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  • Dave Wilson, ESPN Staff WriterOct 12, 2024, 09:46 PM ET

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      Dave Wilson is a college football reporter. He previously worked at The Dallas Morning News, San Diego Union-Tribune and Las Vegas Sun.

DALLAS — A year after a crushing last-second loss in the Red River Rivalry, No. 1 Texas dominated No. 18 Oklahoma 34-3 on Saturday, but there wasn’t a lot of celebrating going on afterward. Other than coach Steve Sarkisian enjoying a State Fair of Texas favorite during his postgame interview.

“Got my corn dog, y’all,” Sarkisian said of the traditional fair fare as he walked into the postgame news conference and subtly tried to sneak bites during his interview after the Longhorns improved to 6-0 for the first time since 2009.

But with Texas facing Georgia next weekend, that was about the extent of the celebration, Sarkisian said, a departure from its 49-0 win over OU in 2022, its first in the series since 2018.

“Two years ago when we won the Golden Hat, you might have thought we won the Super Bowl,” Sarkisian said. “This year, it was like, ‘OK, we’ve got the Golden Hat back. All right, let’s put it in the trophy case and let’s keep grinding, let’s keep going.'”

The Longhorns got off to a slow start Saturday with more penalty yards (15) than offensive yards (13) in the first quarter. Quinn Ewers, who returned from injury to make his first start since Sept. 14, was sacked on the game’s first play, then intercepted two plays later on his first pass attempt.

Oklahoma’s only points, a 42-yard field goal from Tyler Keltner, came with 10 seconds left in the opening quarter, the first time Texas has trailed in a game this season. But the Longhorns’ defense never let Oklahoma get in a rhythm, and Texas eventually started to wear out the Sooners.

OU freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. was pressured on 17 of his 38 dropbacks (45%), going 19 of 30 for 148 yards, and the Longhorns held the Sooners under seven points for just the second time since 1998 (Texas’ 49-0 blowout in Brent Venables’ first year in 2022 was the other).

Ewers finished 20 of 29 for 199 yards and a touchdown but was 3 of 9 for 8 yards and that interception when under pressure.

“Overall, I think I need to play better, but I think we did a good job overcoming some adversity,” Ewers said, adding he was thrilled to be 2-1 against the Sooners. “The overall experience and atmosphere, it’s unbeatable, so it’s not hard to get up for this game.”

The Longhorns got a breakout game from sophomore running back Quintrevion Wisner, who had his first 100-yard game with 118, including a 43-yard touchdown run in the second quarter when Texas took control. The Longhorns averaged 5.9 yards per rush, while holding Oklahoma to just 2.3 yards.

It was another disappointing offensive performance for Oklahoma. Venables already has made a change at quarterback this season, switching from Jackson Arnold to Hawkins. The Sooners have not had a quarterback top 200 passing yards in a game this season.

“Obviously, we haven’t been very good this season [on offense],” Venables said. “We have to get better everywhere. I like the leadership, I like the will of this team. The hunger … we’ve got to help them. We’ve got some guys who are inexperienced, and we’ve got to continue to help them.”

But with another big game looming for Texas next weekend, senior defensive back Jahdae Barron said he was excited about getting a win over the Sooners in his final season, then immediately moved along.

“I’m ready for Georgia,” Barron said. “Let’s talk about Georgia. … I’m ready to go watch film already.”

Senior offensive lineman Jake Majors echoed his teammates’ thoughts.

“The good teams enjoy the win more than the great teams because the great teams move on, and that’s what we want to be,” Majors said. “We want to be great, so we’re going to enjoy it for 24 hours and then we’re going to get ready for next week.”

Sarkisian said he wants to give the rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl the respect it deserves, corn dogs and all.

“This is a big game at the University of Texas,” he said. “This game matters to us and I know it matters in Oklahoma obviously. … In my opinion, this is the greatest atmosphere in college football.”

But, he said, he sees a focus on what this team can accomplish now that it has a win over the Sooners under its belt.

“We enjoyed the win, don’t get me wrong,” Sarkisian said. “The locker room was fun and all that, but it is almost like our team knows there’s more work to do.”

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11-year-old rejects big haul for rare Skenes card

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January 24, 2025

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11-year-old rejects big haul for rare Skenes card

  • Associated Press

Jan 24, 2025, 06:28 PM ET

The young collector who scored a one-of-a-kind baseball card featuring National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes has turned down a trade offer from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Topps announced Friday that the 11-year-old from the Los Angeles area had declined the deal and instead was going to put the card — which features Skenes’ autograph and a patch from a game-worn jersey — up for auction.

