Tuesday, November 18, 2014
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Virginia Tech RB Marshawn Williams has torn ACL
The injury bug bit the running back position at Virginia Tech again.
The program announced Tuesday that true freshman Marshawn Williams tore the ACL in his left knee against Duke on Saturday. He will miss the rest of the season and spring practice.
Per a release from the program, Williams will “let the swelling in the knee subside,” before undergoing surgery in “a few weeks.”
The 5-foot-11, 229-pound Williams played in nine games and started eight for the Hokies in 2014. On 124 carries, Williams racked up a team-high 475 yards and four touchdowns. He registered two 100-yard rushing performances on the season – in a Sept. 27 win over Western Michigan and in a Oct. 23 loss to Miami.
Williams is the second Virginia Tech running back to go down with an ACL tear this year. Back in September, fellow true freshman Shai McKenzie tore the ACL in his right knee against WMU. McKenzie will also miss spring practice.
Another Tech running back, sophomore Trey Edmunds (17 carries, 86 yards), broke his clavicle and has been out since October.
Both McKenzie and Williams were Rivals.com four-star recruits in the 2014 class.
The Hokies, now 5-5 after beating Duke, return to action Saturday on the road against Wake Forest. With Williams out, junior J.C. Coleman (20 carries for 95 yards against Duke) will likely receive most of the carries.
For more Virginia Tech news, visit HokieHaven.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Virginia Tech RB Marshawn Williams has torn ACL
USC appears lukewarm in welcoming back Josh Shaw
USC cornerback Josh Shaw may have been cleared of wrongdoing, but the Trojans don’t exactly appear eager to welcome their former captain back into the fold.
The Los Angeles district attorney’s office said Monday that it would not press charges against Shaw, who was the subject of a domestic violence investigation, but the school said it wants to do it’s own investigation before deciding on Shaw’s status.
Shaw was a former starter before he was suspended indefinitely after lying about the events that led to two sprained ankles. Shaw told USC he injured his ankles jumping from a balcony into a swimming pool to save his 7-year-old nephew. The school published the heroic story on its football website.
However, questions surfaced about the validity of the story and Shaw later confessed that he had made the entire thing up. Shaw was injured while jumping from a balcony, but it was to evade police after neighbors called 911 when they heard shouting and a lamp breaking in Shaw’s apartment. Shaw and his girlfriend had gotten into a verbal altercation and the girlfriend threw the lamp on the floor on her way out of the apartment. Shaw saw the police from his window, panicked and thought it better to jump than face the authorities.
It’s likely that it's the lying that's keeping Shaw, a senior, off the field this season. Even though Shaw had no prior history of getting into trouble, his lie created a massive PR headache for the school.
Coach Steve Sarkisian was asked about Shaw’s status on Tuesday and he seemed lukewarm on the idea of letting Shaw back on the team. The Trojans still have regular season games against UCLA and USC and could still play in the Pac-12 championship. It also has a bowl game.
“It would be great for Josh,” Sarkisian said when asked how much he would like to have Shaw back. “It’s your senior year, you want to play, especially against your two rivals.
“We’ve played 10 games without him so we have a pretty good understanding of who we are. It would be nice for Josh. It would be nice to have him, but again we’ve played 10 games without him.”
For more USC news, visit TrojanSports.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
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From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - USC appears lukewarm in welcoming back Josh Shaw
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Cole Stoudt to start for Clemson against Georgia State
Not long after he said he wasn't going to name a starting quarterback early in the week, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney went ahead and did so.
Swinney said Tuesday that Cole Stoudt will start Saturday against Georgia State. Stoudt began the season as Clemson's starter but was replaced by freshman Deshaun Watson. However, he's seen considerable time this season after Watson broke a bone in his throwing hand against Louisville and suffered a sprained LCL against Georgia Tech on Saturday.
"Cole will start the game, Swinney said via Tiger Illustrated. "I like the way he has responded. He gives us the best chance to win. He had a bad day Saturday. The week before that he was our offensive MVP. The week before that he won the leather helmet. Everyone else has to play better and help, too."
On Sunday, Swinney said he wasn't going to name a starting quarterback on Sunday, Monday or probably Tuesday. He evidently changed his thinking.
Watson went down with a non-contact injury and Stoudt replaced him. Upon entering, Stoudt performed miserably, completing as many passes to Georgia Tech defenders as he did to Clemson players. He finished 3-11 passing for 19 yards and three interceptions. Two of the picks were run back for touchdowns.
After his third interception he was replaced by third-string QB Nick Schuessler, who finished the game 4-4.
There's a possibility Stoudt could receive a less-than-warm reception at Tiger Stadium on Saturday. If there are boos, Swinney said the people doing so need to get a life.
