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NAS News: NASCAR Playoffs: Drivers take aim at Texas Motor Speedway

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September 19, 2023

NAS News: NASCAR Playoffs: Drivers take aim at Texas Motor Speedway

With the first round of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs complete, the series begins the next round of three races Sunday afternoon with the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) — a venue with an impactful history and a track always expected and primed to play a major role in the championship run.

The high-banked 1.5-miler outside Fort Worth has held various significant places on the NASCAR calendar in its 42-race history, and this weekend gives the official green flag to the Playoff’s Round of 12. 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick is the defending Texas winner, earning the trophy last year when driving for Richard Childress Racing.

In fact, the last three Texas race winners — Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson and Reddick — are still among the playoff hopefuls. Denny Hamlin, who won last weekend at Bristol, Tenn., is the only other playoff competitor with a NASCAR Cup Series victory at the track. Busch’s four wins are most in the field. Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, who has been eliminated from playoff contention, are second among active drivers with three Texas trophies. Harvick scored his wins in three consecutive Playoff races (2017-19).

Richard Childress Racing’s Busch won at Talladega this spring. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell is the defending ROVAL race winner, and adding Reddick’s win in the 2022 Texas Playoff race, means all three of this upcoming round’s most recent races have been won by current playoff drivers.

The Texas track opened in 1997 but did not gain a second date until 2005 when the NASCAR Cup Series raced there in both the spring and then the fall playoff run. Since 2021, the NASCAR Cup Series presence in the Lone Star state again has featured a single race annually — the green flag coming during this crucial Playoff portion of the schedule.

Hamlin’s victory in the famed Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway “Night Race” on Saturday certainly places him in prime competitive form for this next Playoff round, which includes races at diverse venues including Texas, the 2.6-mile Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and the Charlotte ROVAL road course.

Hamlin’s swept the 2010 races at Texas and added a spring win in 2019. He has a pair of Talladega victories, too.

With the win at Bristol and the championship standings reset for the new round, Hamlin is ranked third — a slight four points behind Hendrick Motorsports William Byron and Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, the regular-season champion Martin Truex Jr., who are tied for the lead coming into Texas.

Hamlin already had a slight head start for the weekend’s race, joining drivers Joey Logano and Daniel Suarez for a Goodyear tire test at Texas Motor Speedway earlier in the season.

“I feel pretty good about it,” Hamlin allowed. “I feel like that tire is very, very different. I think it probably could catch a few teams off guard and not be what they expected, ‘cause it is very different.

“We at least, kind of have a baseline of what that is and we’re going to start to work on it to try to put a fast car on the track next week too. I feel like we’re in as good a spot as anyone going into next week.”

The Hendrick Motorsports’ driver Larson shows up in Dallas/Fort Worth ranked fourth in the championship, only 13 points off the lead, followed by RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher, RCR’s Busch, JGR’s Bell and 23XI Racing’s Reddick.

The four drivers needing to improve their position in this Playoff round to advance are Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain, RFK’s Brad Keselowski, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney and 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, who is only 14 points behind Reddick at the cutoff line. The top eight Playoff drivers following the Oct. 8 Charlotte ROVAL race will advance to the penultimate round and then ultimately decide the four-driver Championship field.

When it comes to Texas, it’s hard not to consider Busch a favorite. Not only does he boast three NASCAR Cup Series wins, but the two-time series champion also has a track record 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at Texas and five NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series trophies as well.

Reddick, Bell, Blaney, Keselowski and Larson all have won NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Texas. Byron and Bell have also won NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events there.

Of note, Sunday afternoon’s race marks the first scheduled 400-mile NASCAR Cup Series race in Texas Motor Speedway’s history.

“I think the biggest thing is it helps the transition from day into evening a little bit,” the defending race winner Reddick said of the change in miles.

“We won’t run as long, but I don’t think on paper it changes anything. If it’s a wild chaotic race like we saw on occasion last year on a lot of mile-and-a-halves, depending on who has an issue or makes a mistake, the control of the race shifts. I don’t think it’s gonna go that way.”

