Former Washington State quarterback Cam Ward posted on X on Saturday that he is committed to Miami. Ward announced Jan. 1 that he was declaring for the NFL Draft.

The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NFL Draft is Monday, and so is the deadline for the closing of the transfer portal. The portal opened its fall window Dec. 4, 2023, and closed on Jan. 2.

Ward did not hire an agent after declaring for the NFL Draft, according to Pete Nakos of On3. This kept Ward’s eligibility intact for the 2024 season.

Ward broke out last season for 3,732 passing yards and 25 touchdowns to seven interceptions. He earned a spot on the Pac-12 Honorable Mention list in the postseason.

The post Reports: Cam Ward puts off NFL Draft, commits to Miami appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Washington State quarterback Cam Ward announced on social media Monday that he will enter the 2024 NFL Draft.

READ: 3 questions before College Football Playoff begins

Ward’s decision comes weeks after his initial decision to enter the transfer portal. He was a sought-after player, drawing reported interest from programs such as Miami.

Ward had a breakout year in 2023. He threw for 3,732 yards and 25 touchdowns to seven interceptions.

READ: No. 6 Georgia claims Orange Bowl victory over No. 5 Florida State

He was named All-Pac 12 Conference Honorable Mention after his banner year in 2023. Ward’s passing yardage and touchdown total were career highs.

Ward will be among a quarterback class expected to be rounded out by Heisman Trophy winner and LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Florida State’s Jordan Travis among others. 

The post Washington State QB Cam Ward declares for NFL Draft appeared first on Saturday Glory.

No. 1 Georgia stands atop the college football world with the longest active winning streak of 23 games. Fresno State, which had a winning streak of 13 games, lost its first one to Wyoming last Saturday.

PODCAST: Kirby Smart is Right for Not Caring

Alongside the Bulldogs are No. 2 Michigan, No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 10 USC and No. 14 Louisville. The Cardinals picked up a signature win over Notre Dame, dropping the Fighting Irish to 5-2 having lost two of their past three. 

Here are some noteworthy quotes as focus turns from Week 6 to Week 7. 

Cristobal on Miami’s kneel down mistake to Georgia Tech 

Then-No. 17 Miami led 20-17 going into the final minute against the Yellow Jackets, and had enough of an advantage where a kneel down would’ve sealed the game and the win. 

But Miami didn’t take the option to kneel the clock out. Instead, running back Donald Chaney Jr. was handed the football eight-consecutive times, and on the final one, disaster struck. 

Chaney fumbled the football at Georgia Tech’s 26-yard line and the Yellow Jackets recovered the ball. Facing a long way to go, they fired off completions of 30 and 44 yards to move all the way into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown. 

“We had our opportunities, even though we didn’t play well,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said. “Obviously we could have coached better, could have made a better decision. All those things were on the table and we just didn’t do it, and Saturday is going to be here in a hurry against an excellent football team, and we got to go on the road and we got to get it done so very simple.” 

Chip Kelly on UCLA’s big win over No. 13 Washington State 

The Bruins also picked up an upset win over the Cougars, handing them their first loss of the season. 

PODCAST: Talking winners, top teams and much more after week six

UCLA head coach Chip Kelly is notorious for his offensive schemes, but the Bruins defense stepped up to the plate last Saturday. 

Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn was faced with the challenge of stopping a Cougars offensive spearheaded by quarterback Cam Ward. Ward had passed for more than 300 yards three times and topped 400 twice already in the season. 

UCLA did enough of a job to nullify Washington State’s passing game and held Ward to a season-low 197 passing yards. The Bruins also forced a pair of interceptions. 

Kelly said the defensive staff led by Lynn “did an outstanding job in that whole group.” 

“I think our entire defensive staff led by him, did an unbelievable job because that was the No. 2 ranked passing offense in the country, and to hold them to that and not allow them really to rush it was outstanding when really we gave them one score on the offensive side of the ball so but besides that they were phenomenal,” Kelly said. “So the whole coaching staff and players were outstanding on the defensive side.” 

Miley Cyrus’ name drops in Smart’s postgame press conference 

While the Bulldogs raced away to their sixth win of the season behind a 51-13 performance against No. 20 Kentucky, head coach Kirby Smart was faced with a wrecking ball reference postgame. 

A wrecking ball analogy compared Georgia’s performance to one as such, and the Bulldogs do have the No. 8 total offense behind an average of 502.3 yards per game. 

