CLEVELAND (AP) — James Cook rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns, Josh Allen played through a foot injury and the Buffalo Bills drew closer to a playoff berth with a 23-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Ty Johnson also had a rushing score for the Bills (11-4), who have won four straight and five of six.
Allen played the second half despite injuring his right foot during the second quarter.
The reigning NFL MVP was favoring the foot after being sacked by Cleveland’s Myles Garrett and Alex Wright for a 22-yard loss to Buffalo’s 1-yard line with 60 seconds remaining in the first half. The half-sack gave Garrett 22 on the season. He needs one more sack in the final two games for the Browns (3-12) to pass Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt for the single-season mark.
Allen was 12 of 19 for 130 yards and also rushed for 17 yards on seven carries.
Shedeur Sanders completed 20 of 29 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown. He also was the Browns’ leading rusher with four carries for 49 yards. The fifth-round pick also threw two interceptions which accounted for 10 of Buffalo’s points.
Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. scored both Browns’ touchdowns, including a 1-yard run in the third quarter to get them within 23-17.
Raheim Sanders rushed for 42 yards on 11 carries. He was pressed into action when Quinshon Judkins was carted off with a potentially season-ending leg injury late in the second quarter. NFL Network reported that Judkins had a broken leg.
It was the ninth 100-yard rushing game this season for Cook, tied with Thurman Thomas for second in franchise history. OJ Simpson holds the single-season mark with 11. The four-year veteran also took over the NFL rushing lead with 1,532 yards. Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor is second with 1,443 with the Colts facing San Francisco on Monday night.
Cook tied it at 7 midway through the first quarter on a 44-yard run up the middle where he eluded tackle attempts by Cleveland’s Mohamoud Diabate and Adin Huntington at the line of scrimmage. Grant Delpit had a chance to make a stop at the 27, but was spun around and unable to make the tackle.
Cook then extended Buffalo’s lead to 20-10 with 2:23 remaining on a 3-yard carry up the middle.
Buffalo converted both of Sanders’ interceptions into points — Johnson’s 2-yard TD run early in the second quarter and a 41-yard field by Michael Badgley in the third quarter.
Cleveland got the opening kickoff and scored when Sanders rolled right and connected with Fannin for a 13-yard TD. Sanders was 5 of 5 for 58 yards on the drive. It was also the first time in five starts that Sanders directed Cleveland to points on its first possession.
It was the seventh straight game in which the Bills’ opponent opened the scoring.
Bills LB Shaq Thompson (neck) was injured in the first quarter and did not return.
Buffalo: Hosts Philadelphia next Sunday.
Cleveland: Hosts Pittsburgh next Sunday.
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The Las Vegas Raiders (2‑12) make the short trip to NRG Stadium to take on the Houston Texans (9‑5) in what shapes up as one of the more lopsided games on the Week 16 slate. Houston comes in riding a six‑game winning streak and is firmly in the AFC playoff hunt, looking to extend that streak to seven with another strong showing at home. The Texans’ defense has been elite all season, ranking first in the NFL in both points and yards allowed per game, and Houston has turned that unit into a foundation for success as they chase an AFC South title and favorable playoff positioning. Their balanced attack, led by C.J. Stroud and playmakers like Nico Collins, gives them another edge against a Raiders team that has struggled to sustain drives and put up points this year.
Las Vegas, by contrast, enters on an eight‑game losing skid, with an offense that ranks last in the league in nearly every major category, including scoring. Despite the return of Geno Smith under center and flashes from rookie talents like Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers, the Raiders have had trouble moving the ball against stout defenses and will face perhaps their toughest challenge of the year against Houston’s pass rush and disciplined secondary. The matchup highlights a stark contrast in trajectories: Houston is building momentum in a playoff race while Vegas is largely focused on development and finding bright spots down the stretch. Expect the Texans’ defense to set the tone early and often in this one, with Houston firmly in control throughout.
This is a great NFL matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.
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CLEVELAND (AP) — Quinshon Judkins was carted off with a right leg injury late in the second quarter of the Cleveland Browns game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
The rookie running back suffered the injury after catching a swing pass from Shedeur Sanders on second-and-6 at the Browns 44.
Judkins was quickly hit low at the 38 by Bills linebacker Matt Milano for a 6-yard loss. Judkins was pounding his hands on his helmets and in discomfort after being hit.
Officials originally ruled that Judkins had fumbled the ball and Buffalo linebacker Terrel Bernard ran it back for a touchdown, but replay reversed it to Judkins being down by contact.
Judkins, a second-round pick out of Ohio State, came into the game leading NFL rookies with 784 rushing yards and tied for first with seven rushing touchdowns. He had eight carries for 22 yards before being injured.
Sanders came out in the second quarter for one play with what looked like a bloody pinker finger on his right throwing hand.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
CHICAGO (AP) — Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love left the Packers’ NFC North showdown Saturday night against Chicago because of a concussion.
Love was shaken up after he absorbed a helmet-to-helmet hit by defensive lineman Austin Booker on a second-quarter sack. Booker was flagged for roughing the passer.
Love eventually jogged off the field and went into the blue injury tent on Green Bay’s sideline. Then he walked to the visiting locker room.
The Packers said Love had a concussion and would not return to the game.
Malik Willis came in for Green Bay. He directed the Packers to Brandon McManus’ 22-yard field goal on his first drive, helping his team to a 6-0 halftime lead.
Green Bay (9-4-1) is looking to move back in front of Chicago (10-4) for first place in the division. The Packers beat the Bears 28-21 in Green Bay on Dec. 7.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — This was not a terrific performance by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, from a fumble on the opening kickoff to a pair of penalties on the tush push to three wide-left field-goal tries to a halftime deficit.
Still, Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and company eventually got going in the right direction and clinched a second consecutive NFC East title by beating the Washington Commanders 29-18 on Saturday night. The game included a late brawl after Barkley tacked on a 2-point conversion to increase the Eagles’ lead to 19 points.
