Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here are some names to know for the Bengals at the trade deadline.
The Cincinnati Bengals could be on the hunt for upgrades before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.
Sitting at 5-3 as a serious contender has a way of doing that to a team.
While the Bengals aren’t known for making big splashes, they have a few areas of need they could address at the deadline and plenty of tradeable players and draft picks to offer up.
Here are some possible names to keep in mind — both big and small — that might make some sense as possible Bengals targets.
College Football Roundup Week 9: Gary Patterson parting ways with TCU, Georgia’s win over Florida, and Michigan State’s massive moment over Michigan, they’re the winners, losers, overrated aspects and underrated things from this past weekend.
College football Week 9 roundup with the 5 things that matter, winners and losers, overrated and underrated parts of the weekend, and what it all means.
Week 9 Roundup
CFN 1-130 Rankings | Bowl Projections
Week 9 scoreboard, all the predictions
Week 10 opening lines | AP | Coaches
College Football Playoff Top 25 Prediction
Big Game Reaction: MSU, Georgia, OSU, more
Ranking the 15 Teams Still Alive For Playoff
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– MSU’s statement: One Really Big Thing
– UGA-Florida: Most Overrated Thing
– Gary Patterson: Most Underrated Thing
– Welcome to November What It All Means, Week 9
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
Winner: Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker
How do you go from being a relative no-name to the Heisman front-runner? You set the foundation with a strong start to the season, you have a few big games here and there to generate a buzz, and then when everyone is watching and you’re on the big stage, you beat your biggest rival by rushing for 197 yards and five touchdowns in a 37-33 win.
Loser: Everyone else in the Heisman race
With Walker’s monster performance against Michigan – and with Ole Miss QB Matt Corral losing to Auburn, Texas RB Bijan Robinson and Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler long out of the picture, and with Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei not even a thought – the 2021 Heisman race has come down to Walker, Alabama’s Bryce Young once he has a signature moment, and the entire Georgia defense. And …
Winner: Oklahoma QB Caleb Williams
As debuts go, this one is a whopper. Already in the midst of an amazing few weeks ever since he took over the 2021 season with his fourth down run for a score against Texas, he took it up a few notches with a 402-yard, six-touchdown pass day against Texas Tech.
In just over five games he has hit 72% of his passes averaging 11 yards per throw with 14 touchdowns and one pick. That, and 281 rushing yards and four touchdowns, and more signature Heisman moments than the rest of the field combined.
Loser: Texas
To go way-painfully dated with the reference, if Williams is the best debut since Pearl Jam’s Ten, then Texas is every hair metal band after the release of that and Nirvana’s Nevermind.
The Longhorns were rolling right along on the way to a blowout win over Oklahoma and an almost certain run to the Big 12 championship, and then came that run by Williams. Texas melted down and still hasn’t recovered. After losing at Baylor, it’s now on a three-game losing streak with work to do at 4-4 just to go bowling.
Winner: The Paul Bunyan Axe game
From out of absolutely nowhere, things are starting to set up for the Wisconsin trip to Minnesota on November 27th to be a giant deal in the Big Ten race. There’s a great chance the winner goes to the Big Ten Championship.
After blowing out Northwestern, the Gophers are rolling on a four-game winning streak after the weird loss to Bowling Green. They have to deal with Illinois, at Iowa, and Indiana before getting the Badgers.
Wisconsin rumbled over Purdue and the D stuffed Iowa. The offense has stopped screwing up, and the defense continues to be a brick wall. It gets at Rutgers, Northwestern, Nebraska, and then the trip to Minneapolis.
Loser: Conference USA’s possible showcase moment
It could’ve been so amazing, and it should still be a good game. UTEP made it a fight in a 28-25 loss to Florida Atlantic. Had it won, it would’ve been 7-1 going into its showdown against unbeaten UTSA. It would’ve been a shot for Conference USA to have enjoyed some positive national attention for a bit – and it could still happen in a light week of big games overall.
Winner: Washington State Cougars
How was Wazzu going to recover from an ugly 1-3 start? How could it go on after the school’s uglier breakup with head coach Nick Rolovich? It moved forward by winning, going 4-1 in the last five games.
After shocking Arizona State 34-21, and thanks to an earlier win over Oregon State, Washington State is in a position to take the Pac-12 North if it can win out against at Oregon, Arizona, and at Washington.
