Sports Al Dente

The NCAA football rules committee provided new guidance on Wednesday to fix a loophole that let second-ranked Oregon take advantage of an illegal substitution penalty late in their win over Ohio State to run down the clock.

As Ohio State was trying to score in their final possession with only seconds remaining, Oregon was penalized for having too many players on the field, resulting in a 5-yard penalty. Although the Buckeyes gained 5 yards, this move took four seconds off the clock. Oregon ended up winning the game 32-31.

“After the Two-Minute Timeout in either half, if the defense commits a substitution foul and has 12 or more players on the field and participates in a play, officials will penalize the defense for the foul and at the choice of the offended team, reset the game clock back to the time shown at the snap,” the guidance explained.

“The game clock will then restart on the next snap,” it added. “If the 12th player was trying to leave the field but was still present at the snap and did not affect the play, then the usual substitution penalty would apply without any clock change.”

Steve Shaw, NCAA coordinator of football officials, stated that a “guiding principle of the NCAA Football Rules Committee is that there should be no benefit when a team commits a penalty.”

“The goal of this in-season interpretation is to remove any clock advantage from committing a substitution foul and to eliminate any gain for the defense if they break the substitution rule,” he said.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day has not made any comments about the situation. The Buckeyes were also affected on their final drive by an offensive pass interference call that set them back.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning suggested during his Monday news conference that the Ducks took advantage of this loophole.

“We spend a lot of time on different situations, and some don’t happen very often in college football, but this was obviously something we had prepared for,” Lanning said. “You can see the result.”

Oregon took the lead with 1:47 left in the game when Atticus Sappington kicked a 19-yard field goal, giving the Buckeyes a chance to drive down the field for a possible winning field goal.

With Ohio State facing a third-and-25 from the Oregon 43, the Ducks called a timeout with 10 seconds remaining.

Just before the ball was snapped, Oregon defensive back Dontae Manning stepped onto the field, adding an extra defender. Ohio State was unable to complete a pass against Oregon’s 12-player defense on the next play, and the Ducks received a penalty for illegal substitution.

Ohio State gained 5 yards from the penalty but lost four seconds off the clock because the penalty was considered a live-ball foul.

This left the Buckeyes with only six seconds remaining, and quarterback Will Howard tried to run up the middle but slid a moment too late, preventing Ohio State from calling a timeout for a potential game-winning field goal at the Oregon 26.

Making big plays all over the field is what BYU wide receiver Parker Kingston does best.

Kingston will definitely be important for the No. 13 Cougars when they play Oklahoma State on Friday, just like he has been all season for BYU (6-0, 3-0 Big 12). So far, Kingston has thrown a 33-yard touchdown pass, caught a 20-yard touchdown pass, and returned a bobbled punt 90 yards for a score in one of the season’s craziest moments.

The redshirt sophomore ranks fourth in all-purpose yardage for BYU and averages 15.6 yards per play. He can create problems for the Cowboys (3-3, 0-3) on both offense and special teams.

“He’s just that type of guy that’s good at everything,” said BYU receiver Chase Roberts. “Throw him on the ping pong table and he’s going to whip you in ping pong.”

Kingston is one of only three players in Big 12 history to have multiple games where he has thrown a touchdown pass and caught a touchdown pass in the same game. He is on the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award, which is given each year to the nation’s most versatile player.

“He’s a great athlete with a high football IQ,” said BYU coach Kalani Sitake. “He’s bought in to his role. He’s bought in to doing whatever he can do to help the team win, and I love having him on the team.”

Executing trick plays is quickly becoming Kingston’s trademark. He played quarterback at Roy High School in Utah and was a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard passer as a senior. Kingston has used that experience several times in college. He has thrown four passes over the past two seasons for the Cougars and completed three of them.

All three completions ended up being touchdown passes. Kingston credited BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick for knowing how to use his versatility in the game plan.

“He calls it at the right time every single time, and it’s always open,” Kingston said.

