This week must feel a lot different for Wyatt Mazour, in his fifth year in the Nebraska program but with only 22 game appearances and just 19 career carries. What exactly is going through his mind now that he's co-No. 2 on the depth-chart? "Nothing, really. I've approached every game this year like I'm going to get a lot of reps. I haven't had a change in my focus." Veteran approach.
Former Nebraska player and assistant coach Barney Cotton underwent a successful heart transplant Tuesday night, UNLV head football coach Tony Sanchez told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Wednesday.
Kansas City coach Andy Reid refuses to name backup Matt Moore as the starter.
Freshman Wan'Dale Robinson was in full pads Wednesday as he tries to find his way back onto the field after suffering an injury at Minnesota.
TUSCALOOSA — Jared Mayden saw his opportunity and wasn’t going to let it slip through his fingers.
AUBURN — If you checked Twitter on Monday night, you might have seen a fake Bo Nix quote making the rounds.
He warms up with teammates for the first time since suffering a turf toe injury in the Sept. 26 loss to the Eagles.
Wyoming redshirt freshman defensive end Solomon Byrd was named to the Football Writers Association of America All-American Watch List on Wednesday.
Quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco confirmed that the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Adrian Martinez is handling a bigger workload this week compared to last week.
Nine years later, in December 2020, Missouri and Kansas will play basketball — the Border War — again. Here's how it came to be.
LARAMIE -- He recovered a first-half fumble for Wyoming’s lone takeaway. On the first possession of the second half, with New Mexico electing to go on fourth down from Wyoming’s 29-yard line, he was the first to get to Ahmari Davis in the backfield for a loss to end the Lobos’ scoring threat.
Whenever he gets the chance, Esaias Gandy is usually around the ball.
“It’s exciting every game,” Gandy said. “You practice hard in practice, and you never know how much time you’re going to get in the games. Just being able to get in and actually make plays, it just feels good.”
That’s become a theme for Wyoming’s safeties in recent years. Andrew Wingard and Marcus Epps, the most productive safety tandem the program has ever seen, ended their careers last season among the top 11 tacklers in school history. Wingard’s replacement, Alijah Halliburton, leads the team and all Mountain West safeties with 69 tackles.
Gandy doesn’t have nearly those numbers, but he’s not a starter either. But he’s starring in his most significant role on Wyoming’s defense since joining the program three years ago, and he’s earning rave reviews.
“Every time he’s out, it’s less and less that you worry about E,” defensive coordinator Jake Dickert said. “He just goes out there and gets it done.”
Gandy has 14 tackles on the season, which doesn’t sound like a lot until context is attached to it. Buried on the depth chart behind Wingard, Halliburton and sophomore Miles Williams at strong safety, he had 12 tackles for his entire career entering this season, spending the majority of his first two years in the program as a contributor on special teams.
But Gandy is experiencing the most significant playing time of his career this fall, and it’s not just because of the attrition at the position. The 6-foot-1, 193-pounder has always had the physical ability, but Gandy has grown more comfortable with the Cowboys’ defense, one that hasn’t changed much from the 4-2-5 base look Wyoming ran the previous two seasons under Scottie Hazelton. With that comes less thinking and more confidence in his assignments.
“I think I know the plays very well, so I’m just able to react,” Gandy said. “(The coaches) just put me in the right position to make plays, so I make it.”
By the time the spring was over, Gandy had earned his spot as Halliburton’s backup on the depth chart -- the first in his career he had appeared on Wyoming’s two-deep. He held on to that spot all the way up to the Cowboys’ season opener against Missouri and didn’t waste any time making his presence felt.
With Missouri looking to add to its 14-3 lead early in the second quarter, quarterback Kelly Bryant tucked the ball and took off around left edge. Gandy quickly recognize it, pushed past his blocker and stuck Bryant before he could turn the corner, popping the ball free. C.J. Coldon scooped it up and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown, sparking a 24-point second quarter and a 37-31 win that got the momentum going on Wyoming’s 5-2 record to this point.
Gandy also has two tackles for loss and a pair of pass breakups as the first safety off Wyoming’s bench.
“(Opposing offenses) always throw you something different each game, but if I see a formation I recognize, I can recognize what I’m about to get out of the formation just off the set.
“I know the coaches are going to put me in the right position to make plays. I just don’t try to do too much. Just try to make plays when the opportunities are there to make a play.”
With Halliburton being a senior, Wyoming will be looking for yet another replacement at strong safety after this season. Gandy may be at the forefront of that impending competition now that he’s emerging as a reliable reinforcement on the back end of Wyoming’s defense.
“I can tell you this, our confidence level is better with him,” Wyoming coach Craig Bohl said. “I talked to him about his play during fall camp because I’d noticed a difference. … He came into fall camp and he compared well (to the other safeties) during fall camp, and it was showing. Now he has an opportunity, and he’s taking advantage of his opportunity.”
Right tackle Alonzo Velazquez is scheduled to have knee surgery Monday, Bohl said Wednesday. What that means for Velazquez’s availability for the rest of the season will be determined then.
