AUSTIN - Mississippi State will show a new face at quarterback when the Bulldogs come to town for a game that Steve Sarkisian and Texas hope replicates last season when the Longhorns won seven of their last eight games.
The Bulldogs started the season at 4-0 and beat teams like Missouri and Minnesota with flashy new quarterback Kamario Taylor before losing three straight, but the dynamic playmaker was lost for the season when he underwent surgery this week for an injured toe.
So the 11th-ranked Longhorns (5-2, 2-2 in SEC) will see either athletic redshirt freshman Billy Puckett or Appalachian State transfer A.J. Swan, who had 12 starts in two years at Vanderbilt and six more at App State, when Mississippi State (4-3, 2-3 SEC) and Texas kick off at 6:30 Saturday night.
BOHLS: Nine things and one crazy prediction
Puckett has completed 66% of his passes with one touchdown and two picks and can make full use of a strong running game centered around Fluff Bothwell, who is much more physical than his name suggests and has four 100-yard games this season.

#mississippi #longhorns

The night Yaxel Lendeborg declared he'd "lost all respect" for Luka Dončić, agent Ron Shade and personal trainer Aaron Johnson were at the Warriors' season opener in Los Angeles and sprang into action. They went to talk with him.
Mentor Josh Lane followed up later that night. The former director of player relations at the University of Alabama Birmingham was momentarily concerned. Maybe he shouldn't have said that; it was his first NBA game, after all. So Lane texted Lendeborg something in the vein of: Man, what?
"We know when we can kinda talk him out of different things, and then we know there's certain things that he's just convicted on," Lane said. "That was one of those things he was just convicted on. Like, 'Man, I said what I said.'"
Those around Lendeborg have accepted that this is who he is, and to try to get him second-guessing himself would be the worst outcome. This is all part of the same package, an 18-year-old kid in a 24-year-old's body, as Lane put it. Lendeborg is driving through some of the best players in the world with abandon, and doing it with an awareness of his own faults that is endearing him to the rest of Golden State's locker room.
The honesty and the personality, though, mean he's taken the NBA by viral storm. He went after Dončić after Game 1 and defended his words later. Then, after dropping 31 points against the Nuggets in Golden State's first win Monday night, Lendeborg said he "would've cried" if the Warriors lost again. On Wednesday night in Minnesota, he pointed at himself for seven turnovers while also saying an aggressive Timberwolves team wasn't playing "real defense."

#lendeborg #golden #talk

Week 9 of the college football season is officially here! And in the Big Ten, that means another loaded slate of conference games, with UCLA the lone school facing a nonconference opponent.
So what can we expect to see in the league this week? Here are my Big Ten picks for Week 9:
USC's loss in Madison last week looks even worse after this one.
The Terrapins remain winless in Big Ten play.
The Wolverines do not have a quarterback, but they probably do not need one to beat Rutgers.

#week #terrapins

The Chicago Bears got the player they wanted. The harder question is what they gave up to get him.
Chicago acquired All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from Tennessee on Thursday, sending the **** ans first-round picks in 2027 and 2028 and a 2027 fourth-round pick. The Bears also received a 2028 fifth-round pick. It is a huge price for a 29-year-old defender, even one capable of changing how opponents block Chicago's front.
Simmons makes the Bears better today. He had 11 sacks last season and has four through seven games this year. ESPN's **** ysis identified the need clearly: Chicago ranked 23rd in pass-rush win rate from its interior defenders before the trade, while Simmons led NFL defensive tackles in that measure. His ability to disrupt both running and passing plays gives Dennis Allen something the defense has lacked up front.
But there are two parts to this trade. One is the impact Simmons can make on Sundays. The other is how Chicago builds around him in the years ahead.
Aug 28, 2021; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee **** ans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) celebrates after a defensive stop on fourth down during the first half against the Chicago Bears at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