READ: Stat Pack: Week 6

That’s a stout offensive output. Georgia also has the No. 10 scoring offense averaging 40.7 points each time they take the field. 

In jest, Smart took the postgame wrecking ball reference and ran with it. 

“I don’t know who Miley Cyrus is, like, what does she have to do with a wrecking ball?” Smart said. “I know Eric Chruch ‘Wrecking Ball,’” 

The post Quotables: Week 6  appeared first on Saturday Glory.

UCLA running back Keegan Jones had a pair of rushing touchdowns and linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo had a key interception in the fourth quarter to power the Bruins past No. 13 Washington State 25-17 on Saturday.

PODCAST: Which Big Ten Rivalries Should and Shouldn’t Be Protected?

Entering the final quarter trailing 17-12, UCLA put together a 10-play, 75-yard drive capped by Jones’ 13-yard touchdown run. 

The two-point conversion attempt failed, but no matter because Oladejo intercepted Cougars quarterback Cam Ward on the very first play of the next drive. 

That allowed the Bruins to head downfield in four plays for Jones to score again, this time on a 22-yard run. 

UCLA outgained Washington State 482-216 and went 3-for-3 on fourth down. The Bruins dominated time of possession 38:32-21:28.

READ: Anderson’s last-minute touchdown lifts No. 12 Oklahoma over No. 3 Texas 

Bruins quarterback Dante Moore finished with 290 passing yards, two interceptions and a touchdown on 50% completion. Running back Carson Steele had 140 rushing yards and Jones had 45 on three carries. 

The post UCLA scores 13 4th-quarter points, beats No. 13 Washington State 25-17 appeared first on Saturday Glory.

There are four ranked matchups this week, headlined by the Red River Rivalry between No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 3 Texas in Dallas. 

PODCAST: 5 Questions Florida Needs to Answer After Loss to Kentucky

No. 1 Georgia will also look to go 6-0 and clinch bowl eligibility against No. 20 Kentucky, which is riding hot off a Top 25 upset of then-No. 22 Florida thanks to a 280-yard rushing performance by running back Ray Davis. 

Here are several games to watch this Saturday. 

No. 12 Oklahoma at No. 3 Texas  

The Red River Rivalry, in Dallas. 

The biggest stage between some of the biggest programs in all of college football is set to host Oklahoma and Texas at noon on ABC. 

“As far as this game, Red River Rivalry, that’s why we’re in college football, right, to be part be part of games like this,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “Two undefeated teams, two top-25 teams. The spotlight of college football will be on us. I think that the beauty for us this will be our third top-25 matchup now in six games, and every team we’ve played has got a winning record and is doing good things. So I think that we’ve been exposed to some high level football now through five weeks and naturally we understand the emotions that will come with this game and different things. I think it’s critical for us that we have a great week of preparation, that we take it one day at a time and then we go in with the mindset to execute on Saturday.” 

The Longhorns have already claimed ranked wins at Alabama and against Kansas, and they’ll have another shot to earn a Top 25 victory once again. 

Both Oklahoma and Texas will meet one more time before the two jump from the Big 12 Conference to the Southeastern Conference beginning next year. 

READ: Big Board: Week 6

The Sooners rank ahead of Texas in total offense, averaging 510 yards per game, and the Longhorns are atop the Big 12 in total defense just ahead of Oklahoma at No. 2. 

The quarterback matchup between Quinn Ewers of Texas and Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel should be a fun one. Both gunslingers have over 1,358 passing yards. 

“Going to be again, a wonderful environment against a really talented, hot Texas team that play on paper and on film they play their best when they’re playing really good people,” Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said. “Texas has always risen to the occasion and done so but coming off a really good, strong game last week against Kansas where they had almost 700 yards of offense and really were unstoppable. And they’ve been outstanding in all the areas you peel it back whether that’s rush defense or pass defense or scoring defense or red zone defense. If that’s offensively how efficient that they’ve been. They’ve got incredible weapons at the skill position. They lost some great backs last year and they’ve obviously shown they’ve really recruited well. (Jonathon) Brooks is one of a number of their backs that is running really, really well. (Xavier) Worthy, (Adonai) Mitchell, (Ja’Tavion) Sanders, amongst others are just some really incredibly talented players. Ewers was a true freshman last year, played pretty dang good and he’s playing at a really high level. Obviously against Alabama in Tuscaloosa (he) threw for just south of 350 yards and that was the National Player of the Week. So again, we got a great, great challenge. They’re spearheaded on defense by Jaylan Ford who is as good of a linebacker that’s out there in college football, and special teams have been really strong for them. But again, I like where we’re at as well. I want to see where we’re at. If you want to continue to improve and create change, we’re certainly not where we want to be by in any way shape or form, that doesn’t mean that you’re not thankful for your players and your coaches and the hard work that guys have put in and the success that we’ve had you got to celebrate.” 

