Texas quarterback Arch Manning suffered a concussion in the Longhorns’ overtime win against Mississippi State on Oct. 25, according to ESPN.

Manning, who led a 17-point comeback in the fourth quarter, passed for 346 yards with three touchdowns to an interception while rushing for another score. Manning exited the game after taking a hard hit on a 13-yard scramble in the overtime period.

Manning dove for extra yards and was hit by two Mississippi State defenders, one being defensive lineman Kedrick Bingley-Jones. Manning then went into the medical tent.

Texas backup Matthew Caldwell entered the game and threw a game-winning touchdown pass to Emmett Mosley V to finish the comeback.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian didn’t offer an update on Manning after the game and said they’d find out more after returning home.

It’s a tough break for Manning, whose status for Texas’ upcoming home game against Vanderbilt could be in jeopardy. The former five-star quarterback is coming off perhaps his best performance with the Longhorns.

Texas’ offense has mostly struggled in 2025, but Manning came through in the fourth quarter against the Bulldogs. He completed 12-of-20 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns in the final period before overtime.

Manning has completed 143 of 235 passing (60.9%) for 1,795 yards with 15 touchdowns to six interceptions this season, while rushing for 199 yards and six scores on 68 carries.

This story was updated to change a video.

If Lane Kiffin stays at Ole Miss, Florida search becomes more complicated.
Louisville’s Jeff Brohm profiles as interesting Plan B for Gators.
If no Kiffin or Brohm for Florida, search gets muddy.

Here’s the stark truth about Florida’s coaching search: If Lane Kiffin stays at Mississippi, the Gators lack a slam dunk choice.

And Kiffin moved a step toward staying put Saturday after Ole Miss beat Oklahoma 34-26. With every Rebels win, they move a step closer to a quality College Football Playoff seed, and a playoff run would erect roadblocks to Kiffin exiting.

“This was a big win,” Kiffin said after his first win against a ranked SEC opponent at Ole Miss.

For so many reasons, was it big.

The Gators still could make a good hire not named Kiffin. Look at Texas A&M. The Aggies backed their way into their choice of Mike Elko after flirting with hiring Mark Stoops.

So, yes, Plan B could work, but, for so many reasons, Kiffin had to be Plan A. He fits Florida like sunshine and a Tommy Bahama chair. His coaching style is an homage to Steve Spurrier.

Kiffin would offer Florida the assurance of a high floor and the potential of an untapped ceiling. He’s not the only candidate who could thrive in Gainesville. He’s just the only one who offers guaranteed success — or, as close as a guarantee exists in coaching hires.

If Florida misses on Lane Kiffin, eye Jeff Brohm

If Florida can’t land Kiffin, the Gators should target Louisville’s Jeff Brohm. This guy’s a winner.

You might recall Brohm led Purdue to a blowout win over Ohio State in 2018. If you’d forgotten that, surely you recall his Cardinals beating Miami just a week ago.

He’s a proven quarterback developer, a sharp offensive mind, and he’s got some swagger, though not as overt as Kiffin. At Louisville, he’s coaching in his hometown. He lacks SEC experience. I’d still make him Plan B. He’s not a slam dunk for success at Florida, inside a conference where he’s never coached, but he’s a high-percentage jumper.

If the search must go past Kiffin and Brohm, then the waters really start to get boggy.

Florida coaching search becomes roll of dice if no Kiffin, Brohm

Eli Drinkwitz’s record the past three seasons is nearly identical to Kiffin’s, but he presents as such a Natty Light version of the good stuff. He’s like if Kiffin had a goofy cousin. If Kiffin could be Spurrier 2.0, then Drinkwitz could be Dan Mullen 2.0, in personality and fit.

You see it, don’t you? Mullen wears a visor, and he could try to be funny (and come off goofy), and he had a good history with quarterbacks, and he knows X’s and O’s, but it just never came as naturally to Mullen as it did to the Head Ball Coach — or, like it does for Kiffin.

