Tag: BYU Cougars

5 pettiest moments from college football Week 4: The CW tackles TCU, Dr. Bo slams Hugh Freeze and BYU gets NSFW

When will college football learn not to pick fights with broadcast partners?

Whew, buddy, the pettiness escalated quickly across college football in Week 4.

Maybe we should’ve seen this coming. After all, this is the point in the season where teams start to figure out who’s for real (Tennessee) and who can start focusing on the recruiting trail (NC State).

But you’d think after the mini Rivalry Week that took over Week 3 the temperature would’ve cooled off a bit last Saturday. Nope. Despite the Calgorithm running into a few coding errors in Tallahassee, Week 4 brought out some elite nastiness.

Strap in for some schadenfreude as we take our weekly trip around college football’s most online moments.

TCU trolling The CW backfires

(Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

There is one hard and fast rule in college football these days, and it is do not bite the TV networks. These executives will not hesitate to organize another round of realignment, and the last thing you want to do is get on their bad side.

Which is to say TCU should’ve known better than to get petty with the network that aired Gossip Girl. When the Horned Frogs’ social team found out their rivalry game against SMU was going to be broadcast on The CW, it mocked the ACC and its broadcast partner with a “This is SportsCenter” spoof.

https://twitter.com/TCUFootball/status/1837144695731834920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1837144695731834920%7Ctwgr%5E8819304e9d22dc225a2c1762cc9307941a214a38%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fawfulannouncing.com%2Fcollege-football%2Ftcu-roasts-acc-the-cw.html

You will absolutely guess what happened next.

TCU got boat-raced at SMU, 66-42, with current Horned Frogs (and former Mustangs) coach Sonny Dykes ejected early in the second half. And then it was The CW’s turn to beat up on TCU.

https://twitter.com/TheCW/status/1837189845183074794

https://twitter.com/TheCW/status/1837657261231190274

Oh yeah, this was rivalry game as well, so SMU got in plenty of shots on social media as well — including a quick screengrab of an FTW blog about TCU’s campus looking like a La Quinta Inn.

https://twitter.com/smufb/status/1837656904107008210?s=46&t=Z25PykXLy1oALqwmGLm3ZQ

Hugh Freeze is burnt to a crisp

Let’s start with the obvious. Touting the Hugh Freeze at Auburn with the fact he beat Nick Saban twice (at previous stops) only for Saban to retire is the type of thing you expect from an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Now, not even two full years into Freeze’s tenure at Auburn, the miscalculated hire continues to look worse and worse. After Saturday’s home loss to Arkansas, Freeze looked for anyone left to throw under the bus. The night ended with a Greyhound driven by Freeze’s former Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace speeding right over him instead.

https://twitter.com/bowallace14/status/1837671233506193888

https://twitter.com/bowallace14/status/1837677823886049678

Oh, but it gets worse (better?).

During Freeze’s postgame press conference, aside from blaming his players, he also made this bold claim:

“I mean no offense whatsoever to at all to Arkansas or to Cal. I love Sam Pittman; I hope he wins the rest of his games. But the hard truth is if we play them nine more times, we beat them nine times,” Freeze said.

We’re sure the was similarly no offense taken by Freeze when Arkansas responded with this subtweet:

https://twitter.com/razorbackfb/status/1838579210266562795?s=46&t=y1MPGqKJwtpQ4_NvSkOIOA

The Southland Conference wants no part of the SEC’s trash

(Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Saturday’s matchup between 1-2 Florida and 1-2 Mississippi State was technically an SEC game, but it couldn’t hide from the fact that these are two of the most embarrassing programs in the Power Four at the moment.

(Granted the Bulldogs are at least starting to rebuild in Year 1 with Jeff Lebby, and the Gators have yet to move on from Bill Napier.)

Still, these are two SEC teams! Surely any conference would want them, right? Right?

https://twitter.com/SouthlandSports/status/1837526024449384591

Oof.

Another trophy for Eli Manning

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Thanksgiving with the Manning family should be pretty entertaining this year. Surely someone will bring up the fact that Eli made his starting debut at Ole Miss against Murray State.

https://twitter.com/EliManning/status/1838216634592370977

BYU’s NSFW dunk on Kansas State fan

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Did nobody learn anything from our still off-the-grid friend @321nole? Don’t make a bet on college football against yourself — especially when the wager depends on graphic bodily harm. Especially, especially when watching your team play each week already does more than enough damage.

