Tag: BYU

Dec 6, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; BYU Cougars wide receiver Parker Kingston (11) runs with the ball during the first half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

BYU receiver Parker Kingston faces rape charge

Posted on | by Field Level Media

BYU receiver Parker Kingston was arrested and will be charged with first-degree felony rape, according to a news release from the Washington County (Utah) Attorney’s Office on Wednesday.

Kingston was being held without bail pending a court appearance on Friday, multiple media outlets reported.

The alleged incident occurred on Feb. 23, 2025, in St. George, Utah, with the woman involved reporting a sexual assault.

According to the county attorney’s office, “Detectives with the St. George Police Department then gathered digital and forensic evidence. They also conducted interviews with the parties involved and other witnesses. The information was then turned over to the Washington County Attorney’s Office for review.”

The university wrote in a statement, “BYU became aware today of the arrest of Parker Kingston. The university takes any allegation very seriously, and will cooperate with law enforcement. Due to federal and university privacy laws and practices for students, the university will not be able to provide additional comment.”

As a junior for the Cougars last fall, Kingston led the team in receptions (66) and receiving yards (924) while making five touchdown catches. He added three rushing scores. His best game was a seven-catch, 133-yard, two-TD performance at Iowa State on Oct. 25.

Through three seasons at BYU, the 21-year-old from Layton, Utah, has 98 receptions for 1,327 yards and seven touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

Lincoln Riley shreds Notre Dame for end of series with USC

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Southern California coach Lincoln Riley said Notre Dame is to blame for the longtime rivalry between the two schools coming to at least a temporary pause.

The schools, which first faced off in 1926, have met every season since 1947 with the exception of the 2020 season that was disrupted by COVID-19. They were scheduled to play in Los Angeles next season but that game is off after Notre Dame inked a home-and-home with BYU for the next two seasons.

Riley said the Fighting Irish didn’t take much time to reject the final proposal from USC athletic director Jen Cohen, who traveled to South Bend to try to broker a deal.

“We took Notre Dame at their word that they would play us anytime and anywhere,” Riley told reporters in San Antonio ahead of the Alamo Bowl matchup against TCU on Tuesday. “That proposal was rejected. Not only was it rejected, five minutes after we got the call, it was announced that they had scheduled another opponent (BYU), which I’ll give them credit. That might be the fastest scheduling act in college football history.”

When the Notre Dame-BYU series was announced on Dec. 22, the Fighting Irish and Trojans put out a joint statement.

“USC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams, and college football, and our institutions will continue working towards bringing back The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh,” the joint statement said. “The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sports, and we look forward to meeting again in the future.”

A resumption of the series is unlikely to occur before 2030.

“Had Notre Dame lived up to their word and played us anytime, anywhere, we would be playing in the next two years, and looking ahead after that and hopefully, continuing the series,” Riley said. “They did not follow through on it. Thus, we are not playing them the next couple years.”

According to reports, USC has expressed it no longer wants to host Notre Dame in late November and wanted the game be played earlier in the season. Games in the series at Notre Dame typically are played in October.

Riley said that Notre Dame has more flexibility in scheduling since it is an independent. The Trojans are in the Big Ten and have a conference slate to figure in while putting together a schedule.

“We at USC would love for the game to continue,” said Riley, “and we have no problem following through on our promises in the future.”

Riley is finishing up his fourth season with the No. 16 Trojans (9-3) with the battle against the Horned Frogs (8-4).

–Field Level Media

No. 12 BYU rallies late to beat No. 22 Georgia Tech in Pop-Tarts Bowl

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Jovesa Damuni scored the go-ahead touchdown with two minutes remaining as No. 12 BYU rallied for a 25-21 victory over No. 22 Georgia Tech on Saturday at the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

Damuni’s 4-yard run capped a 15-point fourth-quarter flurry for the Cougars (12-2), who earned their first 12-win season since 2001. Enoch Nawahine also rushed for a score in the final quarter and Evan Johnson made the game-sealing interception, as BYU overcame an 11-point deficit.

“We haven’t won 12 games in a while,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “So this is something to be really proud of and something to carry for the rest of their life.”

Bear Bachmeier completed 27 of 38 passes for 325 yards, one touchdown and one interception for BYU. Chase Roberts had a touchdown catch, and Carsen Ryan had eight receptions for 120 yards.