#Chicago #bears #defensive

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs has addressed speculation surrounding his first of two touchdown celebrations during Thursday Night Football against the Carolina Panthers, firmly denying any connection to his arrest earlier this year.
During the celebration, Jacobs was seen standing in the end zone with his hands behind his back. Many viewers quickly interpreted this gesture as a reference to his arrest after he was charged with misdemeanor battery and destruction of property following an alleged incident involving a woman at his Green Bay home.
In September, Jacobs pleaded no contest to the charges. He was convicted of battery and received a deferred judgment agreement for the destruction of property charge. As a result, he spent the first six games of the season on the commissioner's exempt list and could face further NFL discipline.
After the game, Jacobs addressed the celebration, clarifying that it was inspired by the gospel song "Break Every Chain." He expressed his frustration that people were attempting to **** ociate the gesture with his legal troubles.
"They didn't even get the whole celebration," Jacobs told ESPN. "It was (expletive) one second that they just showed me."

#jacobs #battery

Houston Christian hits the road for the second straight week looking to return to the win column.
The Huskies (4-4, 3-2) visit Stephen F. Austin (8-0, 5-0), ranked second in the AFCA FCS Top 25, in a Southland Conference matchup Saturday after seeing their two-game winning streak end last week at Lamar.
SFA has largely dominated foes this season, with only a single game decided by a one-score margin, a 28-26 win over Incarnate Word on Oct. 3.
The Lumberjacks have won six of the seven all-time meetings against the Huskies, including the past four. SFA won the two most recent matchups by a combined margin of 105-9.
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Homer Bryce Stadium, Nacogdoches
TV: ESPN+
Radio: 920 AM

#week #Margin #stephen

Florida baseball coach Kevin O'Sullivan is getting a clearer picture of what his roster could look like as the games begin to count.
The Gators continued their unbeaten fall exhibition schedule Wednesday with a 7-4 win over the Ontario Blue Jays, with Nic Partridge delivering a three-hit night and Florida's bullpen stringing together seven consecutive scoreless innings. The performance gave O'Sullivan another opportunity to move players around defensively and evaluate a pitching staff that he believes has made significant progress.
O'Sullivan spoke with the press immediately following the exhibition about Partridge's breakout fall, Florida's defensive versatility, its emerging bullpen options and the development of several young pitchers.
Here's everything O'Sullivan had to say, with quotes transcribed from Gators Online's YouTube coverage.
I think they all did. Honestly, I think Brady (Snow)'s back was bothering him just a little bit, and I think he kind of tweaked something and didn't say anything. So I thought he threw good. I thought they all threw good.

#thought

Slowly but surely the secret is coming out that Michael Penix Jr. has officially arrived as a franchise quarterback. The Atlanta Falcons' starter has been exceptional since returning to the lineup in Week 3, racking up nine touchdown passes to go with just one interception.
Penix is fresh off his best game of the season, totaling three scores and no turnovers against a top-five San Francisco 49ers defense.
That should have gotten Penix a huge ****** p in the weekly NFL.com quarterback rankings, but he only saw a modest gain of one spot, coming in at No. 12. That puts him in-between two former league MVPs, one spot below Patrick Mahomes and one above Matt Stafford.
"Michael Penix Jr. looks very comfortable and decisive in Kevin Stefanski's offense, freely spreading the ball among his many talented targets at a rate I haven't seen from him previously in his NFL career. Penix's contributions were especially important in a game in which Bijan Robinson fell short of breaking things open on the ground, and a reason to take the Falcons seriously going forward."
While the small gain is a little disappointing, keep in mind that Penix wasn't even listed in most quarterback rankings going into the season. Instead, it was Tua Tagovailoa representing the Falcons, usually somewhere between Nos. 30 and 32 among projected starters.

