Tag: reaction

Hugh Freeze shares first thoughts on QBs following opening day of spring practice

Did Hugh Freeze like what he saw out of Auburn’s quarterbacks on Monday?

The day that head coach Hugh Freeze and Auburn fans alike have waited for has finally arrived…  it is officially spring football time.

One of the many questions surrounding Auburn football this spring is the quarterback battle between [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag], [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag], and incumbent [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag]. Fans expect to see a change in the lineup or an improvement in skills from those three candidates, but what needs to be done?

Freeze got his first chance to truly evaluate the position on Monday, and shared his genuine assessment of what he saw with the media.

“I thought our quarterbacks threw some decent balls, at times, and other times where our mechanics were really bad,” Freeze said following Monday’s spring practice opener. “But I kind of expected that.”

Freeze said earlier this month that it was difficult to evaluate Auburn’s returning options because of the inadequate time they had in the pocket last season. Auburn now has a revamped offensive line, which may solve some of the issues. Freeze also has two great consultants on staff in offensive coordinator [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag] and quality control analyst [autotag]Kent Austin[/autotag] that will aid in the effort of finding ways to improve each quarterback.

Despite the less-than-ideal start to the spring for Auburn’s quarterbacks, Freeze says that their attitude towards improving leaves him feeling optimistic.

“If they’ll keep giving the same energy and effort that they gave today, we’ll get better throughout spring,” Freeze said.

Auburn will continue their spring practice on select dates from now until Saturday, April 8, when the annual A-Day game is set to take place.

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Four CU Buffs women earn Pac-12 honors

These four #cubuffs were given some hardware

Winning brings respect and with a 13-5 record to wrap Pac-12 play, four CU Buffs women took home a total of six conference awards.

As announced Tuesday, Jaylyn Sherrod and Quay Miller earned a spot on the All-Pac-12 team while Frida Formann and Aaronnette Vonleh were honorable mentions. Vonleh was also named co-most improved player of the year along with Arizona’s Shaina Pellington, and Sherrod made the all-defensive team.

Colorado, which was ranked No. 20 in the latest AP college women’s basketball poll, finished third in the Pac-12 and will enjoy a first-round bye in the conference tournament. The No. 3 seed Buffs are set to challenge either No. 6 USC or No. 11 Oregon State on Thursday in the quarterfinals.

After the Pac-12 Tournament, Colorado is essentially an NCAA Tournament lock for the second consecutive season.

“I’m so proud of every member of our team for all that they have poured into our program all year long,” head coach JR Payne said. “It is truly an honor for several members of our team to be recognized as all-conference players. The Pac-12 is full of incredibly talented young women. For our players to be recognized in such an elite group speaks to the talent that we have here at Colorado and the amount of time that they have poured into their craft.”

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Cowboys find WR size, speed in homegrown package in Bucky Brooks’ latest mock draft

TCU’s Quentin Johnston would be the Cowboys’ tallest WR and one of the fastest players on the team; he could be a star of the combine. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones admitted on Monday that the team needs to make a priority out of inserting “a playmaker” into the Dallas offense as a way to boost the passing game that rarely got out of first gear in 2022.

NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks has just the guy.

The analyst unveiled his latest mock draft as the scouting combine gets underway in Indianapolis, and he thinks the Cowboys don’t need to look too far from home to find a first-round pick that could, as Jones put it this week, “add a little juice.”

Brooks likes TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston to Dallas with the 26th overall pick. He specifically cites the junior’s speed and big-play potential, noting that those attributes could help him shine against one-on-one coverage on the outside.

And Brooks believes the 6-foot-4-inch Temple, Tex. native will emerge from this week as one of the breakout stars of the combine.

“Everyone is going to see the height,” Brooks said on NFL Network. “Everyone is going to see the athleticism. This is a guy, in high school, who was a big-time jumper. So when you see the explosive numbers- he’s going to broad jump over 11 feet, vertical is going to be well over 40 [inches], he’s fast as all get-out.”

