Houston has fired offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay ahead of its regular-season finale against BYU, the school announced Tuesday.

Shawn Bell, Houston’s quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator, will serve as interim offensive coordinator and play caller.

The Cougars (4-7, 3-5) rank last in FBS in scoring offense at 13.6 points per game as well as last in the Big 12 in total offense, passing offense and yards per play. Houston has averaged 6.6 points per game in its losses and clinched a losing season with a 20-10 loss to Baylor on Saturday.

Barbay joined coach Willie Fritz’s staff for his debut season after serving as Mississippi State‘s offensive coordinator in 2023.

“We are grateful to Kevin for his dedication and contributions to our football program this season,” Fritz said in a statement. “As we continue to assess every aspect of our program, it is clear we have not met our offensive standards. … Our focus is on finishing the season strong Saturday against BYU.”

The Cougars made a midseason quarterback change, benching returning starter Donovan Smith for Louisiana transfer Zeon Chriss, and secured wins over TCU, Utah and No. 17 Kansas State before back-to-back losses to Arizona and Baylor with bowl eligibility on the line.

Barbay had one year remaining on his contract and will be owed $750,000 by Houston, offset by earnings from his next job.

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke coach Manny Diaz says quarterback Maalik Murphy will face discipline “internally” after extending both of his middle fingers skyward in celebration after throwing a long touchdown pass early in the weekend win against Virginia Tech.

Diaz said Monday that Murphy’s exuberant gesture, caught on the ACC Network national broadcast, was directed at offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer in the booth after a bit of practice “banter” from a few days earlier. Diaz said the Texas transfer just let his excitement get away from him but still called it “unacceptable in our program.”

“There was a practice in the middle of last week when we [were] throwing post after post after post, and we weren’t completing them,” Diaz said. “And it was again and again and again and again. And at the end of that, there was a remark made in jest that, ‘If you throw a post for a touchdown in the game, then you can flick me off,’ from Coach Brewer.”

Murphy’s gesture came after he uncorked a ball from deep in Duke’s own end and caught Eli Pancol perfectly in stride across midfield, with Pancol racing untouched for an 86-yard score barely 2 minutes into the game.

As he began skipping downfield to celebrate, Murphy chest-bumped teammate Star Thomas and then extended both arms in the air with his middle fingers raised.

Brewer said Monday he missed the gesture in real time, but then saw it on a replay moments later.

“Some things you say on the field when you’re coaching obviously isn’t meant to be taken literally when you’re trying to get after somebody in that world,” Brewer said.

Murphy threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions in the 31-28 win for the Blue Devils (8-3, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who close the regular season at Wake Forest.

Georgia wide receiver Colbie Young, who hasn’t played for the Bulldogs since his arrest Oct. 8 on misdemeanor charges of battery and assault on an unborn child, returned to practice Monday after being cleared to do so by the university’s Equal Opportunity Office.

Sources told ESPN on Tuesday that Young, who had been suspended from the team since his arrest, will not be allowed to play in games until his legal matter is resolved. He has an arraignment scheduled for state court in Athens, Georgia, on Dec. 10.

“The Title IX office at UGA cleared Colbie so he was allowed to return to the team activities, including practice,” Young’s attorney, Kim Stephens, told ESPN. “We expect and hope that the prosecutors will follow the Title IX office’s lead and dismiss the charges against Mr. Young in the very near future.”

Young was working off to the side during Monday’s practice.

The woman involved in an altercation that led to Young’s arrest and suspension retracted her statement to police and requested that all criminal charges against him be dropped, according to an affidavit provided to ESPN by Stephens.

According to an Athens-Clarke County Police incident report obtained by ESPN, a 20-year-old woman, who described herself as Young’s ex-girlfriend, told police that she went to his apartment to discuss their relationship.

When the conversation became heated after she discovered he was on the phone with another woman, the complainant said Young “grabbed her left arm near her biceps and triceps and physically pulled her out of his room.” The woman said Young was “using derogatory terms and being demeaning of her.” She said Young went back to his room and locked the door.

The woman told police she started to collect her belongings when a friend called her phone. When she answered, the woman told police, “Mr. Young came out and grabbed her from behind. She said that he picked her up and began to squeeze her torso and abdomen very hard. She said she felt like [Young] was trying to harm her.”

The police officer noted in the report that he observed a bruise and discoloration on the bottom of the woman’s chest where it meets the abdomen, and redness on her right side. The police officer transported the woman to an Athens hospital for treatment.

In the affidavit, the woman said the police report was “slanted and does not accurately portray what occurred on Oct. 8.”

“I did go to Colbie’s apartment late at night to talk to him about our relationship and my pregnancy,” the woman said. “Colbie asked me to leave more than once while I was there. I did not leave until I became upset with him and did not think our conversation was productive.

“Colbie did not place his hands on me in any way during the conversation and argument that was inappropriate or unwanted. He did not hit me. He did not push me. He did not cause any bruising or marks on me. He did not injure me in any way.”

Young, who transferred to Georgia from Miami, has 11 catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns this season.

The No. 10 Bulldogs close the regular season against rival Georgia Tech at home Friday night (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+). They’ll play the winner of Saturday’s game between No. 3 Texas and No. 15 Texas A&M in the SEC championship game on Dec. 7.

With a victory in the SEC title game, Georgia would secure a berth in the CFP for the third time in four seasons. The Bulldogs would probably be considered for a CFP at-large berth if they lose to the Texas/Texas A&M winner.