Celtics head coach Ime Udoka could reportedly face potential disciplinary action and a serious suspension for violating team rules, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Currently, the franchise is contemplating a suspension for Udoka and a length for the punishment that could come as soon as Thursday. However, Udoka’s job is not believed to be in jeopardy, according to Wojnarowski.
The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach confirmed Wojnarowski’s initial report.
Last season, Udoka led the Celtics to an NBA Finals appearance in his first season as head coach. He entered the franchise following Danny Ainge’s retirement and Brad Stevens moving into the Celtics front office as president of basketball operations.
Under Udoka’s leadership, the Celtics finished second in the Eastern Conference behind the Heat in the regular season powered by their dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and a strong defensive unit. Boston is slated to begin training camp on Tuesday.
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COSTA MESA, Calif. — Six days removed from suffering a fracture to his rib cartilage, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is considered day-to-day ahead of a Week 3 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, coach Brandon Staley said Wednesday.
“He’s gotten a lot of rest since the last game,” Staley said. “He’s feeling more comfortable. I know that he was able to do some light throwing yesterday, some rotational work, but we’re just going to take it day by day and see where his comfort level is.”
Herbert did not throw any passes during the brief portion of practice open to reporters Wednesday. The third-year quarterback watched as backup quarterbacks Chase Daniel and Easton Stick took throwing reps.
Herbert did partake in handing balls off to running backs and was listed as a limited participant on the Chargers’ injury report.
Receiver Keenan Allen and tight end Donald Parham Jr., both of whom have been dealing with hamstring injuries, also returned to practice in a limited capacity.
Staley said whether Herbert plays Sunday will be a decision that begins with the quarterback.
“It will start with him and then obviously him feeling good about what the medical team feels like is best, him weighing the options and then us making a good decision,” Staley said.
The Chargers doctor who is caring for Herbert’s injury is being sued for medical malpractice by former Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who is seeking at least $5 million after suffering a punctured lung while being treated for a rib injury in 2020, according to copies of the original lawsuit and subsequent filings related to the case obtained by ESPN.
When asked Wednesday if there was any trepidation about Herbert’s treatment given the recent history of quarterback care, Staley said the care of players is of utmost importance.
“Any player that goes through something like this, that’s your biggest responsibility as a coach is to take care of your players, “Staley said. “So I think we have full alignment with Justin and his family, his agents, and then the medical professionals, and that’s what we’re going to try to do is have alignment that way and just kind of trust the process and hopefully get him well soon.”
Herbert suffered the injury in last Thursday’s 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
With 5 minutes, 9 seconds remaining in the game, Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna hit Herbert, leaving the quarterback lying on the field for an extended period.
Herbert returned after missing only one play and was immediately hit again, as he was crushed between Chiefs pass-rushers Frank Clark and George Karlaftis. Herbert, however, remained in the game.
In two games, Herbert has passed for 613 yards and six touchdowns, with an interception.
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said Tuesday that any discussion about his school’s role in the future of the Bedlam rivalry with Oklahoma was “childish.”
Athletic directors for both schools told the Action Network on Monday that the series officially would be ending when Oklahoma departs for the SEC.
“We don’t have any openings to play them,” Oklahoma State athletic director Chad Weiberg said. “We’re full. Unless there are significant undertakings to make the game happen, it can’t happen.”
Weiberg’s counterpart at Oklahoma, Joe Castiglione, said that the Cowboys had opted not to continue with the series.
“Oklahoma State has shown no interest to schedule any future games in football, so we’re moving on,” he said.
On Tuesday, Gundy told reporters at Cowboys practice that while he likes Castiglione, “We’ve got to quit beating around the bush and call it the way it is.”
“Bedlam is history, we all know that. We’ve known that,” Gundy said, “because OU chose to follow Texas and the money to the SEC. It’s OK. So now, we’re having what I think are childish discussions, in my opinion, over something that’s done. And I would like to make this the last statement that I have because I have no hard feelings.
“But what’s going on now is almost a situation with a husband and a wife, or a girlfriend and a boyfriend when you know you’re dead wrong and you try to turn the table and make them think they’re wrong, when Oklahoma State has no part in this.”
Later Tuesday, Castiglione told ESPN that Oklahoma has slightly more nonconference scheduling flexibility than Oklahoma State, but he hasn’t given up entirely on a future Bedlam series.
“I think it will come back at some point in the 2030s,” he said.