“When (doctors) get in there, it’s either going to be a two-week, smooth-out deal or maybe eight months,” Bohl said.
Velazquez missed last week’s game against New Mexico after reinjuring his knee at San Diego State. Ryan Galovich (shoulder) practiced Tuesday and Wednesday and is in line to handle punting duties Saturday against Nevada, Bohl said.
Cats Stats: The UA offense has slumped of late, in part because of a rise in sacks allowed, which has impacted the unit’s productivity and functionality.
The Tigers' goalkeeping situation remains unclear, with the team's top two options both having missed time recently.
The most surprising thing last Monday in Bears head coach Matt Nagy’s press conference the day after an embarrassing loss to the New Orleans Saints was that over the entire 24 minutes he was grilled, Nagy was not asked a single question about his def…
IOWA CITY — Illinois’ eye-opening upset of Wisconsin last weekend did more for Iowa than give the Hawkeyes a glimmer of hope in the Big Ten West Division race.
Horse blinders and ear muffs apparently can only block out so much when "everyone is talking about how bad we are and what we're doing wrong," the poster boy for the Bears' ineptitude on offense, Mitch Trubisky, pointed out Wednesday.
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Penn State’s offensive line has often been the subject of criticism during James Franklin’s tenure as head coach.
Green Bay PackersThe Packers offense might be new, but for the first time under Matt LaFleur in Week…
UW's offense is averaging 39.7 points per game, its highest average through seven games since 2013.
The Cowboys sit at 5-2, which technically means a win over Nevada at War Memorial Stadium on Saturday would make them bowl eligible before November even gets here.
What went wrong at Illinois? Does Wisconsin have a chance at Ohio State? State Journal beat reporters Colten Bartholomew and Jim Polzin break it down.
Young defenders to get chance soon
LINCOLN — Barret Pickering returned to the depth chart Monday. Nebraska’s preferred starting kicker has also returned to his craft in practice.
Iowa’s receiver shuffle and Oliver Martin’s spot in it and Northwestern’s high-tech solution to its season-long struggles are all part of today’s Hawkeye 10@10.
What started off as a group that produced a steady stream of takeaways and big plays has seen the tap go dangerously dry as a potent Indiana offense comes to town this weekend.
Packers backup quarterback Tim Boyle is certain that, if disaster did strike, he’d be ready — despite his thin NFL resume.
Justin Fields, a transfer from Georgia, has been the trigger man for a Buckeyes offense that averages 49.7 points and 526.7 yards per game.
Missed blocks and strong tackling by Illinois doomed the Badgers when the end zone was near.
From Alec Ingold living out a childhood dream at Lambeau Field to Alex Erickson's career day in Cincinnati, here's a look at eight notable performances from former Wisconsin Badgers players in Week 7 of the NFL season.
A pair of key injured Huskers, quarterback Adrian Martinez and kicker Barret Pickering, were in full pads at Tuesday's practice.
Sophomore running back Maurice Washington’s future with Nebraska looks cloudy at best after Husker head coach Scott Frost announced Monday that Washington will not play against Indiana and, “is not part of the team going into this week.”
Ohio State is still on top, but Minnesota is rising and Wisconsin is falling in Parker Gabriel's latest Big Ten power rankings.
The Texas A&M football team’s run defense had a few uncharacteristic leaks in last week’s 24-17 Southeastern Conference victory at Ole Miss.
The unit is striving to play shutdown ball for all four quarters, no matter the score or circumstances.
The latest from Star contributor Carrie Cecil.
Odom hinted at his Tuesday media availability that Missouri may look to target tight end Albert Okwuegbunam more.
AUBURN — Daniel Thomas still remembers the conversation he had with Derrick Brown during their sophomore season two years ago.
Manuel will start the first half against Kentucky due to Tyree Gillespie's suspension for targeting.
TUSCALOOSA — A roar erupted from the Bryant-Denny Stadium crowd as the ball boomed off Ty Perine’s foot and soared through the crisp night air.
If the Bears defense hasn’t complained yet about its aching back as the result of carrying Mitch Trubisky and Matt Nagy’s broken offense, they’re not going to start now.
"The opportunity was there for me to do my best for my team," kicker Tucker McCann said. "I didn't do it. I didn’t come through."
LARAMIE — Even when the numbers suggest Wyoming’s offense should do the opposite, the Cowboys run.
My walk-on story: Brody Belt
JACKSONVILLE — Jacksonville State's Michael Matthews runs hard, really hard.
Expect Dedrick Mills to see his usage spike in the near future. The Nebraska running back himself does.
LINCOLN — Nebraska running back Maurice Washington is off the team, and it’s not clear when — or if — he’ll be back.
UA's quarterback has rushed for a combined minus-32 yards over past three weeks.
At noon Monday, I was at Halas Hall to visit with Matt Nagy for his weekly postmortem following Sunday’s early Halloween horror show at Soldier Field.
Riley’s revenge, Northwestern’s struggles and one eye on the future are all part of today’s Hawkeye 10@10.
‘More than just the quarterbacks need to be addressed,’ UA coach Kevin Sumlin says of the Cats’ slumping offense.