Starting plays under center far more frequently than he did earlier in the season, Hurts completed 22 of 30 throws — with 15 of those caught by A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith — for 185 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. He connected with Smith from 5 yards out in the first half and with tight end Dallas Goedert from 15 to put Philadelphia ahead 14-10 in the third quarter, capping a 17-play, 83-yard, 10 1/2-minute drive.
Hurts also did plenty of damage on the ground, gaining 40 yards on seven carries for the Eagles (10-5), who have followed a three-game losing streak by winning two in a row. They are the first team to top the NFC East in back-to-back seasons since Philadelphia did it every year from 2001 to 2004; the gap since then was the longest drought without a repeat champ for any division in NFL history.
Barkley added a 12-yard TD run for the Eagles, part of his 21-carry, 132-yard performance.
With the Commanders (4-11), now losers of nine of their past 10 contests, already eliminated from postseason contention, there was plenty of green in the stands. Chants of “E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!” frequently rang out and cries of “Cooooop!” greeted Cooper DeJean’s interception of Josh Johnson, Washington’s third-string quarterback, who came in when Marcus Mariota went out after the opening drive in the third quarter with an injured right hand while Washington led 10-7.
Mariota started Saturday in place of Jayden Daniels, the reigning AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year who led the Commanders to the NFC title game last season — where they lost 55-23 to Philadelphia — but has been shut down in 2025 after dealing with a series of injuries and appearing in only seven games.
The chilly evening started inauspiciously for the Eagles: Will Shipley coughed up the opening kickoff when he was hit by Mike Sainristil, and Washington recovered at Philadelphia’s 27, eventually getting a field goal.
The Eagles went up 7-3 on a drive that was nearly all Hurts. He was 4 for 5 passing for 53 yards, including a 6-yard TD toss to Smith, and added a 14-yard run, too.
That’s not to say Hurts was perfect. Hardly. He missed open receivers, including one particularly egregious overthrow of Brown and another miscommunication with Smith.
Jake Elliott, leaning left
The Eagles’ Jake Elliott managed to send three field-goal attempts wide left in the first half. Elliott entered 17 for 22 on field goals this season and hadn’t missed more than one in a game. But he was off on a 43-yarder in the first quarter. Then, 13 seconds before halftime, Elliott couldn’t get a 57-yarder to go through the uprights — but that one didn’t count, because Washington’s Tyler Owens was flagged for being offsides. Given another chance, now from 52 yards, Elliott went wide left once more.
Philadelphia outgained Washington 385 yards to 220. … Goedert has 10 scoring receptions this season, tying the record for an Eagles tight end, set by Pete Retzlaff in 1965. … DE Brandon Graham, 37, whose two sacks last week made him the oldest Eagles player to record one, added another Saturday.
Eagles: LB Nakobe Dean (hamstring) exited in the first quarter.
Commanders: Mariota was evaluated for a concussion and cleared, but his hand sidelined him. … WR Jaylin Lane (ankle) left in the first quarter.
Eagles: At the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 28.
Commanders: Host the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night.
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Miami brought a nasty defense into Texas A&M on Saturday to down the seventh-seeded Aggies in the College Football Playoff.
The No. 10 seed Hurricanes forced Marcel Reed into three turnovers and sacked him seven times in the 10-3 victory.
“The defense was off the charts the entire day,” coach Mario Cristobal said.
They move on to face No. 2 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
Texas A&M had a chance to tie it after freshman Malachi Toney’s 11-yard touchdown reception with less than two minutes left.
The Aggies drove down the field and had a first down at the 5. But Miami (11-2) forced consecutive incompletions before fellow freshman Bryce Fitzgerald leapt in the end zone to grab his second interception of the day to secure the win.
“When the lights come on, certain guys just kind of have it. He’s that guy,” Cristobal said. “When the lights come on, he knows what to do, how to do it, and there’s no flinch in that guy at all. You don’t sense any type of freshman reservation from him.”
The Hurricanes stifled Texas A&M’s powerful offense, which entered the game averaging 36.3 points a game. Along with the seven sacks of Reed, they flushed him out of the pocket and forced him to try to make tough throws again and again. He was 25 of 39 for 257 yards but was unable to get the Aggies in the end zone for the first time this season.
“Just trying to make sure he was uncomfortable and trying to not give the same coverage every time… and I thought our guys did a really good job of handling that all day,” defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman said.
They also limited Texas A&M to 89 yards rushing on 35 carries with the team’s longest run coming on an 11-yard scramble by Reed.
Defensive end Rueben Bain Jr., the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, had four tackles for loss and three sacks to lead Miami’s formidable pass rush. The junior also blocked a field goal in the second quarter to help the ’Canes shut out Texas A&M before halftime.
Bain credited Hetherman, who is in his first year at the school, for the team’s defensive success Saturday.
“It’s crazy for us to win this game in this kind of way,” Bain said. “From the first snap to the last, the defense came to play, and that’s the way it’s going to be, especially when you’ve got somebody like coach Hetherman, somebody like that, coaching us every play just to come out and give our best.”
Toney’s big play was made possible by a defensive stand after he fumbled the ball on the previous possession. He made a reception, but Dalton Brooks knocked the ball out and Daymion Sanford recovered it on the Texas A&M 47 with about seven minutes to go.
The Hurricanes got the ball back when Bain sacked Reed on two of three plays on the ensuing drive to force a punt.
Hetherman talked about the growth of the defense that has allowed the group to improve throughout the season.
“Now that defense is connected, and now they want to play for one another, they want to go out and compete every single series,” Hetherman said. “They don’t want to let themselves down.”
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N.C. State linebacker Caden Fordham (1) celebrates after sacking North Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez during the first half of N.C. State’s game against UNC at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025.
Ethan Hyman
ehyman@newsobserver.com
This time last year, Caden Fordham didn’t know what the rest of his college journey would look like after tearing his ACL midway through last season. He hoped to make a full recovery, but there were some difficult stretches.
Fordham completed his N.C. State football career on Friday with the kind of ending players only dream of.
