Getty Images

Big Ten Network announces Matt Millen to miss rest of the season

By John TaylorOct 3, 2018, 10:54 AM EDT
4 Comments

Matt Millen‘s battle with a rare condition will take him off the air for the foreseeable future.

In a release Wednesday, the Big Ten Network announced that Millen will not return to the broadcast booth in 2018 “as he continues to pursue treatment for amyloidosis.” The Mayo Clinic describes amyloidosis as “a rare disease that occurs when a substance called amyloid builds up in your organs. Amyloid is an abnormal protein that is produced in your bone marrow and can be deposited in any tissue or organ.”

“We will certainly miss seeing Matt this fall, but his health is the clear priority for everyone involved and we plan to support him in any way possible,” said Mark Hulsey, senior vice president of production and executive producer at BTN, in a statement.

Millen, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2011, revealed in late April of this year that he’ll very likely need a heart transplant.

The former Penn State All-American has been a color analyst for the Big Ten Network since 2015.  He had worked five games this season with play-by-play partner Kevin Kugler before his battle forced him away.

Two days later, Jim Harbaugh still lobbing barbs toward Mark Dantonio

Getty Images
By Zach BarnettOct 22, 2018, 3:34 PM EDT
5 Comments

No. 5 Michigan beat Michigan State 21-7 on Saturday in a game that, thanks to a weather delay, lasted close to five hours. But the grudge between the Wolverines and Spartans well before the game and continues well after.

We all saw Michigan linebacker Devin Bush tear at the Spartans’ midfield logo, but Wolverines players and staffers exited the game accusing Michigan State players of clothes lining Michigan defensive lineman Lawrence Marshall and ripping the headphones out of defensive back Lavert Hill‘s ears during the Spartan Walk.

Jim Harbaugh said the alleged acts were “bush league” and Mark Dantonio responded in kind.

On Monday, Harbaugh fired back directly at Dantonio.

“I’ll go one step further and use Coach Dantonio’s words from a few years back,” Harbaugh said. “‘It’s not a product of the team, but their program.’ Again, that’s using his words. That could’ve been an unfortunate deal. I’m proud of our guys for keeping their cool.”

This now marks the second time in three trips to East Lansing that’s ended with hurt feelings on one side or the other, to put it mildly. Michigan players drove a stake into the Spartan Stadium turf in 2014; the Spartans got the last laugh in that game, beating Michigan 35-11 as part of a run of eight wins in 10 games that ended Saturday.

Sam Ehlinger working his way back into lineup for No. 6 Texas

Getty Images
By Zach BarnettOct 22, 2018, 2:09 PM EDT
Leave a comment

After the most well-timed bye week of all time, No. 6 Texas is back on the practice field to prepare for a trip to Oklahoma State on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, ABC). Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger left the team’s previous outing, a 23-17 win over Baylor, during the first drive with what was later diagnosed as a Grade 1 AC sprain in his throwing shoulder.

Ehlinger began throwing again over the weekend, and Texas head coach Tom Herman on Monday outlined the club’s plan to work its starting quarterback back into the lineup.

“I think he’s scheduled to do 25 or 30 (throws) with a regular football today,” Herman said. “He was out there at practice yesterday, doing everything in the run game, all the handoffs and run game checks and reads. Being very cautious with how we accelerate his throwing. There’s a protocol, if you will, for overhead throwers with AC sprains that we want to make sure we adhere to as aggressively as possible while making sure we don’t have any major setbacks that could be lingering.”

Texas does not practice on Mondays, so any real update as to Ehlinger’s availability for Saturday will have to wait until Tuesday. Ehlinger will throw 25 full-padded throws on Tuesday with the aim of “ratcheting” it up to 50 later in the week, Herman said. A normal practice day calls for 75 to 80 throws.

“Barring any setbacks from (a) pain standpoint or if we see something mechanically that’s just not right, we’ve got to make some decisions,” Herman said. “Probably won’t know anything as far as game status until Thursday, I would imagine.”

Herman said if Ehlinger feels healthy, he will start.

