The Indianapolis Colts wide receiver was ejected during the third quarter of the Colts’ Jan. 4 game at the Houston Texans.

Pierce was ejected after he caught a pass from Colts QB Riley Leonard in the back of the end zone line. Pierce landed out of bounds and the pass was ruled incomplete. However, Pierce got up and pleaded with the nearby official over what he believed was an apparent penalty on the play. Pierce inadvertently bumped into the official during the discussion and was immediately flagged.

The game officials ejected Pierce for contact with a referee.

Pierce’s disqualification ended a stellar day for the wideout. He had four catches for a season-best 132 and two touchdowns at the time of his exit.

Pierce did appear to apologize to the official following his ejection.

Cowboys rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku was ejected from a game against the Giants.
The ejection occurred after Ezeiruaku pulled the helmet off of Giants lineman Greg Van Roten during a skirmish.
The altercation began after a hit on Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart.

A meaningless Week 18 game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants does not make it immune from tempers running hot.

Cowboys rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku had his rookie season end prematurely when he was ejected for pulling the helmet off Giants offensive lineman Greg Van Roten with 9:52 remaining in the third quarter.

A skirmish between the two teams started following a hit by Cowboys linebacker James Houston on Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart after Dart threw a 13-yard touchdown to Tyrone Tracy. Van Roten would not let go of Cowboys defensive lineman Sam Williams’ facemask.

It wasn’t the first misfortune to befell Ezeiruaku during the game. He had a sack, which would have been his first since Nov. 3, taken off the board when the Cowboys accepted a tripping penalty against New York that negated the play.

Ezeiruaku was taken in the second round (44th overall) by the Cowboys out of Boston College in the 2025 draft.

‘They have every opportunity, like they have up to this point, to be able to make that decision,’ Golding said Jan. 3 in a Fiesta Bowl news conference. ‘Week in and week out, I don’t dictate whether they do that or not. They are not employed by me. Up to this point that’s how it’s been, and that’s my expectation.’

A source with direct knowledge of the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told USA TODAY Sports that offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. will continue coaching Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal against Miami.

No. 6 Ole Miss (13-1) will face No. 10 Miami in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 (7:30 p.m., ESPN) in in the CFP semifinals. The winner will advance to the national championship on Jan. 19 in Miami vs. the winner of the Jan. 9 Peach Bowl between Indiana and Oregon.

Weis is highest-ranking Ole Miss coach who will follow former coach Lane Kiffin to LSU. Weis, running backs coach Kevin Smith, wide receivers coach George McDonald and tight ends coach Joe Cox have been with Ole Miss and LSU simultaneously.

It’s an odd arrangement that has been successful. Ole Miss has beaten Tulane 41-10 and Georgia 39-34 in the CFP to advance to the Fiesta Bowl.

Golding said communication with Kiffin has been great, and the idea is to retain the outgoing coaches for the Fiesta Bowl and a potential national championship game.

‘The idea is the same guys that have coached the same positions all year will do that in this game like they have up to this point,’ Golding said.

Since LSU is now employing the coaches, and their participation with Ole Miss is part of a gentlemen’s agreement, Golding couldn’t guarantee their status.

‘I don’t know,’ Golding said. ‘Do you know if you are going to show up to work tomorrow? It’s grown people making decisions. I have no idea. We’re going to go out there and spot the ball. We’ve got plenty of people in this building who showed up this morning. We’ll be just fine.’

The transfer portal opened Jan. 2 and schools are trying to add to their rosters.

Conflicting reports about Kevin Smith

247Sports reported Jan. 3 that Smith will leave Ole Miss to be LSU’s running backs coach on a full-time basis. On3 later reported Smith said he planned to finish out with Ole Miss.

Golding said there are plenty of coaches to turn to in event he needs a backup plan. He emphasized that the final result is dictated by players, not play callers. He is not worried about uncertainty spoiling the game plan.

‘It’s going to have no impact on the game, but y’all can keep blowing it up and make it a big deal,’ Golding said.

Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_

The player who was once part of the Karl Anthony-Towns trade to the New York Knicks made his college basketball debut to boos on Saturday, Jan. 3.