“Thanks to these coaches, training staff here,” Fordham said. “They’ve helped me a ton, getting back from a serious injury. Then, my family and my faith in Christ. That’s the only way I was able to get back to where I wanted to be and play the ball I wanted to play. This whole offseason, I just told myself, ‘You’ve got to work your tail off, that’s the only way you’re going to get to where you want to go.’ I feel like I did that, and played some ball at the end of the year.”
The fifth-year senior linebacker helped the Wolfpack beat Memphis, 31-7, in the Gasparilla Bowl for the team’s first bowl win since 2017. He recorded a game-high 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a 55-yard interception return that the offense turned into a touchdown.
Memphis quarterback Brendon Lewis passed a ball intended for tight end Matt Adcock. It bounced off Adcock’s chest. Fordham, with the help of his teammates, ran to the red zone before Tigers tight end Bryce Anderson tackled him at the 3-yard line. Quarterback CJ Bailey joked that he was disappointed Fordham didn’t score, but the linebacker admitted he ran out of steam.
Freshman quarterback Will Wilson scored two plays later and put N.C. State up 21-0.
Fordham was all over the field, applying pressure and limiting yards after contact. Two tackles, one in the first quarter and one in the fourth, forced a pair of Memphis turnovers on downs.
The Ponte Vedra, Florida, native earned the Most Valuable Player award and became the first defensive player in the bowl’s history to receive the distinction.
In a time when players, and whole teams, are opting out of bowl games unless they are College Football Playoff games, it meant a lot to coach Dave Doeren that most of his players wanted one last ride. Fordham, however, never considered sitting out.
N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren hugs Caden Fordham (1) after N.C. State’s 21-11 victory over Florida State at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Nov. 21, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
“Coach Doeren, these guys on this team have given too much to me for me not to even want to play,” Fordham said. “Plus, I love this game so much. I want to play anytime I can, and to play with these guys, these coaches, I don’t see how you could opt out. I love these guys so much. I wanted to play every second.”
His final season has been a story of inspiration, hard work and faith. Fordham finished the year with 143 total tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, three pass deflections, two interceptions and one forced fumble. In five years with the Pack, he logged 252 tackles.
“I would tell you he was better than he was before, which is pretty cool to see that,” Doeren said after the win. “An All-American on two teams, an All-Conference player. … I don’t think he could have done any more than he did. He did a pretty damn good job.”
Fordham led FBS in tackles and ranked No. 5 in the nation. The Sporting News named Fordham to its All-America second team; the Associated Press listed him on the third team. He was also a First Team All-ACC selection. He’s a finalist for the 2025 Comeback Player of the Year award.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker and N.C. State Ring of Honor member Payton Wilson, to whom Fordham’s career has been compared, finished with 138 tackles in his senior season.
“I’ve had some really good players over the years, and some of them have had to overcome injury,” Doeren said after the team’s win. “Payton was the same way. He had a phenomenal year after his final injuries.
“That’s all you want. You want them to come back whole, and you want them to be able to realize their dream and become the best version of themselves. Caden absolutely did that; as a man, as a leader, as a football player.”
N.C. State linebacker Caden Fordham, center, prepares to run a drill during the Wolfpack’s first fall practice on July 30, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
Fordham wasn’t cleared for contact activities until mid-July, he told reporters at ACC Kickoff. He spent nearly nine months working on conditioning and non-contact activities, hoping to be ready when the doctors gave him the green light.
It took Fordham and the rest of the defense time to put things together. Between defensive coordinator DJ Eliot’s new system and the ongoing injuries, the team took beatings midway through the season. Its effort started to show in November, putting together solid performances. Fordham was at the forefront.
The senior finished the year with at least 10 tackles in nine games and reached double figures in five straight.
Though his career is over, Fordham will look back on his time at N.C. State with pride. Not only for his accomplishments on the field, but primarily his personal development. He views everything as a blessing to carry into the future.
“I had the honor of being a captain and wearing the jersey No. 1. A lot comes with that,” Fordham said. “[From] a leader perspective, it’s helped me a ton grow as a man. Coach Doeren helped me every day grow as a leader. That’s something you can’t take away from someone. Having that in my repertoire, as I move forward in life, I’m going to use it and lean back on it every chance I can get. Thank you to Coach and N.C. State for that.”
Teddy Hoffmann (12) celebrates with Noah Rogers (5) of the NC State Wolfpack after scoring a touchdown in the first half against the Memphis Tigers during the 2025 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium on December 19, 2025 in Tampa, Florida.
Julio Aguilar
Getty Images
Two pirate chest trophies, with fake gold coins behind the Gasparilla Bowl logo, sat on the sideline at Raymond James Stadium — home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — for the winner of the bowl game and its most valuable player.
N.C. State hadn’t brought home a postseason trophy of any kind — pirate booty or otherwise — since 2017, having lost five consecutive bowl games.
Until Friday.
A strong first half lifted N.C. State past Memphis, 31-7. The win was the Wolfpack’s fourth in five games, and snapped the Tigers’ four-game bowl win streak. The Pack ends the year 8-5, giving head coach Dave Doeren eight wins in five of the past six years.
“An eighth win with that strength of schedule, with all the injuries and staff things we dealt with this year, would be a heck of a season,” Doeren said Wednesday. “That’s what we’re gunning for: winning four of our last five games and having that momentum going into the offseason.”
Mission accomplished.
The Tigers started 8-1 this season, beating Arkansas on the road and appearing in the Associated Press Top 25 in four weeks. It was one of the Group of 5 teams in contention for a College Football Playoff spot midway through the fall, but its three-game slide in November, and the Wolfpack’s rise, gave N.C. State all the momentum.
“I challenged them that we’ve been really good in November,” Doeren said after the game. “We have not been winners in December in a while and that this team had a chance to flip the script, set the table for what’s to come for teams that follow them to live up with those guys did. These guys like being challenged. They rose to the occasion. I was proud of them.”
N.C. State’s Wesley Grimes, right, celebrates with teammate Teddy Hoffman after scoring a touchdown in the first half against the Memphis Tigers during the 2025 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium on Dec. 19, 2025, in Tampa, Florida. Julio Aguilar Getty Images
The Pack’s offense capitalized, as it has all season, but the defense set the table for those opportunities.