#quarterback

Welcome to Week 8 of the fantasy football season! Below I have some players I think you should start and some I think you should sit. As usual, your mileage may vary depending on your available choices, so don't just blindly bench someone if you don't have a better option!
Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ers
Prescott has been up and down this season, but he's coming off a strong Monday night game against the Eagles and now faces a bad Cardinals pass defense. Arizona has given up the most adjusted yards per attempt, the most receiving touchdowns, the second worst QB rating, and the second most yards per completion. Prescott is poised to pick up where he left off on Monday night.
If the Cardinals had better backup quarterbacks, I would be worried that Brissett might be benched during a game, but they don't. This week, as long as Brissett plays the whole game, it will be difficult for him not to accumulate fantasy points. I expect the Cowboys will be able to score on the Cardinals, while Brissett inefficiently tries to keep up through the air. Dallas, so far, has allowed the third worst completion percentage, the seventh worst average yards per attempt, and the third-worst yards per completion to opposing quarterbacks.
Murray continued to play poorly last week, but the Vikings also continued to win. Not trailing in games hurts Murray, as he doesn't need to run and throw as much to try to make up points. This week they'll face a Lions offense that should have more success against Brian Flores' top defense than any team this year. The Lions defense also remains the absolute worst at giving up fantasy points to quarterbacks. That has a lot to do with the Lions keeping teams throwing the ball from a deficit, but the results are hard to ignore.

#brissett

Pat McAfee has found himself in the centre of another media storm following his debacle surrounding his recent visit to the University of Utah.
The ESPN presenter has admitted his visit to Utah made him feel uncomfortable with both the university and its students providing him with a hostile atmosphere. In the days since, McAfee has used his platforms to call out his visit as his worst experience yet on College GameDay.
McAfee's comments following the visit have even seen some of his ESPN colleagues criticise him for the manner in which he has handled his frustrations. The public figure has a huge online following and he has used that to call out the University of Utah.
One ESPN colleague in particular has taken to her social media platform to hit back at McAfee suggesting that he needs to grow some thicker skin.
Earlier in the week, McAfee shared some of the direct messages he had been receiving since his visit to Utah Clearly, the messages he has received are not particularly nice but one of his ESPN colleagues has suggested that female sports reporters face worse.

#mcafee

ORCHARD PARK - One of the most fascinating aspects of the Buffalo Bills' 5-1 start is how efficient Josh Allen and the offense have been, and given the terrible play of the defense, it's exactly what has been needed.
The Bills lead the NFL in points per game at 32.8, and since the defense has allowed at least 29 points in five of the games, every point was necessary, and that will probably be the case Sunday at Highmark Stadium when the Bills host the Baltimore Ravens.
But here's what's crazy: The Bills have scored all these points despite the fact that they have run just 359 plays, tied for the second-fewest in the NFL. Yes, some of that has to do with playing only six games while others have played seven, but consider this: While the Bills average 59.8 offensive snaps, the Chicago Bears average 72.1, and the Los Angeles Rams average 68.2.
"I just think it's efficiency. Like, I go back to Week 1 when we had the ball at our two-yard line, and then I think three plays and we scored," said center Connor McGovern, recalling a series against the Texans late in the first half when the Bills actually went 96 yards to take a 24-14 lead, one of nine TD drives this season that have been achieved in six plays or less. "We're able to just get up there, calm, cool, if we get that first first down we're just rolling with that."
Of course, part of the low offensive snap count has to do with the Bills' defense not being able to get off the field and the opposition has averaged 32 minutes of time of possession. That's a key reason why the Bills are in hyper speed mode so often.

#bills #average

Ja Morant's first game against Grizzlies takes painful turn after Trail Blazers star exits originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Ja Morant's first game against the Memphis Grizzlies was always going to attract attention. The former face of the franchise spent seven seasons in Memphis, developed into one of the NBA's most electrifying guards and became one of basketball's most recognizable personalities.
His departure in June marked a significant change for both Morant and the organization that selected him with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Thursday night provided the first opportunity for the two sides to face each other.
Unfortunately for Morant, the reunion did not end the way he hoped. The Portland Trail Blazers guard exited with a left hamstring injury during the fourth quarter of a 124-103 loss to Memphis.

#memphis #grizzlies

Megan Rapinoe has never been shy about speaking up for transgender athletes, even as the issue has become one of the most heated debates in sports. And in a recent interview, the United States Women's National Team legend made it clear that her stance hasn't changed.
In a recent podcast, Rapinoe pushed back on the idea that trans women threaten fairness in women's sports, arguing that sports have never been fair in the first place and claiming that fairness shouldn't matter more than people's human rights.
The debate over transgender athletes in women's sports has only intensified over the past couple of years, with Republicans making it a central political issue and many states passing laws that ban trans girls and women from competing in girls' and women's sports.
The issue has spilled into the sports world, too. Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham sparked a nationwide conversation this year when she voiced her opposition to trans women competing in women's sports.
Even some Democrats have distanced themselves from the issue. Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, for example, has said that he opposes trans athletes playing in girls' sports "if it endangers safety or fairness."

