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The Hokies held off the Thundering Herd and got their first win of the season, 31-14. After only scoring 10 points on 137 total yards in the first half, Virginia Tech scored 14 points and put up 151 points in the third quarter. Jaylin Lane ran back a punt for 43 yards for the Hokies' first score. Running back Bhayshul Tuten ran for 120 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Quarterback Kyron Drones completed 14 of 21 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown; he also had a rushing touchdown.
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Steelers Get Promising News Regarding The Return Of Several Playmakers
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a rash of injuries following the 2025 preseason, headlined by an MCL Sprain to first-round pick defensive end Derrick Harmon in their third and final game. However, there might not be anyone they need to get healthy more than wide receiver Calvin Austin III, who suffered an oblique injury early in camp and has yet to play in 2025. With depth lacking at the position, the Steelers will need Austin to be ready to go right away - and they just received a promising update regarding his status. With the team practicing on Saturday, the status of several players was brought up by Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin. "It's good to get guys working their way back. We have some guys that have been limited in their participation and less so today. Guys like Calvin Anderson, Calvin Austin, Jonnu [Smith], [Cory] Trice, Juan [Thornhill], and Donte Kent," Tomlin explained. While Austin had been practicing individually the past few days, he missed all three preseason games for Pittsburgh. Austin was less than clear when asked if he would be ready for Week 1, so it's good to get some confirmation that he is ramping up and the team is optimistic. Austin, the 5'9" speed threat out of Memphis, had a breakout year in 2024. After not playing his rookie season and having a limited role in 2023, Austin had a career high 36 receptions, 548 yards, and 4 touchdowns in his latest season. It wouldn't be a surprise to see those numbers explode even more in 2025 with new quarterback Aaron Rodgers under center, but first, Austin has to get healthy. Steelers Getting Healthier As Regular Season Approaches As Tomlin mentioned, several other faces returned to practice in addition to Austin. Among those were new tight end Jonnu Smith, who was traded to the Steelers from the Miami Dolphins in June after a career season. Smith hasn't played in a game yet either this year, although it's less clear if his absence was injury related or simply a matter of resting a veteran. Other returning players include cornerback Cory Trice, safety Juan Thornhill, offensive tackle Calvin Anderson, and defensive back Donte Kent. While getting all of these players back is crucial, there's no position that's thinner for Pittsburgh than wide receiver. Without Austin in the lineup, the Steelers are depending on Roman Wilson, who played just 5 snaps in 2024, to fill the role of WR2 behind DK Metcalf. Wilson showed a lot of promise in college at Michigan, and has had a strong preseason, but has yet to prove it in the regular season. The Steelers are aware that they lack receiver depth as well, and are still open to bringing in outside help at the position. On Tuesday, free agent wide receiver Gabe Davis had a second visit with the team, although he left without a contract. While the Steelers are depending on a number of players in the 2025 season, there's not a position group they can afford an injury to less than wide receiver. If an injury were to strike Metcalf or Austin again, the outlook would be bleak. While there's still no promise that Austin will be ready to suit up for Week 1, his participation in practice is surely a step in the right direction.
CFB Week 0 winners, losers: Fourth-down decisions loom large in ranked Big 12 showdown
The 2025 college football regular season kicked off on Saturday, headlined by a ranked Big 12 matchup across the pond in Ireland. With Week 0 in the books, here are our winners and losers from the first weekend of the college football season. Winner: Going for it on fourth down with a chance to win the game Arguably, two fourth-down decisions were the most consequential in Associated Press No. 22 Iowa State Cyclones' 24-21 win over Big 12 rival No. 17 Kansas State Wildcats. Let's start with the good. With 2:26 remaining in the fourth and facing a fourth-and-3 from Kansas State's 16-yard line, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell elected to keep his offense on the field instead of kicking a field goal and taking a six-point lead. The decision was correct on multiple fronts. By settling for a field-goal attempt, Campbell would have given Kansas State, which had no timeouts, over two minutes to score a possible winning touchdown. The risk of failing to convert was offset by allowing Kansas State the ability to extend the game with a field goal as opposed to needing a touchdown to win. And again, if the Wildcats got in the end zone, would it really have mattered if Iowa State lost by one instead of four points? The Cyclones didn't have to worry about that. Instead, quarterback Rocco Becht found running back Carson Hansen, who picked up the first down, allowing Iowa State to run out the clock. Loser: Going for it on fourth from your own 30-yard line in a three-point game Conversely, Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman's fourth-down call from his own 30-yard line with 8:19 remaining was much less excusable. While his defense had just allowed two long scoring drives, putting them on the field with only 30 yards to defend was setting the unit up to fail. As much of a rhythm as Iowa State's offense may have found, it also had three three-and-outs and two fumbles to that point, so we're not exactly talking about 2019 LSU here. Rather than forcing