Qualifying will be two rounds of single-lap speed and take place Saturday at 1:20 p.m. ET.

–By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media

FBI Echoes Warning on Danger of Artificial Intelligence

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September 19, 2023

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WASHINGTON — Just as many in the United States are starting to explore how to use artificial intelligence to make their lives easier, U.S. adversaries and criminal gangs are moving forward with plans to exploit the technology at Americans’ expense.

FBI Director Christopher Wray issued the warning Monday, telling a cybersecurity conference in Washington that artificial intelligence, or AI, “is ripe for potential abuses.”

“Criminals and hostile foreign governments are already exploiting that technology,” Wray said, without sharing specifics.

“While generative AI can certainly save law-abiding citizens time by automating tasks, it can also make it easier for bad guys to do things like generate deepfakes and malicious code and can provide a tool for threat actors to develop increasingly powerful, sophisticated, customizable and scalable capabilities,” he said.

Wray said the FBI is working to identify and track those using AI to harm U.S. citizens but added that the bureau is being cautious about employing AI itself.

“To stay ahead of the threat at the FBI, we’re determining how we can ethically and legally leverage AI to do our jobs,” he said.

When contacted by VOA, the FBI declined to elaborate on its concerns about employing AI. Nor did the bureau say when or if it has used AI, even on a limited basis.

Other U.S. national security agencies, however, are currently making use of AI.

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The Department of Homeland Security is using AI to combat fentanyl trafficking, counter child sexual exploitation and protect critical infrastructure, according to department officials, even as they roll out guidelines governing its use.

“Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement last Thursday. “Our department must continue to keep pace with this rapidly evolving technology, and do so in a way that is transparent and respectful of the privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties of everyone we serve.”

DHS has also issued directives aimed at preventing its use of AI from being skewed by biased learning models and databases, and to give U.S. citizens a choice of opting out of systems using facial recognition technology.

Per new directive, @DHSgov “will only acquire & use AI in a manner that is consistent w/the Constitution & all other applicable laws and policies”

Also, DHS will not use or establish #AI systems “based on the inappropriate consideration” of factors like race, ethnicity, gender.. pic.twitter.com/TdNg9VEkLI

— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) September 14, 2023

But across multiple U.S. departments and agencies, the fear of the potential damage AI could cause is growing.

FBI officials, for example, warned in July that violent extremists and terrorists have been experimenting with AI to more easily build explosives.

And they said a growing number of criminals appear to be gravitating to the technology to carry out everything from petty crimes to financial heists.

It is China, though, that is driving the bulk of the concern.

National Security Agency officials have warned that Beijing started using AI to disseminate propaganda via what they described as a fake news channel last year.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” David Frederick, the NSA’s assistant deputy director for China, told a cybersecurity summit earlier this month.

“[Artificial intelligence] will enable more effective malign influence operations,” he added.

Such concerns have been bolstered by private cybersecurity companies.

Microsoft, for example, warned earlier this month that Chinese-linked cyber actors have started using AI to produce “eye-catching content” for disinformation efforts that has been gaining traction with U.S. voters.

“We can expect China to continue to hone this technology over time, though it remains to be seen how and when it will deploy it at scale,” Microsoft said.

For its part, China has repeatedly denied allegations it is using AI improperly.

“In recent years, some western media and think tanks have accused China of using artificial intelligence to create fake social media accounts to spread so-called ‘pro-China’ information,” Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu told VOA in an email, following the publication of the Microsoft report.

“Such remarks are full of prejudice and malicious speculation against China, which China firmly opposes,” Liu added.

September 18, 2023 7:43 PM Jeff Seldin

Source: VOA News

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Some Russell Brand Content Taken off The BBC and YouTube Due to Allegations of Sexual Assault

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September 19, 2023

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Several women have come forward to accuse Brand of rape, sexual assault, and/or abuse between the years of 2006 and 2013; one alleged victim said she had toxic encounters with him when she was just 16 years old.