Castiglione added that the Sooners are talking to Oklahoma State officials about competing in other sports they have in common, but “football is a little different” because they schedule further in advance and there are fewer nonconference opportunities and dates to work with than there are in other sports.
“It makes total sense for us to keep the competition between the two schools going,” he said.
Weiberg told ESPN later Tuesday that the Cowboys’ schedule is almost full through 2038 with Power 5 nonconference opponents, including Arkansas, Oregon, Alabama, Nebraska and Colorado. Weiberg said those games were scheduled before Oklahoma announced its intent to eventually join the SEC.
“They made the decision they made for reasons that make sense to them, and I get that, but those decisions have consequences and this could be one of them,” Weiberg said.
The Big 12 plays nine Power 5 opponents as part of its conference schedule, so there is a hesitancy to schedule two more Power 5 nonconference opponents. Weiberg said the reason athletic directors have to schedule so far in advance is because it provides more options, but that doesn’t mean Bedlam can’t return at some point. He said the decisions are based on logistics — not emotions.
“Once we start getting out towards the ends of our current deals, then can conversations be had about that resuming? That’s kind of what you see,” he said. “It’s not unusual for these rivalries to pause when teams switch conferences. Texas and Texas A&M have been paused. Oklahoma and Nebraska played for the first time in close to a decade. This is a normal byproduct of conference realignment.”
Gundy said the Cowboys were not involved in what he called the months of “multibillion-dollar conversations” between Oklahoma and the SEC, and therefore had no choice on the issue.
“So, everybody needs to get over it and move on and quit trying to turn the tables,” he said. “It’s somewhat comical that they still want to bring us into this equation. Let’s not turn the tables. Let’s just say, ‘Hey, look, we chose to follow Texas and take the money and we’re going to the SEC.’ It’s all good. Let’s quit talking about it. Let’s talk about football.”
Gundy has been outspoken on the end of the rivalry, which was first played in 1904 with 116 meetings since then. In July, at Big 12 media days, he said the series was winding down.
“The future of Bedlam is a year or two left,” he said in July. “I mean, that’s the future that’s based on somebody else’s decision.”
Gundy predicted that most conferences would move to nine conference games, which would make it even harder for nonconference games to be scheduled, particularly when the Cowboys’ schedule was already booked through 2032 or 2033.
“You’re talking about contract buyouts, and you’re talking about convincing head coaches to play another game, which would be like playing another conference game,” Gundy said in July. “There’s a lot going on. I think most fans would love to do it. I just don’t think it’s feasible to happen, in my opinion.”
Gundy also said at that time that if he were new Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, he wouldn’t allow Texas and Oklahoma in league business meetings.
“I say that jokingly,” Gundy said. “But I mean, if you’re strategically in a business meeting, if it’s two cellphone companies, I don’t want somebody from their company in my company.”
ESPN senior writer Heather Dinich contributed to this report.
Some of the best coaches in the history of The Voice have been talent competition alumni themselves, like American Idol’s Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson. Now, with Kelly taking time off from the show after eight consecutive seasons, another superstar with a singing-competition background is filling her red chair: Camila Cabello, who famously got her start in the X Factor girl group Fifth Harmony. And after last season’s disappointing showing of Gen Z-friendly pop-star coach Ariana Grande, followed by The Voice’s unprecedented year-long hiatus, so far the likable Camila seems to be exactly what this series needs. To employ a favorite catchphrase of Kelly’s, Camila just might have the best shot of navigating this show this year.
“It feels very full-circle, because I also started on the singing competition show,” Camila explained on Monday’s Season 22 premiere, although – just like Kelly and J.Hud before her – she conveniently never mentioned the actual singing competition show that gave her her big break. Even the contestants took great pains not to mention The X Factor on the air. And there was a funny bit later when Camila’s castmates mistook her for someone who’d appeared on America’s Got Talent, Star Search, or America’s Funniest Home Videos, but not The X Factor.
As for those castmates, occupying the other chairs this Voice season are three returning coaches: EGOT-winner John Legend (Camila’s “bestie,” because she served as his team adviser last year) and meet-cute Voice power couple Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani. Blake seemed delighted to have Gwen back on the show (this marks their first time sitting on the panel together as husband and wife), but the incumbent coach was clearly was threatened by Camila, who came to the set with attitude, spunk, and actual cunning strategy that seemed to be working. At one point, Camila even dared Blake to turn for a country singer, Orlando Mendez, specifically because she wanted to spar with Blake. And (spoiler alert), Blake lost!