#ISSUE #athletes #women

Borussia Dortmund are preparing for a massive top-of-the-table showdown against Bayern Munich this weekend as both sides look to break their current deadlock at the summit. Head coach Niko Kovac has acknowledged the significant threat posed by the record champions, specifically highlighting the form of their star forward.
Kovac has offered high praise for Kane as Dortmund prepare to face a Bayern side led by the newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner. The England captain has continued his devastating form in Germany, prompting the Dortmund boss to recognize the sheer scale of the task facing his defense on Saturday. Kovac noted that the striker's recent accolades speak for themselves, emphasizing that he has successfully reached a new level since moving to the Bundesliga.
"There's no need to say a word about him. The mere fact that he received this ****** le says everything about him. He was already a top player in England. To take another leap forward now is sensational," said Kovac on the club's official website
The stakes could not be higher for this edition of Der Klassiker, with both teams currently tied on 17 points after seven matchdays. While Bayern hold the top spot due to a superior goal difference, Dortmund have the opportunity to leapfrog their rivals. Kovac believes the current competitiveness at the top is a breath of fresh air for the league. However, the coach warned that excitement does not equate to an easy path to victory. He demanded absolute focus from his squad, stressing that only their best football would suffice in Munich.
"This certainly makes things a lot more exciting than in recent years. But that doesn't make it any easier, because FC Bayern Munich is undoubtedly the best of the best—not just in Germany, but also in Europe. We have to play at the very highest level. But we're Dortmund—we have our own standards, and we intend to live up to them," Kovac insisted.

#dortmund #best #germany #form

The Green Bay Packers returned to winning ways following a 27-19 result over the Carolina Panthers in Week 8. It marked Josh Jacobs' second game back after the three-time Pro Bowler spent the first six weeks of the season on the NFL's exempt list stemming from an offseason incident with a former partner.
Jacobs saw a sizeable increase in workload and was fairly productive in the home win, rushing for 39 yards on 21 carries while logging 13 receiving yards on six catches for two touchdowns.
Oct 29, 2026; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) reacts after rushing for a touchdown against Carolina Panthers linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) in the second half at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Josh Jacobs scored a one-yard touchdown to help the Green Bay Packers reclaim the advantage midway through the second quarter. However, the Alabama product drew backlash for his TD celebration because it looked like he was mocking his arrest last May. In his postgame interview, Jacobs explained the full context behind the action.
"They didn't even get the whole celebration," Jacobs told ESPN's Rob Demovsky. "But anyways, me and Savion came up with the celebration, if they would have seen the whole celebration. Basically, last week, we said the first celebration: when I score, I was gonna thank God; that's what I did last week. The second was going to be 'Break Every Chain.' It's a gospel song. That was gonna be the next celebration. It's a correlation. The media is gonna run with it. They're gonna make it something that it wasn't. But it is what it is."

#last

In his surprise return to the ATP 500 event in Basel this year, Novak Djokovic could not quite produce the run he would have hoped for, as he fell to Jan-Lennard Struff in his second match of the tournament.
Although it was a tightly contested encounter, with all three sets reaching the 5-5 mark, Djokovic eventually lost after making some uncharacteristic errors in the final-set tiebreak, handing Struff his first-ever victory against him in their ninth meeting.
At this stage of his career, Djokovic is far removed from needing results at ATP 500 tournaments. However, he has consistently stated that, regardless of his age, he always plays to win. More importantly, this defeat has dented his hopes of achieving something he was particularly keen on when returning to Basel: securing his place at the ATP Finals in Turin in just over two weeks.
Djokovic entered Basel ranked 12th in the Race to Turin, an event for which only the top eight players qualify. This is a significant change from previous years, when the Serbian would typically have secured his qualification by this stage of the season, even if he subsequently chose not to participate, as he did in each of the past two years. The Serbian needed a deep run in Basel to strengthen his position and avoid having to rely entirely on the Paris Masters to secure qualification.
However, following this defeat, Djokovic will now have to do precisely that. Given the current landscape of the live rankings, he will need a deep run in Paris to put himself in a strong position to qualify. At the time of writing, Djokovic sits 11th in the Race to Turin, with Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton already having secured their places.