On the first drive, Memphis went three-and-out and gained 1 yard. The Wolfpack defense picked up a fourth-down stop on the next. N.C. State gave up the lone Memphis touchdown with eight minutes remaining in the first half.
N.C. State also had two takeaways. Linebacker Caden Fordham contributed a 55-yard interception return in the first quarter, and a team effort led to a fumble in the third.
“I was wanting to score,” Fordham said. “I tried my best, but, at the end, I kind of ran out of gas.”
Joseph Adedire forced the ball out of Tigers running back Frank Peasant’s hands, and teammate Josiah Victor rushed in for the recovery.
Devon Marshall continued his impressive stretch to end the year. After winning Second Team All-America honors from the Athletic and PFF All-ACC, Marshall made clutch stops for the Wolfpack. Memphis limited its throws to the left side of the field because of his staunch coverage. He finished with eight tackles and one breakup.
Fordham and Kenny Soares led the defense with double-digit tackles.
“Our defense played good,” quarterback CJ Bailey said. “Got our offense going the same way the offense playing good gives momentum to the defense. I like seeing that.”
The N.C. State offense didn’t score in the second half, but the defense didn’t allow Memphis to score, either, giving young players a chance to see the field.
The defense stopped the Tigers from getting into the red zone and converting on fourth down.
Memphis quarterback Brendon Lewis finished with 106 passing yards and 51 rushing yards in the Tigers’ loss.
N.C. State quarterback CJ Bailey (11) looks to throw a pass in the first half against the Memphis Tigers during the 2025 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium on Dec. 19, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. Julio Aguilar Getty Images
Bailey finished 14-of-25 passing for 221 yards and two touchdowns. He added one 14-yard rushing touchdown. Bailey’s performance made him the seventh N.C. State quarterback to record 3,000 passing yards in a season, joining players such as Phillip Rivers, Ryan Finley, Russell Wilson and Mike Glennon.
Freshman quarterback Will Wilson also scored his 10th touchdown of the season, tying Rivers for the second-most rushing touchdowns in a single season by a Wolfpack QB.
“I came in with a mindset that I wanted to win,” Bailey said. We did it. We pulled it off, and it was a great effort by our team.”
NC State sees few player opt-outs
Marshall, tight end Justin Joly, offensive lineman Jacarrius Peak and nose tackle Brandon Cleveland suited up for the game, despite pregame rumors of their absence.
Cleveland commented on a published list of reported opt-outs before the game and called it “false information.”
“I can’t explain how much that makes me feel special,” Doeren said of the players who played.
He also said Joly cried before the game.
“He just wanted to play one more time with his brothers, and he wanted Coach [Gavin] Locklear to coach him one more time.,” Doeren said. “That’s our culture; the love that these kids have for each other.”
Marshall was also among the players who said last week that he intended to play.
“It’s my last game with this team, with my brothers,” Marshall told reporters. “I’m just gonna go out there and give him all for them, and it’s my last college game ever. It means a lot to me, and then it means a lot to the team that we get a ‘Dub’ so they can carry that into next season.”
All four players have appeared on various draft boards, often on the second and third day. Peak, alongside defensive end Sabastian Harsh, were both listed on the CBS Sports Top 150 draft prospects.
Running back Hollywood Smothers opted out, which was expected. He is reportedly recovering from an ankle injury and intends to enter the transfer portal in January.
Cleveland, Marshall and Peak are all fourth-year players.
The Wolfpack was still down several players, primarily because of injuries, but most of its primary rotation played, even if it was in a limited capacity.
N.C. State’s Tra Thomas (4) reacts after a sack in the first half against the Memphis Tigers during the 2025 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium on Dec. 19, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. Julio Aguilar Getty Images
Spreading the wealth
Wide receiver Noah Rogers caught a short screen pass from Bailey and leapfrogged over Memphis, picking up the first down and several extra yards. Wesley Grimes grabbed a 31-yard pass and spun to break the plane, despite a significant hit by Memphis’ Chris Bracy.
Those were two of several SportsCenter Top 10 plays for the Wolfpack offense, which continued to be one of the team’s strengths.
N.C. State was held to one touchdown in just two games — Notre Dame and Miami — and averaged 34.8 points in the remaining 10 regular-season games.
The Pack scored 31 first-half points, creating points on five of its first seven drives.
During that stretch, three different players rushed for positive yardage and six picked up at least one first down. True freshman tight end Preston Douglas caught a pass, the first of his career, for 18 yards on third down. N.C. State scored a field goal four plays later.
Preston Douglas (82) of the NC State Wolfpack breaks a tackle from Kamari Wilson of the Memphis Tigers in the first half during the 2025 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. Julio Aguilar Getty Images
The team went 2 for 2 in the red zone through the first two quarters and picked up 245 yards of total offense.
N.C. State’s offense wasn’t quite as efficient in the second half, but it still finished with strong numbers from a number of players.
Eight different players recorded at least one catch of at least 15 yards. True freshman Preston Douglas made an 18-yard reception, the first of his career, in his home state.
With Smothers unavailable, Duke Scott led the rushing attack. While he didn’t have quite the same success against Memphis that he did against Georgia Tech — the Tigers entered the game top 50 in run defense — he still finished with 108 rushing yards and made three explosive plays for the Pack.
“I was excited for Duke,” Doeren said. “It was his opportunity again. That’s his second start, second 100-yard game. The future is bright for him. Super excited.”
Pack wins the line of scrimmage
N.C. State controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the field, a major factor in its win on Friday.
The offensive line and blockers held up to allow N.C. State to run the ball throughout the game. It also protected Bailey. The sophomore quarterback didn’t have his most efficient game, but he had plenty of time to throw the football with limited pressure.
On the defensive side, the Wolfpack disrupted the Memphis offense by limiting its run game. It entered the game averaging 186 yards on the ground, ranking No. 34 in the nation. Memphis finished with 149 rushing yards without a touchdown.
N.C. State’s ability to win the line also allowed other defenders to put pressure on senior quarterback Brendon Lewis and his supporting cast. He was sacked once and pressured four times. The Wolfpack finished with nine tackles for loss.
