Browns trade for Cam Robinson

 Desperate times require chances to be taken, and the desperate offensive tackle situation for the Cleveland Browns forced a chance as the Browns traded for veteran tackle Cam Robinson from the Houston Texans.

Cleveland traded their 2027 sixth-round pick to the Texans for their 2027 seventh-round draft choice and  Robinson, which is a nominal fee to address this problem for the remainder of the year.

Robinson is twenty-nine and spent the first seven and a half years of his career with Jacksonville, which drafted him in the second round from Alabama in 2017.

Midway through last season, Robinson was traded to Minnesota, where he finished the year and signed with Houston as a free agent in the offseason.

Robinson played in Houston's first three games, starting one, but was inactive in Houston's game yesterday as the trade was worked out.

The 6'6, 335-pound Robinson is in his ninth season, has started over one hundred games in his career, is known for his strength in pass blocking, and should be exactly what the Browns are looking for right now- a veteran left tackle who can steady the ship at the position.

The cost is reasonable, the need is vast, and Robinson is signed only through the end of the season, so the financial obligation isn't high. So credit Andrew Berry for attempting to do something rather than running lesser players out and hoping for the best.

Cam Robinson isn't a Pro Bowl tackle, but he's solid enough to get by with at left tackle at a time when the alternatives are severely lacking.

Dusted in Detroit- Browns mauled by Lions 34-10

    The Cleveland Browns' defense tried to hold them in their game against the Detroit Lions, but between a special teams snafu and being on the field most of the game, they would tire in a 34-10 Lions win in Detroit.

Quinshon Judkins rushed for eighty-two yards and scored the only Cleveland touchdown in another dull offensive effort.

Cleveland slips to 1-3 with the loss and will travel to London next Sunday to meet the Minnesota Vikings.

Brownie Bits

1) Joe Flacco threw two interceptions and fumbled on a strip sack when he took a hit from Aiden Hutchinson.

Dillon Gabriel replaced Flacco on the final drive, and while I wouldn't replace Flacco for the London game against Minnesota, the time for that change is coming.

2) The offensive line is missing both starting tackles with Jack Conklin (elbow) and Dawand Jones (Knee out for the season), so Cornelius Lucas and KT Leveston were forced into the lineup.

The Lions sacked Joe Flacco three times, with two sacks by Aiden Hutchinson, and both tackles were consistently beaten.

Leveston, who was acquired on cutdown day, has a marginal excuse, and while Lucas is a veteran with experience, he has been more of a reserve tackle in his career rather than a starter.

3) Quinshon Judkins continues to show a hard-running style and is the only legitimate weapon for the Browns right now.

Judkins will be the reason (on offenses anyway) the Browns manage to stay close in games this season.

4) And here's our weekly Jerry Jeudy post for dropping passes, underproductivity ( three catches for forty-eight yards on nine targets), and one of the Cleveland interceptions was his fault when he slipped/fell and allowed D.J. Reed to grab the turnover.

Another disappointing game from the "number one" receiver.

5) I don't blame Jerry Jeudy for all of this; I blame Andrew Berry, who overpaid Jeudy, and didn't grasp that Jeudy's performance in 2024 (90 catches for 1229 yards) was based around three huge games in which all were started by Jameis Winston at quarterback.

Each of Jeudy's games (three) with over one hundred yards receiving were Winston starts, and two of his three games with nine catches or more were Winston starts (Jeudy's twelve catch game vs Miami with 94 yards was a Dorian Thompson-Robinson start).

And yet Andrew Berry felt comfortable enough to pass on upgrading his receivers with Jeudy as the bulwark entering a season without Jameis Winston.

6) The special teams continued their erratic play, although it's always hard to blame a kicker (Andre Szmyt) for missing a fifty-six-yard field goal.

Sunday's problem was on the coverage team as Detroit's Kalif Raymond returned a punt sixty-five yards for the touchdown that slammed the door on any slim hope of a Cleveland win.

7) Tough to complain about the defense, even though the scoreboard shows thirty-four points by the Lions.

Detroit scored the aforementioned touchdown on a punt return and scored seventeen points on drives of five, sixteen, and twenty yards, which is tough for any defense to survive.

8) The Browns played Dillon Gabriel on the game's final drive but called just one pass play.

I never understand when teams play a young quarterback and then have him hand the ball off, as the Browns did on two of Gabriel's three plays.

9) The Browns' receivers are among the weakest in the league, and things may have gotten worse as Cedric Tillman was injured during the game.

Tillman injured his hamstring, and it's unknown how much time he will miss.

10) Harold Fannin dropped a pass that he should have caught, but the other tight end, David Njoku, looks like he's lost his athleticism overnight.

Njoku looks like a different player this season and might be showing signs of major decline.

Winning in Washington, Buckeyes win 24-6

    The Ohio State defense allowed just six points inside the red zone, and the defense sacked Washington quarterback Demond Williams six times to lead the Buckeyes to a 24-6 win over the Washington Huskies in Seattle.

Caden Curry sacked Williams three times in the best game of his Ohio State career, and Kayden McDonald added two more for Ohio State, with Julian Sayin throwing two touchdowns for the offense.

Ohio State improved to 4-0 with the win (1-0 Big Ten) and will host Minnesota next Saturday night.

Olentangy Offerings

1) What a defensive evening for the Buckeyes, who slammed the door on the Huskies three times in the red zone, two of them inside the three, and held them to two field goals.

A phenomenal performance.

2) Caden Curry and Kayden McDonald contributed more than their five sacks between them, as they finished with eight tackles for loss as they hammered Demond Williams all game long.

Williams is a mobile QB, which made the evening even more impressive for Curry and McDonald.

3) I questioned the play call on fourth and inches inside the Washington five on the first Ohio State drive, when needed just a nudge, Ohio State ran C.J. Donaldson and was stopped.

I always prefer the simple call in such short situations.

4) Julian Sayin's numbers aren't spectacular (22 of 28, 208 yds, and two TDs), but they are plenty good as Sayin gains experience.

Sayin gets the ball out quickly (only took one sack) and is very accurate.

You do that, and with the talent on offense, you'll be fine.

5) As Julian Sayin continues to receive playing time, Ohio State will slowly open the offense more each week.

The receivers will start running deeper routes as Sayin and the offensive line gain confidence, and when those start connecting, the crowding on the short routes will be reduced by the need to respect the downfield throws.

It's already beginning, and it's going to increase.

6) Jeremiah Smith is the type of talent that has to have the ball, and Ohio State has tried to do so with shorter routes that put the ball in his hands and ask him to make a play.

An example of this was the initial Ohio State touchdown on a third and eleven on the Washington eighteen.

Sayin gets the ball out quickly to Smith on a short pass, and Smith takes it for the touchdown.

7) Don't sell Washington short. I think they are going to win their share of games this season, and this win might age better than it seems right now.

