Ragin’ Cajuns coach Napier tests positive
Louisiana coach Billy Napier has tested positive for COVID-19. The Ragin’ Cajuns game against Central Arkansas, originally scheduled for Saturday, was canceled due to the program experiencing issues with the virus.
“Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Football head coach Billy Napier has tested positive for COVID-19,” the team stated in a press release. “The third-year head coach of the Ragin’ Cajuns began to exhibit symptoms during the routine molecular test on Wednesday, Nov. 18, both resulted in negative readings. Coach Npier’s symptoms persisted, and he received a positive result on Saturday from a PCR test on Friday, Nov. 20. Coach Napier will continue his isolation as he quarantines separately away from his family. The football program will resume practice Saturday after halting team operations from Tuesday-Friday. Pending a successful recovery, Coach Napier will travel separately from the team to Monroe, Louisiana, for the Saturday, Nov. 28 game vs. ULM.”
BYU stays perfect: Tyler Allgeier ran for a career-high 141 yards and two touchdowns and No. 8 BYU routed overmatched North Alabama 66-14 on Saturday to improve to 9-0.
Allgeier had his fourth 100-yard game of the season. Zach Wilson threw for 212 yards and four touchdowns before halftime and added 33 yards rushing. He had a season-high 256.3 QB rating.
BYU scored touchdowns on all six first-half drives. The Cougars rolled up 394 total yards and averaged 11.3 yards per play before halftime. Rett Files threw for 198 yards and a touchdown for the Lions (0-4). Files played during the second and fourth quarters while starting quarterback Blake Dever took snaps in the first and third quarters. Dever threw for 107 yards.
COVID hits Pitt hard: Pitt was without 16 players for its game against Virginia Tech because of coronavirus issues, the school announced Saturday.
The Panthers postponed their game last week against Georgia Tech and paused football activities after they had a few positive tests. They were able to resume practice Tuesday with the expectation that they would be able to play.
On Friday, Pitt said its players would be outfitted with face coverings because of new state coronavirus safety guidelines. But players are not required to have the face coverings pulled up while they are playing in the game.
Virginia Tech announced it has 12 players unavailable, but did not specify whether it was all related to coronavirus issues.
Oregon holds off UCLA: Tyler Shough threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns and No. 11 Oregon held off short-handed UCLA 38-35 on Saturday to remain undefeated.
At 3-0, Oregon solidified its spot atop the Pac-12 North.
Devon Williams had six catches for 123 yards, including a 19-yarder for a score and a 49-yard reception that helped set up a third-quarter score. UCLA (1-2) had several players out because of COVID-19 protocols and contact tracing, including starting quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Redshirt freshman Chase Griffin started.
“I will not have the opportunity to play vs. Oregon today for reasons out of my control. Frustrated I can’t help the team but they will still be great regardless! #GoBruins,” Thompson-Robinson posted to Twitter shortly before the game.
Griffin threw for 195 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions. Demetric Felton rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns, including an 11-yard scoring run that got the Bruins within three with 3:43 left. Oregon’s ensuing drive failed and UCLA got the ball back with 1:24 left. A penalty on the Ducks got the Bruins a first down on the Oregon 39. But Oregon went on to stop the Bruins on fourth-and-12 to end it.
Wildcats shut down Badgers: Peyton Ramsey threw two touchdown passes and No. 19 Northwestern shut down Graham Mertz and No. 10 Wisconsin for a 17-7 victory on Saturday that put the undefeated Wildcats in control of the Big Ten West.
Northwestern forced five turnovers — four in the first half — and sacked Mertz three times in its first win over a top-10 team since a 28-25 victory over No. 9 Nebraska on Nov. 5, 2011. Ramsey, a graduate transfer from Indiana, was 23 for 44 for 203 yards, and Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman had four receptions for 95 yards.
The Wildcats improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2015. They also moved to 5-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 1996. Wisconsin (2-1, 2-1) had committed just one turnover this year, a fumble during a 45-7 victory over Illinois on Oct. 23. The Badgers then had back-to-back games canceled because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the program before rolling to a 49-11 win at Michigan last weekend.