This story was originally published December 19, 2025 at 6:20 PM.
Texas Tech bought the best team on the planet, went 12-1, won the Big 12 title and earned a bye in the College Football Playoff. Utah posted a 10-2 record and beat the Buffs 53-7 in late October.
Sanders’ salary went up by nearly $5 million for 2025 after his new extension kicked in. The House vs. NCAA settlement required CU to share revenues with student-athletes starting this past July 1, with a cap of $20.5 million for this fiscal cycle. Yet it’s hard to imagine good players such as Miller and Byard taking pay cuts at their next ports of call, isn’t it?
Buffs officials saw the train coming years ago, even as the bills keep piling up. Which is why the indoor practice facility is now sponsored by Mountain States Ford Stores. And why artificial turf was installed at Folsom Field — so the stadium could be utilized more often as a host to revenue-driving events outside the athletic calendar.
Concerts and uniform sponsorships — UNLV will reportedly collect about $2.2 million annually over the next five years from Acesso Biologics, its new “Official Jersey Patch Partner” — will only cover so much. The student-athlete revenue sharing pool is expected to increase by 4% next year. Sanders is slated to make $11 million in 2027, $11 million in 2028 and $12 million in 2029.
The Buffs can’t play at the same poker tables as the Red Raiders and Utes — or retain star players — without a serious influx of cash. Utah is pointing the way now. Not CU.
Bowls? Bowls are nothing more than three-hour infomercials for some random chamber of commerce or provincial company you’ve never heard of; exhibitions propped up by Disney stiffs to eat up programming blocks over the holidays. When Iowa State and Kansas State would sooner eat a million bucks in league fines than join in, that ship’s sailed. (Not you, Pop-Tarts Bowl. You’re weirdly perfect. And perfectly weird.)
Fans? Fans are caught in the crossfire, casualties in the battle of dollars over sense. Ticket prices and point-of-entry fees will skyrocket. Pay-per-view will become more the norm than the exception. Universities will pass the cost to the consumer.
The Buffs vow that they won’t cut sports — and with only 13 non-football options offered, they don’t have much room on that front to cut, anyway. They’ve vowed that they won’t lop student-athlete services, although outgoing athletic director Rick George laid off two track coaches last spring.
Something’s gotta give. Of course, if Coach Prime wanted to help retain student-athletes, he could donate half of his $10 million salary to the revenue-sharing pool. That’s not happening.
In an effort to slow the chaos, FBS scholarships could require a minimum of two years of service at your initial college of choice coming out of high school. But that’s not happening, either.
As of early Friday morning, at least 11 CU players had expressed interest in transferring out. Among the Big 12 programs that didn’t change coaches (Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State), only West Virginia had seen more defections (19) as of mid-December than the Buffs.
Take out CU, the Wildcats, Cyclones and Cowboys, the remaining 12 programs had seen an average of 5.8 guys hit the portal.
“If you get good players, (the Buffs will) be good,” FOX Sports football analyst Geoff Schwartz told me. “It’s not that complicated when it comes to college football.”
Money alone won’t solve all of the Buffs’ football problems right now. It might ease some of the roster hemorrhaging, though. To that end, the Big 12 is close to finalizing a partnership with RedBird Capital and Weatherford Capital, YahooSports.com reported, for what’s described as a league-wide credit deal. The firms would provide up to $500 million into a conference pool, from which individual members such as CU could borrow as much as $30 million.
Private investment interests and Title IX, given the degree to which Olympic sports lose money, could prove to be a volatile, and highly litigious, arrangement.
Then again, the Utes didn’t blink. In the Big 12, this is the stage. These are the stakes. And the price of the sizzle is headed in only one direction.
In November, the fact that Carolina beat Stanford was overshadowed by a nugget, in the Post, that a beef between Hudson and one of Belichick’s daughters-in-law, Jen, had reached a point where Jen had screamed at Jordon in Bill’s office, calling her “batshit crazy” and accusing her of “fucking twisting” Bill’s brain. Shortly thereafter, Belichick was seen attending an adult-cheerleading event where Hudson, wearing a high pony and a red scrunchie, was competing. A photo of him sitting in the audience, looking miserable, went viral.
WRAL was now reporting that nearly twenty per cent of U.N.C’s players had been ticketed for reckless driving or speeding, and that a “significant” number of them were Belichick’s recruits. One, Thad Dixon, a star transfer who had played under Belichick’s son Steve at the University of Washington, was cited for doing ninety-three in a fifty zone. At a presser, Belichick wearily said, “We’ve addressed it.”
Generations of reporters have learned that it is nearly impossible to extract personal insight from Belichick. His memoir, “The Art of Winning,” which was published in May, reads like somebody made him write a term paper about leadership. The monotony of his curmudgeonly gray flame and supposed aversion to distraction is part of why Belichick scholars went on alert when he uncharacteristically surfaced on social media, with Hudson, playing mermaid angler and yoga daddy. What, I wondered, would Belichick’s best-known biographer, the late David Halberstam, have made of all this?
Halberstam edited the Harvard Crimson and distinguished himself young, at the Times, by winning the 1964 Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting for coverage of the Vietnam War. He went on to publish nearly two dozen books on politics, civil rights, and professional sports—Bill Walton and the Portland Trail Blazers; the Yankees–Red Sox rivalry. In 2005, the Patriots were in the midst of a historic run, having won three of the last four Super Bowls. A friend of Belichick called Halberstam to suggest him as a new book subject.
Both Halberstam and Belichick owned property on Nantucket, but had never met. Halberstam invited Belichick and his then-wife, Debby, whom Belichick had known since high school, over to dinner. As it turned out, Belichick wasn’t sold on the idea of a book, though he did admire Halberstam’s work, especially “The Best and the Brightest,” about Vietnam. According to Halberstam, Belichick agreed only after the project was framed in terms of lineage and learning.