I like Demond Williams as their quarterback, and he's only a sophomore.
Washington could be a contender next season.

8) Husky Stadium has become instantly one of the better environments in the Big Ten.

The place is extremely loud, and the view might be unmatched in the league.

I'm not thrilled with the league's move to the West Coast and away from tradition, but in-game experience only, Oregon and Washington are great additions.

PPM

    Another football weekend is on tap, including a possible trap game for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Last Week: 9-6

Overall: 39-18

College

Ohio State over Washington 27-17

Boise State over Appalachian State 32-29

Houston over Oregon State 34-17

Notre Dame over Arkansas 31--24

Ohio U. over Bowling Green 24-21

James Madison over Georgia Southern 40-30

Middle Tennessee over Kennesaw State 16-14

N.C State over Virginia Tech 24-14

Games of the Week

Oregon over Penn State 27-20

LSU over Ole Miss 24-19

NFL
Lions over Browns 20-10

Bills over Saints 35-14

Games of the Week

Chiefs over Ravens 41-36

Buccaneers over Eagles 27-24

I Tell Ya' Herbie

    Here's our latest scoop from the college football bowl that we call I Tell Ya' Herbie.

I Tell Ya' Herbie: 

                             Another Power Four job is open before the end of September, as Oklahoma State removed long-time coach Mike Gundy after a loss to Tulsa.

Gundy was in his twenty-first season, and despite his status, the time was right for the Cowboys, who had won only four of their last fifteen games after a loss to the in-state Golden Hurricane.

The Cowboys were expected to be a power in the Big 12 after the defections of Texas and Oklahoma, but those plans have gone up in smoke over the last two seasons.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             The firing of Mike Gundy leaves four jobs available for the 2026 season- UCLA, Stanford, Virginia Tech, and Oklahoma State, and there could be three times that by season's end.

What job could be next? The SEC has two contenders with Billy Napier at Florida and Sam Pittman at Arkansas.

Napier and the Gators have a rugged schedule while Pittman's Hogs have the harder place to win.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:   

                              The SEC is going to a nine game conference schedule for next year (good thing) but the schedule will undergo changes so each team plays everyone at least every four years (good thing, but) .

The conference has assigned each team three regular game opponents that they will play every year but even so there are some lost rivalries and some questionable selections for "rivals" for some teams.

Ole Miss gets Oklahoma rather than Arkansas, Florida loses their rivalries with LSU (Florida plays Kentucky), who loses theirs with Alabama, and Texas A&M plays Missouri rather than Oklahoma.

The league has stated that they will reevaluate the system before the 2029 or 2030 season.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             Indiana's run in 2024 was a cute story that ended with the Hoosiers making the CFB playoff bur their impressive thumping of unbeaten Illinois, who some thought could be this year's Indiana, could be a sign that they could be a candidate to return.

Curt Cignetti could be a candidate for bigger jobs should he desire them after the job that he's done in a short time in Bloomington.

Indiana travels to 3-1 Iowa this Saturday.

Browns stun Packers 13-10

    Andre Szmyt nailed a fifty-five-yard field goal on the game's final play to shock the Green Bay Packers and give the Cleveland Browns a 13-10 win in Cleveland.

Quinshon Judkins rushed for 94 yards and scored the only Cleveland touchdown to lead an anemic offense.

The defense led the way, sacking Jordan Love five times, Maliek Collins at the top with one and a half.

Cleveland improves to 1-2 on the season with the miraculous win and will travel to Detroit Sunday to meet the Lions.

I am writing this way too late, but due to a work trip and getting home on Monday, I just haven't had the time.

Brownie Bits

1) Cleveland never led this game with time on the clock. Think about that.

They never led until Andre Szmyt's field goal, which settled behind the goal post with no time remaining.

2)  I thought the Browns should have let Andre Szymt go after his awful game against the Bengals, but he came through big time against Green Bay!

Good for him, believe it or not, I want players to do well (usually), and I was happy for him.

3) Keep in mind, Cade York kicked a long game winner once, too, and look at how that turned out.

I'm not saying Szmpt will fail, just that we will see.

4) Grant Delpit's interception with 3:18 remaining set up the game-tying touchdown.

It was the first takeaway of the season for Cleveland and the first turnover for Green Bay on the year.

Delpit was such a ballhawk at LSU, and even though I think he's a good player, Delpit didn't bring that part of his game to the Browns.

Perhaps that's something that could be changing.

5) Green Bay came to town with a vaunted offense, and the Browns just shut them down as the Packers finished with only 230 yards of total offense, which was barely more than the pitiful Browns 221.

I know everyone says if the Browns are going to win games, this is how they do it, but it's tough.

6) Carson Schwesinger was a standout on defense, including a sack that saw him smash Jordan Love like a called QB Waggle in Tecmo Bowl!

This guy's all over the place, and it's hard to believe he wasn't starting for UCLA at the beginning of last year.

7) Bubba Ventrone's special teams received lots of deserved grief in the first two games, but they came through here with Andre Szmyt's kicking and Shelby Harris's huge blocked field goal at the end of the game that allowed the Browns a chance for the win.

8) Shelby Harris seems to have the knack for blocking kicks.

Some of that is luck, but much of it is instinct, and it eventually could keep Harris playing longer than he normally would in his career.

9) Joe Flacco didn't play well, finishing with 142 yards and one interception.

However, the interception was way downfield near the end of the half on a fourth down that Green Bay would have been better off to knock down rather than grab, and Flacco's veteran skills were perfect for the situation at the game's end, when he knew just how much time he needed to hit David Njoku over the middle.

10) Cleveland was out of timeouts, so they had to get the play off, and the clock stopped for Andre Szmyt to try the game-winner.

Flacco gained the needed extra yards and coolly got the team in order for the spike with two seconds to go.

I know some want Dillon Gabriel, and his time will come soon, but there is no chance Dillon Gabriel pulls that off on this day.

Experience sometimes matters.

11) I gripe every week about the passing game, but no one gets open downfield, and the wideouts are so bad that I'll take the bet that both tight ends (David Njoku and Harold Fannin) finish one and two for receptions.

Jerry Jeudy caught one pass of five targets for seventeen yards.

Whoo Hoo.

12) Dawand Jones suffered a knee injury and will miss the rest of the season.

Jones hadn't played well, but his loss means that either aging veteran Corneilius Lucas or second-year player KT Leveston will be seeing lots more playing time.

That doesn't bode well for Joe Flacco's protection.

13) The Browns are 1-2, and I hear some are excited about the win.

While I'm pleased, many say they could be 2-1, and yes, I suppose they could.

I'll look at it this way, as Bill Parcells said, "You are what your record says you are."

They won a game that they should have lost (Green Bay) and lost one that they should have won (Cincinnati).

1-2 is exactly where they should be.

