4-Star RB Daylan ‘Hollywood’ Smothers signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

There’s a new Hollywood in town. Daylan Smothers has officially signed with the Oklahoma Sooners

The early signing period is underway, and the Oklahoma Sooners’ [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag] is beginning to put pen to paper.

[autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag] procured another one. Daylan Smothers signed with the Oklahoma Sooners, joining a very young and talented running back room.

247Sports has Smothers ranked as the No. 20 running back in the class and the No. 12 player in the state of North Carolina.

Hailing from West Charlotte High School, Smothers is the lone 2023 Sooner signee from North Carolina.

After visiting OU in June, Smothers committed to the Sooners on July 14 in what was a very good month of recruiting for Brent Venables’ staff. Smothers also had offers from Florida State, Alabama and N.C. State. He visited the Wolfpack program earlier this month.

The young running back is 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds. He was named North Carolina High School Player of the year after his sophomore season.

Javonte Barnes ended up getting the ball quite a bit as a freshman at Oklahoma. Will Smothers earn the same treatment?

Players who use the moniker “Hollywood” seem to have a good track record in crimson and cream.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Ben on Twitter @bendackiw.

ACC/Big Ten Challenge: Full 2022 schedule and TV info

ACC/Big Ten Challenge: Full 2022 schedule with start times and TV info for all 14 games

Monday night is the start of this year’s edition of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on the basketball court. The 14 members of the Big Ten will take on 14 members of the ACC in one of the original conference-vs-conference basketball scheduling agreements. The Big Ten is looking for a fourth consecutive victory in the series after winning the past three seasons. And with a series tie in 2018, it has been four straight years without losing to the ACC in this long-running series.

The ACC does hold the historical edge in the challenge, however. The ACC owns a 12-8-3 all-time series lead against the Big Ten. The ACC’s overall lead has been led by Duke’s 19-4 record all-time in the series, the most wins of any school in either conference and easily the best winning percentage. As far as winning percentage goes, nine teams in the ACC own a .500 win percentage or higher compared to just five Big Ten members being .500 or better in the series. Perhaps surprisingly, Penn State owns the Big Ten’s second-best all-time win percentage with .524% trailing only Purdue’s .571.

Maryland’s record in the all-time series is fun to make note of. As an ACC member, Maryland was 10-5 al-time in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, but the Terrapins have slumped to 1-7 in the series since switching sides as a Big Ten member.

NC State will not participate in this year’s ACC-Big Ten Challenge due to the ACC having an uneven membership compared to the Big Ten (15 basketball members to 14 with the ACC’s inclusion of Notre Dame).

Here is the full 2022 ACC-Big Ten Challenge schedule along with start times and TV information.

Oklahoma continues to shop the portal, offering Division II All-American TE Kyle Morlock

Oklahoma sends out offer to Division II All-American tight end Kyle Morlock. From @thatmanbryant

Much was made about Brent Venables’ comments during his opening week as Sooners’ head coach about how he would attack the transfer portal.

Oklahoma wouldn’t look to reconfigure their entire roster via the portal but instead use it to supplement full size recruiting classes as long as there was a culture and position fit.

That remained true as the only transfers from last year to miss time for off the field issues is tight end Daniel Parker Jr., who is suspended from the team.

With his first season coming to an end, Venables will have the task of retooling the depth with transfer additions.

So far in this cycle they’ve earned the commitment of former four-star and Notre Dame defensive tackle Jacob Lacey. Now, look to be circling another transfer addition, issuing an offer to Division II tight end Kyle Morlock.

Morlock is a two-time All-American and in his most recent season had 30 receptions for 446 yards and six touchdowns. He stands 6-foot-7 and is 245 pounds to boot.

A commitment from Morlock would be huge for Oklahoma since they will be losing senior Brayden Willis to graduation and the NFL after this season. All that remains would be rising sophomores Kaden Helms and Jason Llewellyn who haven’t played a ton on the first year in Norman.

Morlock would have two years of eligibility remaining. On top of the Sooners, Tennessee, Missouri, Florida State, and NC State have all offered.

[listicle id=76087]

[listicle id=76238]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=none image=https://soonerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Latest projections from USA TODAY Sports send LSU to a Florida bowl

The Tigers draw NC State in the Gator Bowl, per the latest projections from USA TODAY Sports.