No. 13 Washington State at UCLA  

Both Washington State and UCLA are coming off bye weeks, and they’ll meet in the Rose Bowl on Saturday. 

Washington State head coach Jake Dickert said he’s familiar with Chip Kelly’s style of offense. Though, Dickert also said he has “not seen a bigger, longer defense” than UCLA’s “in a long time.”

READ: Quotables: Week 5

“These guys are long and have great length and they’re attacking, and they’re playing tremendously on that side of the ball,” Dickert said. “I mean, it is impressive to watch their physicality, the (Laiatu) Latu kid is a problem. Most people have him in the top half of the first round. And then 53 when the Hawaii contingent was here, they used to talk about this kid. He is physical, he is downhill, he is aggressive. So I think they’re playing with supreme confidence on that side of the ball and it’s showing as one of the best defenses in our league so it presents a big challenge, especially up front and how much they want to blitz. 

Washington State has generated the No. 4 total offense in the Pac-12, averaging 533.8 yards per game. 

In the Cougars’ most recent game, their quarterback Cam Ward threw for 404 yards and four touchdowns. 

Offense has helped lead Washington State to its first 4-0 start since 2017, and Dickert expects this one to come down to a defensive battle. 

“They got a great receiver on the outside, and very unique schemes” Dickert said. “I mean, very unique schemes and week to week changes quite a bit, and I think it’s well documented how hard it is to go down in L.A. and win.” 

No. 2 Michigan at Minnesota  

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy has found a rhythm to begin the 2023 season. 

He is No. 5 among passers with a 191.64 passing efficiency rating, and McCarthy is No. 3 behind a 79% completion. 

PODCAST: What we learned coming out of week five

McCarthy’s favorite target is far and away receiver Roman Wilson, who has caught eight of McCarthy’s 10 touchdown passes. 

The Wolverines got out to their 5-0 start without their head coach Jim Harbaugh for the first three games. Since his return in Week 4, Michigan has outscored its two opponents 76-14 allowing two touchdowns. 

Harbaugh said he sees another good defense on the Wolverines’ hands, and the Golden Gophers rank in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten in scoring and total defense. 

“Another really good defense, really stout,” Harbaugh said. “The quarterback has really come along, and they have a tremendous ability to run the ball. Physical team that is going to be, I mean, I love how they play. It’s an emotional, fired up type of team. P.J. (Fleck) does a great job. I mean, you can always tell they’re confident no matter what, no matter what the stakes are, the odds are, you just see it in the way they play. They play hard. It’s all you can ever ask for as a coach from your players is that they play hard. Our guys are doing it. Minnesota’s guys are. It’ll be a football fight like it is every Saturday, and we got to play good.” 

The post Preview Thursday: Week 6 appeared first on Saturday Glory.

There are four ranked matchups on the schedule this week. Friday will get the ranked ballgames started when No. 10 Utah travels to No. 19 Oregon State, which suffered its first loss of the season to No. 16 Washington State.

PODCAST: It Was Always Going to End This Way for Mel Tucker

Cougars quarterback Cam Ward earned Pac-12 offensive player of the week honors after a 404-yard performance. Ward added four touchdowns and completed 82.4% of his passes, good for seventh-best in program history. 

Here are several games to watch this week. 

No. 22 Florida at Kentucky 

A matchup between two 4-0 programs is set to take place at Kroger Field on Saturday. 

Defense just might be the name of the game and the key to victory for either team. Neither Florida nor Kentucky rank in the upper half of the Southeastern Conference in total offense, and the Gators are No. 8 while Kentucky is No. 9. 

The Wildcats are entering their first ranked matchup of the season, and it comes two years after they upset No. 10 Florida at home 20-13. The Gators had Kentucky’s number 29-21 during the 2019 season. 