A Joe Wicks podcast and a “QI” episode that included Brand as a guest are among the items that have been taken down.

The BBC spokesperson reported, “The BBC does not ban or remove content when it is a matter of public record, unless we have justification for doing so. There is limited content featuring Russell Brand on iPlayer and Sounds. We’ve reviewed that content and made a considered decision to remove some of it, having assessed that it now falls below public expectations.”

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TMZ reported, according to a YouTube representative, the comedian-turned-influencer’s account, which has more than 6.6 million subscribers, has been suspended. As a result, he won’t be able to profit from the advertisements that play before and after his library of videos.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Russell Brand (@russellbrand)

After learning of the article published by The Times and NBC, Brand’s management company, Tavistock Wood Management, broke off contact with him, claiming that it had been “horribly misled by him.”

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Health Workers Warn Loosening Mask Advice in Hospitals Would Harm Patients and Providers

Health

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September 19, 2023

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Nurses, researchers, and workplace safety officers worry new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention might reduce protection against the coronavirus and other airborne pathogens in hospitals.

A CDC advisory committee has been updating its 2007 standards for infection control in hospitals this year. Many health care professionals and scientists expressed outrage after the group released a draft of its proposals in June.

The draft controversially concluded that N95 face masks are equivalent to looser, surgical face masks in certain settings — and that doctors and nurses need to wear only surgical masks when treating patients infected by “common, endemic” viruses, like those that cause the seasonal flu.

The committee was slated to vote on the changes on Aug. 22, but it postponed action until November. Once the advice is final, the CDC begins a process of turning the committee’s assessment into guidelines that hospitals throughout the United States typically follow. After the meeting, members of the public expressed concern about where the CDC was headed, especially as covid-19 cases rise. Nationwide, hospital admissions and deaths due to covid have been increasing for several consecutive weeks.

“Health care facilities are where some of the most vulnerable people in our population have to frequent or stay,” said Gwendolyn Hill, a research intern at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, after the committee’s presentation. She said N95 masks, ventilation, and air-purifying technology can lower rates of covid transmission within hospital walls and “help ensure that people are not leaving sicker than they came.”

“We are very happy to receive feedback,” Alexander Kallen, chief of the Prevention and Response Branch in the CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, told KFF Health News. “It is our goal to develop a guideline that is protective of patients, visitors, and health workers.” He added that the draft guidelines are far from final.

In June, members of the CDC’s group — the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee — presented a draft of their report, citing studies that found no difference in infection rates among health providers who wore N95 masks versus surgical masks in the clinic. They noted flaws in the data. For example, many health workers who got covid in the trials were not infected while wearing their masks at work. But still, they concluded the masks were equivalent.

Their conclusion runs contrary to the CDC’s 2022 report, which found that an N95 mask cuts the odds of testing positive for the coronavirus by 83%, compared with 66% for surgical masks and 56% for cloth masks. It also excludes a large clinical trial published in 2017 finding that N95 masks were far superior to surgical masks in protecting health workers from influenza infections. And it contradicts an extensive evaluation by the Royal Society, the United Kingdom’s national academy of sciences, finding that N95 masks, also called N95 respirators, were more effective against covid than surgical masks in health care settings around the world.

“It’s shocking to suggest that we need more studies to know whether N95 respirators are effective against an airborne pathogen,” said Kaitlin Sundling, a physician and pathologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in a comment following the June meeting. “The science of N95 respirators is well established and based on physical properties, engineered filtered materials, and our scientific understanding of how airborne transmission works.”

Her assertion is backed by the California occupational safety agency, Cal/OSHA, whose rules on protecting at-risk workers from infections might be at odds with the CDC’s if the proposals are adopted. “The CDC must not undermine respiratory protection regulation by making the false and misleading claim that there is no difference in protection” between N95 masks and surgical masks, commented Deborah Gold, an industrial hygienist at Cal/OSHA, at the August meeting.