Loser: All those who had Florida State +9.5 and/or the under on the 48 point total vs Clemson
You are not alone … you are not alone … you are not alone …
– MSU’s statement: One Really Big Thing
– UGA-Florida: Most Overrated Thing
– Gary Patterson: Most Underrated Thing
– Welcome to November What It All Means, Week 9
Who has the easiest and hardest paths among the teams still realistically in the College Football Playoff chase? Here’s our ranking of the 15 teams still alive and their ease of possibly getting in.
Who’s still alive in the chase to get into the 2021-2022 College Football Playoff? After Week 9, here’s our ranking of the 15 teams still in the mix.
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– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
Week 9 Roundup What It All Means
CFN 1-130 Rankings | Bowl Projections
Week 9 scoreboard, all the predictions
Week 10 opening lines | AP | Coaches
College Football Playoff Top 25 Prediction
Big Game Reaction: MSU, Georgia, OSU, more
Six teams tapped out of the chase among those with a realistic shot of getting into the College Football Playoff.
There’s always something crazy that could happen, but you’re almost certainly not getting in if you’re a Power Five program with multiple losses, or a Group of Five team with one loss. It might not seem fair, and this needs to change with an expanded playoff, but that’s the deal.
Pitt, Iowa, Kentucky, Ole Miss, San Diego State, and SMU – thanks. The New Year’s Six bowls are still on the table by winning out and catching a break, but the College Football Playoff? Nah.
So now we’re down to 15 teams out of 130 who are are still alive for this thing. We rank their chances of getting in from the ones who need the most help, to the ones who still control their own respective destinies.
This isn’t a College Football Playoff ranking projection – that’s this. This is all based on likelihood of getting in and the clearest paths. Starting with the dreamiest of the dreamy …
It’s not happening, but with San Diego State losing to Fresno State and SMU dropping a thriller to Houston, there’s Cincinnati, there’s UTSA, and that’s it for the unbeatens among the Group of Five programs.
UTSA would need to win out against at UTEP, Southern Miss, UAB, and at North Texas – and then win the Conference USA Championship – doing it with the types of blowouts that Cincinnati isn’t getting against its weak slate. It would also need the entire Power Five conference world to melt down.
Again, it’s not happening, but getting a New Year’s Six bowl could be on the table no matter what Cincinnati does.
No, a two-loss team has never made it into the College Football Playoff. However, A&M has the win over Alabama – that’s the key to the dream of getting in.
Win out against Auburn, at Ole Miss, Prairie View A&M, and at LSU, and hope for one stunning defeat by Alabama somewhere – maybe against LSU on the wrong day, or Arkansas, or at Auburn – and it’s off to the SEC Championship. Win that, and no way, no how, no chance is the team that Alabama, and Georgia will be left out.
But, again, it only works with an Alabama loss somewhere.
This one is totally not fair, but Notre Dame has a rock-hard Cincinnati ceiling it might not be able to bust through.
Remember, these rankings are based on who has the clearest paths and who controls their own destiny.
The Irish will be a top ten team in the College Football Playoff rankings and will move up to around the top five, but even if Cincinnati loses once, that 24-13 home loss is a killer.
Notre Dame would need to win out – Navy, at Virginia, Georgia Tech, at Stanford – and hope for a whole bunch of multi-loss Power Five champions.
Again, this about being in control, and Notre Dame isn’t as long as Cincinnati keeps winning. However, it’s the same deal for …
Cincinnati is going to be in the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings at some point, if not be up there in the first batch that comes out on Tuesday, November 2nd.
Here’s the problem.
Once the entire regular season is over – including the conference championship – the College Football Playoff committee has the unwritten rule of starting with this one big question.
“Did you win your Power Five conference championship?”
That’s followed up by, “did you win going unbeaten or finish 12-1?”
DO NOT ASSUME that Cincinnati being in the top four means it’s going to stay there. It needs Wake Forest to lose – probably twice – and it will. It needs Oregon to lose – it probably will – and it can’t have Alabama winning the SEC Championship and be 12-1 along with Georgia finishing 12-1.
It can’t have an unbeaten or one-loss Big Ten champion or an unbeaten or one-loss Big 12 champion to go along with two other viable options. A whole lot of things have to go right for a 13-0 Cincinnati to get in.