Cleaning out the Inbox: Passings

        It's been a sad run of recent passings from the sports world, and our tributes never stop/

Goodbye to Davey Johnson at the age of 82 

Johnson is a person who had an excellent career as both a player and a manager, yet both fall just short of induction into the Hall of Fame.

Johnson won two World Series as a player with Baltimore (1966 and 1970), made three All-Star teams (1968, 69, and 70), and won three Gold Gloves (1969, 70, and 71) for the Orioles.

After Johnson was traded to Atlanta in 1973 to make room for Bobby Grich, Johnson hit forty-three homers for the Braves in his first season, making his final All-Star team.

Johnson would play for the Yomiuri Giants in 1975 and 1976 before returning for his final seasons in 1977 and 1978 with the Phillies and Cubs.

Johnson is very deserving of Cooperstown consideration for his managerial career, which saw him win the 1986 World Series with the Mets, win division titles with the Reds, Orioles, and Nationals.

Johnson won 1,373 games in his career with a winning percentage of. 562.

Goodbye to Ken Dryden at the age of 78.

Dryden was the standout netminder of the 1970s for the Montreal Canadiens, leading them to six Stanley Cups, and won five Vezina Trophies as the NHL's top goalie.

Dryden played for only six games in 1971 before winning the Stanley Cup in net for the playoffs, and would win the Calder Trophy the following season as the league's top rookie.

Dryden played just seven seasons (eight if you count the six games and playoffs in 1971) in his career, sat out the 1973-74 season when he thought the Canadiens were undercutting his salary, and was voted to the Hockey Hall of Fame with a winning percentage of an astonishing seventy-four percent.

After retirement, Dryden wrote several books, including The Game, which might be the best hockey book ever, and worked as a commentator for ABC for three Winter Olympics, including the Miracle on Ice, and would be an elected official in the Canadian House of Commons.

Goodbye to Ed Giacomin at the age of 86.

Giacomin made six All-Star teams in a thirteen-year career, spent mostly with the New York Rangers from 1965 to 1977, and won the Vezina Trophy for the 1970-71 season.

Giacomin played his final three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings after being waived to make room for John Davidson, with a memorable return to Madison Square Garden with the Red Wings when the Ranger fans cheered for Giacomin and booed their team with every shot on goal in a Detroit win.

Giacomin was voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987, and his number was the second to be retired by the Rangers.

Goodbye to D.D. Lewis, at the age of 79

Lewis played thirteen years for the Dallas Cowboys, and his twenty-seven postseason games are the most in Cowboys history and rank behind only Tom Brady and Jerry Rice among non-kickers.

That number is remarkable when you consider how limited playoff games were during Lewis's career (1968-1981).

Drafted in the sixth round in 1968 from Mississippi State, Lewis never made All-Pro or a Pro Bowl, but started 132 of a possible 134 games from 1973 to 1981 for a team that won a Super Bowl and lost two others during that time, which is indicative of a solid career.

Goodbye to Jim Fahnhorst at the age of 66.

A fourth-round pick by the Vikings in 1982, Fahnhorst signed instead with the USFL in 1983 and played two years with the Chicago Blitz and Arizona Wranglers before moving to the NFL.

Fahnhorst joined his brother, Keith, with the San Francisco 49ers after the 1984 USFL spring season and would win Super Bowls in three of his six seasons in the NFL, all of them spent with San Francisco.

PPM

   The PPM is cooking with another week of college and pro football.

Last Week: 10-4

Overall: 30-12

College 

Texas Tech over Utah 27-24

Boise State over Air Force 32-29

Memphis over Arkansas 37-34

Louisville over Bowling Green 24-14

N.C State over Duke 31-20

Middle Tennessee over Marshall 17-15

Georgia Southern over Maine 35-14

Colorado State over UTSA 36-35

Oregon over Oregon State 56-14

Games of the Week

Indiana over Illinois 24-21

Oklahoma over Auburn 37- 28

Pro

Packers over Browns 27-10

Seahawks over Saints 24-20

Games of the Week 

Ravens over Lions 38-35

Bengals over Vikings 24- 14

Cleaning Out the Inbox- Non-Sports Passings

    It's time for our tributes series, this one fully devoted to the non-sports world.

Goodbye to Loni Anderson at the age of 79.

The actress was best remembered for her role as "Jennifer Marlowe" on "WKRP in Cincinnati," but was also a television and movie staple for many years.

Anderson didn't want to play Jennifer as the typical dumb blonde, and the character was written as the smartest employee of the radio station.

Her marriage to Burt Reynolds was a tabloid sensation, and the two starred in "Stroker Ace", a film that was a commercial flop but has always been a cult classic that consistently makes me laugh.

Reynolds owned a small stake in the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits, and one of the promotions used by the Bandits was a poster giveaway of Anderson in Bandits gear.

Goodbye to Bill Moyers at the age of 91.

Moyers came to public prominence in various positions within the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, including chief of staff (unofficially), press secretary, and through his significant involvement in the creation of Public Broadcasting (PBS) and the Peace Corps.

Moyers would remain a regular staple on PBS throughout the years, hosting various programs, winning multiple awards, and being inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.

Moyers was the final surviving person in the famous airplane photo at the Dallas airport, with Lyndon Johnson taking the oath of office inside Air Force One.

Goodbye to Jim Lovell at the age of 97.

The Gemini and Apollo veteran may have (arguably) the most remembered astronaut outside of Neil Armstrong, and was the first person to fly into space four times.

Lovell flew into space on Gemini 7 (1965), Gemini 12 (1966), Apollo 8 (1968), and Apollo 13 (1970)

Of the twenty-four astronauts to have orbited the moon, Lovell was the first ( John Young and Gene Cernan were the others) to make a return trip, but due to mechanical issues on Apollo 13, he was the only returnee not to land on the moon.

Only five Apollo astronauts who traveled to the moon remain living. Buzz Aldrin, Charlie Duke, Dave Scott, and Jack Schmidt walked on the moon while Fred Haise orbited with Lovell on Apollo 13.

Goodbye to Polly Holliday at the age of 88.

A veteran actor, Holliday received her breakout role in the 1970s CBS comedy "Alice," with her character "Flo" becoming more popular than the lead, Linda Lavin.

Flo was spun off into its own series after four seasons on "Alice" but was canceled after two seasons.

Holliday's Flo introduced the phrase "Kiss My Grits" into the American vernacular, which carries on to a degree even today.

Goodbye to Bobby Hart at the age of 86.

Bobby Hart may have been more influential as a songwriter than as a performer, but if you grew up loving 1960s situation comedies (and I did), you knew Hart and his partner Tommy Boyce from their appearances on shows like I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched.

To my generation (after their first run but before the explosion of cable), appearing on those shows might have been more important in keeping their name alive than having actual hits.

Boyce and Hart's biggest hit was "I wonder what she's doing tonight," which reached as high as eighth on the charts in 1967, but as songwriters, they wrote several of the Monkees' hits, including "Last Train to Clarksville" and Hart co-wrote "Hurt So Bad", a huge hit for Little Anthony and the Imperials.

