Sumlin says Texas A&M loss was “unacceptable and embarrassing”

By Kevin McGuireOct 19, 2014, 11:36 AM EDT
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Some coaches say there are performances that make you just want to burn the game film and never speak of it again. If Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin subscribes to that philosophy, this weekend’s loss at Alabama may see the game film burned right away in College Station. Alabama thumped the Aggies in Tuscaloosa to the tune of a 59-0, with a 35-0 second quarter dropping the hammer on a Texas A&M program that has been slowly and surely slipping in the rankings and standings since its season-opening victory at South Carolina. Sumlin did not mince words when summing up his team’s performance on Saturday.

“However you put it, that performance was unacceptable and embarrassing,” Sumlin said after the game. “Alabama had a lot to do with that. We’ve got to get back to work and examine where we are.”

So where does Texas A&M go from here? The Aggies have a bye week to start to regroup, but when Texas A&M gets back on the field Sumlin does not expect to see too many changes with the roster, including quarterback.

“I’m not talking about wholesale changes,” Sumlin said. “Whenever something like this happens, you can’t stick your head in the sand and just keep doing the same stuff. You’ve got to make some changes. What those are, I couldn’t tell you right now. But the bye week comes at a good time for us.”

Sumlin was asked about his thoughts on the quarterback situation and whether a change may be coming. Kenny Hill was pressured by Alabama until he was relieved of his on-field duties by freshman Kyle Allen. Sumlin said it was a move to try and generate any kind of a spark, but Hill will likely remain the starter under center moving forward. After the game Hill suggested Texas A&M did not play as hard as Alabama, but was at a loss of words to explain how it happened.

“They played a lot harder than we did, it felt like,” Hill said in his postgame media session. “I wish I could tell you. It’s something we’re trying to figure out.” Hill suggested the team is lacking confidence on offense and needs to get it back to start rolling.

Texas A&M better hope to get its confidence back quickly. The Aggies will play Louisiana-Monroe after the bye week, with a win clinching bowl eligibility for the Aggies. After that, Texas A&M ends the season against Auburn, Missouri and LSU.

Indiana QB Michael Penix could be a game-time decision again this week

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By Kevin McGuireSep 16, 2019, 7:25 PM EDT
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A week after being a game-time decision against Ohio State, Indiana quarterback Michael Penix appears to be heading to a similar fate this week. Only this time, the Hoosiers are hoping to get their starting quarterback on the field this week.

Indiana head coach Tom Allen the likely plan this week will be to leave a decision on whether or not to play Penix as a game-time decision, similar to last week. Just before the Hoosiers kicked off at home against the buckeyes, Penix was ruled out for the game. Peyton Ramsey took over the offense for the game. Ramsey would likely get the starting nod if Penix is ruled out for this weekend’s game against UConn. Jack Tuttle also played for Indiana against Ohio State and could be used as well.

“I don’t foresee it, hopefully, not being a day-to-day thing the rest of the season, but at the same time, for this Saturday’s game, we definitely aren’t going to know for several more days,” Allen said to reporters on Monday. “He probably will eventually be a game-time decision with him, but I don’t expect that to keep being the case every single week.”

The nature of the injury that has sidelined Penix has not been confirmed by Allen. Penix started the first two games of the season.

Texas Tech announces QB Alan Bowman to miss “several weeks” due to shoulder injury

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By Kevin McGuireSep 16, 2019, 6:03 PM EDT
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As reports were swirling around about a possible injury to their starting quarterback, Texas Tech has announced Alan Bowan will be out for “several weeks” as a result of a shoulder injury. The injury occurred during Texas Tech’s road game at Arizona this past weekend.

Bowman was examined briefly on the Texas Tech sideline during a road trip to Arizona last weekend (which resulted in a loss to the Arizona Wildcats). Bowman did not miss any playing time, so news of a potentially lengthy injury comes as a bit of a surprise. Bowman was taken to the ground by a defender. No penalty was called on the play.

The Red Raiders will now likely go with Jett Duffey to lead the offense at the position. Texas Tech is off this week. While Texas Tech has not shared an expected timeline for Bowman’s return, prior rumors surrounding the injury were suggesting it could be anywhere from six to eight weeks before Bowman returns to the field.

If Bowman is out for six weeks, he would potentially miss games against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Iowa State, and Kansas. If absent for eight weeks, tack on a game at West Virginia to the mix (Texas Tech has another bye week between road games at Kansas and West Virginia. That would be quite a tough stretch for Texas Tech to be without its starting quarterback, whether for six or eight weeks.

Bowman has thrown for 1,020 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions in three games this season.

FSU loses linebacker Kaindoh to season-ending ankle injury

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By Kevin McGuireSep 16, 2019, 5:33 PM EDT
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As if losing a game to Virginia was not bad enough for the Florida State Seminoles, head coach Willie Taggart announce don Monday linebacker Joshua Kaindoh will miss the remainder of the season. Kaindoh, a former five-star recruit and a starter for the Seminole defense, is out for the year due to a lower-body ankle injury, according to Taggart.

Kaindoh suffered the injury in the second quarter of Saturday’s loss at Virginia. He was carted off the field. Kaindoh has appeared in every game since his arrival at Florida State in 2017. Because he has only appeared in three games this season, he is eligible to use a redshirt season this year to preserve two more years of eligibility beginning in 2020. The NCAA modified the redshirt rule last season to allow players to save a redshirt season as long as they appear in four games or fewer during the season.

With Kaindoh out of action, that will likely lead to Florida State using Janarius Robinson on more plays, as the two had been splitting playing time this season. But depth on the defensive line has become a growing concern for Florida State, who has been dealing with all sorts of issues on defense to start the season.

Kaindoh’s season comes to an abrupt end with nine tackles and a sack.

Taggart also made note that left tackle Jauan Williams is now “week-to-week” while he bounces back from an ankle injury form Week 2, the severity of which is far less troublesome than the injury to Kaindoh.

LSU safety Todd Harris to miss rest of season with injury

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By Kevin McGuireSep 16, 2019, 4:54 PM EDT
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LSU safety Todd Harris will miss the rest of the 2019 season, head coach Ed Orgeron announced on Monday. Orgeron did not go into specifics regarding the injury to his junior safety. Harris was injured in the first half of Saturday night’s home win against Northwestern State, and he later returned to the field on crutches.

Orgeron only confirmed the injury was a season-ending injury, but he also explained Harris will be able to preserve a year of eligibility.

“We will use this year as a redshirt,” Orgeron said, according to The Advocate.

Because Harris did not appear in more than four games this season, he is allowed by the NCAA to use the 2019 season as a redshirt season, thus giving him two remaining years of eligibility beginning in 2020. The NCAA changed the redshirt rule last year to allow players to appear in up to four games without burning a year of their eligibility just for merely stepping foot on the field.

“It’s unfortunate. It was an unfortunate accident,” Orgeron said. “He just landed on the ground wrong.”

As for who replaces Harris on the depth chart, that job appears to be heading to junior safety JaCoby Stevens, who Orgeron noted was going to be used to fill the void.