Tag: NCAAF

Father of former Georgia OL Cade Mays sues university over severed finger (Ugawire)

On the same day that Georgia OL Cade Mays entered the NCAA transfer portal, we learn that his father, Kevin Mays, is suing the University of Georgia.

On the same day that Georgia OL Cade Mays entered the NCAA transfer portal, we learn that his father, Kevin Mays, is suing the University of Georgia.

The arrivals of Mike Leach and Lane Kiffin in Mississippi just made the Egg Bowl a must-watch rivalry

Mike Leach is taking over at Mississippi State, and Ole Miss recently hired Lane Kiffin.

Mike Leach is leaving Washington State to take over as head coach for Mississippi State, USA TODAY Sports confirmed Thursday. This is huge news for the 58-year-old coach who’s famous for his air raid offense and is approaching two decades as a head coach.

Leach had been with the Cougars since the 2012 season after getting his first head coaching job in college at Texas Tech and spending 10 years with the Red Raiders.

After a 6-7 2019 season, the Bulldogs fired Joe Moorhead Friday at the end of his second season with the program. Mississippi State lost in the Music City Bowl to Louisville in December.

Leach taking over means the SEC has yet another big-personality coach in the conference, particularly the SEC West. But while the always blunt and often entertaining coach joins Alabama’s Nick Saban and LSU’s Ed Orgeron in that category, perhaps the most entertaining aspect of this news involves the program’s rivalry with Ole Miss, which recently hired Lane Kiffin.

The Egg Bowl rivalry game between the two teams is often wildly entertaining, sometimes regardless of the score. And even the most recent on in November ended in absurd fashion with a last-second touchdown, a penalty for a player mimicking a dog urinating on the field and a devastating missed extra point. A dog urinating moment also occurred in the 2017 matchup too.

So how could a game with a history of ridiculousness get even better? Pitting Leach against Kiffin is a great start. So mark your calendar because the first Egg Bowl with these two coaches is November 26, 2020.

College football Twitter is rightfully pumped about this new element of the rivalry with Leach’s arrival at Mississippi State, and that even includes the former Alabama assistant and FAU coach.

[jwplayer YgihEsh5-q2aasYxh]

[vertical-gallery id=880431]

[opinary poll=”will-lsu-win-the-national-championship_f” customer=”forthewin”]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393249]

Jeopardy! GOAT: Can you ace this tough college football category?

This is not your average Jeopardy! sports category.

Jeopardy! is no stranger to sports questions and, sometimes, full categories. And during the second match of the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament on Wednesday night, fans were treated to the first full sports category in this special competition between James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter.

For this tournament’s format, each one-hour match is broken into two regular Jeopardy! games, and the player with the most points — not dollars, although the numerals are the same — from the combined two games wins the match. And then the first player to win three matches is the Jeopardy! GOAT.

In the first game of the second match, there was a football category in the opening regular Jeopardy round called College Football: After The Game.

As we’ve previously noted — and as any regular Jeopardy! viewer could tell you — the clues in this GOAT contest are noticeably more difficult than regular-season Jeopardy! But how many in this category do you think you could get right?

Thanks to J! Archive, we can take a look at the clues without the pressure of rapidly trying to answer before the GOATs. The answers are below, but try not to cheat.

Here we go…

200: In 2004, an NCAA award was established in the name of this center on the 1933 Michigan team & future politician

400: Before starring on a 4-letter TV drama, Mark Harmon starred for this 4-letter school as a QB, averaging 7.2 yards a carry in ’73

600: Nickname of the team that was led to an undefeated 1958 season by future brigadier general Pete Dawkins

800: In 1998, football fans debated who was the NCAA’s best QB: Peyton Manning or this WSU Cougar; their pro careers went opposite ways

1000: Steve Largent went on from this university to a HOF pro career, then returned home to represent the area in Congress

Before giving you the answers (or questions, really), please enjoy this delightful photo of Holzhauer and host Alex Trebek.

(Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

200: Who is Gerald Ford? (Holzhauer)
400: What is UCLA? (Rutter)
600: Who are the Army Black Knights? (Holzhauer)
800: Who is Ryan Leaf? (Holzhauer)
1000: What is the University of Tulsa? (No one got this clue.)

As a professional sports gambler, it’s hardly surprising Holzhauer got most of these questions right, but it’s still pretty impressive considering these are much more challenging than traditional Jeopardy! clues.

Jennings won the first match, Holzhauer won the second, and that means this tournament is guaranteed to go until at least Friday but could run into next week.