Think Gators fans watched Missouri score 10 points in a loss to Vanderbilt and got hyped about a Drinkwitz candidacy? Steady though he’s been, Drinkwitz’s record in marquee games lingers as a concern.

So, too, is James Franklin’s.

Franklin had a big game problem at Penn State. Well, look around the SEC. Big games happen a lot more frequently in the South than they do in the Big Ten. Franklin would be the definition of a conservative choice, designed to avoid a repeat of Billy Napier’s 22-23 record, with the acceptance of a ceiling that’s short of a national championship.

I could make an elevator pitch for Alex Golesh, even after his South Florida Bulls lost to Memphis. It goes like this: His offense is potent and fun. He’s on the rise. He’s already established inroads in Florida recruiting.

But, after whiffing on Sun Belt Billy, Florida surely will want to avoid hiring again from the Group of Five ranks. Also, Golesh’s loss to Memphis complicates selling this hire to Gators fans, who set their sights set on a big fish.

Speaking of fish, Washington’s Jedd Fisch would amount to a shot in the dark. Maybe, it could work with this Florida alumnus. Maybe, he’d go bust. He’s not coached in the SEC since he was a grad assistant for Spurrier. He had one really good year coaching Arizona. Does that portend future greatness? Who knows. A roll of the dice, this one.

Georgia Tech’s Brent Key looks better all the time. If only he could bring sixth-year senior Haynes King with him, and if only his exit wasn’t complicated by playoff contention. The ACC is so flimsy, but the Yellow Jackets’ rise nonetheless inspires belief in Key. File this option under the maybe-it-would-work heading.

Or, as they say in the South, might could. Would Key thrive at Florida? Might could.

That’s the reality of Florida’s search, if Kiffin stays put. There’s the high-percentage jumper in Louisville who’d need to leave his alma mater. There’s few might coulds. There’s the Missouri imitation who’s got a big-game problem. There’s the conservative choice from Penn State’s scrapyard who’s also got a big-game problem.

There’s one slam dunk. He becomes more inaccessible with every Ole Miss victory.

Colorado suffered a 53-7 loss to Utah, the worst defeat of Deion Sanders’ college coaching career.
Utah outgained Colorado by a margin of 587-140 in total yards, dropping the Buffaloes to 3-5 on the season.
Coach Deion Sanders took responsibility for the loss, stating the assessment of what went wrong ‘starts with me.’

SALT LAKE CITY – With less than two minutes remaining in Saturday night’s game at Utah, Colorado football coach Deion Sanders put both hands on his knees and bent over on the sideline.

If it looked like he was getting ready to vomit, pardon him for how he felt. He had never experienced anything quite like this — a 53-7 loss against the Utes on a night when almost everything seemed to go freakishly wrong for Colorado.

“This is bad,” Sanders said afterward. “It’s probably the worst beating I’ve ever had since my mama whooped me as a kid.”

He’s right, at least in terms of his college coaching career. It was the worst loss under Sanders in three seasons at Colorado — a span of 33 games. It also was the worst loss in Sanders’ college coaching career overall, including his tenure at Jackson State.

But why?

Colorado was coming off a bye week and its best win of the season in its previous game on Oct. 11- a 24-17 win against Iowa State. Sanders even praised his team’s physical week of practice before the game.

Deion Sanders had the same question: ‘Why?’

Utah outgained the Buffaloes by a margin of 587-140 in total yards, helping drop Colorado to 3-5 this season and 1-3 in the Big 12 Conference. To become eligible for a postseason bowl game, the Buffs now need to win three of their final four regular-season games.

“Let’s identify the why first,” Sanders said. “You know, that’s what I want to know — why? OK, what about this play — why? Who was that? What about that play — why? Why can’t we get the ball off? Why? You know? Why? I need to know all these whys before we can move on and even think about something down the street.”

The simple answer to the question is the Buffs got whipped up front on both sides of the ball and even added some bad miscues on special teams.

Utah freshman quarterback Byrd Ficklin also outplayed Colorado senior Kaidon Salter as a result. Salter had just 37 yards passing and minus-4 yards rushing after getting sacked five times.