#djokovic #turin #struff #serbian

After the United States Grand Prix, Isack Hadjar was critical of Red Bull's execution, as was Max Verstappen. Both drivers were unhappy with the strategy and, on top of that, were hampered by two problems that have been troubling the Formula 1 team for a long time: technical issues with the team radio and problematic starts.
"I have poor radio, I don't even know what's happening. And whenever I drop the clutch, it's going into a nightmare," Hadjar said in the media pen on Sunday night. "If we fix these two issues, we might already be on the podium. It seems like we can do the hardest things, but we can't do the silly things."
When asked about those comments during the media day in Mexico, Hadjar acknowledged that he is perfectly entitled to speak his mind about the team – which is, after all, exactly what Red Bull wants: drivers with character and opinions of their own – but that he perhaps could have worded certain things a little differently.
"I didn't really think," he said. "We need to be honest with ourselves as well, but there's stuff that I should have kept for myself. I know that."
Since then, Red Bull has **** ysed the race weekend in Texas in detail which revealed that the strategy could indeed have been better, something Hadjar explained further in Mexico.

#hadjar #drivers #issues #radio

Frequent board commenter Solanus tracks an enormous amount of pitcher and catcher data, tabulating each game result by hand. Last year, he gave me enough insight into his spreadsheets where I was able to re-create much of the data he hand tabulates (I'm way too lazy for that!) and I wanted to peak at some of those data points and see what we could learn about the defensive side of their catching corps.
The data itself comes from a mix of sources. Statcast data for actual line-ups and game events (who pitched, who caught, which innings, etc.). Baseball reference.com for overall pitching lines for each game, and with Fangraphs because of course there has to be differences in how the data is constructed that doesn't make it easy. Team ids between sites are different. Player Ids are different. Even game Ids are different, and all three have to be brewed together to knit the data into one consistent result.
I wrote the code. The methods are all Solanus. I simply copied his logic into R code and ran it. So he gets all the credit.
I chose to query both the 2025 and 2026 seasons (you will likely understand why when I go through it). Here is the raw data, and following that some of the interesting morsels I discovered and thought about some.
2026

#data #game #solanus

Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick helped Al-Nassr to a 5-3 win against Al-Kholood in the Saudi Pro League and took the Portugal striker to 985 career goals.
With the game evenly poised at 2-2 following goals from Angelo Gabriel and Sadio Mane for for Al-Nassr, Ronaldo secured the win for his side by scoring three times in 15 second-half minutes.
His Portugal team-mate Joao Felix contributed four ***** ists, including for two of Ronaldo's goals.
It was the 67th hat-trick of the 41-year-old's career as he continues to chase another milestone in a glittering career.
He has scored seven of his hat-tricks for Al-Nassr - along with 44 for Real Madrid, 10 for Portugal and three each at Manchester United and Juventus.

#nassr

Titans head coach Robert Saleh says his team will not hold a fire sale ahead of the trade deadline. But the offer they got from the Bears for defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons was too good to pass up.
The Bears traded their next two first-round draft picks to the ****** ans for Simmons, and Saleh said that a team in the ****** ans' position couldn't realistically have passed that up.
"No one's shopping any of our guys, but like I told our guys, when you don't close out games, and you're standing here at 1-6, teams are going to start fishing," Saleh said. "And eventually a team threw a hook big enough that I don't think any of us could've said no to."
Saleh said he considers Simmons "by far" the best defensive tackle in the NFL and hates to see him go.
"It's tough. Jeff is an elite football player and he's an even better person," Saleh said. "He's an elite leader. I've been outspoken on that. It sucks. Everything about it sucks. Unfortunately, necessary."

