College Football Senior Writer for ESPN. Insider for College Gameday.
No. 24 Missouri is expected to be without starting quarterback Brady Cook against visiting Oklahoma on Saturday night, sources told ESPN on Friday.
Cook is dealing with both an ankle and a wrist injury, as he has exited Missouri’s past two games while dealing with injuries.
The missed game for Cook would mean the end of a streak of 35 consecutive starts, which includes every game of the 2024, 2023 and 2022 seasons.
Veteran backup Drew Pyne is set to start in place of Cook. He is 8-3 in his career as a starter, which covers both his time at Notre Dame and Arizona State.
Pyne struggled in place of Cook at Alabama in Missouri’s last game, throwing three interceptions while completing 6 of 12 passes for 42 yards. In place of Cook against Auburn, Pyne completed 10 of 21 passes for 78 yards.
Cook has thrown for 1,575 yards and seven touchdowns this year. In his career, he’s thrown for 8,048 yards and 45 touchdowns.
He played valiantly in a comeback win over Auburn, returning from the hospital to lead a second-half comeback.
The news of Cook’s absence is softened slightly be the return of starting tailback Nate Noel, sources said. He missed the Alabama game while dealing with a foot injury. Noel rushed for 503 yards this season and averages 5.9 yards per carry.
247Sports.com first reported that Cook would sit out Saturday’s game.
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco will face charges of illegal use and possession of a firearm related to his arrest in an armed altercation in the Dominican Republic countryside, public prosecutors said Tuesday.
Franco, 23, was arrested in San Juan de la Maguana, 116 miles west of Santo Domingo after what police said was an altercation Sunday in the parking lot of an apartment complex in which guns were drawn. He had been held for questioning by police but is expected to be granted provisional release Tuesday, with terms of his bail yet to be defined.
Prosecutors said a Glock with its magazine and 15 rounds of ammunition but no registration papers was found in Franco’s black Mercedes-Benz at the time of the altercation.
Police said the firearm was registered to Branly Fernando Lugo Rodríguez, who Franco said was his uncle.
The armed altercation occurred Sunday between Franco, another man and the father of that man over Franco’s relationship with a woman prosecutors said lived in the apartment complex. The dispute took place in the parking lot of the apartment complex after Franco arrived there.
There were no injuries, and the involved parties agreed they will not press charges.
No court date has yet been set for Franco’s arraignment. The use and possession of illegal firearms carries a maximum sentence of three to five years plus a fine.
Franco, who was placed on indefinite administrative leave from Major League Baseball on Aug. 22, 2023, is due to stand trial in the Dominican Republic on Dec. 12 in a separate case involving charges of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor and human trafficking that could result in a sentence of up to 20 years.
Franco was placed on MLB’s restricted list in July, sources had told ESPN, after prosecutors in the Dominican Republic accused him of having a sexual relationship with a then-14-year-old girl.
He is also under an MLB investigation under its domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy until the case is resolved.
The court summoned Franco and the mother of the girl for the trial after an investigation that opened in 2022. The case will be heard by a panel of three or five judges.
Franco cannot leave the Dominican Republic under his bail agreement as he awaits the trial, but he is free to travel within the country, police confirmed.
The Rays gave Franco an 11-year, $182 million extension in 2021, just 70 games into his major league career.
He made the All-Star team for the first time in 2023.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A detailed assessment of the hurricane damage to Tropicana Field concludes that the home of the Tampa Bay Rays is structurally sound and can be repaired for about $55.7 million in time for the 2026 season.
The 412-page report released Tuesday by the city of St. Petersburg, which owns the building, found that the basic structure of the domed stadium “does not appear to have been adversely affected” by Hurricane Milton’s winds, which shredded most of its fabric roof.
“The primary structure is serviceable and capable of supporting a replacement tension membrane fabric roof,” said the report by Hennessy Construction Services.
Eighteen of the ballpark’s 24 fabric panels failed when Milton roared ashore Oct. 9, the report found. There was also damage to interior parts of the Trop, as it’s known for short, from rainwater and other storm-related causes. The ballpark opened in 1990 and has been the Rays’ home since their inception in 1998.
The Rays did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment. Since the ballpark, under this damage and repair assessment, would not be ready until the 2026 season, the Rays must find another place to play next year.
Major League Baseball wants the Rays to remain in the area near their fan base if at all possible, with several Tampa Bay-area spring training sites suggested. These include ballparks in Clearwater (Phillies), Tampa (Yankees), Dunedin (Blue Jays), Sarasota (Orioles), Lakeland (Tigers) and the Rays’ own spring training home in Port Charlotte. Most of these locations host minor league teams in the summer.
Tropicana Field is already scheduled to be demolished when a new, $1.3 billion ballpark is finished in time for the 2028 season. With unforeseen costs to the city and Pinellas County from two hurricanes — vast amounts of debris removal, damage to parks and infrastructure — two of the main financial sources for the new ballpark could reconsider those plans or decide not to repair the Trop at all.
The St. Petersburg City Council will discuss the report at its Nov. 21 meeting.
“We have so much need across the city,” council member Brandi Gabbard said at a meeting last week. “I love the Rays. I love Tropicana Field. It’s not about not wanting to do this. It’s about a balance of priorities.”
The council recently approved $6.5 million to clean up the ballpark and protect it from any further damage, including waterproofing areas such as the press box, seating areas and scoreboard.
The city does have an insurance claim for the damage and repairs, but it includes a $22 million deductible and probably would cover only part of the overall costs. That means taxpayer dollars would have to be used.
The planned new Rays ballpark is part of a $6.5 billion project that will include affordable housing, a Black history museum, retail and office space, and restaurants and bars. The project is known as the Historic Gas Plant District, which was once a thriving Black community but was displaced by construction of the ballpark and an interstate highway.
O’Brien said the decision is “what’s best for the team right now” and said Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled with that. He’s taken a couple days.”
James entered the game last week against Syracuse in the third quarter and helped lead a 37-31 victory.
Boston College hosts ACC leader SMU on Saturday, needing one more win to reach bowl eligibility.
Castellanos was just 2-of-7 for 14 yards with a touchdown an interception at that point in the game. James went 5-of-6 for 51 yards with a touchdown pass.
Castellanos has struggled at times this season, particularly in the passing game. James started one game earlier in the year in place of the injured Castellanos, going 19-of-32 for 168 yards with a touchdown and interception in a 21-20 win over Western Kentucky.