Connect with us

Published

on

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said Bryce Underwood “looks to be wise beyond his years” and compared Michigan‘s freshman quarterback to former Clemson national championship QB Trevor Lawrence on Tuesday ahead of the No. 18 Sooners’ Week 2 visit from the No. 15 Wolverines.

Underwood, ESPN’s No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class, will make his second career start at Oklahoma on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

The coveted freshman earned Michigan’s starting job at the end of fall camp, beating out a collection of experienced passers on the depth chart including offseason portal additions Mikey Keene (Fresno State) and Jake Garcia (East Carolina). Underwood delivered a smooth college debut against New Mexico in Week 1, completing 21 of 31 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown in Michigan’s 34-17 win.

At Oklahoma, Underwood is set to face a much stiffer challenge against Venables, who resumed control of the Sooners’ defensive playcalling ahead of the 2024 season, and an experienced defense that held Illinois State to 151 yards of total offense in Week 1.

The former Clemson defensive coordinator compared Underwood to Lawrence, the five-star quarterback prospect who started as a freshman in 2018 and led the Tigers to a national championship win over Alabama.

“He’s a little different,” Venables said of Underwood. “It reminds me a lot of a Trevor Lawrence. Quick. Decisive. Accurate. Poised. Tough. Consistent. There’s a reason he was the No. 1 player in America. And he’s got a maturity and a work ethic and leadership agility to go along with that.”

As Oklahoma seeks to rebound from a 6-7 finish last fall, a new-look Sooners offense will get a test of its own Saturday.

Behind transfer QB John Mateer and first-year offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, Oklahoma gained 495 yards of offense in its 35-3, season-opening win over Illinois State. Mateer, who arrived in the offseason from Washington State alongside Arbuckle, passed Baker Mayfield for the most passing yards by an Oklahoma QB in a debut with 392 yards.

On Tuesday, Venables highlighted the Wolverines’ experience on defense, particularly in the front seven, as a defining challenge for the Sooners in an intriguing Week 2 matchup between two of college football’s most storied brands.

“[It’s] a defense that for the last several years has been one of the gold standards of college football when it comes to playing good defense,” Venables said. “It’s going to be a great physical matchup, and for us, a great litmus test to where we’re at.”

Continue Reading

Sports

3 tossed from Giants-Rockies after Devers homer

Published

on

By

3 tossed from Giants-Rockies after Devers homer

DENVER — Rafael Devers‘ 30th home run of the season was a weird one.

Colorado Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland along with San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman and shortstop Willy Adames were ejected from Tuesday night’s game following a benches-clearing incident that started after Devers hit a two-run homer in the first inning.

Devers hammered a sweeper over the right-field wall, and Freeland took exception to Devers’ celebration, shouting at him as he neared first base.

That caused several players to charge toward the infield, where Chapman appeared to make contact with Freeland. Adames also was in the middle of the scrum.

The umpires restored order before sorting out the situation and announcing the ejections. It did not appear that any punches were thrown.

Devers waited at first base while the umpires were meeting and then trotted around the bases several minutes after he actually hit the homer.

The Giants had to shuffle their defensive infield after the two ejections, moving Devers to third base for the first time since he was traded to the club from the Boston Red Sox in June. Christian Koss moved from second base to shortstop, Casey Schmitt entered the game at second base and Dominic Smith entered at first.

Antonio Senzatela came in the game to pitch for the Rockies.

Devers’ 30th homer also ended a skid for the Giants — sort of. He is the first San Francisco player to hit 30 homers in a season while wearing a Giants uniform since Barry Bonds in 2004, but he hit his first 15 long balls with the Red Sox.

Continue Reading

Sports

Ohtani belts 100th HR with Dodgers in record time

Published

on

By

Ohtani belts 100th HR with Dodgers in record time

PITTSBURGH — Shohei Ohtani hit his 100th home run with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the Pittsburgh Pirates spoiled the milestone with a 9-7 win Tuesday night.

Ohtani’s solo shot off prospect Bubba Chandler (2-0) was the second-hardest hit homer in MLB this season at 120 mph. It was home run No. 46 for Ohtani this season and the hardest-hit ball of his MLB career, according to ESPN Research.

Playing his 294th game with the Dodgers, he became the fastest to reach 100 home runs in team history, ahead of Gary Sheffield (399). It took him 444 games to hit 100 home runs with the Angels.

After the home run, Teoscar Hernandez hit a two-out RBI single and Andy Pages led off the next inning with his 24th homer, tying it 4-4.

Henry Davis put the Pirates back ahead on an RBI single off Edgardo Henriquez (0-1) in the sixth. Jared Triolo added a two-out, two-run double.

Chandler gave up three runs and six hits in four innings of relief. The 22-year-old has two wins and a save in his first three major league appearances.

Dennis Santana walked Miguel Rojas and gave up Ohtani’s second double to start the ninth before retiring the next three batters for his 12th save.

Clayton Kershaw yielded four runs, four hits and a pair of walks in the first inning. He recovered to last five innings, denying the Pirates of another hit while giving up two walks over the final four.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Red Sox’s Anthony exits with oblique tightness

Published

on

By

Red Sox's Anthony exits with oblique tightness

Star Boston Red Sox rookie Roman Anthony left Tuesday night’s 11-7 win against the Cleveland Guardians because of left oblique tightness and will undergo an MRI on Wednesday, according to manager Alex Cora.

Anthony could be seen grabbing at his lower back on a swinging third strike in the bottom of the fourth inning. He did not take the field in the top of the fifth, with Nate Eaton replacing him in right field at Fenway Park.

Anthony’s absence would be significant for a Red Sox team that entered Tuesday night just 2½ games behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. Anthony has been a catalyst to Boston’s resurgence since his June callup, with the 21-year-old hitting .291 with an .861 OPS, eight home runs and 31 RBIs entering Tuesday.

Anthony entered the season as baseball’s No. 1 prospect. He has since signed an eight-year, $130 million extension with the team.

Teammate Marcelo Mayer, who entered the season as baseball’s No. 6 prospect, joined the big league club before Anthony in May but has since had season-ending wrist surgery. Kristian Campbell, the third of Boston’s touted prospects, opened the season as the club’s starting second baseman but was sent down to Triple-A Worcester in June after some early struggles.

Continue Reading

Trending