Researchers and occupational safety experts were also perplexed by how the committee categorized airborne pathogens. A surgical mask, rather than an N95, was suggested as protection for a category they created for “common, endemic” viruses that spread over short distances, and “for which individuals and communities are expected to have some immunity.” Three committee representatives, researchers Hilary Babcock, Erica Shenoy, and Sharon Wright, were among the authors of a June editorial arguing that hospitals should no longer require all health care workers, patients, and visitors to wear masks in hospitals. “The time has come to deimplement policies that are not appropriate for an endemic pathogen,” they wrote.

However, in a call with KFF Health News, Kallen clarified that the committee put coronaviruses that cause colds in that category, but not yet the coronavirus causing covid.

The committee’s next tier consisted of viruses in a “pandemic-phase,” when the pathogen is new and little immunity through infection or vaccination exists. It recommended that health workers wear an N95 mask when treating patients infected by bugs in this category. Its third, highest tier of protection was reserved for pathogens like those causing measles and tuberculosis, which, they claimed, can spread further than lower-tier threats and require an N95.

Virologists said the committee’s categories hold little water, biologically speaking. A pathogen’s mode of spreading isn’t affected by how common it is; common viruses can still harm vulnerable populations; and many viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, can travel significant distances on microscopic droplets suspended in the air.

“Large COVID outbreaks in prisons and long-term health care facilities have demonstrated that the behavior of infectious aerosols is not easily classified, and these aerosols are not easily confined,” wrote the deputy chief of health at Cal/OSHA, Eric Berg, in a letter of concern to the CDC committee, obtained by KFF Health News.

The committee pitted its assessment of N95 masks against their drawbacks. Its draft cites a study from Singapore in which nearly a third of health care personnel, mostly nurses, said wearing such masks negatively affected their work, causing acne and other problems exacerbated by hot and humid conditions and prolonged shifts. Rather than discard the masks, the authors of that study recommend better-fitting masks and rest breaks.

Noha Aboelata, a doctor and the CEO of Roots Community Health Center in Oakland, California, agrees. “There are other strategies to bring to bear, like improved mask design and better testing,” she said, “if we decide it’s unacceptable to give a patient covid when they go to the hospital.”

Aboelata is one of hundreds of doctors, researchers, and others who signed a letter to CDC Director Mandy Cohen in July, expressing concern that the CDC committee will weaken protections in hospitals. They also warned that scaling back on N95 masks could have repercussions on emergency stockpiles, rendering doctors and nurses as vulnerable as they were in 2020 when mask shortages fueled infections. More than 3,600 health workers died in the first year of the pandemic in the United States, according to a joint investigation by KFF Health News and The Guardian.

The concerned clinicians hope the committee will reconsider its report in light of additional studies and perspectives before November. Referring to the draft, Rocelyn de Leon-Minch, an industrial hygienist for National Nurses United, said, “If they end up codifying these standards of care, it will have a disastrous impact on patient safety and impact our ability to respond to future health crises.”

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

Amy Maxmen
September 18, 2023

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CWEB Summarized Business Newsletter September 19, 2023

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September 19, 2023

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As Wall Street awaited the outcome of this week’s Federal Reserve policy meeting, stocks fell on Tuesday. There was a loss of 297 points (0.9%) on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite fell by 0.7%, with the latter falling by 0.8%.

Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents, both professors at Stanford Law School, are being sued by FTX over allegations that they misused business funds for personal gain.

The Walt Disney Co. plans to invest $60 billion over the next decade to dramatically expand its theme parks, goods, and cruise line operations, which it expects to be its most profitable.

Your iPhone needs a newer version. You may now update to iOS 17 on your device even if you don’t want to spend $15. Yesterday’s OS rollout features real-time voicemail transcription for filtering incoming calls and a new safety feature called Check In for letting loved ones know you arrived home safely.