I Tell Ya' Herbie

  It's time for another week of takes from the world of college football, which we like to call I Tell Ya' Herbie.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             I mentioned Brent Pry being in trouble at Virginia Tech last week, and the Hokies were in desperate need of a home win against Old Dominion.

Instead, the Sun Belt's Monarchs led 28-0 at the half and cruised to a 45-26 win in Blacksburg.

Pry was fired on Sunday and replaced by offensive coordinator Phillip Montgomery, who had served as the head coach at Tulsa for eight seasons.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             Another head coach got the axe as UCLA canned DeShaun Foster after the Bruins were crushed 35-10 at home by New Mexico.

Virginia Tech's 0-3 start at least came to two SEC teams (South Carolina and Vanderbilt) while UCLA lost to Utah, UNLV, and New Mexico, two of the three at home.

To be fair to Foster, he was dealt a bad hand as he was hired late in the off-season when Chip Kelly decided he'd rather be an OC than a head coach (should have been a red flag for the program), and it was just as the Bruins entered the Big 10.

Still, UCLA didn't have a choice with a 0-3 record with the Big Ten schedule looming that could be a disaster under interim coach Tim Skipper.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             It's only been two seasons since Oregon and Washington joined the Big Ten, and kudos to both schools for continuing their interstate rivalries with Oregon State and Washington State.

However, the difference between the schools has become apparent as Washington State was crushed by Texas State last week, 59-10, and Oregon State has dropped its first three games.

It's sad to see, but I only see the gap growing, and it's not out of the question that we could see either or both series discontinued due to uncompetitive games.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            There aren't many games between ranked teams this week but the most surprising one has to be ninth-ranked Illinois visiting nineteenth-rated Indiana.

Two teams that perennially resided in the lower third of the league have been revitalized by newer coaches (Bret Bielema at Illinois and Curt Cignetti at Indiana), and I'm not sure which of the two jobs is the tougher place to win.

Illinois would occasionally jump up once a decade or so, and Indiana hasn't won a conference title in my lifetime, so that seems to indicate that Illinois might be the slightly easier of the two, and this is certainly the most important meeting of the two that I can remember.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            Two teams that could be the eventual participants in the Big 12 title game meet in Salt Lake City as unbeaten teams: Texas Tech and Utah duel in the mountains.

And while it's nice to see the Big 12 receive some attention, as the game is the "Big Noon" game on Fox, I think it's ridiculous that the game starts at 10:00 Mountain Time for local fans.

I'm sure that the Utah fans will be loud, but something tells me that it might not be as raucous as it could have been with a later start, and that benefits the Red Raiders.

Boxing Challenge: Inoue marches through MJ

   We recapped the Las Vegas side of the boxing weekend earlier, so now it's onto the remainder of the weekend, which saw the world junior featherweight title retained and two new champions taking their place at the table.

Nagoya, Japan, was the site as Naoya "The Monster" Inoue dominated Murodjon "MJ" Akhmadaliev and won an easy unanimous decision to retain his undisputed junior featherweight titles.

Inoue never hurt or knocked down Akhmadaliev, which speaks volumes about the challenger's quality. However, the Monster was far too fast and skilled for Akhmadaliev, and aside from two or three rounds, Inoue dominated the fight.

Akhmadaliev did wobble Inoue in the waning seconds of the fight, but had little time to follow up.

Inoue earned the judges' nod by scores of 118-110 twice and 117-111, which was my score.

Inoue will make his next defense against another mandatory challenger (Akhmadaliev was the WBA's mandatory challenger) before the end of the year against the WBC's Alan David Picasso in Saudi Arabia.

Should Inoue retain those titles, he would face Junto Nakatani next year in the Tokyo Dome in the biggest All-Japanese fight in history.

The co-feature saw an upset as Christian Medina knocked out Yoshiki Takei in the fourth round to win the WBO bantamweight title.

Medina floored Takei in the first round and battered him throughout before finishing him in the fourth.

Paddy Donovan met Lewis Crocker for the second time, and for the second time, Crocker emerged with a controversial victory. 

Donovan was dominating the first fight but was disqualified for hitting Crocker after the bell in an IBF welterweight eliminator.

Since then, Jaron "Boots" Ennis vacated the title, and the IBF mandated rematch was for the vacant title.

This time, Crocker scored knockdowns in the third and fifth rounds, but I thought Donovan was ahead (114-112 on my card) at the end of the fight.

The official decision differed, with Crocker winning on two cards (114-112 and 114-113), with Donovan winning on one card (115-111).

I'd be fine with a third fight eventually between these two.

Roman Gonzalez continued his comeback with a unanimous decision win over Hector Robles in Nicaragua.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 132 Pts (2)

Ramon Malpica: 125 Pts (2)

Vince Samano: 52 Pts (1) 

Boxing Challenge: Bud!

    Terence Crawford shocked the world (although not me) in Las Vegas by winning a unanimous decision over Canelo Alvarez to take all four of the world's super middleweight titles. 

Crawford won by scores of 116-112 and two scores of 115-113 (I scored 116-112 for Crawford), and Crawford needed to win the final two rounds to win on the scorecards, which I didn't think was needed, but it's Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas, funny scorecards seem to arrive in his fights.

Crawford outboxed Canelo, but he did so by fighting on his front foot and not by running, as recent Canelo victims Jermell Charlo and William Scull tried.

Canelo tried to stalk Crawford but wasn't quick enough or able to outmuscle Crawford in close.

Crawford is now the first fighter to be an undisputed champion in three divisions (Junior welter, welter, and super middleweight) and has won titles in five divisions (Lightweight and junior middle) after his victory that established him as the best of his generation.

Crawford mentioned an interest in winning a title at middleweight rather than defending his titles at 168 or a return to 154 to defend his WBA title or face other champions, Sebastian Fundora, Bakhram Murtazaliev, and Xander Zayas.

Alvarez might be a man without a fight, as a rematch appears to lack interest; the defeat may take away the prospects of a David Benavidez match, and the rest of the division doesn't have anyone with mass appeal to face a comebacking Canelo.

Bud Crawford cemented himself as the king of his generation, and I wouldn't be disappointed to see him call it a day.

He has nothing to prove, and by walking away, he will raise the question (which can never be answered): who was better- Crawford or Floyd Mayweather?

Crawford-Canelo may have brought the people, but the best fight of the night came on the undercard (and should have been the co-main) as Christian Mbilli retained his minor super middleweight title in an absolute thriller with a draw against Lester Martinez.

The fight was filled with tremendous action and a deserved draw that requires a rematch.

The judges' scores were 97-93 for Martinez, 96-94 for Mbilli, and 95-95, which was my score.

The actual co-feature was mildly disappointing as unbeaten junior middleweight Callum Walsh won a unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Fernando Vargas Jr.