For what it’s worth, we think it’ll happen, but Cincinnati doesn’t control its path, and for now, neither does …
11. Michigan Wolverines (7-1)
There’s a funky scenario that hasn’t been discussed and almost certainly won’t happen, but it’s worth a theoretical hypothetical – if that can be such a thing.
Michigan State wins out and goes 13-0, and Michigan wins out by beating Indiana, at Penn State, at Maryland, Ohio State. Because that 37-33 loss on the road to the Spartans was such a close fight – unlike, say, Texas A&M’s only loss at Alabama last year a 52-24 blowout – would both brothers get in?
That’s almost certainly not going to happen on any level. Here’s the more likely scenario, if you can buy into the idea that Michigan can beat Ohio State.
Either 1) Michigan State loses twice – with the remaining Spartans’ schedule, that’s possible; more on that in a moment – or 2) Ohio State beats Michigan State and Michigan wins out, which would then likely help the Wolverines because the win over Wisconsin would potentially be the difference in the Big Ten East tie-breaker world …
Again, more on that in a bit.
The #49ers’ backfield-by-committee approach is over. Elijah Mitchell is firmly RB1 in San Francisco.
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The 49ers’ running-back-by-committee approach is officially a thing of the past. A remnant of years past when San Francisco didn’t have a back who was capable of producing regularly and durable enough to shoulder a lion’s share of the workload. Rookie sixth-round pick Elijah Mitchell has changed the script for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s running back usage.
There were several reasons for the committee approach at running back during the first four years of Shanahan’s tenure, but it was never the ideal design. Carlos Hyde carried most of the load in 2017, but Matt Breida and Alfred Morris shared a backfield in 2018. In 2019 it was Tevin Coleman, Raheem Mostert and Breida. Last season Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr. and Jerick McKinnon all saw semi-regular carries.
Now the backfield belongs to Mitchell, and that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon.
He’s the team’s leader in carries with 81 after notching 18 in Sunday’s win over the Bears. It’s the fourth time this season he’s had more than 17 carries, something Mostert has only done twice in the regular season. Breida and Coleman only did it twice apiece as well. Only Wilson has done that more times since 2018, and he did it four times across three seasons.
Keep on pushing!
📺 #SFvsCHI on FOX pic.twitter.com/ZA1oYE9oZO
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 31, 2021
The only other player getting any kind of carries is JaMycal Hasty, who’s mostly working on third down. He has 12 attempts this season, but five of those came in Week 2 when he was pushed into a bigger role by other injuries in the backfield. He’s had three attempts in each of San Francisco’s last two games.
Rookie third-round pick Trey Sermon is actually second on the team in rush attempts with 31, but he’s been phased out of the offense entirely. He has 31 carries, but only one over the last three weeks. He had 29 carries in the two weeks Mitchell was sidelined, but Mitchell’s return relegated Sermon back to a bench role.
It’s hard to fault the 49ers for leaning on their sixth-round pick. With Mostert out for the year, their rushing attack was missing an explosive, big-play element. Mitchell’s style makes him a perfect replacement, and he’s turned it into an extremely productive first five games. He’s up to 433 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 81 carries.
The 49ers have plenty of talent in their backfield, but the committee has been disbanded. Mitchell is their lead back, and at this rate it’s difficult to see San Francisco going another route any time soon.
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Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.
