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NFL fans won’t be lucky enough to experience another bye week hiatus in Week 9, but the league’s Sunday slate still looks loaded.

The first Sunday of November will feature 13 games, meaning 26 of the NFL’s 32 teams will play that day. The schedule includes an anticipated divisional matchup between the Lions and Packers, a great offense vs. defense matchup in the Ravens-Broncos game, and a nightcap between two wild-card contenders, the Vikings and Colts.

These matchups will surely excite NFL fans, but we’re also at the point in the season where injuries are becoming extremely important for each opponent. Notably, Jordan Love is questionable to play against the Lions, while several other stars have landed on the injury report for Week 9.

USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates on the latest actives and inactive players heading into NFL’s Week 9, 1 p.m. ET slate of games on Sunday:

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

NFL Week 9 injury report

Players’ names which are italicized indicate they are listed as questionable entering today’s games or did not practice on Friday.

Arizona Cardinals

DL Darius Robinson (calf)
DL Naquan Jones (thigh)
CB Sean Murphy-Bunting
OL Christian Jones
TE Travis Vokolek
WR Xavier Weaver

Atlanta Falcons

ILB Troy Andersen (knee)
ILB JD Bertrand (concussion)
RB Jase McClellan
DL Brandon Dorlus
OL Jovaughn Gwyn
OL Elijah Wilkinson
T Brandon Parker

Baltimore Ravens

RB Rasheen Ali (ankle)
CB Jalyn Armour-Davis (knee)
FS Eddie Jackson
OLB Adisa Isaac
RB Keaton Mitchell (knee)
G Nick Samac
OLB David Ojabo
DE Brent Urban (concussion)

Buffalo Bills

CB Christian Benford (wrist)
WR Amari Cooper (wrist)
S Mike Edwards
LB Nick Morrow
FB Reggie Gilliam (hip)
G/C Will Clapp
DE Zion Logue

Carolina Panthers

RB Jonathan Brooks (knee)
WR Adam Thielen
S Jammie Robinson
CB Shemar Bartholomew
OLB DJ Johnson
LT Ikem Ekwonu
TE Tommy Tremble
TE Feleipe Franks

Chicago Bears

OT Kiran Amegadjie (calf)
DB Jaquan Brisker (concussion)
DB Kyler Gordon (hamstring)
OT Braxton Jones (knee)
DE Montez Sweat (shin)
RB Khalil Herbert
DL Byron Cowart

Cincinnati Bengals

OT Orlando Brown Jr. (knee)
WR Tee Higgins (quadricep)
WR Charlie Jones (groin)
RB Zack Moss (neck)
S Geno Stone (shin)
WR Jermaine Burton
TE Tanner McLachlan
DT Jay Tufele

Cleveland Browns

LB Jordan Hicks (elbow, triceps)
T Germain Ifedi
DT Quinton Jefferson
RB D’Onta Foreman

Dallas Cowboys

DE Micah Parsons
RB Ezekiel Elliott
CB Andrew Booth
CB DaRon Bland
DE KJ Henry
T Matt Waletzko

Denver Broncos

DB P.J. Locke (thumb)
CB Damarri Mathis
CB Kris Abrams-Draine
T Frank Crum
TE Greg Dulcich
OLD Dondrea Tillman

Detroit Lions

DL Joshua Paschal (illness)
LB Malcolm Rodriguez (ankle)
RB Sione Vaki (knee)
DT Mekhi Wingo (ankle)
OL Giovanni Manu
OL Christian Mahogany
OL Colby Sordsal

Green Bay Packers

CB Jaire Alexander (knee)
DL Brenton Cox Jr.
C Josh Myers (wrist)
S Evan Williams (hamstring)
WR Malik Heath
T Travis Glover

Indianapolis Colts

DE Kwity Paye (hamstring)
OT Bernhard Raimann (concussion)

Jacksonville Jaguars

OL Ezra Cleveland (ankle)
WR Gabe Davis (shoulder)
DT Maason Smith (ankle)
DT Esezi Otomewo
WR Christian Kirk (collarbone)

Las Vegas Raiders

C Andre James (ankle)
RB Dylan Laube
S Trey Taylor
DE Janarius Robinson

Los Angeles Chargers

CB Kristian Fulton
WR DJ Chark
OL Brenden Jaimes
OL Jordan McFadden
TE Stone Smartt
DL Justin Eboigbe

Los Angeles Rams

S Kam Curl (knee)
P Ethan Evans (illness)
DT Neville Gallimore (shoulder)
WR Puka Nacua (knee)
G Joe Noteboom (ankle)
WR Jordan Whittington (shoulder)
DB Charles Woods (toe)

Miami Dolphins

DB Storm Duck (ankle)
TE Julian Hill (shoulder)
S Jevon Holland (knee)
RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
CB Kader Kohou (neck)
DE Zach Sieler (eye)
OL Andrew Meyer