Chief global equities strategist and head of macro research EMEA at Goldman Sachs Peter Oppenheimer argues that Germany is at a crossroads of global challenges as it faces an economic downturn.

Canada blames India for the death of a Sikh activist. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stated that his country is looking into “credible allegations” that Indian government agents killed Canadian Sikh separatist activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia back in June. At the G20 summit, Trudeau claimed to have discussed the matter with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi.

Litmus Music, a Carlyle-backed startup, stated Monday that Katy Perry has sold her music rights to them for $225 million, confirming months of speculation. Master recordings and publication rights of Perry’s five studio albums released between 2008 and 2020 are included in the agreement.

Musk, CEO of X, SpaceX, and Tesla, recently announced that the company would begin charging a subscription fee to all of the service’s users starting in June. During a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that was broadcast live online, Musk added, “We’re moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the system.”

Mark Cuban has speculated that he may have downloaded a malicious copy of the MetaMask wallet, which hackers then used to steal $870K worth of crypto. However, crypto-related crime decreased in the first half of this year, in spite of several recent high-profile hacks.

Foxconn is the most recent multinational corporation to increase its presence in India. The Apple supplier is continuing its aggressive diversification away from China by doubling its employment and investment in the country by next year.

Wall Street’s era of generative AI has begun, and Morgan Stanley is at the forefront. According to an internal document seen by CNBC, the bank aims to declare on Monday that the assistant it developed using OpenAI’s latest generative AI software is “fully live” for all financial advisors and their support staff.

The big Amazon (AMZN) promotion for Prime subscribers is back. The megastore’s second annual sale for Prime members, Amazon Prime Big Deal Days, will take place on October 10 and 11, 2023. As always, the best prices are reserved for paying users of the service. This celebration echoes the model of Amazon’s Prime Day from July.

Walmart, the largest retailer in the world in terms of revenue, has announced that it is experimenting with new ways to link its customers’ physical and virtual shopping experiences in the metaverse. The metaverse is the collective of virtual worlds and environments where users can create avatars, socialize, explore, and participate in activities.

The latest fast food advertising case is a lawsuit filed against Starbucks over its Mango Refreshers. According to Manhattan’s U.S. District Judge John Cronan, “a significant portion of reasonable consumers” would anticipate their drinks to contain fruit stated in the names, therefore he denied Starbucks’ motion to dismiss nine of the eleven claims in the proposed class action.

CEO of Jack Dorsey’s finance business Block, Alyssa Henry, is leaving her position at the end of this month. On Monday, Block announced via a regulatory filing that after more than nine years on the job, Henry will be leaving his position as Square’s CEO on October 2.

Earnings this week

Tuesday, September 19 2023: Auto Zone (AZO), Endava (DAVA), Steelcase (SCS)

Wednesday, September 20 2023: General Mills (GIS), Fed Ex (FDX), KB Home (KBH)

Thursday, September 21 2023: Darden Restaurants (DRI), Flux Power Holdings (FLUX), Scholastic (SCHL)

Friday, September 22 2023: Dynatronics (DYNT), Netsol Technologies (NTWK)

Stocks to watch with positive momentum this week and Buy Rating:

Sundial (SNDL), Tesla (TSLA), Groupon (GRPN), Chase Bank (JPM), Microsoft (MSFT), GOOGL, eBay, Apple (AAPL), Pay Pal (PYPL), UBS, Walmart (WMT), Amazon (AMZN), Facebook (META), FED EX (FDX), UPS (UPS)

CWEB Summarized Business Newsletter September 5th 2023

Amazon To Hold Prime Big Deal Days in October, shop and get deep discounts

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September 19, 2023

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Amazon (AMZN) is back with a big sale for its Prime members. The giant retailer has announced the dates of its second sale of the year for prime members called Amazon Prime Big Deal Days on October 10-11, 2023. As usual members who subscribe to its membership plan get the best deals. The event is similar to Amazon Prime Day that was held this July.