Haynes King was 23-of-40 passing for 275 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for the Yellow Jackets (9-4), who lost for the fourth time in five games.

Trelain Maddox rushed for a touchdown while Eric Rivers (102 receiving yards) and J.T. Byrne caught scoring passes. Malik Rutherford had eight catches for 105 yards.

BYU was part of this bowl game after being passed over for a College Football Playoff at-large berth. The Cougars’ blemishes were two blowout losses against Texas Tech.

BYU pulled within 21-18 when Nawahine scored from the 2-yard line on the direct snap and Bachmeier added a two-point conversion run with 11:13 remaining in the game.

Later in the quarter, the Cougars drove 70 yards on nine plays with Damuni scoring the game-winner.

“We were just staying calm,” Ryan said of BYU’s comeback. “We’ve been in this position before. We know to stick together and trust our process and trust your teammates and we’ll come out on top.”

Georgia Tech had one last chance, and King converted a fourth-and-15 with a 66-yard pass to Rivers to the BYU 18-yard line with 52 seconds left.

King then threw three straight incompletions, one just over the hands of Dean Patterson in the end zone with 14 seconds to play.

King’s final throw was into the end zone and Johnson, who was the beaten defender on the 66-yard play, made the pick with 6 seconds left.

BYU prevailed without star running back LJ Martin, the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, who sat out with an injury.

Earlier, Georgia Tech scored two second-quarter touchdowns in a span of 13 seconds to take an 11-point lead.

The stretch started with King throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Rivers with 5:28 left to cap a 10-play, 76-yard drive.

BYU’s Cody Hagen failed to catch the ensuing kickoff and Georgia Tech’s Will Kiker recovered at the BYU 6-yard line. On the next play, King tossed a scoring pass to Byrne for a 21-10 lead.

The teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter. Bachmeier tossed a 7-yard scoring pass to Roberts, and Maddox scored on a 3-yard run for the Yellow Jackets.

Will Ferrin kicked a 22-yard field goal to give the Cougars a 10-7 lead with 9:49 left in the first half.

–Field Level Media

No. 12 BYU, No. 22 Georgia Tech miss CFP, set for Pop-Tarts Bowl

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Two blowout losses to Texas Tech prevented BYU from being a participant in the College Football Playoff.

The No. 12 Cougars (11-2) now look to set aside the disappointment when they face No. 22 Georgia Tech (9-3) in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando on Saturday.

Being part of the playoffs would have been tastier, but BYU intends to make the best of the situation. The Cougars were the second team out behind Notre Dame in the CFP’s final picture. Miami, at No. 10, earned the final berth.

Linebacker Isaiah Glasker is among the BYU players who have a chip on his shoulder due to the snub.

“I feel like if we can get a win right here, we can show the committee what the Big 12 is really about,” Glasker said. “Really, we feel like we should have been in the playoffs. We feel like that is enough of a driving factor for us. We are going to be ready to show out in the bowl game.”

Losing by a combined 63-14 to Texas Tech — including by 27 points in the Big 12 title game — made it easier for the committee to bypass BYU.

“Obviously it was a tough loss, but we understand what’s at stake with the bowl game, and getting momentum going into next season as well,” said freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier. “We have that flip-the-page mentality and are really focused on this next game.”

Bachmeier sustained an ankle injury early in the Big 12 title game, but he has been cleared to play against the Yellow Jackets. He passed for 14 touchdowns, rushed for 11 and was intercepted just six times.

But BYU coach Kalani Sitake said Tuesday that leading rusher LJ Martin will miss the game after an unspecified recent surgery. The junior rushed for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns and was voted Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

“He’s recovering at home right now, but he’ll be back to watch these guys and cheer on his brothers on Saturday,” Sitake said of Martin, who has yet to decide whether to enter the NFL draft.

BYU can earn its first 12-win season since 2001 as it takes on Georgia Tech, which started the season with eight straight victories before going 1-3 down the stretch.

The Yellow Jackets were ranked No. 8 before their unbeaten season ended against NC State on Nov. 1.

Georgia Tech coach Brent Key feels his own team could have been part of the field.