James Nnaji debuted for the Baylor men’s basketball in its Big 12 opener. The 7-foot center – who was a second-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft – had five points, four rebounds, two turnovers and picked up four fouls in 16 minutes a 69-63 loss to TCU.

After Nnaji entered the game, he was booed and then was booed subauenrly every time he touched the ball. His first points came on a putback dunk with about nine minutes left in the first half.

‘James did nothing wrong,’ Baylor coach Scott Drew said after the game. ‘Baylor did nothing wrong, and I know he’s human and just making sure he doesn’t feel that. If James was an NBA player today, he would be in the NBA.’

Nnaji played four seasons professionally in Europe before the Detroit Pistons drafted him No. 31 overall as an 18-year-old in the 2023 NBA Draft. Since then, Nnaji’s draft rights have been traded twice, but he has never signed an NBA contract.

Because he never attended an American college, Nnaji has four years of eligibility remaining.

‘James is a great young man,’ Drew said. ‘Grew up playing piano in the church. Mom’s most excited about his opportunity to get a degree. Brother’s a mechanical engineer. Sister’s trying to get a master’s. I thought he did a great job in a short period of time. He hadn’t played a competitive game in seven months, been recovering from an injury.’

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

Another quarterback domino fell on Sunday, Jan. 4, with Old Dominion signal-caller Colton Joseph committing to Wisconsin football in the transfer portal, according to reports by ESPN and On3.

Joseph, a dual-threat, threw for 2,624 yards and 21 touchdowns, while adding 158 rushes for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns, for the Monarchs during the 2025 college football season.

The Newport, California native is set to replace Billy Edwards Jr., who Wisconsin added from the transfer portal from Maryland last season. Edwards has since committed to playing at North Carolina.

Joseph will have two years of eligibility remaining after starting the last two seasons for ODU. He has totaled 4,251 yards passing, 1,654 rushing yards, and 56 total touchdowns in that span, leading the Monarchs to a 10-3 record in 2025, the program’s second winning season.

The transfer portal opened on Friday, Jan. 2 and remains open through Jan. 16. Joseph was also set to visit Florida State soon, but it seems that the commitment to the Badgers will likely prevent the visit from happening.

Colton Joseph stats

Here’s a look at Joseph’s stats in his two collegiate seasons with ODU:

2024: 133-of-222 passing (59.9%) for 1,627 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions; 114 rushes for 647 yards and 11 touchdowns
2025: 173-of-290 passing (59.7%) for 2,624 yards, 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions; 158 rushes for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns

Colton Joseph recruiting rankings

Joseph was a 3-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting class, per 247Sports’ Composite ratings, coming out of Newport Harbor High in Newport, California. He committed to ODU over offers from Air Force, Army and Navy.

Following his two successful seasons with the Monarchs, Joseph was the No. 155 overall player and the No. 19 quarterback in the 2025 portal rankings.

Just like last year, Sam Darnold went into a Week 18 regular-season finale needing to come up big on the road against a division rival.

What a difference a year makes.

What, you were waiting for some Darnold turnover that would give the San Francisco 49ers a jolt of momentum?

Keep waiting.

Sure, there was almost a turnover – a muffed exchange in the third quarter that could have set the 49ers up in striking range. But Seattle running back Zach Charbonnet recovered that fumble, averting disaster.

It was that kind of night. The Seahawks blasted San Francsico, 13-3, to clinch the NFC West crown and No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs with a franchise-record 14th win. Darnold was cool, efficient and all that, but as much as you may remember his setbacks with the Minnesota Vikings last season – losing in Week 18 at Detroit, then falling at the L.A. Rams in the wild-card round of the playoffs – it wasn’t so much about Darnold.

Not as long as he’s protecting the football. Not as long as the running game is producing like it has lately, shredding the 49ers for 180 rushing yards in the latest demonstration. And not as long as the defense is packing its usual punch.

