College Sports
2024
Joel Klatt Lead College Football Analyst In a way, they remind me of those New England Patriots teams that did similar things. Sure, they don’t have a Tom Brady or Rob Gronkowski, but they do a lot of things well and there’s not a real weak link in the chain (more on that later). They […]


Joel Klatt
Lead College Football Analyst
In a way, they remind me of those New England Patriots teams that did similar things. Sure, they don’t have a Tom Brady or Rob Gronkowski, but they do a lot of things well and there’s not a real weak link in the chain (more on that later). They were excellent on third down, going 11 of 17, while Penn State went 3 of 11. At the end of the first half, Notre Dame executed what they needed to in order to get three more points.So, you could tell Texas’ game plan was to get the ball on the outside at that moment. It called a slant and a run on the perimeter with an interior run sandwiched between those two plays. The sweep play on second-and-goal is the one everyone’s going to be talking about. Safety Caleb Downs made a great play to blow it up, pushing Texas outside the 5-yard line. Everyone seemed to hate that play call, but the film Sarkisian watched suggested that Texas couldn’t run the ball up the gut on two straight plays. The Longhorns were right there, traveling the correct path. The Buckeyes didn’t play too well either — with their offense failing to execute at the level they did in the previous two games and making costly penalties — but Texas had a legitimate shot at winning. I thought Texas was going to pull off the upset at one point in the fourth quarter. That’s how close it was. Texas survived the first quarter — like I said it needed to do — after Ohio State got an early score. I thought Sawyer’s interception at the goal line against Michigan was going to be an epic moment, but Ohio State didn’t win the game. So, Sawyer finally gets his moment — and it came in the CFP semifinals. That was an incredible pass rush. That was a play that no one will ever forget in Columbus or in all of college football for a long time.
Texas’ fantastic effort wasn’t enough.
Then, of course, there was the end-of-game situation. Notre Dame executed well in the final minutes, and Penn State didn’t. All of these games are going to come down to a play or two. Notre Dame made those plays. Penn State didn’t. Ewers said prior to the game that he expects to enter the 2025 NFL Draft, so there will be a quarterback change in Austin. But Arch Manning will take over, and Texas has put itself into the top echelon of the SEC. I don’t see the Longhorns taking any steps backward.It was such a strain for both teams to move the ball, and I loved every second of it. Penn State’s defense did what it needed to do, holding Notre Dame to fewer than three yards per carry for the first time all season. Both sides were giving max effort.recommendedBefore I dive into that Allar interception, I just want to say that this was a really successful year for Penn State. It had a chance late in the game to clinch a spot in the national championship. All Penn State fans would’ve taken that scenario at the start of the season. The season ended in heartbreak, but that’s going to be the new reality for nearly every contender in the expanded CFP era.Howard is at his best when Ohio State gets the ball to its playmakers in space. He’s not a great drop-back passer, though, and we saw that against a great Texas secondary. He’s going to face an excellent secondary in the title game. I thought Texas’ decision to double superstar wideout Jeremiah Smith was brilliant too, so Notre Dame has reasonable hope that a version of this can play out in the title game.Like Texas, Penn State made two crucial mistakes too many. Unlike Texas, though, Penn State’s mistakes weren’t from coaching decisions. A Penn State defender initially slipped in coverage on Jaden Greathouse‘s game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Allar threw the interception that allowed Notre Dame to win the game.When you run a deep in route, you have to make the defensive back feel like you’re going vertical. If he doesn’t feel like you’re going vertical, it’s going to be so tough to get back inside of him and cross his face to get the ball. That didn’t happen on that play. Gray sensed that the receiver wasn’t going anywhere, allowing him to get to the ball before the receiver was out of his cut.I can’t remember a defensive play that impactful and made by one guy. There might be some NFL ones, but that was such a special play and moment from the Ohio kid. He was a huge piece of Ohio State’s 2021 recruiting class. Everyone in Columbus will tell you that.
Ohio State beats Texas to advance to the National Championship