#simmons

Leeds United fans of a certain vintage might bristle at Ao Tanaka's choice of adjective for Bournemouth, but current reality backs him up.
The ****** an international was asked this week about Saturday's game against the Cherries and described both it and the opponent as 'massive.'
The word massive is an emotive one in football. Some fanbases use it sincerely with whole-hearted belief that it applies to their club. Others use it slightly more ironically. Even when it is reasonably applied, the word means different things to different people. Some might take into consideration a club's global presence, stadium size, average attendance or historical success. Others, like Tanaka, look not at Bournemouth's circa 12k capacity ground or historic honours board, but progression up the Premier League table over the last three years, last season's top-six finish and back-to-back-to-back 3-0 wins over AC Milan, Manchester United and Aston Villa.
"This is a massive opponent," said Tanaka. "This is a massive challenge. Bournemouth is such a good team, especially recently, the results have been so good. And it's a massive game for us as well, because we didn't win four games. So we want to win the game. So this is a massive game, massive opponent. [They are] a bit different than last season, because they changed the manager. But still, they have a quality players, quality tactics. So I'm looking forward to playing against them."
Unlike Bournemouth, Leeds cannot boast of nine seasons at Premier League level in the last 11 years but by any other metric can be considered a massive club. Three historic top flight ****** les, an FA Cup, European success, a soon-to-be 53k capacity stadium and a fanbase to fill it are all significant pieces of evidence. Daniel Farke often cautions that the club must learn to walk again in the Premier League before it can run, yet seventh place after eight games can be cautiously described as a step forward from last season.

#game #premier

Speculation surrounding the long-term future of Ronald Araujo has intensified as his representative finally addressed the defender's mindset at Anfield. The Uruguayan international remains a central figure for the Premier League leaders despite persistent links to a continental exit.
The representative for Araujo has sought to clarify the Liverpool defender's current status following a wave of reports suggesting a potential move away from the Premier League. As one of the most consistent performers in the English top flight, Araujo has become a cornerstone of the defensive unit, leading to inevitable interest from across Europe's elite clubs looking to bolster their backlines.
However, despite the noise surrounding a possible departure, the message from his camp remains one of stability and contentment. His agent, Eduardo Crnjar, spoke about the player's current situation and how he feels about his surroundings in the North West of England. "Ronald is performing well , we're very happy with what he's offering, but it's still too early to talk about his future. He feels great, he's happy to be playing for Liverpool and helping the club and his teammates, as he's already said," Crnjar told WinWin Sports, as quoted by SPORT.
While the agent's comments provide some breathing room for the club, the broader context of the transfer market continues to loom over the situation. Several teams have been monitoring the Uruguayan's progress, aware that a defender of his calibre and age profile is a rare commodity in the modern game, especially given his proven track record in both La Liga and the Premier League.
The mention of a €55m valuation has frequently appeared in discussions regarding a potential transfer fee, a figure that many consider to be a bargain for a player of his international standing. Liverpool, however, would likely demand a significantly higher sum to even consider entering negotiations for a player who still has his best years ahead of him at the highest level of European football.

#future

Sebastian Cheeks has spearheaded one of the best defenses in the nation this season. The Wisconsin Badgers rank inside the top 10 in total yards allowed per game at 276.5, all while allowing a stout 16.3 points per game, which ranks 13th-best in the country. Cheeks joined the Badgers ahead of the 2024 season after spending two seasons at UNC. Cheeks' first two seasons saw him flash at times, but overall, he never jumped out as one of the Big Ten's biggest stars.That was until now. So far this season, Cheeks has tallied 26 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, five sacks, and two forced fumbles.In Wisconsin's upset 24-7 win over USC this past weekend, Cheeks pulled together five tackles and 2.5 sacks, earning him conference acclaim.
Cheeks was recently tipped as a potential NFL draft pick by draft expert Mel Kiper thanks to his do-it-all archetype.
Luke Fickell's squad has just five games on the season; up next is the 5-2 Iowa Hawkeyes inside what is bound to be an electric Kinnick Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12 PM ET and is the Big Noon Kickoff game for FOX.
Contact/FollowTheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.
This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin OLB finally named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week

#cheeks #badgers #follow

Portugal and Morocco will host the 2027 Dakar Rally the organisers announced on Friday after it was moved from Saudi Arabia following repeated attacks on the kingdom by Yemen's Houthis.
The drivers, motorcyclists and truck drivers will tackle the prologue and first special stage in Portugal followed by 11 stages of the gruelling rally -- covering almost 8,000 kilometres with 4,341km of specials -- in Morocco.
It is the first time since 2007 that the gruelling multi-stage rally, created in 1978, returns to Africa.
"Although it has been moved, the 49th edition of the Dakar will still meet the sporting standards which has always made the event the most demanding of endurance rallies," said race director David Castera.
"Despite the short amount of time we have had we have put together a real Dakar.