“I mentioned last week when they talked about them beating us in the year before it really doesn’t have any bearing on that game,” Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said. “If it does for our players, if they come in locked in early in the week then that’s the way I expect our team to be anyway. We’re playing Florida. You know it’s going to take a great effort. We’re playing that home; we should have a great sense of pride. And I think there’s that term that we use a lot in our program is that divine discontent. We know there’s more out there. We know we can play better, and that ought to be our motivation.” 

READ: Big Board: Week 5

Stoops also had positives to say about Florida quarterback Graham Mertz, who considered Kentucky when he entered the transfer portal after last season. 

“He’s been very good with the football,” Stoops said. “I think they have very few turnovers in general. I want to say he only maybe has one, and he’s been very efficient. Very smart getting rid of the football and taking care of the ball and running their offense, and he’s been very efficient. So he’s played very well.” 

No. 24 Kansas at No. 3 Texas 

A Big 12 matchup is set to take place in Austin, Texas, and the two teams between Kansas and Texas have a history. 

The Jayhawks topped Texas in 2021 during what was only their second win of the season Nov. 13, 2021. Kansas finished 2-10 that year, while Texas went 5-7 in Steve Sarkisian’s first year as head coach. 

Texas got back at Kansas last season with a 55-14 blowout at home. The loss left a bad taste in the Jayhawks’ mouths. 

“Old news, it doesn’t matter,” Kansas head coach Lance Leipold said. “Both teams are significantly better. And it doesn’t do you — it’s honestly it’s so far in the past. We got to keep moving. Yeah, it helped this program. It helped our players but we can’t, yeah, that’s about it.”

READ: Quotables: Week 4

And now, Leipold said the athleticism stands out about Texas now. 

“Yeah, and I guess I’ll add to that. I hope it’s the last time I have to answer that question this week honestly, I do,” Leipold said. “I really want to focus on our team now and where we’re going because that’s what’s important. It’s an excellent football team across the board. You can tell for coach Sarkisian, the staff he’s put on it offensively, he’s one of the best playcallers in the country. The movements and shifts and different looks that he gives, how they spread the ball about the playmakers that they have, huge up front and very athletic, well coached offensive line. And then defensively a front that, again, I think that’s a group from if you are going to keep looking at our previous meetings, I think that the defensive line continued improvement for them and consistency, maybe not improvement, but just consistent play and physical, tough kids. Linebackers who are extremely physical and run well. So yeah, it’s definitely to me a different team and a huge challenge for us and one that we’ve got to have our best week of preparation yet.” 

Kansas’ offense is No. 5 in the Big 12 averaging 37.8 points per game, and Texas is right behind at an average of 35 points per outing. 

Both the Jayhawks and Longhorns are in the top-three in their conference in total defense, as Kansas is second allowing 296.8 yards per game and Texas is third giving up 298.5 yards per game. 

No. 13 LSU at No. 20 Ole Miss 

LSU is seeking to reenter itself back into the College Football Playoff mix. 

After suffering a Week 1 upset to No. 5 Florida State, head coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers had to do a bit of soul searching to figure out what kind of team they are. 

Now they go on the road for two games, and the first will be against No. 20 Ole Miss, which lost 30-24 to No. 12 Alabama.

PODCAST: What’s the Perception of Marcus Freeman After Notre Dame’s Loss to Ohio State?

Quarterback Jayden Daniels has played steadily in 2023. He’s eclipsed 320 passing yards in each of the past two games, and he threw four touchdowns last week against Arkansas. 

One of Daniels’ targets had a breakout game against the Razorbacks, as Malik Nabers became the 13^th player in LSU history to catch over 200 yards. He finished with 239 receiving yards and two touchdowns. 

Ole Miss will bring a defense that ranks No. 61 in total defense, allowing over 351 yards per game. Linebacker Suntarine Perkins is tied for third with three sacks this season. 

Kelly thinks LSU has learned about itself through the first four weeks of the season, and this week he’s hoping to see a complete game with a distinctiveness about the team.  

“I’m seeing that starting to evolve in that identity, and look, I mean, there are times when you play in quality competition that you get a better sense and feel for your team. And especially when you’re down, right?” Kelly said. “We weren’t down against Mississippi State at anytime. We weren’t down at any time against Grambling. And we really didn’t have the right mix of mindset going into the Florida State game. So this was our first chance really to identify who we were when we got down late, and we immediately responded and we came out in the second half and played the kind of football that I expect. Never flinching, knowing that we were going to take some more shots and when we gave up a play, we forgot about it and we got to the next play.” 

The post Preview Thursday: Week 5 appeared first on Saturday Glory.