Jack Sawyer will never have to pay for anything in Columbus ever again.
From Penn State’s perspective, it had to put trust in its receivers that they would win their routes. You can’t always see it and you can’t wait to see it. QBs have to be on time and on target. Allar was decently on time and on target, but it was still picked. Notre Dame’s Christian Gray made an incredible play, and the receiver ran an atrocious route. What an incredible couple of days for college football that was.Texas wound up making critical mistakes at the wrong time, though. There were two obvious ones for the Longhorns. They didn’t score any points when they were at the 1-yard line and trailing 21-14 in the fourth quarter, and they allowed Buckeyes RB TreVeyon Henderson to take a screen pass 75 yards for a touchdown seconds before halftime. Both the Orange Bowl and the Cotton Bowl were incredible. Notre Dame is back in the title game for the first time in 12 years after its last-second win over Penn State. Meanwhile, Ohio State has a chance to win its first title in 10 years after taking down Texas — making a huge goal-line stand before Jack Sawyer‘s scoop-and-score sealed the game. That was also an epic game and one we’ve been hoping for.
The blueprint is there to slow down Ohio State’s offense.
Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.That said, I despise toss sweeps in short-yardage situations. The ball goes five yards back intentionally. A play call like that is tough to swallow. In that situation, it’s even tougher. So, I didn’t like the call, but I understood it.
Texas will be just fine.
The Fighting Irish seem to always make the right plays at the right time. That’s a credit to their head coach, Marcus Freeman. He has done such a good job coaching this team. They execute and don’t beat themselves. Allar did that, and the play wasn’t totally his fault. It was a progression read against man coverage. For anyone who’s ever played the position, when you have to throw the ball downfield to your third read, very rarely are you going to be on platform. Generally, something will be in the quarterback’s lap at that moment, and he’s trying to throw a dig or in route. That’s an uber–aggressive play call.
Notre Dame is a good situational football team.
Sawyer is a great player and has been a great human in my meetings with him, so I’m happy for him that he had that moment.As I mentioned earlier, Ohio State’s underwhelming execution certainly gave Texas a chance to win that game. Texas did some great things defensively as well, but some of Ohio State’s offensive woes were its own doing. I’ve been saying this since I was on the call for the Michigan game, but when Ohio State has a lack of creativity offensively, it can struggle. It’s not a great running or drop-back passing team.The way that game ended might feel devastating for Texas, but Sarkisian has the program on the rise. It made it to the semifinals for a second straight year, and Sarkisian is not going anywhere anytime soon. [Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]
Drew Allar‘s interception was brutal, but he wasn’t all to blame for it.
In the lead up to the game, I mentioned how Penn State’s receivers were going to have to make a play at some point. In fact, James Franklin has told me that what held this team back in the past is that it doesn’t have that wide receiver it can rely on in a big situation. Well, Penn State’s wide receivers had zero catches in the Orange Bowl. They became the first non-service academy to have a game this year when a wide receiver didn’t have a single catch.Texas was nearly able to overcome that crucial mistake. QB Will Howard wasn’t playing well, and Ohio State’s game plan wasn’t dynamic, in large part because of how Texas played. Texas’ defensive line and secondary were great.Franklin knew this was the weak link. He tried to address it in the transfer portal. There were moments during the season where Penn State’s receivers made big plays, but they never felt reliable. Ohio State still needed to make two more stops to prevent Texas from tying the game in the final minutes. After forcing an incompletion on third down, “Captain Jack” saved the day for Ohio State with his strip sack and 83-yard touchdown return on fourth-and-goal.
Notre Dame wins 27-24 over Penn State with a game-winning field goal

This College Football Playoff has over-delivered. Let’s start with the Henderson touchdown. Texas didn’t need to play prevent-defense there, but it shouldn’t have manipulated its own structure to create a vulnerability. Texas is going to watch that film and wonder why it blitzed a corner on that play, with the screen pass going right to that spot.Allar is also going to get too much of the blame. I’m not going to try and be an apologist for Allar, because you can’t blindly throw a ball over the middle like that late in a game. That’s the No. 1 cardinal sin of quarterbacking. Just saying you can’t throw the ball over the middle like that, though, doesn’t do the play justice. The play had Allar going back toward the middle of the field in his progression. Allar said he was trying to dirt at his receiver’s feet after the first two progressions weren’t there, but he took the bullet like a man when he spoke to reporters after the game. Texas did what it needed to do against Ohio State in a game that I thought offered a narrow path to win. Ohio State was playing great coming into this game. It was like a supernova of a team through its first two CFP games. It was going to take a specific game plan and path from Texas to win that game.Allar showed good leadership by taking accountability for that play, and that’s what quarterbacks are supposed to do. When we lose, it’s me. When we win, it’s me.
Notre Dame beats Penn State 27-24, Advances to CFP Final

Penn State’s weak link was exposed.
Ohio State began to show some of what I call “eye candy” plays in the fourth quarter, particularly on its game-winning touchdown drive. Yet, Texas had responded all game long with QB Quinn Ewers making some excellent plays. The Longhorns were doing that again after the Buckeyes went up 21-14, and it seemed inevitable that they’d tie the game.As for the interception, Allar is going to live with that mistake for the rest of his life. I feel bad for him in that sense. I have never played in a game of that magnitude, but I’ve thrown interceptions that will haunt me forever. Before we preview the last game of the year, let’s share my takeaways from the semifinals. Freeman is an incredible coach. Notre Dame is a team that people love to hate for a lot of reasons, but he has made Notre Dame a likeable product with the way he handles his business.It showed on the most critical play of Penn State’s season, too. That’s a tough pill to swallow for the Nittany Lions.