Following Saturday’s win over Ole Miss, the ceiling for LSU in 2022 feels significantly higher all of the sudden. With the victory, the Tigers climbed into the top spot in the SEC West and, if they can upset Alabama after a bye week, may be heading to Atlanta.

We may be getting ahead of ourselves here, but now a New Year’s Six Bowl doesn’t seem to be out of the question. The latest bowl projections from USA TODAY Sports’ Erick Smith aren’t quite that optimistic, but they do have the Tigers landing in a respectable game.

Smith has LSU heading to Jacksonville to take on NC State in the Gator Bowl. The Wolfpack began the year with high expectations, but they now sit at 5-2 on the year and will be without starting quarterback Devin Leary the rest of the way.

If things break the right way, LSU could find itself in a premier bowl game. Still, heading to the Gator Bowl wouldn’t be a bad way for coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] to conclude Year 1, given the circumstances.

[mm-video type=video id=01gg345p6t7xjvx2zgam playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gg345p6t7xjvx2zgam/01gg345p6t7xjvx2zgam-1726debdee701b2b380d4f7a9d812e72.jpg]

[listicle id=59763]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Penn State bowl projections heading into Week 8

Penn State’s loss to Michigan was a blow to the updated bowl projections

Things were looking pretty good for Penn State this season after starting the year 5-0. Then the road game at Michigan happened and, well, things are not quite as lush as they once were. The impact of a loss like the one Penn State suffered in Ann Arbor reflected in a much less optimistic bowl outlook for the Nittany Lions as the bowl projections from multiple media outlets were updated this week.

Penn State being a near lock for a New Years Six bowl berth is no longer the case, although it is not out of the question just yet. The next couple of weeks could be a huge factor in keeping Penn State’s NY6 bowl hopes alive and well. And perhaps if Penn State managed to at least keep things close at Michigan, things could still look a bit more optimistic for a NY6 invite. As it stands now, the bowl projections are sending Penn State to other bowl games, with a wide variety of options on the table.

But there is one projection still sticking to an Orange Bowl projection for the Nittany Lions.

Here is a look at some of the bowl projections from multiple media outlets heading into Week 8.

Penn State bowl projections heading into Week 7

Latest bowl projections see some interesting matchups for Penn State in a NY6 bowl.

Midway through the season, Penn State is sitting in a favorable spot for a good bowl game at the end of the season. The Nittany Lions are 5-0 with a monster three-game stretch beginning this week that could have a dramatic impact on Penn State’s bowl outlook. A win this weekend at Michigan would have a big impact on the Big Ten bowl picture and put a trip to the Rose Bowl within reach for the Nittany Lions, if not more.

The Orange Bowl is currently a trendy pick for Penn State based on the latest bowl projections, but it is not a consensus pick. Far from it, actually. The Cotton Bowl has a few projections on the radar for Penn State, where the opponent would be the top Group of 5 conference champion. And guessing which Group of 5 team emerges this season is still a wild guessing game at this point.

Here is a sampling of some of the latest bowl projections from a variety of media outlets as Penn State prepares for its big road game at Michigan.

The good, the bad and the ugly from Clemson’s win over NC State

Clemson pulled away late Saturday to beat NC State at Memorial Stadium. The victory moved the Tigers into sole possession of first place in the ACC’s Atlantic Division with a trip to Boston College on tap this week. Here’s the good, the bad and the …

Clemson pulled away late Saturday to beat NC State at Memorial Stadium. The victory moved the Tigers into sole possession of first place in the ACC’s Atlantic Division with a trip to Boston College on tap this week.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the Tigers’ 30-20 victory:

The good

Despite again playing without some significant pieces, Clemson’s defense responded to the previous week’s track meet with Wake Forest with one of its better performances of the season.

The Tigers held NC State to less than 290 total yards and 4 yards per play. Most importantly for Clemson, it wasn’t beat over the top with nearly the regularity that it was seven days earlier. The Wolfpack hit on a 32-yard completion, their longest play of the night, on their opening possession, but Clemson allowed just one more play in excess of 20 yards the rest of the night. 