| SUNDAY SALUTES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | Pass-Rush | TD |
| Tom Brady | 375 – 2 | 4 |
| Mike White | 405 – (-1) | 3 |
| Josh Allen | 249 – 55 | 3 |
| Justin Fields | 175 – 103 | 2 |
| Jimmy Garoppolo | 322 – 4 | 2 |
| Running Backs | Yards | TD |
| Michael Carter | 15-77 rush 9-95 catch |
1 |
| Joe Mixon | 14-33 rush 4-58 catch |
2 |
| Austin Ekeler | 11-64 rush 6-60 catch |
1 |
| Aaron Jones | 15-59 rush 7-51 catch |
1 |
| Darrell Henderson | 14-90 rush 1-3 catch |
1 |
| Wide Receivers | Yards | TD |
| A.J. Brown | 10-155 | 1 |
| Michael Pittman | 10-86 | 2 |
| Chris Godwin | 8-140 | 1 |
| Robert Woods | 3-57 | 2 |
| Cooper Kupp | 7-115 | 1 |
| Tight Ends | Yards | TD |
| Pat Freiermuth | 4-44 | 1 |
| Brevin Jordan | 3-41 | 1 |
| Jesse James | 3-38 | 1 |
| T.J. Hockenson | 10-89 | 0 |
| Geoff Swaim | 4-23 | 1 |
| Placekickers | XP | FG |
| Zane Gonzalez | 1 | 4 |
| Joey Slye | 1 | 4 |
| Jake Elliott | 5 | 3 |
| Nick Folk | 1 | 4 |
| Randy Bullock | 4 | 2 |
| Defense | Sack-TO | TD |
| Eagles | 6 – 1 | 1 |
| Saints | 3 – 3 | 1 |
| Patriots | 3 – 2 | 1 |
| Titans | 1 – 3 | 1 |
| Broncos | 5-2 | 0 |
QB Sam Darnold – Concussion
QB Jameis Winston – Knee
RB Damien Williams – Knee
RB James Robinson – Ankle
RB Justin Jackson – Quad
RB Derrick Henry – Foot
TE Robert Tonyan – ACL
TE Rob Gronkowski – Back spasms
WR Denzel Mims – Finger
WR T.Y. Hilton – Concussion
WR Jalen Reagor – Ankle
WR Calvin Ridley – Stepping away
PK Chris Boswell – Concussion
QB Sam Darnold (CAR) – Suffered a concussion in the win over the Falcons and entered the league protocol. P.J. Walker will be the starter this week when the Panthers host the Patriots if Darnold remains out.
QB Jameis Winston (NO) – Believed to have suffered a torn ACL, but an MRI will confirm the damage. Taysom Hill is expected to clear the concussion protocol by this week so he’ll likely be available. But then do the Saints use Hill as a starter? Will they stick with Trevor Siemian? Or will they pick up Cam Newton? They’ll be adding a quarterback if Winston is out for the year, the question is if it will just be a warm body at the bottom of the depth chart or will they look for someone with the potential to be the starter?
Oh yes, and the NFL trade deadline is Tuesday afternoon. That suddenly gets interesting. The Saints host the Falcons this week, so there’s a chance for someone to step in and look good.
RB James Robinson (JAC) – Injured during the loss to the Seahawks, head coach Urban Meyer said that Robinson bruised his heel. The extent of the injury and length of time to recover won’t be known until Monday at the earliest. Carlos Hyde took his place in the game and would do so this week when they host the Bills if needed.
RB Derrick Henry (TEN) – Left the field and had his foot examined but later returned. He gained just 68 yards on 28 carries so his huge workload continues, but he’s been so indestructible that it’s the first sign that maybe he is getting too much work.
TE Rob Gronkowski (TB) – Only lasted for two series before he was pulled from the game with back spasms. He’s battled back issues at times in his career but the prognosis won’t be made until Monday. It is concerning that he’s going from one injury to the next so quickly, but it could be related to his previous rib injury.
TE Robert Tonyan (GB) – Tore his ACL in the Thursday night win at the Cardinals and is lost for the season. The Packers have Marcedes Lewis and Josiah Deguara who caught two passes in the game. There is speculation that they could trade for another tight end, but it is more likely they’ll stand pat on their roster. The tight end position hasn’t been very productive this year anyway.
WR T.Y. Hilton (IND) – Speaking of the often injured, Hilton returned from his neck injury and just picked up a new concussion. He contemplated retirement already, and this string of injuries don’t confirm that he made the right choice to return.
WR Jalen Reagor (PHI) – Was carted from the field with an ankle injury in the blowout win over the Lions. Reagor hasn’t been productive this year, and his absence won’t leave any major hole to fill. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside is his backup, but if he misses games, it would most likely just result in a couple of more targets for Quez Watkins or Devonta Smith.
WR Calvin Ridley (ATL) – Was inactive for personal reasons on Sunday, and then he tweeted during the game that he was stepping away from football to focus on his mental wellbeing. We wish him well and respect the tough decision that he felt was in his best interest. Tajae Sharpe took his place and led the Falcons with five receptions for 58 yards in the loss to the Panthers. This could make Russell Gage as the primary wideout now though he had no targets on Sunday. It makes Kyle Pitts likely to be the No. 1 receiver if he can handle it. The Falcons play at the Saints this week and have to figure out how they want to juggle their receivers.
Trade Deadline – With all the injuries, the trade deadline may be more active than originally expected. The deadline is Tuesday, November 4 at 4 PM EST.
