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Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse was suspended one game by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Tuesday night for cross-checking Los Angeles Kings forward Quinton Byfield.

He’ll miss the Oilers’ regular-season finale at San Jose on Wednesday night but will be eligible to return to Edmonton’s lineup for Game 1 of its first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Kings.

Nurse had been suspended three times and fined once in his 716-game NHL career.

The incident occurred at 14:36 of the second period of the Kings’ 5-0 win in Edmonton on Monday, with Los Angeles on a 5-on-3 power play and leading by four goals. Nurse and Byfield battled near the crease as the puck was frozen by Edmonton goalie Calvin Pickard. Nurse brought Byfield down with a headlock and then shoved Byfield’s head to the ice with a cross-check to the back of his helmet.

Byfield left the game and didn’t return. He also missed the Kings’ game against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. Nurse received a five-minute major for cross-checking and a game misconduct.

In its ruling, NHL Player Safety said Nurse was in control of his stick and “makes the decision to deliver an intentional cross-check that makes head contact with a player lying on the ice.”

The NHL ruled that the cross-check was delivered with enough force to earn supplemental discipline but agreed with Nurse’s counterargument that the cross-check was not delivered with “exceptional force” on Byfield.

“It is only because of that fact that this incident is not met with much more harsh discipline,” the ruling said.

The ruling is similar to one made in 2023 against Andrew Mangiapane, then of the Calgary Flames, who cross-checked Seattle’s Jared McCann while the Kraken forward was flat on the ice. Mangiapane also received a one-game suspension after a match penalty in the game, with NHL Player Safety citing the force of the cross-check in its ruling.

The Oilers and Kings will meet in the first round for the fourth straight postseason. Edmonton won the three previous series, in seven games in 2022, six in 2023 and five games in the 2024 playoffs.

Edmonton will not have defenseman Mattias Ekholm for the upcoming series against Los Angeles, underscoring how critical it was for the Oilers that Nurse not miss any postseason time.

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Vols name Aguilar starting QB after Iamaleava exit

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Vols name Aguilar starting QB after Iamaleava exit

Tennessee named senior Joey Aguilar its starting quarterback Sunday.

Aguilar transferred from UCLA to Tennessee in April, a day after former Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava joined the UCLA Bruins, in what essentially was a college football quarterback trade.

Aguilar had transferred from Appalachian State to UCLA during the winter portal and was in line to start for the Bruins until UCLA signed Iamaleava.

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel noted Friday that Aguilar was “handling himself extremely well” and praised him for being “extremely comfortable” commanding the Vols offense in such a short amount of time.

Aguilar beat out redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger for the job.

Aguilar threw for 3,003 yards and 23 touchdowns with 14 interceptions last season.

Tennessee opens the season Aug. 30 against Syracuse.

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Harbaugh mum on U-M sanctions: ‘Not engaging’

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Harbaugh mum on U-M sanctions: 'Not engaging'

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Jim Harbaugh is refusing to comment on the NCAA’s decision to fine the University of Michigan tens of millions of dollars and to suspend football coach Sherrone Moore for a third game due to the sign-stealing scandal that occurred during Harbaugh’s tenure at his alma mater.

Harbaugh stayed mum on the Wolverines when he stepped to the podium at SoFi Stadium on Saturday night following his Los Angeles Chargers‘ 23-22 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Rams for his first interaction with the media since the NCAA’s rulings were announced Friday.

“Like I said to you last year, not engaging,” Harbaugh said. “Not engaging.”

The NCAA sharply criticized Harbaugh’s stewardship over the winningest program in college football when it announced the sanctions, saying it had “overwhelming” evidence of a cover-up by the Michigan staff. Harbaugh has always claimed he didn’t know about the sign-stealing and scouting operation run by Connor Stalions.

Michigan only avoided a multiyear postseason ban because the NCAA decided it wasn’t fair to the Wolverines’ current student-athletes to penalize them for the misdeeds during Harbaugh’s tenure, which culminated in a national championship in January 2024.

He jumped back to the NFL two weeks later with the Chargers, and the NCAA hit him in August 2024 with a four-year show-cause order for recruiting violations. Harbaugh now faces a 10-year show-cause order following the conclusion of the four-year order, which effectively serves as a 14-year ban from college football.

Michigan has said it will appeal the NCAA’s decision, claiming the body has made errors in interpreting its own bylaws while drawing conclusions that are contrary to evidence.

Moore was Harbaugh’s assistant for six years before getting the top job upon Harbaugh’s departure. Moore will be suspended for two games this September and for the Wolverines’ 2026 season opener in Germany.

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Sources: Bama RB Miller set to miss FSU opener

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Sources: Bama RB Miller set to miss FSU opener

Alabama tailback Jam Miller, the No. 8 Crimson Tide’s top returning rusher, suffered an upper-body injury in a scrimmage Saturday and is expected to miss the Aug. 30 season opener at Florida State, sources told ESPN.

Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer said in a statement Sunday that Miller was hurt and had a medical procedure following the scrimmage at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“Jam Miller suffered an upper-body injury in Saturday’s scrimmage and went in for a procedure on Saturday evening,” DeBoer said. “Jam should recover fully with a timetable for his return yet to be determined.”

Miller, a senior from Tyler, Texas, led Alabama tailbacks with 668 yards with seven touchdowns on 145 carries in 2024.

Sophomores Richard Young (146 yards, 2 touchdowns in 2024) and Daniel Hill (61 yards, 1 touchdown) figure to get the bulk of carries against the Seminoles in the opener (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC), along with Louisiana transfer Dre Washington.

Quarterback Jalen Milroe, now a rookie with the Seattle Seahawks, was the team’s leading runner with 726 yards and 20 scores last year. Tailback Justice Haynes, who ran for 448 yards with seven touchdowns, transferred to Michigan.

The Crimson Tide are trying to bounce back from last season’s 9-4 campaign, their first with more than three losses since Nick Saban’s first season at Alabama in 2007.

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