Brooks listed Johnston among the 10 prospects he is most excited to see at the combine.

Both Brooks and former NFL running back LaDanian Tomlinson feel Johnston may need to show off his hands and improve his route-running, but both are intrigued by the big 21-year-old’s potential at the pro level.

“He didn’t really get a chance to show the entire route tree at TCU,” Tomlinson- himself a former Horned Frog- agreed. “He’s going to have to show how fluid he is in and out of his breaks. And then catching the football: can’t be catching the ball with his body; he has to show exceptional hands catching the football.”

At 6-foot-4, Johnston would be the tallest receiver on the Cowboys roster. And with 4.4 speed (some project he could even post a 4.3 40-yard dash on the turf at the combine), his wheels would put him in the same tier as Trevon Diggs and KaVontae Turpin.

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Michigan State gymnastics wins first ever Big Ten championship

MSU gymnastics has taken home the 2023 Big Ten championship!

History was made within Michigan State athletics on Monday night. The MSU women’s gymnastics team has officially taken home the regular season Big Ten championship for the first time in program history. The Spartans closed out the championship in Champaign against Illinois, beating the Fighting Illini 197.450-196.425 in the meet.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

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Eagles bulk up in the trenches in Mel Kiper’s latest 2023 NFL mock draft

The Philadelphia Eagles land an offensive and defensive tackle in Mel Kiper’s latest first-round mock draft for ESPN

The 2023 NFL draft is fast approaching and all 32 teams are at Lucas Oil Stadium this week and are doing their due diligence on potential prospects.

Thanks to some draft night wizardry from Howie Roseman, the Eagles traded the No. 16 overall pick, No. 19 overall pick, and a 2022 sixth-round pick to the New Orleans Saints for the No. 18 overall pick, a 2022 third-round pick, a 2022 seventh-round pick, a 2023 first-round pick, and a 2024 second-round pick.

We tracked Philadelphai’s picks via Tankathon, and after New Orleans went 7-10, Philadelphia locked down a top-ten selection.

ESPN’s legendary draft guru, Mel Kiper, Just released his second mock draft of 2023, and he has the Eagles reloading in the trenches with their two first-round picks.

Instant analysis of Eagles promoting Brian Johnson from QB coach to offensive coordinator

We’re looking at some takeaways and instant analysis from the Philadelphia Eagles promoting QB coach Brian Johnson to the offensive coordinator position

In a move that has been expected since Shane Steichen accepted the Colts’ head coaching job, Brian Johnson has been promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator.

A former college quarterback at Utah who has known the Hurts family for years, Johnson is completing his second season with the Eagles after serving as the offensive coordinator for the University of Florida, helping get Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts to the NFL.

He’ll now be tasked when making sure the NFL’s most dominant offense keeps its identity while taking the next step in efficiency and innovation.

Here are takeaways and an instant analysis of the move.

Former Rams RB Zac Stacy sentenced to 6 months in jail for attacking ex-girlfriend

Former Rams running back Zac Stacy has been sentenced to 6 months in jail for domestic violence

Former St. Louis Rams running back Zac Stacy has been sentenced to six months in jail for attacking his ex-girlfriend. The two separate incidents occurred in 2021, first in August and again in November.

On Monday night, an Orange County judge in Florida handed down the sentence; it also includes one year probation.

Earlier this month, Stacy pled guilty to two counts of criminal mischief but battery charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement.

In court documents, according to TMZ, Stacy’s ex-girlfriend said he “physically assaulted me several times because he wanted the money back he gave me for our rent.”

“He punched my legs, slapped me, picked me up by my arms, and threw me into my window, which broke,” she continued. “I had glass in my feet that I removed myself.”

In the incident that occurred in November of 2021, Stacy was seen on video throwing his ex-girlfriend across the room into a TV, also punching her multiple times.

Stacy played for the Rams in 2013 and 2014 before being traded to the Jets in 2015.