Now it’s a Kansas State fan learning this the hard way after an unfathomable blowout loss at BYU. We’ll spare you the disgustingly NSFW details, but you can click this link if you really want to find out for yourself.

All we’ll say is that a K-State fan promised to ingest a Taco Bell product through an orifice other than their mouth if the Wildcats lost to the Cougars.

After BYU’s win, the team’s social media admin had only one thing to say:

https://twitter.com/byufootball/status/1837730912726868359?s=46&t=Z25PykXLy1oALqwmGLm3ZQ

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Oregon Ducks drop a spot in US LBM Coaches poll after bye

Oregon enjoyed a bye week and watched some others play around the country as they switched places with Tennessee in the US LBM coaches poll.

One had a bye and the other had an impressive road victory in the SEC.

After Tennessee’s 25-15 win at Oklahoma to move to 4-0, the Volunteers took over the No. 6 spot in the US LBM Coaches poll. The Ducks sit at No. 7 after a bye week and now they prepare to get back into action with a road game at UCLA.

It’s also Oregon’s first-ever Big Ten Conference tilt.

Michigan is making the biggest poll jump this week as the defending champions rebounded with a 27-24 win over USC. As for the Trojans, the disappointing loss in the Big House dropped them to No. 16, down four spots.

It was a fairly quiet day in the world of college football as there weren’t many upsets.

BYU did however upset the former No. 13 team Kansas State Wildcats, as the Cougars dumped the Cats 38-9. For their efforts, the Cougars moved into the poll for the first time this season and went to 4-0.

Ranking Team Record Points
1 Georgia Bulldogs 3-0 1,350 (35)
2 Texas Longhorns 4-0 1,324 (18)
3 Ohio State Buckeyes 3-0 1,279 (2)
4 Alabama Crimson Tide 3-0 1,185
5 Ole Miss Rebels 4-0 1,145
6 Tennessee Volunteers 4-0 1,094
7 Oregon Ducks 3-0 1,016
8 Penn State Nittany Lions 3-0 967
9 Miami Hurricanes 4-0 912
10 Utah Utes 4-0 904
11 Missouri Tigers 4-0 887
12 Michigan Wolverines 3-1 692
13 LSU Tigers 3-1 632
14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 3-1 553
15 Clemson Tigers 2-1 542
16 USC Trojans 2-1 520
17 Louisville Cardinals 3-0 509
18 Oklahoma Sooners 3-1 404
19 Iowa State Cyclones 3-0 386
20 Oklahoma State Cowboys 3-1 326
21 Illinois Fighting Illini 4-0 307
22 BYU Cougars 4-0 167
23 UNLV Rebels 3-0 124
24 Texas A&M Aggies 3-1 119
25 Kansas State Wildcats 3-1 116

Schools Dropped Out

No. 22 Nebraska; No. 23 Memphis

Others Receiving Votes

Washington State 94; Indiana 67; Pittsburgh 50; Boise State 42; UCF 35; Iowa 34; Arizona 16; Boston College 15; Duke 14; James Madison 13; Nebraska 7; Washington 6; Rutgers 5; Colorado 5; SMU 4; South Carolina 2; Navy 2; Liberty 2; Arkansas 2;

BYU moves to 2-0 with road win over SMU in low scoring affair

BYU went into Dallas and defeated new ACC squad SMU on Friday evening, 18-15, in a low scoring affair.

It was a fun night of college football at Gerald J. Ford in Dallas on Friday. Especially for the road team, the BYU Cougars. The Cougars went to Dallas in front of more than 31,000 fans and upset the SMU Mustangs, 18-15, to move to 2-0 on the year despite being 11.5 point underdogs.

After SMU started taking control of the game, including going to the locker room ahead 9-7 at halftime, they started the third with their fourth field goal to go ahead by five points. Then, Enouch Nawahine put the Cougars ahead with a nine-yard rushing touchdown, and the Cougars went for two and converted.

In the fourth, a fifth Mustangs field goal moved the game to 15-15 with 6:22 to go in the game. That’s when quarterback Jake Retzlaff moved his Cougars offense down the field enough to set up the game-winning 26-yard field goal from Will Ferrin.