His speed helps Kingston be effective on both offense and special teams. He is one of the fastest players on BYU’s roster, with a 100-meter time of 10.79 seconds.

Texas A&M coach Mike Elko feels that last week’s break came at just the right time for his No. 14 Aggies, judging by their energetic response.

Before the midseason pause, they performed well, taking the lead in the Southeastern Conference, especially after a strong 41-10 victory over Missouri. However, they face more challenges in the next three weeks, starting with a trip to last-place Mississippi State, which raises several concerns for A&M (5-1, 3-0 SEC) in a season full of upsets among ranked teams.

“This group of kids, the last time they went down to Starkville, it wasn’t pretty,” Elko said, referring to the Aggies’ 42-24 loss in 2022 when they were ranked 17th. “So, I don’t even know that we need to look at other people.

“I think we just need to be aware of our own history and understand what it takes to be successful, why we’re doing things, to give ourselves a chance to have success. And understanding that if we stop for any second, we’re going to put all of that at risk.”

The Aggies have won five straight games since losing to Notre Dame, averaging almost 447 yards per game. Their defense has also been strong, allowing 311.13 yards in league play, 318 overall, and just 16.7 points per game.

Meanwhile, rebuilding Mississippi State (1-5, 0-3) has lost five games in a row, including the last two against top-ranked Texas (35-13) and No. 5 Georgia (41-31).

The Bulldogs come into this game with the lowest-ranked defense in the league in several categories, including yards allowed (465.8 per game) and points allowed (33.2). However, first-year coach Jeff Lebby is encouraged by some progress, such as the two interceptions made last week in Athens that led to 10 points and a second-half performance where they outscored Georgia 21-7.

Texas A&M will be the third ranked opponent for Mississippi State, which will also face No. 11 Tennessee, No. 19 Missouri, and No. 18 rival Ole Miss to close the season. The Bulldogs lead the series 9-8 but enter the game as 15.5-point underdogs according to BetMGM College Sports Odds.

“I think our guys are incredibly encouraged and enthused by the fact that we’ve had really good moments,” Lebby said. “We’ve got to make sure there’s more and more of those moments every single Saturday and build on the good and continue to take away the bad.”

This is a first for Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, as he faces an opponent who understands how he thinks, prepares, and plans for each game on the schedule for the 10th-ranked Tigers.

But Swinney is also quite familiar with the ways of his former receiver and long-time assistant, Virginia coach Tony Elliott.

“When you have that type of relationship, he knows exactly how I think,” Swinney said with a smile. “I know how he thinks, too. Don’t think he’s one step ahead.”

At least not yet.

No. 10 Clemson (5-1, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) will play against the Cavaliers (4-2, 2-1) on Saturday for the first time since Elliott became the head coach three seasons ago.

Swinney has been a friend and mentor to Elliott since they met in 2003. At that time, Elliott was a fifth-year receiver at Clemson, and Swinney was the new receivers coach under Tommy Bowden.

Swinney brought Elliott on as an offensive assistant in 2011, and Elliott eventually became the offensive coordinator and main play caller for national championship teams in 2016 and 2018. They have had many discussions, meetings, and successful game plans together over the years.

Elliott has been steadily rebuilding a program that faced tragedy at the end of his first season when three team members were shot and killed on campus. Two other students, including a fourth player, were injured that day in November 2022.

This season, the Cavaliers have been finding their stride. Elliott hopes to achieve a 3-1 record in the ACC for the first time since 2019, when Virginia won the now-defunct Coastal Division and lost to Clemson in the league championship game.

Elliott mentioned that part of his ongoing journey toward success involves ignoring texts and calls from friends at Clemson this week so he can concentrate on his team.

“I have a responsibility to this football program to be laser focused,” Elliott said. “And that’s one of the things that I learned from where I came from (in Clemson) is just how to block out the noise.”

He understands that some old friends may be upset with him. “This is one of those weeks where some people are mad at me right now,” Elliott said. “But I promise you, I love you. I just need to focus.”

