LAS VEGAS (AP) — Marcus Stokes threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns as Memphis rattled off the final 13 points to beat UNLV 27-21 on Saturday night in a season opener for both teams.
The win helped Charles Huff become the first Tigers head coach to win a road debut game.
Stokes completed 15 of 26 passes with no turnovers, while Jaylin Carter rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
UNLV took a 14-7 halftime lead behind Jackson Arnold, who threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Tavian McNair and added a 6-yard touchdown run. The Rebels had won their previous 11 games when leading at the break, with their last loss coming against Syracuse on Oct. 4, 2024.
Stokes tied the game early in the third quarter with a 48-yard touchdown pass to Stonka Burnside, but Arnold answered with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Kayden McGee. Carter then scored on a 36-yard run to make it 21-all.

#game

Voting is now open for The Jackson Sun's Jackson area high school boys athlete of the week from Aug. 17-22. The poll closes Aug. 27 at 4 p.m.
More: JC Gray's 6 TDs for Adamsville leads Jackson area TSSAA football top performers in Week 1
Nominees are: Ty Campbell (Humboldt), Sky Caudill (McNairy Central), Bryce Fulton (Dyer County), Jay Pirtle (Jackson Christian) and Asa Story (Adamsville).

#week #nominees #humboldt

Hannah McNair is hyping up Houston Texans fans ahead of the 2026 NFL campaign. McNair, who is married to principal owner Cal McNair, serves as the Chief Community Officer and Vice President of the Houston Texans Foundation.
In a recent video, it looks like she's taking community outreach to a new level.
McNair was spotted mingling with some fans when she showcased her love of Houston by breaking out the iconic Southside dance. The dance was created by the 1997 Houston hip-hop anthem "Southside," by Lil Keke.
Once she broke out the move and went viral, the internet and Texans fanbase lost its collective mind.
MORE: Predicting the AFC playoff teams ahead of the 2026-2027 NFL season

#community #fans

Tennessee State football practice is under way with a battle for the starting quarterback position between returning starter Byron McNair and two transfers − Daylin Lee from Winston-Salem State and Marcelis Tate from South Florida.
Second-year coach Reggie Barlow said no one is ahead of the others as the Tigers prepare for their season opener on Aug. 29 against Jackson State in the John Merritt Classic at Vanderbilt.
All three quarterbacks worked with the first unit at practice on July 31. Barlow said he hasn't ruled out giving freshman Justin Patton from McCalla, Alabama, a shot at the job if none of the older players take the reins.
"Daylin's experience speaks for itself; he had a real good command (at Winston-Salem State)," Barlow said. "Tate, for a young guy, he looks like an older guy, but he's only played one year. He's a good player. And, of course, we've got Byron, and then there's Justin (Patton), a freshman who's a good football player. He was here in the spring as an early enrollee."
It is a similar situation to what Barlow faced at TSU last year when three quarterbacks were locked in a battle for the starting ******* ignment among Jonathan Palmer, Caleb McCreary and McNair. Palmer earned the starting position at the start of the season before McNair unseated him in the third game. Palmer returned as the starter later in the season.

#palmer #year #winston

Hundreds of people gathered Friday at St. Luke's United Methodist Church for the funeral of Houston Texans co-founder Janice McNair.
"She was exceptional," said Cal McNair, Janice's son and the current CEO and chair of the Texans.
McNair died July 14 of natural causes. She was 89.
Throughout the service, McNair's graciousness, her ability to make others feel seen and her impact on the lives of others were common threads speakers touched upon during the service.
LEGACY OF GIVING: Janice McNair's actions away from football were many

#mcnair #methodist #church

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is remembering Texans co-founder Janice McNair for her role in brining pro football back to Houston and her leadership during the quarter-century since the Texans joined the NFL.
McNair, who died on Tuesday at the age of 89, founded and owned the Texans expansion franchise along with her late husband, Bob McNair.
"Janice McNair was a woman of extraordinary generosity, grace and faith, whose impact on the Houston community and the NFL will be felt for generations," Goodell said. "Alongside Bob, she helped bring the NFL back to her beloved Houston and played an essential role in building the Texans into an organization that reflects the values they held dear-service, integrity, and commitment to community. Following Bob's passing, Janice served as controlling owner for six years and continued to provide steady leadership while remaining devoted to their family, Texans, their fans, and countless charitable causes. On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the McNair family, the Texans organization, and the Houston community."
The NFL accepted the McNairs' bid to make Houston the home of the league's 32nd team in 1999, and the Texans began play in the 2002 season. Bob and Janice McNair's son Cal McNair now serves as the Texans' Chair and CEO.