Ratzlaff finished with 202 passing yards and a touchdown. He also had 10 carries for 35 yards in the game. His top target was Darius Lassiter, who caught two passes for 62 yards in the game. Miles Davis finished the game with 37 rushing yards for the Cougars.

BYU is now 2-0 and will face a road test next Saturday, as they are at Wyoming. The Cougars are at home against Kansas State in Week 4.

BYU adds 6’10 big man from Serbia to roster for 2024-25 season

It was a good week for BYU basketball, as they picked up a huge addition to the 2024-2025 team in Serbian center Mihailo Boskovic.

BYU basketball coach Kevin Young picked up a massive addition to the roster this week. Mihailo Boskovic has been added to the Cougars roster and is eligible immediately.

Boskovic is 6’10 and can hit the outside shot. He also has shown the ability to protect the rim on the defensive end.  He is not a traditional freshman coming into a program, as he was the MVP of the FIBA Europe U20 Tournament. He won the award over Bobi Klintman, who was drafted by the Pistons 37th overall in the 2024 NBA draft.

Last summer, Boskovic had a pre-draft workout with the Sacramento Kings, but elected to withdraw his name early in the process.

https://twitter.com/franfraschilla/status/1831420007827296536

That is now seven new recruits for the Cougars, along with the eight players that remained on the roster following the departure of Mark Pope.

Coach Young already added a star from overseas in Egor Demin, and now brings in Boskovic to help in the interior, joining Keba Keita and Mawot Mag who both entered the program. Keita came from Utah, and Mag is coming from Rutgers.

BYU among top seven for 2025 star prospect AJ Dybantsa

The top high school basketball player in the country, AJ Dybantsa, included BYU in his top seven over Duke or Kentucky.

Star forward AJ Dybantsa, the consensus No. 1 player in the 2025 recruiting class, revealed the seven schools he is considering to ESPN on Friday morning.

The 6’9 wing, who will play his final high school season at Hurricane Prep in Utah, revealed a final seven of Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, BYU, Kansas, Kansas State, and North Carolina.

It’s not every year the top prospect in the sport considers BYU over Duke or Kentucky, but the Cougars are a legitimate player in the Dybantsa sweepstakes after establishing the program as a recruiting power under new coach Kevin Young.

Dybantsa has taken just one official visit so far, to Auburn, but he unofficially visited BYU and is planning to make a return visit in an official capacity.

Dybantsa’s size, athleticism, and natural scoring ability have many projecting him as a future NBA star, drawing comparisons to Paul George.

BYU doesn’t have any commits in the 2025 class as of now, but coach Young went to work adding some of the highest rated recruits in program history in 2024, including Purdue decommit Kanon Catchings, russian star guard Egor Demin, and former Stanford commit Elijah Crawford.

BYU transfer Jaxson Robinson commits to Kentucky after draft deadline

Former BYU guard Jaxson Robinson will reportedly transfer to Kentucky after withdrawing from the 2024 NBA draft.

Former BYU guard Jaxson Robinson will reportedly transfer to Kentucky after withdrawing from the 2024 NBA draft, according to Jeff Borzello of ESPN.

Robinson declared for the draft and entered the transfer portal last month. He competed in the draft combine this month in Chicago, Illinois, and averaged 11 points, two rebounds and 1.5 assists in two scrimmage games. He also worked out with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 6-foot-6 forward was named the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 14.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists on 35.4% shooting from 3-point range this past season. He registered five 20-point games, including a season-high 28 points on Dec. 13.

Robinson was the No. 36 prospect in the transfer portal and the eighth-ranked small forward, according to 247Sports. He will follow head coach Mark Pope to Kentucky for his final season of eligibility after testing the predraft process.

He will join the inaugural class at Kentucky under Pope. The team also added Lamont Butler Jr. (San Diego State), Ansley Almonor (Fairleigh Dickinson), Kerr Kriisa (West Virginia), Koby Brea (Dayton) and Brandon Garrison (Oklahoma State), among others, via the transfer portal.

Pope signed a five-year contract last month to succeed John Calipari as the Wildcats’ head coach. The contract is reportedly worth $27.5 million, starting at $5 million next season.

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Jaxson Robinson withdraws from NBA draft, commits to Kentucky Wildcats

Former BYU guard Jaxson Robinson removed his name from the NBA draft and committed to the Kentucky Wildcats in the transfer portal.

