Arizona fires Sumlin a day after rout
Arizona fired football coach Kevin Sumlin following a blowout loss to rival Arizona State that extended a record losing streak.
Sumlin was fired Saturday, less than 24 hours after a 70-7 loss to Arizona State that stretched the Wildcats’ losing streak to 12 games spanning two seasons.
“When we hired Kevin three years ago, we had very high hopes for our football program,” Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke said in a statement. “Unfortunately, we simply have not seen the results and upward trajectory in our program that we needed to, and I believe now is the time for a change in leadership. I thank Kevin for his service to the University of Arizona and wish him the very best in the future.”
Heeke said the school will honor the terms of Sumlin’s existing contract, including a $7.5-million buyout.
Fuller’s boots make history
Sarah Fuller became the first woman to score in a Power Five conference football game, cleanly kicking a pair of extra points for Vanderbilt against Tennessee.
The goalkeeper for Vanderbilt’s Southeastern Conference women’s soccer champions got her historic chance with 1:50 left in the first quarter on Saturday.
“This whole time has been if I can do it, if I’m good enough to do it,” Fuller said after the game. “It wasn’t if I was a girl or not. So that’s something I’ve really appreciated. At the end of the day, they treated me like an athlete and that’s the best I could ask for.”
Listed second out of three available kickers on the depth chart, Fuller came out for the extra point, which tied the score at 7-7.
The 6-foot-2 senior put the ball through the uprights and celebrated by pulling her fist in before high-fiving teammates.
Cowboys’ Hubbard opts out
Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard opted out of the rest of the season and will prepare for the NFL draft.
Coach Mike Gundy made the announcement Saturday on the team’s pregame radio show before the Cowboys were scheduled to play Baylor in their regular-season finale.
The redshirt junior ends his career having rushed for 3,459 yards and 33 touchdowns.
Etc.
Texas ended widespread speculation about coach Tom Herman’s future, announcing he will return in 2021 for his fifth season. “With the close of the regular season, I want to reiterate that Tom Herman is our coach,” athletic director Chris Del Conte said in a statement. ... Former Arkansas State coach Blake Anderson was hired as the new coach at Utah State, director of athletics John Hartwell said. ... Arkansas State hired former Tennessee coach Butch Jones as its new head coach. Jones has spent the last three seasons in an off-the-field role at Alabama under