Tag: college football

Jun 5, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Balitimore Orioles centerfielder Jordyn Adams (80) waits for a pitch during an at-bat against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Report: Ex-MLB player, 2018 5-star WR to play at SMU

Posted on | by Field Level Media

After appearing in 38 Major League Baseball games, Jordyn Adams apparently is shifting careers.

CBS Sports reported Tuesday that Adams, 26, intends to play football at SMU this fall.

He was not listed on the Mustangs’ online roster as of early Tuesday afternoon.

Eight years ago, 247Sports ranked Adams as a five-star wide receiver — No. 3 in the class at the position — and the No. 14 overall player.

The wide receivers ranked ahead of him were two players who went on to become All-Pros in the NFL: Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ja’Marr Chase. Two other All-Pros — Patrick Surtain II and Micah Parsons — also were among the top 15 players in the class.

Adams committed to play at North Carolina after standout baseball and football careers at Green Hope High School in the Raleigh suburb of Cary. But when the Los Angeles Angels used the No. 17 overall pick on him in the 2018 MLB Draft and dangled a contract with a slot value of about $3.5 million, he chose baseball.

An outfielder, Adams played in 678 games in the minor leagues and batted .245. He hit 55 home runs, drove in 304 runs and stole 165 bases.

He made his major league debut on Aug. 2, 2023, and appeared in 17 games, followed by 11 in 2024 for the Angels. He became a free agent ahead of the 2025 season and signed with the Baltimore Orioles, playing in 10 games with them.

He signed with the Milwaukee Brewers for the 2026 season and was assigned to Triple-A Nashville. He was released last month and instead of looking for another team, chose college football.

His MLB batting average was .165 and he had one homer and five RBIs.

Others have made the move from pro baseball to college football, most notably Chris Weinke, the Florida State quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy in 2000 at age 28 following six years in baseball.

–Field Level Media

Mississippi State coach Mike Leach walks on the sideline before one of his team's games with the Bulldogs.

Late Mike Leach makes first appearance on College Football HOF ballot

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The late Mike Leach, who passed away in December 2022 at 61 while coaching at Mississippi State, is on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot for the first time this year.

Leach’s appearance on the ballot comes after the National Football Foundation, which oversees the Hall of Fame, adjusted its criteria for coaches. Previously, coaches had to have a career winning percentage of .600 or better to be considered. In May 2025, the foundation lowered the threshold to .595.

Leach had a winning percentage of .596 (158-107) in 21 seasons at Texas Tech (2000-09), Washington State (2012-19) and Mississippi State (2020-22).

“This adjustment reflects thoughtful dialogue with leaders across the sport,” NFF president and CEO Steve Hatchell said in 2025, “and allows us to better recognize coaches whose contributions to the game extend beyond a narrow statistical threshold.”

The other coaching requirements for induction — 10 or more years as a head coach and at least 100 games coached — remain intact.

Leach won division titles with Texas Tech (2008) and Washington State (2018) and led his teams to 17 bowl appearances. His 2018 Cougars finished the year ranked 10th, and five of Leach’s teams finished the year ranked in the top 20, including the 2022 Bulldogs.

Leach earned Coach of the Year honors in the Big 12 (2008) and Pac-12 Conference (2015, 2018), and was named the AFCA Coach of the Year in 2018.

The class will be announced during the 2027 College Football Playoff next January. The ballot features 80 players and nine coaches from the FBS and 99 players and 39 coaches from other NCAA divisions as well as the NAIA.

Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk and Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon are some of the top players up for induction.

–Field Level Media

Sep 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) runs the ball against the Missouri Tigers during the second half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Kentucky readies backup quarterback traveling to South Carolina

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A challenging atmosphere awaits Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley, as he gets his first start against a Southeastern Conference opponent in Columbia, South Carolina on Saturday night.

With both teams seeking their first SEC victory, there is urgency for Kentucky (2-1, 0-1 SEC) and particularly for South Carolina (2-2, 0-2), which was ranked No. 11 before losing to Vanderbilt, 31-7, and falling last week at Missouri, 29-20.

“Going on the road, in the SEC, playing at night is never easy,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “It’s gonna be a great challenge, a game that’s important to both of us.”

Boley, a redshirt freshman, made his second career start in a 48-23 win over Eastern Kentucky two weeks ago, completing 12 of 21 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns.

Boley was playing for injured Zach Calzada, who started Kentucky’s first two games. After a bye week, and with Calzada not yet fully recovered from a shoulder issue, Boley has risen to the top of the depth chart.

“We’ve been very confident in Cutter,” Stoops said. “I also told him the whole time, ‘You’re gonna get that opportunity.”

