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Tag: College Football

  • Devon Dampier leads No. 15 Utah past Nebraska in Las Vegas Bowl, 44-22

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    LAS VEGAS — Devon Dampier threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 148 yards and three scores, and No. 15 Utah won the Las Vegas Bowl in Morgan Scalley’s first game as coach, beating Nebraska 44-22 on Wednesday in the Las Vegas Bowl.

    Scalley was expected to be the Utes’ coach beginning after this game, but Michigan hired Kyle Whittingham on Friday, prompting a quicker change.

    “There have been so many distractions for these players,” Scalley said. “The game is all about them, and so they’re the ones that don’t deserve all the distractions. They worked their tails off.”

    For Dampier, the game MVP, the question now is whether the junior will return to Salt Lake City or enter the transfer portal and maybe even follow his old coach to Michigan. He didn’t directly address a question regarding what his thought process would be over the next two days.

    “It’s the last couple of hours I get to hang out with these guys,” Dampier said. “That’s where my mind is going to be at for sure.”

    This game was considered a sort of audition for Nebraska freshman quarterback TJ Lateef, who passed for 182 yards and had a touchdown each throwing and running. Mekhi Nelson rushed for 88 yards and a TD on 12 carries, but only 16 yards after the first quarter.

    Utah (11-2) reached 11 victories for the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2019. The Utes improved their bowl record to 18-9, including 5-2 in the Las Vegas Bowl. They also won two Pac-12 championships at Allegiant Stadium.

    The Utes outgained Nebraska (7-6) 535 yards to 343. They rushed for 225 yards, giving the Utes a school-record 3,462 for the season. Their four rushing touchdowns gave the Utes 41 for the season, another program record.

    Utah turned around the game in the second period by outscoring Nebraska 17-0 and outgaining the Huskers 198-17. Nebraska had led 14-7 after the first quarter.

    “They started zone pressuring us,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said. “You have to win those plays, and we didn’t quite win enough.”

    This was Nebraska’s 30th consecutive loss to an Associated Press-ranked opponent, second to Rutgers’ 43-game skid. Rhule has lost 20 straight games to ranked teams, including 0-11 at Baylor.

    An announced crowd of 38,879 watched the game, a record since this bowl moved to Allegiant Stadium following the 2019 season. The previous record was 32,515 for Wisconsin’s 20-13 victory over Arizona State in 2021. It’s the ninth-highest attendance for this bowl, which used to be at Sam Boyd Stadium.

    Nebraska: The Huskers looked as if they would run all over Utah, rushing 13 times for 94 yards in the first quarter in taking a 14-7 lead. They rushed six times for a yard in the second period as Utah took control.

    Utah: Tight ends J.J. Buchanan and Dallan Bentley combined to catch 10 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. The game was a homecoming for Buchanan, who is from the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson.

    Nebraska: Will host Ohio on Sept. 5 in the first of two games against Mid-American Conference teams and the third against an FCS school.

    Utah: Will host Idaho on Sept. 3 in what should be an easy tune-up for the season.

    ___

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  • Iowa holds off Vanderbilt for 34-27 win in ReliaQuest Bowl

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    By  COREY LONG

    TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Mark Gronowski threw two touchdowns and rushed for another to lead Iowa to a 34-27 win over No. 13 Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Wednesday.

    Gronowski was 16 of 22 passing for 212 yards, throwing touchdowns passes of 10 and 21 yards to Reece Vander Zee and DJ Vonnahme, respectively, as Iowa got out to a 21-3 lead early in the third quarter.

    Vanderbilt (10-3) rallied behind Diego Pavia. The Heisman Trophy runner-up threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Tre Richardson and a 16-yarder to Joseph McVay to pull the Commodores within 24-17.

    The teams traded scores early in the fourth quarter, with Gronowski making it 31-17 with a 1-yard keeper and Pavia answering with an 11-yard TD run.

    Iowa (9-4) pushed the lead back to double digits with a 44-yard field goal from Drew Stevens to cap off a 13-play, 49-yard drive that took more than seven minutes. Vanderbilt answered with a 37-yard field goal from Brock Taylor to make it 34-27, but Iowa was able to close out the game with Xavier Williams running for 11 yards on a third-and-1 with 1:55 remaining and the Commodores out of timeouts.

    Pavia finished with 347 passing yards. Richardson caught six passes for 127 yards and Junior Sherrill had eight catches for 123 yards for Vanderbilt.

    Vonnahme led the Hawkeyes with seven catches for 146 yards and Kamari Moulton rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown. Gronowski had 54 rushing yards.

    The takeaway

    Iowa: The Hawkeyes are 4-3 in the ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly known as the Outback Bowl) in seven trips under coach Kirk Ferentz. It’s the 11th time Iowa has won nine or more games in a season under Ferentz.

    Vanderbilt: Despite the loss, the Commodores set a school record with 10 wins and signed coach Clark Lea to a six-year contract extension in November.

    Up next

    Iowa: Hosts Northern Illinois on Sept. 5.

    TCU: Hosts Austin Peay on. Sept. 5

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  • Seals and Payne rally TCU past No. 16 USC for 30-27 overtime victory in Alamo Bowl

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    SAN ANTONIO — Ken Seals had to bide time on the bench until his final college game to make his first start for his beloved TCU Horned Frogs, but it was truly worth the wait.

    Seals directed two scoring drives in the final five minutes of regulation and threw the winning touchdown pass in overtime as TCU rallied to beat No. 16 USC 30-27 on Tuesday night in the Alamo Bowl.

    “It felt like a movie,” Seals said. “I just can’t even … I’m not processing it. This is just an unbelievable experience. The week leading up to it, the last 10 days, and then finishing it in this fashion is just more than any guy can dream.”

    Seals completed 29 of 40 passes for 258 yards and the game-ending score.

    After being sacked for a 10-yard loss on second down in overtime, Seals was facing third-and-20 from the 35 when he found running back Jeremy Payne with a short toss in the left flat. Payne caught the ball at the line of scrimmage and wriggled past four defenders, breaking multiple tackles as he bolted down the sideline into the end zone.

