Ole Miss, ‘Bama defenses put offenses in sleeper holds

By John TaylorOct 4, 2014, 5:21 PM EDT
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If you’re a fan of offensive football, move on.  There’s not a whole helluva lot to see here.

In what has been the dictionary-definition of a defensive slugfest, the visiting Alabama Crimson Tide out-slugged Ole Miss defensively in taking a 14-3 lead into the locker room.  The first touchdown of the half came on a Blake Sims one-yard touchdown run with just over four minutes remaining in the second quarter.

That was just the third touchdown Ole Miss’ defense has surrendered this season, and its first since Sept. 13.

The second touchdown, appropriately enough, was a defensive one as the Tide’s Alab Cyrus returned a fumble 13 yards for the score with just under a minute left in the half. The touchdown should’ve been called back, however, as Cyrus Jones was shown clearly on the replay committing a facemask penalty as he knocked the ball out of I’Tavius Mathers‘ left arm.

The Tide had 176 yards of offense, 68 of which came on the drive that was capped by Sims’ short scamper off a play fake.  The Rebels, meanwhile, were held to 100 first-half yards and converted one of their seven third-down attempts.  The visitors weren’t much more successful in the latter category in converting three of nine.

A microcosm of the defensive dominance came in the form of Amari Cooper.  The Tide wide receiver came into the game leading the country in receiving yards per game (163.8) and second in receptions per game (10.8); he was held to four catches for just 22 yards in the first two quarters.

Unfortunately, the game also featured a horrific leg injury suffered by ‘Bama running back Kenyan Drake very early in the second quarter.  Drake, who leads the Tide with four rushing touchdowns, was taken off the field on a cart with an injury that very much has the look of a season-ending one.  Just one piece of advice: if you haven’t seen a replay of the injury, continue doing so.  Not only for the sight of it but for the sound of Drake’s screams.  You’ll thank me later, trust me.

CB Tony Butler posts classy, heartfelt goodbye in announcing transfer from Nebraska

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By John TaylorJan 26, 2020, 11:11 PM EST
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Thanks to a Nebraska football player, we won’t have to go through an entire day without a portal post.  Hurray?

Late this past week, Tony Butler announced in a very classy, heartfelt post on Twitter that he will be entering the NCAA transfer database.  The move would serve as the first step in a departure from the Nebraska football program.

The cornerback could also return to the Nebraska football team if he so desires.

That said, Butler would be leaving the Cornhuskers as a graduate transfer.  The 2020 season will be his final year of collegiate eligibility.

“In 2016, I came here as an 18-year-old kid lost and looking for a home.  Nebraska, you became my home and brought me in with open arms,” Butler wrote. “This place became very special. …

“Nebraska, you have done an incredible job at helping a lost boy become a man.  My family and I are forever grateful for this opportunity.”

A three-star 2016 signee, Butler was rated as the No. 22 player regardless of position in the state of Ohio.  He took a redshirt as a true freshman.

The past three seasons, Butler played in 27 games.  Four of those appearances came in 2019, which was likely the trigger for the decision to transfer.  Most of the games played came on special teams.

Butler is the third player to leave the Nebraska football program in a week.

Linebacker Pernell Jefferson, a three-star 2016 signee, entered the portal Wednesday.  Days before that, offensive lineman John Raridon decided to retire from football to pursue a career in architecture.

Five-star Penn State WR Justin Shorter tweets transfer to Florida

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By John TaylorJan 26, 2020, 9:23 PM EST
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The Florida Gators football program is the latest to benefit from Ye Olde Transfer Portal.

In late November, Justin Shorter took the initial step in transferring from Penn State by entering the NCAA database.  Two months to the day later, the wide receiver took to Twitter to announce that he has committed to continuing his collegiate playing career as part of the Florida Gators football team.

As of yet, UF has not announced Shorter’s addition to the roster.

A five-star member of the Nittany Lions’ 2018 recruiting class, Shorter was rated as the No. 1 receiver in the country; the No. 1 player at any position in the state of New Jersey; and the No. 8 recruit overall on 247Sports.com‘s composite board.  Only defensive end Micah Parsons was rated higher than Shorter in Franklin’s class that year.

Limited to four games as a true freshman in large part because of injuries, Shorter caught three passes for 20 yards in 2018.  In 11 games this season, Shorter caught 12 passes for 137 yards.

Barring the unexpected, Shorter will have to sit out the 2020 season to satisfy NCAA transfer bylaws.  He would then have two seasons of eligibility beginning in 2021.

World of college football reacts to tragic deaths of Kobe Bryant, 13-year-old daughter in helicopter crash

By John TaylorJan 26, 2020, 7:31 PM EST
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As is the case across the entire world of sports, college football is reacting to the devastating news involving Kobe Bryant.

Sunday morning, Bryant was one of nine people killed — initial reports had the number at five — in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on his way to a travel basketball event.  The former NBA superstar, who retired from the sport following the 2015-16 season, was 41.

Adding to the devastation, one of Bryant’s daughters, who was also a player on her father’s travel basketball team, 13-year-old Gianna Maria Bryant, was killed in the crash as well.

Kobe and Gianna are survived by wife/mother Vanessa and three daughters/sisters.  The oldest is 17, the youngest will turn one in June.

In the hours after the heartbreaking news was confirmed, the world of college football mourned the passing of Kobe Bryant. Below is just a sampling.

 

Georgia state rep. proposes pay-for-play legislation with a twist that will make no one happy

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By Zach BarnettJan 26, 2020, 5:06 PM EST
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Ever since California’s SB 206 passed last September, more than a dozen states followed with their own versions of the Golden State’s Fair Pay to Play Act, to go along with a number of concurrent pushes in Washington. No matter your stance on the pay-for-play issue or what side of the political aisle you sit on, it seems we can all agree that politicians are not the people to solve this issue, and yet the NCAA kept dragging its feet, and dragging its feet, and draaaaggging its feeetttt and, well, here we are. And Sandra Scott‘s bill a large reason why.

Scott, a state representative in Georgia (D-Rex) has introduced HB 766, a type of compromise bill that will make no one happy.

The appeal, at least from the outside, of California’s SB 206, is that it would allow college athletes to capitalize on their popularity during the lifetime of that popularity while costing the school very little money, since the money would come from third-parties.

Scott’s bill does neither. In fact, it goes out of its way to do the opposite.

According to HB 766, Georgia would require its schools to set aside a third of all monies earned in postseason play into an escrow account, which would then be given to players upon graduation.

Read for yourself below.

To recap, Scott’s bill would cost the schools millions of dollars and also shut out a lot of the players who generate those millions. Why should, say, Jake Fromm be barred from having a hand in the money he produced for Georgia just because he went pro?

In short, Scott’s (well-meaning) bill would anger both schools and athletes while continuing the overly paternalistic attitudes adults have adopted toward college athletes that applies to no other demographic in college sports.