Mark Tuesday October 10 so you can get the best deals on Amazon as they drop and you can continue to shop through Wednesday October 12. The sale is open only to Amazon Prime members. If you are not a member, you can apply for the 30-day free trial, which is still available.

Amazon generally gives its subscribers early access to deals when it has a major sale and this might be expected at the October event, as well. Another popular drop is the “Lightning deals.” These deals give users a short period of time to buy select items that are deeply discounted.

Amazon generally has a huge inventory and deals can be expected across all categories. The giant e-tailer offers the best deal on its own products during Prime Day and other major sales and this could be the time to pick its own products as well as other products at deep discounts.

It is also likely that Amazon will offer Prime deals across several categories such as
jewelry
electronics
home goods
furniture, health products and more.

Shop for the holiday season in advance at Amazon Prime Big Deal Days in October. Shopping can be done for yourself or for family or for friends at the event so you can save money while getting some of the best deals of the year. Whether you pick some jewelry or a home appliance or electronic goods, Amazon might just offer you the deal of a lifetime on October 11 through 12.

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WTA News: WTA roundup: Russian teen wins opener at Guangzhou

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September 19, 2023

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WTA News: WTA roundup: Russian teen wins opener at Guangzhou

Russian 19-year-old Diana Shnaider took down eighth-seeded American Claire Liu 6-1, 6-3 in the first round of the Guangzhou Open on Monday in China.

Shnaider won six straight games in the first set and came back from a 2-0 hole in the second set to win in 75 minutes. She broke Liu’s serve six times in eight chances.

Also falling on the first day of the main draw was sixth seed Linda Fruhvirtova of the Czech Republic. Denmark’s Clara Tauson eliminated Fruhvirtova 6-2, 7-6 (6).

No. 1 seed Magda Linette of Poland avoided a similar fate, rallying past Jodie Burrage of Great Britain 6-7 (3), 6-0, 6-2.

No. 5 seed Rebeka Masarova of Spain, No. 7 seed Greet Minnen of Belgium and Harriet Dart of Great Britain also won their opening matches.

Guadalajara Open Akron

Hailey Baptiste, a 21-year-old Washington, D.C., native, saved a match point while rallying for a 7-6 (5), 5-7, 7-6 (4) win over 16th-seeded Karolina Pliskova in second-round action at Guadalajara, Mexico.

Baptiste, who is ranked 174th in the world, is through to the third round of a WTA event higher than the 125 level for the first time in her career.

Pliskova, from the Czech Republic, led 5-2 in the third set and had a match point at 5-4, 40-30 but couldn’t convert.

In other second-round matches, Martina Trevisan upset 15th-seeded Jasmine Paolini 7-5, 6-2 in an all-Italian matchup, and seventh-seeded Veronika Kudermetova of Russia downed Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4.

First-round winners included 10th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and the United States’ Caroline Dolehide, Emma Navarro, Sofia Kenin and Sachia Vickery. Colombia’s Emiliana Arango knocked out 11th-seeded Russian Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 6-3, and Italy’s Camila Giorgi defeated Egypt’s Mayar Sherif, the No. 14 seed, 7-5, 6-3.

–Field Level Media

NCAAF News: No. 4 Texas confident, wary of undefeated Wyoming

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September 19, 2023

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NCAAF News: No. 4 Texas confident, wary of undefeated Wyoming

Forgive Texas if the Longhorns need a minute to bask in the afterglow of the program’s most important win in years.

No. 4 Texas brings the momentum of a 34-24 win at Alabama into what will be labeled a “trap” game with undefeated Wyoming on Saturday in Austin.

“I think one of the mistakes I can make is to try and beat them down and then knock the confidence out of them,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I’ve spent two and a half years trying to instill confidence into them. I want to be mindful of that. I have to point out areas for us to improve and where we can get better as a team.”

The last time Texas was ranked in the top five was in 2010.