With that, Darnold, who entered the game tied for third in the NFL with 13 interceptions, was representative of a larger picture. The Seahawks (14-3) sent a message with their latest triumph that they are the most complete team headed into the NFL playoffs. That’s great for Darnold. He doesn’t have to be the GOAT.

No, with that spectacular defense and a running game powered by the 1-2 punch of Kenneth Walker III and Charbonnet, and talented targets including Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Darnold likely wins as long as he’s not the goat. No need for hero ball.

Seahawks’ rushing attack, defense relieving pressure on Darnold

Sure, there comes a time when any and every quarterback trying to win a big game against top-shelf competition – in Saturday’s games this was also tested by Brock Purdy, Baker Mayfield and Bryce Young – has to make a big throw. Or a few.

Darnold certainly had crucial throws on Saturday night, including a 24-yard strike to Cooper Kupp to convert on a third down late in the fourth quarter. But for the most part it was a testament to efficiency. He completed 20 of 26 passes for 198 yards, without a touchdown.

And he did a fine job handing or tossing the football to Walker and Charbonnet. Walker carried 16 times for 97 yards; Charbonnet ran 17 times for 74 yards and bolted around the left corner for a 27-yard touchdown.

It was the third straight game the rushing attack rolled with a distinct smash mouth flavor. Last Sunday at Carolina, the Seahawks ran for 163 yards, led by Charbonnet’s 110 yards. In the wild Week 16 comeback win against the Rams, they ran for 171 yards, led by Walker’s 100.

So, with either running back capable of carrying the load, the rushing attack is rounding into form at the perfect time – which takes significant pressure off Darnold.

Meanwhile, Seattle’s defense relieves pressure, too (from Darnold), while applying it to quarterbacks such as Purdy. The Seahawks stifled one of the NFL’s hottest offenses – San Francisco topped 40 points in its previous two games – in keeping the 49ers out of the end zone. Seattle allowed just nine first downs and 173 net yards to go with the three points.

Maybe the Seahawks will return to Levi’s Stadium to close the season in Super Bowl 60.

Suddenly, their chances are much better, given the bye week and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, where they will be backed by the “12s” at one of the NFL’s noisiest venues, Lumen Field.

Home turf. Home crowd. Home cooking.

Happy New Year, Sam Darnold.

It’s a different year indeed, with the Seahawks quarterback poised to keep writing a new narrative that could take him places he’s never seen before on this NFL journey.

Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on X: @JarrettBell

The New York Jets have not recorded a single interception through the first 17 weeks of the 2025 season.
If the Jets fail to secure an interception in their final game, they will be the first team in NFL history to finish a season with zero.
The current record for the fewest interceptions in a season is two, set by the 2018 San Francisco 49ers.

The New York Jets are rarely on the right side of history.

Such is the case with an unusual defensive streak entering the final week of the 2025 regular season. The Jets have yet to record an interception this season, which puts them in danger of setting the wrong kind of NFL record.

First-year head coach Aaron Glenn’s squad has forced four turnovers (four fumbles, including two muffed punts). Certainly passes from opposing teams – 486 (30.4 per game) – have found the hands, fingertips, palms, grasps, breadbaskets, clutches and digits of Jets defenders.

But not full possession.

The NFL started tracking interceptions in 1933. The Jets would be the first team to ever finish the season with none. The San Francisco 49ers in 2018 recorded 2 interceptions, the lowest number on record.

The other teams with the fewest interceptions in the 2025 season are the 49ers and Tennessee Titans with 6 apiece. Only nine other times has a team been unable to nab more than 5 picks in a season; two of those instances came in the 1982 strike.

Glenn, a former NFL cornerback, fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks on Dec. 15 after surrendering 48 points to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In a way, Glenn has done this before. In 15 starts as a rookie with the Jets in 1994, he did not have an interception. But he went on to have at least one in the next 13 seasons of his career, and finished with 41.

Of course, all it would take for the Jets to avoid a dishonorable distinction is one errant Mitchell Trubisky – he’s expected to relieve Josh Allen at some point during the Week 18 game against the New York Jets – dropback. Even one pick would leave the Jets as the new owners of a record no unit wants.

But they’re unlikely to outrun history.