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West Virginia's offensive line continues to be ravaged by departures as now, offensive tackle Johnny Williams IV is entering the transfer portal.
Williams appeared in twelve of West Virginia's 13 games this season, and on a couple of occasions, he was significant snaps, filling in for All-American Wyatt Milum when injured in the Penn State and Iowa State games. He also saw the majority of snaps during the team's bowl game against Memphis earlier this week.
There's no telling if Williams would have started for West Virginia in 2025 under Rich Rodriguez, but he would have had the most experience at the position and would have certainly been in the mix. With his departure, the Mountaineers have lost their top seven contr ibutors along the offensive line as Williams joins Wyatt Milum, Tomas Rimac (portal), Brandon Yates, Ja'Quay Hubbard, Nick Malone, and Sullivan Weidman (portal).
He will have three year of eligibility remaining.
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CFB Week 0 winners, losers: Fourth-down decisions loom large in ranked Big 12 showdown
Kansas State HC defends controversial fourth-down call, blames field conditions in Ireland
Despite facing backlash on social media for the result, No. 17 Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman would go for it again on 4th-and-1 from the KSU 30-yard line with 8:19 remaining in the fourth quarter. The No. 22 Iowa State defense stopped quarterback Avery Johnson's run, and the Cyclones offense would score a touchdown four plays later to take a 24-14 lead. Chris Vannini of The Athletic thought the officials made a poor spot on the run, believing KSU earned a first down. However, the officials did not reverse the call after the replay. Following the game, Klieman told the media that the field conditions at Aviva Stadium played a role in the official's decision because rain washed away the line markers at the rugby/soccer stadium, despite crews repainting them at halftime. "The review was not going to help because you couldn't see the lines out there," Klieman said, via Wyatt D. Wheeler of the Topeka Capital-Journal. "It didn't matter. Give them credit; they made the stop. I was hoping we'd get the stop; they ended up scoring, and we ended up scoring right away again. They did a nice job getting a drive." The decision to go for the fourth-down conversion was the turning point in the game as it handed ISU a short field on offense during a contest where points were hard to come by. Klieman doubled down on his choice to go for it. "They just made a couple more plays than us on fourth down," Klieman said. "We didn't... I would do the same thing again based on how the game was going with us struggling to slow those guys down on 4th-and-1-and-a-half." The loss hurt KSU's standing in the Top 25 and record in the Big 12. The Wildcats have only one remaining Top 25 team (Texas Tech) on their schedule to impress the College Football Playoff committee.
Commanders flaw exposed in blowout preseason loss to Ravens
The Washington Commanders have a potentially significant problem on special teams. During Saturday's 30-3 preseason Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, kicker Matt Gay missed a 53-yard field goal wide left at the end of Washington's first offensive possession. Gay finished the preseason 3-of-5 on field goal attempts. He also missed a 49-yarder wide left in preseason Week 1 against the New England Patriots. Gay's struggles continue the chaotic journey for the Commanders at kicker. Last season's Week 1 starter, Cade York, went 0-of-2 in the opener and was promptly released. His replacement, Austin Seibert, was in the midst of a fantastic season through Week 9, going 25-of-27 on field goals and 22-of-22 on extra points before missing two weeks with a hip injury. He was later placed on injured reserve after missing three kicks in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys, including a would-be tying extra point following a wild 86-yard touchdown with under a minute remaining. Zane Gonzalez and Greg Joseph combined to go 7-of-10 on field goals the rest of the season, including each missing a 50-yard attempt. Overall, Commanders kickers struggled from long distance, with the four combining to go 2-of-8 on attempts of 50 yards or more. Only the Philadelphia Eagles had a worse percentage (14.3%) on attempts of at least 50 yards, per Pro Football Reference data. Washington signed Gay to a one-year, $4.25M fully guaranteed contract in late April following the 2025 NFL Draft. Per CBS Sports, it's the largest guaranteed contract for a kicker on a one-year deal in NFL history. Last season while with the Indianapolis Colts, Gay was 3-of-9 on 50-yard field goals. The Commanders have the talent on offense to be one of the league's top scoring units, so they might not need to convert many tries from over 50 yards. Still, having a kicker who can reliably hit from that distance is an undeniable asset, particularly late in close games or on possessions that stall after crossing midfield. Washington largely has a roster capable of contending for a Super Bowl. But following its final tune-up before the regular season, kicking is a notable flaw.