By contrast, Ficklin rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown and passed for 140 yards and two touchdowns in place of regular starter Devon Dampier, who injured his leg last week in a loss at BYU. It was Ficklin’s first career start for Utah, which improved to 6-2 overall and 2-2 in the Big 12 on a cool, breezy night in front of 51,949 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Deion Sanders blamed himself

After the game, a reporter basically asked Sanders what he needs to do now.

“I’m trying to figure that out,” said Sanders, who signed a new contract earlier this year worth more than $10 million per year. “I really am.”

Sanders also said the assessment of what went wrong “starts with me.”

He expressed urgency about it, too.

“We gotta figure this out, like, now,” he said. “Now.”

Salter, the transfer quarterback from Liberty, said what happened “definitely blindsided me.” It was the second time he’s been beaten by an opposing freshman quarterback, including a 24-21 loss last month against BYU and its freshman quarterback, Bear Bachmeirer.

“We practiced real hard this week,” Salter said.  He even said he watched over 10 hours of film to prepare.

And then it all blew up right from the start, when Ficklin broke loose for a 63-yard touchdown run on the second play of the game.

How bad was it for Colorado and Deion Sanders?

Before halftime, the statistical comparison between the two teams looked like a batch of computer errors instead of a game between peers in a major college football conference.

∎ Total yards in the first half: Utah 398, Colorado minus-18.

∎ Rushing yards in the first half: Utah 260, Colorado minus-41.

∎ First downs in the first half: Utah 16, Colorado 3.

If that wasn’t freakish enough, Colorado even tossed in a few other bizarre gaffes before halftime — an intentional grounding call against Salter in the end zone for a Utah safety, a shanked punt into the crowd and a punt that was blocked by Utah.

By the time the first half was over after midnight ET, Utah led 43-0, eclipsing the point differential of the previous worst loss in Sanders’ three seasons in Colorado — a 42-point loss at Washington State on Nov. 17, 2023.

“We just didn’t play fast,” Colorado linebacker Jeremiah Brown said. “We didn’t show up. It’s just as simple as it is. We didn’t come to play. We had a great week of practice. We (were) physical all week in practice. And I guess we got complacent.”

Deion Sanders also said it boiled down to coaching

Sanders was going up against Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, now in his 21st season in charge of the Utes.

“He kicked my butt today,” Sanders said. ‘It was 1-on-1 with me and him, and he won by a significant margin.”

Salter said what he saw from the Utah defense was “nowhere to be found” on the game film he studied before the game.

“I feel like today they schemed up this… pressure just for us, for this game,” Salter said.

Now the Buffs need to regroup to play Arizona at home on Nov. 1.

“We just can’t quit,” Salter said.

Sanders’ record in three seasons at Colorado is now 16-17, including 4-8 in 2023 and 9-4 in 2024.

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

Major League Soccer suspended two players for a ‘potential violation of league rules’ before their opening matches in the MLS Cup Playoffs this week.

Los Angeles FC’s Yaw Yeboah and Columbus Crew’s Derrick Jones were placed on administrative leave pending review, the league said in a Saturday, Oct. 25 statement.

MLS declined comment when contact by USA TODAY Sports about why the players were suspended.

Yeboah, 28, has played in 23 games across all competitions with a goal for LAFC in 2025. He signed a two-year deal in January 2025, making $550,000 in guaranteed compensation.

LAFC acquired Yeboah from San Diego FC, which selected him in the 2024 MLS Re-Entry draft after Columbus did not re-sign him. He played 93 total games with Columbus from 2022-24.

Yeboah started his career in Europe with England’s Manchester City in 2014, but did not play with the club. He made stops at French club Lille (2015-16), Dutch club Twente (2016-17), and Spanish clubs Real Oviedo (2017-18), Numancia (2018-2020) and Celta Fortuna (2019-2020). He also played Wisła Kraków in Poland (2020-22) before joining MLS. Yeboah played with Ghana’s Under-20, Under-23 and Senior Team during his career.