Blake was having a rough night overall – he didn’t recruit a single contestant for his team during the two-hour episode — so he pulled out all the stops, at one point bringing out a furry, hooved, ultimately uncooperative mascot that reminded me of that kidnapped goat Raquel from The Brady Bunch. (Because Blake is supposedly the G.O.A.T. of The Voice, get it?)
Blake also introduced a shady Season 22 tactic/gimmick, commanding stagehands to mute Camila’s microphone whenever she got too mouthy. Blake tried to cut Camila off during Monday’s first audition by country/pop singer Morgan Myles, and he was still trying during the final audition by Kacey Musgraves-channeling songbird Kate Kalvach. But Camila was so determined, she just couldn’t be silenced. And that’s when the hilarity ensured.
Below are the successful Blind Auditions of Monday’s Season 22 premiere:
Morgan Myles, 35: “Hallelujah”
Wow, seriously? This overdone song, right out of the gate? Obviously there have been many lovely, often Jeff Buckley-inspired renditions of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” on The Voice (and Idol, and XFactor, and every other TV talent show), so I’m not sure we needed another one. That being said, Morgan’s version was “so pretty,” as Gwen noted, and when this “edge of country” industry veteran dirtied it up a bit and let out that growl, she caught all of the coaches’ attention. John called her performance “exquisite” and even “one of the best Blind Auditions I’ve seen in a long time.” Camila told Morgan, “You have a gorgeous tone. I want to hear records from you.”
Who turned? All four coaches, but Camila blocked Gwen! “I did my homework. I know how Blocks work, and I thought immediately, ‘Gwen’s going to want her,’” the crafty new coach explained. “The new kid on the block blocked me!” Gwen gasped.
Result: Team Camila! I guess Camila comparing Morgan to Rihanna was more convincing than Blake sharing war stories about his own early, struggling Nashville days. “We all should be a little scared of Camila,” John noted.
Omar José Cardona, 33: “Separate Ways”
Omar the showman had such theatrical tendencies, I wish he’d reenacted Journey’s laughably bad “Separate Ways” music video, with Paul Mirkovich’s band miming along to air instruments in the background. I think that might have improved this performance, honestly. I appreciated Omar’s mic-stand-brandishing and ‘80s rock influences, but he noticeably strained to reach those Steve Perry power notes. Gwen was way too enthusiastic when she gushed, “I haven’t heard a voice like that since the ‘80s,” and Camila was downright blasphemous when she said Omar possessed “Freddie Mercury vibes.” Maybe this performance sounded different/better in the room.
Who turned? All four coaches, surprisingly. Everyone seemed especially surprised that John spun first.
Result: Team Legend! I thought for sure Omar would go for ‘80s queen Gwen, but it seems John’s comment, “You’re the kind of artist that can win The Voice,” sealed the deal. I’m not sure John is so right about that, though.
Ian Harrison, 20: “The Night We Met”
This season’s token indie folky, Ian did a lovely rendition of Lord Huron’s song, dedicated to his musician father who died by suicide when Ian was 9 years old. He wasn’t a power-singer – more of a Lewis Capaldi/Damien Rice type, with oddly British-sounding rounded vowels — so the coaches took their time turning around. But Gwen, an artist who often wears her own heart on her designer sleeve, seemed particularly intrigued by Ian’s “character voice” and vulnerability. “You’re a super-interesting artist. You showed your heart, and it was very pure,” she said.
Who turned? Blake, John, and Gwen.
Result: Team Gwen, of course.
Emma Brooke, 19: “California Dreamin’”
Emma’s dramatic, slowed-to-a-crawl rendition of the Mamas & the Papas’ classic kind of reminded me of the Lion from The Masked Singer Season 1 (this was a good thing; the Lion, aka Rumer Willis, was robbed!). Emma is classically trained, and it showed, it both good ways and bad; she would do well to dirty things up herself in the future.
Who turned? John and Gwen.
Result: Team Legend. John is classically trained as well, so this pairing made the most sense.
Orlando Mendez, 26: “Beer Never Broke My Heart”
This one could have gone either way. As a Cuban-American singer born in Miami – Camila’s hometown –Camila seemed like an obvious coach for Orlando. But… Orlando is a country singer, who sings about beer! (Blake’s incentive/congratulatory prize to his team members this season is a customized beer cozy.) Gwen seemed to want this confident performer as well, trying to convince Orlando, “Basically, I’m country now.”
