Duke won its fifth consecutive season opener with a 17-3 win over the Tulane Green Wave. Running back Nate Sheppard was the star with 35 carries for 227 yards and two touchdowns. He also had three receptions for 19 yards. Quarterback Walker Eget never seemed to get into a groove as he completed 13 of 26 pass attempts for 131 yards.
Play Number One: With five minutes and seven seconds remaining in the 1st quarter, on the game's opening drive, Nate Sheppard rushed nine yards for a touchdown to complete a 17 play, 75-yard drive to give Duke a 7-0 lead. The opening drive set the tone for the game as Duke leaned on its running game to control the game.
Play Number Two: With six minutes and 56 seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter, defensive lineman David Anderson deflected pass attempts on back-to-back plays to prevent Tulane from making a 1st down and forcing a field goal attempt. The attempt was no good.
Play Number Three: On the opening drive of the 2nd half, on 2nd down and five, Tulane completed a pass but Duke linebacker Luke Mergott forced a fumble which was recovered by linebacker Nick Morris at the Duke 17-yard line to stop the drive.
Play Number Four: With 13 minutes and 41 seconds remaining in the game, on 3rd down and seven yards to go on the Duke 19-yard line, Duke cornerback Kyon Loud broke up a pass intended for Anthony Brown-Stephens to force a field goal. Tulane converted the field goal to cut Duke's lead to 10-3.

#game #minutes

It wasn't pretty, but Duke was able to pull out a 17-3 victory over Tulane to begin Manny Diaz's third season with a win.
Here are some instant takeaways:
There are a lot of running backs in college football who get more headlines, but there might not be many better than the Duke sophomore. It was evident starting from the first drive, in which he went for 51 yards on 11 carries, ending it with a nine-yard touchdown run.
In the end, Sheppard finished with career-highs in carries (35) and rushing yards (227) while scoring twice.
The good news is that the quarterback didn't turn the ball over in his Duke debut. The bad news is that he struggled, finishing 13-of-27 for 131 yards. When opposing teams are able to stop Sheppard, Eget will have to be much better.

#duke #sheppard #able

USA TODAY Sports ranks the Detroit Lions' defense No. 19 entering the 2026 season. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard's unit has fallen nine spots since USA TODAY's June ranking that slated the Lions No. 10.
A major concern for Detroit is its injury-plagued secondary.
The Lions released former first-round cornerback Terrion Arnold earlier this offseason. Starting safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch will miss at least four games as both were placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list to begin the 2026 season.
Joseph, a first-team All-Pro and the NFL's interceptions leader in 2024, continues to deal with a degenerative knee issue that limited him to six games in 2025. Meanwhile, Branch is recovering from a torn Achilles that he suffered in December. Sheppard will be leaning on the front seven to take pressure off its secondary in the meantime.
NFL reporter Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz had this to say about the Lions' defense:

#lions #joseph #branch #games

The Green Bay Packers released 30 players at final cuts, not including those players waived with injury designations. Matt LaFleur's team was able to return 13 of the 30 on the practice squad, but that leaves over half of the ex-Packers looking for a new NFL team.
Not every player cut will find another NFL home. But many will before the start of the 2026 regular season. One was claimed off waivers on Monday, and a few more found homes on practice squads across the NFL on Tuesday.
Tracking where the ex-Packers sign around the NFL:
DL **** r Stackhouse: claimed off waivers by Tennessee **** ans
WR Will Sheppard: signed to Dolphins practice squad

#green

The Green Bay Packers' roster cuts on Sunday, Aug. 30, included 30 players plus more who were waived with injury designations.
The list included notable releases such as offensive lineman Darian Kinnard, edge rusher Arron Mosby, defensive lineman **** r Stackhouse and linebacker Kristian Welch, all of whom played in regular-season games for the Packers last season.
It also includes one draft pick from this past spring in Alabama cornerback Domani Jackson, a player taken in the sixth round and the fifth of the team's six-player class.
And then there are players like wide receiver Will Sheppard, WR Kisean Johnson, edge rusher Nyjalik Kelly and safety Mark Perry - players who stood out during the preseason - but didn't make the cut.
Same with long snapper Cal Adomitis, who filled in admirably for Matt Orzech throughout camp while the veteran was out with an injury. But he also got his pink slip.