Much of what we know about Belichick appeared first in that book, “The Education of a Coach.” Belichick’s paternal grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from what is now Croatia. His mother, Jeannette, was a languages scholar of English descent; she learned Croatian to communicate with the relatives of her husband, Steve. The family worked in “the coal mines of western Pennsylvania, the steel mills of eastern Ohio,” Halberstam once told PBS. Steve “got out and made it because he was a very good, albeit relatively small, high school running back, and that got him to Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, and a coach picked up on him and understood that he was rough, crusty, but smart as could be, hardworking, and that everything you asked him to do, he would do, and more. And the values of that home—of nothing to be wasted, of maximizing your talents—he passed on to his son in a much more affluent America.”
Bill was born in 1952, in Nashville, where his father briefly worked as an assistant football coach at Vanderbilt University, and he grew up in Annapolis, Maryland, where Steve spent thirty-three years scouting for the Navy’s team, a job that he was able to hold for so long, in a profession marked by turnover, because the Naval Academy gave him tenure as a P.E. instructor. Father took son to work; the future Hall of Famer quarterback Roger Staubach tossed the kid passes. Belichick was a small child when he began absorbing the art of breaking down game film. He played football and lacrosse at Annapolis High School, where he met Debby, who captained the cheerleaders. After graduating, he spent a year at Phillips Academy, in Andover, Massachusetts, to improve his grades and his college prospects. Playing center on the football team, he met Ernie Adams, a brainy senior from Brookline, Massachusetts, who played guard and was a fan of “Football Scouting Methods,” a book, published in 1962, that Steve had dictated to Jeannette with a level of density and detail that only other football obsessives could love.
Football Australia will be able to issue $90 tickets to the Socceroos’ most loyal fans after FIFA agreed to slash the price of some World Cup tickets following a global backlash.
Some fans will even get $US60 ($90) seats for the final instead of being asked to pay $US4,185 ($6,300).
However, they are likely to only equate to around 500 tickets a match that Australia plays.
FIFA said that the cheaper tickets would be made available for every game at the tournament, going to the national federations whose teams are playing. Those federations will decide how to distribute them to fans who have attended previous games at home and on the road.
The cheaper tickets, labelled “Supporter Entry Tier”, will be 10 per cent of the federation’s allocation — which itself will vary depending on stadium size.
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The “participant member association” allocation is 8 per cent of stadium capacity per country per match.
Australia’s group games are in Vancouver (54,000 capacity), Seattle (69,000) and Santa Clara (71,000), meaning it will respectively receive 432, 552, and 568 $90 tickets for its matches against a UEFA play-off winner (Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo), USA and Paraguay.
So will its opponents. The next cheapest tickets are priced at around $400.
FIFA’s climbdown follows meetings between senior officials in Doha this week, where federations are understood to have pushed back at the pricing model.
Fans worldwide reacted with shock and anger last week on seeing FIFA’s ticketing plans that gave participating teams no tickets in the lowest-priced category.
The co-hosts had pledged eight years ago — when they were bidding for the tournament — that hundreds of thousands of $US21 ($32) tickets would be made available.
FIFA has also faced fierce criticism for a ticket pricing strategy that includes dynamic pricing, in which prices can increase due to demand, and acting as its own resale platform, taking a cut in the process.
When the original pricing was announced Football Supporters Association Australia chairman Patrick Clancy said the prices were high but he thought many Socceroos’ fans would still buy them.
“These are historically high prices — even the minimums,” he said.
“I’m sure there will be some people who choose not (to go), and that’s absolutely fine, but I suspect the large majority will not be put off.”
One of Philip Rivers’ high school players reacts to his coach returning to NFL – CBS News
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Noah Moss is one of the high school students Philip Rivers coached at St. Michael Catholic in Alabama. Moss joins CBS News with his reaction to Rivers’ return to the NFL over the weekend.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan interim football coach Biff Poggi had a Zoom call with the program’s signees and their parents just hours after Sherrone Moore was fired last week, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday.
Poggi told the players and their parents that athletic director Warde Manuel hoped to have a new coach hired by the end of the month, said the person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share details from the call.
Moore’s firing left the No. 18 Wolverines scrambling to retain recruits and give current players reasons to stay out of the transfer portal.
That’s going to be quite a challenge.
Michigan has begun practicing for their bowl game with Poggi and assistants, none of whom know if they will be a part of the team’s staff in 2026.
The Wolverines announced less than two weeks ago that 27 prospects signed commitments to play football for the maize and blue and the class was ranked No. 11 by 247Sports.
Two of those players, however, asked for and were granted their release by the school.
Matt Ludwig, a four-star tight end from Montana, has already switched his commitment to Texas Tech and Bear McWhorter, an offensive lineman from Georgia, opened up his recruitment last week.
“In light of recent events, I’ve made the very difficult decision to withdraw,” McWhorter posted Friday on Instagram.
Moore was fired Wednesday after the school said an investigation uncovered evidence of his inappropriate relationship with a staffer. He was later jailed for two nights and charged with three crimes.
While a search firm helps Michigan quickly look for a new coach, other colleges are taking advantage of the opportunity to make offers to the Wolverines’ signees because they’re in a 30-day window to potentially get released.
“Every day that a new coach isn’t in place, there’s a risk in more players asking for their release and current players planning to go in the portal,” Allen Trieu, 247Sports national recruiting analyst, said in a telephone interview. “Time is of essence, if the primary goal is to keep the recruiting class in place.
“Those families are waiting with bated breath — as many are who are invested in Michigan football — to see who the next coach is going to be.”
Current players, including starting quarterback Bryce Underwood, will have a chance to enter the transfer portal between Jan. 2-16 if they don’t like the direction of the program or how they fit with the new coach.
“It’s a very unique time,” Trieu said. “You have a coaching staff, not knowing if they’ll be back, preparing for a game while trying to hold onto signees and current players — and everybody is inpatient.”
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Mouth guard in and eye black all over, Howie Johnson is ready.
“Being able to show up and show out in front of my state and show that Forest Lake has some really good talent,” said Johnson.
The Minnesota high school football all-star game is one last ride for the state’s top seniors.
“It’s bittersweet personally,” said Johnson. “Obviously, I wanted to go all the way to the state title and win it, but unfortunately, that wasn’t in the cards this year.”