Who turned? All four coaches. Camila actually urged Blake to turn because she wanted to have the satisfaction of luring a country contestant away from Team Blake. Bold!
Result: Team Camila. “Camila, let’s do this thing, girl!” Orlando shouted. This was Camila’s second four-chair contestant of the night — and the episode was far from over.
David Andrew, 25: “Falling”
A pro background singer for the likes of Ed Sheeran, Mickey Guyton, and Kane Brown, David had stage presence and a really cool look. In fact, he kind of looked like John Legend, and had once been John’s stand-in on a TV taping, dueting with Carrie Underwood during rehearsal. But David’s “dream is to be centerstage,” and he deserves that chance. I liked his sophistication, restraint, and pure tone, as did Gwen, who called him “literally mind-blowing” and praised his “style, energy, vibe, and sparkle.”
Who turned? John and Gwen, who both gave him a standing ovation.
Result: Team Legend. Of course, David had to go with his short-haired doppelganger.
Jay Allen, 36: “‘Til You Can’t”
Jay’s mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, and died three years ago at age 54. He wrote a benefit single in her honor, “Blank States,” which eventually raised more than $50 million. Later in Monday’s episode, he performed that song for the coaches, and it was way more powerful than the more conversational Cody Johnson cover he auditioned with; in fact, it almost felt like a winning coronation song moment. But there was no denying Jay’s star quality from the get-go. Blake joked that Jay tattooed heartthrob looked like a UFC fighter, and Jay could put up a good fight on this show.
Who turned? Blake and Gwen.
Result: Team Gwen! Jay did say he has a “rock side,” so apparently that gave the country-music-moonlighting No Doubt frontwoman the edge here. “Blake, I’m a giant fan and I respect you so much, but I have to choose your wife,” Jay explained sheepishly.
Kate Kalvach, 27: “Rainbow”
The daughter of traveling musical pastors, Kate began singing secular music with the encouragement of her Czech-Republic-born husband and mentor. I expected a big churchy gospel voice, but Kate had more of a winsome indie vibe. At first I thought her enunciation was too closed-off and garbled, but when she started opening up, both vocally and emotionally, the magic happened and the coaches finally spun around. She does have a truly unique style. “I don’t think we have had anyone who can go in and out of their head voice and chest voice so flawlessly,” Gwen remarked.
Who turned? Blake, Gwen, and Camila — all at the last minute.
Result: It’s a cliffhanger! We’ll find out when the second Season 22 Blind Auditions episode airs Tuesday. Blake did his best to mute Camila as she made her big sales pitch, of course, but she just hopped up out of her chair and yelled her words of praise to Kate. Meanwhile, Kate grumbled, “Blake was my first choice, and he even fight for me,” so I don’t expect Blake’s luck to turn around in the opening minutes of Tuesday’s episode. See you then.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Coach Andy Reid blamed the turf in Arizona for injuries to two key Kansas City Chiefs players in Sunday’s win over the Cardinals.
The Chiefs lost cornerback Trent McDuffie with a hamstring injury. An ankle injury to kicker Harrison Butker forced the Chiefs to use a safety, Justin Reid, to kick two extra points and to kickoff.
“They resodded it, which is a good thing because they practice in there,” Reid said of the field at Arizona’s State Farm Stadium. “But it was a little bit loose. That’s what happens sometimes when you resod, is it’s loose.
“It was part of the Butker injury and McDuffie injury … The turf picked up and I would tell you that that did have something to do with it. If it didn’t, I would tell you that, too. So it’s not an excuse by any means, but I mean, you all can see it. Watch the tape.”
The Chiefs placed McDuffie on the injured reserve list, meaning he will miss Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium and at least three more games after that.
Butker appears unlikely to play against the Chargers. The Chiefs said he would not work in the team’s only full practice of the week on Tuesday.
The Chiefs signed kicker Matt Ammendola to their practice squad this week, and he could be promoted to the active roster in time for Thursday’s game.
SEATTLE — On the long plane ride home to Broncos Country, here’s hoping Nathaniel Hackett could sleep after an inexcusable 17-16 loss to the Seahawks, because if you ask me, Denver’s rookie coach looked clueless in Seattle.