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College Sports
Duluth City Council vacancy draws 6 applicants – Duluth News Tribune
The Duluth City Council’s regular meetings are on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 6 p.m., with agenda meetings at 5:15 p.m. each Thursday preceding a regular meeting, unless otherwise scheduled, at City Hall, Room 330. Meetings are also livestreamed and recorded for later viewing at duluthmn.gov/city-council/city-council-meetings-events/council-meeting-media. Wendy Durrwachter District 1: Wendy […]

The Duluth City Council’s regular meetings are on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 6 p.m., with agenda meetings at 5:15 p.m. each Thursday preceding a regular meeting, unless otherwise scheduled, at City Hall, Room 330. Meetings are also livestreamed and recorded for later viewing at duluthmn.gov/city-council/city-council-meetings-events/council-meeting-media.

District 1: Wendy Durrwachter
Represents: Duluth city precincts 1-7
Term expires: Jan. 3, 2028
Contact: 218-730-5700, Ext. 3, wdurrwachter@DuluthMN.gov

archivector/Getty Images
(Councilor Mike Mayou stepped down to move to an address outside the district. The council will appoint a new councilor in August 2025.)
Represents: Duluth city precincts 8-13
Term expires: Jan. 5, 2026
Contact:

Represents: Duluth city precincts 14-19
Term expires: Jan. 3, 2028
Contact: 218-443-8364/218-730-5353, rrandorf@duluthmn.gov

Represents: Duluth city precincts 21-27
Term expires: Jan. 5, 2026
Contact: 218-730-5356, tswenson@duluthmn.gov

Clint Austin / 2024 file / Duluth Media Group
District 5: Janet Kennedy
Represents: Duluth city precincts 28-35
Term expires: Jan. 3, 2028
Contact: 218-341-6113/218-730-5357, jkennedy@duluthmn.gov

Represents: All Duluth city precincts
Term expires: Jan. 5, 2026
Contact: 218-730-5359, aawal@duluthmn.gov

Represents: All Duluth city precincts
Term expires: Jan. 3, 2028
Contact: 218-730-5352, aforsman@duluthmn.gov

At large: Lynn Marie Nephew, vice president
Represents: All Duluth city precincts
Term expires: Jan. 3, 2028
Contact: 218-730-5354, lnephew@duluthmn.gov

At large: Terese Tomanek, president
Represents: All Duluth city precincts
Term expires: Jan. 5, 2026
Contact: 218-216-9126, ttomanek@duluthmn.gov
College Sports
Clemson, Dabo Swinney poised to get back on top of college football – Tar Heel Times
Posted Aug 5, 2025 In this revolving-door era of college football, dominated by the transfer portal and NIL payments, teams generally need to update the pictures and names on the players’ lockers about every six months. But not at Clemson University, which under Dabo Swinney is the unabashed unicorn in […]

Posted Aug 5, 2025
In this revolving-door era of college football, dominated by the transfer portal and NIL payments, teams generally need to update the pictures and names on the players’ lockers about every six months. But not at Clemson University, which under Dabo Swinney is the unabashed unicorn in this new and evolving landscape.
(ESPN.com)
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Seven Empire 8 Women’s Soccer Programs Recognized as 2024-25 United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award Winners
Women’s Soccer | 8/5/2025 9:45:00 AM Story Links 2024-25 College Team Academic Award Winners Seven Empire 8 women’s soccer programs were named United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award winners to recognize exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2024-25 academic year. A […]