South Carolina also has had to deal with an injury situation at quarterback as preseason Heisman Trophy candidate LaNorris Sellers was knocked out on a helmet-to-helmet hit in the first half of the loss to Vanderbilt.

Sellers returned last week at Missouri and completed 18 of 28 passes for 302 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

But the Gamecocks were no match for the Tigers at the line of scrimmage. While Missouri gained 285 yards on the ground, South Carolina netted minus 9 yards rushing.

“We’ve got good offensive linemen. We’ve got good running backs. We’ve got a quarterback that can run,” South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said. “There’s a running threat. We’re just not executing well enough.”

Negative plays were crippling for the Gamecocks as they yielded five sacks for 46 yards and committed 14 penalties covering 98 yards.

“We’ve got what we need. We’re just not doing it well enough right now as a whole,” Beamer said. “We haven’t gotten the best out of this team.”

South Carolina has won the last three meetings after Kentucky won seven of eight games in the series from 2014 to 2021.

– Field Level Media

Nov 23, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

After ugly loss, No. 23 Illinois plots turnaround vs. No. 21 USC

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Illinois coach Bret Bielema hopes to turn the page from a disastrous game, welcoming 21st-ranked Southern California to Champaign, Ill., to face the 23rd-ranked Fighting Illini on Saturday.

“The first thing we have to do is address what we did as coaches,” Bielema said of getting his team back on track after a 63-10 loss to Indiana in a top-20 showdown.

“I thought we had a good football team (before last week) and feel that same way (now). I know that we can rebound.”

Added Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry, according to On3.com, “We lost a football game and it (expletive) sucks — pardon my language — but nobody died. We’re still here. We will bounce back. We’ll be good. I’m going to make sure this defense is locked and loaded on Saturday.”

Illinois (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) climbed to No. 9 on the strength of winning its first three games by a combined 135-22 margin, but the Illini had no answers for the Hoosiers.

Compounding the lopsided loss that snapped a seven-game winning streak dating back to last November was the news that the Illini will be without All-Big Ten defensive back Xavier Scott for the foreseeable future.

Scott was a scratch from the Indiana contest after sustaining an apparent ankle injury Sept. 13 vs. Western Michigan, and Bielema announced on Monday the standout of the Illinois secondary will be sidelined for “most of the season.”

The absence comes at a bad time, ahead of USC’s first visit to Champaign since 1996. That game ended up as a 55-3 Trojans victory.

USC (4-0, 2-0) brings one of the nation’s sixth-leading passer, Jayden Maiava (1,223 yards), as well as the fourth-most prolific pass-catcher, Makai Lemon (438 receiving yards).

Lemon caught a season-high eight passes for 127 yards, hauling in his third touchdown reception of the year in USC’s 45-31 win last week over Michigan State. He also rushed for a score.

Maiava connected on 20 of 26 passes for 234 yards, his lowest output of 2025. However, he threw for three touchdowns after going without a passing score in USC’s Big Ten-opening win on Sept. 13 at Purdue.

Maiava is averaging 305.8 yards per game, which ranks eighth nationally, and is the only quarterback ranked in the top 15 of that category who has yet to throw an interception.

“(Maiava’s output) is a product of just him being more comfortable with what we’re doing and knowing exactly where his feet are supposed to be on every play,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said.

Along with Lemon, Maiava’s leading weapon in the passing game through the first contests was Ja’Kobi Lane. However, Lane missed last week’s game with an unspecified injury, and his status for Week 5 was unclear even after he practiced on Tuesday.

Like Maiava, Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer has nine touchdown passes without a pick, but Altmyer managed just 146 passing yards at Indiana. The Illini quarterback said following the game that Illinois’ options now were to “feel bad for yourself, or get up and take advantage of the next opportunity.”

Altmyer’s top target has been Hank Beatty, who has 21 receptions for 302 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, of wideout Justin Bowick’s eight total receptions, three were TD grabs.

–Field Level Media

Sep 20, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack running back Hollywood Smothers (3) is tackled by Duke Blue Devils running back Anderson Castle (4) during the fourth quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech set on continuing momentum at NC State

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North Carolina State coach Dave Doeren doesn’t want to read too much into the fact that this week’s opponent, Virginia Tech, finally won a game.

Virginia Tech visit the Wolfpack for Saturday night’s game at Raleigh, N.C.

The Hokies will be in their second game under interim coach Philip Montgomery, who’s filling in after the firing of Brent Pry.

“It’s hard to say on the scouting side of things because they’ve had one game and it wasn’t much of a game against Wofford,” Doeren said.