Rather than putting the football in the hands of quarterback Russell Wilson, recently rewarded with a $245 million contract extension by the Broncos, during the final seconds of the fourth quarter, Hackett hoped and prayed that kicker Brandon McManus could make a 64-yard field to win the game.
How did that work out for you, coach?
“We just made our decision and wanted to take that shot,” Hackett said.
His explanation for a head-scratching decision during the post-game news conference was more over-caffeinated than a triple espresso, with Hackett nervously citing a sack on the Broncos’ final possession that never happened, while also doubting the ability of a Denver offense that averaged 6.8 yards on 64 snaps to produce a chunk play.
On fourth down-and-five from the Seattle 46-yard line, Wilson stood in the shotgun until Hackett called timeout and sent McManus on the field to attempt a field goal longer than has ever been made by anyone in the history of Lumen Field.
The “46-yard line left hash was my line to get to. They got it there,” McManus posted on Twitter. “Need to make the kick.”
While we can all appreciate McManus taking responsibility, Hackett put his kicker in a position to fail. During a distinguished NFL career, McManus has now made one of eight attempts from beyond 60 yards.
A year ago, NFL offenses converted 49% of the time in fourth-and-5 situations. I’m a knucklehead. So you do the math and tell me if Hackett played the odds correctly.
“I believe in Coach Hackett. I believe in what we’re doing,” said Wilson, whose 101.3 quarterback rating against his former team was worthy of a quarterback on the road to a place of honor in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
So why take Wilson out of the game when there was plenty of time on the clock to complete a pass, call timeout and put McManus in a much more reasonable position to make a field goal?
“Russell is a dangerous person, especially in short yardage. He can make a lot of things happen,” Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Niwosu said. “When they took him out of the game and brought the field-goal unit out, I was like: ‘OK, maybe they don’t trust him in that situation.’ ”
From beginning to end, the Broncos played like a poorly coached team led by an inexperienced defensive coordinator, a first-time offensive coordinator and Hackett, who has never been forced to face the music for game-management mistakes that turned Vic Fangio into a pinata for irked Denver die-hards.
There was horrendously bad tackling and blown defensive assignments, including the miscommunication that allowed tight end Will Dissly to romp wild and free for a 38-yard touchdown on Seattle’s opening drive of the game. There were so many brain-dead penalties I lost count of all the yellow hankies littered at the feet of the Broncos.
It was almost as if the Denver defense went on summer vacation instead of getting down to the business of football fundamentals during the preseason. Wait, what? Oh, never mind. Hackett believes August was made for hugs, not tackling.
I know Broncos Country took the name of Uncle Vic in vain, but after watching this team make Geno Smith look like Patrick Mahomes, it was enough to make a fella wonder if maybe Denver should’ve retained Fangio as defensive coordinator. Read this and try not to weep: A lightly regarded, journeyman pro who became the Seahawks’ starting quarterback by default completed 23 of 28 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns against the Broncos.
Validation for Smith, turned out by the Jets, Giants and Chargers before finding a home in Seattle?
“I’ve always felt validated,” he said. “So this win doesn’t do it for me.”
The design of the quick-strike, short-pass plays by Hackett was nothing short of brilliant. Not only was Wilson surgically precise at hitting receivers in space for yards after the catch, he was sacked only twice while dropping back to pass 44 times.
But did Hackett crib his game plan for the red zone from folders that former offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur forgot to clean out from his desk?
With a chance to take the lead on consecutive drives in the third quarter, the Broncos fumbled twice with the football snapped less than a yard away from the Seattle end zone. The first turnover was committed by Melvin Gordon, and the second miscue occurred when Javonte Williams dropped the ball. The real big boo-boo, however, was Hackett out-smarting himself by running a shotgun formation that eliminated a simple quarterback sneak from his options at the goal line.
With a bad moon rising in Seattle, Wilson got served a big slice of humble pie by the famously rowdy fans known in Seattle as the “12s,” which booed him relentlessly all night long.
And the honeymoon for Hackett in Denver? It’s over. In his debut, he acted like a head coach not yet ready for prime time.
The Broncos’ time to win is now. If you want to defend Hackett’s decision to take the football out of Wilson’s hands and put game on the foot of McManus for a 64-yard field goal, I’ve got one question for you:
ARLINGTON, Texas — Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said Monday that left tackle Donovan Smith has a hyperextended right elbow and his availability will be dictated by his pain tolerance level.
