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Baker Mayfield lighting it up as OU, Tulsa go toe-to-toe in offensive shootout

By John TaylorSep 19, 2015, 2:10 PM EST
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There have been some who opined that Baker Mayfield is on the periphery of the 2015 Heisman Trophy discussion.  After the first half he’s having in Week 3, he may find himself in the thick of the mix come Sunday morning if statistics mean anything.

In the first two quarters against Tulsa Saturday afternoon, the Oklahoma quarterback has accumulated a whopping 386 yards of total offense.  316 yards of that total came through the air as he completed 15 of his 19 passes and tossed a pair of touchdowns.  Additionally, he ran for 69 yards — on seven carries — and added another pair of touchdowns on the ground.

Mayfield completed passes to six different receivers, with Sterling Shepard being his favorite target.  The senior has caught five passes for 112 yards but has yet to find the end zone.

As a team, the Sooners have rushed for 150 yards, giving them 466 yards of first-half offense.  OU, though, in what once was taking on the look of a rout, has abruptly found itself in the midst of a dogfight.

Trailing 31-10 with a minute or so remaining in the half, the Golden Hurricane scored two touchdowns in a span of :12 to cut the deficit to seven at the end of two quarters of play.  The second touchdown came on a Hail Mary that followed a successful onside kick.

Tulsa’s Dane Evans is attempting to match Mayfield yard-for-yard as he has thrown for 274 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers in the first half.  The Golden Hurricane has totaled 397 yards of offense.

E.J. Price, Kentucky OL with starting experience, leaves Wildcats

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By Kevin McGuireFeb 18, 2019, 3:29 PM EST
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Coming off one of the most successful seasons in recent memory in Lexington, Kentucky now has a hole to plug on the offensive line. Starting offensive tackle E.J. Price has reportedly left the football program. According to a report from Kentucky Sports Radio, Price will pursue other opportunities and a university spokesperson confirmed he is no longer with the program.

Price transferred to Kentucky from USC in 2017, but it was about a year ago Price suggested he was ready to leave Kentucky too. However, Price stuck with the Wildcats in 2018. He started 11 of 13 games for Kentucky as the Wildcats turned in a 10-win season capped with a victory in the Capital One Bowl against Penn State. It was Kentucky’s first 10-win season since 1977 and their first bowl victory since the 2008 season.

What’s next for Price remains to be seen. He will be required to sit out the 2019 season if he transfers to another FBS program unless he applies for a waiver and receives approval to be eligible in the fall.

As for Kentucky, the spring will open with a starting job up for grabs on the offensive line, although the return of Landon Young from a season-ending injury a year ago should help solidify the efforts up front.

Virginia Tech promotes ex-Hokie Justin Hamilton to safeties coach

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By Zach BarnettFeb 18, 2019, 1:52 PM EST
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Virginia Tech has promoted director of player development Justin Hamilton to safeties coach, the program announced Monday.

“Justin has more than proven his mettle to our staff over the past year and has earned this opportunity to take the next step in his football career,” head Hokie Justin Fuente said in a statement. “We know how invested Justin is in the continued success of our program. He’s a bright and talented coach who has built a solid rapport with our players and football staff. Coach Foster and I are both excited to expand his responsibilities with our team.”

A former Hokie player himself, Hamilton spent the bulk of this decade coaching at smaller programs in the Commonwealth. He was UVA-Wise’s defensive coordinator from 2011-13 and coached linebackers at VMI from 2014-17.

Hamilton fills a void created by the departure of current safeties coach Tyrone Nix. Virginia Tech officially said goodbye to him on Monday by announcing his departure for Ole Miss, though Ole Miss has yet to say anything as of press time.

Derrick Nix is on staff as Ole Miss’ running backs coach.

Southern Miss reportedly hiring offensive coordinator away from Arkansas State

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By Zach BarnettFeb 18, 2019, 12:38 PM EST
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Southern Miss reportedly has its offensive coordinator, and the hire is more notable for who it’s not than who it is.

After the fiasco that was Art Briles‘ interview and interview postscript, Golden Eagles head coach Jay Hopson has decided to go with the decidedly uncontroversial choice of Arkansas State offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, according to FootballScoop. (Full disclosure: I also write for FootballScoop.)

Faulkner spent the past three seasons as the offensive coordinator at Arkansas State, and prior to that spent four in a similar role at Middle Tennessee. Faulkner’s first stint as an offensive coordinator came in 2010 at Murray State, where his Racers offense became the first in FCS history to post a 500-yard passer, a 200-yard rusher and a 200-yard receiver in the same game.

Faulkner takes over for Shannon Dawson, who was let go and subsequently became the tight ends coach at Houston.

Southern Miss finished No. 109 nationally in yards per play and No. 90 in scoring; the Golden Eagles went 6-5 but did not garner a bowl bid last season. Arkansas State, meanwhile, was No. 31 in yards per play and No. 55 in scoring.

WATCH: TCU RB Sewo Olonilua squats 705 lbs…. twice

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By Zach BarnettFeb 18, 2019, 11:28 AM EST
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If you ever have the pleasure of standing in the presence of a high-level college or professional football player, you’ll be struck at just how big those dudes are. Obviously, they’re larger than the average male and especially so the closer you get to the ball — but if your only exposure to this small slice of the population is what you see on television, it’s easy to lose perspective at just how much larger they are than the remainder of the human population.

And any time I happen to be in the presence of a Power 5 or NFL player, one thought comes to my mind: “It’s someone’s job to move him in a direction he very much does not want to go.”

Case in point: TCU running back Sewo Olonilua. At 6-foot-3 and 231 pounds, Olonilua is among the largest running backs in college football. And as the video below shows, he’s also among the strongest.

Now consider the following: Olonilau totaled 135 carries for 635 yards and two touchdowns in 2018. This means that on 133 of his 135 carries — 98.5 percent of his attempts — someone (or someones) brought Olonilau — again, a 231-pound running back who can squat 705 pounds twice — to the ground or pushed him out of bounds.