#included #lineman

The Green Bay Packers finished the preseason on Friday night at Lambeau Field, and now attention turns to finishing the initial 53-man roster before Sunday afternoon's cutdown. Strong performances during training camp and the preseason will create some difficult choices for Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur in creating the initial roster, which is due by 5:00 p.m. CT on Sunday.
Toughest decisions awaiting the Packers on their path to 53 players:
Matt LaFleur wasn't able to confirm the injury timelines for defensive tackle Warren Brinson, receiver Savion Williams or edge rusher Collin Oliver, who were all injured within the last week and could be candidates to start the season on injured reserve. The roster math changes pretty quick if any of those three miss the start of the season. Any player placed on IR to start the season has to miss at least the first four games.
To his credit, Kyle McCord turned this into a legitimate question over three excellent preseason games. Tyrod Taylor is going to be the backup behind Jordan Love, but are the Packers willing to risk McCord to waivers? He looks like the right long-term developmental option, and teams don't like risking good quarterbacks. But keeping three quarterbacks would be a roster luxury for a team with a settled situation at the top.
J. Michael Sturdivant and Will Sheppard both made terrific final arguments on Friday night, and Isaiah Neyor was one dropped touchdown pass away from doing the same. The battle between these three has been raging all summer, and now the Packers must decide: Is there room on the roster for a seventh receiver? It's possible one of the three makes it comfortably if Savion Williams goes on IR. The Packers have all the boxes checked with their top six receivers, but Sturdivant and Sheppard can both play a role on special teams. Sturdivant might be too good to risk, especially after prioritizing him as a free agent following the draft and his 112-yard performance on Friday night.

#packers #roster #Friday #sunday

Aug. 29—In a high-scoring preseason affair, host Green Bay got four touchdown passes from Kyle McCord, including two in the final four minutes, to nip Arizona 42-38 at Lambeau Field on Friday night and finish 2-1 in the preseason.
McCord, a second-year player out of Syracuse who spent last season on the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad, completed 22 of 35 passes for 226 yards and no interceptions. He was the only Packers quarterback to see action in a game contested by mostly reserves.
McCord connected with Kisean Johnson on a 28-yard scoring play with 3:19 left before directing a 44-yard scoring drive in the closing seconds. He and Johnson connected again from 10 yards out with 20 seconds left.
J. Michael Sturdivant pulled in six passes for 112 yards and a 29-yard touchdown in the second quarter immediately after a 36-yard connection with McCord. Will Sheppard had a touchdown catch and returned a punt 81 yards to the house for the Packers. Kicker Trey Smack converted two more field goals for a 9-for-9 preseason.
Arizona's Evan Hull rumbled for 107 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, while Simi Fehoko produced 94 yards and two touchdowns on five catches.

#preseason

Dan Campbell saw more than a preseason win Saturday.
He saw a Detroit Lions defense that looks more comfortable inside Kelvin Sheppard's system, more capable of understanding what offenses are trying to do and, in Campbell's words, simply smarter than it was a year ago.
Detroit beat Washington 17-13 at Ford Field, and the defense provided several of the afternoon's most encouraging moments. D.J. Wonnum sacked Jayden Daniels during Washington's opening possession, while rookie Derrick Moore later recorded a sack and forced fumble in his preseason debut. The Lions also consistently played with Washington backed up in its own territory, something Campbell credited to the combination of defense and special teams.
The bigger takeaway for Campbell wasn't one sack or one preseason performance.
It was how much more the defense appears to understand.

#campbell #lions #washington

The NBA has been showing us for a while that simply putting several stars together isn't enough to win anymore. The 2024 Celtics had a stacked roster almost everywhere, with close to 10 guys who could handle minutes, while the 2025 Thunder might honestly be one of the deepest teams we have seen in a long time. Then the Knicks won the 2026 ***** le with a rotation that became much more important after Mike Brown replaced Tom Thibodeau and started trusting the bench more.
That is pretty much the rule now. A team can have crazy firepower in the starting five, but if the second unit can't score, defend, or survive five minutes without the stars, competing for four playoff rounds becomes much harder. Over 82 games, it matters even more, because injuries, rest, and bad shooting nights are going to happen no matter how talented the roster is.
So for this ranking, the focus is simple: which five teams enter 2026-27 with the deepest benches in the league? These are second units with several players who can change a regular-season game, cover an injury for a few weeks, or even stay on the floor during a tough playoff series. That obviously doesn't mean one of these five teams is guaranteed to win the ***** le, but having too many productive bench pieces is always a pretty nice problem to have.
The Rockets have a ridiculous amount of bodies behind their starting five, and the interesting part is that most of them bring something different. If Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun start, Ime Udoka can still bring Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason, Marcus Smart, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Steven Adams, and Clint Capela from the bench.
Sheppard gives them the scoring and shooting that second units usually need. He was up to 13.5 points and 3.4 ***** ists last season while hitting 39.4% from three, so Houston doesn't have to leave Durant on the floor every time VanVleet sits just to have somebody who can create offense.