Bowles also said he does not believe Pro Bowl wide receiver Chris Godwin’s hamstring injury — which he suffered in the second quarter — is “as serious as we thought it was.”
It was Godwin’s first game back since recovering from a torn ACL and MCL, which he suffered Dec. 19 last season, and undergoing surgery Jan. 3.
“It all depends on how his treatment goes and how he heals,” Bowles said of Godwin. “But hopefully we’ll have him back sooner rather than later.”
Smith left the 19-3 Bucs victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the second quarter following a Micah Parsons sack and did not return.
“He’s pretty sore right now,” Bowles said of Smith, the Bucs’ starting left tackle in his eighth season. “We’ll monitor him during the week.”
Bowles said it is possible that Smith can play this week.
“We’ll see how he feels, yeah,” Bowles said.
The Bucs face the Saints on the road this week and have not had a regular-season win at New Orleans since Sept. 9, 2018.
The Saints’ defense has largely dictated the outcome of recent games against the Bucs, with New Orleans delivering a 9-0 shutout in Tampa last season.
LINCOLN, Neb. — Kyle Vantrease scored on an 8-yard run with 36 seconds left after Nebraska had taken its first lead, and Georgia Southern defeated the three-touchdown-favorite Cornhuskers 45-42 on Saturday night.
The Huskers’ Timmy Bleekrode was wide left with a 52-yard field goal attempt as time ran out, and Georgia Southern players ran onto the field to celebrate the program’s first win in 13 games against Power Five opponents.
It was also the third major upset of the day from Sun Belt Conference programs. Before the Eagles worked their magic, Marshall upended Notre Dame and Appalachian State knocked off Texas A&M. All three wins were on the road.
The loss again turns up the pressure on embattled Nebraska coach Scott Frost, who now faces a home game next week against No. 7 Oklahoma.
“That one hurt,” Frost said. “We win as a team and lose as a team, and we got beat today. We got beat on schemes, and I didn’t really have an answer.
“They got after us.”
The Huskers (1-2) had come into the Georgia Southern game 214-0 when scoring at least 35 points at Memorial Stadium. The Eagles (2-0) piled up 642 yards, none bigger than the 75 they moved in 11 plays for the winning touchdown.
Vantrease converted a fourth-and-2 pass and threw 27 yards to Khaleb Hood before he took off up the middle on a designed quarterback run for the go-ahead score.
Casey Thompson moved the Huskers from their 23 to the Eagles’ 34 before Bleekrode pulled his field-goal try to the left.
Nebraska had taken the lead on Thompson’s 1-yard run with 3:05 left after Marques Buford’s second interception of the game turned back the Eagles as they tried to build on a three-point lead.
Thompson led the Huskers 98 yards in 15 plays. Thompson and Anthony Grant churned out yards on the ground and Marcus Washington made a catch at the 1 that was upheld on video review before Thompson went over the pile at the goal line.
The victory comes in only the second game for Georgia Southern coach Clay Helton, and it came almost a year to the day that Southern California fired him two games into his seventh season.
“I’m so proud of our boys,” Helton said.
Vantrease, who was quarterback for Buffalo when it lost at Nebraska last year, was 37 of 56 for 409 yards. Gerald Green ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns and Jalen Allen had 85 yards and two scores.
“They ran a lot of what we had already seen,” Frost said of Georgia Southern, “but I don’t think we won very many one-on-one matchups.”
Thompson ran for three touchdowns and was 23 of 34 for 318 yards and a score. Grant carried 27 times for 138 yards and a score.
The Eagles began the transition from the Championship Subdivision to the Bowl Subdivision in 2013, the same year they defeated Florida for their only other win over a Power Five team.
During his shift to QB1 over the offseason, second-year quarterback Trey Lance has been constantly praised for the leadership he showed both on and off the field.
When coach Kyle Shanahan announced the team captains on Wednesday and Lance wasn’t one of the six players named, the 22-year-old QB was very understanding.
Shanahan explained why Lance was kept off the list of leaders.
“I don’t look into it that much, he was seventh in the voting. I just didn’t want to put seven on there,” Shanahan revealed to reporters on Wednesday. “Deebo [Samuel] was eight — that’s why I mentioned his name on accident. We just wanted to go with six. They don’t allow eight to the coin toss, I don’t believe. It’s also his first year of starting for us. There’s not many rookies who end up being the captains. I know this is his second year, but he’s a rookie for us in terms of this is his first time being our starting quarterback.”