The fight suffered from following Mbilli-Martinez but wasn't that bad, with Walsh winning by scores of 100-90 and 99-91 times two.

My score was closer for Walsh at 97-93.

The final fight of the challenge saw an upset as number one junior middleweight contender Serhii Bohachuk was upset for the second time by Brandon Adams.

Adams had knocked out Bohachuk in 2021, and Bohachuk had since become a contender with a near-win against Vergil Ortiz.

Styles make fights, and some fighters have their kryptonite, and Adams must be Bohachuk's.

Bohachuk tried, but Adams was consistently better throughout the fight and won a deserved unanimous decision by scores of 99-91 and two scores of 98-92, the same as mine.

I will be back tomorrow with the rest of the weekend in boxing

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 130 Pts (3) 

Ramon Malpica:  123 Pts (1)

Vince Samano: 51 Pts(3) 

Baltimore batters Browns 41-17

      The Cleveland Browns turned the ball over twice in key moments to allow the Baltimore Ravens to blow the game open in the second half and resulting in a 41-17 Ravens win in Baltimore.

Joe Flacco threw a touchdown pass but was intercepted once, and a fumble resulted in a Baltimore defensive score.

Quinshon Judkins rushed for sixty-one yards to lead the ground game.

The 0-2 Browns return home next week to host the 2-0 and explosive Green Bay Packers.

Good luck.

Brownie Bits

1) Joe Flacco was mediocre in his return to Baltimore, with 199 yards with a touchdown, an interception, and a fumble returned for a touchdown.

Flacco didn't always have time to throw, and Kevin Stefanski didn't help him any with play calls that rolled Flacco out but...

2) His interception was pretty bad and one that you don't expect a veteran to make.

Flacco threw into double coverage with Nate Wiggins as the second defender waiting for Flacco to throw and then hawking it away.

Flacco should have thrown the ball away.

3) The fumble that Roquan Smith recovered wasn't as much Flacco's fault.

It was fourth down, and Flacco was attempting to do anything against the Ravens' rush to get the ball away.

Flacco was trying to hang in the pocket and make something happen, and he fumbled; it happens.

4) Dillon Gabriel made his debut in garbage time with the game decided and led the team to a late touchdown with Gabriel hitting fellow rookie Dylan Sampson for a score.

It was a promising start, but it was clear that Baltimore had pulled many of their starters, and it wasn't much more than a preseason game.

5) Quinshon Judkins made his debut with sixty-one yards on ten carries, thirty-one yards on one rush.

If the Browns have any hopes of winning with "Stefanski Ball," Judkins will have to be the main reason, as this team lacks any notable weapons.

6) The lone Browns touchdown came on an ironic play as Baltimore's Marlon Humphrey literally watched the ball squirt through his hands and landed with a waiting Cedric Tillman for the score.

7) It was ironic because earlier in the drive, Humphrey hit a sliding Joe Flacco late, and the referees threw a flag only for a replay review to overrule the call.

8) Jerry Jeudy made one nice leaping catch and finished with four catches for fifty-one yards.

Jeudy also dropped two passes (as he did in game one) and still appears to not fit the role of a number one receiver.

9) The Browns defense deserved better than a box score of 41 points.

They were on the field all game and often had to fend off bad field position.

10) Cleveland did manage to shut down Derrick Henry, who rushed for only twenty-three yards on eleven carries, and they kept Lamar Jackson from running as Jackson ran only twice.

11) Denzel Ward missed much of the second half with cramping issues, and the secondary, hampered by the preseason loss of Martin Emerson, looks very soft.

Cameron Mitchell was beaten three times for touchdowns, two of those by Dez Walker.

This appears to be a major problem.

12) Baltimore scored a touchdown on a short field after a blocked punt by Corey Bojorquez.

The punting unit is often the best on the team, so it was disappointing to see the protection break down and Ronnie Hickman whiff on the block.

13) It's going to get worse before it gets better with the powerful Packers coming to Cleveland next week.

This could be ugly by Lake Erie. 

Buckeyes stop Ohio U. 37-9

      The Ohio State Buckeyes were less than sharp but had more than enough to repel the Ohio Bobcats in a 37-9 win at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.

Julian Sayin finished with 347 passing yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, while Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate each caught a touchdown and finished with over one hundred yards receiving.

Freshman running back Bo Jackson rushed for 109 yards on nine carries to pace the running game.

I'm changing the format for this week for two reasons: the first is that I left the game in the fourth quarter to watch the Christian Mbilli-Lester Martinez fight on the Canelo-Crawford undercard (BTW- if you have Netflix, watch this fight!) and the other is that I have many posts to write as the Browns kick off in 20 minutes, Terence Crawford's upset of Canelo Alvarez (You read it here first!), Naoya "The Monster" Inoue's title defense (which I got up for after two hours of sleep following Canelo-Crawford), and preparing for something work related, I'm kinda busy!

1) Bo Jackson needs to be the key running back.

2) Julian Sayin's touchdown pass to Jeremiah Smith showed beautiful touch.

3) I don't really blame Sayin completely for either of his two picks.

4) The defense was great, but Ohio U.'s one touchdown was due to sloppy tackling by Lorenzo Styles Jr (I think)

5) Ohio U. isn't a bad team, losing to Rutgers by three on the road, and defeating West Virginia, who defeated Pitt yesterday.

6) I suppose my point is this win may wear better than most G-5 wins as the season progresses.

Boxing Challenge

    Early Sunday morning, the undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue will meet the one fighter that he has yet to meet to complete his cleaning out of the division.

Inoue will battle former WBA and IBF champion Murojon Akhmadaliev in Nagoya, Japan, and some think that Akhmadaliev could be the man to push Inoue with a slick southpaw style, which is the style that has given Inoue the most issues in his unbeaten career.

Inoue was knocked down by Ramon Cardenas before rebounding with a knockout win, so some may think he's vulnerable.

Akhmadaliev was a decorated amateur and possesses the skills to make Inoue work for the win, beyond his past victories, except perhaps his first win over Nonito Donaire.

The question is this: Did the tougher-than-expected win over Cardenas show the first crack of vulnerability in Inoue, and Akhmadaliev will be the person who takes advantage?

Or does Inoue show his all-time great talent and repel perhaps his most difficult challenge in years?

The co-feature will pit WBO bantamweight champion Yoshiki Takei against Christian Medina.

Boxing Challenge

World Junior Featherweight Title. 12 Rds

Naoya Inoue vs Murojon Akhmadaliev

Ramon Malpica:Inoue KO 6

TRS: Inoue KO 11

V.S: Akhmadaliev KO 9

WBO Bantamweight Title. 12 Rds

Yoshiki Takei vs Christian Medina

R.L and TRS: Takei Unanimous Decision

V.S: Medina Unanimous Decision

Boxing Challenge

   After quite a few tepid boxing weekends, we have a massive one on tap with two of the top three pound-for-pound best in the world in action.