The Longhorns (2-0) scored a stirring victory over Alabama, its future Southeastern Conference rival, which was ranked No. 3 and had a 21-game home winning streak snapped in the defeat.

It was Texas’ first win on the road against a team ranked in the top-three of the Associated Press poll since 1969’s victory in the “Game of the Century” against Arkansas.

Everything is up for the Longhorns — they’re ranked in the top five and quarterback Quinn Ewers suddenly is squarely in the Heisman Trophy conversation.

Ewers had his coming-out party against the Crimson Tide, passing for 349 yards and three TDs, two to former Georgia wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. Just as impressive was the Longhorns’ ability to run off the final 7:14 of the game with a 12-play, 32-yard drive to cement the celebration.

The Longhorns are hopeful freshman running back CJ Baxter can play this week. He left the Alabama game after rushing for 31 yards on 11 carries.

“Knock on wood, not quite as serious as originally thought, so we’ll monitor him day-to-day this week,” Sarkisian said.

Day-to-day is the level of focus Sarkisian wants all of his players to apply.

There have been times since Texas’ run to the national championship game in 2009 when it looked the part of title contender but eventually wilted. This group of Longhorns are determined to make waves but are sticking to the one-game-at-a-time mantra that’s been the focus since they went 8-5 last year and were the preseason pick to win the Big 12 in their final year in the conference.

“I do not want our guys to not feel confident coming out of the Alabama game,” Sarkisian said. “They earned the right to be confident by the way they played. Now we’re trying to recreate it.”

The Cowboys (2-0) aren’t lacking confidence. They bring a Big 12 win to the fight this week but are 3-11 all-time against teams from the conference.

Wyoming opened the season with a 35-33 double-overtime win at home over Texas Tech and followed up that effort with a workmanlike 31-17 victory at home over Portland State last week.

Quarterback Andrew Peasley, who passed for 201 yards with a career-high three touchdowns and one interception in the win over Portland State, said he and his teammates were up for the challenge against Texas.

“Heck yeah,” Peasley said Monday. “We’re always going to be an underdog no matter who we play, so I think it will be fun for us to get this opportunity to go into a big crowd against a No. 4-ranked team in the nation. We just have to stay humble and play with Cowboy grit. That’s what it comes down to for us.”

Harrison Waylee is expected to make his Wyoming debut after rehabbing a knee injury in the offseason and the past two weeks. The transfer portal acquisition had 1,929 rushing yards and eight 100-yard rushing games in three seasons at Northern Illinois.

Texas holds a 5-0 advantage over Wyoming in the all-time series and will face the Cowboys in Austin for the first time since 2012.

–Field Level Media

NCAAF News: Familiarity frames fight between No. 21 Duke, Northwestern

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September 19, 2023

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NCAAF News: Familiarity frames fight between No. 21 Duke, Northwestern

Northwestern and No. 21 Duke have reached the third week of the season having already captured rewarding experiences.

The Wildcats and Blue Devils look for more when they meet in a nonconference game Saturday at Durham, N.C.

Duke (2-0) has recorded convincing victories over Clemson and Lafayette.

Northwestern (1-1) will be a different type of opponent.

“I think they know the scheme that they’re playing very well, and they play it very fast,” Duke coach Mike Elko said. “I think they’re a big, big challenge for us.”

Interim coach David Braun and his Northwestern team had something to celebrate after a chaotic summer. The Wildcats thumped UTEP 38-7 last week in their home opener.

“A couple of corrections from UTEP and moving on to Duke — a really, really well-coaching football team that is playing really good football right now, playing with a lot of confidence,” Braun said. “We’re looking forward to getting down to Durham and playing our best football.”

Duke quarterback Riley Leonard completed all 12 of his throws last week against Lafayette. The Blue Devils went 20-for-21 in the air for a program-record 95.2-percent complete rate, with the lone incompletion an intentional spike late in the first half to stop the clock.