“I’m looking at myself saying we shouldn’t have stubbed our toe at the end of the season,” Key said. “We should be in there. And if you really feel that way, then we need to get our asses together and play our butts off and play a very competitive game versus a good football team. Because you’re dang right, BYU should’ve been in those (first-round) games.”

Quarterback Haynes King stood out for the Yellow Jackets and became the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. He completed 71.7% of his throws for 2,697 yards and 12 touchdowns against five interceptions while rushing for 922 yards and 15 scores. His 10th-place finish in the Heisman Trophy balloting made him the first Georgia Tech player in the top 10 since Calvin Johnson in 2006.

King’s name is stamped all over the school’s record book as he completes his third and final season at Georgia Tech.

He holds records for career completion percentage (68.1%) and touchdowns responsible for (89). He ranks second in total offense (9,899 yards) and completions (652), third in passing touchdowns (53) and fourth in passing yardage (7,653).

King looks forward to wearing the Yellow Jackets’ uniform one last time.

“We’ve put time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears all into this season, and it’s not over yet,” King said. “And I’ve said it before, I’m not one to jump ship and quit. And I wanna ride it out and finish it with my brothers.”

BYU is 3-1 all-time against Georgia Tech, including a 38-20 win at Provo, Utah, in 2013.

–Field Level Media

BYU RB LJ Martin out of Pop-Tarts Bowl due to surgery

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BYU will be missing the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year when the Cougars take on Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday in Orlando, coach Kalani Sitake revealed on Tuesday.

Running back LJ Martin has undergone a recent surgery and won’t be available.

The junior running back, mulling a return to BYU or a declaration for the 2026 NFL Draft following a 1,305-yard rushing season, would be equally well served by the earlier surgery date in either case, per Sitake.

“I think everybody kind of knows that there was a small window for him to get this surgery done,” Sitake said. “His decision is going to be whether he comes back and plays his senior year, or whether he goes to the NFL. So, with that in mind, there’s a small window where he could have the surgery done now, or if he had to wait, then it would prolong it too long, where it wouldn’t be beneficial for him either way.”

Martin averaged 5.5 yards per carry and totaled 12 touchdowns on the ground over 13 games in 2025, his most prolific as a Cougar. He added 36 receptions for 255 yards for the 11-2 Cougars.

Sitake didn’t reveal the nature of the surgery, but Martin was previously limited after suffering an apparent shoulder injury against Iowa State on Oct. 25. Martin had just five carries before exiting, then managed just 10 carries in the following week vs. Texas Tech, his two least productive games of the season.

No. 12 BYU is expected to lean on a mix of players to replace Martin against the No. 22 Yellow Jackets (9-3).

“We’re going to the rely on depth of the running back room, but for the most part, we should have a lot of guys,” Sitake said.

–Field Level Media

Notre Dame, BYU to meet next two seasons; USC off Irish slate

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Notre Dame and BYU were the first two teams on the outside of the College Football Playoff this season, and the programs are beefing up their nonconference schedules for the next two seasons by playing one another.

Both schools announced the series Monday that will see the first game played in Provo, Utah next season and the latter in South Bend, Ind., in 2027.

Notre Dame finished 11th in the CFP rankings this season and BYU was No. 12. Miami, at No. 10, was the last at-large team to make the 12-team field.

“We are excited to announce this home-and-home series between BYU and Notre Dame for the 2026 and 2027 seasons,” BYU athletic director Brian Santiago said in a news release. “We have tremendous respect for Notre Dame. … These will be competitive football games, and will highlight coaches Kalani Sitake (BYU) and Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame), two of the best leaders and coaches in college football.”

The game in Provo completes Notre Dame’s 2026 schedule, and knocks longtime rival Southern California off the schedule. Notre Dame and USC have played every season since 1946, except when the 2020 game was cancelled due to COVID-19.

The two teams were slated to play in 2026 in Los Angeles but that contest is now off and the series is indefinitely halted.

“USC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams, and college football, and our institutions will continue working towards bringing back The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh,” Notre Dame and USC said in a joint statement. “The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sports, and we look forward to meeting again in the future.”

According to reports, USC has expressed it no longer wants to host Notre Dame in late November and would prefer the game be played earlier in the season. Games in the series at Notre Dame typically are played in October.

Also, USC now plays in the Big Ten and makes multiple trips to the Midwest or East and is concerned about having another long trip every other season.