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze and Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz became friends years ago through Gus Malzahn, who mentored both of them. Their bond has grown stronger now that they’re both in the SEC.

“We gravitate to one another in our lives, too, when we are at common places,” Freeze explained, “whether it’s SEC meetings or whether it’s the Peach Bowl Classic. I think we’re made of a similar mindset of what coaching should be about, the bigger picture of trying to keep the impacting of others as important as the wins and losses.”

That’s a generous way to think. This connection between the coaches might be why Drinkwitz and No. 19 Missouri aren’t too concerned about some comments Freeze made earlier this week that could be seen as negative.

He meant to praise Drinkwitz, but it came off as a criticism of the program: “I know everybody has their rankings of coaches and it’s based on, to me, the better talent you have the better coach you are,” Freeze said. “To me, some of the better jobs are done with those lesser rosters in recruiting.”

However, that so-called lesser roster at Missouri (5-1, 1-1) has only lost to Texas A&M this season and still aims to compete for an SEC title and a spot in the College Football Playoff. Missouri bounced back from that loss by defeating UMass last week.

Meanwhile, Auburn (2-4, 0-3) has lost three straight conference games and needs a win to turn its season around.

They will face Missouri on Saturday at Faurot Field.

“There’s really only one glaring weakness that they’ve had, and it shows up in all their losses, which is turnovers,” Drinkwitz said. “Other than that, they’ve played well enough to win football games, and I think they are very talented on both sides of the ball.”

That’s not exactly harsh criticism coming from him.

“It’s really going to be a challenge for us this week,” Drinkwitz added. “It’s really about our consistency and preparation, our urgency, our daily progress in trying to improve our fundamentals, our ability to play fast and aggressive in the face of uncertainty of what they’re going to do.”

After five seasons in the program, J.R. Singleton understands what it takes to succeed at Iowa State.

Winning is more than just having top recruits and a strong coaching staff. That has been the common belief in Ames for a long time.

It also involves chemistry and a shared goal, which Singleton says the Cyclones have plenty of.

“We love each other,” the defensive lineman stated. “I feel like that’s really hard to do this day and age in college football. With NIL and stuff, everyone’s really just thinking about trying to get theirs. Being fulfilled in life as a man is about giving to others and worrying about other people and not trying to just get whatever you want.

That’s why we’re really successful, the love we have for each other.”

The ninth-ranked Cyclones (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) are having their best start since 1938 as they prepare for Saturday night’s home game against UCF (3-3, 1-2).

UCF coach Gus Malzahn pointed out that Iowa State’s improvement comes from many players being in Matt Campbell’s system for three, four, or five years.

“A lot of these guys have played a lot of football,” Malzahn said.

Singleton is one of 18 returning starters this season, and he believes the team’s experience reflects Campbell’s recruiting approach.

“When coach Campbell recruits people, he says if you come here, you’re called to be here,” Singleton explained. “This is not a place where you’re going to get the glitz and the glamour and you walk outside and you’re like, ‘This place is amazing.’

It’s not like we’re in a huge city. Just the love we have for each other and the belief we have in our coaches. They really care about you as a man and growing you as a man.”

The outcome of the latest game in the long-standing rivalry known as the Third Saturday in October could be very important for both Alabama and Tennessee.

On Saturday, the seventh-ranked Crimson Tide will face No. 11 Tennessee, with the winner gaining an easier path to a spot in the College Football Playoff in this first year of the 12-team format. This game is also key for the Southeastern Conference standings, as both teams are tied with one loss each in the expanded SEC.

“It’s a rivalry game,” said Tennessee coach Josh Heupel. “College football as good as it gets.”

Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC) dropped three spots in the AP Top 25 after an overtime victory against Florida. For Alabama, Tennessee is encouraging fans to wear all orange, as the Vols have won 16 of their last 17 games at Neyland Stadium, with the only loss to then-No. 1 Georgia.

“This game is obviously a big deal to the fans and … to us,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said about playing in the 101,915-seat stadium for the first time.