“With high-end quarterback play (that they’ve shown), we’ve got a big challenge ahead of us,” Braun said.

Northwestern has been rallying to overcome odds since a hazing scandal rocked the program and led to a coaching change. So with the Wildcats facing a ranked team on the road, this might fit well.

“I think this group is at its best as underdogs,” Braun said. “We talked about this year that there’s going to be ups and downs. I think you see a group that is very hungry.”

Northwestern quarterback Ben Bryant completed 11 of 17 passes without an interception in the UTEP game after getting picked off twice at Rutgers.

So, the Wildcats could be rounding into form.

“A team that’s got a tremendous amount of pride and have had some challenging things happen over there this summer, but I’m sure they have rallied and regrouped and certainly finished the game against UTEP the way they wanted to,” Elko said. “I think they’re starting to hit their stride now.”

Three Duke assistant coaches are former staff members at Northwestern.

“There is a little bit of a chess match that’s going on,” Braun said. “It’s impressive, they’ve built a good foundation right now. They’re climbing right now.”

Duke’s 11-4 record under Elko gives the second-year coach the best 15-game record in program history.

The Blue Devils are 18-2 in their last 20 non-conference home games, with one of the setbacks to Northwestern in 2015.

Duke is in its third home game after playing twice last week in a six-night stretch. Northwestern, which opened the season with a loss at Rutgers, is trying for its first road victory since 2020 at Purdue. The Wildcats hold a 12-game losing streak in true road games.

Duke carries a 12-10 series lead, winning the past four matchups with the Wildcats. That includes a 31-23 decision last year at Evanston, Ill.

–Field Level Media

NCAAF News: Maryland, Virginia renew old ACC rivalry

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September 19, 2023

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NCAAF News: Maryland, Virginia renew old ACC rivalry

Maryland moved to the Big Ten in 2014 and storied rivalries with longtime ACC opponents, particularly Virginia, went by the wayside.

The Cavaliers and Terrapins reconvene for the first time since 2013 when Maryland (2-0) hosts Virginia (0-2) under the lights on Friday in College Park, Md.

A fast start is the focus of the Terps after stumbling out of the gate last Saturday against Charlotte. Maryland entered as a 24.5-point favorite, but trailed 14-0 less than four minutes into the contest, didn’t score a touchdown in the first half and only led by three entering the fourth quarter.

The Terps eventually pulled away with three touchdowns in the fourth, including Roman Hemby’s 15-yard scamper that sealed Maryland’s 38-20 victory.

“Nobody in that locker room is excited about how we played,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “But we overcame some early adversity which kind of showed me we’re the type of team that I thought we could be. We battled back after a slow start and I didn’t see anybody panic.”

Hemby rushed for 162 yards, while Taulia Tagovailoa completed 25 of 36 passes for 287 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

The Cavaliers are recovering from Saturday’s emotional 36-35 loss to James Madison in the team’s first home game since three Virginia football players were killed in a campus shooting last November.

Virginia led 35-24 entering the fourth quarter before a lightning delay halted the game for nearly 70 minutes. The Cavaliers then surrendered two touchdowns in the final nine minutes, including the go-ahead score with 55 seconds remaining.

“This one hurts, and it’s gonna hurt for a while,” Virginia coach Tony Elliott said. ” … Do they deserve to win? I believe so, because of the people that they are and what they’ve been through, but, unfortunately, the game of football, it’s not a game of [deserving], it’s about what you earn.”

Freshman Anthony Colandrea connected on 20 of 26 passes for 377 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in place of senior Tony Muskett, who injured his shoulder in Virginia’s loss against then-No. 12 Tennessee on Sept. 2.

Elliott said he expects Muskett will be ready to play on Friday.

Maryland is 45-32-2 all-time against Virginia in a series that dates back to 1919. The Terps edged the visiting Cavaliers 27-26 in the teams’ most recent matchup, their 70th as ACC rivals.

–Field Level Media

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