The Pirates had put together a package that included 30 years’ worth of season tickets behind home plate at PNC Park and the chance to play a softball game on the field in exchange for the card.

Skenes’ girlfriend, LSU gymnast and influencer Livvy Dunne, also offered the card’s owner the opportunity to take in a game with her in a luxury suite at the ballpark during one of Skenes’ starts.

While the collector wrote in a journal entry shared by Topps that nabbing the card was a “dream come true,” that dream apparently did not include spending the next three decades attending games at PNC Park.

The team posted on X after the decision that it was “bummed” but offered to have the fan at a game sometime during the 2025 season.

Fanatics Collect, which will handle the auctioning of the card in March, said it would donate its proceeds from the sale to fire relief funds in the Los Angeles area.

The card could hold pretty high value considering the potentially bright future ahead for the 22-year-old Skenes, who finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting after an outstanding rookie season.

The No. 1 pick in the 2023 amateur draft made his major league debut in May and put together one of the most impressive rookie seasons in recent memory. Skenes was selected as the NL’s starting pitcher in the All-Star Game after only 11 starts and finished 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 games.

Skenes said over the weekend he hasn’t thought about the potential of signing a long-term contract to remain in Pittsburgh, saying instead that his focus is on helping the Pirates take a step toward contending in 2025. He is eligible for free agency after the 2029 season.

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Notre Dame safety Watts to enter NFL draft

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January 24, 2025

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Notre Dame safety Watts to enter NFL draft
Jan 24, 2025, 04:19 PM ET

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Two-time All-America safety Xavier Watts will enter the NFL draft rather than return to Notre Dame for a sixth season.

Watts made the announcement on social media Friday, four days after the Irish lost to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff championship game in Atlanta.

Watts is the No. 4 draft-eligible safety in 2025, according to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.

Watts began his college career as a receiver in 2020 and moved to defense his second season. He had 13 interceptions over the past two seasons, most by any player in the Football Bowl Subdivision. He picked off six passes this season, running one back 100 yards to help Notre Dame seal its win against Southern California. He was voted to the Associated Press All-America first team for two straight years.

Watts, whose hometown is Omaha, Nebraska, could have returned to Notre Dame to use the extra season granted by the NCAA to athletes who were active during the 2020 pandemic season. Most draft analysts project Watts to be selected late in the first round or in the second.

“As I embark on the next chapter of my football journey, I’m filled with pride as I look back on the many memories and people that I’ll forever cherish,” Watts wrote on X. “I hope that my time in the Irish uniform has helped continue the tradition of those that came before me.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Jones, ex-Huskers star and NFL RB, dies at 54

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January 24, 2025

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Jones, ex-Huskers star and NFL RB, dies at 54

  • Associated Press

Jan 24, 2025, 11:20 AM ET

OMAHA, Neb. — Calvin Jones, who rushed for more than 3,000 yards in three seasons at Nebraska and was with the Green Bay Packers when they won the Super Bowl after the 1996 season, has died. He was 54.

Police said Jones’ body was found in the basement of a house in north Omaha on Wednesday night. Police have not confirmed a cause of death pending an autopsy.

A friend of Jones, Jo Dusatko, told the Omaha World-Herald that carbon monoxide poisoning was suspected. She said the furnace in the home was not working and that Jones was using a generator in the basement.

Jones was a high school All-American at Central High School before he went to Nebraska, where he rushed for 3,166 yards and 40 touchdowns and was an All-Big Eight pick in 1992-93.

Jones and Derek Brown formed the tandem called the “We-Backs,” a nod to the Cornhuskers’ I-back position, with Jones the backup to Brown in 1991. Jones’ breakout that season came when he ran 27 times for a Big Eight freshman-record 294 yards and a school-record six touchdowns in a 59-23 victory over Kansas. His rushing total against the Jayhawks ranks No. 2 on the Nebraska single-game rushing chart.

Jones declared for the NFL draft in 1994 and was a third-round selection of the Raiders. He appeared in 15 games over two seasons with the Raiders and had a total of 27 carries for 112 yards and two catches for 6 yards. He appeared in one game for the Packers in 1996 but had no carries.

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