the Cyclones to drive the field, Klieman handed them a golden scoring opportunity. Winner: Kansas State defensive end Tobi Osunsanmi It wasn't all bad for the Wildcats. Osunsanmi, a junior edge-rusher, established himself as a name to watch in the Big 12 with two first-quarter sacks. The class of 2022 recruit had 3.5 sacks all of last season and could eclipse that early in 2025. Loser: Dan Mullen trading the studio for the sideline The former Mississippi State and Florida head coach returned to the sideline on Saturday for his first game leading the UNLV Rebels. While he notched a win against FCS Idaho State, it didn't come easily. UNLV trailed, 31-24, in the fourth, before scoring 14 unanswered points in a 38-31 win. For someone who most recently spent his Saturdays in the fall watching games as an ESPN analyst, his new job is already exceptionally more pressure-inducing. Just wait until the Rebels play FBS competition. Winner: Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels This is the Daniels that was promised. After breaking through in 2022 when Kansas snapped a 13-year bowl drought, Daniels was limited to three games in 2023 due to injury. Last season, he was healthy for the Jayhawks' disappointing 5-7 campaign and threw a Big 12-high 12 interceptions. He was outstanding in a 31-7 win over Fresno State, going 18-of-20 for 176 yards and three touchdowns while adding 47 yards rushing. If this is the Daniels that Kansas gets all season, it could make serious noise. Loser: Refs' judging of Clay Patterson's dance moves Stanford defensive lineman Clay Patterson celebrated a 12-yard sack late in the first half against Hawai'i by breaking out a TikTok dance, which officials apparently weren't fond of, hitting him with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, resulting in an automatic first down. It's another reminder that no one despises fun more than college football referees. But until they discover a sense of humor, it would be best for Patterson to save his moves for TikTok.
Pat McAfee has strong reaction to Hall of Fame honor
Former punter Pat McAfee is receiving an honor that is rare for a special teams member. On Friday, West Virginia announced that McAfee was one of six players entering the program's Hall of Fame for the 2025 class. McAfee is thankful for the recognition from his former school. He used some strong language to react to WVU's reveal. "It was nice to have an opportunity to think back and reminisce about a great era of my life," McAfee posted on X. "I am so thankful for the recognition. This is normally something I would try and f------ hate.. I’d say that it’s b------- and they feel obligated to do this but; this call made my soul feel good. Thanks for the opportunity to be a Mountaineer @RealCoachRod.. it was an honor." McAfee was a highly productive specialist at West Virginia, earning First-team All-American honors in 2008. During his time with the Mountaineers, he set the school record for most games played (51), scoring (384) and extra points made (210). He held the Big East record for most extra points made, when he made 210 of 212 attempts. McAfee's success at West Virginia propelled the Indianapolis Colts to select him in the seventh round of the 2009 draft. He earned All-Pro honors in 2014 and made the Pro Bowl in 2014 and 2016. He has the highest career net average in punting years with 41.1. McAfee should be proud of his achievements during his days in college and the legacy he is building with the program. The ESPN pundit even used his influence to speak with WVU athletic director Wren Baker to help with the coaching search that ultimately brought back Rich Rodriguez to the school.
Ex-Chiefs' QB gets rare chance, dazzles in Bills' preseason win over Buccaneers
With Mitch Trubisky and Mike White seemingly a step ahead in the battle for the Buffalo Bills' backup quarterback role, Shane Buechele was somewhat of an afterthought when looking at the big picture. Being a roster longshot wasn't nearly enough to deter Buechele from letting it rip during the Bills' final preseason game on Saturday night in Tampa. The native Texan earned the starting nod against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he proceeded to quarterback Buffalo to a wire-to-wire exhibition win. “It's my first time ever playing a full game in the NFL, and it was a lot of fun, man. I just thank God for the opportunity," said Buechele. The 27-year-old Buechele went 25-of-30 passing for 278 yards and one touchdown in the 23-19 victory over the Buccaneers. Two of his five incompletions could be considered drops by the intended receiver. He also rushed for 20 yards on five carries. “Great to have Shane out there. I thought he had great command of the game. We moved the ball down the field, and we were able to score points, control clock, play good situational football," said Bills' head coach Sean McDermott. While Buechele has yet to take a regular season snap, he's been in the NFL since signing with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2021. He was on the Chiefs' roster throughout their 2022 Super Bowl season, but was inactive on gamedays. Buechele joined the Bills' practice squad after being released by the Chiefs prior to the 2023 regular season. He suffered an injury last summer, landing on season-ending Injured Reserve. Fighting to remain a member of the Bills' QB room for a third year, Buechele appears in all three preseason games. His 380 yards passing ranked third overall amongst AFC leaders this summer. More Buffalo Bills News: Sean McDermott changes Bills' preseason protocol for 'reigning MVP' Josh Allen Bills' GM offers cautiously worded Tre'Davious White injury update Bills waive rookie safety, sign undrafted CB who was cut by Packers last week Bobby Babich reveals secret that's kept Bills' veterans on roster for so long Bills' QB Josh Allen and familiar free-agent WR 'haven't stopped being in contact'
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