Even though captains are strictly voted for by the players, Shanahan still has some kind of say in the vote.
After seeing who the six players with the most votes were, Shanahan decided to keep it as is.
“I always get the final tally, and I could cheat if I wanted to,” Shanahan said. “I actually didn’t at all. I agreed with all their choices, and I just made the decision not to have eight of them.”
While Lance might not be a captain on paper, his leadership in his new role is expected to continuously grow.
After all, he’s barely entering his second season with San Francisco.
RELATED: No excuses: 49ers’ Lance holds himself to highest standard
Being a captain someday is a goal for Lance though, and Shanahan shared whether he thinks this year’s decision will impact what he expects from Lance as a leader.
“Yeah, captains are more. We got a lot of people we treat like captains,” Shanahan said. “I respect the hell out of our captains, and our team does obviously, too, because they voted on them. But that’s not everything to me at all.”
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AUSTIN, Texas — Steve Sarkisian hasn’t forgotten, and he won’t forget.
There’s no way he could, especially not this week with Nick Saban and the No. 1 Crimson Tide coming to town.
To most in the college football world, Saban is the guy who has led Alabama to a staggering six national championships, the guy who has transcended college football in myriad different ways and the guy who has built a dynasty the likes of which the sport may not see again any time soon.
But for Sarkisian, Saban is, simply, the guy who “saved my career.”
As big a game as it will be for Texas when Alabama visits DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday — and as big a game as it is for Sarkisian to show that the Longhorns are on the right trajectory after suffering through a losing season in his first year at the helm — he says he will forever be indebted to his old boss.
“I’ve said this numerous times, but I would not be the head coach at Texas if it weren’t for Nick Saban,” Sarkisian told ESPN. “He gave me a chance when I had a hard time getting an interview, never mind a job. There were days that I thought, ‘Man, I’m never going to be a head coach again. I’m never going to be an offensive coordinator again. I’m never going to get another job.’
“But Coach Saban took a chance on me when I needed somebody to believe in me again.”
Sarkisian’s issues with alcohol have been well chronicled and led to his firing at USC five games into the 2015 season when then-athletic director Pat Haden said Sarkisian’s “conduct did not meet USC’s standards” and that Sarkisian was “not healthy.” Sarkisian has talked openly about his alcoholism and says he hasn’t held anything back from his players at Texas.
“I’m really transparent with my players. I’m really open. I’m really honest,” Sarkisian said. “I share my story about where I was in my career at 33 or 34 years old as head coach at the University of Washington, then being fired publicly on national television at USC and then going to a treatment facility for 30 days.”
Sarkisian needed a chance to rebuild his career, and there was no better place to do that than at Alabama under Saban, who has helped to resurrect more than a few coaches’ prospects.
“Sark is the one who did the work,” Saban told ESPN. “We supported him and made sure there were the right resources and people in place to help him, as we have with many others. But, listen, he saved his own career by doing a great job for us and rehabbing himself professionally, and I’m not just talking about personally, but professionally in a really, really positive way that impacted our program greatly and helped us be successful here.”
Saban actually took two chances on Sarkisian, whose Longhorns opened the season with a 52-10 victory over Louisiana-Monroe. The first came when Saban hired Sarkisian as an offensive analyst just before the start of the 2016 season, which was a complete surprise to Sarkisian. In fact, he had already committed to being a part of Fox’s broadcast team that season and had no plans (or opportunities) to coach.
He was on Alabama’s campus that summer as part of his own mini-tour where he spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons on the NFL side and Florida and Alabama on the college side.
Tuscaloosa just happened to be his final stop.
“I was spending three to five days at every spot, just trying to tap into where my friends were coaching and try to stay connected to the game,” Sarkisian said. “I’d never had an August where I wasn’t in training camp.” One of the main reasons he went to Alabama at all was to reconnect with old pal Lane Kiffin, the Tide’s offensive coordinator. They were together at USC as co-offensive coordinators under Pete Carroll and have remained close.
During Sarkisian’s visit to Alabama, Saban had Sarkisian watching tape and drawing up plays on the whiteboard.
“Every day, it was like, ‘Watch this, watch that and tell me what you think of this, what you think of that,'” Sarkisian recounted. “Coach Saban doesn’t miss anything. He’s always picking your brain.”
Ultimately, Sarkisian said it was Kiffin who was “kind of the champion behind a lot of it” and tossed out the idea of joining Alabama’s staff as an analyst. Sure enough, Saban offered him a position, but Sarkisian was unsure if he wanted to take it.