Women’s Soccer | 8/5/2025 9:45:00 AM
Seven Empire 8 women’s soccer programs were named United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award winners to recognize exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2024-25 academic year.
A total of 425 college teams earned the Team Academic Award. Russell Sage College had the highest team grade-point average among all E8 women’s programs (3.70), while Alfred University, SUNY Brockport, SUNY Geneseo, Hartwick College, Houghton University and Nazareth University were all recipients.
College Team Academic Award recipients are active members of the United Soccer Coaches Services Program with a composite grade-point average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale for all players on the roster for the 2024-25 academic year.
2024-25 United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award Winners
Women’s Team Academic Award Winners
Alfred – 3.52
SUNY Brockport – 3.41
SUNY Geneseo – 3.62
Hartwick – 3.51
Houghton – 3.69
Nazareth – 3.65
Russell Sage – 3.70
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com.
EMPIRE 8 SOCIAL MEDIA
YouTube – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram
College Sports
Michigan State Men's Soccer Returns to the Pitch for First Practice
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Spartan men’s soccer opened the 2025 season with its first training sessions on Tuesday. Michigan State began at 9 a.m. with drills and conditioning at the DeMartin Stadium practice field. They returned for a second training session in the afternoon. MSU head coach Damon Rensing enters his 17th season at the […]

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Spartan men’s soccer opened the 2025 season with its first training sessions on Tuesday. Michigan State began at 9 a.m. with drills and conditioning at the DeMartin Stadium practice field.
They returned for a second training session in the afternoon.
MSU head coach Damon Rensing enters his 17th season at the helm of the Spartans. Assistant coaches T.J. Kolba, Reid Friedrichs, Nick Barry and Zach Carroll also return to the bench in 2025. Friedrichs and Carroll are both former Spartans.
“I thought it was great. It is just one of the best days of the year,” Rensing said. “We have a new look on life. It is great to see everyone together. We have been talking throughout the summer, but to get on the field and actually kick the ball to each other is great. We have a great core group of players and a young talented group of guys coming in too. I really like this group, and I think we are further along than we were at the start of last year. And today is just the first day.”
The Spartans open action with a pair of exhibition matches, starting on Sunday, Aug. 10, hosting Butler at 2 p.m. Michigan State’s final road test will come against UIC on Friday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m.
Michigan State welcomes 12 newcomers this season, three transfers in Miles Merritt (Incarnate Word), Andrew Darakdjian (Oakland) and David Anderson (St. Johns). MSU also welcomes nine freshmen, including Luke Spadafora, who is the brother of Spartan senior Jake Spadafora.
MSU will take on eight teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last season, including Big Ten opponents Washington, Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan, UCLA and Maryland. Non-conference opponents Pitt and Kansas City also both reached the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State also reached the College Cup last season.
College Sports
Men's Soccer Holds First Practice of the Season
Story Links RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men’s soccer team kicked off a new season with their first practice of the season on Tuesday at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex. There was a lot of excitement on the pitch as the Vaqueros welcome 20 newcomers to […]


RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men’s soccer team kicked off a new season with their first practice of the season on Tuesday at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex.
There was a lot of excitement on the pitch as the Vaqueros welcome 20 newcomers to the squad. Getting on the pitch for the first time with the new group was a fresh start for the Vaqueros.
“There’s a lot of new guys in,” UTRGV Head Coach Bryheem Hancock said. “Out of the 26, 20 guys are incoming with six guys returning. It’s a fresh start with a new group of guys that some of them are having their first preseason in college soccer and some guys who transferred in and are used to it. I thought the guys did a great job today from fitness testing to seeing where the group was to where they were when we let them play. It was good to let them get out that nervous excitement that comes with the first day of college soccer and then tomorrow back to business.”
The Vaqueros were put through a fitness test and then got into tactical work and even had some fun with 5v5 games.
The Vaqueros will focus on building team chemistry with so many new faces. UTRGV will have just three home matches this season so that means there will be plenty of time on the road.
To find success, Coach Hancock knows there will need to be an unbreakable bond throughout the season.
“With our schedule, we need to become a team in the first week or so,” Hancock said. “Then we use the next two weeks to become a family. The more we can get on the same page as a team first and learn to become a family the more we can have success this season.”
The Vaqueros will have about two weeks to get ready for their first of three exhibition matches. Those exhibitions will be vital in getting ready for their season opener at UCF.
“Early match fitness is going to be vital,” Hancock said. “We have a preseason game each of the first three weeks to just test and see where we are as a group. We are focused on what we need to tactically, but we also need to see where our fitness levels are so that 22 days from now, we can be ready to go when we go to UCF.”
Fitness and team chemistry will be the biggest focus the next few weeks for the Vaqueros. The team chemistry process started way before the first practice, but the team chemistry is built beyond the pitch.
“It starts with the evaluation phase, when we recruit these players,” Hancock said. “It’s about getting an understanding of how they fit in our style of play. After that initial phase, it’s about doing it on the field, in the classroom, in my office, and doing things individually and collectively as a group to make sure that we are organized.”
Tuesday marked the start of the journey for the Vaqueros here in 2025.
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College Sports
Team Academic National Champions – Stanford Cardinal
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