Sooners remain at No. 5
The Oklahoma Sooners stayed at No. 5 in the College Football Playoff committee’s rankings on Tuesday night.
UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen is on track to play against Arizona State on Saturday after missing last week’s loss at Utah with a concussion.
Rosen returned to practice Tuesday morning, and offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch said the junior will be back in the starting lineup provided he clears concussion protocol.
Rosen missed most of the second half in a 44-23 loss at No. 9 Washington and did not travel with the Bruins for their 48-17 loss at Utah on Friday night.
Backup quarterbacks Devon Modster and Matt Lynch are a combined 16 of 23 for 149 yards passing with three touchdowns since Rosen got injured. Rosen is averaging 339.1 yards passing per game, which ranks sixth among FBS quarterbacks, and has thrown 20 touchdowns against eight interceptions.
Whoever plays quarterback for UCLA (4-5, 2-4 Pac-12) will be without his top wide receiver as Darren Andrews suffered a torn ACL at Utah. Andrews, a redshirt senior, had 60 receptions for 773 yards and 10 touchdown catches to lead the team in all three categories.
Texas suspends CB Holton Hill for rest of season
Texas has suspended cornerback Holton Hill for the rest of the 2017 season for a violation of team rules.
Longhorns coach Tom Herman announced Hill’s suspension Tuesday. The coach didn’t elaborate.
The school said Hill will be permitted to continue working out with the Longhorns (4-5) and remain a member of the team, but won’t be allowed to play in any more games this season. Texas hosts Kansas on Saturday.
Hill returned two interceptions for touchdowns and scored on a blocked field goal return in the first two games this season. His 51 tackles are second-most on the team.
In the season-opening loss to Maryland, Hill became the first FBS player in 10 years to score on an interception return and blocked field goal in the same game.
Florida State RB Jacques Patrick cleared to play
Running back Jacques Patrick has returned to practice and could see action Saturday at Clemson.
The 6-foot-4, 234-pound junior was thought to be lost for the season after having knee surgery on Oct. 24, but the injury was not as bad as originally believed.
Patrick’s return comes as the Seminoles (3-5, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) are trying to avoid a losing season for the first time since 1976 and having a string of 35 consecutive bowl appearances snapped.
Patrick injured the knee in a 31-28 loss to Louisville on Oct. 21. He thought it was just a knee sprain, but an MRI had the original diagnosis as torn cartilage that would sideline him 4-to-6 months. But Patrick was able to walk following the surgery, and his recovery was quick from there.
Patrick was doing conditioning and running drills last week before being cleared to return.
The Orlando native is averaging 72.3 rushing yards in six games (434 yards on 76 carries), including a 120-yard effort in a win at Wake Forest on Sept, 30. He is also fifth on the team in receptions with 13 for 88 yards.
Iowa QB Nate Stanley emerging as a star
Iowa didn’t really know what it had in sophomore Nate Stanley when it named him its new starting quarterback in August.
The verdict is in.
The kid is a star. Stanley’s coming out party came last weekend, when he threw five touchdown passes in a stunning 55-24 rout of Ohio State. It was the second fivetouchdown performance of the season for Stanley, and it helped the Hawkeyes (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) reach the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time this season.
Stanley, who has thrown 12 TD passes without a pick in four games against ranked teams in this week’s AP Top 25, will face yet another ranked foe when the Hawkeyes travel to his native Wisconsin to face the Badgers (9-0, 6-0) on Saturday.