"People need to get a life if they're going to boo a guy like Cole," Swinney said. "He's a class act and deserves to be treated with class. It's my hope that Cole will finish out this thing great. We have won six out of the last seven. We had a bad day. A bad, bad day offensively."
Stoudt got his first opportunity to start in 2014 after backing up Tajh Boyd.
Watson was initially feared to have a torn ACL and Swinney classified him as day-to-day. There's a chance he could play on November 29 against South Carolina. Given that Clemson's offense has looked better with him at the helm, the Tigers' chances of winning would increase if Watson is healthy and able to go.
"He gets better everyday," Swinney said. "When I talked to ya'll Sunday, I got the call. We got some good news. He's still got an injury. It's not like he's out there doing sprints. It's not what we thought it was. He was a lot better Sunday and better yesterday. It truly is a day-to-day thing. I don't see any way he would possibly play this weekend. We're hopeful he will play next weekend, but we don't know."
For more Clemson news, visit TigerIllustrated.com
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Cole Stoudt to start for Clemson against Georgia State
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Steve Spurrier says he'll try not to upset Clemson fans (Video)
During an on-field interview after South Carolina’s win Florida on Saturday afternoon, Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier was interested in how another team performed that afternoon.
Steve Spurrier completely out of the blue: "I guess the Upstate team got beat today."
— Josh Kendall (@JoshatTheState) November 15, 2014
That “Upstate team,” if you don’t know, is Clemson – South Carolina’s in-state rival. Clemson did indeed lose to Georgia Tech that day, and the Tigers’ fanbase was not thrilled that the Ol’ Ball Coach referred to Clemson as the “Upstate team.”
At his Tuesday press conference, Spurrier seemed perplexed by the blowback.
“They played the same time we did and I was just asking if they, in fact, had lost. I knew they were behind but I didn’t know the final score,” Spurrier said. “I’ll try not to say anything to upset (Clemson fans) through the next couple weeks.”
South Carolina improved to 5-5 with the win over the Gators. Spurrier’s team will host South Alabama before the much-anticipated trip to Clemson on Nov. 29 to end the regular season.
Clemson dropped to 7-3 with the loss Saturday. Like the Gamecocks, the Tigers will host a non-conference opponent at home (Georgia State) before preparing for the season finale with South Carolina.
That should be a fun one.
For more South Carolina news, visit GamecockCentral.com.
For more Clemson news, visit TigerIllustrated.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Steve Spurrier says he'll try not to upset Clemson fans (Video)
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Report: Syracuse inquiry includes local YMCA
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Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads says he's 'frustrated as hell'
Not much has gone right for Iowa State this season.
The Cyclones lost their third game in a row and dropped to 2-7 on the season with Nov. 8’s 34-14 loss at Kansas. A week before the team’s loss to Kansas, the Cyclones were blown out 59-14 at home by Oklahoma and many ISU fans fled to the exits as the game got out of hand in the second half.
Head coach Paul Rhoads understands that the fan base is upset.
“I’ll tell them I am frustrated as hell too,” Rhoads said per the Ames Tribune. “So is everybody in this building, that is coaches, players, that works 365 days a year to provide a product that our fans can be excited about and proud of.”
Rhoads expressed appreciation for a “loyal core group” of Cyclones fans who attend and stay at the games no matter what but also sympathized with the fans who choose not to come out to Jack Trice Stadium.
“There is a group that will show frustration by their lack of attendance. I get that. I understand that,” Rhoads said. “They want a winner and they want to support a winner and I want to give them one and end that frustration for all of us.”
Coming off a bye week, Rhoads’ squad will have a chance to get back in the win column at home against Texas Tech (3-7) Saturday afternoon.
Rhoads is hopeful that starting quarterback Sam Richardson will be able to return from a shoulder injury, Richardson, a junior, missed the Kansas game but returned to practice this week.
For more Iowa State news, visit CycloneReport.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads says he's 'frustrated as hell'
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Signed Winston items reportedly rejected by authentication firm
The multitude of signed Jameis Winston items on an authentication website were first rejected from a different authentication site because of authenticity questions.
The "thousands" of autographs purportedly belonging to the Florida State quarterback on the James Spence authentication database were found in October after Georgia running back Todd Gurley was suspended for taking money for signing items. Gurley was paid $3,000 to sign items.
Five sources who spoke to "Outside the Lines" on the condition of anonymity said that James Spence Authentication got the items only after competitor PSA/DNA backed out of the February signing with Winston. PSA/DNA did so after being told that it couldn't witness the quarterback signing the items in person, sources said.