The biggest match will be for the undisputed super middleweight title as Canelo Alvarez, the holder of all four titles, meets WBA junior middleweight and former undisputed junior welterweight and welterweight champion Terence Crawford on Netflix in Las Vegas.

Alvarez regained his undisputed title when he won the IBF version by unanimous decision over William Scull in an incredibly boring bout, while Crawford hasn't fought since 2024, winning a close unanimous decision over Israel Madrimov to win his WBA junior middleweight title.

Alvarez is the naturally larger man and the heavier puncher, but I've always thought of Crawford as a special fighter, and there are some parallels between Canelo-Crawford and another famous fight- Sugar Ray Leonard-Marvelous Marvin Hagler.

A bigger, heavier, and slowing champion against a smaller man attempting to move up in weight to outbox the larger fighter.

It's asking a lot, but Terence Crawford is capable of the task.

The undercard isn't filled with major fights, but all are interesting and competitive matches.

Unbeaten junior middleweights Callum Walsh and Fernando Vargas Jr meet in a ten-rounder that will be the first test of each fighter since turning professional.

This should be an action fight with the winner moving up the ladder with their best win to date.

The most important undercard bout is a super middleweight for a minor title as Christian Mbilli faces Lester Martinez in a match between two unbeaten contenders with big punches.

Mbilli is a bit more proven against better competition, with wins over Sergey Dereyvenchenko, Maciej Sulecki, and Carlos Gongora, while Martinez owns a notable win over Gongora.

The winner could have either the next chance at the Alvarez-Crawford winner or, more likely, pick up a vacant belt.

Junior middleweight contender Serhii Bohachuk battles Brandon Adams in a rematch at middleweight.

Adams knocked out Bohachuk in the eighth round in 2021 to hand Bohachuk his first loss in a fight that saw Bohachuk way ahead on the scorecards.

Since then, Bohachuk has become a contender and has almost beaten Vergil Ortiz, losing a majority decision and knocking Ortiz down on two occasions.

Friday in Nicaragua, former multi-division champion Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez continues his comeback in a ten-rounder against Hector Robles.

Gonzalez hasn't fought since July 2024, but could land a bout against Nonito Donaire with a victory over the journeyman Robles.

On Saturday afternoon on DAZN, a rematch will be of more value than the initial fight, as the IBF welterweight title vacated by Jaron "Boots" Ennis is at stake. The fight will take place in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Paddy Donovan dropped Lewis Crocker and seemed to be on his way to stopping Crocker before hitting him after the bell and being disqualified.

The disqualification was not overturned, but the IBF ordered a rematch ( the first fight was an IBF eliminator) and after Ennis vacated the title to move to junior middleweight, the fight was ordered for the vacant title.

Boxing Challenge

Bantamweights. 10 Rds 

Roman Gonzalez vs Hector Robles

Ramon Malpica: Gonzalez KO 8

TRS: Gonzalez KO 6

Vince Samano: Robles Split Decision

World Super Middleweight Title. 12 Rds

Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford

R.L and TRS: Crawford Split Decision

V.S: Crawford KO 11

Super Middleweights. 10 Rds

Christian Mbilli vs Lester Martinez

R.L: Mbilli KO 9

TRS: Mbilli Unanimous Decision

V.S: Mbilli KO 6

Junior Middleweights 10 Rds

Callum Walsh vs Fernando Vargas Jr.

R.L and V.S.: Vargas Unanimous Decision
TRS: Walsh Unanimous Decision

Junior Middleweights. 10 Rds

Serhii Bohachuk vs Brandon Adams

R.L and TRS: Bohachuk Unanimous Decision

V.S.: Adams Unanimous Decision

Vacant IBF Welterweight Title 12 Rds

Paddy Donovan vs Lewis Crocker

R.L and V.S.: Donovan Unanimous Decision

TRS: Donovan KO 10

PPM

    The PPM returns with a loaded weekend of football!

Last Week: 14-2
Overall: 20-8

College

Ohio State over Ohio U 42-10

Texas Tech over Oregon State 41-21

N.C. State over Wake Forest 33-30

Ole Miss over Arkansas 36-28

Bowling Green over Liberty 34-31

UTSA over Incarnate Word 41-27

Jacksonville State over Georgia Southern 29-26

Nevada over Middle Tennessee 21-18

Games of the Week

Notre Dame over Texas A&M 27-24

Miami over South Florida 35-21

NFL
Ravens over Browns 27-13

49ers over Sainta 20-13

Games of the Week

Chiefs over Eagles 31-28

Packers over Commanders 28-24 

I Tell Ya' Herbie

   Here's our weekly notes from college football with a column we call I Tell Ya' Herbie.

I Tell Ya' Herbie: 

                             It was a crazy night in Gainesville as the Florida Gators handed the South Florida Bulls an upset when a Gator defensive lineman handed South Florida fifteen yards on their final drive. 

One of the twenty kicking Gramaticas would boot a field goal on the final play to give the Bulls their second upset in two weeks after blasting Boise State.

The Bulls travel to Miami to visit the fifth-ranked Hurricanes, and should they win that game, South Florida will be the prohibitive favorite to win the playoff spot for the Group of Five.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            After that loss, the Florida fans have their traps set for coach Billy Napier, who is only 20-20 in his Gator tenure.

While I get that Napier is accountable for the actions of his players, it's tough to blame him too much for a knucklehead spitting on another player.

Still with the Gators next four games including three teams in the top seven (LSU, Miami, and Texas) and a fourth against number sixteen (Texas A&M), with three of the four on the road (only Texas visits the Gators), Napier could be looking at a 1-5 start and with four of their final five games against teams currently ranked (Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Florida State), Napier's chances of retaining his job appear bleak.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             Another coach who seems to be in trouble is Virginia Tech's Brent Pry, who is 0-2 with losses to SEC opponents South Carolina (understandable) and Vanderbilt (not as understandable and for the second year in a row).

I wasn't sure about the Hokies hiring Pry, who had never been a head coach and had been the defensive coordinator at Penn State, where working with James Franklin can't be a plus for future head coaches.

Pry is 16-23 overall and draws Florida State and Miami in conference play. So the Hokies have some difficult league games.

It's hard to call a home game against Old Dominion a must-win, but should the Monarchs win Saturday, Brent Pry might be lucky to reach the end of the season.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            Missouri and Kansas renewed their rivalry in Columbia and while the game was exciting (Missouri rallied to a 42-31 win), the highlight was when a fan chose to try to kick a field goal during a timeout for twenty-five thousand decided to show his painted chest (F KU) and kick the ball at the Jayhawk sideline rather than try the field goal.

That's a lot of hate to turn down a shot of twenty-five K, but the guy likely knew he didn't have a prayer of hitting the kick and decided to make himself part of rivalry history.

I can't wait to see the Jayhawk response in 2026 in Lawrence!