Both NC State coach Dave Doeren and Clemson defensive coordinator Wesley Goodwin talked about the zone coverages the Tigers often implemented to help better protect a secondary that was again without veteran corners Sheirdan Jones and Malcolm Greene to injuries. And Clemson shut down NC State’s run game (34 net rushing yards), making the Wolfpack one-dimensional.

“In the third quarter, I feel like we kind of got into a rhythm just mixing in three deep (zone coverage), two deep or whatever coverage for the situation,” Goodwin said. “Our guys have a lot of confidence in what we’re doing. Thought we played really well.”

Clemson forced two turnovers, both coming in the second half. The Tigers used Toriano Pride’s third-quarter interception and K.J. Henry’s fourth-quarter fumble recovery to put the Wolfpack away, turning those takeaways into their final 10 points.

And because Clemson once again didn’t turn the ball over, the Tigers finished plus-2 in the turnover department. The Tigers have strung together consecutive turnover-free games for the first time this season and sit at 21st nationally with a plus-5 turnover margin on the year.

Offensively, D.J. Uiagalelei turned in another efficient performance. Clemson’s quarterback was 21 of 30 passing for 209 yards and a touchdown, but he was the most effective he’s been in the rushing department. He ran for a season-high 73 yards and two scores, including a 9-yard clincher on an impromptu naked bootleg late in the fourth quarter.

Uiagalelei once again got the tight ends heavily involved. Davis Allen and Jake Briningstool combined for eight more catches, including Briningstool’s 7-yard touchdown grab early in the third quarter.

And Clemson’s punt team was solid on a night when it needed to be. Thayer Thomas came in averaging 18.5 yards per punt return for NC State, but Clemson limited him to just one return for 3 yards. Aidan Swanson averaged 40 yards per punt with a long of 44.

The bad

Finding fault in a top-10 win is a nitpicking endeavor, but Clemson wasn’t perfect Saturday, particularly in the penalty department.

The Tigers were once again flagged often. Nine times for 95 yards, to be exact. That came on the heels of their 120 yards worth of penalties against Wake Forest the week prior.

Two of those penalties – a targeting call on Andrew Mukuba and pass interference on R.J. Mickens – extended a touchdown drive for NC State late in the first half, one that ended with Devin Leary finding a wide-open Cedd Seabrough in the end zone. Swinney said it was a blown coverage, which is still an issue at times on the back end of the defense.

While N.C. State’s top-10 defense had something to do with it, the running game as a whole was average, a step back from the production the Tigers had on the ground the previous two games. Uiagalelei accounted for right at half of Clemson’s output on the ground as the Tigers averaged just 3.8 yards per carry.

And B.T. Potter showed he’s human, pulling a 46-yard field-goal attempt to the left midway through the third quarter for his first miss of the season. But the Tigers’ veteran placekicker redeemed himself with a 44-yarder early in the fourth and finished 3 of 4 on the night.

The ugly

Scary, as Clemson coach Dabo Swinney called it afterward, would be a better word than ugly here for Bryan Bresee’s situation. The Tigers’ star defensive tackle missed the game with a medical issue that’s not football-related but required him to be hospitalized last week.

Swinney said Bresee is “good” as far as the long-term prognosis, but it’s the latest bit of attrition that Clemson has been dealing with virtually all season. Clemson is still waiting on another starting defensive lineman, Xavier Thomas (foot), to make his season debut.

The good news is the injuries that popped up for Clemson on Saturday don’t appear to be serious. Offensive lineman Walker Parks and linebacker Jeremiah Trotter were banged up but re-entered the game. Mickens also went down with an injury, but Swinney said afterward the Tigers’ safety should be fine.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce limited edition signed cards from the freshmen football players are now in our online store.  There are only 100 of each signed.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

The 4-1-1 on Clemson’s win over NC State

No. 5 Clemson (5-0, 3-0 ACC) took over sole possession of the top spot in the ACC’s Atlantic Division standings Saturday with a win over No. 10 NC State (4-1, 0-1) at Memorial Stadium. Here are four sequences that went a long way in determining the …

No. 5 Clemson (5-0, 3-0 ACC) took over sole possession of the top spot in the ACC’s Atlantic Division standings Saturday with a win over No. 10 NC State (4-1, 0-1) at Memorial Stadium. Here are four sequences that went a long way in determining the outcome, a turning point and a telling stat from the Tigers’ 30-20 victory.