[jwplayer YgihEsh5-q2aasYxh]

[vertical-gallery id=881196]

[opinary poll=”does-the-college-football-playoff-need-t” customer=”forthewin”]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393249]

LSU center shares story about shirtless Ed Orgeron shotgunning Red Bulls

Ed Orgeron is a treasure.

Unless you cheer for an SEC team that regularly gets or recently got beat up by No. 1 LSU, it’s hard not to like coach Ed Orgeron.

From his unmistakable voice to his elite coaching ability to his classic “Go Tigers” at the end of every interview, Orgeron is simply a treasure. And those around him have some incredible stories.

So ahead of LSU’s national championship game against Clemson on Monday, ESPN’s David M. Hale rounded up some of the best Ed Orgeron stories you could possibly imagine with his mother, Coco, Tigers players and even the governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, sharing some memorable moments.

People like Pete Carroll and Tommy Tuberville shared some incredible stories — and we highly recommend reading the whole thing — but one that really stood out was from junior center Lloyd Cushenberry. Via ESPN:

Before games, LSU has a team meeting in which the Tigers hold a “Call Out Session.” It’s essentially a pep rally in the team hotel. Orgeron is always the star, but there’s one session from last season that stands out.

“Coach O comes in to try to get us fired up. He’s carrying two Red Bulls,” Cushenberry said. “He rips his shirt off and shotguns both Red Bulls. Everybody was fired up after that.”

How could you not want to run through a wall after that? And that story is totally believable if you’ve ever seen Orgeron animated or excited.

Another fantastic story goes a bit further back came from Orgeron’s mother. Growing up, she said her son was all about sports all day, every day. But things got a little complicated when he broke his leg in second grade and needed a cast that went to his thigh.

But according to Coco Orgeron, that didn’t stop Ed. More from ESPN:

“He learned how to play football with the cast on, with crutches,” his mother said. “We had to go in to the doctor nearly every week to get the cast changed.”

The doctor begged Ed to take it easy, but that wasn’t happening, so the process simply repeated itself every few days, with Ed and Coco showing up at the office, the mud-crusted cast coming off and a new one going on. Then it was back to football.

“You should’ve seen how fast he could go on those crutches,” his mother said.

The 2019-20 College Football Playoff national championship game is Monday, January 13 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Read more incredible Ed Orgeron stories over at ESPN.com.

[jwplayer YgihEsh5-q2aasYxh]

[vertical-gallery id=881196]

[opinary poll=”will-lsu-win-the-national-championship_f” customer=”forthewin”]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393249]

3 reasons LSU will win the College Football Playoff national championship game

The Tigers from Death Valley are definitely going to win.

Welcome to Before The Snap, For The Win’s college football show where we’ll break down the sport’s trending storylines, examine each week’s biggest matchups and track the College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy races.

The Tigers from Death Valley are playing the Tigers from Death Valley in the 2019-20 College Football Playoff national championship game Monday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), and it’s going to be so much fun.

Both undefeated, No. 1 LSU and No. 3 Clemson will face off for a perfect season — and a second consecutive one with a 30-game win streak should Clemson win. LSU destroyed No. 4 Oklahoma while Clemson narrowly topped No. 2 Ohio State in a thriller, and the final two title contenders will have more than two weeks prepare for the biggest game of the season and get healthy.

Five days before the title game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LSU is a 6-point favorite over Clemson, but that seems likely to change in the couple days before kick off.

Both teams are 14-0 ahead of this final game and are led by brilliant coaches and two of the best quarterbacks in the game. But here’s why LSU is going to win Monday night. (You can also read about why Clemson is going to win.)

(Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)

3 reasons why LSU will win the national championship

1. Joe Burrow: This is, by far, the most obvious reason here, but it can’t be overlooked. The LSU quarterback has had a truly unbelievable season, practically doubling his stats from a decent 2018 campaign. Through 14 games, he has a 77.6 completion percentage and has thrown for more than 5,200 yards, along with 55 touchdowns. Against the Sooners, he and LSU set all kinds of crazy records. He was the first player to account for eight touchdowns in a bowl game — he threw seven — and his 493 passing yards also set a playoff game record. There’s a reason he won the Heisman Trophy and is the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and LSU can’t complete its perfect season without him.

2. Extra rest: In general, it’s a good thing when you have a large enough lead that your starting quarterback doesn’t have to finish the game. When it happens in a playoff semifinal game, that’s even better. Some LSU starters didn’t have to play the full 60 minutes against Oklahoma, which means a tiny bit of extra rest — even with the two-week break before the title game. And perhaps no one benefited more from LSU’s demolition of the Sooners than running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. He injured his hamstring in practice during the week leading up to the semifinal game, and coach Ed Orgeron knew he wouldn’t be 100 percent. As one of the best running backs in college football, he only carried the ball twice and was able to rest as his team cruised to victory. A little extra rest might not matter with two weeks without a game, but then again, even the tiniest advantage could be the difference.

(Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports)

3. It’s all coming together: OK, this may seem like a cop-out, but whatever. LSU has had a storybook season with the Heisman winner leading an explosive offense and a coach loved by college football fans everywhere. The Tigers have had a dominant season all around and are beating teams by an average of more than 27 points. Plus, the national championship game is basically at home for them because Baton Rouge is only about an hour away from the Superdome. It just seems like everything is lining up for them.

Michelle’s pick: LSU
Evan’s pick: Clemson

The 2019-20 College Football Playoff national championship game is Monday, January 13 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

[jwplayer uFZO4OK8-q2aasYxh]

[vertical-gallery id=881196]

[opinary poll=”does-the-college-football-playoff-need-t” customer=”forthewin”]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393249]

3 reasons Clemson could win the College Football Playoff national championship game

We’re picking the Tigers from Death Valley.

Welcome to Before The Snap, For The Win’s college football show where we’ll break down the sport’s trending storylines, examine each week’s biggest matchups and track the College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy races.

The Tigers from Death Valley are playing the Tigers from Death Valley in the 2019-20 College Football Playoff national championship game Monday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), and it’s going to be so much fun.

No. 1 LSU and No. 3 Clemson will face off at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans with a perfect season on the line. Less than a week before the final college football game of the season, LSU is a 6-point favorite, but that seems likely to shrink in the couple days before kick off.

To get here, Clemson beat No. 2 Ohio State in a semifinal thriller after LSU crushed No. 4 Oklahoma on the last Saturday in December, meaning the teams will have a little more than two weeks to prepare for the biggest game of the season.

Both teams have had incredible seasons and enter the final game with 14-0 records, and they’re both led by brilliant coaches and two of the best quarterbacks in the game. But here’s why Clemson will win Monday night.

(Norm Hall/Getty Images)

3 reasons why Clemson will win the national championship

1. Championship experience: Clemson is making its fourth appearance in the national championship game in five years while playing for its third title in four seasons. Last season, so many people assumed Alabama would take the Tigers down and win it all, and the exact opposite happened with Clemson rocking the Crimson Tide, 44-16. Obviously, players graduate or leave early for the NFL, but that championship mentality and experience as a group is important. Not to mention that the team is on a 29-game win streak — it hasn’t lost since January 2018 — with a chance to go 30-0 and win back-to-back titles.

2. Trevor Lawrence: But not in the way you think. T-Law is one of the most talented quarterbacks to play the game, but it’s typically his arm that dazzles fans. But in the semifinal, he beat Ohio State’s top-10 rushing defense and ran for 107 yards and a touchdown, which came on this stunning 67-yard play.

It was, by far, his best game on the ground to date and his first with more than 100 yards. And if he can move like that against LSU’s No. 24 rushing defense, it’s another difficult factor to defend.

3. Resilience: Down 16-0 midway through the second quarter against Ohio State, Clemson looked like it was in trouble. The Tigers were struggling to contain J.K. Dobbins, and it seemed like one more score for the Buckeyes could keep a win out of Clemson’s reach. But Dabo Swinney’s team fought back and trailed by only two points at halftime. Capitalizing on multiple controversial moments and breakdowns in Ohio State’s defense, Clemson took control of the nail-biter. The game resembled the team’s early struggles this season when it still found a way to win, showing this team has had championship DNA in it all year.

Michelle’s pick: LSU
Evan’s pick: Clemson

The 2019-20 College Football Playoff national championship game is Monday, January 13 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

[jwplayer uFZO4OK8-q2aasYxh]

[opinary poll=”does-the-college-football-playoff-need-t” customer=”forthewin”]

[vertical-gallery id=881196]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393249]

WATCH: Baylor’s Matt Rhule to become Carolina Panthers’ head coach

Matt Rhule is jumping from the college ranks to the NFL becoming the next head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

Matt Rhule is heading to the NFL.

As first reported by Yahoo’s Pete Thamel and confirmed by Mike Jones of USA TODAY Sports, the Baylor coach is set to become the next head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

Rhule takes over for longtime coach Ron Rivera, who is now with the Washington Redskins after Panthers owner David Tepper fired him Dec. 3.

Tepper met with Rhule and his family in Waco on Monday and, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Tepper liked Rhule so much that he wanted to nab the coach right away. Rhule was set to interview with the New York Giants on Tuesday.

Rhule is responsible for a remarkable turnaround at Baylor, taking the program from 1-11 in 2017 to 11-3 in 2019.