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            Rich Rodriguez returns in his second run at West Virginia to face the team that cost his Mountaineers a chance at the national title in 2007 when a Pitt team with a losing record pulled an upset talked about to this day.

The West Virginia-Pitt rivalry was renewed last season for the first time in years, and won't resume until 2029, when the schools will play for four years.

The Backyard Brawl is another rivalry that should be played every year, and I think it's headed in that direction after the next three-year hiatus.                  

Boxing Challenge: Nunez outslugs Diaz

      Sometimes in boxing, fighters exceed their abilities because they know that they could be down to their final chance.

Christopher Diaz had failed in two title tries, and before his third attempt, Diaz was the opponent for the homecoming of the first title defense for IBF junior lightweight champion Eduardo "Sugar" Nunez.

Nunez won the fight and retained his title via unanimous decision, but Diaz won the night with a gallant effort in providing Nunez with a severe test in an all-action brawl.

Nunez looked to be ready to finish Diaz off in the seventh round when he knocked the veteran down twice, but Diaz survived the round and gave as good as he got in the late rounds.

Nunez won by scores of 117-109 (times two) and 116-110, which were a little wider than my card of 115-111 for Nunez.

Nunez is rumored to possibly face WBO champion Emanuel Navarette in a unification fight next, in what is a can't-miss all-Mexican action battle.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 127 Pts  (1)

Ramon Malpica: 122 Pts (2)

Vince Samano: 48 Pts (2)

Szmyt Happens. Browns lose to Bengals 17-16

    Rookie kicker Andre Smzmyt missed an extra point in the third quarter that would have tied the game, and missed a thirty-six yard field goal with two and a half minutes remaining in the game as the Cleveland Browns lost their opening game to the Cincinnati Bengals 17-16 in Cleveland.

Joe Flacco threw for 290 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, and rookie running back Dylan Sampson caught six passes for sixty-four yards on offense, while the defense sacked Joe Burrow on three consecutive snaps in the second half to pace the defense.

The now 0-1 Browns travel to Baltimore next week, and based on what I saw from the Ravens in Buffalo, good luck with that!

Brownie Bits

1) The Browns placed all of their chips on the foot of Andre Szmyt, and it backfired, but this is about more than Szmyt.

It's about Andrew Berry not signing a proven challenger to Dustin Hopkins in training camp, and when Hopkins gave the team little choice other than releasing him, the unproven Szmyt was handed the job by default.

The Browns cannot afford to miss mandatory kicks; likely, Szmyt will likely be released this week, and hopefully someone with experience will be the replacement.

2) Joe Flacco did throw two interceptions, but both were passes that were dropped by receivers Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman and into the arms of a waiting Bengal.

Neither can be placed on Flacco, and both Jeudy and Tillman were at fault for both picks.

3) Jerry Jeudy finished with six catches for sixty-six yards, but dropped a fourth-down pass to end a drive and added the previously mentioned interception.

The Browns are paying Jeudy like a number one receiver, but on a good team, Jeudy would be a number two or an excellent third option.

4) The Browns played rookie tight end Harold Fannin a great deal, and although Fannin had one drop as well, the Bowling Green product finished with seven catches for sixty-three yards.

Fannin's catches were the most ever for a rookie tight end in week one of an NFL season.

5)  The Browns struggled running the football, finishing with a mere forty-nine yards on twenty-four attempts, with rookie Dylan Sampson leading the team with twenty-nine yards.

For a team that proclaims the need to run the football this season, that number was disheartening.

6) The offensive line may not have helped the run game, but they did a solid job protecting Joe Flacco, as they allowed only two sacks, an acceptable number, considering the Bengals' pass rush includes an elite rusher in Trey Hendrickson.

7) Myles Garrett sacked Joe Burrow on two of the three consecutive sacks of Joe Burrow in the fourth quarter, but Burrow did one small thing that was just as important as Andre Szmyt's missed field goal in the Cincinnati win.

On the third sack, just as Garrett arrived in the pocket to grab Burrow for the sack, Burrow lunged forward and got the football out of the end zone (barely), avoiding the safety that would have given the Browns a one-point win.

8) Stat of the day: second half offensive yards- Browns 216, Bengals 7.

9) Greg Newsome played well at the corner in place of Martin Emerson, knocking down two passes, and Newsome shared coverage time with Denzel Ward on Jamarr Chase, holding the Bengal standout to only two catches for twenty-six yards.

10) Many are optimistic after this game, but I'm not.

Almost everything they needed to do to win, they did, and they still didn't complete the task.

The schedule gets tougher, and the team struggled to run the ball.

I'm afraid this might be the high point for a while.

Send in the Clowns

  This isn't a comprehensive Cleveland Browns preview due to time constraints, but I wanted to jot down a few notes for the record.

While I wish that this season would be the final word on the futures of Kevin Stefanski and especially Andrew Berry, I don't think that will turn out to be the case.

Jimmy Haslam loves these two guys (especially Berry), and I think that the stage is set for the excuse of "we had a forty-year-old quarterback with a third and fifth rounder as the backups, what did you expect"?

Which means it will then be fair to "allow them the chance to draft their own quarterback.

There is a path to some wins, although I think the people predicting eight or nine are on some good pain medication.

The Browns will have to hope they can receive running game help from Jerome Ford and rookie Dylan Sampson, and hope that the NFL doesn't hammer Quinshon Judkins with a suspension that would be more than a few games.

One of a lackluster group of wide receivers needs to break out, and if not them, rookie tight end Harold Fannin needs to step up to give Cleveland some hope of a passing game.

The defensive line looks very good, and I like what I've seen from rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger at linebacker.

Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome need to stay healthy at corner because Martin Emerson is out for the season, and the depth is thin.

IF Cleveland can get the running game going, the defensive line provides the rush that the team hopes for, and rookie kicker Andre Szmyt can be decent, I could see the Browns winning six games.

I don't see all of that happening, and if the Browns don't win their opener against the Bengals at home, a brutal early-season schedule might leave them at 0-6.

That result will see the beginning of the force-feeding of Dillon Gabriel for sure and eventually, perhaps Shedeur Sanders.

The schedule gets easier midway through the campaign, with winnable games against Miami and Tennessee at home and New England, Chicago, Las Vegas, and the Jets on the road, but the Browns would need to sweep all six games and win a few that they shouldn't to get to eight wins.

I think they win some of those and finish with a record of 5-12 and a top ten pick.

 

Ohio State Smashes Grambling

    Julian Sayin tossed four touchdown passes, two of those to Jeremiah Smith, as the Ohio State Buckeyes cruised to a 70-0 win over the Grambling State Tigers in Columbus.

Sayin finished with three hundred six passing yards and an interception for the day while Smith grabbed five passes for one hundred and nineteen recieiving yards to pace the offense.

Freshman running back Bo Jackson led the team in rushing with one hundred eight yards and a touchdown in garbage time.