“I went back and forth and back and forth and agreed to take the job at Alabama, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Sarkisian said.
Little did he know that he would be calling plays in the national championship game later that season after Saban parted ways with Kiffin following a 24-7 win over Washington in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Kiffin had planned to stay on for the championship game after agreeing to take the Florida Atlantic head job, but Saban had other ideas after seeing the Tide struggle on offense in the win over the Huskies.
“Definitely one of the more unique experiences of my career,” Sarkisian said of the 35-31 national championship game loss to Clemson.
Sarkisian had already been hired as Kiffin’s successor, but his first stint as Alabama’s offensive coordinator lasted less than two months. He left Feb. 7 to be the Falcons’ offensive coordinator, replacing Kyle Shanahan, who was named the San Francisco 49ers’ head coach. But after two years with Atlanta, Sarkisian was fired as part of a shakeup on the Falcons’ staff.
Saban admittedly wasn’t pleased Sarkisian bolted so quickly, but took a second chance on him after Mike Locksley left to take the Maryland head-coaching job following the 2018 season and then Dan Enos left abruptly to be Miami’s offensive coordinator. Sarkisian was all set to stay in the NFL and take a job as the Arizona Cardinals’ offensive coordinator when Saban called again.
“In my mind, I was staying in the NFL, but had to take a step back and look at myself and say, ‘You know what? Here’s a man that offered me a job when no one even wanted to interview me,'” Sarkisian said. “‘Here’s a man that entrusted me to call a national championship game when I had been an analyst all year long. Here’s a man that hired me as offensive coordinator and I left a few months later … and he’s still calling me to come back?’
“I felt like at that time I owed him. He extended me an olive branch, and I don’t know how much I really appreciated that and how much I acknowledged that.”
Under Sarkisian’s tutelage, Alabama’s offense put up record-setting numbers. The Tide averaged 47.2 points per game in 2019, second only to national champion LSU.
After that season, Sarkisian turned down head-coaching opportunities at Colorado and Mississippi State to stay at Alabama.
“I thought to myself, ‘You know, I think there’s a better job out there for me, and I’ve got unfinished business,'” Sarkisian said. “We didn’t win a national championship. We were good enough. We were talented enough. I didn’t do a good enough job. It was the right thing for me, for the program and for Coach Saban to stay another year.”
Sarkisian became an even hotter commodity in 2020 as the Crimson Tide rolled through the season unbeaten on their way to a national championship, and did so while playing an all-SEC schedule during the COVID-impacted regular season. The Tide again finished second nationally in scoring offense (48.5 points per game) with first-year full-time quarterback Mac Jones playing his way into being an NFL first-round draft pick and receiver DeVonta Smith winning the Heisman Trophy. They scored more than 40 points in 10 straight games.
As the College Football Playoff approached, Sarkisian turned down an opportunity to interview for the Auburn head-coaching job.
“There were a couple of opportunities, but they weren’t the right ones for me,” Sarkisian said. “But then Texas came … very late.”
And very quickly.
Texas announced Sarkisian’s hiring Jan. 2, 2021, about five hours after announcing that Tom Herman was out as coach.
“Then, it felt right,” Sarkisian said. “We were going to play for a national title, and I felt like I fulfilled what I owed to Coach Saban. Plus, it was Texas.”
Saban’s Alabama program has been something of a haven for coaches looking for second chances, whether they were fired at their previous stops for not winning enough or for other reasons. Saban said the ones who have received second chances all had one thing in common.
They were committed to helping themselves.
“I’ve given several people chances, and they’ve all done really, really well, whether it was Lane, who had lots of baggage, or Mike Locksley, who had a negative past, and then Sark,” Saban said. “I think people learn a lot sometimes when things go badly, and it makes them aware that there are some changes that need to be made.
“It wasn’t because I told them. They did it themselves, did a great job here and earned their opportunities.”
Texas will have to earn its way back to national relevance after going 12 straight years without as much as a conference championship. The Longhorns have had almost as many head coaches (four) as they’ve had winning seasons (six) over the last decade. Sarkisian knows what the pinnacle of college football looks like. He’s seen it up close.
“It’s been Alabama for the last decade and a half,” Sarkisian said. “And at the end of day, we should also be one of those teams at the pinnacle, and that’s what we’re striving to do.”