    “I’m not really surprised,” said TCU linebacker and Defensive MVP Kaleb Elarms-Orr. ”Shoot, he be shaking me at practice sometimes, too. I’m not surprised that he just went out there and made a bunch of dudes miss. He was doing it all night. Once he made that first dude miss, I knew he was gone.”

    Payne had six catches for 50 yards. He also rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.

    A sixth-year senior, Seals got the opportunity to start when TCU quarterback Josh Hoover opted to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 18. Seals backed up Hoover the past two seasons after transferring from Vanderbilt, where he started 22 games over three seasons.

    Seals grew up a Horned Frogs fan in Azle, about 23 miles from the TCU campus.

    “My mentality was just sell out, it’s your last one, man,” Seals said.

    Seals directed a 13-play, 59-yard drive in the final 2:44 of regulation to force overtime on a 27-yard field goal by Kyle Lemmermann as time expired.

    It was the fourth overtime in the bowl’s 33-year history.

    TCU (9-4) limited USC (9-4) to a 22-yard field goal on the opening possession of OT despite incurring a pass-interference call in the end zone that gave the Trojans a first down at the 2-yard line.

    USC freshman Ryon Sayeri also had field goals of 40, 28 and 41 yards.

    “We had a couple of unique calls that just didn’t quite bounce our way,” Trojans coach Lincoln Riley said. “But we just did not execute good enough in the red zone either side of the ball.”

    Trojans junior quarterback Jayden Maiava passed for 280 yards and a touchdown but threw two interceptions.

    USC failed to score early in the third quarter following an interception by Christian Pierce. The drive ended when Maiava’s pass was intercepted in the end zone.

    Jaden Richardson scored on a one-handed grab for USC in the front left corner of the end zone with 49 seconds remaining in the third. Richardson reached back with his right arm as he was falling backward, pulling the ball into his chest and tapping his right foot inbounds for a 21-yard touchdown reception from Maiava.

    Taniela Tupou’s two-point reception extended USC’s lead to 21-14.

    TCU grabbed a 14-13 lead in the first half on a pair of short rushing touchdowns that capped 75-yard drives.

    USC: The Trojans failed to win 10 games for the third straight season.

    TCU: The Horned Frogs had a prolific offense this season but must start anew next year. In addition to Hoover entering the transfer portal, TCU lost offensive coordinator Kendal Briles to South Carolina, and top wide receiver Eric McAlister is headed to the NFL.

    USC: Will host Fresno State on Sept. 5 next year in what could be the first game of Maiava’s Heisman Trophy campaign.

    TCU: Will face North Carolina on Aug. 29 in Dublin, Ireland, to kick off next year’s college football season.

    ___

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  • Texas gets 41-27 Citrus Bowl win over Michigan in Orlando

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    ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Arch Manning made big plays with his arm and his legs Wednesday in the Citrus Bowl, throwing two touchdown passes and putting it away with a 60-yard scoring run in a 41-27 victory that ended a rough month for No. 14 Michigan.

    Manning was an easy choice as the Citrus Bowl MVP, and that was before he burst up the middle on his 60-yarder that gave the Longhorns (10-3) a 38-27 lead, the first time all game either team led by more than one score.

    Manning was 21 of 34 for 221 yards passing, and he ran nine times for 155 yards.

    He delivered a perfect throw to Kaliq Lockett on a 30-yard TD for a 31-27 lead, the first time Texas led since a field goal on its opening drive.

    That was one play after he scrambled 15 yards for a first down on fourth-and-2. Manning twice converted on fourth down with clutch runs, both times extending drives that led to touchdowns.

    Kyle Whittingham, who arrived in Orlando on Saturday to start meeting with players, watched from the box at the Citrus Bowl. The longtime Utah coach takes over a Michigan team (9-4) that produced a strong running game and played tough on defense despite missing its top two defenders who opted out of the game.

    But there was no answer for Manning, who accounted for about 80% of the Longhorns’ offense.

    Bryce Underwood, Michigan’s freshman quarter, kept the Wolverines in the game until a pair of late interceptions sealed it. He was 23 of 42 for 199 yards and two touchdowns, along with three interceptions in the last 18 minutes of the game.

    Underwood, who ran for 77 yards, scampered for a 5-yard touchdown run by diving to touch the pylon, giving Michigan its last lead at 27-24 with just under 11 minutes to go.

    Hisd pass was intercepted by Ty’Anthony Smith over the middle after Texas had taken the lead, and Smith picked him another along the sideline on the next drive.

    Biff Poggi lost for the first time as Michigan’s interim coach. Poggi coached victories over Nebraska and Central Michigan when former coach Sherrone Moore served a two-game suspension related to the sign-stealing scandal from 2023.

    Moore was fired three weeks ago for having an extramarital affair with a staffer, and he was arrested and charged with three crimes later in the day for breaking into the woman’s home.

    Whittingham brings a history of toughness and discipline from his 21 years at Utah, which Michigan hopes can go a long way toward bringing some stability to a culture in chaos.

    The Takeaway

    Michigan: Bryson Kuzdzal gave Michigan strength in the running with 82 hard-earned yards on 20 carries. He converted first downs on fourth-and short on three occasions.

    Texas: While Manning ran the show for the Longhorns, they got great production from freshman running back Christian Clark, who had one touchdown and rushed for 105 yards on 20 carries. Texas was without its leading three rushers, all of whom are entering the transfer portal.

    Too much yellow

    The field only looked like it was sprinkled with Cheez-It crackers from the bowl sponsor. Michigan and Texas combined for 21 penalties. The most devastating for Michigan was a blind side block on a second-and-2 from the Texas 10. Underwood threw an interception two players later.

    Up next

    Michigan: New coach Kyle Whittingham fills out his staff. The Wolverines open at home Sept. 5 against Western Michigan.

    Texas: Opens at home Sept. 5 against Texas State.

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  • Chip Kelly lands new job as Northwestern’s offensive coordinator after firing by Raiders

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    Chip Kelly didn’t have to wait long to land his next job.

    The former Oregon and Philadelphia Eagles coach was hired as Northwestern’s offensive coordinator on Tuesday.

    The move comes on the heels of the Las Vegas Raiders firing Kelly as offensive coordinator late last month after just 11 games. But he has a history of overseeing explosive offenses, particularly at the college level.

