LEAGUE MAY PLAY IN FALL AFTER ALL
Big Ten university presidents will meet Sunday to hear a presentation about playing a fall football season after all — perhaps as soon as late October — amid pressure from parents, players, coaches and even the president to kick off.
The Big Ten’s Return to Competition Task Force reportedly met Saturday. The medical subcommittee, comprised of athletic directors, doctors and athletic training staffers, made a presentation to a subgroup of presidents and chancellors. The presentation included improvements in the availability of rapid, daily COVID-19 testing.
The Big Ten was not planning to make any announcements about its efforts to return to play, but a source said it was a “positive meeting” that led to the scheduling of a presentation to the full group of presidents and chancellors Sunday.
The presentation with include, medical, television and scheduling for football, the source said. A vote to start a season is not guaranteed to be conducted Sunday but could happen in the coming days.
The Big Ten postponed its fall season Aug. 11 because of concerns about playing through the COVID-19 pandemic, with presidents and chancellors voting 11-3 in favor. Ohio State, Iowa and Nebraska voted against postponement.
The conference and first-year commissioner Kevin Warren have faced push-back from inside and ou. Parents of players have demonstrated on campuses and in front of the Big Ten offices outside Chicago. A group of Nebraska players filed a lawsuit against the conference to overturn the decision not to play.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day released a statement Thursday asking the conference to provide more clarity about its decision to postpone, and Penn State coach James Franklin made similar statements in a radio interview.
Day’s Buckeyes were No. 2 in the Associated Press preseason Top 25. Franklin’s Nittany Lions were No. 7.
If things move quickly, the Big Ten could start a season in about a month and maybe still compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Some Big 12 and ACC teams began their seasons Saturday, but the SEC is not scheduled to kick off until Sept. 26.
Louisiana-Lafayette 31, Iowa State 14
Perseverance, confidence and two long kick returns propelled the Ragin’ Cajuns to one of their biggest wins in program history as they stunned the No. 23 Cyclones on the road.
They beat a Top 25 opponent away from home for the first time, having gone 0-26 against ranked foes. Their only other win over a Top 25 team was in 1996 at home against Texas A&M.
Both offenses seemed overmatched at times, but the Ragin’ Cajuns were ignited by Chris Smith’s 95-yard kickoff return in the second quarter and Eric Garror’s 83-yard punt return in the fourth.
Levi Lewis threw a 78-yard touchdown pass to Peter LeBlanc, giving Louisiana-Lafayette a 17-14 lead late in the third quarter.
Clemson 37, Wake Forest 13
Trevor Lawrence threw for 351 yards and combined for three touchdowns, and the No. 1 Tigers continued their domination of the host Demon Deacons. Trevor Etienne ran for 102 yards and a touchdown for Clemson, which improved to 70-5 since the start of the 2015 season under coach Dabo Swinney.
Oklahoma 48, Missouri State 0
Redshirt freshman Spencer Rattler passed for 290 yards and four touchdowns in only two quarters in his first start, and the No. 5 Sooners rolled past the Bears. Rattler completed 14 of 17 passes and had a 303.3 passer efficiency rating, the third-best single-game mark in school history.
North Carolina 31, Syracuse 6
Javonte Williams ran for three fourth-quarter touchdowns to help the No. 18 Tar Heels pull away from the visiting Orange. After a gameopening touchdown drive, North Carolina sputtered with turnovers and penalties before settling into a rhythm to look like the team expected to be an ACC contender.
Arkansas St. 35, Kansas St. 31
Jonathan Adams Jr. caught a career-high three touchdown passes, including the game-winner with 38 seconds left, and the Red Wolves stunned the host Wildcats for their first victory over a Power 5 opponent in a dozen years.