If Ehlinger does not start, Texas will go with backup Shane Buechele. A junior, Buechele is among the most experienced backups in the country. He started all 12 games as a true freshman in 2016 and threw for 1,405 yards and seven touchdowns in on-again/off-again duty last season. Against Baylor, his only action thus far this season, Buechele completed 20-of-34 throws for 184 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

In six games plus one drive, Ehlinger is completing 65.7 percent of his throws for 1,534 yards (7.4 yards per attempt) with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. His ongoing streak of 168 passes without an interception is a school record. Crucially, Ehlinger has also run 76 times for 230 yards and six touchdowns, including 72 yards and three scores against No. 8 Oklahoma on Oct. 6. Herman said Ehlinger’s health and willingness to be a factor in the run game will be a data point in Texas’s decision this week.

TCU QB Shawn Robinson to have season-ending shoulder surgery

Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images
By Kevin McGuireOct 22, 2018, 12:45 PM EDT
Leave a comment

It has been a rough morning for TCU football news. On top of news of an arrest of wide receiver KaVontae Turpin (who has now been suspended by TCU) on Sunday comes injury news that will impact the quarterback position for the rest of the season.

Shawn Robinson, who had been TCU’s starting quarterback this season, will see his season come to a premature ending after head coach Gary Patterson announced he will be undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. Michael Collins, a transfer from Penn who stepped in to provide a spark on offense on Saturday against the Sooners, will take over as the starting for the Horned Frogs moving forward.

Robinson, a sophomore, played in all seven games for TCU up to this point in the season, in which he passed for 1,334 yards and nine touchdowns with eight interceptions. He also rushed for 230 yards and three touchdowns. Prior to being taken out of the Oklahoma game on Saturday, Robinson had completed just three of eight passes for 21 yards. Robinson started against Oklahoma, although Robinson appeared to have injured his shoulder in a previous game against Iowa State.

Collins came into the game in the second quarter and quickly led TCU to an offensive flurry before halftime, but the magic seemingly ran out in the second half as Oklahoma pulled away from the Horned Frogs in the Big 12 contest. Collins ended the day completing seven of 17 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.

With Robinson unavailable and Collins taking over as the team’s starter, senior Grayson Muehlstein will be the new backup option for TCU. Muehlstein has appeared in two games this season, completing one of three pass attempts for 11 yards. He has appeared in just seven games for TCU during his college career.

TCU also has former four-star recruit Justin Rogers on the roster. The freshman has not seen any game action this season and the new redshirt rule could allow for the possibility of seeing what he can do in a total of four games without sacrificing a year of eligibility. But his status remains questionable according to recent updates offered by Patterson. Rogers was limited in training camp and has yet to be completely cleared by medical staff members as he is coming off a torn ACL from the season opener of his senior year of high school football last year.

Oklahoma State wearing Barry Sanders era uniforms vs. Texas

Oklahoma State Athletics
By Kevin McGuireOct 22, 2018, 12:17 PM EDT
1 Comment

Throwback uniforms have been all the rage lately, and Oklahoma State is getting in on the fun this weekend. With their big game coming up against the Texas Longhorns, the Cowboys will be suiting up in a look inspired by the 1988 Heisman Trophy season of legendary running back Barry Sanders.

Oklahoma State is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the 1988 Oklahoma State team that went 10-2 and featured Sanders on his run to the Heisman Trophy. Sanders, who won the only Heisman Trophy in Oklahoma State history, rushed for 2,850 yards and 44 touchdowns. He and members of the “War Pigs” offensive line are grand marshalls for Oklahoma State’s homecoming parade this coming weekend.

The uniform, as expected, is perfect and should absolutely be given more opportunities to be worn by Oklahoma State. The uniforms will also include a patch commemorating the anniversary of Sanders’ Heisman Trophy season.

At 1-3 in the Big 12, Oklahoma State needs to go on a big winning streak and hope for some help if the Cowboys are going to play for the Big 12 championship. The Longhorns are sitting on top of the Big 12 standings with a conference record of 4-0.