    Kelly led Oregon to a 46-7 record and a national championship game appearance from 2009 to 2012 before spending four years as an NFL head coach — three with Philadelphia and one with San Francisco. He returned to the college ranks as UCLA’s coach from 2018-23, leading the Bruins to a 35–34 record. He was offensive coordinator at Ohio State under Ryan Day last year, helping the Buckeyes win the national championship.

    “This program and university are clearly on the rise, and the values of the people and this place align with my own,” he said in a statement. “I am grateful for the opportunity. There is tremendous potential under Coach Braun’s leadership, and I’m ready to contribute to this team.”

    Kelly was the most prominent assistant hired by Pete Carroll in his first season as Las Vegas’ coach after leading the Seattle Seahawks for 14 years. He reportedly received a $6 million contract, the highest for an NFL offensive coordinator. But he never lived up to the deal. Las Vegas’ offense ranked among the NFL’s worst when he was fired.

    “There was certainly an incredible amount of respect for the body of work that he’s put together, whether it be in the NFL, his time at Oregon, time at UCLA, time at Ohio State,” Northwestern coach David Braun said on a Zoom. “But through conversations and really getting to know him as a person and as a football mind, it was very evident to me that an opportunity to bring him on board and have him be a part of Northwestern football was something that could be an absolute game-changer for this program and specifically our offense here at Northwestern.”

    In a statement, athletic director Mark Jackson called it “a seminal moment for our program.” Jackson had a connection with Kelly through Carroll, having worked as an assistant coach on Carroll’s staff with the New England Patriots and later as an administrator at USC during the football team’s dominant run.

    “Mark’s relationship with Chip probably put us in a position to start the conversation, to see if this is an opportunity that Chip would be interested in,” Braun said. “Through those conversations — countless conversations — between Chip and I, it became very evident that this might be something that is of very strong mutual interest. The thing that excites me most about him coming onboard is, yes, his level of expertise, but also the level of passion that he has to get here and get to work and make this truly something special for Northwestern football going into the future.”

    The Wildcats are 19-19 in three seasons under Braun. They went 7-6 this year and beat Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl even though the offense struggled. Kelly replaces Zach Lujan, who spent two years as coordinator. With the transfer portal opening Friday, Braun said it was “absolutely critical” to have the position filled.

    Northwestern is set to move into a new stadium next season after playing home games the past two years at a temporary lakefront facility and at Wrigley Field. Without the new Ryan Field, Braun doesn’t think he lands Kelly.

    “We talked about converging timing,” Braun said. “The converging timing is moving into a new Ryan Field in 2026, House settlement and a new landscape of college football, a program that is on the rise and an opportunity for us to really establish a new era of Northwestern football in the best football stadium in the world. For me to say that that isn’t a contributing factor to all this isn’t true. I think it absolutely is a factor.”

    ___

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  • Auburn star wide receiver reportedly entering transfer portal

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    The Auburn Tigers are looking like they are going to have to hit the reset button as a program — another one of their players is reportedly entering the transfer portal.

    With the start of head coach Alex Golesh, the Tigers have seen numerous players declare their intentions to enter the transfer portal over the last few weeks.

    None of them have been anywhere near as significant as the news that broke on Monday. Star wide receiver Cam Coleman seems to be the latest player entering the portal, according to a report from On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

    Coleman — who has racked up over 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns over the last two seasons — will instantly become the top available player in the portal and will be sought after by every team in the country looking to add a wide receiver.

    The star wideout joins fellow soon-to-be former Tigers in the portal, including Malcolm Simmons, Horatio Fields, Jay Crawford, Robert Woodyard, Kayin Lee, Ashton Daniels and numerous others. It looks like what could be a painful rebuild for Auburn really begins now.

    Of course, Golesh will supplement from the portal himself. There’s a case to be made for not getting too broken up about gutting a roster that just went 5-7, but Tiger fans are rightfully upset to lose Coleman.

    Coleman’s moves in the transfer portal could end up breaking NIL records, and have now made him the most-followed recruit of the offseason.

    Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.

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  • Indiana football’s rise to national title contender rewards fans who endured decades of losing

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    Bill Murphy has been an Indiana football season ticket holder for 66 years. He says he has rarely missed a game even though 55 of them have been losing seasons in a historic stretch of bowl-less holidays.

    One of those rare misses stands out: The 1968 Rose Bowl, when Indiana lost 14-3 to O.J. Simpson and a USC team that went on to be crowned national champion. Murphy was 15 at the time, and his parents weren’t on board with sending him to California alone. But neither Murphy nor his parents could have anticipated the bowl drought that followed. The Hoosiers didn’t make another bowl until 1979, and after that, 1986.

    Now 77, Murphy wasn’t sure this day would come again. So a backup plan was established in case of an emergency.

    “I told my wife, son and daughter, I told them, ‘If I die before we go to the Rose Bowl again, I want you to take my urn and buy a program, buy a seat, set the program and urn on the seat, and I’ll be there with you guys,’” he said.

    Murphy’s story would resonate with any lifelong Indiana football fan, though he warns there may not be many. He grew up a dedicated supporter of Indiana’s losing football team in Bloomington, a city that rallied around the powerhouse and championship-winning basketball team.

    The script has since flipped a bit. Hoosiers fans have had more to cheer about the past season or two when it comes to football than basketball. A team that was once an afterthought in its community has a new brand of committed fans who have the chance to head to Pasadena for the program’s biggest game in years: Top-seeded Indiana will play Alabama on Thursday in the Grandaddy of Them All for a chance to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals.

    The program has reached new heights over the past two years under back-to-back AP Coach of the Year Curt Cignetti, finally abandoning the title of losingest program in the history of the Bowl Subdivision and handing the unwelcome crown to Northwestern earlier this year. Indiana finished the regular season as Big Ten champion with a perfect 13-0 record behind quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the school’s first Heisman Trophy winner.

    Longtime fan Kevin Harrell wouldn’t miss the Rose Bowl, even though his last trip to the stadium wasn’t too long ago. When the Big Ten expanded with four West Coast teams in 2024, he took the opportunity to see his team play in the iconic stadium, thinking the mid-September matchup against UCLA could be the closest he’d come to seeing Indiana in the Rose Bowl this century.

