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Two FIU football players shot in drive-by attack, both in stable condition

By Bryan FischerSep 6, 2018, 6:44 PM EDT
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Troubling news out of South Florida as Florida International confirmed that two football players, including the team’s starting running back, were shot in an off-campus incident on Thursday afternoon.

The Associated Press relayed more details of the incident, which took place in an area north of campus:

Opa-locka police chief James Dobson identified the players as running back Anthony Jones and offensive lineman Mershawn Miller. Jones was shot in the face and back, while Miller was shot in the arm. Both players were taken to Ryder Trauma Center, Jones getting airlifted there and Miller taken by ambulance.

Dobson said the condition of both players is stable, and that the injuries were not life-threatening. Police believe that Jones and Miller were visiting a friend in Opa-locka when someone in another car opened fire and sped away.

What a scary situation to hear about but thankfully it’s good to see that both are in stable condition. FIU did not release a further statement beyond the one tweeted above but more information from head coach Butch Davis is expected in the coming days.

On the field for the Panthers, Jones’ absence from the lineup could be considerable as he rushed for a team-high 88 yards and scored two touchdowns in the team’s opener against Indiana. The senior from Miami appeared to be the starter at the position going forward, while Miller was set to be the backup guard for the team and contribute to the depth along the line.

FIU’s next game is on Saturday at Old Dominion.

As Ohio State looms, Rutgers loses star DB Blessuan Austin

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By John TaylorSep 7, 2018, 9:33 AM EDT
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Rutgers had a tough row to hoe to begin with in even attempting to slow down what’s looking like a vastly-improved downfield passing attack at Ohio State. With the developments over the last few days, their jobs have gotten exponentially tougher.

Blessuan Austin sustained an unspecified knee injury in RU’s season-opening win over Texas State. As a result, Austin, the Scarlet Knights’ top defensive back and arguably its best player on that side of the ball regardless of position, has already been ruled out for this Saturday’s game against the Buckeyes in Columbus.

“Just some precautionary stuff that we’re going through,” head coach Chris Ash said by way of the Asbury Park Press. “There’s still some things that we’re looking at to figure out exactly what happened to him, but he will be inactive for this game. It’ll be a week-to-week deal from there until we get some opinions from some doctors looking at his knee.

Austin, who has started 26 games during his time in Piscataway, sustained the injury picking off his first pass of the season. Last year, Austin missed the last two-thirds of the season because of a torn ACL.

In addition to Austin, fifth-year senior strong safety Kiy Hester and redshirt sophomore cornerback Tre Avery will be game-time decisions to play because of their own injuries. Hester sustained a knee injury in the opener, while Avery didn’t dress for the game because of an unspecified injury issue.

The Buckeyes’ 346 yards passing as a team in the 77-31 beating of the Beavers was the most since they threw for 354 yards in the Oct. 14 win over Nebraska last season. Dwayne Haskins‘ 313 yards and five passing touchdowns in the opener were the most ever for a first-time starter in OSU history.

With FCS foe on tap, Miami to hold out injured WR Ahmmon Richards, DE Demetrius Jackson

Louisiana State University vs University of Miami
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By John TaylorSep 7, 2018, 7:44 AM EDT
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Given their Week 2 opponent, Miami is (rightly) erring on the side of caution when it comes to two of its more important players.

In the season-opening loss to LSU Saturday night, defensive end Demetrius Jackson and wide receiver Ahmmon Richards (pictured) each sustained knee injuries. With FCS Savannah State up next this weekend — they were whitewashed 52-0 by UAB in their opener — Mark Richt confirmed Thursday that neither Jackson nor Richardson will play this Saturday.

“They’re just not ready to go,” the head coach explained. “They’re not in [a] position to play now.”

Richt couldn’t say whether either or both will be available for the Week 3 matchup with Toledo next weekend. After a Sept. 22 game against Florida International, The U opens ACC play the following weekend against North Carolina.

Richards missed the first two games in 2017 because of a hamstring issue, then suffered a season-ending meniscus injury in late November. At the time of that latter injury, Richards was third on the Hurricanes in receptions (24) receiving yards (439) and receiving touchdowns (three). The year before as a true freshman, he led the team with 934 receiving yards.

Prior to being injured in the season opener, Richards had one catch for nine yards.

Jackson’s 2017 season ended prematurely as well as he suffered an injury to his right knee in the early-November win over Virginia Tech and didn’t play again. His 7.5 tackles for loss were tied for the team lead at the time.

NCAA grants second medical waiver to Syracuse DB Antwan Cordy

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By John TaylorSep 7, 2018, 5:55 AM EDT
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If he so chooses, Antwan Cordy could continue on at the collegiate level beyond this season.

Cordy suffered a season-ending injury in Syracuse’s Week 2 loss to Louisville in 2016, and was granted a medical hardship waiver that gave him that year back. Last season, a broken ankle in the opener prematurely sidelined him for the year yet again.

Not surprisingly, the football program confirmed Thursday that the NCAA has granted the defensive back a second medical hardship waiver for last season. Such a move will allow Cordy to apply for what would be a slamdunk sixth season of eligibility he could use in 2019.

According to the Syracuse Post-Standard, however, there’s some question as to whether Cody will take advantage of that additional year.

“This is my last time,” Cordy said during summer camp last month, prior to the second waiver being rubberstamped by the NCAA. “This is my last chance. So I’m just going to put everything on the line this year.”

Cordy has started each of the last 15 games in which he’s played, including all 12 in 2015. That season, he set a school record for defensive backs with 12 tackles for loss.

Texas’ Patrick Hudson rushed to hospital Wednesday, briefly placed in ICU with heat-related illness

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By John TaylorSep 6, 2018, 9:02 PM EDT
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With the tragic heat-related death of Maryland’s Jordan McNair still fresh on the minds of many across college football, Texas received a rather significant scare earlier this week.

Tom Herman confirmed Thursday that, the day before, UT offensive lineman Patrick Hudson was rushed to a local hospital after experiencing a heat-related medical event during practice.  Hudson was initially placed in intensive care but has since been moved out of ICU after his body temperature and other vital signs returned to normal levels.

From 247Sports.com:

Herman said the Texas training staff did a good job of assessing the situation and got Hudson into an ice bath to help control his body temperature but called for an ambulance to take Hudson to the hospital after his temperature didn’t come down as much as it should have.

“Patrick suffered from heat illness,” Herman said. “Our staff did a good job of getting him into a cold tank and calling for an ambulance. His body temperature is back to normal. His vitals are great. … They ran some tests and hopefully we’ll be able to see why Patrick had such an issue when no one else on the team did.

A backup left guard, the 6-5, 325-pound Hudson has, obviously, been ruled out of this weekend’s game against Tulsa as he continues to be further evaluated by medical personnel.

Hudson played in the first two games last year as a redshirt freshman before suffering a season-ending injury in the Week 2 win over San Jose State.