Dec. 26—STEWARTVILLE — Few would have guessed this when Ridge Hatz was a Stewartville High School sophomore. Back then, Hatz was barely 6 feet tall and 175 pounds. No way did he seem on his way to becoming a future Division II college offensive lineman. But this month, it happened. Hatz orally committed to Winona State University, where he is …

Shanahan offers silver lining to Purdy, 49ers’ down season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area Kyle Shanahan believes that quarterback Brock Purdy will benefit from all the adversity the 49ers have faced during the 2024 NFL season. Shanahan explained Purdy’s progress during what has been a frustrating and uneven 2024 campaign for San Francisco and its third-year quarterback. “He’s …

The stage is set for the 2024 Birmingham Bowl as the Vanderbilt Commodores take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Friday. Georgia Tech has the better regular-season record (7-5) and has won each of its last six matchups against Vanderbilt, but is 1-4 in road games in 2024. Meanwhile, the Commodores look to get back into the win column after finishing …

The NFL does its best to get interesting matchups late in the season. It’s not always easy. Injuries hit teams, some teams clinch early and other teams get eliminated before Christmas. The league has to get creative sometimes. This year it designated five matchups, three of which could be moved to Saturday for a tripleheader. The NFL announced its Week …

Nov 23, 2024; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Albert Regis (17) reacts after making a tackle against the Auburn Tigers in the third quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images In the first year of the expanded College Football Playoff, countless players around the country who weren’t on the top twelve teams are disappointed and …

The NFL did something different this year with its Christmas slate, partnering with Netflix to stream a pair of unusually timed Wednesday games. They announced the results a day later. Netflix reported an average of 24 million viewers across its games between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers, then the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. Overall, it claimed 65 …

The 2024 Holiday Bowl will take place on Friday, featuring the No. 21 Syracuse Orange against the Washington State Cougars. Syracuse is coming off an impressive 9-3 season that included a marquee win over Miami (FL) to end the season that kept the Hurricanes out of the College Football Playoff. Meanwhile, Washington State went 8-4 as an independent with a …

The Seattle Seahawks have to be kicking themselves after Week 16’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The Seahawks now need two wins, and the Rams to lose to the Cardinals this Sunday — the Rams win the division with a win over Arizona — for Seattle to take the NFC West crown. They’ll have to lock in Thursday night in …

. Texas A&M (8-4) will look to end the 2024 season on a high note amid losing three out of the final four games of coach Mike Elko’s inaugural campaign while having the chance to win nine games for the first time since the memorable 2020 season. Facing USC (6-6) in the Las Vegas Bowl, the Trojans have been ravaged …

Getty Images Joe Burrow may be the Bengals’ MVP this year, but there aren’t too many Cincinnati players as valuable to the team’s success than wideout Tee Higgins. The Bengals are 6-4 this season with Higgins in the lineup, and just 1-4 when he doesn’t play.  Higgins has been labeled as questionable for Saturday’s pivotal Week 17 showdown against the …

The Oklahoma Sooners and Navy Midshipmen will clash in a battle of wagons and boats in the Armed Forces Bowl. Oklahoma enters the game off a disappointing first year in the SEC, finishing 6-6 and barely achieving bowl eligibility. While the Sooners’ season as a whole was disappointing, it did include the high point of knocking off Alabama 24-3 in …

Eric Dickerson signed a one-day contract in 2017 so he could retire as a Los Angeles Ram. (Greg Beacham / Associated Press) The NFL single-season rushing record has stood for 40 years, far longer than Saquon Barkley has been on this planet. But now, with two games to play, the Philadelphia Eagles running back is 268 yards from eclipsing the …

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Texas Tech football teams have won four consecutive bowl appearances only once, and that was over a five-year period from 2009-13. Tech teams have never capped four consecutive seasons with a bowl victory. That distinction and a nine-win season, which Tech teams haven’t accomplished since the Mike Leach era, are what’s at stake when the Red Raiders …

49ers place Williams on IR, sign OL Hennessy to two-year deal originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area The 49ers have placed Trent Williams on injured reserve, officially ending his season, the team announced Thursday. In place of the 11-time Pro Bowl left tackle, San Francisco has signed Matt Hennessy to a two-year contract. Hennessy has played in 45 career …

Getty Images Former NFL All-Pro DeSean Jackson is nearing a deal to become the next coach at Delaware State, according to multiple reports. Jackson, an All-American wideout at Cal from 2005 to 2007, has expressed a desire to become a coach at an HBCU program, per ESPN.  Delaware State plays in the FCS as part of the MEAC, one of …