#bench #several

Duke Football is close to opening up their season as the defending ACC champions. What's in store for them? On Episode 840, we speak with Anna Snyder of the Fayetteville Observer on where the football team is at as they finish out the preseason.
The biggest question facing the Blue Devils this season: who will start at QB? All signs point to either transfer Walker Eget or sophomore Dan Mahan. Whoever is under center, they will have Nate Sheppard to hand the ball to and Jeremiah Hasley to throw the ball downfield to as they try to put points on the board. Anna takes us through the offense and defense and speaks to what qualities will be the calling card for Duke this season as they seek to defend their ******* le against all doubters.
We also dip a bit into the basketball, asking Anna about the summer and which players have been the ones to stand out in practice. We also see which non-conference games have her the most excited about the season as Duke hopes to add to their banner collection atop Cameron Indoor Stadium.
We end the show with an update on Mike Corey's recovery from a tragic car accident that claimed the life of his son, Teddy. Mike physically is doing much better and appreciates all the well-wishes. Emotionally, that toll will take a bit longer for him and his family to process. A memorial fund has been established in Teddy's honor, and we encourage everyone to share it widely and pay tribute to Teddy's life that was taken far too soon.
Make sure you're following us! Head to our Linktree to get all our available social media and links to follow and subscribe to the show. That includes our affiliate partnerships, from Fanatics and SLAM (use the code DBR15 to save 15%), Homefield Apparel (use the code DBRPODCAST to save 15% off your first order), to the NBA Store, NFL Shop, and even Fubo TV. Save some cash on the latest gear or follow the Blue Devils on the go by hitting those affiliate links and it helps support the show as well. We are now on YouTube and Instagram! Subscribe there, rate, and review our episodes on there and everywhere you get your podcasts. Also, follow us on Bluesky ⁠DukeRoundup⁠!

#anna #save #devils

Guernsey FC maintained their unbeaten start to their Southern Combination Premier Division season as they twice came from a goal down to draw 2-2 at Crawley Down Gatwick.
The hosts took a seventh-minute lead when Will Harley curled past Seb Sheppard after some neat passing following a counter-attack down the right.
James Laws went close to doubling the lead 25 minutes later before Will Fazakerley and Callum Le Lacheur had chances for the Green Lions as they went into the break a goal down.
But the visitors levelled six minutes after the break as Sam Murray nodded on Charlton Gauvain's cross from the right and Jamie Dodd was able to bundle the ball home at the far post.
The hosts were back in front just four minutes later as Archie Drillot's weak back-pass was picked up by Harley and substitute Callum Kilkenny finished well moments after coming on.

#minutes

PETERSBURG – Summerfield's football team had a fun bus ride home from its final game last season.
The Bulldogs rolled over Erie Mason 29-0 to improve to 5-4.
Most observers were saying they would be in the playoffs the next week, so the players were celebrating on the way home.
"On the bus we were all hooting and hollering," said Caleb Sheppard, a senior this fall.
Training Camp Report: New coach builds excitement, numbers at Milan

#home #bulldogs

The Seattle Seahawks have reportedly agreed to sign former Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold. The signing is not yet official, as the franchise is still working out details with the league on the timing and viability of the signing, while Arnold continues through the legal process involving eight felony charges from an incident in Florida earlier this year.
"We have an agreement with him, and we'll see," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. "But I just really don't know how we're going to do it."
On Sunday, Lions coach Dan Campbell was asked about the league's interest in Arnold following Detroit's decision to cut him shortly after the first-round cornerback was arrested in June. Campbell was completely understanding that several teams—reportedly at least eight—were doing their research on Arnold.
"No, I'm not surprised. Every team is going to do their due diligence," Campbell said. "So it's like we would if we were in their seat, like Seattle or New York or whatever; we would've done the same thing. Let's see what we can find out, whatever we can.
Arnold was selected by the Lions in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 24th overall. While his career never budded in Detroit, there were flashes that he would reach his full potential. As defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard put it a few weeks ago, Arnold "had number one cornerback potential, but it was still untapped."

#still

This story will be updated.
WEST LAFAYETTE — Brad Baker is not one to trail entering the final round of a tournament, but that is precisely the scenario facing the rest of the field at the Zanesville District Golf ******* ociation Senior Amateur.
Baker followed an even-par 71 in the first round at Jaycees with a 3-under-par 69 on Aug. 8 at River Greens to ******* ume a seven-shot lead at 140.
Baker, seven-time Amateur champion and six-time Seniors winner, leads 2024 champion Nate Seekatz and 2024 runner-up Joe Allen by seven shots in the Senior Division. The top 12 and ties advanced to the final round on Aug. 9 at Zanesville Country Club.
Dave Sheppard (73-74 —147) leads the six-man Super Seniors who made the cut. Rich Bubenchik (75-76 — 151) is lurking in second.