    “It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” Harrell said, admitting that having this level of confidence in the team is an unfamiliar feeling. “We have always expected the worst. We could always find a new way to lose the game. It’s been kind of weird how quickly I’ve gone from that way of thinking to expecting to win. I expect this team to win every time they take the field, and I think that’s just a testament to the job Curt Cignetti has done.”

    Not all fans have earned their stripes like Harrell and Murphy. The Indiana football bandwagon is filling up.

    Memorial Stadium reached the brim with new followers this season. “Heis-Mendoza” chants on Saturdays become common this fall, and for the second straight year, all four home conference games sold out.

    Airlines have adjusted accordingly to the high demand. Delta, American and Southwest Airlines added additional nonstop flights from Indianapolis to Los Angeles in the days leading up to the Rose Bowl.

    “People get excited because people like winners,” Murphy said. “(There are) not a tremendous amount of people like me that will go support their team win or lose, and I’ve seen a lot of losing football over the years.”

    So now, 58 years later, Murphy finally gets the chance to make up for the missed game that has haunted him for decades.

    “Fortunately for me, I get to go this year and actually sit in a seat and see the game,” Murphy said. “I’m still pinching myself, trying to make sure I’m not dreaming.”

    ___

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  • The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl returns to Orlando on New Year’s Eve

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    Credit: courtesy image

    One of the more notable post-holiday post-season football bowl games, the Cheez-It-branded Citrus Bowl, returns this week.

    The college football blowout sees the Michigan Wolverines take on the Texas Longhorns for a New Year’s Eve grudge match. The Longhorns have the edge, but it’s anyone’s game really. Say goodbye to 2025 right by inviting all your rowdy friends over and … wait, wrong league, wrong era.

    Head thee to Camping World for some cheesy crackers instead.

    3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31, Camping World Stadium, 1 Citrus Bowl Place, campingworldstadium.com, $83-$471.

    Orlando’s daily dose of what matters. Subscribe to The Daily Weekly.

    One of the more notable post-holiday post-season football bowl games

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    This article appears in Dec. 31, 2025–Jan. 6, 2026.



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  • Caleb Downs is quite the CFP veteran heading into the quarterfinals

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    ARLINGTON, Texas — Caleb Downs had to be reminded that he was getting ready for his sixth College Football Playoff game, which probably won’t be rare a decade from now but is unique in just the second year of the expanded 12-team format.

    What You Need To Know

    • Caleb Downs had to be reminded that he was getting ready for his sixth College Football Playoff game

    • The third-ranked Buckeyes (12-1, CFP No. 2) got a first-round bye despite losing to top-ranked Indiana in the Big Ten championship game

    • Downs remembers the nerves from his CFP debut with the Crimson Tide

    The Ohio State safety smiled at the thought and figured it couldn’t hurt to have played in the CFP as a freshman at Alabama, losing 27-20 to Michigan in overtime before transferring to the Wolverines’ biggest rival and winning four postseason games and a national championship with the Buckeyes a year ago.

    “That could be a positive, just knowing that I’ve been in this situation so many times,” said Downs, a two-time Associated Press All-American. “At the end of the day, it’s not about me. It’s about everybody else feeling confident during the game. Really just trying to push that to all my teammates.”

    He’s talking younger teammates such as freshman Devin Sanchez, a backup cornerback who has tried to imagine the nerves and emotions in the hours before kickoff Wednesday night in a Cotton Bowl quarterfinal against No. 10 Miami.

    The Hurricanes (11-2, CFP No. 10 seed) are first-time CFP qualifiers, but got a start on those nerves with the 10-3 first-round victory at Texas A&M on Dec. 20.

    The third-ranked Buckeyes (12-1, CFP No. 2) got a first-round bye despite losing to top-ranked Indiana in the Big Ten championship game.

    “Lean on them a lot, more than you think,” Sanchez said. “They’re guys that have been here a lot of times, a couple of guys have been to the Cotton Bowl for the third straight year in a row. So this is not a new place for them. As a new guy, there’s nothing I can do but lean on them. The speed will be a little different. The intensity will be up a little bit more. Just lean on those guys, and when my number’s called just be able to go out there and make sure that they trust me to be out there.”

    Downs remembers the nerves from his CFP debut with the Crimson Tide. He was in the Rose Bowl, a spectacle he had seen on TV as a kid.

    “That was probably the biggest game I had played at the time,” said Downs, one of the top players in the 2024 portal as the first freshman to lead the storied Alabama program in tackles. “Knowing that, it was a little bit of nerves.”

    The Buckeyes were in the Cotton Bowl for last season’s semifinals, beating Texas 28-14 after comfortable wins over Tennessee at home and No. 1 Oregon in a Rose Bowl quarterfinal.

    Downs found a way to leave the Rose Bowl with a better feeling. Now he’ll be back on the field where he intercepted Texas’ Quinn Ewers almost a year ago, in what will be his 44th game in just three seasons.

    “I think just in general with Caleb, just the amount of experience he has playing football is probably the most important thing,” first-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said. “His professionalism and how he prepares is probably the best example that I can point to for all the players.”

    Downs, a projected first-round pick should he decide to enter the NFL draft in April, isn’t the only experienced defensive back. Davison Igbinosun and Jermaine Matthews Jr., the starting cornerbacks in front of Sanchez, have been around awhile.

    Igbinosun was on the 2023 Ohio State team that also played in the Cotton Bowl, a 14-3 loss to Missouri after missing out on the last four-team playoff.

    A year later, Downs was with him, believing the experience of being in the playoff didn’t matter as much as losing in the playoff.

    “It definitely added a little bit of fuel to the fire because I lost my freshman year,” Downs said. “It made me want to come back and play better. I think that was a lot of what everybody else on the team felt because they didn’t have the success they wanted to earlier in their career. I think that was a hungry team. And we’ve got to be the same way this year.”

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  • Ole Miss defense looks to redeem a humiliating showing against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl

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    Redemption will be on the minds of Mississippi Rebels defensive players when they meet third-ranked Georgia at Thursday’s Sugar Bowl in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff.

