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MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell wants to keep the focus off himself as the former Ohio State nose guard and interim head coach leads the Badgers against his alma mater.

“It’s not about me,” Fickell said at his Monday news conference. “I know we have some guys on our staff — myself included — that have some obvious history there, whether they went to school there or played there. But that’s not what it’s about.”

But after going through similar scenarios a few times already, Fickell understands the questions will come as the Badgers (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) prepare to host the No. 3 Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0) on Saturday night.

Fickell was born in Columbus, Ohio, the site of Ohio State’s campus. He started 50 straight games for Ohio State from 1994-96. He spent the 1999 season there as a graduate assistant and was an assistant for the Buckeyes from 2002-16, making him a part of two national championship teams.

He worked as an assistant coach on Jim Tressel’s staff, posted a 6-7 record as interim head coach in 2011 following Tressel’s resignation and stayed on a co-defensive coordinator on Urban Meyer’s staff for five seasons.

Fickell is hardly the only Wisconsin coach with ties to Ohio State.

Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel, who worked as a Buckeyes graduate assistant from 2002-03, is Jim Tressel’s nephew. Cornerbacks coach Paul Haynes was an assistant coach at Ohio State from 2005-11.

Fickell has faced his alma mater twice before. He was Akron’s defensive line coach in 2001 when the Zips lost 28-14 at Ohio State. He was head coach at Cincinnati in 2019 when the Bearcats visited Ohio State and fell 42-0.

He says those experiences taught him the attention should go to the players rather than to any coaches who might have connections to both schools.

“It’s about our team,” Fickell said. “It’s about our program. It’s about the journey we’re on and the process we’re in, not the specifics of, ‘Hey, you went to school there. Hey, you played there. Hey, you’ve got guys on your staff from there.’ When the ball’s kicked off, that will have absolutely no effect on anything that happens on that field. So we try to just focus on the things that will have the greatest effect on Saturday night.”

Wisconsin’s focus will be stopping Ohio State’s recent domination of this series.

The Buckeyes have won their last nine meetings with Wisconsin, including a 52-21 blowout last season. Wisconsin’s last victory came in 2010, when the 18th-ranked Badgers beat a top-ranked Ohio State team 31-18 in Madison.

Wisconsin comes into this game with some momentum after erasing a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit Saturday in a 25-21 victory at Illinois. That marked the first time since 2018 that the Badgers had won a Big Ten game after trailing by at least 14 points.

Fickell, who is in his debut season at Wisconsin, said the Badgers showed a different level of will, passion and intensity during that comeback than he’d seen from them.

“That was probably to me more exciting than the win itself, was to see how our guys handled, how they came back and to show that will and that passion that I needed to see from us,” Fickell said.

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Utes’ Whittingham reenergized after ’24 free fall

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Utes' Whittingham reenergized after '24 free fall

FRISCO, Texas — A dynamic new quarterback, a new offensive system and two projected first-round picks up front have Utah coach Kyle Whittingham feeling enthusiastic about the Utes’ chances of bouncing back from a disastrous debut season in the Big 12.

Utah was voted No. 1 in the Big 12 preseason poll last year after joining from the Pac-12, but a brutal run of injuries and inconsistency resulted in a seven-game conference losing streak and a 5-7 finish — the program’s first losing season since 2013.

After weeks of contemplation about his future and what was best for the program, Whittingham, the third-longest-tenured head coach in FBS, decided in December to return for his 21st season with the Utes.

“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note,” Whittingham told ESPN at Big 12 media days Wednesday. “It was too frustrating, too disappointing. As much as college football has changed with all the other factors that might pull you away, that was the overriding reason: That’s not us, that’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”

“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note. It was too frustrating, too disappointing. … That’s not us. That’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on going 5-7 in 2024

Whittingham and Utes defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley conducted a national search for a new offensive coordinator and quickly zeroed in on New Mexico‘s Jason Beck. Then they managed to land Devon Dampier, Beck’s first-team All-Mountain West quarterback, via the transfer portal.