Minnesota Vikings

LB Blake Cashman (toe)
CB Akayleb Evans (hip)
OL Dalton Risner (back)
DT Taki Taimani (ankle)

New England Patriots

WR Tyquan Thorton
S Kyle Dugger (ankle)
WR K.J. Osborn
DT Eric Johnson

New Orleans Saints

CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
CB Marshon Lattimore
RB Jamaal Williams
CB Rico Payton
LB Jaylan Ford
DT John Ridgeway III

New York Giants

P Jamie Gillan
CB Tre Hawkins III
G Jake Kubas
WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton
DL Jordon Riley

Philadelphia Eagles

TE Dallas Goedert (hamstring)
CB Darius Slay (groin)
G Trevor Keegan
S Tristin McCollum
G/T/ Darian Kinnard

Seattle Seahawks

TE Noah Fant (groin)
LB Ernest Jones (neck)
OT Abraham Lucas (knee)
WR DK Metcalf (knee)
NT Cameron Young (knee)

Tennessee Titans

CB Tre Avery (hamstring)
QB Will Levis (right shoulder)
OT Dillon Radunz (foot)
TE David Martin-Robinson
CB L’Jarius Sneed (quad)
RB Tyjae Spears (hamstring)
LB Cedric Gray

Washington Commanders

OT Cornelius Lucas (ankle)
RB Brian Robinson Jr. (hamstring)
D Darrick Forrest
TE Colson Yankoff
LB Dominique Hampton

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The final New York Times/Siena College Battleground poll of the 2024 race shows a razor-tight election in the battleground states just days before the election.

Former President Trump leads Vice President Kamala Harris in Arizona, while Harris enjoys a lead in Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada and Wisconsin. Michigan and Pennsylvania are tied between the two candidates, according to the poll.

‘Too close to call,’ Siena Research declared in a social media post about the poll.

In Arizona, the only state where Trump has a lead, the former president is up four points on Harris, 49-45.

Meanwhile, Harris has a one-point lead in Georgia (48-47), two points in North Carolina (48-46), three points in Nevada (49-46) and two points in Wisconsin (49-47).

The poll comes just two days before an election that promises to be one of the closest in recent memory, with the New York Times/Siena poll not being the only one showing tight margins.

According to the Real Clear Politics polling average, Trump enjoys a 2.9 point lead in Arizona, a 1.2 point lead in Nevada, a 0.3 point lead in Pennsylvania, a 1.4 point lead in North Carolina, and a 2.3 point lead in Georgia.

Harris, meanwhile, has a slim lead of 0.3 points in Wisconsin and a 0.6 point lead in Michigan.

The New York Times/Siena College battleground poll also sampled the Senate races in the battleground states for the final time, showing Democrats Rep. Ruben Gallego in Arizona, Elissa Slotkin in Michigan, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, Sen. Jacky Rosen in Nevada, and Sen. Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin, with a lead in their respective races. No Republican Senate candidate held leads in their races, the poll showed.

The New York Times/Siena College poll interviewed 7,879 voters in seven battleground states between Oct. 24 and Nov. 2, with a margin of errors of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points in Arizona, 4.1 percentage points in Georgia, 3.7 points in Michigan, 3.6 points in North Carolina, 3.6 points in Nevada, 2.9 points in Pennsylvania, and 3.4 points in Wisconsin.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Two new national polls released Sunday show former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are engaged in an extremely close race for the White House, even if a majority of voters are dissatisfied with having to choose between either of the candidates. 

An ABC News/Ipsos poll of 2,267 likely voters has Harris leading Trump 49%-46%, with a 2% margin of error.  

Seventy-four percent of those voters say they feel the country is heading on the ‘wrong track,’ including 50% of those who are backing Harris, the results show. Among Trump supporters, that figure rises to 98%. 

The poll, which was taken from Oct. 29-Nov. 1, also revealed that 60% of voters are dissatisfied with the candidates presented to them in this race for the presidency.  

Meanwhile, 42% of likely voters say their personal financial situation has worsened under the Biden-Harris administration, according to the poll.

In another national survey, Trump and Harris are tied at 49%.

The NBC News poll of 1,000 registered voters, which was conducted from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, has a margin of error of 3.1%. 

Of those who responded, Harris leads Trump among Black voters by 87%-9%, voters under 30 years old by 57%-41% and White voters with college degrees 55%-43%, according to NBC News. 

Trump leads among rural voters 75%-23%, White voters in general 56%-42% and white voters without college degrees 64%-34%, the outlet added. 

Between genders, Harris leads Trump 57%-41% among women, while men back Trump over Harris 58%-40%, NBC News reported.

The poll also found that 60% of registered voters think America will still be divided no matter who prevails on Election Day. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

The senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission lambasted NBC’s decision to host Vice President Kamala Harris on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in the final episode ahead of Election Day, while not offering equal time to former President Trump or other candidates in the presidential cycle. 

‘This has all the appearances of, at least some leadership at NBC, at SNL, making clear that they wanted to weigh-in in favor of one candidate before the election. That’s exactly why, for decades, we’ve had an equal time rule on the book, is to prevent that. Because remember, broadcasters are placed in a special position of trust. They’re not just like any other person with a soapbox on the corner. They have a license from the federal government that obligates them to operate in the public interest,’ FCC commissioner Brendan Carr told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview Sunday morning. 

Carr was reacting to Harris’s last-minute appearance on NBC’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ just days ahead of Election Day. The FCC commissioner had weighed in on X this weekend that the broadcasting company had violated the FCC’s equal time rule by hosting the Democratic presidential nominee, but not Trump or other presidential candidates such as Jill Stein or even Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – who is still on election ballots after dropping out of the race earlier this year and endorsing Trump. 

The Federal Communications Commission’s equal-time rule was established in 1934 and requires radio and television broadcast stations to provide the same amount of time for competing political candidates. There are exceptions to the rule such as newscasts, documentaries and political debates.

‘NBC has structured this in a way that’s plainly designed to evade the FCC’s rules. We’re talking 50 hours before Election Day starts, without any notice to other candidates, as far as I can tell,’ Carr continued. ‘And after previously coming out and saying they weren’t going to do this precisely because they did not believe that they could do this consistent with election laws and the FCC’s equal time rule.’

‘I think every member of the FCC needs to speak up immediately, given how close we are to an election and make clear that we will follow through, enforce our laws. And I think every single remedy needs to be on the table in these circumstances,’ he said. 

Harris was scheduled to fly to Detroit on Saturday evening, but her flight landed at Laguardia, teeing up speculation she would appear on ‘SNL’ during its final airing ahead of Election Day. 

Harris did in fact appear on Saturday evening, depicting the ‘mirror image’ of herself while speaking with former ‘SNL’ cast member Maya Rudolph, who was depicting the Democratic nominee for president. Harris’ appearance came at the end of the cold open, which poked fun at Trump for wearing a sanitation vest at a rally last week, as well as Joe Biden’s repeated gaffes.

Rudolph, depicting Harris, wondered during the sketch: ‘I wish I could talk to someone who’s been in my shoes. You know, a Black, south Asian woman running for president. Preferably from the Bay Area.’

Harris then was revealed to be sitting across the table from her, leading to cheers from the audience. Harris grinned and said, ‘You and me both, sister.’

‘I’m just here to remind you, you got this. Because you can do something your opponent cannot do. You can open doors,’ she said in a shot at Trump, referring to him climbing into a garbage truck last week while on the campaign trail. 

‘The American people want to stop the chaos,’ Rudolph said at a later point in the sketch, with Harris adding, ‘And end the drama-la.’

‘With a cool new step mom-ala. Get back in our pajama-las. And watch a rom-com-ala,’ Rudolph said, with the two later touting their ‘belief in the promise of America.’

Carr is urging his fellow FCC commissioners to join him in calling for action and investigation into NBC hosting Harris on Saturday evening. 

‘One commissioner standing alone, there’s no real consequence that I can impose at this point. You need the FCC chairperson or at least three commissioners on the FCC to agree to take action. We’ll see if we end up there with this commission or otherwise,’ he said.

‘At the end of the day, the penalties range all the way up to potentially, in egregious situations, license revocations. And in my view, every single remedy needs to be on the table, at least as an initial matter. What we investigate more and find out – maybe they have some defense that I’m not aware of – but all remedies should be on the table because you obviously have to engage in some sort of response that if this proves to be an entire violation, there is a consequence sufficient enough that no broadcast station does this again. Whether it’s to benefit Republican or Democrat, that doesn’t matter to me. We have rules on the books, we have to uphold them.’

Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller told the Fox News Channel earlier this weekend that SNL did not extend an invitation to Trump. Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung lambasted Harris’ appearance as a sign of desperation to appeal to voters as ‘her campaign spirals down the drain into obscurity.’ 

‘Kamala Harris has nothing substantive to offer the American people, so that’s why she’s living out her warped fantasy cosplaying with her elitist friends on Saturday Night Leftists as her campaign spirals down the drain into obscurity. For the last four years, Kamala’s destructive policies have led to untold misery and hurt for all Americans. She broke it, and President Trump will fix it,’ Cheung told Fox News Digital earlier this weekend. 

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton’s running mate during her failed 2016 presidential run, also appeared in a skit on Saturday as a contestant on a game show who couldn’t remember who Kaine was.

Carr said Kaine’s appearance also likely violated the equal-time rule, as he is running for re-election in Virginia against Republican challenger Hung Cao.

‘Later on in the program, Sen. Kaine here in Virginia, where I am, appeared on the program, and he’s up for election on Tuesday as well. There’s an opposing campaign, the Hung Cao campaign, they may also have a right now to comparable time in programming,’ he said. 

Lorne Michaels, the creator of ‘Saturday Night Live,’ said just last month that it was highly unlikely that either Trump or Harris would appear on the comedy show, explicitly citing the equal time provision laws. 

‘You can’t bring the actual people who are running on because of election laws and the equal time provisions,’ Michaels told the Hollywood Reporter in October. ‘You can’t have the main candidates without having all the candidates, and there are lots of minor candidates that are only on the ballot in, like, three states and that becomes really complicated.’

Carr noted in the Fox Digital interview that Michaels was aware of the FCC’s equal time rule just the other week. 

‘This is exactly why Lorne Michaels just weeks ago went public and said they would not be doing any candidate appearances, because he understood the thicket that it would throw NBC into. Something changed at the last minute, and they’ve now gone down this path. And again, I think it’s important that the FCC come together and we take action. Otherwise, our rules are absolutely meaningless,’ he said. 

Carr noted in an X thread on Saturday that during the 2016 election cycle, Trump appeared on ‘SNL,’ which sparked NBC affiliates to file equal opportunity notices to ensure that Trump’s challengers during the cycle were offered the same ‘SNL’ opportunity. When Clinton also appeared on the show that cycle, affiliates again publicly filed equal opportunity notices. 

Following the last-minute appearance on the comedy show, critics on social media also took issue with the sketch itself, saying it appeared eerily similar to Trump’s 2015 sketch on Jimmy Fallon’s ‘The Tonight Show.’ Fallon dressed up like Trump during that sketch, with the pair speaking to one another through a mirror, like Harris’ ‘SNL’ appearance. 

Critics called Harris’ sketch a ‘rip off’ of Trump’s 2015 Fallon appearance. 

‘Kamala ripped off the same bit Trump did when he was on Saturday Night Live in 2015… and Trump’s was double the length,’ radio host Ari Hoffman posted on X.

Both the Harris and Trump sketches follow other ‘in the mirror’ sketches Fallon has performed with other high-profile celebrities and politicians, including Mick Jagger in 2001 on ‘SNL’ and now-Utah Sen. Mitt Romney in 2015. 

Harris and Rudolph’s Harris character capped off the appearance with the iconic message: ‘Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!’

An NBC spokesperson told Fox Digital that the broadcaster will comply with any regulatory obligations, and has hosted numerous political figures from either side of the aisles across the decades. 

Fox News Digital’s David Rutz and Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

When President Joe Biden took the podium in his hometown of Scranton, Pa., to campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris, many expected a return to the ‘self-professed unifier’ Biden from the 2020 election, particularly after his recent comments calling tens of millions of Trump supporters ‘garbage.’  If so, they were disappointed when it turned out to be the ‘take him behind the Gym’ Biden. Speaking through clenched teeth, Biden seethed that he wanted to ‘smack [Trump] in the ass.’ Even with the Harris campaign alarmed over his costly gaffes, Biden clearly could not resist the rage. He is not alone.

This entire election seems to be a type of political roid rage. In my book, ‘The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage,‘ I discuss how rage rhetoric and rage politics have long been part of our history. Politicians will often intentionally trigger rage to rally voters not in support of their policies but in opposition to their opponents.

However, Biden’s seeming inability to keep his rage in check is a common feature of this rage politics. As I wrote in the book, ‘rage is liberating, even addictive. It allows us to say and do things that we would ordinarily avoid, even denounce in others.’ It is also contagious. Across the country, people are yelling at neighbors, tearing down signs, and even assaulting each other. What they are unwilling to admit is that they enjoy the rage. They like it.

As someone who has written about rage rhetoric and covered presidential elections for over two decades for different networks, I should be accustomed to these scenes. I am not. From the scenes outside of the Trump trial in Manhattan to the scenes outside of political rallies in Virginia, I find the rage depressing and deflating.

However, in flying to New York this weekend to join the Fox election coverage, I had a moment of real hope. I was driven to the airport by a man who told me that he was just months from his citizenship and how he and his wife were so thankful to soon be U.S. citizens. He came from a MiddleEastern nation where he long admired the United States for its freedoms, particularly the freedom of speech. Indeed, in his home country, he constantly ran into trouble with his government and was warned by his imam that he had to stop acting ‘like an American’ by speaking his mind.

He could not shut up, so he decided to become an American instead.

He then told me how confused he and his wife are by this election. They love the United States and cannot understand why people are so hateful and angry. ‘It is like they do not understand what they have here,’ he noted.

Listening to him over the course of our ride, I started to feel something that I had not felt in a while: real hope.

Sometimes, our truest citizens are found among our newest converts. As I discuss in my book, the problem with our democracy is that most citizens grew up in a nation where basic rights like the freedom of speech are guaranteed. They have never known the absence of such rights. This man and his wife have. They were not born here. They had to escape their country at great peril and cost to become U.S. citizens. They chose us and what we stand for.

They follow other great Americans drawn to these shores by something unique about this country. One was Tom Paine. The man who was credited with rallying a nation behind a revolution only landed upon these shores two years before the Declaration of Independence. His rocketing to fame with the publication of Common Sense enraged some, like John Adams, who viewed him as an unkempt, unknown rabble-rouser.

Yet, it was precisely Paine’s immigration that gave his words such clarity and power. He saw this emerging nation as unique for all of humanity, a nation where citizens could live free without the calcified social, economic, and political limits of the Old World. His voice resonated with this nation because it was so genuine and authentic.

I heard that same voice on my way to the airport. Sometimes, it takes the newest among us to remind us who we are to not only the rest of the world but also to each other.

I do not know what is coming out of that gate on election night. I have been there before. However, half of this country is going to be very, very upset either way this goes. What we need to struggle to remember is that this election does not define us. The rage does not define us. We defined ourselves almost 250 years ago and do so every day that new citizens like my new friend come to these shores. There is hope in who we are . . . even if we forget sometimes.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., slammed Democrats’ ‘scare tactics’ regarding former President Trump’s stance on women in terms of abortion and IVF access on Sunday. 

At a recent campaign stop in Wisconsin, Vice President Harris claimed that Trump would ‘ban abortion nationwide,’ ‘restrict access to birth control, put IVF treatments at risk and force states to – get this – monitor women’s pregnancies.’ Democrats have run ads across the country on the issue. 

Trump has repeatedly stated he would not sign a national abortion ban, and Stefanik, in an appearance on ‘Fox News Sunday,’ reiterated how Trump ‘believes this issue should be decided at the states’ and supports three exceptions for abortions in circumstances of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother. 

‘When it comes to IVF, that is a false smear,’ Stefanik told ‘Fox News Sunday’ host Shannon Bream. ‘President Trump wants to expand access to IVF, make birth control available, and the reason why Democrats are only talking about this issue is these are scare tactics because they are losing on every other issue. Whether it’s the economy, the border, safety and security around the world, we’re going to run and win, and I think that women when they look at the key top issues, they are increasingly looking at their lives were much better under President Trump versus the crises that we’ve seen under Kamala Harris today.’ 

Stefanik also slammed Harris for failing to condemn Mark Cuban’s recent remarks about female Trump supporters. Cuban faced backlash for suggesting on ‘The View’ last Thursday that Trump neglects to surround himself with ‘strong, intelligent women,’ claiming that they intimidate and challenge him. 

Stefanik pointed to how she, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump have been traveling across the country as surrogates of the Trump campaign. Stefanik also noted that under Trump’s administration, the U.S. had ‘the highest number of women ever in the workforce, the largest wage and salary increase for working women ever,’ and ‘child care was affordable.’

The congresswoman also highlighted how inflation drove up grocery, energy and utility costs, impacting women, as well as the safety issues for women arising from the lack of border security. 

‘Kamala Harris did not condemn Mark Cuban’s just disgraceful comments saying that President Trump does not surround himself with strong, intelligent women,’ Stefanik said. ‘Whether you compare it to the first lady, his daughter Ivanka Trump or so many senior level women that are working in support of his campaign.’ 

Asked if she would accept Cuban’s apology issued after the backlash, Stefanik responded by noting how Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, described Trump supporters as ‘deplorables’ in 2016, ‘then they called us Nazis, then Mark Cuban said there are no strong or intelligent women around President Trump, and just yesterday you had Kathy Hochul smearing voters who support Republicans as ‘anti-American.” 

‘President Trump is running to unify this country on the goals of securing the border, strengthening the economy,’ she said. ‘So Kamala Harris should condemn that, and they didn’t, the campaign failed to do that, and that’s offensive to so many women across this country, not just elected official women. Gold Star moms, Gold Star wives, women veterans who are proudly supporting President Trump.’ 

Stefanik later discussed Election Day predictions for Congress. She deemed New York the ‘epicenter’ of the House majority, as several first-term Republican incumbents face competitive challenges from Democrats in the deep blue state. 

‘President Trump on the ballot is a net gain to every Republican candidate for Senate and House,’ Stefanik said. ‘I’m from New York, obviously, New York is the epicenter for the race for the House Republican majority, Republicans, when it comes to early voting, increased by 50% compared to where we were in 2022, and that was cycle where of course we flipped those five House seats.’ 

‘Kamala Harris is underperforming Joe Biden in every single swing district across the country if you look at Joe Biden’s performance in 2020,’ she said. ‘I think on a good night we can win up to 10 seats, Shannon, which would be a sizable Republican majority. We’re not taking anything for granted, but the issues are on our side.… On every top issue, Republicans are winning. President Trump is winning, and I think we could be in for some surprises on Election Day that House Republicans will overperform the predictions.’ 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

A key sequence in the fourth quarter sums up the state of play whenever No. 3 Penn State meets No. 4 Ohio State: close, but not quite.

The Nittany Lions came up short against the Buckeyes for the eighth time in a row in this series, losing 20-13 after failing to score on four plays right on the goal line with roughly five minutes left. For all of the obvious improvements the offense has made under new coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, sketchy play calling in this key spot likely dooms the Nittany Lions’ chances of playing for the Big Ten championship.

All isn’t lost. For weeks, Penn State has been seen as one of the safest bets to land in the College Football Playoff, albeit with an at-large bid. That remains highly probable given the team’s single loss and smooth schedule the rest of November.

But this was a game the program had to have and one that the Nittany Lions easily could’ve had, though that doesn’t lessen the sting of another loss to Ohio State.

Needing a win in one of college football’s most hostile road environments to stay on track for a rematch with Oregon in early December, the Buckeyes rebounded from some early errors by quarterback Will Howard to deliver one of the best wins of the regular season in the Bowl Subdivision.

That defensive stand in the fourth quarter comes one week after pulling off another key red-zone stop in a narrow win against Nebraska. In hindsight, that 21-17 victory seems influenced by the Cornhuskers’ place between the road trips to No. 1 Oregon and State College.

What happened after forcing a Drew Allar incompletion might be even more impressive. Backed up on their own end zone, the Buckeyes ran out the clock by rushing for 59 yards in 10 plays to seal the win. That’s a statement drive for both teams.

When both sides of the ball are working in concert — something that was missing against the Ducks — you can see why Ohio State might be the best team in the Big Ten and a favorite for the national championship.

And as the Buckeyes get set to rise in the US LBM Coaches Poll, the Nittany Lions are left in a state of embarrassment. Not because they lost; that’s nothing new for Penn State or coach James Franklin. It’s how this happened with the game on the line: with a failed series of plays on offense and a give-up sequence on defense.

You’d shake your head if you hadn’t seen it before, again and again. This key Big Ten matchup leads Saturday’s biggest winners and losers:

Winners

The Big Ten

Ohio State’s win is really good news for the Big Ten. Should PSU take care of business the rest of the way, the league is assured of getting at least three teams in the playoff and maybe four, should No. 13 Indiana continue to surge up the rankings under new coach Curt Cignetti. While that math probably would’ve remained the same had the Buckeyes lost — they would’ve had two road losses to two of the best teams in the country — Saturday’s result is the best possible outcome for the conference.

Indiana

The most surprising success story in the Power Four unlocked another new achievement. After spotting Michigan State a 10-0 lead, the Hoosiers rolled off 47 unanswered points to reach 9-0 for the first time in program history. After missing last weekend with a thumb injury, quarterback Kurtis Rourke completed 19 of 29 attempts for 263 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. To put this incredible start with Cignetti at the controls into perspective, keep in mind that Indiana was picked 17th, one spot off the bottom, in the Big Ten’s preseason media poll.

Miami

For the fourth time this season, No. 5 Miami flirted with disaster before pulling away to remain unbeaten. This time, Duke wobbled the Hurricanes with a 28-3 run bridging the first and second halves to take a 28-17 lead with 10 minutes left in the third quarter. The response was impressive: Cam Ward threw three touchdowns and the Hurricanes scored five times overall down the stretch to win 53-31. There’s an aspect of this win that underscores some of the skepticism over Miami’s viability as a true national championship contender. But let’s give the Hurricanes some credit: Other contenders have fallen by the wayside or being knocked off as favorites while Miami continues to march toward the program’s most successful regular season in decades.

SMU

It was a big night for No. 20 SMU. First, the Mustangs jumped all over No. 17 Pittsburgh in a 48-25 win that knocks the Panthers from the ranks of the unbeaten. After surviving against Duke last Saturday despite committing six turnovers, SMU made things easier with a 24-point second quarter to take a 31-3 lead into the break. More good news came in the form of No. 8 Clemson’s loss at home to Louisville, leaving the Hurricanes and Mustangs as the only teams still perfect in ACC play. If not for Indiana, what coach Rhett Lashlee and the Mustangs are doing against all the odds as new members of the Power Four would be the most incredible story of the season.

Iowa

If you’re standing, please sit down. If you’re drinking anything, please swallow before continuing. Done? Well, Iowa followed up last week’s 40-point explosion against Northwestern by racking up 329 rushing yards in a 42-10 blowout of Wisconsin. In the past three meetings in this rivalry, the Hawkeyes gained just 156, 146 and 237 yards. As anyone familiar with the program’s recent history would say: Wow. This offense has been extremely productive since starting October with a 35-7 loss to Ohio State. In addition to these past two wins, the Hawkeyes scored 40 points in a victory against Washington on Oct. 12. The program hadn’t scored 40 or more points three times in a season since 2017.

Vanderbilt

Beating Auburn 17-7 will send Vanderbilt to bowl play for the first time since 2018 and raises the odds of the program’s first winning finish since 2013, the last of James Franklin’s three seasons with the Commodores. Driven by an influx of transfers from New Mexico State, namely quarterback Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt has already tripled last year’s win total with games against South Carolina, No. 16 LSU and No. 7 Tennessee to end the regular season.

Losers

Iowa State

Living on the edge finally caught up to No. 10 Iowa State. After escaping with a 38-35 win last Saturday against Central Florida, the Cyclones took the lead with two minutes left but were unable to get a late defensive stop and lost 23-22 to Texas Tech. The loss prevents Iowa State from reaching 8-0 for the first time in program history. With No. 12 Brigham Young unbeaten and Colorado holding just one loss in conference play, the Cyclones now need to run the table to ensure a spot in the Big 12 championship game and the possibility of a guaranteed playoff berth.

Clemson

This is a stunner: Clemson had been on an absolute tear after losing to No. 2 Georgia in the season opener but laid an egg at home against Louisville, losing 33-21 and ceding control of the ACC race to Miami and SMU. An offense that had scored at least 40 points in five of the past six went missing against the Cardinals before a couple late scores and looking like the offenses that sputtered amid the program’s post-Trevor Lawrence decline. There is still time for Clemson to make the playoff by winning the ACC — SMU needs to lose at least once, though — but this was a confidence-shaking performance that could cast the Tigers out of the at-large picture.

Texas A&M

One week after beating LSU, No. 11 A&M came thudding back to reality with a 44-20 loss at South Carolina. While not an eliminator in the SEC or playoff race, the loss shows how presumptuous it was to assume the Aggies would just mosey into the season finale against No. 6 Texas with just one loss. In a reverse of the win against the Tigers, this one would see the Gamecocks pull away behind a physical running game that pummeled the Aggies into submission in the fourth quarter. USC had a pair of 100-yard backs, led by Raheim Sanders’ 144 yards on 7.2 yards per carry, and did a nice job bottling up A&M quarterback Marcel Reed.

Kansas State

It was a bloody Saturday for two of the top contenders in the Big 12. Not long after ISU fell to Texas Tech, No. 15 Kansas State suffered an absolutely inexplicable 24-19 loss against a Houston team still in the early stages of a rebuild behind first-year coach Willie Fritz. While the Cougars have played better in conference play and Fritz has a reputation for being one of the best builders in the country, this loss is damaging to the Wildcats’ chances of reaching the Big 12 championship game. To do so, they’d have to win out, beating the Cyclones along the way to take that head-to-head tiebreaker, and have Colorado lose at least once against Texas Tech, Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State. The bigger cost is how this could be what eliminates Kansas State from at-large contention.

Arkansas

No. 18 Mississippi’s emphatic 63-31 rout of Arkansas saw record-setting performances from quarterback Jaxson Dart and wide receiver Jordan Watkins. Dart had a school-record 515 yards and tied the school record with six touchdown passes. With star Tre Harris sidelined, Watkins delivered school records with 254 yards and five scores. After a rocky month-plus, the Rebels’ win that should play very well with the selection committee come Tuesday night. But just as the victory puts the Rebels back on track, the lopsided loss at home means serious trouble for Arkansas and coach Sam Pittman. While the Razorbacks had won two of three to rise into the top half of the SEC standings, they’ve now dropped three in a row at home. This inability to take advantage of the friendly confines could cap Arkansas at six wins, which might not be enough to save Pittman’s job.

Virginia Tech

This season has not unfolded as planned for a team expected to contend for the Top 25. Playing at Syracuse, Virginia Tech took a 21-3 lead midway through the third quarter, went down 24-21 under a minute into the fourth, regained a 31-24 lead, allowed the Orange to tie the game with 29 seconds left and then lost 38-31 in overtime. Tech lost despite running for 249 yards, the program’s most in a loss since going for 260 yards in a loss to the Orange in 2021.

Memphis

Losing 44-36 to an undermanned Texas-San Antonio team is a fatal blow for the Tigers’ already slim odds of representing the Group of Five in the playoff. Now with two losses in American Athletic play, Memphis will need major chaos at the top of the standings to earn a spot in the conference championship game. Given that Memphis started the year as a Group of Five favorite, to not even play for the AAC crown is a major letdown. Playing with a roster ravaged by injuries, including the loss of three starting offensive linemen, the Roadrunners put up 408 yards of offense and took advantage of a plus-two edge in turnovers.

(New information was added to this story.)

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The Louisiana-Monroe athletics department on Saturday said it will discipline offensive line coach Cameron Blankenship for what it deemed to be ‘unacceptable’ contact with a player.

A video circulating on X (formerly Twitter) showed an irate Blankenship run several yards onto the field in the Warhawks’ Week 10 game vs. Marshall. Blankenship was seen screaming at an off-screen player before throwing his headset.

Moments later, a player wearing No. 64 — identified as redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Drew Hutchinson, per ULM’s official football roster — was seen sprinting off the field, past Blankenship. The assistant coach then ran after Blankenship onto the Warhawks’ sideline, shoving Hutchinson and yelling into his face.

Blankenship also made incidental contact with linebacker Kelbee Holmes, who pushed the coach in his arm as he made his way toward Hutchinson. Two other ULM players — who appeared to be receiver Davon Wells and Earl Barquet Jr. — placed themselves between Blankenship and Hutchinson.

Louisiana-Monroe lost Saturday’s game 28-23 to fall to 5-3 and 3-2 in Sun Belt play.

ULM statement on sideline incident

Here is the statement issued by Louisiana-Monroe on the sideline incident between Blankenship and Hutchinson:

ULM returns to action in Week 11 vs. Texas State.

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Penn State is probably going to the College Football Playoff for one reason and one reason only: Because the bar has been lowered sufficiently enough to let a team coached by James Franklin in this thing. 

We are? 

We are … what?

We are mediocre when the lights get bright. We are Ohio State’s forever supplicant. And we, meaning the rest of us, barely even have to watch these games anymore.

If it didn’t happen Saturday, when is it ever going to happen for the Nittany Lions under Franklin? 

Here’s how it could have – and maybe should have – happened. Outplayed by a decent margin and fortunate to be down just 20-13 and in position to tie or take the lead late in the fourth quarter, Penn State had first-and-goal at the 3-yard line. 

Score there, and Franklin would have the biggest decision of his career: Tie or go for two?

Remarkably, he never even got that chance. 

Three straight plays, Penn State handed off to Kaytron Allen. He could only inch them closer to the goal line. Then on fourth down, needing merely a yard, Franklin and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki put quarterback Drew Allar in a position where he’d have to make a quick throw into a tight window under pressure. 

He didn’t come close. Ohio State got the ball. Ohio State, for the 12th time in the last 13 years, beat Penn State. 

Franklin is going to get a lot of heat for that sequence, and he deserves it. It was predictable. It was timid. It was emblematic of a decade in which the nickname “Big Game James” exists only as an ironic insult.

When is the last time Penn State won a game that really impressed you? Was it back in 2016 when he beat Ohio State for the one and only time in his career? 

Since then, here’s how many top-10 teams Franklin has beaten: Two. 

One was Wisconsin that same year in the Big Ten championship. The other was Utah in the Rose Bowl following the 2022 season – a game in which the Utes lost their quarterback to an injury in the third quarter. 

RYAN HAS DAY: Ohio State coach quiets criticism with win at Penn State

Franklin’s supporters will point to the fact that he is 28-6 over the last three seasons. It’s a pretty good record. And most likely, all Penn State has to do to secure its place in the College Football Playoff this season is finish the year by beating Washington, Purdue, Minnesota and Maryland. 

Even Franklin should be able to manage that. 

And then what? 

Are we supposed to throw a party because Penn State handled a bunch of Big Ten also-rans? Are we supposed to take the Nittany Lions seriously as a national title contender when the preponderance of evidence suggests that Franklin in Year 11 can’t steal a win at home over a team of Ohio State’s quality even when all the intangible factors are pointing in Penn State’s direction? 

This is tiresome. And yet, it’s what you get as a program when you give Franklin a 10-year contract that takes him through the 2031 season at a price tag of $8.5 million a year. 

Even if Penn State’s administration wanted to fire him, it would cost $56.7 million. 

And there’s not necessarily a great argument to be made that Penn State should fire him. It would be a risk. Things could absolutely get worse. 

But at this point, everyone who has followed Penn State for the last decade knows exactly what it’s getting in these games. Unless the Nittany Lions have a clear talent advantage, they are going to lose. That is what they do. That is what the Franklin era has been all about. 

Given the way the schedule fell – No Oregon, no Indiana and a Southern California team that has imploded in fourth quarters – Penn State doesn’t need to actually do much to make the 12-team playoff this year. That will be celebrated as a big accomplishment. In reality, it’s the bare minimum this team was capable of. 

Franklin’s moment of truth for this season stood ready at the 3-yard line Saturday with a clear opportunity to slay the giant. Instead, Penn State fell short – a microcosm of his entire tenure. 

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Along with the Nittany Lions falling 20-13, No. 8 Clemson fell to Louisville, No. 10 Iowa State fell to Texas Tech and No. 11 Texas A&M fell to South Carolina on the road. Each team still has a chance at the CFP, with Penn State likeliest to reach the 12-team field, however, the loss makes things trickier for the Tigers, Cyclones and Aggies.

The Buckeyes jumped to the best odds to win the national championship after their win over Penn State via BetMGM, with Georgia, Oregon, Texas and Miami following shortly behind.

Here are the updated College Football Playoff odds after Week 10 of the regular season:

College Football Playoff odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Sunday, Nov. 3

1. Ohio State +350
2. Georgia +400
3. Oregon +450
4. Texas +550
5. Miami +1100
T-6. Alabama +1800
T-6. Tennessee +1800
8. Penn State +2200
9. Notre Dame +3000
10. Ole Miss +3500

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