  • After bogging down in the red zone on its opening possession, Clemson again had a chance midway through the second quarter to put itself in a position for its first touchdown when the Tigers dialed up a shot play from NC State’s 39-yard line. Clemson called a fake screen, and Beaux Collins leaked open down the sideline after the Wolfpack bit on D.J. Uiagalelei’s pump fake. But Uiagalelei overshot Collins on the first-down play, and after a false start on freshman lineman Blake Miller late in the drive, the Tigers again had to settle for a 46-yard field goal from B.T. Potter. It gave the Tigers a 6-3 lead with 5 minutes, 47 seconds left before halftime, but it was a golden opportunity missed for more.
  • NC State took its first lead late in the first half with the help of a couple of penalties on the Tigers. First, Andrew Mukuba was disqualified after being flagged for targeting to give the Wolfpack a fresh set of downs near midfield. Then, after R.J. Mickens was called for pass interference in the end zone on a third-and-8, NC State quarterback Devin Leary found Cedd Seabrough all alone for a 2-yard score two plays later. But Clemson quickly regained the lead and some momentum by capping a 75-yard march in the final 1:51 of the half on Uiagalelei’s 1-yard scoring keeper, which sent the Tigers to the break up 13-10.
  • Clemson came out strong at the start of the second half to take its largest lead of the game. After forcing a three-and-out on NC State’s opening drive of the third quarter, Clemson took over at its own 42 after a personal-foul penalty on Will Taylor’s punt return. Uiagalelei provided the spark on the drive with a 38-yard sprint that ended up being the Tigers’ longest play from scrimmage. It set the Tigers with first-and-goal at the Wolfpack’s 9, and Uiagalelei sucked NC State’s defense up enough with some run action two plays later to find Jake Briningstool in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard score that pushed Clemson’s lead to 20-10 with 11:36 left in the third quarter, an important drive considering NC State got a field goal on its next possession.
  • Clemson missed out on a chance to extend its 20-13 lead with 6:06 left in the third quarter when Potter pulled a 46-yard field-goal attempt to the left for his first miss of the season, seemingly a swing in momentum to the visitors’ side. But three possessions later, Toriano Pride was Mr. Johnny on the Spot for Clemson when Leary’s third-down pass bounced off his receiver’s hands and into the freshman cornerback’s waiting arms for the interception. Clemson’s offense picked up one first down on its ensuing possession to move into range for Potter, who redeemed himself with a 44-yarder to push the Tigers’ lead back to two possessions at 23-13 with 14:16 left.

Turning point

Clemson went for the jugular with a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter when Uiagalelei heaved a pass downfield toward a wide-open Collins, but the pass fell just out of Collins’ reach and the Tigers eventually had to punt with 10:08 left. NC State proceeded drive to Clemson’s 39 over the next 2 minutes and change, but the Wolfpack eventually faced fourth-and-13 and elected to go with time ticking away. But Leary fumbled the snap, K.J. Henry recovered the loose ball, and the Tigers were in the end zone nine plays later to put the game on ice.

Telling stat: 0

That’s how many turnovers Clemson committed, which, for the second straight week, was critical in what was another tight game for a while. It’s the first time this season the Tigers have been turnover-free in consecutive games. Clemson finished plus-2 in the turnover margin with both of the Tigers’ takeaways leading to Clemson’s last 10 points, helping the Tigers create some breathing room late in their 37th consecutive win at home.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce limited edition signed cards from the freshmen football players are now in our online store.  There are only 100 of each signed.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Defensive starter out against NC State

Clemson will be without a key defensive contributor for tonight’s top-10 showdown against NC State. Bryan Bresee will miss the game with a “non-football medical issue” that required bloodwork and hospital observation this week, a team spokesperson …

Clemson will be without a key defensive contributor for tonight’s top-10 showdown against NC State.

Bryan Bresee will miss the game with a “non-football medical issue” that required bloodwork and hospital observation this week, a team spokesperson told The Clemson Insider.