Falcons receivers – The Panthers secondary had no problem handling the Falcons wideouts and now that they are officially without Calvin Ridley, they have to reinvent this unit. They went from 2020 with Ridley and Julio Jones, with Russell Gage in the slot, to Tajae Sharpe and Gage who is now miscast as an outside receiver. The Falcons have one of the kinder schedules but there’s no certainty any of these receivers can step up. Gage was active, was on the field, and never had a pass thrown to him. Sharpe has never been more than depth on any team. And Olamide Zaccheaus totaled eight catches on the year. Gage may seem to be the best bet, but his success was last year as the No. 3 between Ridley and Julio Jones. He doesn’t seem capable of stepping into a primary role.
WR DeVante Parker (MIA) – Returned after missing three games and led the Dolphins with eight catches for 85 yards. Parker collected 11 targets which were second only to Jaylen Waddle (12) with just four catches for 29 yards in the loss at the Bills.
TE Tommy Sweeney (BUF) – The Bills lost Dawson Knox in Week 6, and Sweeney takes his place. Dawson broke his hand and is out for an indeterminant amount of time. Sweeny caught a touchdown in Week 6 on his only catch that extended the Bills’ tight end scoring streak to five games. That streak ended on Sunday, but Sweeny accounted for three catches for 30 yards for his best game.
QB Justin Fields (CHI) – Maybe it was because head coach Matt Nagy was out with COVID or maybe it was something else. But while the Bears lost the game, Fields looked more dangerous than in any previous week. He completed 19-of-27 passes for 175 yards and one score and ran for a season-best 103 yards on ten rushes. He still hasn’t connected well with Allen Robinson, but using his legs more adds a needed element to the offense.
Eagles Backfield – This is getting hard to track. Miles Sanders is on injured reserve with an ankle issue, and the Eagles called up Jordan Howard from the practice squad. They split all the rushing work up almost perfectly between the three backs of Boston Scott (12-60, 2 TD), Howard (12-57, 2 TD), and Kenneth Gainwell (13-27) who was given almost every carry during the mop-up time in the fourth quarter. And yet, none registered a catch but it was a blowout win over the Lions. This week the Chargers show up with a below-average defense against running backs, and there’s no telling what to expect.
WR Brandin Cooks (HOU) – He was a Top-12 wideout this week and he’s one of those fantasy rarities that produces nearly all of his production at the end of games when the opponent is already substituting players and trying to just go home. This week, Cooks had two catches for 16 yards by midway through the fourth quarter but then logged four catches for 67 yards and a touchdown in the final minutes. It all counts.
TE Brevin Jordan (HOU) – The Texans’ fifth-round pick was this rookie out of Miami who generated some hype in the summer. He’s been inactive until Sunday when he caught 3-of-4 targets for 41 yards and a touchdown in his debut. This is more notable because the Texans are 1-7 and will look at new players for the rest of the season and for next year.
QB Mike White (NYJ) – The first start in his three-year NFL career was one for the record books. He threw for 405 yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Bengals. Zach Wilson’s best effort so far was only 297 yards and two scores against the Titans in Week 4. White mostly used his two starting running backs that combined for 14 catches and 166 yards, but he connected with ten receivers, and eight had at least two or more catches. He’ll start next week at the Colts, but there will be a little game film on him for the Colts to study.
WR Jamal Agnew (JAC) – On a day that Trevor Lawrence mostly looked for tight end Dan Arnold (8-68) and running back Carlos Hyde (6-40), it was notable that Agnew continues to expand his role in the offense. He caught six passes for 38 yards and the lone touchdown, and his 12 targets led the team.
RB J.D. McKissic (WAS) – The third-down back started the season with fewer catches but led Washington with eight catches for 83 yards in the loss to the Broncos. That makes two of the last three games with eight receptions.
WR Jerry Jeudy (DEN) – He injured his ankle in the season opener and just this week was taken off the injured reserve. He only caught four passes for 39 yards in his return, but that was a team high for receptions in the win over Washington. The Broncos play at the Cowboys this week and Teddy Bridgewater will need to throw more than 26 passes in that game.
RB Mark Ingram (NO) – His first game back with the Saints saw Ingram run for 27 yards on six carries and catch two passes for 25 yards. That was impressive for just arriving there and he’ll offer more in the coming weeks. Alvin Kamara still ran 19 times in the win over the Buccaneers, and needs to scale that level of work back so he can last the season.
