There is not much that the Texas Longhorns can do if they wish to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Coach Rodney Terry and Co. have to step up and try to win the SEC Tournament to even get into March Madness. This mission may not be as hard as perceived because their squad may have just seen the rise of the next Kevin Durant.
Tre Johnson completely exploded against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Due to his insane 39-point outburst, he now holds the record for most points by a Texas freshman, per the Longhorns' X account.
Durant, the four-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time NBA champion, previously held the record with his 37 points.
Johnson was the sole reason the Longhorns were even close to the Razorbacks in this game. He made 14 out of his 28 field-goal attempts, including an impressive showing from the three-point line. From far out, the Texas star sank seven out of his 11 shots.
At one point, the Coach Terry-led Texas squad was down by 14 points. Johnson singlehandedly gave his team a pulse. However, his efforts were clearly not enough to get a win. The Longhorns would lose this game with a rough score of 86-81.
This now marks Texas' 12th loss of the season. But, they did not go down without a fight despite sinking to the 13th spot in the SEC standings. The Longhorns forced overtime and, unsurprisingly, it was Johnson who scored all of their 12 points to end the game.
The season might be a mess but there is a silver lining for Texas fans to marvel at.
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Linebacker Isaiah Simmons has never been able to find his potential in the NFL. As a "concept player," he's arguably one of the greatest. He's an uber-athletic 6-foot-4, 238-pound linebacker who can fly sideline-to-sideline. He's versatile as a defender, and as a college prospect, he was elite. Simmons was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 at Clemson and a unanimous All-American. There was a lot to like about Simmons in the NFL Draft, which is why he went No. 8 overall to the Arizona Cardinals in 2020. Now, five years later, he's expected to be released by the third team that has taken a shot on him. He's been with the Green Bay Packers for the majority of training camp, but he's not expected to make the team, according to reports. Again, Simmons, as a concept, is everything you want in an NFL linebacker. The problem is, and has been, that when the pads go on and it comes time to play NFL football, he's neither physical enough nor mentally disciplined enough to live up to his immense potential. He looked great at the beginning of camp for the Packers, but as soon as the preseason games started, he ended up looking like a lost sheep who was constantly out of position and constantly run over by players on offense. That won't work in the NFL, no matter your draft pedigree. He may get another opportunity in 2025 out of desperation alone, but this is not great news for Simmons' career prospects moving forward.
Ever since the opening night of the 2025 NFL Draft, New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll has repeatedly said that veteran quarterback Russell Wilson will start over rookie Jaxson Dart for the club's regular-season opener at the Washington Commanders on Sept. 7. However, former NFL general manager and current ESPN personality Mike Tannenbaum made it known during a Tuesday appearance on "SportsCenter" that he thinks the Giants are making a mistake following the team's three preseason victories. "Jaxson Dart, how soon does he start? If it was up to me, it would have been three months ago," Tannenbaum said during the segment, per Adam Zagoria of NJ Advance Media. "He has outplayed Russell Wilson. He is the best quarterback on the New York Giants. Every game he doesn’t start is, to me, not giving them the best chance to win. He has played with energy. He’s played with enthusiasm. Knows what to do. I think he should start." For an article published on Monday, Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports gave Dart an "A+" grade for the rookie's three preseason performances and said that the 22-year-old "perfectly blended quick decision-making with an occasional dime down the field and added a sprinkle of his athleticism as a scrambler in all three contests." According to Fox Sports, Dart completed 32-of-47 passes for 372 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions over his three August appearances. He also contributed six carries for 52 yards and an additional score. To compare, Wilson connected on 10-of-14 pass attempts for 136 yards and an interception. That said, such stats are largely meaningless since Wilson and Dart were never competing for the starting job. Following the Giants' preseason finale versus the New England Patriots last week, Dart acknowledged that "Russ is the starter" and "has completely earned that role." Meanwhile, multiple stories shared throughout the summer have touched upon how Wilson has established himself as "a vocal leader in the meeting room and on the practice field" with the Giants. In time, Dart may receive opportunities to show that he gives the 2025 Giants "the best chance to win" meaningful games. Unless Wilson produces a nightmare performance at Washington's Northwest Stadium, he should remain atop the Big Blue depth chart through at least the start of the Giants' Week 2 game at the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 14.
The Dallas Cowboys have already been ravaged by injuries so far throughout training camp and the preseason slate. And now, thanks to injury, it appears that fans are going to have to wait to see one of the team's top draft picks in the 2025 season. According to reports from Cowboys insider Clarence Hill Jr., rookie cornerback Shavon Revel has been added to the Non-Football Injury List ahead of the team's Week 1 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. In corresponding moves, the Cowboys will place both defensive end Peyton Turner and receiver Jonathan Mingo on Injured Reserve Designated To Return. Running back Phil Mafah will also be moved to injured reserve. Revel was placed on the NFI list as a result of a torn ACL, which was suffered during practice in Week 4 of his final season in college with the East Carolina Pirates. Because that injury occurred in college, and away from Dallas Cowboys facilities or team activities, Revel was placed on the NFI list instead of the PUP list. By being placed on the NFI List, Revel, who was selected by Dallas with the 76th overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, will miss at least the first six weeks of the season. Fortunately for the Cowboys, it appears that starting corner Trevon Diggs should be back sooner rather than later. In other words, the team will have both he and DaRon Bland - their top two corners - as well as Kaiir Elam for their season opener, allowing Revel plenty of time to continue his recovery. In his career at East Carolina, Revel played in 24 games, making 70 total tackles, five tackles for loss, and three interceptions, with 15 pass breakups. He also earned an 83.5 PFF coverage grade in his last full season in 2023, and an 85.4 coverage grade in 2024 in the three games in which he appeared. In other words, whenever he does return to the fold for Dallas, he should be able to come in and be an immediate contributor to the defense. —
The Chicago Bears took another big step toward slashing their roster to the final 53-man squad on Tuesday morning. According to team insider Brad Biggs, the Bears have waived training camp favorite J.P. Richardson, and undrafted rookie wide reciever from TCU. Poles also cut ties with offensive lineman Ricky Stromberg, a former third-round pick who some presumed would offer interior line depth at the time he was added. The Chicago Bears were 20 roster moves away from the 53-man limit before these two transactions. Richardson made an early impression at Bears training camp and emerged as the summer's fan-favorite in late-July. His momentum cooled quite a bit once the preseason schedule rolled around, and with so much depth at receiver on Chicago's roster, Richardson's chances never seemed strong. There is, however, a possibility he returns to the Bears on the practice squad. It's highly unlikely another team will put a waiver claim in for him (it guarantees an active roster spot). Once Richardson clears waivers, he's a name to monitor for Chicago's practice team. Richardson finished the 2024 season with 57 catches for 733 yards and two touchdowns for the Horned Frogs.
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