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Clemson star tailback Will Shipley, the team’s leading rusher, has been ruled out for Saturday’s game against No. 15 Notre Dame.

Shipley entered concussion protocol since taking a hit in Clemson’s loss to NC State last week and did not progress enough to return Saturday. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney had called him “day-to-day” this week.

Shipley averages 4.6 yards per carry and is considered Clemson’s top offensive player. He has rushed for 515 yards and accounted for five touchdowns this season.

The loss of Shipley is a setback for the Clemson offense, which ranks No. 63 nationally in scoring offense (28.8). Notre Dame enters the game with the country’s No. 9 scoring defense (15.3).

Shipley is a junior who has run for 2,436 career yards, including 1,182 last season. He’s averaging 1 yard less per carry this season — 4.6 compared with 5.6 in 2022.

He’s also a pivotal part of Clemson’s pass offense, with 20 receptions this season for 120 yards.

In addition to Shipley, Clemson announced it will be without three defensive starters against Notre Dame: safety Jalyn Phillips, cornerback Sheridan Jones and defensive end Justin Mascoll. Phillips has started all eight games for Clemson and ranks fourth on the team with 34 tackles, to go along with five pass breakups.

Jones, who missed an Oct. 7 game against Wake Forest but has started all seven other games, has 25 tackles, including two for loss, and an interception. Mascoll will miss his second straight game after starting the first seven. He has 20 tackles, including three for loss, and three quarterback hurries. Freshman T.J. Parker is listed a co-starter with Mascoll on the team’s depth chart.

The Tigers also will be without left guard Marcus Tate, who has started every game this season and has 27 career starts. Junior Trent Howard could start in Tate’s place.

Clemson’s secondary already was without starting safety R.J. Mickens, who underwent an appendectomy last week. Backup safety Sherrod Covil Jr., also is out for the Notre Dame game.

Clemson is 4-4 after consecutive losses to Miami and NC State.

Information from ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg was used in this report.

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.

Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.

O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.

Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.

In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”

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Gators’ Lagway ‘ready to play,’ will start vs. LSU

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Gators' Lagway 'ready to play,' will start vs. LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.

Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.

Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.

The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.

LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.

Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

No. 12 Georgia will be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne for Saturday’s showdown against No. 7 Tennessee.

Etienne was downgraded from questionable to out on Thursday night’s SEC availability report.

Etienne left Georgia’s win over Florida with an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 and did not return. He played limited snaps in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, carrying the ball six times for 24 yards.

Etienne leads the Bulldogs with 477 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.

The loss is another blow to Georgia’s banged-up backfield. Cash Jones is also listed as questionable while Branson Robinson remains out after missing the past three games with a knee injury.

That leaves true freshman Nate Frazier as the only healthy Bulldogs running back who has played meaningful snaps this year. Frazier is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

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