CFB notebook: Houston's Oliver expected to play vs. Memphis
Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver has been sidelined with a knee injury.
Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver has missed the past four games with a knee injury, but ESPN reported that the reigning Outland Trophy winner is expected to return for Friday's game against Memphis.
Officially, Oliver remains day-to-day, according to the Cougars' football program, and there has been speculation that Oliver would sit out the rest of his college football season as he prepares for the NFL Draft.
In his most recent mock draft published Nov. 11, Rob Rang of NFLDraftScout.com projected Oliver to be the third overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Besides the knee injury, Oliver also had a heated exchange with head coach Major Applewhite on the sidelines of last week's game against Tulane. Oliver later apologized.
The winner of the Houston-Memphis game will claim the American Athletic Conference West title and earn a berth in the conference championship game against Central Florida. Houston is 8-3 overall and 5-2 in AAC play, while Memphis is 7-4 overall and 4-3 in the conference.
--Massachusetts reportedly is making a head-coaching change.
Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports and The Athletic reported that UMass is "moving on" from Mark Whipple as its head football coach. An official announcement is expected later this week.
Whipple is the eighth FBS head coach to be dismissed this year. Bowling Green, Charlotte, Colorado, Louisville, Maryland and Texas State still have openings. The Kansas vacancy was filled when the Jayhawks hired Les Miles.
UMass lost to fifth-ranked Georgia 66-27 to finish the season 4-8. The Minutemen also won four games last year.
Whipple, 61, has two years remaining on a contract that pays $500,000 annually in base salary.
--Texas defensive end Breckyn Hager apologized for slamming rival Oklahoma in a postgame interview with reporters.
Hager took aim at the Sooners after a reporter informed him that they had surrendered 40 points to Kansas.
"Hey, OU has no defense," Hager said. He then pointed to a nearby clock and added, "Wait, wait -- it's 11:12 and what? OU still sucks."
The Big 12 didn't take too kindly to Hager's comments, with commissioner Bob Bowlsby declaring that he violated the league's sportsmanship and ethical conduct policies.
Hager apologized Monday night in a lengthy statement.
Texas defeated Oklahoma 48-45 in October.
Should the Longhorns defeat Kansas and Sooners topple West Virginia this weekend, they will meet in the Big 12 championship game.
--Michigan senior running back Karan Higdon didn't need much prodding to follow in the footsteps of coach Jim Harbaugh.
When asked if he'd guarantee a Wolverines win over Ohio State -- just like Harbaugh did as a player decades ago -- Higdon offered the following:
"Yeah, I do. I do," Higdon said. "That's how I feel. I believe firmly in my brothers, this team and this coaching staff. As a captain, I'll take that stand. Why not?"
No. 4 Michigan (10-1, 8-0) can win the Big Ten East for the first time in program history and advance to the Big Ten championship game with a victory over the Buckeyes (10-1, 7-1) on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
Recent Stories
No. 16 Marquette kicks off Big East schedule vs. St. John's
After an impressive showing during a formidable non-conference slate, No. 16 Marquette kicks off the Big East portion of its schedule Tuesday night when it takes ...
Virginia Tech begins ACC season against Notre Dame
No more preliminaries or cupcakes. No more feeling-out processes.
The basketball teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference will know knock antlers for the next two ...
No. 9 Florida State ready for final non-conference game before ACC play
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- After another long layoff, the Florida State men's basketball team finds itself ready to the page on 2018 on Tuesday with a New Year's Day showdown ...
No. 7 Gonzaga on roll as it faces Cal State Bakersfield
A softening schedule and being home for the holidays have Gonzaga humming.
The No. 7 Zags have raced to leads of 31-2 and 29-1 in their past two games, blowouts ...
No. 4 Virginia wraps up non-conference slate against Marshall
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. -- Playing just their third game over the past couple of weeks during the holiday season, No. 4 Virginia closes out their non-conference schedule ...
Latest Player Notes
How a Wisconsin legend got his German protégé into Badgers pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Marlon Werthmann put his life on hold for the opportunity in front of him Friday at the McClain Center.Werthmann ...
Why former Wisconsin football running back Braelon Allen didn't run the 40 at pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Braelon Allen’s sweat covered his shirt and dripped off his beard as he approached a group of reporters Friday.The ...
How can UW recruit its best class ever? It starts with these five prospects
By Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
Jedd Fisch has lofty recruiting goals at Washington. He didn’t waste any ...
Texas football kicks off spring practice Tuesday. We answer 24 questions for the 2024 team
Things certainly look fresh for the 2024 college football season, especially on the Texas campus.There’s a new conference ...
College Football Playoff: Conferences solve their differences (for now) and agree on general framework for 2026 and beyond
The FBS conferences and Notre Dame agreed on Friday to continue the College Football Playoff beyond the 2025 season, signing ...
Ball security, leadership key as Aztecs look to identify starting quarterback
San Diego State seemingly auditions a new starting quarterback on an annual basis.In the past 12 years, the Aztecs have opened ...
Results and more: A look at what happened at Penn State football’s Pro Day inside Holuba Hall
Most of those at Penn State’s Pro Day Friday were relatively quiet throughout the afternoon’s workouts, but there was one ...
Defense dominates first two weeks of Oregon State spring practice as Beavers ready for 2-week breather
CORVALLIS – Oregon State hit the break of spring practices Saturday, not exactly the midpoint but a good place to assess ...
Dillon Gabriel to have similar input, autonomy as Bo Nix had in Oregon’s offense
Published Mar. 16, 2024, 6:26 p.m.By James CrepeaEUGENE — Dillon Gabriel will have much of the same autonomy as Bo Nix did ...
Two transfers, one underclassman who impressed in Missouri football's spring game
With that, spring camp’s a wrap.Missouri football held its Black & Gold spring game Saturday in front of a healthy crowd ...