    “We all wanted to play them again,” said Ole Miss defensive back Wydett Williams Jr., whose unit labored through a season-worst performance during a 43-35 loss at Georgia earlier this season. “We’re happy we get to play them.”

    Georgia (12-1), the Southeastern Conference champions and third seed in the CFP bracket, and No. 6 Ole Miss (12-1), the CFP’s sixth seed, traveled on Monday to New Orleans, where they will make final preparations for their New Year’s Day matchup in the Superdome.

    In handing the Rebels their only loss this season, Georgia gained 510 yards of offense and didn’t punt once, but did need a 17-0, fourth-quarter rally to win.

    Ole Miss defensive coordinator Bryan Brown says Georgia’s offense looks even better now than when they met on Oct. 18.

    “First, they take care of the football,” said Brown, who assumed the coordinator role exclusively after his former co-coordinator, Pete Golding, was named head coach on Nov. 30, when ex-coach Lane Kiffin left for LSU.

    “They execute at a higher level and they’ve got their play makers making plays,” Brown added.

    Meanwhile, Georgia coach Kirby Smart said that in his experience, rematches often don’t resemble the earlier matchup.

    “It’s really overrated in terms of re-matches and things like that,” Smart said. “How you play (on a given day) defines what the outcome of the game is — your ability to be explosive, turn the ball over, win situational football … and it really has very little to do with the time before you played them.

    “I don’t think either team is exactly the same,” Smart added. “Both teams have evolved some. And everybody will have new wrinkles.”

    Quarterback Gunnar Stockton threw for 289 yards on 26-of-31 passing against the Rebels, including three touchdown passes to tight end Lawson Luckie.

    If Stockton’s more than 3,100 yards and 23 touchdowns passing weren’t impressive enough, Brown asserted that Stockton’s value goes beyond the numbers.

    “He’s a gamer,” Brown said, smiling in admiration. “He extends plays and he makes the right plays. It’s not all measurements for a quarterback; it’s about making the right plays. That’s what he does. That’s what he is. He’s a football player.”

    Williams saw the Georgia loss as a turning point for the Rebels’ defense, which closed with five consecutive wins to secure a CFP berth.

    “After that game, we had to lock in more,” Williams said. “We had to bond more as a team, whatever we had to do to play better on the defensive side — anything we needed to do, we pressed on harder.”

    Ole Miss then opened the CFP with a resounding 45-10 triumph over No. 17 Tulane (the CFP’s 11th seed) to set up its rematch with the Bulldogs.

    During its past six contests, the Rebel defense has improved in areas such as quarterback pressures and turnover ratio (plus-4 during that span).

    “We got better at communication, playing faster and with more confidence,” Brown said.

    But there was no getting away from the painful memories inflicted by the Georgia offense in October, particularly one embarrassing statistic.

    Rebels linebacker TJ Dottery shook his head as he described the humiliation of his unit not forcing a single punt during the Rebels’ visit to Athens.

    “Georgia is a great team,” Dottery said. “But this time, we’ve got to be better.”

    Cornerback Jaylon Braxton, whose interception stopped an early Tulane drive, figures there will be little margin for error against a Georgia program that has won three SEC titles and two national championships since 2021.

    “We didn’t execute,” Braxton said while recounting the previous meeting. “We have really focused in practice on doing the things that the coaches call.”

    For Brown, a key step will be eliminating the type of missed assignments that cost the Rebels in the last meeting.

    “Got to get off the field when we have that opportunity and avoid the busted assignment,” Brown said. “Hopefully, we won’t have anybody running loose in the secondary.”

    ___

    AP Sports Writers Charles Odom in Atlanta and Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed.

    ___

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  • ‘The game is the game’: FAMU’s Charlie Ward has good memories of playing in Atlanta, FAMU faces Georgia Tech

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    First-year FAMU head basketball coach and former 12-year NBA veteran Charlie Ward won the 1993 Heisman Trophy as a quarterback at Florida State University. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    The Florida A&M Rattlers men’s basketball program is playing at Georgia Tech on Sunday afternoon. But on a sunny Saturday afternoon, Rattlers head coach Charlie Ward took a seat inside the College Football Hall of Fame to talk shop. For a college basketball coach to be seated in college football’s hall of record here in Atlanta would be odd if not for the man in question. Thomasville, Georgia native, Charlie Ward is one of the greatest two-sport collegiate athletes of all time. 

    Moments after the Rattlers’ bus pulled up outside the College Football Hall of Fame, a dozen student-athletes got off the bus, followed by a shorter and older man wearing glasses and a FAMU sweatsuit. Ward still looks like he’s at his playing weight from his playing days.

    Asked if his team had any idea how good a college football player he was, Ward smirked before looking ambivalent. His football-playing days are long gone. The visit to the hall will give his players quite an education on their head coach if they aren’t sure how good he was on the gridiron. This being Ward’s first season as a collegiate head coach, there have been some lessons learned along the way. The Rattlers are 3-7 overall and have lost their last two games. While playing basketball at Florida State, Ward’s teams, which included former NBA players Sam Cassell and Bob Sura, rarely lost games, despite competing in the highly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). 

    For many of the Rattlers’ players, this was their first time inside the College Football Hall of Fame.
    Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    “I just appreciate our upbringing,” Ward said of his playing days. 

    He mentioned a game-winning layup against the Yellow Jackets and a big win at Boddy Dodd Stadium during his senior season as moments that stand out in Atlanta. Now he was back, looking for another victory. 

    Speaking of the ACC, FAMU will play a Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets team that is 8-4 and is also coached by a former NBA point guard, Damon Stoudamire. 

    “This has been a good experience. The players are the players, and the game is the game,” Ward said. 

    His high school coaching career gave him less autonomy over who he was coaching, but the college level will allow him to piece together a roster. 

     “Being able to go recruiting has been something. You just have to manage your roster,” he said. 

    As decorated for his on-field heroics as Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, two legendary two-sport athletes on the collegiate and professional levels, Ward won the 1993 Heisman Trophy as the quarterback at Florida State University and the 1994 National Championship. He followed up a five-star college football career with a 12-year career as a guard in the NBA, first as a first-round draft pick, 26th overall, by the New York Knicks, who were also in Atlanta for a game against the Atlanta Hawks that night.