Much has been made of other highly ranked Minnesota recruits in this year’s class, but with the season over and movement stopped, Johnson, a four-star defensive lineman, sits number one in most of the rankings.
“I’d say my biggest leap was my sophomore year against Mounds View, where I set the state record for sacks and TFLs in a single game, which was originally eight but is now 10,” said Johnson. “There was just a big step taken my sophomore year with the coaching and the technique.”
The University of Minnesota did well to retain the top local prep talent this cycle. Johnson is Dinkytown-bound next year.
“A lot of talent on that D-line,” he said. “It was pretty cool getting to watch the Gophers, knowing I’m gonna be a part of that program under P.J. Fleck and what he does is awesome.”
The D-line was one of the Gophers’ strengths this season. Reinforcements are on the way.
“I want to get some playing time. But of course, that all depends on depth,” said Johnson. “There’s guys in front of me who’ve been there a lot longer. So I’m gonna have to bust my rump in order to earn some playing time.”
Claudio Braga and Stephen Kingsley were on target as resurgent Hearts won 2-0 away to misfiring Falkirk to move six points clear at the top of the William Hill Premiership.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Sherrone Moore was being held in jail Thursday while police investigate the situation that led to his arrest hours after the once-promising coach was fired at Michigan for what the school said was an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
Authorities have yet to release details on Moore’s arrest, other than to say he has been held since Wednesday night in the Washtenaw County Jail and remains under investigation.
Pittsfield Township police had issued a statement that said officers were called to investigate an alleged assault and took a person into custody, without mentioning anyone by name. The statement, however, was released in response to media inquiries about Moore.
The police department updated its statement in the morning to say the suspect is scheduled for arraignment on Friday.
Moore, 39, was fired by Michigan, college football’s winningest program that has been mired in scandal, after the school verified evidence of his relationship with the staffer.
Athletic director Warde Manuel said the behavior “constitutes a clear violation of university policy.”
The announcement did not include details of the alleged relationship. Moore, who is married with three young daughters, did not return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment.
His departure ends an up-and-down, two-year tenure that saw the Wolverines take a step back on the field after winning the national championship in January 2024 and getting punished by the NCAA for a sign-stealing scandal.
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore celebrates with kicker Dominic Zvada (96) after an extra-point kick during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore celebrates with kicker Dominic Zvada (96) after an extra-point kick during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
He led the 18th-ranked Wolverines to a 9-3 record this year after going 8-5 in his debut season.
Moore signed a five-year contract with a base annual salary of $5.5 million last year. According to the terms of his deal, the university will not have to buy out the remaining years of his contract because he was fired for cause.
His firing leaves Michigan suddenly looking for a third coach in four years, shortly after a busy cycle that included Lane Kiffin leaving playoff-bound Mississippi for LSU.
Moore, the team’s former offensive coordinator, was promoted to lead the Wolverines after they won the national title. He succeeded Jim Harbaugh, who returned to the NFL to lead the Los Angeles Chargers.
Michigan is set to play No. 14 Texas on Dec. 31 in the Citrus Bowl. Biff Poggi, who filled in for Moore when he was suspended earlier this season in relation to the Harbaugh-era sign-stealing scandal, will serve as interim coach. Moore was suspended for two games as part of self-imposed sanctions for NCAA violations related to the scandal.
The NCAA added a third game to the suspension, which would have kept Moore off the sideline for next year’s opener against Western Michigan.
Moore previously deleted an entire 52-message text thread with former staffer Connor Stalions, who was at the center of the team’s sign-stealing operation. The texts were later recovered and shared with the NCAA.
Just a few years ago, Moore was Harbaugh’s top assistant and regarded as a rising star.
Moore, who is from Derby, Kansas, didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school. He played for Butler County Community College in Kansas and as an offensive lineman for coach Bob Stoops at Oklahoma during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
His coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Louisville before moving on to Central Michigan, where he caught Harbaugh’s attention. Harbaugh hired him in 2018 as tight ends coach.
Moore was promoted to offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator in 2021, when the Wolverines bounced back from a 2-4, pandemic-shortened season and began a three-year run of excellence that culminated in the school’s first national title in 26 years.
He worked his way up within the Wolverines’ staff and filled in as interim coach for four games during the 2023 championship season while Harbaugh served two suspensions for potential NCAA rules violations.
Earlier in the 2023 season, Michigan State fired coach Mel Tucker for cause after he engaged in what he described as consensual phone sex with an activist and rape survivor. In 2012, Arkansas fired coach Bobby Petrino due to a sordid scandal that involved a motorcycle crash, an affair with a woman who worked for him and being untruthful to his bosses.
Nobody paying attention over the past 24 months would be surprised to see Indiana leading the way into this year’s College Football Playoff.
But anyone paying attention over the last 24 hours knew the only sure thing beyond the Hoosiers was that the playoff selection committee was destined to get picked apart when it released the pairings for this season’s 12-team bracket on Sunday.
Most of that second-guessing came from Notre Dame, which was passed over in favor of Alabama and Miami for two of the bracket’s bubble spots. The Fighting Irish dropped two notches in the CFP rankings over the last two weeks, to No. 11, despite a 10-game winning streak, winning their finale by 29 points and simply sitting on the couch Saturday.
“There is no explanation that could possibly be given to explain the outcome,” Irish athletic director Pete Bevacqua told Yahoo Sports, hours after the bracket was revealed and Notre Dame said it would skip bowl season altogether. “We feel like the playoff was stolen from our student-athletes.”
Notre Dame’s loss was Alabama’s gain. The Crimson Tide didn’t move an inch the CFP rankings despite a 28-7 loss to No. 3 Georgia that looked worse than that.
No. 10 Miami didn’t play, either, but the Hurricanes’ 27-24 win over Notre Dame in Week 1 played a role once the teams were grouped right next to each other after BYU lost its game on Saturday and dropped one spot.
“Everyone can spin the metrics in favor of the team or teams they support,” committee chairman Hunter Yurachek said. “You’re always going to have controversy. That’s why we debated for so long, 9, 10 and 11, into the early-morning hours, and woke up at sunrise to do the same thing — make sure we got it right.”
