Bray to head coach to replace Jonathan Smith, the program announced Tuesday. Bray, 41, has been with the Beavers since 2018, serving first as linebackers coach and as defensive coordinator for the past two and a half seasons.

    “I’m excited to be able to announce Trent as our next head coach,” Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes said in a statement. “After interviewing several qualified candidates, we realized our top choice, Trent, has already been a mainstay at the Valley Football Center and Reser Stadium. He’s been a part of Beaver Nation for a long time and love for this place is real. The connection and trust he has built with our student athletes is unmatched. His energy and determination as head coach will be a catalyst for continued program success.”

    Bray played linebacker for the Beavers from 2002-05. The Pullman, Washington native began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Arizona State in 2008. He previously worked on the Oregon State staff from 2012 to 2014, then made a stop at Nebraska from 2015-17 before landing back at his alma mater when Smith got the job in 2018. Smith left for Michigan State after leading the Beavers to an 8-4 regular season.

    “I’d like to thank Scott Barnes and President Jayathi Murthy for this opportunity,” Bray said. “I’ve been a part of Oregon State for a long time, as a coach and a student-athlete, and know how special Beaver Nation is. I’m excited to lead an outstanding group of men our fans can be proud of.”

    Under Bray’s guidance, Oregon State ranks No. 35 nationally in total defense and No. 14 in rushing defense following the 2023 regular season. During last season’s 10-3 campaign, the Beavers ranked No. 24 in total defense and No. 16 in…

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