    Ward (above) and the Rattlers will face Georgia Tech and former fellow NBA guard Damon Stoudamire at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, December 28, 2025. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    Asked if he knew that his former team was in town at the same time as his new team, Ward said he didn’t. He’s focused on coaching college basketball these days.

    The team was given a tour of the hall, and for the majority of the players, this was their first time inside. Ward, who also finished sixth in Heisman voting as a junior in 1992, and is the basketball program’s all-time leader in steals, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

    Ward and his wife started and continue to operate the Charlie and Tonja Ward Family Foundation. 

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  • Michigan hires former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham to lead the Wolverines

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    The University of Michigan hired a new head football coach after firing ex-coach Sherrone Moore on Dec. 10 for having an “inappropriate relationship” with a female staffer. Moore was arrested hours after his firing and later charged with home invasion, stalking and breaking and entering.

    U of M announced Friday night that Kyle Whittingham, 66, who served as the Utes’ head coach at the University of Utah for 21 seasons, had agreed to a five-year contract that runs through 2030 to lead the Wolverines. 

    Details of the contact have not been disclosed. 

    “Kyle Whittingham is a well-respected and highly successful head coach who is widely recognized as a leader of exceptional character and principled leadership,” said Michigan Director of Athletics Warde Manuel. 

    Whittingham said: “My family and I are thrilled to join the University of Michigan community, and we look forward to helping our players grow, develop, and reach their highest potential — on the gridiron, in the classroom, and as leaders. It’s a privilege to be part of something that inspires pride in every Wolverine fan.”

    Michigan is hoping to turn things around after the Moore‘s firing. Moore served as coach for the 2024 and 2025 seasons after working under former coach Jim Harbaugh since 2018. Michigan later announced that its athletic department was under review amid the investigation against Moore.

    Whittingham joined the Utes staff in 1994, first as a defensive line coach. He worked through the ranks, also serving as defensive coordinator, linebackers coach and safeties coach, before he was named head coach in 2005.

    In Whittingham’s first seven seasons as head coach, he led the Utes to seven bowl games, winning six of them. Whittingham ended with a 177-88 career record with the Utes and an 11-6 bowl record. His best season was in 2008 when he led the Utes to an undefeated record and a victory in the Sugar Bowl.

    Whittingham is Utah’s all-time wins leader, and his 177 wins rank third among active FBS coaches. He led the Utes to 10-plus wins on eight occasions and posted 18 winning seasons. 

    On Dec. 12, Whittingham announced that he was stepping down. The Utes finished the 2025 season with a 10-2 record and are now preparing for the Las Vegas Bowl against Nebraska. Whittingham will not coach Utah in its bowl game and instead will join Michigan at the Citrus Bowl. 

    Meanwhile, the Wolverines (9-3) are gearing up for the Citrus Bowl against Texas, with interim coach Biff Poggi leading the team. Poggi told reporters earlier this week that he interviewed for the job, and the university was hoping to hire its next coach before the bowl game.

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  • Penn State, Matt Campbell given update on Rocco Becht transfer

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    Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Matt Campbell is still building out his roster for the upcoming season, and some of his former Iowa State players could be joining him soon.

    Campbell’s former quarterback, Rocco Becht, has decided to enter the transfer portal, a move that came as a bit of a surprise given that he spent his entire college career with the Cyclones.

    More news: Urban Meyer Sends Clear Message on Kalen DeBoer to Michigan Rumors

    Becht was a redshirt during his freshman year, though he has been the starter over the past three years, during which he has won 26 games as the lead signal caller.

    He will be entering his redshirt senior campaign, and given his experience in the Big 12, the quarterback projects to have a robust market, with teams that would kill for a proven commodity amid the uncertainty that this the position play can bring.

    Penn State, meanwhile, is losing quarterback Drew Allar after his final year of eligibility, and he is expected to enter the NFL Draft.

    The Nitanny Lions will be left with Ethan Grunkemeyer as the leading man on the roster, a promising freshman who settled into his own once Allar went down with an injury.

    More news: Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss Awaits Eligibility Ruling With LSU in Play

    However, Campbell reportedly has his eyes on Becht, who would lock up the starting spot for next season, giving Grunkemeyer another year to learn about what it takes. According to Pete Nakos of On3, Penn State is one of the teams to watch for Becht.

    “Sources have told On3 that Penn State is the clear school to watch in this recruitment, despite Becht planning to evaluate other options,” Nakos reports.

    Among the other teams that need a quarterback are also LSU, Florida, Texas Tech, Florida State, Miami, and potentially Oregon.

    Still, Becht and Penn State seem like a match made in heaven — the player will get a notable payday to play under his longtime coach and a massive college program.

    At the same time, the school receives a quality starting option that will get things going in year one of the Matt Campbell era.

    More news: Alabama Loses Coach to Big Ten Team After Win Against Oklahoma

    For more college football news, head to Newsweek Sports.

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  • Alabama slapped with ominous warning before facing Indiana

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    The College Football Playoff continues on on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day with four great matchups on the schedule including the Alabama Crimson Tide facing off against the Indiana Hoosiers.

    Entering the playoff, Alabama wasn’t given much of a chance to win a national championship. In the first round, the Crimson Tide struggled early against the Oklahoma Sooners, facing a 17-0 deficit right off the bat. However, they were able to pull together and come through with a hard-fought 34-24 victory.

    Going up against the top-seeded Hoosiers will be no easy task for Alabama.

    Read more: Florida Transfer QB DJ Lagway Trending Towards Big 12 Program

    Once again, the Crimson Tide are the underdog. Many believe that Indiana could win it all this season. Alabama will look to crash those hopes and dreams.

    With that being said, Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide have received an ominous warning about a major issue they will face against Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers’ offense.

    Geoff Schwartz of Fox Sports has cautioned Alabama about the defensive pass rush. That is one area the Crimson Tide have struggled all season long.

    “Bama can’t rush the passer,” Schwartz said. “It’s a big problem. They can’t hit the passer. That doesn’t fare well against Indiana’s offense. …If you let them do what they want, RPO game, play-action pass, with those wide receivers, they’re hard to cover.”