#first #stage #gruelling #time

Angelique S. Chengelis, Connor Earegood, John Niyo, and Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News predict the outcome of Saturday's Michigan-Rutgers game at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey (12:30 p.m., Big Ten Network/94.7 FM).
▶ Angelique S. Chengelis: Rutgers coach Greg Schiano has always been tied to defense, but the Scarlet Knights have struggled defensively this season and ranks 128th in scoring. That could make this the "get-right" game for Michigan's offense, which is sorely in need of a confidence-building performance, especially from the run game and offensive line. Michigan's No. 3-ranked defense likely won't have the challenge it was expecting now that Rutgers QB Dylan Lonergan has been ruled out. He left last week's game at Northwestern in the first quarter because of a hit to the head and backup AJ Surace has struggled with six touchdowns against five interceptions this season. Michigan's defensive backs were expected to have their hands full facing 6-foot-6 receiver KJ Duff, but he is "doubtful" for the game, according to the Big Ten availability report. Pick: Michigan, 31-10
▶ Connor Earegood: Rejoice, Jason Beck. You're going to save your job this week. This Michigan offense may be wasting one of the nation's best defenses, but it will get an important tune-up against Rutgers. You know, the Rutgers team that lost to UMass, which is 1-3 in Mid-American Conference play. Oh, Rutgahs. Its availability report suggests some key starters will not play. Its starting QB is hurt, its star receiver is doubtful. A one-read quarterback could probably pick its defense apart at full strength. That's a good opponent for a true freshman in Tommy Carr to face in his second career start, after the **** er of the unknown wore off last week and showed you that maybe, just maybe, it isn't the guy under center who's the problem but rather the guy calling his plays. If Beck takes some inspiration from the Michigan Stadium videoboard and runs the ball between the tackles from time to time, Michigan should roll to an easy win. If it's another stinker, it will make for an interesting crowd in next week's rivalry game. Pick: Michigan, 34-7
▶ John Niyo: If Rutgers can't cure Michigan's offensive woes, nothing will. Greg Schiano's days appear numbered in Piscataway, and the statistical numbers make it obvious why: Rutgers ranks 128th nationally in scoring defense and has given up 161 points in four Big Ten games thus far. Of course, that's more points than the Wolverines have scored in seven games this season. But this defense should be the cure Michigan's inefficient run game needs, and no matter who's playing quarterback, there'll be opportunities to create explosive plays in the pass game. In four Big Ten games, Rutgers already has given up 15 plays of 30-plus yards. Pick: Michigan, 34-16
▶ Bob Wojnowski: There's no such thing as a breather for the Wolverines, with six of their seven games decided on the final possession. Last week's OT loss to Indiana wa

Former Texas A&M football players delivered several notable performances in Week 7 of the NFL season, including a breakout game from Cleveland Browns rookie wide receiver KC Concepcion and a career milestone for Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Cashius Howell.
Concepcion recorded career highs with eight receptions for 129 yards in Cleveland's 27-24 victory over the Tennessee **** ans. He also added 23 rushing yards on three carries, for 152 total yards from scrimmage. His performance earned him a nomination for the NFL's Rookie of the Week award.
The former Aggie became the first Browns rookie wide receiver since 2016 to surpass 100 receiving yards in a game. His 129 yards also ranked eighth in franchise history for a rookie in a single game. Over seven games, Concepcion has caught 30 passes for 315 yards, establishing himself as an emerging weapon in Cleveland's offense.
Howell also had a memorable afternoon in Cincinnati's 35-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens. The rookie defensive end recorded his first career NFL sack, bringing down quarterback Tyler Huntley for a four-yard loss on Baltimore's opening second-half drive.
The play helped force a punt as Cincinnati rallied from a 13-0 halftime deficit and scored 35 unanswered points to win. Howell, a second-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft, recorded 11.5 sacks in his final season at Texas A&M before moving to the professional level.