Jones, 28, has only played three matches for Columbus in 2025, making $387,500 in guaranteed compensation.

Jones has played with five different MLS clubs in his career, including the Philadelphia Union’s first and second team (2016-19), Nashville SC (2019-20), Houston Dynamo (2021-22), Charlotte FC (2022-23) and Columbus since 2024. He also played with United States Under-20 team in 2017, and the Under-23 team in 2019.

Columbus Crew will face FC Cincinnati in Game 1 of their first-round, best-of-three series on Monday, Oct. 27, while LAFC hosts Austin FC in Game 1 on Wednesday.

Jordan Gumberg has secured his DP World Tour card on Sunday, Oct. 26, by finishing his season with an impressive final shot. He made an eagle on the 18th hole at the Genesis Championship in South Korea, held at the Woo Jeong Hills Country Club.

The American golfer, who began the competition in 127th place, needed a strong performance to move into the top 115 of the Race to Dubai, a season-long competition. Despite challenging weather conditions, Gumberg made a crucial shot by hitting an eagle from 58 yards out on the 18th hole, which secured his tour card for the next season. Gumberg aimed to finish at least 14th in what was his 34th event of the season in order to earn the points necessary to improve his standing.

After Gumberg’s impressive shot on the 18th hole, the joy and celebration were palpable. He was seen jumping with excitement and celebrating with his caddie.

Quarterback Marcel Reed said Moffitt gave Texas A&M so extra motivation in its preparation leading up to the 49-25 win.

‘Thursday, he brought in a tackling dummy with Brian Kelly’s face on it,’ Reed told reporters after the win. ‘We all just started kicking and stomping it and stuff like that.’

‘Last two years in second half against LSU we outscored them 60-6,’ Aggies coach Mike Elko said after game. ‘Says a lot about Coach Moffitt.’

Texas A&M proved it’s one of the best teams in college football this season, as it defeated LSU 49-25, putting up six offensive touchdowns and 426 total yards on the nation’s No. 26-ranked defense entering the night.

Reed led the way with 202 passing yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 108 yards and two scores.

Moffitt might not have played against LSU, but his presence was certainly felt in the win.

‘This one was an important one for him,’ Reed said. ‘… Definitely played a little bit of this game for Moffitt because he had so much passion for the game and does so much for us.’

This story was updated to change a video.

TORONTO — Los Angeles Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw leaned back against his locker Saturday trying to describe what he just witnessed.

He has three Cy Young awards and two World Series championships.

He has won an MVP award, made 11 All-Star Games, won five Cy Young titles and a Gold Glove, too.

But never, ever in his 18-year career, did he ever see what teammate Yoshinobu Yamamato accomplished Saturday night, going where no man has gone in 33 years.

Yamamoto, after pitching a four-hit complete game and retiring the last 20 batters he faced in the Dodgers’ 5-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays to even the World Series at one-game apiece, may have just changed the future of baseball.

He just brought back a golden age of pitching.

In one glorious night, Yamamoto became the first pitcher since Curt Schilling of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 to throw consecutive complete games in the postseason, with Atlanta’s Tom Glavine the last to do it including a World Series game.

He was the first pitcher to end a World Series game by retiring 20 consecutive batters since Don Larsen’s perfect game in 1956, and only the second in 99 years, dating back to Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1926.

And he was the first Dodgers pitcher to strike out at least eight batters without a walk in a World Series complete game since Sandy Koufax in 1963.

“There’s not enough adjectives, superlatives, anything you want to say,’ Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “To do it in back-to-back starts, in less than 110 pitches, it’s amazing.’

So now he knows what the boys must have felt like a century ago when Alexander and Cy Young were pitching?

Or maybe back even further.

“Maybe we got our own new Old Hoss (Radbourn),’ Freeman said.

Well, it’s safe to say we’ll never see the Dodgers let Yamamoto throw at least 425 innings for six consecutive seasons like Old Hoss, let alone 678 innings back in 1884 – but you get the idea.

Considering that no pitcher had thrown a complete game in the World Series since Johnny Cueto in 2015, did Kershaw imagine that he’d ever see the feat?