    Mendoza just finished off the season winning the Heisman Trophy award. He is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

    On the season, Mendoza has completed 71.5 percent of his pass attempts for 2,980 yards, 33 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He has also picked up 240 yards and scored six touchdowns on the ground.

    Read more: Ohio State’s Ryan Day Puts Opponents on Notice Before CFP

    If Alabama wants to defeat Indiana, the defense will need to step up. Mendoza needs to feel pressure throughout the game. Should the Crimson Tide be unable to put pressure on him, it could turn into a long game.

    Alabama is scheduled to kick off against the Hoosiers at 4:00 p.m. ET on New Year’s Day. It will be interesting to see if the Crimson Tide can pull off one of the biggest upsets in recent history.

    For more on the Alabama Crimson Tide and for more college football news, head to Newsweek Sports.

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  • Minnesota beats New Mexico 20-17 in Rate Bowl on Smith’s diving TD catch in overtime

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    Jalen Smith scored his second touchdown on a diving 12-yard catch in the first overtime and Minnesota extended its postseason winning streak to nine games with a 20-17 win over New Mexico in the Rate Bowl on Friday.

    A year after Kansas State beat Rutgers 44-41 in the Rate Bowl, the 2025 version turned defensive in the desert — until a flurry early in the fourth quarter.

    Minnesota (8-5) went up 14-6 when Darius Taylor scored on a 5-yard touchdown run, but Damon Bankston returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. New Mexico’s 2-point conversion on a trick play tied the game at 14-all.

    The teams returned to trading punts, sending the game to overtime at Chase Field, home of baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks.

    New Mexico (9-4) failed to get a first down on the opening possession and Luke Drzewiecki kicked a 36-yard field goal.

    The Gophers and their fans then got to celebrate Smith’s spectacular touchdown twice — once live, the other after an official review confirmed the catch.

    Minnesota’s bowl winning streak — seven straight under coach P.J. Fleck — matches Southern California and Utah for second-longest all-time, behind Florida State’s 11 in a row from 1985-95.

    The Lobos earned a spot in their first bowl game since the 2016 New Mexico Bowl behind a vastly improved defense. Fourth-worst in the FBS a year ago, New Mexico climbed to No. 49 this season, allowing about 222 yards less in total defense.

    The Lobos shut down Minnesota for most of the first half, recovering a botched snap on a midfield fourth-and-1 attempt and holding the Gophers to 112 first-half yards.

    Minnesota finally found an offensive rhythm late in the half, moving 75 yards in nine plays on a drive capped by Drake Lindsey’s rainbow 10-yard touchdown pass to Smith in the back corner of the end zone.

    Minnesota’s defense wasn’t bad, either.

    The Gophers allowed two drives deep into their own end, but stiffened when they needed to, holding New Mexico to two field goals and 124 total yards for a 7-6 halftime lead.

    Up next

    Minnesota: The Gophers open the 2026 season at home against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 3.

    New Mexico: Hosts Central Michigan on Sept. 5 to open next season.

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  • Hawaii stuns Cal in 35-31 in Hawaii Bowl on backup QB Luke Weaver’s last-minute TD pass

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    HONOLULU — Backup quarterback Luke Weaver threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds left, and Hawaii rallied for a 35-31 comeback victory over California in a thrilling Hawaii Bowl on Wednesday night.

    Weaver entered the game after Micah Alejado took a hard hit on the previous play. With the Rainbow Warriors (9-4) in range for a tying field goal, coach Timmy Chang took a shot at the end zone, and Cenacle got between two defensive backs and made the contested catch.

    “How amazing is that?” Chang said. “It’s a program that is built out of faith and these guys deserve it, man.”

    Chang, Hawaii’s fourth-year coach who had a record-setting career as the Rainbow Warriors’ quarterback from 2000-04, led his program to its first nine-win season since 2019 — when Nick Rolovich, currently Cal’s interim coach, guided Hawaii to a 10-5 record.

    Alejado finished 32 of 46 for 274 yards and three touchdowns, helping Hawaii rally from an early 21-0 deficit. Pofele Ashlock had 14 catches for 123 yards and two TDs for the Rainbow Warriors, who scored 22 points in the fourth quarter.

    Cal (7-6) pulled ahead 31-28 with 1:57 left on a 1-yard touchdown run by Hawaii-born freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who finished with 343 yards passing and a touchdown.

    Alejado’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Brandon White with 7:19 left gave Hawaii a 28-24 lead. The Rainbow Warriors tied it early in the fourth quarter when Alejado connected with Ashlock for their second TD and then completed a 2-point conversion pass to Cam Barfield.

    “These boys just keep continuing to fight through adversity and I love them for that. They learn the hard way, but they learn how to do it and that’s what’s important,” Chang said.

    Cal took a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter on Anthony League’s 8-yard TD run.

    Rolovich tipped his cap to Chang and the Warriors, who scored on their final six drives.

    “They fought to the end and they deserve a lot of credit for that. Timmy deserves a lot of credit for that,” Rolovich said.

    Hawaii improved to 9-6 all-time in bowl games, while Cal fell to 12-14-1.

    Cal was picked to finish third-to-last in the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason media poll, but finished the season tied for seventh. Coach Justin Wilcox was fired last month and will be replaced next season by Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi. Sagapolutele has committed to staying with the program in 2026.

    Hawaii has plenty to build on as it enters Chang’s fifth season. Although leading receiver Jackson Harris announced his intention to transfer and did not play Wednesday, Alejado and Ashlock have said they plan to return.

    Sagapolutele has thrown 178 consecutive passes without an interception, which is seven shy of Jared Goff’s school record set during the 2015 season

    Cal will host UCLA on Sept. 5, 2026.

    Hawaii will also begin next season in the Bay Area when it visits Stanford on Aug. 29.

    ___

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  • College Football Playoff ratings drop 7% as NFL competition impacts viewership

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    Last weekend’s first round of the College Football Playoff averaged 9.9 million viewers on ABC, ESPN, TNT, TBS and truTV, according to ESPN and Nielson. That is a 7% drop from last year.