#howell #recorded #Browns

Matchday 8 of the Bundesliga serves up it's showpiece event, from which Bulinews.com will be reporting live, as Bayern Munich welcome Borussia Dortmund to the Allianz Arena. Kick-off in the Topspiel game is scheduled for 18:30 CET.
Aside from injuries and Vincent Kompany's absence, things could hardly be much better for Bayern right now. They arrive into this fixture off the back of a 6-1 thrashing of 1.FC Magdeburg, with several key names rested.
One of which was their newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner, Harry Kane. Averaging a goal a game against BVB in six games to date, he will be hoping to add to that. The returning Kimmich and Pavlovic will likely help towards that.
The German record champions' recent record on home soil against the Westphalians also bodes well. Eight wins, one draw and a single loss to the Black and Yellows in their last 10 Bundesliga meetings at the Allianz Arena.
Team news:

#bayern #allianz #record

Smriti Mandhana has revealed that former India captain MS Dhoni personally congratulated her after the Indian women's team lifted their maiden ODI World Cup ***** le in November 2025.

Speaking at an event featuring Dhoni, Mandhana recalled receiving a WhatsApp message from the legendary cricketer following India's historic triumph. She admitted that the gesture made her particularly happy, knowing that Dhoni is not someone who uses his phone frequently.

"He actually did send me a message after the World Cup win. I know he does not use his phone a lot. I was very happy that he used WhatsApp to congratulate all of us," Mandhana said.

Host Harsha Bhogle then asked Mandhana whether she had saved Dhoni's number.

"I did have his number," she replied.

Dhoni, meanwhile, offered an interesting explanation for choosing Mandhana as the recipient of his message. He revealed that she was the only member of the Indian women's team whose contact number he had saved.

"I did not know anyone else's (number) from the team. I wanted the message to go through. We had just shot (a commercial) before that. I thought, 'Let me send a message to Smriti' and I mentioned, 'Please wish everyone who is part of the team," Dhoni said.

India created history on November 2, 2025, defeating South Africa by 52 runs in Navi Mumbai to win their first-ever Women's ODI World Cup. The triumph ended the team's long wait for an ICC ***** le.

Batting first in the final, India posted 298/7, with Shafali Verma leading the charge with 87 runs and Deepti Sharma contributing 58. Deepti then delivered with the ball, taking five wickets as South Africa were dismissed for 246 despite a century from Laura Wolvaardt.

#message #World #number

Packers' Jordan Love sends congrats to Brewers for taking home first World Series ****** le appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Jordan Love knows what a championship celebration looks like, even if he is still chasing one of his own. Following the Milwaukee Brewers' historic run to their first World Series ****** le in franchise history, the Green Bay Packers quarterback publicly congratulated the baseball club. He also admitted that watching another Wisconsin team reach the mountaintop provides extra motivation for his locker room.
Speaking to reporters, Love praised the Brewers for accomplishing something that had eluded the franchise throughout its history. He also appreciated the opportunity to celebrate alongside the newly crowned champions. They attended the Packers' game following their historic triumph.
Jordan Love on the Brewers. pic.twitter.com/IDzH6D2Z2r
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Novak Djokovic's hopes of making a record 19th appearance at the ATP Finals have been dented by a surprise defeat against Jan-Lennard Struff at the Swiss Indoors in Basel.
Playing in the tournament for the first time in 15 years, the 39-year-old lost 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 7-6 (7-5) - the first time he has been beaten by Struff in nine meetings.
"I knew I needed to go for it. There was only one way to play it. So, I was very, very happy," said the world number 27.
"I knew I had to play my best tennis to have a chance. The last eight times he beat me very, very easily. So, I'm very, very happy and pleased with the performance."
The year's top-eight performers qualify for the ATP event in Turin and this result leaves Djokovic - the men's game's record 24-time Grand Slam winner - 11th in the standings.

#time #first #play #eight