The batch of Winston autographs were discovered in the JSA online database in October. James Spence, the company's owner, said in October that he had full confidence that those autographs were authentic, and he reiterated it again this week, through company lawyer Stacy Biancamano.
When an autograph dealer started emailing media outlets about Gurley's signings, he said he had a video of Gurley signing items.
Florida State said in October it was reviewing information surrounding autographs by Winston but that it had no evidence that Winston was paid for his autograph. Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher has supported his quarterback, saying Winston hasn't been paid for his signature. Fisher pointed to the signings Winston does after athletic events.
Outside the Lines said the Winston items, per sources, came from one Florida autograph dealer and the signing was via a relationship with former FSU RB Devonta Freeman. A rep for Freeman told OTL that Winston said no to the signing.
PSA/DNA said it would authenticate the items if it saw Winston sign the items itself. A rep for the company went to what was supposed to be a mass signing by the 2013 Heisman winner, but he didn't show.
Burkhalter denies that much of this happened. He told "Outside the Lines" that he has gotten items signed by Winston but has never compensated him. He said he never told anyone that Freeman set up an autograph signing and doesn't recall setting up items in a hotel for a Winston signing. He said February was a long time ago, but he didn't get anything close to 1,000 pieces signed by Winston for anyone.
Sources said that hours into waiting for Winston to show, Burkhalter told those in attendance that Winston had decided he couldn't do a signing in the hotel room and instead preferred to do it in an apartment. The conditions? The authenticator and Burkhalter could not be there to witness the signing.
So, sources said, Burkhalter loaded the Florida State items into his truck and returned later with the items signed, telling those waiting back at the hotel that he had to give the batch of items to a person who then got the items signed inside the apartment.
PSA/DNA also didn't authenticate the Winston items because of variations in the signatures. Days after, JSA authenticated the items.
For more Florida State news, visit Warchant.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Signed Winston items reportedly rejected by authentication firm
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Utah P Tom Hackett says he's simply kicking bacon down the field
Utah's Tom Hackett is a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, which is given to the nation's top punter. Hackett is averaging 47.2 yards a punt, which is second in FBS. How is Hackett so successful? Maybe it's because he simply thinks of the football as a food.
The Australian punter was asked Monday about the pressure he faces as a punter. He kicked nine times against Stanford in Utah's 20-17 overtime victory over the Cardinal on Saturday.
"If you go speak to my mate … they’re in pressure situations all the time," Hackett said of members of the offense and defense. "And so for me, I get nine snaps. That’s a lot of snaps. Generally I get five snaps. I’ve got to make the most of them but at the end of the day I’m kicking essentially, pigskin. We eat bacon, so I’m kicking bacon down a field for people’s entertainment. It’s not that big of a deal, I just have a a laugh on the sideline and doing my job. It’s something that’s pretty easy."
We appreciate Hackett's perspective about football, because as awesome as football is, it's not everything. And the bacon comparison is great, though for accuracy's purposes, he's actually kicking more of a hamburger down the field.
For more Utah news, visit UteZone.com
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Utah P Tom Hackett says he's simply kicking bacon down the field
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After fumbles, Ohio State's Jalin Marshall catches punts in the snow
Jalin Marshall was immediately trying to correct the fumble problems he experienced on Saturday at Minnesota.
The redshirt freshman Ohio State wide receiver fumbled twice against the Gophers including a muffed punt in the fourth quarter that allowed Minnesota to pull within 10 points.
Marshall didn't speak to members of the media on Monday after practice. Instead, he slipped out a door of the Buckeyes' practice facility and went out into the cold and snow.
Small plows had cleared the snow from the outdoor fields at the Buckeyes' football headquarters, even though Monday is the players' usual day off. But this player made his way onto the field. Staying inside, in a perfect climate, wouldn't do any good. Two others soon joined him.
Someone began to punt.
Jalin Marshall, the upper reaches of Ohio Stadium visible behind him, began to catch those punts.
While Marshall went outside to catch punts on his own after practice, he probably heard about the fumbles at practice and meetings. On Monday, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said he was concerned about the Buckeyes' fumbling this season.
"No, very concerned about we've fumbled it more this year than we have, and we've had a little conference about that, our offense coaches, myself and our players yesterday, and I think we got lazy a little bit in practice, and that's my fault; I've got to hold these guys accountable," Meyer said. "So no, very disappointed when that ball is on the ground. You don't you're not going to win a close game by doing that."
Marshall, a four star recruit in the class of 2013 according to Rivals, has 19 catches for 253 yards and three touchdowns this season in addition to 14 punt returns for 161 yards.
For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - After fumbles, Ohio State's Jalin Marshall catches punts in the snow