Notre Dame and BYU have played nine times with the Fighting Irish prevailing seven times. The most recent contest came in 2022 when Notre Dame beat the Cougars 28-20 in Las Vegas.

The teams have split two meetings in Provo, while the Irish are 5-1 against the Cougars in South Bend.

The addition of Notre Dame completes BYU’s schedules for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

Notre Dame (10-2) opted not to play in a bowl game after being passed over for the postseason. BYU (11-2) will face Georgia Tech (9-3) in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando on Dec. 27.

–Field Level Media

Notre Dame first team out of CFP, will pass on bowl season

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Because Notre Dame won’t play in the College Football Playoff, the program decided it will not play in a bowl game of any kind.

Three hours after the Fighting Irish were snubbed from the 12-team CFP field, the program announced it would opt out of bowl season altogether.

“As a team, we’ve decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season,” said a statement attributed to the 2025 Notre Dame football team and posted to social media. “We appreciate all the support from our families and fans, and we’re hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026.”

It was a sharp turn of events after Notre Dame began the day as a near-lock for the CFP field.

At 9 a.m. Eastern Time, FanDuel’s online sportsbook had Notre Dame’s odds to win the national championship at +800 — trailing only Ohio State, Indiana and Georgia. By noon, the Irish’s odds had shrunk to +700, tying them for third with the Bulldogs.

A similar scenario played out on Caesars Sportsbook. Notre Dame, sitting at +850 at 9 a.m., dropped to +750 by noon.

But at 12:32 p.m., the Irish’s odds of winning a 12th national championship on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium increased to infinity. That’s when ESPN revealed that Miami had leapfrogged Notre Dame in the CFP committee’s rankings and claimed the final at-large berth into the field.

That officially made Notre Dame Unlucky No. 13 — the first team out of the CFP field.

So much for the squad that won its final 10 games of the season by an average of 29.7 points per game. So much for the team listed No. 3 in Jeff Sagarin’s predictive computer rankings — nestled among Big Ten titans Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon.

So much for Notre Dame (10-2) being ahead of Miami (10-2) in every previous CFP ranking.

As it turned out, the Fighting Irish apparently had the Big 12 title-game result to blame for their demise. When Texas Tech bounced BYU 34-7 on Saturday, that dropped the Cougars beneath the Hurricanes in the committee’s rankings.

Suddenly, Notre Dame and Miami found themselves immediately adjacent. Suddenly, the Hurricanes’ 27-24 home win over the Irish on Aug. 31 — a game in which Notre Dame never led — mattered in the grand scheme of things.

“The debate I hear you guys having in my ear in the studio, I’m sure has been debated over the last 12 hours,” Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek, the CFP committee chair, said on ESPN’s selection show. “And that was the debate we had in our committee room until the early morning hours and then, again, as the sun was coming up.”

The CFP committee did its debating in a conference room in Grapevine, Texas.

“The first move in that was we felt like the way BYU performed in their championship game, a second loss to Texas Tech in a similar fashion, was worthy of Miami moving ahead of them in the rankings. And once we moved Miami ahead of BYU, then we had that side-by-side comparison that everybody had been hungering for with Notre Dame and Miami.

“And you look at those two teams on paper, and they are almost equal in their schedule strength, their common opponents, the results against their common opponents. But the one metric we had to fall back on, again, was the head-to-head. I charged the committee members to go back and watch that game again … because it was so far back. And we got some interesting debate from our coaches on what that game looked like as we watched it.

“With that in mind, we gave Miami the nod over Notre Dame into that 10 spot.”

BYU (11-2) finished officially as the second team out. Texas (9-3), Vanderbilt (10-2), Utah (10-2) and Southern California (9-3) rounded out the top 16.

Arizona, Michigan, Virginia, Tulane, Houston, Georgia Tech, Iowa, James Madison and North Texas completed the Top 25.

–Field Level Media

Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas Tech top CFP seeds; Notre Dame out

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Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia and Texas Tech were named the top four seeds in the 12-team College Football Playoff during a bracket reveal Sunday.