QB Cooper Rush (DAL) – His first NFL start after four years in the league couldn’t have gone much better. Rush passed for 325 yards and two touchdowns and produced two 100-yard receivers in Amari Cooper (8-122, TD) and CeeDee Lamb (6-112). Dak Prescott is likely to return this week, but Rush pulled off the win at the Vikings to extend the Cowboys’ winning streak to six games.
Michael Carter – The Jets’ rookie started the season locked into a maddening three-way committee but eventually became the primary back on a bad offense with a bad offensive line during a bad season. No matter – Carter ran for 77 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries in the win over the Bengals and caught a team high nine passes for 95 yards.
Salute!
| Comedy | Yards | TDs | Tragedy | Yards | TDs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Mike White | 405 | 3 | QB | Kyler Murray | 295 | 0 |
| RB | Ty Johnson | 86 | 1 | RB | James Robinson | 39 | 0 |
| RB | Boston Scott | 60 | 2 | RB | Nick Chubb | 69 | 0 |
| WR | Cole Beasley | 110 | 0 | WR | Devonta Smith | 15 | 0 |
| WR | DeAndre Carter | 51 | 1 | WR | Mike Williams | 19 | 0 |
| WR | Jamal Agnew | 38 | 1 | WR | Allen Robinson | 21 | 0 |
| TE | Pat Freiermuth | 44 | 1 | TE | Kyle Pitts | 13 | 0 |
| PK | Zane Gonzalez | 1 XP 4 FG | PK | Ryan Succop | 3 XP | ||
| Huddle Fantasy Points = 129 | Huddle Fantasy Points = 31 | ||||||
Now get back to work…
Mackenzie Salmon ‘overreacts’ to the biggest storylines in the NFC after Week 8 action in the NFL.
Mackenzie Salmon ‘overreacts’ to the biggest storylines in the NFC after Week 8 action in the NFL.
Now that November is here, the bowl projections and College Football Playoff predictions get more serious. How does the post-season shape up with just over a month to go?
2021 College Football News bowl projections, predictions and possible matchups for the College Football Playoff: Week 9
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All Times Eastern
Friday, December 17
ESPN, 12:00 pm
Thomas Robinson Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas
Bowl Tie-Ins: Conference USA vs. MAC
Bowl Projection: Charlotte vs Kent State
Last Year: Canceled
Friday, December 17
ESPN2, 6:00 pm
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Group of Five vs. Group of Five (or Army)
Bowl Projection: UCF vs Florida Atlantic
Last Year: Liberty 37, Coastal Carolina 34
Saturday, December 18
ESPN, 11:00 am
FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Group of Five vs. Group of Five (or Army)
Bowl Projection: Appalachian State vs WKU
Last Year: BYU 49, UCF 23
Saturday, December 18
ABC, 12:00 pm
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Bowl Tie-Ins: MEAC vs. SWAC
Bowl Projection: Norfolk State vs Jackson State
Last Year: Canceled
Saturday, December 18
ESPN, 2:15 pm
Dreamstyle Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
Bowl Tie-Ins: C-USA vs. Mountain West
Bowl Projection: UTEP vs Utah State
Last Year: Hawaii 28, Houston 14
– CFN Week 9 Rankings of All 130 Teams
Saturday, December 18
ABC, 3:30 pm
Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
Bowl Tie-Ins: C-USA vs. BYU
Bowl Projection: UTSA vs BYU
Last Year: Canceled
Saturday, December 18
ESPN, 5:45 pm
Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Sun Belt
Bowl Projection: Western Michigan vs ULM
Last Year: Georgia State 39, WKU 21
Saturday, December 18
ABC, 7:30 pm
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Bowl Tie-Ins: Mountain West vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Fresno State vs USC
Last Year: Canceled
Saturday, December 18
ESPN, 9:15 pm
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Bowl Tie-Ins: C-USA vs. Sun Belt
Bowl Projection: Marshall vs Louisiana
Last Year: Georgia Southern 38, Louisiana Tech 3
Monday, December 20
ESPN, 2:30 pm
Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC
Bowl Tie-Ins: Sun Belt vs. AAC or MAC or Group of 5
Bowl Projection: Coastal Carolina vs Ball State
Last Year: Appalachian State 56, North Texas 28
Tuesday, December 21
ESPN, 3:30 pm
Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Mountain West
Bowl Projection: Toledo vs Boise State
Last Year: Nevada 38, Tulane 27
Tuesday, December 21
ESPN, 7:30 pm
Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Group of Five vs. Group of Five (or Army)
Bowl Projection: Air Force vs Middle Tennessee
Last Year: Canceled
Wednesday, December 22
ESPN, 7:30 pm
Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 or C-USA or Pac-12 or Army
Bowl Projection: Washington vs Army
Last Year: Mississippi State 28, Tulsa 26
Thursday, December 23
ESPN, 7:00 pm
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or ACC or Pac-12 or SEC
Bowl Projection: Virginia Tech vs LSU
Last Year: Canceled
Friday, December 24
ESPN, 8:00 pm
Clarence TC Ching Complex, Honolulu, HI
Bowl Tie-Ins: American Athletic vs. Mountain West
Bowl Projection: SMU vs Hawaii
Last Year: Canceled
Saturday, December 25
ESPN, 2:30 pm
Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Sun Belt (or C-USA)
Bowl Projection: Miami University vs Troy
Last Year: Memphis 25, Florida Atlantic 10
Here is how the Los Angeles Lakers graded individually after defeating the Houston Rockets despite a fourth-quarter slip.