Tuesday marked a tragic day for the Houston Texans' organization as the franchise announced that co-founder and senior chair Janice McNair had died Tuesday at the age of 89.
Now, former players have shared their appreciation, love, the condolonces for the passing of the woman who transformed them into stars, including the greatest player in franchise history.
Three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt posted on social media his love for the woman that helped bring him home in 2011 with the 11th overall pick.
“Rest in Peace Janice,” Watt wrote on X . “All of us who were graced with your presence and kindness are better for it.”
Moving to Houston in 1960, Janice and Bob raised four children and were responsible for bringing football back to the city after Bud Adams moved the Oilers to Tennessee in 1997. In 1998, the McNairs spent $700 million in 1998 to purchase an expansion franchise, making Houston the 32nd NFL team in league history.

Janice McNair, who co-founded the NFL's Houston Texans in 2002, died on Tuesday at age 89, the team announced.
McNair and her husband Bob, who died in 2018 at age 81, brought the NFL back to Houston with an expansion club after the Houston Oilers moved in 1997 to become the Tennessee ******* ans.
Janice McNair served as the Texans' primary owner after her husband's death until transferring the post to son Cal McNair in 2024.
"Outside of our family, nothing mattered more to her than her beloved Texans. I remain honored to lead this franchise and build on the foundation my parents set when they brought football back to Houston," said Texans chair and chief executive Cal McNair.
"Mom leaves an indelible mark on our family, our team and our community and her giving spirit will always be embedded in the fabric of our organization."

Janice S. McNair, who co-founded the Houston Texans with her husband Bob, has died, the team announced Tuesday. She was 89.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce Houston Texans Co-Founder and Senior Chair Janice S. McNair passed away peacefully in Houston this afternoon with her family by her side,” the Texans said in a statement.
Janice McNair was born and raised in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but spent most of her life in Houston as her husband’s right hand. Following the Houston Oilers’ move to become the Tennessee ******* ans, the McNairs were granted an expansion franchise by the NFL in 1999, with the franchise official co-founded by both Bob and Janice.
She took over the Texans’ organization in 2018, after Bob McNair’s death. The McNairs’ son, Cal McNair, was approved as the primary owner of the team in 2024.
“Mom was exceptional. She exuded kindness, radiated joy, had an endless amount of hope and love, and lived an incredible life centered around faith, family, philanthropy and football,” Cal McNair said in the statement. “I remain honored to lead this franchise and build on the foundation my parents set when they brought football back to Houston. Mom leaves an indelible mark on our family, our team and our community, and her giving spirit will always be embedded in the fabric of our organization. While I'm heartbroken, I take great comfort in knowing she is now reunited with my dad, her favorite teammate.”

NASHVILLE - Tennessee ****** ans tight end Gunnar Helm has been named the franchise's 2026 breakout candidate by NFL ****** yst Ben Solak. The piece, featured on ESPN.com, predicted one such player for all 32 clubs.
Helm earned the nod over other candidates such as quarterback Cam Ward or veteran wide receiver Calvin Ridley. It speaks to what Helm could mean for an offense desperate for reliable pass-catching options beyond its wide receiver room.
Helm possesses "the tools of an NFL starter, the length, the size, speed, ball skills above the rim, away from his frame, and toughness through contact," according to Solak.
That was on display during the former fourth-round pick's rookie season. Helm was one of the few bright spots that Tennessee fans had to watch as the team finished with a regular season record of 3-14 for the second consecutive year. The tools Solak describes of Helm are critical for a player with Ward's skill-set.
The ****** ans quarterback's style drew comparisons to franchise legend Steve McNair and Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes throughout Ward's pre-draft process. Few tools have served those players better during their respective careers than the tight end position.