    A big reason for the drop was that the final game, James Madison versus Oregon, was on TNT, TBS and truTV and not on ABC and ESPN, along with an NFL game in prime time.

    The Chicago Bears’ 22-16 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers on Fox averaged 21.3 million viewers while Oregon’s 51-34 win over James Madison drew 4.4 million. Last year’s Ohio State-Tennessee game on ABC/ESPN averaged 14.3 million, plus it did not go up against an NFL game.

    The most-watched CFP game was Alabama’s 34-24 comeback victory over Oklahoma, which averaged 14.9 million on a Friday night on ABC/ESPN. Not only was that the highest-viewed CFP first-round game in the two years of the expanded 12-team field, it was the fifth-most watched game of the season. Six of the top 20 most-viewed games this year involve Alabama.

    Last year’s CFP opener between Notre Dame and Indiana averaged 13.4 million.

    Miami’s 10-7 win over Texas A&M averaged 14.8 million on ABC/ESPN on Saturday afternoon and more than doubled the 6.4 million that tuned in for the SMU-Penn State game in the same time slot on TNT/TBS and truTV.

    The Hurricanes’ victory was the sixth-most watched game of the season.

    Ole Miss’ 41-10 rout of Tulane averaged 6.2 million on TNT/TBS and truTV, down from the 8.6 million average from last year’s Texas-Clemson game in the same time slot and networks.

    The Saturday middle CFP game has had competition from the NFL the last two years. Philadelphia’s 29-18 win over Washington on Fox averaged 15.5 million, the same audience that tuned in for last year’s game between Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

    ESPN sublicenses CFP games to TNT/TBS and truTV. Besides two first-round games again next year, the Warner Bros. Discovery channels will have two quarterfinals and a semifinal game.

    Last year’s four quarterfinal matchups averaged 16.9 million on ESPN and ESPN2.

    ___

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  • NFL dominates College Football Playoff in ratings battle

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    The College Football Playoff is the talk of the sports world right now as 12 teams compete for the national title, but the NFL wanted to remind everyone this past weekend who is still the king when it comes down to it.

    On Saturday, college football and the NFL went head-to-head on broadcast with two games each, and the viewership results, like many of the CFP games, were blowouts by the final whistle.

    In the opening contest, 15.46 million people watched the Eagles take hold of the NFC East crown against divisional rival Washington, a game that was close until it wasn’t.

    For the CFP, 6.2 million watched as Ole Miss beat down the Tulane Green Wave for the second time this season in a laugher that felt over following the first quick Mississippi drive for a touchdown.

    More news: Demand Grows for College Football Playoff Overhaul After Tulane, JMU Blowouts

    More news: Andy Reid Opens Up About Travis Kelce’s Potential Final Chiefs Home Game

    At night, it was more of the same: a whopping 21.34 million watched the Bears take down the Packers in one of the more entertaining regular-season games of the year. Caleb Williams and company came back in the final minutes, aided by an onside kick, to push the game into overtime before throwing a deep shot into the endzone for a dramatic walk-off victory.

    Oregon vs. James Madison, which was another Group of Five team getting smacked around by a perennial powerhouse, had no chance. 4.4 million tuned in to watch as the Dukes tried their best to hang on in a game where the Ducks scored at will at home in Eugene.

    For college football fans, however, they will argue that Saturday’s biggest game was on first, which was the back-and-forth defensive battle between Texas A&M and Miami. It was the highest by far on the day for the CFP, with 14.8 million watching as Miami won on the road at College Station to set up a quarterfinal against defending champion Ohio State.

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  • The Pop-Tarts Bowl returns to Camping World Stadium

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    Credit: Screen capture courtesy ESPN/YouTube

    The Pop-Tarts Bowl is spiraling back into town this week, this time featuring a Georgia Tech versus Brigham Young University face-off just in time for the new year.

    The 2025 game sees the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets take the BYU Cougars in their fifth all-time matchup and the first since 2013. The annual post-season college game typically pits a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference against one from the Big 12 around the end of December or very beginning of January. As usual, the bragging rights of winning “The People’s National Championship” are up for grabs.

    This Bowl game has been going since 1990, and has been bolstered by a slew of different sponsors (and snacks). The Pop-Tarts iteration, though, has been especially lively. In addition to the footballing, this year’s game also features a record six mascots — “Team Sprinkles” and “Team Swirls” — who will go head-to-head in a first-of-its-kind (well, not counting Japan) showdown. After the final whistle, an entire team of Edible Mascots will be selected to be devoured by the 2025 Pop-Tarts Bowl Champions. Sure, all very normal and athletic!

    3:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27, Camping World Stadium, 1 Citrus Bowl Place, poptartsbowl.com, $57-$300.

    Orlando’s daily dose of what matters. Subscribe to The Daily Weekly.

    Ella Fitzgerald, Beyoncé, Nina Simone, Tina Turner and more

    Admission will be free all afternoon

    This article appears in Dec. 24-30, 2025.



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  • Jon Heacock retires, ending a coaching career after 4-plus decades

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    AMES, Iowa — Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock has retired, ending a coaching career after four-plus decades.

    He announced his decision on Tuesday.

    What You Need To Know

    • Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock has announced his retirement

    • This ends a 40+ year coaching career

    • He was 60-44 as coach at Youngstown State from 2001 to 2009
    • He’s from Beloit, Ohio, and started coaching career in 1983 at Toledo

    Heacock, known for a 3-3-5 scheme with the Cyclones, was a finalist for the Broyles Award that recognizes college football’s top assistant coach in 2017 and was nominated for it from 2022-25.

    He was a top assistant on Matt Campbell’s staff at Iowa State for 10 seasons and at Toledo for two seasons. Campbell left Iowa State earlier this month to lead Penn State’s program.

    Heacock was 60-44 as coach at Youngstown State from 2001 to 2009, leading the second-tier college football program to the FCS semifinals in 2006 and earning conference coach of the year honors twice.

    The 65-year-old Heacock, who is from Beloit, Ohio, started his coaching career in 1983 at Toledo as a graduate assistant. He later was a graduate assistant for the late Bo Schembechler at Michigan and defensive coordinator for Jim Tressel at Youngstown State.

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