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Cowboys News: Franchise tag hint, WR confession, Marriott specifies claims against Irvin

Stephen Jones drops clues about upcoming tag strategy and some truth about last year’s WR mess; new details in the Michael Irvin case. | From @ToddBrock24f7

It’s combine week, and that means the Joneses will have hot mics shoved in their faces… and that means there will be headlines. On Monday, it was Stephen dropping hints about what the Cowboys will do about the franchise tag this offseason, admitting that the club was way off the mark in how they addressed the WR room after Amari Cooper’s departure, and even laying the groundwork for a Dak Prescott contract extension. There will no doubt be much more to come from Indianapolis once Jerry gets to town and invites the Cowboys media aboard his bus.

Meanwhile, we’re forecasting what happens next in Dalton Schultz’s journey, we’re previewing the positions Dallas is shopping for at the combine, and we’re looking at one mock draft that takes all established logic and chucks it out the window. We’ve got ex-Cowboys staffers being announced to their new teams, a year-end list that’s seemingly super-heavy on NFC East rivals, a familiar-sounding complaint about why the Cowboys’ first Super Bowl was such a blooperfest, and new details about what supposedly happened with Michael Irvin in that hotel lobby in Phoenix. News and Notes, coming right up…

REPORT: Minnesota Vikings expected to hire Colorado assistant Patrick Hill

REPORT: The Minnesota Vikings are expected to snag Patrick Hill from the #cubuffs

All of a sudden, Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders has a spot to fill on his coaching staff.

Exactly one month after Patrick Hill was announced as the Buffaloes’ defensive tackles coach, it was reported by On3’s Matt Zenitz on Monday that the Minnesota Vikings are expected to hire Hill as an assistant defensive line coach. Hill was previously a defensive analyst at LSU for the 2022 season.

Although he was only in Boulder for a short period, Hill made an impression on a few Colorado recruits, including four-star LB Kolaj Cobbins and 2024 blue-chip DL Brandon Davis-Swain.

Coach Prime now has less than three weeks to hire a new defensive tackles coach before the Buffaloes begin spring football in mid-March.

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No traces of Auburn left in USA TODAY coaches poll

Auburn’s only chance to climb back into the polls will be to beat its last two remaining opponents — both of whom are ranked.

Auburn’s last foothold in the USA TODAY coaches poll is no more.

In last week’s poll, the Tigers held on to two measly votes after a loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores, but a drubbing at the hands of the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday was enough to seal Auburn’s fate. The Tigers are not featured in the poll’s top 25 and have no votes otherwise, which means that [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s squad has been entirely expunged from the rankings for the first time this season.

In the two games the most recent poll took into consideration, Auburn won a close matchup against an unranked Ole Miss team, 78-74 and dropped an ugly game on the road against the unranked Kentucky Wildcats 86-54. The Tigers will have one more shot to get back into the polls before tournament season, but chances are bleaker when their competition is taken into consideration — the team will face No. 14 Tennessee and No. 2 Alabama to close out the year, two teams Auburn has already lost to this season.

Check out the full USA TODAY Sports College Basketball Coaches Poll down below:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Houston 27-2 794(27) –
2 Alabama 25-4 752 (2) –
3 Kansas 24-5 729 (3) +1
4 UCLA 25-4 728 -1
5 Purdue 24-5 630 –
6 Marquette 23-6 626 +3
7 Texas 22-7 558 +1
8 Baylor 21-8 527 +2
9 Arizona 24-5 518 -2
10 Gonzaga 25-5 515 +2
11 Kansas State 22-7 469 +5
12 Virginia 21-6 389 -6
13 Indiana 20-9 362 +4
14 Tennessee 21-8 353 -1
15 Miami 23-6 349 -4
16 Saint Mary’s 25-6 339 -2
17 Xavier 21-8 274 -2
18 Connecticut 22-7 254 +5
19 San Diego State 23-5 251 +1
20 Providence 21-8 239 -2
21 Texas A&M 21-8 113 +4
22 TCU 19-10 109 +4
23 Creighton 18-11 95 -4
24 Maryland 20-9 82 +6
25 Pittsburgh 21-8 64 +3

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