The committee’s other key decision was choosing James Madison over Duke for the final spot. The selection left the Atlantic Coast Conference champion out of the mix, but didn’t fully exclude the ACC because Miami made it.
The rest of the field includes No. 2 seed Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Texas Tech, all of which joined Indiana in getting first-round byes.
The Hoosiers moved up to No. 1 with their 13-10 win over the Buckeyes on Saturday — their first Big Ten title since 1967 — and the teams’ 1-2 positioning sets up a possible rematch in the national title game Jan. 19.
Then it was No. 5 seed Oregon, followed by Mississippi, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Alabama, Miami, American champion Tulane and James Madison of the Sun Belt.
The playoffs start Dec. 19 with No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma. On Dec. 20, it’s No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon.
The winners move to the quarterfinals, which will feature Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve, then Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl, Indiana in the Rose Bowl and Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.
A costly miss for Notre Dame
It was a particularly costly and painful snub for the Fighting Irish.
They lost their first two games of the season — one to Miami, the other to Texas A&M — by a combined four points. They did not play a tough schedule the rest of the way; it was ranked 44th, compared to sixth for Alabama but 45th for Miami. But the Irish won all those games easily.
It also hurts the pocketbook. Where conferences split $4 million for each team they place into the first round, Notre Dame — as an independent — would have banked the full amount for itself.
Yurachek said the committee had not previously considered Miami’s Aug. 31 win over Notre Dame because there were always other teams in the mix, namely Alabama and BYU. But when BYU lost, the Irish and Hurricanes ended up right next to each other, which made that Miami win more important. Yurachek directed the committee to go back and rewatch it.
“Really, how Miami’s defense dominated Notre Dame’s running game, where for the rest of the season, their running game dominated most of the teams they played,” Yurachek said when asked what the committee saw in that game.
Alabama back in after snub last year
Alabama (10-3) is in despite three losses. Those who believe the Tide deserve it will look at these factors:
— An eight-game winning streak after a shocking 14-point, season-opening loss to Florida State that included a 24-21 victory at Georgia for a season split while, for instance, BYU lost both its games against Texas Tech.
— Ignoring the above, there was the “you can’t lose ground for playing in the title game” argument. Last year, Alabama had three losses and was passed over for SMU, which was coming off a loss in the ACC title game. Using the same logic, someone other than the Tide needed to go this time.
Duke’s argument falls on deaf ears
Duke tried to make a compelling argument that its seven wins over Power Four teams, including the victory over Virginia in the ACC title game, made it more deserving than James Madison for that fifth and final automatic spot for conference champs.
But the Blue Devils had five losses. And Virginia was ranked four (now nine) spots lower than Miami, the ACC’s best team by many measurements.
James Madison’s playoff game against a mega-team from a mega-conference — Oregon — will suss out whether teams like that should be playing for the title.
History, however, might look back on Duke’s win if league title games are ever eliminated from the schedule due to their growing irrelevance. Other than eliminating BYU (but not Alabama) and flip-flopping Indiana and Ohio State, this year’s set of games in the Power Four meant next to nothing.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — The pressure on Oklahoma coach Brent Venables reached a critical level after the Sooners finished 6-7 last season.
He never wavered in his belief that he could turn things around and now, he likely has the Sooners headed to the College Football Playoff.
John Mateer threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Sategna with 4:16 left to overcome three interceptions, and No. 8 Oklahoma beat LSU 17-13 on Saturday night.
The Sooners (10-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference, No. 8 CFP) are in position to host a first-round game after winning four straight.
“The narrative wasn’t always on their side, and they had to kind of fight through that as well,” Venables said. “But to be able to share in this moment with them … I just have so much appreciation, respect for our players and staff.”
Mateer was 23 of 38 for 318 yards and two touchdowns, and Sategna caught nine passes for 121 yards.
“There’s not a whole lot to really write about on the stat sheet, other than that score,” Venables said.
Oklahoma held the Tigers (7-5, 3-5) to 198 total yards and came up with a late stop to hold on. LSU converted on just two of 14 third downs.
“I thought in spots, we played outstanding and gave ourselves a chance,” LSU interim coach Frank Wilson III said. “Unfortunately, it was not enough and we fell short.
LSU played through rumors about its coaching situation. Brian Kelly was fired earlier and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin has been rumored to be his replacement. Kiffin was expected to make an announcement on Saturday regarding where he would coach next season, but he had not done so before LSU’s game ended.
Michael Van Buren Jr. started at quarterback for LSU with Garrett Nussmeier still recovering from an abdominal injury. Van Buren passed for 96 yards and ran for 33.
Oklahoma was on the move early in the third quarter when Mateer threw an interception to A.J. Haulcy, who returned it 42 yards to the Oklahoma 33. LSU scored in four plays. Van Buren connected with Zavion Thomas for a 1-yard touchdown pass to put the Tigers up 10-3.
Oklahoma tied it late in the third quarter when Deion Burks took a short pass 45 yards up the middle. LSU went up 13-10 before the long pass from Mateer to Sategna.
Wilson said the Tigers put forth a solid effort.
“I told our team I’m extremely proud of them, of the way that they competed, the way that they believed that they could win this game and came into it with that mindset and played accordingly,” Wilson said.
Oklahoma has won four straight games, but this was the first time the Sooners outgained an opponent during the streak.
Tennessee outgained Oklahoma 456 yards to 351. Alabama had a 406-212 edge and Missouri had a 301-276 advantage.
The Sooners outgained LSU 393-198.
Sategna has often been the spark the Sooners have needed, and he was again on Saturday. He had a 35-yard punt return in the third quarter before Burks’ touchdown, then scored on the long catch.
His team-leading season totals improved to 65 catches, 948 yards and seven touchdowns receiving and 1,276 all-purpose yards.
LSU: The Tigers played solid defense, but struggled to move the ball for the fourth straight game.
Oklahoma: Mateer made some mistakes, as usual, but came up with a few special plays in critical moments, as usual.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