While Virginia Tech (1-3, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) is coming off its only victory of the season, NC State (3-1, 1-1) aims to bounce back from its first loss.

Last week’s 45-33 setback at Duke was disturbing for the Wolfpack.

“They’re so mad because they know that they threw it away with mistakes and there’s going to be a lot of learning in that,” Doeren said. “There’s going to be a lot of growth in that. So I’m excited to see those guys come back and be a much better version of themselves.”

Virginia Tech continues to adjust to new leadership.

“For us it’s all about putting our focus on ourselves, continuing to grow, continuing to get better,” Montgomery said. “Having a week under our belt, all of us adjusting, there are still a lot of variables at play.”

Virginia Tech didn’t release a depth chart early in the week, though one will come later, Montgomery said.

“We’re working through things,” he said. “We’re working through the process.”

Expect quarterback Kyron Drones to be at the helm after throwing for two touchdowns and running for two in the 38-6 victory against Wofford. Early losses this season didn’t cause him to get off course.

“Kyron didn’t lose his confidence at all,” Montgomery said.

NC State running back Hollywood Smothers has run for more than 100 yards in three consecutive games. He’s the program’s first player to do that since 2017. Smothers had also made 15 receptions.

The Wolfpack would like a repeat type of performance from receiver Terrell Anderson, who accounted for six receptions, 166 yards and two touchdowns last Saturday.

“He has made plays and it has been fun to watch,” Doeren said. “That (receiver) room in general has had different players in each game make big plays for us and so to have the depth and rotation and ability.”

The Hokies don’t want to see those big-yardage moments from the Wolfpack.

“We’ve got to eliminate some of their explosive plays,” Montgomery said.

Doeren said linebacker Cian Slone, who left the Duke game with an injury, is expected to be available against Virginia Tech.

Since joining the ACC in 2004, Virginia Tech has won five of the eight meetings with NC State. The Wolfpack rallied from a 21-3 third-quarter deficit to win 22-21 in 2022 in Virginia Tech’s last trip to Raleigh.

— Field Level Media

Sep 20, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Daune Morris (19) runs the ball against the UAB Blazers during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

No. 15 Tennessee braces for aural assault at Mississippi State

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Dynamic quarterback Joey Aguilar leads No. 15 Tennessee into a matchup with undefeated Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon in the Bulldogs’ Southeastern Conference opener at Starkville, Miss.

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel sees a better Mississippi State squad than last season when the Volunteers won 33-14 in Knoxville.

“Well, I think their entire roster, they’re deeper than they were a year ago,” Heupel said. “Their young guys that they had a year ago have continued to develop, they’re playing extremely well. They obviously added some bodies through the portal, as well. … That’s why they’re playing the way that they are defensively.”

Tennessee (3-1, 0-1 SEC) is visiting Mississippi State for the first time since taking a 41-31 loss there in 2012. Heupel outlined how his team will have to prepare for Starkville’s trademark cowbells.

“Communication starts with (center Sam Pendleton) and then being able to get all five (offensive linemen) and your tight ends in sync as far as your targets, and then your double teams and all that comes off of it,” Heupel said. “That will be important in this one. Crowd noise, structural recognition, all of it.”

Those pieces will be working to support Aguilar, one of the SEC’s best surprises. The former Appalachian State star, who enrolled at UCLA in the spring but never played a game for the Bruins, has completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 1,124 yards with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions.

On defense, the Volunteers have 15 sacks, tied for sixth in the nation.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are 4-0 for the first time since 2014, a mark that includes an upset of then-No. 12 Arizona State. However, that was the lone power conference team that Mississippi State has met.

Tennessee has played two power conference schools thus far — then-No. 6 Georgia and Syracuse, which last weekend thumped Clemson. The Volunteers routed the Orange 45-26 in Week 1 at Atlanta. Two weeks later on Rocky Top, they wasted a two-touchdown lead over Georgia, missed a potential game-winning 43-yard field goal in the final seconds of regulation and fell 44-41 in overtime.

Second-year Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby worked in 2018 and 2019 as quarterbacks coach and later offensive coordinator at UCF, where Heupel was then the head coach.

“His consistency in how he leads every single day,” Lebby said of Heupel. “Having the ability to be able to work for him for those two years, it’s been a long-lasting relationship there. Able to see him in the moment, in the building every single day, as a leader and a first-time head coach.”

The Bulldogs enter this weekend 39th in the nation in total offense at 444 yards per game — 206.5 on the ground (31st) and 237.5 through the air (64th).

Fluff Bothwell leads Mississippi State with 271 yards rushing and is tied with the team lead in touchdowns (four) with top wide receiver Brenen Thompson, who has gained 291 yards on 17 catches with three TD receptions.

Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen has a 67 percent completion rate for 884 yards. Shapen, in his second season at Mississippi State after three at Baylor, has thrown for seven TDs while getting intercepted twice and sacked six times.

–Field Level Media

Sep 12, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars running back Dean Connors (44) runs with the ball during the third quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Houston, facing winless Oregon State, eyes first 4-0 start in 9 years

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Houston looks to start 4-0 for the first time since 2016 when it battles winless Oregon State in nonconference play on Friday night in Corvallis, Ore.

The Cougars have outscored their first three foes 98-29 and have yet to commit a turnover.

Second-year coach Willie Fritz emphasizes taking care of the ball at every opportunity.

“We stress it every day in practice, making sure we have proper ball security in everything we do,” Fritz said Monday. “We also really stress getting the ball out (on defense).”

Houston has forced six turnovers — five on interceptions and one fumble recovery.

Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman has passed for 569 yards and four touchdowns while adding three scores on the ground.

Weigman is in his first season at Houston after spending three seasons at Texas A&M. He passed for a season-best 222 yards in a 36-20 victory over visiting Colorado on Sept. 12.

The Cougars had a bye last weekend, and Fritz didn’t need to be reminded how things went following bye weeks last season. Houston was routed 42-14 at Kansas after a break in October and 27-3 at Arizona after a week off in November.

“Last year we had two bad performances after bye weeks,” Fritz said. “… You want to be able to give people some time off. It was good to have the time off, but we wanted to be sure we put in the work during the bye week.”

Oregon State is 0-4 for the first time since 2011 and is looking to avoid its first 0-5 start since 1996.

The Beavers have been outscored 156-63 this season and lost their past two games by 31 points (at Texas Tech) and 34 points (at Oregon).

The Beavers were outgained 585-147 in a 41-7 loss to the No. 6 Ducks last week, but Oregon State coach Trent Bray is confident his squad will bounce back.

“There’s only one (goal) — that’s winning,” Bray said Monday. “That’s all there is to this game. As competitors, there are no moral victories in my mind.”

Beavers quarterback Maalik Murphy has passed for 964 yards and six touchdowns while being intercepted five times.

Bray said that safety Tyrice Ivy Jr. would miss the rest of the season due to an undisclosed injury sustained in the season-opening loss to Cal.

The matchup is the first for the two schools since Houston recorded a 19-16 win over the Beavers in 1970 at the famed Astrodome. The Cougars have won two of the three previous all-time meetings.

–Field Level Media

Sep 13, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs running back Xavier Gayten (22) runs for a touchdown against the Alcorn State Braves during the second half at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

NIU plots to derail Mississippi State’s strong start

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Mississippi State will try to complete a spotless non-conference schedule by beating Northern Illinois in their first-ever matchup on Saturday in Starkville, Miss.

Coming off a 63-0 rout of Alcorn State, coach Jeff Lebby’s Bulldogs (3-0) are in great shape to enter Southeastern Conference play unbeaten but they are wary of the Huskies (1-1).

“It’s about the ability to be 4-0 … for us to have an undefeated non-conference (schedule),” Lebby said on Monday. “We have a great, great test on Saturday. (The Huskies) have gone on the road and won huge games. You point to that more than anything.”

NIU does have a reputation under seventh-year head coach Thomas Hammock of crafting upsets against Power 4 schools.

The Huskies’ greatest one came a year ago against No. 5 Notre Dame, leaving the legendary South Bend stadium with a 16-14 shocker in the Fighting Irish’s only regular-season loss.

It was NIU’s first victory over a top-10 foe, and it became the first MAC program to beat a top-five team.

However, this season’s Huskies, a three-touchdown underdog against the Bulldogs, struggled to a 19-17 win over Holy Cross before succumbing to Maryland two weeks ago before a bye week.

“I’m proud of the way the guys played,” Hammock said after the 20-9 defeat at Maryland, which required a fourth-quarter touchdown pass by the Terrapins to ice the win. “I’m proud of the way they competed for four quarters against a Big Ten opponent with a lot more resources, and we showed we have a lot of heart.”

NIU is averaging 179 rushing yards per game (59th in NCAA), while allowing just 74 on the ground (tied for 13th).

“They’ve done a great job of getting off blocks,” Lebby added of NIU’s run defense. “It’s really hard to dent the interior. They are a physical bunch, with the (middle linebacker) and (weakside linebacker) being guys that play downhill. And it’s the same deal: They don’t stay blocked.”

The Bulldogs’ Blake Shapen has tossed a TD pass in 18 straight games, the second-longest active streak behind Iowa State’s Rocco Becht (22).