“I don’t think anybody could have predicted that,’ Kershaw said. “But you know, maybe it’s a sign of where baseball should, and will get back to. I think it’s always fun to have great starting pitching matchups, and to see him go deep into games, maybe this gives some people some ideas for the future, hopefully.’

Considering the way Yoshinobu was pitching, retiring the last 20 batters he faced with complete ease, his pitch count of 105 pitches was as irrelevant as the number of sunflower seeds spit onto the Rogers Centre field.

“The way Yosh is throwing right now and the way we’re built right now,’ Kershaw said, “he could throw 150 pitches if he wants. …

“I just think the way he throws the baseball is like perfect. No wasted movement. So efficient. He came here with a fastball, curveball, split and now he’s throwing sinkers, cutters, sliders. So, he’s got six pitches with command that he uses really well.’

Yes, there’s a reason why he was the most coveted free agent pitcher two years ago before signing a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers.

They wouldn’t have won the World Series without him a year ago.

And they’re not in position for a repeat this year without him going 3-1 with a 1.57 ERA in the postseason..

Since giving up five runs in the first three innings of his postseason debut a year ago, he is yielding a 1.62 ERA, striking out 40 batters over 44 ⅓ innings, with the Dodgers going 6-1 in his starts.

When Dodgers manager Dave Roberts couldn’t stop with the praise.

“Outstanding, uber competitive, special,’’ Roberts said. “It was one of those things he said before the series, losing is not an option, and he had that look tonight.’

The Blue Jays, who came out swinging at the first six pitches they saw, with George Springer opening with a double and Nathan Lukes following with a single, thought they were on him.

Nope.

They not only failed to hit the ball out of the infield the rest of the inning but managed only two hits the rest of the game.

The Blue Jays looked absolutely clueless.

“He was unbelievable,’ Springer said. “He did what he does best. … He showed why he is who he is. …

“Just one of those situations where a very, very elite guy had a great game.’

Yamamoto was so dominant that after Alejandro Kirk’s sacrifice fly in the third inning, Yamamoto allowed only three balls to leave the infield the rest of the game.

“My pitching style is just keep attacking the zone,’ Yamamoto said.

The Dodgers bullpen spent the entire game just soaking in the atmosphere, with Rōki Sasaki only warming up in the ninth inning.

“I mean, he could have went another 30, 40 pitches tonight,’ Roberts said.

And even at 140 pitches, he still would be better than anyone else the Dodgers could have brought in from the bullpen.

Yamamoto is built for this moment. He may be only in his second year pitching in the major leagues, but he was a star in Japan, Eiji Sawamura Award three times before setting foot in LA.

“He’s pitched in huge ball games in Japan,’ Roberts said. “He’s pitched in the WBC. Players that have the weight of a country on their shoulders, that’s pressure.

“So, I just feel that part of his DNA is to just perform at a high level in big spots and control his heartbeat and just continue to make pitches.’’

The only time Yamamoto was in the least bit of trouble was in the first inning when he threw 23 pitches, and then he never broke a sweat the rest of the game.

“It’s amazing,’ Freeman said. “As he was going along in the fifth, sixth, seventh, I was just thinking about how poised and how he was in control of the game, and what he was trying to do … He just throws it whenever he wants. He sets up hitters, understands hitters’ swings and he’s just incredible.’’

And when he takes the ball to start the game, Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior says, he expects to finish it.

“I love it,’ Roberts said. “I love feeling that the starter is the best option to go six, seven, eight [innings], and what Yamamoto is doing, nine innings. You got to be efficient, you got to have the weapons to be able to take down a lineup three times, four times, whatever it is, and you got to want to do it.

“So he is a throwback player. It’s a lot of fun to root for a guy, and you feel good about leaving a guy like that in.’’

Yamamoto, who has easily become baseball’s most dominant pitcher this entire postseason, is scheduled to start Game 6 back in Toronto.

The Blue Jays believe that after seeing Yamamoto for the first time, they’ll be more prepared.

