Jordan Hunt, Rakeem Cato

Marshall pays tribute to 1970 crash victims, Cato lights up Tulsa early

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By Kevin McGuireNov 14, 2013, 8:09 PM EDT

Marshall honored a tragic moment in school history today by honoring the victims of Southern Airways Flight 932, which crashed en route from North carolina to West Virginia on November 14, 1970. On that flight were 37 members of the Marshall football team including players and coaches as well as a number of prominent boosters for the program. The crash decimated the football program at the time and put the entire program in danger of folding. But the football program, university and community rallied and today was a time to pay tribute to the victims of the crash. Marshall’s football team, on the road for a Thursday night game at Tulsa, took time out of their day to watch the campus ceremonies as a team.

Head coach Doc Hollliday joined his team in watching the Marshall memorial service from Tulsa.

Tonight the football team is wearing a special memorial helmet with the number “75” on one side of the helmet. That number represents the 75 passengers and crew of the flight killed in the crash.

Marshall is off to a fast start in the game tonight. The Thundering Herd are up 14-0 midway through the first quarter. Rakeem Cato has already gone over 140 passing yards and has three touchdown passes. Former Penn State wide receiver Devon Smith, who once ran in to Joe Paterno during practice to fracture the coach’s hip, has one touchdown and 65 receiving yards thus far. A win for Marshall tonight would put the Thundering Herd in a first-place tie in the division with East Carolina.

Ohio State’s Greg Schiano cited for accident that injured bicyclist

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - JANUARY 03: A cheerleader runs onto the field with an Ohio State Buckeyes flag prior to the Discover Orange Bowl against the Clemson Tigers at Sun Life Stadium on January 3, 2014 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
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By John TaylorSep 29, 2016, 9:11 AM EDT

Ohio State assistant Greg Schiano has been cited for failure to obey a traffic-control device as a result of accident that left a bicyclist injured, the Columbus Dispatch reported.

The accident involving a 26-year-old student occurred last Thursday at just before 7 a.m. local time on the Columbus campus.  According to reports at the time, “Schiano was traveling east and turning north… when he struck the westbound bicyclist.”

The cyclist was transported to a local hospital and was listed in stable condition with a head injury.  In the week since, there’s been no update on his condition, including whether he remains hospitalized.

Schiano has an arraignment set for Oct. 5, three days prior to OSU’s game with Indiana.  The citation for failing to stop for the traffic light could mean a fine of $55 for Schiano as well as $97 in court costs.

The former Rutgers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach is in his first season with the Buckeyes as Urban Meyer‘s associate head coach and, along with Luke Fickell, defensive coordinator.

Oklahoma will be down two defensive starters vs. TCU

NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 19: Running back Zack Langer #24 of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane evades defensive end Matt Dimon #94 of the Oklahoma Sooners September 19, 2015 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Tulsa 52-38.(Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
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By John TaylorSep 29, 2016, 7:27 AM EDT

After stumbling to a 1-2 start to the season, Oklahoma could be looking at a fresh start as they kick off Big 12 play this weekend.  Unfortunately for the Sooners, at least defensively, they’ll do so at less than full strength defensively.

Wednesday, it was confirmed that, despite coming off a bye weekend, linebacker Tay Evans and defensive end Matt Dimon (pictured, left) will not play in Saturday’s game against TCU.  Both will be sidelined with unspecified injuries.

Evans was injured in the second quarter of the Week 3 loss to Ohio State and didn’t return.  Dimon didn’t play at all in the second half of that game because of his unspecified injury.

Evans has started all three games of the season thus far for the Sooners.  Dimon started the opener against Houston and the OSU game, missing the Louisiana-Monroe game sandwiched in between.

It’s not all negative news on that side of the ball as all signs are pointing to defensive tackle Matt Romar is back at practice and on track to play against TCU.  Romar, a key part of OU’s line rotation who started 12 games last season, overcame a concussion sustained during summer camp to play the first two games of the season.  He didn’t see the field against the Buckeyes because of, you guessed it, an undisclosed injury.

Gophers’ leading sacker ruled out of game vs. Nittany Lions

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 01: Tai'yon Devers #92 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers forces a fumble on Darell Garretson #10 of the Oregon State Beavers in the first quarter at TCF Bank Stadium on September 1, 2016 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Gophers recovered the fumble setting up a touchdown.(Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
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By John TaylorSep 28, 2016, 10:50 PM EDT

With injuries decimating its own linebacking corps, Penn State may have caught a break on the other side of the ball.

With the Week 5 game against Minnesota still three days away, the Gophers have already announced that Tai’yon Devers has been ruled out against the Nittany Lions.  Devers is dealing with an ankle injury that will sideline the freshman through at least this coming Saturday.

The defensive end currently leads the Gophers in sacks with three, including one in last week’s game against Colorado State.  That one proved to be an absolute smothering of the Rams’ unfortunate quarterback.

In addition to the sacks, Devers also leads the Gophers with three forced fumbles in three games.  According to head coach Tracy Claeys, Dever being more aware of his on-field surroundings could’ve allowed him to add to those totals this weekend.

From the St. Paul Pioneer-Press:

The Rams tried to cut Devers, who has wreaked havoc off the edge.

“He has to learn to protect himself,” Claeys said. “He’s going to see that a little more.”

Ex-LSU AD repeats claim Les Miles turned down Michigan, more money in 2011

BATON ROUGE, LA - OCTOBER 03: Head coach Les Miles of the LSU Tigers leads the team on to the field at Tiger Stadium on October 3, 2015 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
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By John TaylorSep 28, 2016, 9:11 PM EDT

One of the biggest open secrets in all of college football has been confirmed (?) by a person who purportedly had a front-row seat to the spectacle.

Shortly after Rich Rodriguez was fired following the 2010 season, Michigan put on the full-court press to land Les Miles as his replacement.  It was known at the time that then-UM athletic director David Brandon and other school officials flew down to Baton Rouge to meet with Miles, who played his football for the Wolverines in the mid-seventies and was an assistant at his alma mater a decade later.

The open secret many still swear by?  That on that trip south Brandon had offered the job, along with a significant raise to what he was making at LSU, to Miles, who ultimately decided to turn it down and stay with the Tigers.

During a radio interview Wednesday, Skip Bertman, LSU athletic director from 2001-2008, confirmed that version of events

“Les Miles turned that job down for more money at Michigan. He turned it down,” Bertman told the ESPN Radio affiliate in Baton Rouge. “He would never say that because he’s a very humble guy. But I was there; he turned it down.”

Renowned Michigan historian John Bacon, however, disputes not only the 2011 claim, but the 2007 claim by Kirk Herbstreit and one made in 2014 as well.

The football program hired Rodriguez in 2007 and Brady Hoke in 2011, then stuck with Hoke through a rough 2014 season that had Miles-to-Ann Arbor speculation flying yet again. Ultimately, though, the university finally landed its Michigan Man in Jim Harbaugh.  I’m thinking that’s working out just fine for the program, regardless of how exactly things transpired with Miles in the past.