After upset loss, Nebraska finally fires coach Frost

Nebraska fired Scott Frost on Sunday, the situation so dire in the onceproud football program that athletic director Trev Alberts made the move only three weeks before the coach’s contract buyout would have been cut in half.

The Cornhuskers (1-2) lost 45-42 to Georgia Southern as a three-touchdown favorite at home Saturday night, and the student section chanted “Fire Frost” at the end of the game.

Frost was 16-31 three games into his fifth season, and his .340 winning percentage was second-worst among Nebraska coaches who lasted more than four years.

“You run a professional organization that has high standards, (and) accountability has to matter,” Alberts said at a news conference. “Scott and I talked about this: 16-31 was not at a level that was acceptable to us.”

Associate head coach Mickey Joseph was named interim coach for the rest of the season. The Huskers play No. 6 Oklahoma at home this week.

Joseph, 54, is the first Black head coach at Nebraska in any sport and among four new members of the staff this season. Like Frost, he is a former Nebraska quarterback, having played from 1988-91.

Alberts made a surprising move last November when he announced he would bring back Frost after what turned out to be a 3-9 season. Frost fired four offensive assistants, had his pay cut from $5 million to $4 million and agreed to having his buyout drop from $15 million to $7.5 million on Oct. 1.

Alberts said firing Frost now gives him ample time to conduct a thorough search for the next coach. He said it would be best if the new coach were in place for the early signing period in December but added that the process won’t be rushed. DEFENDING CHAMP GEORGIA MOVES UP TO NO. 1 >> Georgia reclaimed the top spot in The Associated Press poll, and Kentucky, Oklahoma State and Arkansas moved into the top 10 after an upset-filled weekend across the country.

The defending national champion Bulldogs, who started the season at No. 3 in the AP Top 25, took two weeks to get back to where they spent most of last year. Georgia jumped Alabama after it cruised to a 33-0 victory against Samford.

But it wasn’t so much about what the Bulldogs did this week as much as what they did last week, combined with the Crimson Tide needing a late field goal to escape at Texas on Saturday.

Georgia, which opened the season by beating Oregon 49-3, received 53 of 63 first-place votes from the media panel. No. 2 Alabama received nine first-place votes and No. 3 Ohio State got one first-place vote.

No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Clemson held their places, but the rest of the top 10 was shuffled.

Oklahoma moved up a spot to No. 6. Southern California jumped three places to No. 7, its best ranking since September 2017.

The rest of the top 10 are new arrivals: No. 8 Oklahoma State moved up three spots. No. 9 Kentucky jumped 11 places for its best ranking since it reached No. 8 in October 2007. And No. 10 Arkansas was up six.

After being upset at home by Sun Belt schools, Texas A&M dropped from No. 6 to No. 24 and Notre Dame tumbled out all the way from No. 8.

The Aggies were beaten by Appalachian State and the Fighting Irish fell to 0-2 after losing to Marshall.

It was the fifth time in the last 10 seasons and first time since 2020 that two top-10 teams lost at home to unranked teams in the same week.

Notre Dame is unranked for the first time since Sept. 17, 2017, snapping a streak of 80 straight poll appearances, which was fourth in the country behind Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia among active runs. LATE SATURDAY RESULTS >> Lopini Katoa barreled into the end zone on a 3-yard run to lift No. 21 BYU to a 26-20 victory over No. 9 Baylor in double overtime.

Jaren Hall threw for 261 yards and a touchdown, and added a 22-yard TD catch, to lead BYU (2-0). Chase Roberts had a career-high 122 yards and a touchdown on eight catches for the Cougars. Roberts also threw a touchdown pass to Hall in the third quarter.

• Jack Colletto scored on a 2-yard run on the final play of the game and Oregon State rallied for a 35-32 victory over Fresno State. The win gave the Beavers their first 2-0 start since 2014.

• Will Rogers threw for 313 yards and four touchdowns — two each to Austin Williams and Caleb Ducking — and Mississippi State beat Arizona 39-17.

•J.J. McCarthy was sharp in his first start, throwing for three touchdowns to help No. 4 Michigan overwhelm Hawaii 56-10.