Mississippi State has not started 4-0 since 2014.

–Field Level Media

Sep 13, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Micah Ford (20) carries the ball against the Boston College Eagles during the fourth quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Virginia plans to open conference schedule attacking Stanford

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Stanford coach Frank Reich returns to the scene of one of his greatest achievements when his Cardinal face Virginia for the first time on Saturday night in Charlottesville, Va.

Reich was the quarterback at Maryland for his last visit on Nov. 24, 1984, when he guided the Terrapins to a 45-34 victory over the Cavaliers to clinch the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championship.

This time, the first-year coach will try to lead Stanford (1-2, 1-0 ACC) to a second straight league win after defeating Boston College 30-20 last weekend in Palo Alto, Calif.

Virginia (2-1, 0-0), which lost a non-league game against ACC foe NC State on Sept. 6, officially opens its conference slate Saturday following a record-setting 55-16 win against FCS William & Mary last weekend.

“Impressive, well-coached team,” Reich said of the Cavaliers, who put up a school-record 700 yards of total offense against the Tribe. “In their first three games this year, they’ve been putting up a lot of points on offense, particularly running it well, obviously a talented quarterback as well and a few talented receivers.”

Virginia’s Chandler Morris has completed 69.7 percent of his passes for 670 yards with four touchdowns against one interception. He is one of four Cavaliers with more than 100 yards rushing, led by J’Mari Taylor (213 yards, six TDs) and Harrison Waylee (169 yards, four TDs).

“Our second goal as a team is on the table, and that’s to win the conference opener,” Cavaliers coach Tony Elliott said of his team’s approach this week. “The first one (was) to win the season opener. The second is to win the conference opener. And that’s what we’re going to focus on.”

“We’re going to go back to work, and based off what I saw last week, I think these guys have the maturity.”

Virginia faces a Stanford offense that features Micah Ford, who rushed for 157 yards and a touchdown against Boston College to earn ACC Running Back of the Week honors. He has 291 yards on the ground with two scores this season.

Cardinal quarterback Ben Gulbranson has completed 53.6 percent of his passes for 437 yards with one touchdown and three picks.

–Field Level Media

Wake Forest Head Coach Jake Dickert answers questions from the media during ACC Media days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Wake Forest intends to improve run game vs. WCU

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Wake Forest will take the win, but wouldn’t mind shedding the cliffhanger finish when the Demon Deacons play the second of a four-game homestand to open the season on Saturday in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Western Carolina is next up for the Demon Deacons (1-0), who used a late third-quarter Connor Calvert field goal to pull ahead of Kennesaw State in a nail-biter to begin the 2025 season last week.

The kick became vital because Kennesaw State’s missed point-after attempt following a first-quarter touchdown made up the difference in a 10-9 Wake Forest win in coach Jake Dickert’s debut.

Dickert took over at Wake Forest in the offseason, coming over from Washington State where he coached the Cougars to three bowl games in four seasons.

“The players we have can execute. We showed that at times throughout the game,” said Demon Deacons offensive coordinator Rob Ezell, who joined Dickert’s staff from South Alabama.

“Just didn’t do it consistently enough, and that’s what we’re trying to build right now is our consistency.”

Wake Forest failed to generate push up front.

The Deacons averaged only 2.8 yards per rush, with quarterback Robby Ashford’s 42 yards on the ground leading the team. Ashford accounted for the only Wake Forest touchdown, a 5-yard carry to cap a 75-yard drive in the first quarter.

Running back Demond Claiborne, who rushed for 1,049 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, suffered a rib injury after only three touches. Dickert told reporters Claiborne is day-to-day, and his status might not be fully determined until gameday.

Western Carolina (0-1) struggled with a different problem in its season-opening loss to Gardner-Webb.

The Catamounts scored effectively, rushing for 221 yards to help fuel a 45-point effort.

Gardner-Webb rolled off 24 of its 52 points in the fourth quarter for a come-from-behind win. Western Carolina gave up 627 yards of offense, including 335 on the ground.

Quarterbacks Bennett Judy and Isaac Lee both played significant reps in Week 1, but Lee struggled through a 3-of-9 passing performance for 82 yards with 69 coming on a touchdown pass to Malik Knight.

Both quarterbacks threw an interception, and Lee lost a fumble. Western Carolina coach Kerwin Bell said on his radio show Monday that both will again play in Week 2 with Judy making the start.

Bell also emphasized the need for a dramatic defensive improvement after what he considered a disappointing showing from that group last week.

“I’m going to ride [the defense] until the end, because By God, I think we’ve got the talent and the coaches to get it done,” he said. “They took [Saturday’s performance] personal.”

–Field Level Media