The Los Angeles Lakers picked up a win against the Houston Rockets Sunday, 95-85.
Los Angeles is now on a two-game win streak after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday, but head coach Frank Vogel switched the lineup for this game.
Russell Westbrook, Avery Bradley, Kent Bazemore, LeBron James and Anthony Davis were the starters. Vogel credited Bradley for his energy that changed the Cavaliers’ game, and the spacing and defense noticeably improved in the opening half.
Carmelo Anthony had a hot first half when he drilled shot after shot, and the Lakers eventually led by 28 points at one point.
However, the Lakers let their foot off the gas again in the fourth and allowed Houston a glimpse of hope. However, L.A. extracted a 95-85 victory.
Here’s how the Lakers graded individually:
Ben Roethlisberger got the last laugh on Myles Garrett.
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Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett went out of his way this Halloween season to advertise his NFL sack conquests. Garrett stuck tombstones in his yard with every quarterback he’s sacked on them, including the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger.
But the Steelers beat the Browns in Cleveland to move to 4-3 and plant the Browns at the bottom of the AFC North. After the game, the media asked Roethlisberger about it, and Big Ben had the perfect reply.
“He can keep the tombstone in his yard,” Roethlisberger said. “I’ll take the win.”
Garrett had a relatively quiet game despite lining up over rookie left tackle Dan Moore Jr. for much of the game. He did get a sack of Roethlisberger, but it ultimately had no impact on the outcome of the game.
Ben Roethlisberger on what he said to Myles Garrett-
“He can keep the tombstone in his yard (listing QBs he’s sacked), I’ll take the win.”
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) October 31, 2021
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Former Rockets Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook each had big games versus Houston as the Lakers won Sunday’s late game by 10.
Big man Christian Wood had a double-double (16 points, 13 rebounds), but it wasn’t nearly enough for the young Houston Rockets versus LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the loaded Los Angeles Lakers. The home team led by 19 points at halftime and largely coasted from there.
In Sunday’s 95-85 final (box score), the veteran-laden Lakers had four players in double figures. That star-studded list included James (15 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals); Davis (16 points, 13 rebounds); and former Rockets players Carmelo Anthony (23 points, 4 blocks) and Russell Westbrook (20 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds).
Houston shot just 6-of-28 on 3-pointers (21.4%) and 15-of-29 on free throws (51.7%) and struggled to generate offense for much of the initial three quarters on Sunday night. In addition to Wood, other players to score in double-figures were Eric Gordon (17 points, 4-of-6 on 3-pointers); Kevin Porter Jr. (13 points, 9 rebounds), KJ Martin (12 points, 4 rebounds); and rookie big Alperen Sengun (11 points, 7 rebounds).
Rookie guard Jalen Green struggled, scoring just 7 points on 2-of-8 shooting (25.0%). The 19-year-old did contribute in other areas with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Houston turned the ball over 25 times (led by 6 from Porter), more than doubling the 12 by Los Angeles. Between that and subpar shooting on 3-pointers and free throws, that kept Sunday’s game from getting close despite Houston’s late fourth-quarter push.
See below for Sunday’s extended video highlights. The Rockets (1-5) and Lakers (4-3) will meet again on Tuesday night from Los Angeles, with tipoff scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Central from Staples Center.
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