One little problem, as the Dodgers cautioned leaving the clubhouse.

The way they’re pitching, and with the next three games back at Dodger Stadium, there may not be a Game 6.

“That’s our hope,’ Freeman said.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

Houston football was playing for a bigger purpose in its win over Arizona State on Oct. 25.

Cougars strength and conditioning coach Kurt Hester died on Oct. 25, just a few hours before Houston’s 24-16 win over No. 25 Arizona State. Hester was battling Stage IV melanoma, a fight that was featured on ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ earlier this season.

Hester was diagnosed with melanoma in February, and was given four to six weeks to live, according to the announcement. His cancer was receding before he was hospitalized ahead of Houston’s game against Arizona on Oct. 18 with an infection.

Coach Willie Fritz honored Hester after the win.

‘It’s a bittersweet win, without question,’ Fritz told reporters after the game. ‘Kurt Hester was an unbelievably important person in our football program. I’ve been with him for a while. He’s the best strength and conditioning coach I’ve ever been around, but more importantly, just a fantastic role model for our student-athletes.’

Hester was in his second season with the program after following Fritz to Houston from Tulane, where he worked from 2022-23. He was nominated for the 2025 Capital One Orange Bowl FWAA Courage Award on Oct. 22.

‘He (has) just been such a light in such a dark time in his life,’ Houston star tight end Tanner Koziol said after the game. ‘It just goes to show the impact that someone can have on hundreds of people, thousands of people. He stared death in the face and he didn’t blink. He was truly unbreakable. He defined that word by living it.’

Koziol said Hester spoke to the team for the last time on Oct. 23, and shared Hester’s message postgame.

‘It was really, ‘what type of man do you want to be?’ when you’re faced with adversity, especially,’ Koziol said. ‘When things are going good, when things are going bad, people are going to look at you, and they’re going to want you to step up. And are you going to be the guy that steps up, or are you not going to? He was just unbelievable. … Him not speaking but showing up everyday said enough.’

Hester was clearly not only an important figure to those in the Houston program, but also in college football, as strength coaches and others were inspired by his story, as evident by the outpouring of support on social media.

‘Kurt showed his unbreakable spirit every day,’ Fritz said. ‘He had a tremendously positive influence on every single person in our program and on this program as a whole. Kurt was fortunate enough to love what he did for a living and had an unbelievable impact on so many people across so many programs. Kurt had his family, faith and football and that’s what he cared about.’

It’s National Tight End Day, but will the Buffalo Bills’ tight end be able to participate in the festivities? Kincaid continues to nurse an oblique issue that sidelined him heading into the bye week.

Now coming out of it, the Bills are motivated to avoid a three-game losing streak. Whether or not Kincaid will be there to help remains to be seen, since his status is coming down to the wire.

Kincaid remains the key to unlocking the receiving game in the tight end room and adds another dimension to the Bills’ increasingly stoppable offense. Getting him back would go a long way in starting to solve those problems.

Here’s the latest on Kincaid before Week 8.

Is Dalton Kincaid playing today?

Kincaid is officially active for the Bills in Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers.

He profiled as a true game-time decision, with clarity on Kincaid’s status finally coming when inactive reports were due 90 minutes prior to kickoff.

The tight end has been battling an oblique issue, which sidelined him for the Bills’ last game before their bye week. Kincaid was a surprise inactive for that ‘Monday Night Football’ contest after logging three limited practice sessions.

It remains the case after three limited practices before Week 8, though it is notable that Kincaid was able to shed the non-contact jersey in advance of Buffalo’s trip to Carolina.

Bills TE depth chart

Dalton Kincaid
Dawson Knox
Jackson Hawes

Kincaid is the clear top receiving option out of Buffalo’s tight end room. The volume hasn’t always been there for the third-year tight end, but he has three touchdowns in five games and continues to make his presence felt.

Knox and Hawes play more of the secondary role since neither of them are considered receiving threats. In other words, without Kincaid, Buffalo would just turn the lights off on their tight ends in the passing attack.