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EUGENE, Oregon — Dan Lanning did not hesitate.

Moments after Oregon outlasted USC thanks to a 412-yard, four-touchdown performance from quarterback Bo Nix, the second-year head coach leaned into the burgeoning narrative with full force.

“A Heisman-worthy performance from Bo,” Lanning said. “We got a special one on our sidelines.”

Nix’s numbers told one side of the story — he completed 74% of his throws, averaged 13.3 yards per pass attempt and posted a 96.1 QBR. But the way he paced Oregon’s offense — from drives punctuated by explosive plays to methodical ones — displayed how dynamic the Ducks’ attack can be on their way to their ninth win.

Nix leads the nation in completion percentage at 77.7% and has 3,135 passing yards and 29 touchdown passes, matching his total from last season. The fifth-year senior was a -150 favorite to win the Heisman at ESPN BET as of early Sunday morning.

But Nix still wasn’t satisfied after the sixth-ranked Ducks’ 36-27 victory Saturday.

“I thought we left a lot on the table,” he said. “We got a little bit complacent, have way too many penalties. Somehow we got to find ways to fix that.”

The game began with a bang for Nix, who threw long touchdown passes — a 74-yarder to Tez Johnson and an 88-yarder to Troy Franklin — on the Ducks’ first two drives. At one point, Nix was averaging 80.5 yards per pass.

But for every drive that started and stopped before the Ducks’ defense could catch its breath and get back on the field, Nix & Co. also sprinkled in multiple scoring drives of more than six minutes to ensure that the game was played on their terms.

And it was. In fact, the Ducks did not have to punt until late in the third quarter.

“We can play two different games,” Lanning said. “We can be an explosive offense that goes and scores quick, but we can also pound it down your throat and be able to take advantage of you from that front.”

If there was any way Oregon kept a struggling USC team in the game, it was through those penalties — 13 of them for 120 yards — but they ultimately would not matter. The Ducks’ offense totaled 552 yards and was too efficient to be contained, let alone overcome.

“We move fast,” said Johnson, who referred to Oregon’s offense as the best in college football. “You got to keep up with fastest team in the country.”

The Ducks (9-1, 6-1 Pac-12) still have a blemish from a close loss to Washington, but their path to the Pac-12 title game and the College Football Playoff is clear: Win out.

Nix, perhaps more than anyone, knows the goals they want to accomplish will require an even higher level than the one they’re displaying from week to week. It’s why any mention of the Heisman, from his teammates or even his coach, will prompt a head shake and a claim that he doesn’t think about the award at all.

Nix says his concern is with being more efficient, more sound, more mistake-proof in anticipation of tougher matchups ahead.

“We can even be better,” he said. “I think that’s the part to where it keeps you coming back on Monday and making you go back for another week. We know we’re not there yet.”

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Cristobal: QB Beck cleared for summer workouts

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Cristobal: QB Beck cleared for summer workouts

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — Miami coach Mario Cristobal said Monday that quarterback Carson Beck has been cleared to participate in all team summer activities and is approaching 100 percent following elbow surgery last year.

Cristobal said Beck has been throwing for the past three weeks as part of his rehab regimen. Beck missed all of spring practice and has yet to throw to Miami’s receivers as part of organized team activities. But that is all about to change when Miami begins summer workouts next week.

“He’s good to go,” Cristobal told ESPN at the ACC spring meetings. “He’s exceeding every benchmark.”

Beck underwent surgery on his right elbow to repair his ulnar collateral ligament, which he injured on the final play of the first half in second-ranked Georgia‘s 22-19 overtime win against Texas in the SEC championship game Dec. 7.

Beck started at Georgia for two seasons, going 24-3, and ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. had him rated as the No. 5 quarterback for the 2025 draft. But given his injury and inconsistent performance in 2024, Beck entered the portal in January. He quickly opted for Miami, where he will replace No. 1 NFL draft pick Cam Ward.

Beck threw for 7,426 yards over his two seasons as Georgia’s starter, fifth most among all FBS passers since 2023, with 57 total touchdowns and 23 turnovers.

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Canes LB Hayes out of hospital after tragic crash

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Canes LB Hayes out of hospital after tragic crash

Miami Hurricanes linebacker Adarius Hayes, who was one of the drivers in a two-vehicle crash that left three people dead and at least two others injured, has been released from the hospital, the university said Monday.

The three people who died as a result of the crash were all in a Kia Soul, which collided with a Dodge Durango being driven by Hayes on Saturday afternoon in Largo, Florida, police said.

A 78-year-old woman who was driving the Kia and two of her passengers — 10-year-old Jabari Elijah Solomon and 4-year-old Charlie Herbert Solomon Riveria — died in the crash, police said. Another passenger in the Kia was hospitalized with serious injuries, police said.

No tickets or criminal charges have been filed, though the investigation is continuing.

“We are deeply saddened to learn the crash resulted in three fatalities, as confirmed by Largo Police, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those lost,” the Hurricanes said in a statement.

The school is still working to gather further information.

“There were no signs of impairment with either driver of the vehicles,” Largo Police public information officer Megan Santo said in a statement distributed Sunday.

Hayes, a four-star recruit coming out of Largo High, played in 12 games for the Hurricanes as a freshman in 2024, mostly on special teams. He finished the season with four tackles and one interception, which he returned 25 yards in Miami’s 56-9 victory over Florida A&M on Sept. 7.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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NCAA prez is open to Trump’s idea of commission

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NCAA prez is open to Trump's idea of commission

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — NCAA president Charlie Baker said Monday he was “up for anything” when asked about a President Donald Trump-proposed commission on collegiate athletics.

Reports surfaced last week that Trump was going to create the commission.

While his conversations at ACC meetings with league football coaches, men’s and women’s basketball coaches, athletic directors and other school officials focused on governance and the pending House settlement, Baker was asked during an informal media availability for his thoughts on the presidential commission.

“I think the fact that there’s an interest on the executive side on this, I think it speaks to the fact that everybody is paying a lot of attention right now to what’s going on in college sports,” Baker said.

“I’m up for anything that can help us get somewhere.”

Baker noted the NCAA has already spent time in Washington asking for congressional help that is focused on three big issues. Among the biggest: a patchwork of state laws that relate to how collegiate athletics work in individual states; and whether student-athletes should be considered employees.

“I think [Congress] can help us. I really do,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said during an interview with ACC Network. “We have been very bold in the desire for a national standard when it comes to name, image and likeness. We need to make sure that we have something that comes out of Washington that connects all 50 of the states because we’ve had a piecemeal project and it’s really undermined college sports. It’s been a race to the bottom. So that’s one. Two is we need some legal protection. We cannot sustain one legal case after another legal case after another legal case. A reaffirmation that these are student-athletes. Those three things to me will be very important to see if that can come out of the commission.”

Baker said, “People in our office have talked to folks who are working on this, but I don’t think they’ve decided the framework around who they want to put on.”

When asked whether he felt the creation of a commission would enhance the NCAA’s chances at legislative relief, Baker said, “I don’t have a crystal ball on that one. I don’t know. I do think, though, that it’s quite clear at this point that there are a lot of people interested in college sports, and we do need some help at some point to create some clarity around some of these issues in Washington. Creating clarity one lawsuit at a time is just a really bad way to try to move forward.”

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