Adding to the importance of this match is how both teams have faced similar challenges in the past two weeks.

Alabama experienced a historic loss at Vanderbilt, which had never beaten an AP Top 25 team in 60 previous attempts. The Tide then had a tough time against South Carolina, winning just 27-25 at home. Tennessee’s four-game winning streak came to an end with a 19-14 loss at Arkansas before they narrowly defeated the Gators.

TCU is going back to the basics less than two years after reaching the national championship game.

The Horned Frogs are a long way from their perfect 2022 regular season, which was coach Sonny Dykes’ first year and helped them enter the College Football Playoff for the first time.

Now, halfway through this season, with changes in the Big 12 and a new 12-team playoff format, TCU (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) has faced issues like turnovers, inconsistent play, and some tough losses.

“You have problems every year, and fixing those problems usually takes time,” Dykes said. “We know what we need to focus on and where we need to improve. The key for us moving forward is to play well and reach our potential, which we’ve only done in parts this year. We haven’t managed to do it for an entire game yet.”

The Frogs were outscored 22-3 late in a game, lost to UCF on a last-minute touchdown, and Dykes was ejected during a game against SMU, where his former team scored 66 points against them.

They also lost at home to Houston, which had recently suffered two shutout losses. While TCU ranks second in the Big 12 with an average of 35 points scored per game, they are 15th in the conference, allowing nearly 31 points.

Dykes mentioned that the team focused on fundamentals during their break, emphasizing ball security and tackling.

Since finishing 12-0 in the regular season of 2022, TCU has a record of 9-12. They made the four-team College Football Playoff despite losing to Kansas State in the Big 12 championship game and managed to beat Michigan in the semifinals before losing to Georgia 65-7 in the championship. Last season, they finished 5-7.

Fifth-year safety Bud Clark, who scored a touchdown off an interception return and recovered a fumble in the end zone during their win over Michigan, expressed surprise at the team’s struggles. However, the second-year captain believes the team gained momentum and grew closer during their break.

“Stay close together because this is when teams often start to break apart, with everyone thinking about next year and their own futures,” Clark said. “But this year, we’re focused on each other.”

TCU will play Saturday night at Utah (4-2, 1-2), a new member of the Big 12 and a preseason favorite, but they will again face a team missing injured quarterback Cam Rising. The Frogs will then play three of their next four games at home in a league that has expanded to 16 teams this season, even with Texas and Oklahoma leaving.

After the game against Houston, Dykes called it “a pretty devastating loss.” He mentioned that the most frustrating part was that his team wasn’t performing to its full potential, despite having a great attitude and work ethic.

Third-year sophomore Josh Hoover ranks second in the Big 12, throwing for 334.5 yards per game and 16 touchdowns. However, he has thrown six interceptions in the last three games after starting the season with 143 attempts without a pick—the best streak for NCAA quarterbacks at that time.

“You just have to be smart and not try to do too much. A big part of that is trusting the players around you and having confidence in your team,” Dykes said. “When a quarterback has that, they can play more relaxed and not feel pressure on every play. We need to help Josh get to that point.”

Dykes emphasized that the Frogs need to play confidently and that they can still be a strong team this season. When asked what that meant, Clark simply said: “Winning out.”

Nestor Cortes may be added to the New York Yankees roster if they make it to the World Series.

Cortes threw batting practice on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium as the Yankees prepared to head to Cleveland with a 2-0 lead in the American League Championship Series. The 29-year-old left-handed pitcher hasn’t played since September 18 due to a flexor strain in his pitching elbow.

“I think he’s at least a realistic option,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Not saying for sure, but the timeline lines up to where if things go well, he could definitely be an option.”

Cortes has a record of 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA. He could throw batting practice again this weekend, allowing the Yankees to assess him before the World Series begins on October 22 or 25.

“He’s got steps to go and he’s got to continue to feel good and bounce back and things like that,” Boone said, “but the way it’s gone to this point has been encouraging.”

New York and Cleveland will continue their best-of-seven series on Thursday.