#senior

Allen Park — This time last year, Detroit Lions safety Avonte Maddox was simply trying to get his feet under him.
He was joining a new franchise for the first time since he entered the league as a rookie in 2018, not knowing how or when he'd fit into the team's plans. But after pinch-hitting for three starts and contributing 342 defensive snaps a season ago, he's well-versed in the defense of coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and looking like he'll be in consideration to start if Kerby Joseph and/or Brian Branch are unable to start the season.
"It's always a lot easier when you're going back into something for the second year," Maddox said. "First year's like a learning step — I mean, every year is a learning step, you keep learning and and learning, but you come in the next year after learning something for the first (time), it gets a little easier.
"So, that's kind of where I'm at now. There's a lot of coverages that I'm familiar with and already know, and I know the terminology a lot better, so it's easier now."
Maddox finished the 2025 season with 32 combined tackles, an interception and four pass breakups. That familiarity is paying off. After Thomas Harper started over Maddox in the place of the injured Joseph a season ago, Maddox is now firmly ahead of Harper on the depth chart to begin camp. He and veteran Chuck Clark appear to be the team's preferred choice through the first seven practices.

#maddox #like

Duke begins fall camp this week as the Blue Devils try to repeat as ACC champions after defeating Virginia in the conference ****** le game last season, winning their first outright conference ****** le since 1962.
While another nine-win season in Manny Diaz's third year in Durham is possible, the Blue Devils do have to replace quarterback Darian Mensah and leading wide receiver Cooper Barkate on offense, who both transferred to ACC rival Miami this offseason.
The good news? Nate Sheppard is back at running back after a phenomenal freshman season in which he broke several Duke records.
But what will the offense look like when it takes the field against Tulane on September 5? Here's our predicted depth chart for the Blue Devils.
Quarterback

#quarterback #conference

On Sunday, we discussed the potential of the 2026 Detroit Lions offense. Almost everyone agrees that it will be a top-10 unit in the NFL this season, and per the poll we ran on this site, 90 percent of our audience believes the Lions will have a top-five offense.
I'm guessing Lions fans will be a little less optimistic about the other side of the ball.
The Lions defense has been an issue for most years under Dan Campbell. While they've been able to add some blue chip players like Aidan Hutchinson, Jack Campbell, Kerby Joseph, and Brian Branch, the unit hasn't been able to put together a full season of strong play. Sometimes, it's been injuries. Other times, it feels like Detroit is being overcoached. Certainly the lack of a pass rush has been culpable at times. Regardless of the reasoning, the defense has regularly let the Lions down.
But could 2026 bring some extra hope? Detroit finally invested in their defensive line, and the players along that front are entering training camp healthier than ever. Additionally, Detroit has fortified their depth at linebacker and safety. And young players like Tyleik Williams, Jack Campbell, and Ennis Rakestraw could elevate their games and jump in their development.
That said, there are huge questions about health and starters in the secondary, and Detroit still needs to show they can account and adjust to the losses of DJ Reader, Roy Lopez, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Alex Anzalone, and Amik Robertson. And defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has a lot to prove in his second season at that position.

#detroit #players #offense

While Detroit Lions defensive coordinator heads into 2026 with plenty to prove, the young coach has apparently already drawn a lot of attention from other team's coaches and general managers.
Over at The Athletic, NFL reporter and ******* yst Jordan Rodrigue put together a list of ******* istant coaches from every team who could break out in 2026. Not only did she list Sheppard as her choice for the Lions, but she added a pretty interesting note from earlier this offseason.
"At league meetings in the spring, Sheppard was among the ******* istant coaches drawing buzz among head coaches and general managers," Rodriguez wrote. "His energy, apparent buy-in from players and increased experience in the role in his second season have both Sheppard and the Lions' defense set up well for a bounce-back 2026."
It's easy to forget amidst Detroit's second-half slide last year that early in 2025, Sheppard was getting a ton of praise for producing a top-five defense in the first half of the season. This offseason, he drew an interview for the Miami Dolphins head coaching job and believes he was close to landing the gig.
But despite the hype this offseason, Sheppard still has a lot to prove entering just his second year as an NFL coordinator. While he certainly has the personality and leadership qualities of a good coach, he'll have to put together a full, strong season of defensive play-calling, scheme adjustment, and player development to turn that hype into actual opportunities.