“Family received good news on tests late this week though, and it is not expected to be a long-term issue,” the spokesperson said.

Bresee’s absence comes a week after the Tigers’ starting defensive tackle returned to the lineup last week after missing a game following the passing of his sister. He’s played in three games this season.

3 keys to a Clemson win over NC State

Clemson will host NC State on Saturday in the first-ever top-10 matchup between the teams. A win would allow the Tigers to keep pace atop the ACC’s Atlantic Division standings. What does Clemson need to do to ensure that happens? Here are three …

Clemson will host NC State on Saturday in the first-ever top-10 matchup between the teams. A win would allow the Tigers to keep pace atop the ACC’s Atlantic Division standings.

What does Clemson need to do to ensure that happens? Here are three keys:

Limit NC State’s explosive plays

Clemson found itself in a shootout last week in large part because the Tigers’ defense struggled to keep the ball in front. And if we’re being honest, it’s been an issue for Clemson for a majority of the season.

Furman screened the Tigers to death, and once Clemson adjusted to that, Louisiana Tech and Wake Forest went over the top. It was particularly bad for the Tigers a week ago with Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman targeting Clemson’s cornerbacks early and often to the tune of 337 yards passing on just 20 completions. He also set a single-game school record with six touchdown passes.

NC State’s offense hasn’t been all that explosive to this point (just four plays at least 30 yards), but Clemson’s pass defense, at least statistically, is the worst the Wolfpack has gone up against so far. With a veteran quarterback of its own in Devin Leary, NC State is plenty capable if it gets the matchups it wants.

Clemson is still waiting for a trio of defensive backs – Sheridan Jones, Malcolm Greene and Andrew Mukuba – to return from injury. Whether the Tigers will have one or all of them back this week remains to be seen. Regardless, defensive coordinator Wesley Goodwin has said he has to do a better job of mixing up coverages in order to help his defensive backs out.

Something else to remember: Clemson’s offense is facing a top-10 defense nationally, so it’s going to be more difficult for the Tigers to put up gobs of points like they did last week. So the Tigers need more stops, and forcing NC State to drive the length of the field would help with that.

Be solid on special teams

If this matchup ends up being as even on the field as it appears to be on paper come Saturday night, it’s not out of the question that special teams could be a deciding factor.

Specifically, when it comes to the return game, it would behoove Clemson to not let Thayer Thomas break free. Because when he’s had opportunities to return punts, the Wolfpack’s veteran receiver has been electric.

He’s only returned four punts so far, but one of them has gone for 38 yards. His 18.5 yards per punt return are tops in the ACC. As a team, NC State’s 17.2 yards per return rank 10th nationally.

Kicking away from Thomas is always an option, but teams risk shanks when trying to be too fine with their punts, which can result in giving up valuable field position. Clemson needs a better performance from its punter, Aidan Swanson, who’s had an up-and-down start to his season. Last week wasn’t a particularly good one for Swanson, who averaged just 33 yards per boot. 

Better hang time gives the coverage unit more time to get downfield. It also increases the likelihood of a fair catch. On the flipside, Clemson has already blocked three punts this season. More of that could help set the offense up with short fields.

Clemson placekicker B.T. Potter is off to a 7-for-7 start on field goals. But with potentially wet conditions Saturday, executing snaps and holds will also be critical before any kicks are made.

Speaking of…

Hold on to the ball

The forecasts look more promising than they did earlier in the week, so perhaps Hurricane Ian’s impact won’t be felt as heavily as originally thought in the Upstate come Saturday night. 

But both teams have anticipated all week having to deal with a wet football, which is still a distinct possibility. It goes without saying that slippery conditions are more conducive to turnovers, so the team that’s able to hold on to the ball more often could very well emerge victorious.

Need some proof? Go back to the last time Clemson played in rain brought on by a hurricane. That was 2015 against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish coughed it up four times in a game Clemson won by two.

Of course, limiting turnovers is always a key ingredient to the recipe for success regardless of the weather. Clemson had its first turnover-free game of the season against Wake Forest, improving to 117-14 in the Dabo Swinney era when it doesn’t lose the turnover margin.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce limited edition signed cards from the freshmen football players are now in our online store.  There are only 100 of each signed.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!