The deadline for college basketball players to withdraw from the 2024 NBA draft process and maintain their eligibility passed at 11:59 PM ET on Wednesday, May 29. At the time nearly every player had made some kind of announcement – but not Jaxson Robinson.

The former BYU guard, who had previously entered the transfer portal and was being targeted by his former coach Mark Pope at Kentucky, was silent on social media while fans in Provo and Lexington nervously refreshed hoping for an update.

The update finally came about nine hours later, with Robinson removing his name from the draft and committing to the Wildcats – giving them 12 scholarship players ahead of Pope’s first season in Lexington.

Robinson began his career at Texas A&M and spent one year at Arkansas before playing the past two seasons at BYU. He blossomed into a star last season in the Big 12, averaging 14.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting 35.4% from three on 6.9 attempts per game.

After getting plenty of attention from NBA scouts for his size and shooting ability, Robinson will now head back to the SEC and is likely going to slot into a starting role alongside fellow newcomers Kerr Kriisa, Otega Oweh, Brandon Garrison, and Andrew Carr – with Lamont Butler, Koby Brea, Amari Williams, and others in the mix as well.

A strong season in Pope’s high-octane offense could boost Robinson’s stock once again in his final year of college eligibility.

Louisville lands BYU big man Noah Waterman in the transfer portal

Former BYU Cougars forward Noah Waterman is the latest transfer portal addition for Pat Kelsey and the Louisville Cardinals.

Transfer big man Noah Waterman became the second BYU player to leave Provo and head to Kentucky – not to follow Mark Pope in Lexington, but rather to join Pat Kelsey’s new look Louisville squad.

Waterman entered the transfer portal on the last day of eligibility, 30 days after Pope took the job at Kentucky.

The 6’11 forward averaged 9.5 points and 5.4 rebounds last year for the Cougars, shooting 37% from three on 4.7 attempts per game.

Waterman is well travelled, having spent his freshman season as a redshirt at Niagara before playing two years at Detroit and the past two at BYU.

Waterman is the second big man addition for coach Kelsey this past week, joining former South Florida forward Kasean Pryor. Pryor and Waterman will each play big roles in the frontcourt, with another BYU product – Aly Khalifa – set to redshirt next season with a knee injury.

Kelsey’s new look frontcourt helps complete an entirely new roster that includes former Wisconsin guard Chucky Hepburn, Washington guard Koren Johnson, Colorado wing J’Vonne Hadley, and James Madison wing Terrence Edwards as this program looks to make the NCAA Tournament and put the past two disastrous seasons in the rearview mirror.

Wisconsin football loses a 2025 running back target to BYU

Wisconsin football loses a 2025 running back target to BYU

Wisconsin class of 2025 running back target Cale Breslin committed to BYU on Friday.

The three-star recruit chose the Cougars over his other finalists: Wisconsin, San Diego State, Indiana, Syracuse, Connecticut, Hawaii, FAU and Campbell.

Related: Post-spring Big Ten football 2024 power rankings, starting quarterback rankings

Breslin is 247Sports’ No. 83 running back in the class and No. 10 recruit from his home state of Nevada. He has yet to receive a composite ranking.

Wisconsin enters the 2024 season with 10 running backs on the roster. Chez Mellusi and Oklahoma transfer Tawee Walker lead the room, with younger depth including Cade Yacamelli, Jackson Acker, Nate White, Gideon Ituka, Dilin Jones and Darrion Dupree also present.

The program’s class of 2025 is yet to land a running back. The group currently ranks No. 18 in the nation with 10 players committed.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Kelly Graves adds former BYU guard Nani Falatea to 2024-25 roster

Kelly Graves has added former BYU guard Nani Falatea to next season’s roster.

Oregon Ducks women’s basketball coach Kelly Graves is in the midst of rebuilding the roster and the latest addition is Nani Falatea.

As a sophomore in the 2022-23 season, she started all 32 games where she averaged 34.9 minutes per game and 15.3 points on 39.2 percent shooting. Falatea led the Cougars with 149 total assists, 4.5 assists per game, eld the second-highest three-point percentage at 36.7 percent and was BYU’s second-leading rebounder at 3.9 rebounds per game.

But as last season began, Falatea stepped away from the BYU program only after a few games. No reason was given. Now as a Duck, the 5-foot-9 guard from Salt Lake City has a chance to start and play the minutes she is used to.