Yankees' late implosion against Red Sox reveals bigger issues
If the New York Yankees are going to stay in contention for a postseason berth, the issues that surfaced in the ninth inning of Saturday's 12-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox must be resolved. Trailing 5-1 heading into the final frame at Yankee Stadium, the Red Sox jumped on reliever Paul Blackburn for seven runs to turn the game into a laugher and put Boston in position for a sweep of the four-game series on Sunday. While the immediate reaction would be to point to Blackburn as the cause of New York's late struggles, a deeper look into the game reveals that the 31-year-old right-hander's teammates did little to help him escape from what became a 71-pitch outing. Playing right field, Giancarlo Stanton became an easy target for the aggressive Red Sox, taking extra bases when possible against the lumbering slugger. Playing just his ninth game in the outfield this season, Stanton showed that, at this stage of his career, his legs aren't going to get him to base hits quickly. Knowing Stanton would be slow to get to any kind of hit, Boston runners took advantage, including Trevor Story's ninth-inning single to right with Jarren Duran already on first base. With Stanton having to come up to field the ball, Duran didn't hesitate, going from first to third and beating Stanton's throw to the bag. What the Yankees saw from Stanton on Saturday should be an immediate reminder and warning sign that his days of doing anything productive outside of hitting are likely past him. Another problem in the ninth was a wild overthrow from Anthony Volpe on David Hamilton's grounder. While Volpe's throw went way over the head of first baseman Ben Rice, a closer look at the replay showed that Volpe hesitated and might have had a play at second base had Jazz Chisholm Jr. been covering the base. The loss was the third consecutive win by the Red Sox in the Bronx, a problem in and of itself for a Yankees team that is battling with Boston in the American League wild-card race. But the bigger problems are the optics of that ninth inning as well. With Yankees fans already frustrated with manager Aaron Boone, watching their arch-rival play fundamentally sound baseball while the Yankees botch the small things that become big innings will only make the temperature rise in the Bronx. While Yankees batters may have hit an MLB-leading 210 home runs this season entering Saturday's action, it's not just about the long ball. As Saturday showed, if New York can't do the little things right, not even the big hits may be able to keep the Yankees alive in the postseason hunt.
Green Bay Packers: Malik Willis Gets Incredible Take From Matt LaFleur After Seahawks Game
The preseason portion of their preparation for the 2025 NFL season is finally over for the Green Bay Packers. On Saturday, backup quarterback Malik Willis and company concluded their preseason campaign by eking out a 20-7 victory at home over the visiting Seattle Seahawks at Lambeau Field. Willis overcame a blunder in the first series of the contest and finished the game with 50 receiving yards and a touchdown on 3-of-6 pass completions. He threw an errant pass in the first quarter that was intercepted by Seahawks defensive back Ty Okada, but rebounded by leading a touchdown drive in the next Green Bay possession. Willis, who is entering his second season with the Packers, passed for a one-yard touchdown to wide receiver Romeo Doubs to complete a successful 14-play drive in the opening period. Willis earns praise from Matt LaFleur after Green Bay Packers win vs. Seahawks The 26-year-old quarterback was among those given a special shoutout by Packers head coach Matt LaFleur after the win against Seattle. LaFleur showed his support for Willis despite the quarterback’s early-game miscue. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in Malik. I think he’s just scratching the surface of what he can become,” LaFleur told reporters in the postgame press conference (h/t Rob Demovsky of ESPN). The Packers dominated both sides of the ball versus Seattle. The Seahawks outgained Green Bay with 253 total yards, the Packers went 6-for-18 on third downs and converted both chances in the red zone. Willis’ pick was Green Bay’s only turnover of the contest, while the Seahawks gave the ball away four times. The next time the Packers take the field, it will be on Sept. 7, when they host the Detroit Lions in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL regular season.
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