Those four teams will have a first-round bye on the path to the national championship game, which will be played Jan. 19 in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Seeds five through 12 will play first-round games at the home of the highest seeds. Playing in those games will be:
No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 James Madison
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Tulane
No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Miami
No. 8 Oklahoma vs No. 9 Alabama

The field is made up of five teams from the Southeastern Conference, three from the Big Ten, one each from the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12, along with two Group of Five teams.

Notre Dame was the first team out and BYU the second out.

–Field Level Media

Kalani Sitake rebuffs Penn State, gets extension at BYU

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After reportedly engaging in talks with Penn State about its head coaching vacancy, Kalani Sitake will remain in his position at BYU by agreeing to a long-term contract extension on Tuesday, the school announced.

“He is a proven leader, and we are grateful he is once again choosing BYU,” Cougars athletic director Brian Santiago said in a news release. “His legacy of building a championship program the BYU way will continue on. He is one of the best people in the business. We are excited to continue to ride the wave of positive momentum with him.”

Sitake, 50, and the No. 11 Cougars (11-1) are focused on Saturday’s Big 12 title game against No. 4 Texas Tech (11-1), with the winner earning an automatic berth to the College Football Playoff.

In his 10th season at his alma mater, Sitake is 83-44 (.654 winning percentage). He has guided the program to four 10-win seasons in the past six years and is 5-2 in bowl games.

“I am humbled and full of gratitude for the outpouring of love from BYU fans and the trust and support provided to our football program by our university leadership,” Sitake said.

“This is good for the stability and future of BYU football. I’m excited about our future.”

In the wake of James Franklin’s firing, Penn State shifted its focus to Sitake, engaging in talks about a coaching staff and other topics, ESPN reported on Monday. However, the sides did not reach an agreement.

Sitake, the first Tongan to become a college head coach, played for the Cougars in 1994 and from 1997-2000, then signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2001. A back injury ended his NFL career, which led him to the coaching ranks. Along with a stop at BYU as a graduate assistant, Sitake was a member of the coaching staffs at Eastern Arizona, Oregon State, Utah and Southern Utah.

–Field Level Media

LJ Martin, No. 11 BYU rally from slow start to beat UCF

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No. 11 BYU made a statement it didn’t need to make Saturday, rallying from an early deficit to beat UCF 41-21 in Provo, Utah to build momentum entering next week’s Big 12 championship game.

By game’s end, the Cougars’ early 14-0 hole was long forgotten. LJ Martin had a hat trick of touchdowns, Bear Bachmeier had 289 yards passing with an 84% completion percentage and Parker Kingston had two 45-plus-yard touchdowns.

Arizona State’s loss to Arizona last night solidified BYU’s place in the Big 12 championship game next week against Texas Tech, providing a chance for the Cougars to avenge their lone loss.

Leading 17-14 at the half, the Cougars (11-1, 8,1 Big 12) opened the second half with a 75-yard drive that took over six minutes and was capped with Martin’s 4-yard scoring run. The Big 12’s leading rusher finished with 95 yards on the day.

UCF (5-7, 2-7) punted to Kingston on the ensuing drive. After evading two defenders, he broke through the seam for a 55-yard touchdown to balloon the lead to 31-14.

The Knights responded with a trick play. Running back Agyeman Addae took a direct snap and threw to quarterback Tayven Jackson, who was wide open to cut the deficit to 31-21 with 3:24 left in the third.

Bachmeier and Kingston hit back with a 46-yard throw and catch on fourth-and-3 to push the lead back to 17. The pair connected six times for 126 yards.

Bachmeier completed 18 of his final 20 passes.

The Cougars put up 407 yards of offense, rattling off 31 straight points after falling down early.

Jackson led UCF on an opening drive where he went 7 for 8 with 70 yards and a 4-yard touchdown to Dylan Wade with 9:27 left in the first.

The second drive went just as well as Addae caught a 20-yard pass for a 14-0 lead with 3:39 left in the first.

Jackson finished the day 21-for-37 passing with 232 yards, two touchdowns and a fumble. Wide receiver Duane Thomas Jr. threw an interception and also caught four passes for 74 yards.

Martin rattled off two 1-yard touchdowns in the second quarter, the latter making it 14-14 with 4:54 left in the half.

BYU kicker Will Ferrin was 2-for-4 on the day, including a 26-yarder right before the half and a 50-yarder with 3:53 left in the game to cap the scoring.

–Field Level Media