After finishing 11th nationally in total offense with 3,934 yards and 31 total touchdowns and putting up the fourth-most rushing yards (1,166) among all FBS starters, Dampier followed his coach to Salt Lake City and immediately asserted himself as a difference-maker for a program that had to start four different QBs in 2024.

“He’s a terrific athlete,” Whittingham said. “He’s a guy that, if spring is any indication, he’s an exciting player, and we can’t wait to watch him this season. … He’s got that ‘it’ factor. He’s a leader. Needless to say, very excited to see what he does for us.”

They’ve surrounded Dampier with 21 more newcomers via the transfer portal and will protect him with two returning starters at tackle in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, who are projected first-round NFL draft picks by ESPN’s Matt Miller.

“We feel they’re the best tandem in the country,” Whittingham said. “The offensive line in general, I feel, it’s the best since I’ve been there. And that’s quite a statement. We’ve had some really good offensive lines. We’ve got two first-rounders and three seniors inside that have played a lot of good football for us. That better be a strength of ours, and that’s what we’re counting on.”

Whittingham has previously said he did not want to coach past the age of 65. Now that he’s 65, he acknowledges that he might’ve arrived at a different decision about his future had the Utes ended up winning the Big 12 in 2024. He is reenergized about getting them back into contention, but he’s not ready to say whether this season might be his last.

“The best answer I can give you is, right now, I’m excited and passionate about going to work every single day,” Whittingham said. “As soon as that changes, I’ll know it’s time. I’m just counting on knowing when the time is right. I can’t tell you exactly what the circumstances will be other than losing the fire in the belly.”

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MLB to utilize ABS challenge system during ASG

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MLB to utilize ABS challenge system during ASG

The automated ball-strike system is coming to the All-Star Game next week in Atlanta.

MLB officials added the feature to the annual exhibition game knowing it could be a precursor to becoming a permanent part of the major leagues as soon as next year.

The same process used this past spring training will be used for the Midsummer Classic: Each team will be given two challenges with the ability to retain them if successful. Only a pitcher, catcher or hitter can ask for a challenge and it has to happen almost immediately after the pitch. The player will tap his hat or helmet indicating to the umpire he wants to challenge while any help from the dugout or other players on the field is not allowed.

MLB officials say 72% of fans who were polled during spring training said the impact of ABS on their experience at the game was a “positive” one. Sixty-nine percent said they’d like it part of the game moving forward. Just 10% expressed negativity toward it.

MLB’s competition committee will meet later this summer to determine if ABS will be instituted next season after the league tested the robotic system throughout the minor leagues and spring training in recent years. Like almost any rule change, there were mixed reviews from players about using ABS but nearly all parties agree on one point: They prefer a challenge system as opposed to the technology calling every pitch.

As was the case in spring training, once a review is initiated, an animated replay of the pitch will be shown on the scoreboard and the home plate umpire will either uphold the call or overturn it. ABS uses Hawk-Eye system technology which tracks the pitch trajectory and location in relation to the strike zone, providing an instant assessment which can be relayed to the home plate umpire.

The All-Star Game will be played at Truist Park in Atlanta on Tuesday.

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Royals sign former Cy Young winner Keuchel

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Royals sign former Cy Young winner Keuchel

The Kansas City Royals have signed former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel to a minor league contract, the team announced Wednesday.

The 37-year-old left-hander will start at Triple-A Omaha and will earn a prorated $2 million salary if he reaches the big leagues, sources tell ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Keuchel has not pitched in the majors for nearly a full calendar year. He elected to become a free agent on July 18, 2024, after being designated for assignment by the Milwaukee Brewers.

In four starts with the Brewers last season, Keuchel had a 5.40 ERA in 16 2/3 innings without a decision. In 13 major league seasons, the 2015 American League Cy Young winner with the Houston Astros is 103-92 with a 4.04 ERA in 282 appearances (267 starts).

After pitching his first seven seasons with the Astros, Keuchel has made appearances for six different teams since 2019. He won a World Series with Houston in 2017 and is a two-time All-Star selection and five-time Gold Glove winner.

Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.

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