Ohio State improves to 2-0 with the win and will host the Ohio Bobcats next Saturday night.

Olentangy Offerings

1) This will be a little shorter because I hate these kind of games but I still believe that if Ohio State is going to play a 1-AA team, it needs to be Youngstown State or Dayton and keep the money inside the state.

If I had to guess, inviting Grambling might have been as simple as having two of the best college bands in the country on the same field.

2) The Julian Sayin to Jeremiah Smith eighty-seven yard touchdown pass was the second longest in program history.

3) Sayin's touchdown to tight end Will Kacmarek in the first quarter was as easy that you could find.

Kacmarek was so open that he might have been able to walk the forty-seven yards for the score.

4) Freshman linebaccker Riley Pettijohn scooped up a fumble for a touchdown on the first drive of the second half.

Pettijohn and Payton Pierce are going to be impact players for the Buckeyes next year but will see plenty of playing time this season.

5) Bo Jackson led the team in rushing and ripped off a fifty-one yard run in mop-up time but he showed signs of having that something in running backs that make a difference.

You might want to sharpen up those old Tecmo Bowl and Bo Knows references because I think you are going to need them.

PPM

    The PPM continues with college and the first week of the NFL season.

One note from the NFL as the New Orleans Saints return to the PPM, mainly as the Saints have hired Kellen Moore, the former Boise State quarterback and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator, as their head coach.

Overall and Last Week: 6-6

College

Ohio State over Grambling 62-0

Texas Tech over Kent State 51-10

Boise State over Eastern Washington 31-16

N.C State over Virginia 24-20

Fresno State over Oregon State 23-17

Cincinnati over Bowling Green 24-17

Wisconsin over Middle Tennessee 37-17

Arkansas over Arkansas State 31-20

USC over Georgia Southern 38-13

UTSA over Texas State 30-27

Games of the Week

Oklahoma over Michigan 34-28

Iowa State over Iowa 20-14

NFL

Browns over Bengals 20-17

Cardinals over Saints 24-10

Games of the Week

Bills over Ravens 31-29

Packers over Lions 27-24

  

Boxing Challenge

    After an inactive week in the boxing challenge, this week, we return with one fight, but it's a championship fight as Eduardo "Sugar" Nunez defends his IBF junior lightweight title for the first time against veteran Christopher Diaz from Los Mochis, Mexico, on DAZN.

Nunez won the vacated title via unanimous decision over Masanori Rikiishi in May, winning a title that Anthony Cacace gave up rather than defend against Nunez. 

Nunez's win over Rikiishi was his 29th overall, but the first one that he won by a decision after twenty-eight stoppage victories.

Diaz is an experienced veteran who has lost two title attempts (Emanuel Navarette and Masayuki Ito), as well as a loss to Shakur Stevenson.

Diaz has only been stopped once in his five losses, so Nunez's power may not overwhelm Diaz, at least in the early rounds.

Still, Diaz is the exact type of opponent that promoters like to schedule for boxers making their first title defense- willing to fight on the road, tough enough to give rounds but not good enough to seriously threaten for the win.

Boxing Challenge

IBF Junior Lightweight Title, 12 Rds

Eduardo "Sugar" Nunez vs Christopher Diaz

Ramon Malpica and Vince Samano: Nunez Unanimous Decision

TRS: Nunez KO 9

I Tell Ya' Herbie

 It's our weekly look at college football, which we like to call I Tell Ya' Herbie!

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            The biggest surprise in week one saw Florida State, coming off a 3-9 season, batter top-ten Alabama into submission.

Florida State not only defeated the Tide, but they also bullied them, as Bama hadn't been pushed around in years.

Alabama allowed 230 yards in rushing, and while I'm open to this being week one jitters, it's possible the Tide lost the punishing defense that was such a force during the Nick Saban era.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             Still, it's reasonable to see the week one results, which are often overexaggerated, and think back to Florida State's week zero loss last year to Georgia Tech.

It was a major shocker at the time, but when the season ended, Florida State finished 3-9 and Georgia Tech 7-5, so a game that looks huge at the time often is meaningless by the end of the season.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            It may not have national implications, but I'm happy to see Kansas and Missouri playing each other for the first time since 2011 and the Tigers' move to the SEC.

This is a huge rivalry and was so filled with animosity (mostly Kansas towards the departing Missouri) that the Jayhawks refused to play the Tigers in any sport for years.

The teams will play in Missouri this season and return to Kansas in 2026, but I am not aware of any further commitments.

At a time when regional rivalries are dying due to conference realignment, it's nice to see games like this played, even if only for a short time.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             Another one of my favorite rivalries appears to be a potentially important game come playoff selection time, as Iowa and Iowa State meet for the Cy-Hawk Trophy in Ames.

This is usually a fun rivalry, and with both teams having playoff hopes, a big non-conference win could go a long way come selection time.

Plus, with the added attention for Kirk Ferentz, who needs one win to become the winningest Big Ten coach in history, the Cy-Hawk is a game worth watching.       

Cleaning out the Inbox: Passings

       The tributes never stop, and we start with the jockey who rode arguably (because I don't agree) the greatest racehorse of all time.

Goodbye to Ron Turcotte at the age of 84.

Turcotte rode Secretariat to the 1973 Triple Crown, one year after guiding Riva Ridge to wins in the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.

Turcotte was the nation's leading rider in those two seasons and won over three thousand races in his career.

Turcotte's career ended tragically in 1978 when his horse broke down in a Belmont Park race, which resulted in injuries to Turcotte that left him a paraplegic.

Goodbye to Allan Hornyak at the age of 74.

Known as "The Bellaire Bomber", Hornyak was named All-Big Ten in each of his three varsity seasons for Ohio State (1971-73) and averaged twenty-two points per game during his Buckeye career.

Hornyak was drafted in 1973 by the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round and the ABA's Indiana Pacers in the third round (separate drafts, of course), but Hornyak signed with neither club, deciding not to play professional basketball.

Goodbye to Lee Roy Jordan at the age of 84.

The sixth overall pick by Dallas in the 1963 NFL Draft, Jordan would play his entire fourteen-year career with the Cowboys as the middle linebacker that made Tom Landry's "Flex" defense roll.

Jordan is currently second in team history in tackles, almost fifty years after his retirement, and he is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame for his career with Alabama.

Jordan made the Pro Bowl five times and won a Super Bowl with the 1971 Cowboys.

Goodbye to Joe Bugner at the age of 75.

Bugner challenged Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight title in 1975, losing a lopsided unanimous decision in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but fought many top contenders in the seventies and eighties.

Bugner fought Joe Frazier in an excellent fight, which Frazier won by split decision, fought Ali twice (once before Ali won the title for a second time), and held wins over one-time champions Jimmy Ellis, Greg Page, and Bonecrusher Smith in a long career that saw several retirements and eventual returns to the ring.