#offseason #defensive

Lucid stock tumbled by as much as 40% on Tuesday, then clawed back a portion of those losses to end the session down 16%, following the publication of a report by an electric vehicle blog alleging the company was exploring bankruptcy or a move to go private. Lucid called the report false.
The report, from a site called EV, cited two unnamed sources who said consulting firm AlixPartners had recommended Lucid's board consider either Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection or a privatization, according to TechCrunch. The site also reported that AlixPartners had advised further restructuring in the U.S. and Europe and a sharper focus on the Gravity SUV.
Lucid chief communications officer Nick Twork told TechCrunch the claims were "completely false." "The company has sufficient liquidity to carry its operations well into next year, as recently published in its last quarterly filings, and it has not formed any special Board committee to explore the scenarios reported today," Twork said in a statement. "AlixPartners is ******* isting us in that and nothing else and has not recommended bankruptcy to management or the Board." AlixPartners declined to comment.
Regulators paused trading in Lucid shares on several occasions throughout the session due to excessive price swings. The stock swung between $5.76 and $2.37 on Tuesday before closing at $4.62. Lucid stock was down an additional 4.1% in premarket trading Wednesday.
As of the end of March, Lucid's total available liquidity stood at approximately $3.2 billion, with around $2.5 billion of that consisting of debt capacity it had yet to draw on, according to Barron's, citing Cantor Fitzgerald ******* yst Andres Sheppard. The company then secured another $1 billion in April, a sum that included a $200 million check from Uber. Sheppard wrote that the company was "funded well into next year."

ClutchFans: Rockets GM Rafael Stone NBA Summer League interview: - Really likes rookie Bruce Thornton - the unique build, physicality, shotmaking and ability to take care of the ball. Test will be if he can translate that to the next level. - Very excited about Marcus Smart's versatility. "Feels like a Rocket so I'm glad we could finally make it happen." He says he's happy with him defending any position, including at center. - Loves the defensive switchability options the Rockets now have with Smart, Jabari, Tari and Amen. - Wants to take the minutes load off of Kevin Durant this season. - Says Reed Sheppard has "put on a ton of good weight, a bunch of muscle."
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Wants to take the minutes load off of Kevin Durant …

The Philadelphia Eagles invested heavily in rebuilding their secondary during the 2024 NFL Draft. Two years later, it's difficult to argue with the results.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler recently surveyed more than 70 NFL executives, coaches and scouts to rank the league's top cornerbacks entering the 2026 season. Unsurprisingly, two Eagles landed on the list as Quinyon Mitchell checked in at No. 6, while Cooper DeJean rounded out the rankings at No. 10. Only Pat Surtain II, Derek Stingley, Christian Gonzales, Devon Witherspoon, and Trent McDuffie placed higher than Mitchell.
The Eagles waited more than two decades to spend a first-round pick on a cornerback before selecting Mitchell 22nd overall in 2024 (Lito Sheppard was the most recent before that). Seeing Mitchell blossom into what he has and seeing DeJean become an All-Pro himself is further validation of Howie Roseman's vision and great news for Philadelphia moving forward.
Mitchell's rise has been particularly impressive. The former Toledo Rockets standout has yet to record his first regular-season NFL interception. He does, however, have four spanning five postseason starts. League evaluators clearly aren't holding that against him, nor should they. According to Fowler's report, executives praised Mitchell's ability to shadow opposing No. 1 receivers while pointing to his consistency in coverage.
His first-team All-Pro selection and advanced metrics only reinforce the eye test, suggesting quarterbacks have found very little success throwing in his direction. As one veteran defensive coach told ESPN, Mitchell is a "sticky man-to-man guy" who continues to improve while remaining connected at the point of attack. DeJean's inclusion on the ranking comes for a different reason.

INDIANAPOLIS -- If the Pacers are still interested in trading into Wednesday night's second round of the NBA Draft, they apparently have windows to do so.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported Wednesday that the Knicks and Grizzlies, who hold the No. 31 and No. 32 overall picks which are the first and second choices of the second round, are "actively fielding offers" for those selections. Charania called those picks "up for auction" with "future ****** ets being proposed."
The Pacers didn't make a pick in the first round and they don't have a pick in the second round but Jake Fischer of Stein Line reported last week that the Pacers were interested in trading into the 30s. They could use future draft compensation to get in and they could also trade an active player -- possibly forward Jarace Walker or Ben Sheppard -- to a team with cap room or a trade exception to shed money to help in upcoming free agency.
Among the top-rated players remaining on the board in the second round are Duke wing Isaiah Evans, North Carolina center Henri Veesaar, Purdue guard Braden Smith, Houston guard Emanuel Sharp and Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas.