The No. 19 Texas Longhorns defeated the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners 23-6 in the Red River Rivalry.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning had a season-best performance, while Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer threw three interceptions.
The Texas defense held Oklahoma to 258 total yards and forced three turnovers.

DALLAS – When John Mateer took the field for No. 6 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday, Oct. 11, he was set to become a Sooners legend after beating his injury timetable. 

But it was the Texas and Arch Manning show, as the 19th-ranked Longhorns dominated Oklahoma en route to a 23-6 win. Oklahoma got out to a quick 6-0 lead in the first quarter, but was held scoreless the rest of the game by a defense that was dominant in the final three periods.

Manning, the heralded five-star quarterback, turned in his season-best performance against the Sooners, making plays when the Longhorns needed them and leading an efficient offense in a game between two stingy defenses. Texas outgained Oklahoma with 189 yards to the Sooners’ 88 in the second half, and won the turnover battle 3-0 as Mateer tossed a trio of interceptions.

Oklahoma’s defense has looked among the best in the nation through five games in 2025, but it was Texas’ defense that came up huge against the Sooners, holding Oklahoma’s new-look offense to 258 total yards and three turnovers while sacking Mateer five times. It marked the third time Oklahoma was held without an offensive touchdown against Texas in the past four years, all of which have come under coach Brent Venables.

Manning finished 21-of-27 passing for 166 yards with a touchdown, also rushing for 34 yards on four carries. Running back Quintrevion Wisner rushed for 94 yards on 22 carries.

Texas put the nail in the coffin in the fourth quarter, after Ryan Niblett returned an Oklahoma punt 75 yards for a touchdown to make the score 20-6.

Venables kept Mateer’s availability under wraps in the days leading up to the game, practicing indoors and avoiding questions about the first-year Washington State transfer. It became clear as the week progressed, however, that he’d be available, after being listed as probable on the SEC availability report on Oct. 9.

Mateer, who suffered a hand injury against Auburn, underwent surgery 17 days ago to fix the issue. He threw three interceptions in his first action since missing Oklahoma’s win against Kent State in Week 6, and certainly looked rusty, or even less than 100% with his throwing hand.

A week after being thrashed by Florida in a 29-21 road loss, in which Manning was sacked six times, Texas held Oklahoma’s strong pass rush to only one sack, although the Sooners had 12 tackles for loss.

Venables falls to 1-3 against Texas, and awaiting him and Oklahoma is a gauntlet of a schedule. The Sooners travel to South Carolina next week, before upcoming games against Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and LSU to round out the conference slate.

Texas gets a much-needed win against its archrival, keeping its College Football Playoff hopes alive and looking quite improved after dropping an upset loss to Florida.

ESPN analyst Booger McFarland has drawn the ire of college football fans following comments he made ahead of the Oklahoma-Texas matchup.

With Sooners quarterback John Mateer returning to action for the Red River Rivalry matchup from the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, McFarland said that, if he were playing Matter, he would employ a less-than-sportsmanlike tactic against Mateer:

“That’s a thumb and a hand I would be looking to step on as a defensive lineman,’ McFarland said on ABC ahead of the Red River Rivalry matchup.

Mateer underwent surgery on Sept. 24 after he broke his hand in a win over Auburn. Following a bye week for the Sooners, Mateer missed the matchup against Kent State last week before returning to action for the matchup against the Longhorns.

McFarland played college football for LSU from 1995 to 1998. He was a first-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1999 NFL Draft and won two Super Bowls during his career with the Bucs and the Indianapolis Colts from 1999 to 2007.

McFarland’s comment created some negative reaction on social media:

Kyler Murray has been labeled as ‘questionable’ for Sunday’s game and that could make him a game-time decision.
Lamar Jackson will not start against the Rams and the team will go with Cooper Rush once again.
Mac Jones is listed as questionable for the 49ers game with knee and oblique injuries.

As the NFL season approaches the one-third mark, injuries have piled up. At this point, if your favorite team’s quarterback isn’t on the weekly injury report, consider yourself lucky.

Week 6 features just one divisional matchup – AFC North foes Cleveland and Pittsburgh facing off – but plenty of games between teams with playoff aspirations. Having your starting quarterback available is huge for these matchups.

Cincinnati made a change leading up to Week 6 by trading in-division for the Browns’ former starter, Joe Flacco. He’ll suit up for his first start for the Bengals Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

The Bengals made that move to stay in contention while franchise quarterback Joe Burrow heals up from toe surgery.

They’re not the only team potentially missing their starter this week, though. Here’s the latest on quarterbacks across the league for Week 6.

Kyler Murray injury update

Arizona has a tough road game this week in Indianapolis against the 4-1 Colts. The Cardinals are 2-3 and need a win to keep pace in an NFC West that’s far more competitive in 2025.

That makes Murray’s health crucial for their Week 6 tilt. Murray injured his foot during the team’s Week 5 loss to the Tennessee Titans and did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday. He was limited on Friday.

He’s been labeled as ‘questionable’ for Sunday’s game and that could make him a game-time decision.

Arizona moved quarterback Kedon Slovis from the practice squad to the active roster, per reports. That shows the team is preparing to operate without Murray in Week 6 as Slovis would back up veteran Jacoby Brissett.

Lamar Jackson injury update

Jackson left the Ravens’ Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs with a hamstring injury that’s kept him sidelined ever since. Baltimore started veteran Cooper Rush against the Houston Texans in Week 5 and lost 44-10 at home.

This week the team plays the Los Angeles Rams at home again before their bye week. Jackson will not start against the Rams and the team will go with Rush once again.

Brock Purdy injury update

Purdy suffered toe and shoulder injuries in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks. He made a return to the starting lineup in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars and did not look fully healthy as the team lost its first game of the season.

He missed Week 5 against the Rams and it’ll be the same case in Week 6 against Tampa Bay. The 49ers’ franchise quarterback will continue to recover from his toe injury.

San Francisco is on the road for three of their next four games. Purdy still has not been put on injured reserve, which is promising for his return. If he were put on IR, he’d have to miss at least four weeks.

Mac Jones injury update

Purdy’s backup is also dealing with injuries this week. He had a career game on ‘Thursday Night Football’ in Week 5 to lead the 49ers to a win over the Rams and stay undefeated as a starter in 2025 at 3-0.

With Purdy out for the game, Jones would be the primary starter in Week 6 against the Buccaneers. But he’s listed as questionable for the game with knee and oblique injuries.

Jones practiced all week but was limited in each session. That was the same in Week 4 when he missed the 49ers’ game against the Jaguars.

San Francisco has elevated former United Football League MVP Adrian Martinez from the practice squad for the game. If Jones can’t play, Martinez will make his first NFL start against Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers.

BOULDER, Colo. – Colorado football coach Deion Sanders returned to the sideline here Saturday Oct. 11 against Iowa State, inspiring his team with his energy just four days after undergoing surgery to clear blood clots in his left leg.

He apparently did not sit down during his team’s 24-17 win against the No. 22 Cyclones. ESPN reported during its broadcast that an assistant on the sideline was following him around with a stool in case he needed it. Sanders instead stood and prowled the sideline like normal as his Buffaloes held on for the win in front of 52,698 at Folsom Field.

Sanders, 58, didn’t talk about his situation in his postgame news conference. But his players did after Sanders returned to coach his team at practice the next morning following his surgery Oct. 7.

‘It gave us a reason to fight, a great reason to fight,’ Colorado linebacker Jeremiah Brown said after the game. ‘Coach Prime had the surgery Tuesday. He came back that Wednesday morning after a four-hour surgery. He (was) hurt and he (was) limping on the field, hurting, still running around. He was giving us all the energy we need. So I think that’s all we needed to fight.’

Offensive lineman Zy Crisler said Sanders’ comeback this week ‘motivated the team tremendously.’

‘I mean, going into surgery and the next morning, you had practice is crazy,’ Crisler said. ‘But man, Coach Prime is a warrior. He gonna do what he got to do, and I salute Coach Prime.’

What is Deion Sanders’ health history?

In his previous game Oct. 4 at TCU, Sanders was seen sitting down during the game and took a shoe because he said he was “hurting like crazy” and suspected it was because of blood clots. He has battled blood-circulation issues over the last four years and even had two toes amputated from his left foot in 2021, forcing him to miss three games that year when he was coach at Jackson State.

The surgery on Oct. 7 was the 16th since that time, according to videos posted by his son Deion Jr. He also had his bladder removed in May after a cancerous tumor was discovered during a medical appointment related to his vascular issues, which have involved arterial blood clots in his lower body.

Other coaches have sat during games

When he returned to the sideline after surgeries in 2021, Sanders coached Jackson State from a motorized wheelchair.

Other coaches have been forced to sit because of health issues, too, although it’s rare. Penn State coach Joe Paterno coached from a seat in the press box late in his career because of health issues. In 2019, Liberty coach Hugh Freeze coached from a bed in the press box as he recovered from a staph infection and back pain.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman also coached a game at Missouri from the press box after suffering from a broken hip.

Coaching from the press box is problematic because it separates the coach from his players on the field and makes it hard for the coach to join his team in the locker room at halftime. Being immobile on the sideline also is problematic because coaches need to follow their teams up and down the field as they communicate with their players and game officials.

Sanders and Colorado (3-4) have an off weekend next week before returning to play Oct. 25 at Utah.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

Former unified welterweight champion Jaron Ennis is embarking on a new challenge at 154 pounds as he prepares to face Uisma Lima on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Ennis currently holds an undefeated record of 34 wins, including 30 knockouts. He is the reigning IBF and WBA welterweight champion. In his last fight in April, he retained his titles by defeating Eimantas Stanionis with a sixth-round stoppage. Since then, Ennis has signed a multi-year extension with Matchroom Boxing and has decided to move up in weight class. Although he has faced criticism for choosing to fight Uisma Lima, an ‘unknown fighter’ with a record of 14 wins and one loss, including 10 knockouts, Ennis has stated that he is focused on the upcoming match.

Get ready to witness Ennis’ debut at a new weight class as he faces Lima on Saturday.

Dennis Thompson vs. Sean Diaz results

Dennis Thompson won the six-round fight against Sean Diaz by split decision.

How to watch Jaron Ennis vs Uisma Lima fight

Jaron Ennis will face Uisma Lima on Saturday, October 11 with the whole event broadcasted on DAZN.

Date: Saturday, October 11
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Jaron Ennis vs Uisma Lima main event ringwalks (approx) : 10:47 p.m. ET
Stream:DAZN

Watch Jason Ennis vs Uisma Lima on DAZN

Jaron Ennis vs Uisma Lima ring walk

Jaron Ennis and Uisma Lima are expected to walk to the ring at 10:47 p.m. ET.

Jaron Ennis vs Uisma Lima prelim fight results

Zaquin Moses vs Antonio Dunton-El Jr ;  Super featherweight
Giorgio Visioli vs James Wilkins ;  Super featherweight
Harley Mederos vs TBC ;  Lightweight
Justin Palmieri vs Naheem Parker ;  Lightweight

When does Jaron Ennis vs Uisma Lima start?

The Jaron Ennis vs. Uisma Lima fight card consists of nine fights and will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 11, 2025 with early prelim fights. The main event for the Jaron Ennis vs. Uisma Lima fight is expected to be around 10:47 p.m. ET. However, the duration of the undercard will impact when Ennis and Lima actually start.

Jaron Ennis vs. Uisma Lima fight card

Jaron Ennis vs Uisma Lima ; Super welterweight
Khalil Coe vs Jesse Hart ;  Light heavyweight
Alexis Barreire vs Guido Vianello ;  Heavyweight
Tahmir Smalls vs Jose Roman ;  Welterweight
Dennis Thompson vs Sean Diaz;  Super bantamweight
Zaquin Moses vs Antonio Dunton-El Jr ;  Super featherweight
Giorgio Visioli vs James Wilkins ;  Super featherweight
Harley Mederos vs TBC ;  Lightweight
Justin Palmieri vs Naheem Parker ;  Lightweight

The Big Ten has produced the last two national champions, and No. 1 Ohio State is positioned to win another.
Saban himself conceded that Ohio State is a ‘great’ team, highlighting quarterback Julian Sayin’s talent.
Nick Saban applauds SEC’s depth of ‘pretty good’ teams, but ‘pretty good’ doesn’t win national titles.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Nick Saban’s not mistaken, but he’s having the wrong conversation.

Saban poo-pooed the Big Ten this week, and he exalted the SEC’s down-ballot clout.

The Big Ten “is not like the SEC, where you’ve got eight or nine teams that can beat you,” Saban said on ESPN.

OK, so, by Saban’s assessment, the SEC’s ninth-best team probably would beat the Big Ten’s ninth-best team. I don’t disagree, but so what?

The College Football Playoff is not an exam that rewards the conference with the most depth. The postseason rewards dominance, not depth.

That’s why the Big Ten produced the past two national champions, and that’s why the yanks in the north are well-positioned to produce another national champion and retain bragging rights on the SEC.

Until otherwise proven, No. 1 Ohio State remains the nation’s most-dominant, most-complete team.

A day before the Buckeyes smashed No. 17 Illinois, 34-16, Saban rattled off a bunch of SEC teams he believes are “pretty good.”

Texas A&M. Georgia. Mississippi. Alabama. Missouri. Tennessee.

He’s right, of course, but Saban knows better than anyone “pretty good” teams don’t win national championships.

In Saban’s heyday, Alabama smashed pretty good teams.

Dominant teams win national championships.

Great teams win national championships.

So, I wonder, whom did the GOAT spotlight as a great team?

“Ohio State is great,” Saban conceded.

Right again.

And Ohio State’s greatness matters more than which conference’s ninth-place team would win if they met in an also-ran bowl as an appetizer to the playoff.

Does SEC football have a team of Ohio State’s caliber?

Who’s the SEC’s lead horse?

Alabama, potentially. The Crimson Tide have ripped off three straight ranked victories, solidifying after that woeful opener at Florida State.

But, if you offered me the option of Ohio State’s offensive line or Alabama’s, I’d take the Buckeyes’ big fellas who seem intent on making sure the nearest defender is at least one country mile away from quarterback Julian Sayin.

I’d take Ohio State’s defensive line, too, and its wide receivers. As sharp as Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson looks — he’s the best thing going in Tuscaloosa — Sayin is completing better than 78% of his passes for Ohio State.

Insert Georgia or Ole Miss or Tennessee or Texas A&M or Oklahoma into that equation in place of Alabama, and my answer doesn’t change. At nearly every position, the Buckeyes enjoy supremacy.

Nick Saban lauds Ohio State’s Julian Sayin

Game recognizes game. You don’t win seven national championships without spotting talent.

“Nobody has done what Ohio State’s quarterback Julian Sayin” has done, Saban said on ESPN, hours before Ohio State’s redshirt freshman tossed two touchdown passes against the Illini.

Saban wanted Sayin as Alabama’s quarterback of the future, until he up and retired. Sayin flipped his commitment from Alabama to Ohio State.

“He’s my guy,” Saban said.

He’s Ohio State’s guy now, the latest in a run of excellent quarterbacks to develop under coach Ryan Day.

After Ohio State improved to 6-0, Day gave his players permission to feel some satisfaction in smashing a conference opponent by three scores on the road.

“It’s a good sign when you have to go into the locker room after a win like this and make sure everybody understands what a great win it was,” Day said. “I think we all felt like we left a little bit on the field, but with all that being said, I thought the effort was excellent.”

Efficient though this victory was, nobody wearing scarlet and gray considered this to be Ohio State at its peak.

“We’re going to keep building,” Sayin said.

That’s what’s scary about this latest beast forming in Columbus. The Buckeyes have a higher gear that, outside of last week’s rout of Minnesota, they’ve shown sparingly.

“We’re still finding our stride,” Ohio State tight end Max Klare said. “Once we hit that, we’ll get things rolling.”

If the Buckeyes learn to hit that higher gear more consistently, the SEC’s depth or the strength of its ninth-place team won’t matter a bit, because the playoff spits out “pretty good” teams and crowns the great ones.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

Another Saturday, another day full of college football upsets.

One of the biggest ones may have come courtesy of Northwestern football. The Wildcats upended No. 22 Penn State 22-21 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, Oct. 11.

The Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten) have now lost three games in a row following a 3-0 start to the season. Penn State was ranked No. 2 in the country as recently as the Sept. 21 US LBM Coaches Poll. However, following a loss to No. 5 Oregon, it has lost back-to-back games to unranked UCLA and Northwestern (4-2, 2-1).

The Wildcats scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 9-yard run by Caleb Komolafe with 4:51 remaining in the game. Penn State turned the ball over on downs on the ensuing possession, which also saw its quarterback, Drew Allar, go down with an injury.

Allar completed 13 of 20 passes for 137 yards and an interception in the loss. Northwestern has now won three in a row following a 1-2 start to the season.

All Curt Cignetti does is win.

But on Saturday, Oct. 11, the second-year Hoosiers’ coach picked up what could be his signature win as a head coach with a 30-20 road upset of No. 2 Oregon at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.

The No. 7 Hoosiers (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) outscored the Ducks (5-1, 2-1) 17-10 in the second half to pick up the pivotal Big Ten Conference win and move to 6-0 on the season. The Hoosiers qualified for the College Football Playoff in 2024 and are on the path to do so again.

Fernando Mendoza hit Elijah Sarratt for the go-ahead touchdown for the Hoosiers with 6:23 left in the game. On the ensuing Oregon possession, Louis Moore picked off a pass from Oregon quarterback Dante Moore to help the Hoosiers score again, a field goal to make it a two-score game.

Isaiah Jones’ interception of Dante Moore on the Ducks’ next play right before the two-minute warning effectively sealed it.

Moore went 21-for-34 for 186 yards with a touchdown and the two interceptions. He was sacked six times.

The Indiana defense limited Oregon to 267 total yards.

Oregon, which had previously knocked off No. 2 Penn State on the road, saw its 18-game winning streak at home snapped. Its last home loss came in Lanning’s first year, to rival Washington.

MILWAUKEE — The World Series has arrived in town here in Milwaukee, only without the Commissioner’s Trophy … or even the commissioner.

There won’t be a trophy presentation on the field, or even an MVP being honored, with the baseball calendar declaring it’s only the National League Division Series.

Major League Baseball rules require that the winner of the Division Series must still win four more games in the National League Championship Series against the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers to even reach the World Series.

Then again, those people don’t know the sentiments of the Milwaukee Brewers fans in America’s heartland.

The Brewers’ winner-take-all game Saturday against the Chicago Cubs (8:08 p.m. ET, TBS) means just about everything but the Lombardi Trophy to the friendly, cheese-loving, beer-guzzling, Green Bay Packers-adoring folks of Milwaukee.

Beat the Cubs on Saturday at American Family Field, and it will be a season revered in Brewers lore for generations.

Lose to the Cubs and they will consider it a season ruined.

It’s just how it works here in Milwaukee, where going to the postseason has become an October ritual.

The Brewers have been to the playoffs seven of the last eight years. They shock the baseball world year after year, and just when you don’t think they can possibly win the NL Central, they do it again and again and again.

They weren’t supposed to be here, not after letting All-Star shortstop Willy Adames walk and trading All-Star closer Devin Williams to the Yankees in the offseason, one year after trading Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes.

They opened the season getting embarrassed by the Yankees, outscored 36-10 – and responded by winning 97 games, most in franchise history, and running away with the NL Central.

They were rewarded with a first-round bye, avoided having to play the Dodgers or the powerful Philadelphia Phillies in their bracket, and drew the Cubs.

Yep, those rich, ivy-loving spoiled kids down the interstate they love to hate.

The Brewers’ most cherished moment during this fabulous run was in 2018, when they walked into Wrigley Field, and with their fans storming the gates, beat the Cubs in Game 163 to win the NL Central. The Cubs were eliminated one day later by the Colorado Rockies in the wild-card game, while the Brewers advanced to the NLCS, losing in seven games to the Dodgers.

It was also the last time the Brewers won a postseason series.

Now, playing the Cubs for the first time in their postseason history, they have the opportunity for bragging rights until the day their breweries run out of beer.

If the Brewers win Saturday, and no matter what happens in the NLCS, even if they get swept by the powerful Dodgers, it still will forever be hailed as a glorious season.

If they lose, it will ruin everything they accomplished this year, leaving their fans frustrated and bitter for allowing their hopes to build so high, only to be crushed by their annoying I-94 neighbors.

The Brewers’ fans thought they had this thing wrapped up a few days ago, laughing it up, drinking hard, and celebrating after running over the Cubs in the first two games at Miller Park, 9-3 and 7-3, leaving them just one victory away from winning the series.

Then, the series moved to Wrigley, the Cubs fans made their lives miserable, and once they smelled fear, beat the Brewers, 4-3 in Game 3 and barrel-rolled them, 6-0, in Game 4.

“There is nobody on our team except for (Christian) Yelich and (Freddy) Peralta that’s ever played an away playoff game,’’ Brewers manager Pat Murphy said of his two veterans. “So they got their first taste of it in an unbelievable environment. … To criticize this team for losing two games in Chicago in that environment, as well as the Cubs played, how well they capitalized on every little thing, that’s baseball.’’

And to suddenly now write them off, believing the Cubs’ momentum is too great to overcome, then you just don’t know Murphy’s Brew Crew. They’ve won more games the past two seasons than any team in franchise history. They haven’t had a losing streak longer than four games. They’ve won three consecutive division titles, and four in the last five years, despite being baseball’s smallest market with one of the game’s lowest player payrolls.

“Will they respond?,’’ Murphy said. “They always do. I fully expect them to respond. That was a tough environment for two days for these young kids.’’

Now is the Brewers’ chance to make the pain all go away, terminating the Cubs’ season, and staying home to play the Dodgers in a classic David vs. Goliath matchup.

Win, and maybe they even start to forgive Cubs manager Craig Counsell for abandoning them, and maybe those handful of current and former Brewers executives will even speak to him again.

Win, and they’ll have bragging rights over the city of Chicago until the Bears return to the Super Bowl.

Win, and their bitter cold winters will feel like Tahiti, their skin still glowing from pride.

This is a team, after all, that has won five full-season NL Central Division titles since the Cubs’ last one in 2017.

“They’ve done that without the big roster, without the big budget, without the free agent signings, without the trade deadline stuff,’’ Murphy said. “So respect this team.’’

Sure, no one said this will be easy, and they’re quite aware that history hasn’t been kind to them in these circumstances. They have lost five consecutive games in which they had the opportunity to end their opponent’s season, dating back to Game 7 of the NLCS against the Dodgers in 2018.

The last time they won a winner-take-all game was back in 2011, when Nyjer Morgan hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5 of the NLDS in Milwaukee.

Yet, history will also tell them that only two times in NLDS history has a team blown a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series (1981, 2012).

History will tell them that they have one of the greatest home-field advantages in baseball, with only two teams winning more games at home this season.

And history will tell them that over 162 games all season, they were better than the Cubs, finishing five games ahead in the standings.

It was Counsell who knew the Cubs were in trouble after losing the first two games of the series, but boldly said, “We get to decide how this story ends.”

Now, it’s the Brewers’ turn to have the pen in their hands.

“There’s not one prognosticator that picked them over .500,’’ Murphy said, “so this team has overachieved all year. And this team had a dream, wanted to do something special for the fans of Milwaukee, for Bob Uecker, for each other. …

“We’re the only small market team doing this. Get behind these guys. I’m proud we’re in the spot we’re in. We’re five wins away from the World Series. I learned a lot about this team, and one thing is it’s resilient and they bounce back.’’

And there’s no reason, Murphy believes, why they won’t do it once again, scoffing at the idea that they need a victory over the Cubs to validate their season.

“I’m not looking to validate anything with anyone…,’’ Murphy says. “To be in the position we’re in, there’s no validation. I just want to do this very badly. … Are we not good because we didn’t win a playoff series after we got a bye in the first round, by having the best record in the league? That’s got to count for something.

“But I’m not going to think about that. I’m just going to plan on tomorrow.

“And plan on winning.’’

Follow Nightengale on X: @BNightengale