Conference USA Football

Marshall running back Knowledge McDaniel was arrested and is facing a felony drug charge after police executed a search warrant at his home, per WSAZ.

Members of the Huntington Violent Crimes Drug Task Force found a "distributable amount of suspected marijuana and $21,017 in cash" at the player's home Friday.

McDaniel, 20, was held on a $50,000 bond, per Courtney Hessler of the Herald Dispatch.

"We're aware of the situation involving Knowledge McDaniel. He has been suspended indefinitely from our football program as we continue to gather all available information," Marshall Athletics said in a statement.

McDaniel is no longer listed on the team's online roster.

The Bradenton, Florida, product was in his third year with the program, initially committing to the school as a 3-star prospect in the 2019 class.

He rushed for 212 yards in five games last season and had 13 carries for 107 yards through four games in 2021. McDaniel's 8.2 yards per carry currently leads the team.

Southern Miss football head coach Will Hall's debut with the Golden Eagles ended with a 31-7 loss at South Alabama last Saturday.

Hall admitted to reporters Wednesday that he's feeling the heat as the team looks toward its home opener Saturday against Grambling State. He said his "life's on the line":

Hall arrived at Southern Miss after two years as Tulane's offensive coordinator. He was also a head coach at Division II West Alabama (2011-2013) and West Georgia (2014-2016).

The 41-year-old amassed a combined 56-20 record at those stops and notably led West Georgia to the Division II Football Championship semifinals twice.

Hall's first game with the Golden Eagles did not go well, however. For starters, South Alabama closed the game with 31 unanswered points.

That was because Southern Miss committed four turnovers (two interceptions, two fumbles) and ran the ball for just 2.8 yards per clip. The Golden Eagles struggled through the air, accumulating only 133 passing yards on 13-of-28 attempts.

On defense, Southern Miss couldn't stop South Alabama's Jalen Tolbert, who had five catches for 168 yards.

In sum, it was a rough opening game for a team that posted winning records from 2015-2019 before falling to 3-7 last year.

Southern Miss should be favored over Grambling State, a Division I FCS school that plays in the SWAC. The Tigers did win their opener 16-10 against Tennessee State and could post a threat to the Golden Eagles, however.

Kickoff is Saturday at 6 p.m. ET from M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Former Marshall linebacker Jaquan Yulee died Tuesday night in a car crash at the age of 24, police confirmed Wednesday, per Sarah Fearing of WAVY.com.

Police in Suffolk, Virginia, said emergency personnel responded to a single-vehicle crash at 7:10 p.m. ET and discovered a car had flipped onto its roof. Yulee was pronounced dead at the scene and was the only person in the vehicle.

Marshall released a statement Wednesday saying the Chesapeake, Virginia, native "will be missed by so many in the Thundering Herd":

An investigation into the crash remains ongoing.

Coming out of high school, Yulee was a 4-star recruit and the third-best player in the state of Virginia, with offers from Alabama, Miami, Florida and Michigan among others, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

The 6'4" defender redshirted as a true freshman and then made 26 appearances for the Thundering Herd between 2017 and 2018. He worked his way onto the starting unit ahead of the 2019 season but suffered a spinal injury in the season opener that left him paralyzed for two days, per Fearing, and required surgery.

According to Fearing, Marshall had declared him medically ineligible, but Yulee announced in August 2020 he was entering the transfer portal with an eye toward returning to the field for the 2021 season.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward is reportedly joining the coaching staff at Florida Atlantic University. 

Per Shane Marinelli of FAU Owl's Nest, Ward is expected to work in an off-field coaching role with the Owls alongside receivers coach Joey Thomas. 

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg also reported on the hiring. 

Ward spent the past two seasons as an offensive assistant on Adam Gase's staff with the New York Jets. It marked his first official coaching job since retiring from the NFL after the 2011 season. 

Prior to working with the Jets, Ward worked with Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers as an offensive intern during the 2017 preseason. 

Ward spent his entire 14-year playing career with the Steelers from 1998-2011. He was named to the Pro Bowl four times and is one of 14 players in NFL history with 1,000 receptions. 

Willie Taggart, a former college quarterback at Western Kentucky, is entering his second season as head coach at Florida Atlantic. The Owls went 5-4 overall and lost to Memphis in the Montgomery Bowl during the 2020 season. 

Two high school athletes were among those killed in a shooting in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, according to Mark Schlabach of ESPN.

The Elgin Independent School District confirmed in a statement football player Willie Simmons III and basketball player Alyssa Broderick were both fatally shot. A third woman has not been identified by police.

Simmons signed a letter of intent with North Texas and was set to join the team this summer.

"We are heartbroken by the news of this senseless tragedy, and we extend our deepest condolences to the families of Willie Simmons III and Alyssa Broderick," Elgin ISD Superintendent Jodi Duron said in a statement. "The Elgin ISD community grieves the loss of these two young, promising souls."

Simmons was a two-time unanimous First Team All-District selection at linebacker as well as a three-time Academic All-District honoree and member of the National Honor Society, per his college profile.

"Strong, both academically and athletically, he represented the very best of Elgin ISD," Duron said.

Police have arrested Stephen Broderick, a former sheriff's office detective, in connection with the shooting, per CNN.com. Authorities said Broderick knew all three victims, although a motive is not yet known.

Marshall stayed undefeated with a 42-14 win over Middle Tennessee State on Saturday, but the victory meant more for the program because of the date.

The win came on the 50th anniversary of the Nov. 14, 1970, plane crash that killed 75 people, including most of the team's players and coaches.

The players honored those who died with black uniforms and a No. 75 decal, with redshirt freshman quarterback Grant Wells and others holding their helmets high:

"We knew that this game was going to mean so much to this fanbase and this community," Wells said after the game, via ESPN. "That's huge, no matter wherever we're playing or whoever we're playing. The fact that we could do this on the 50th anniversary is amazing."

The anniversary was especially important for the program and the town—Huntington, West Virginia—that showed continued support after the disaster:

The Thundering Herd are 7-0 with three games left in the regular season. They're looking to join the 1999 team as the only undefeated squads in program history. They entered Week 11 ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press poll.

Thirty-eight Louisiana Tech football players have tested positive for COVID-19 in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, per Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.

Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic also confirmed the news.

Before Hurricane Laura, only one Louisiana Tech player had tested positive over a three-week period despite officials administering 350 tests to players, per Thamel.

The storm eliminated power in 90 percent of the area for seven to 10 days, and that led to players seeking safe havens elsewhere, per Thamel.

Louisiana Tech is located in Ruston, Louisiana, which was hit particularly hard by the storm. Of note, 95 percent of the city's electrical grid was taken out, per Isabel Albritton of myarklamiss.com.

The need to be safe amid potentially life-threatening circumstances made it difficult to socially distance, as Thamel noted.

In response, Louisiana Tech's scheduled game against Baylor on Saturday has been postponed.

The Louisiana Tech vs. Baylor contest isn't the only game that has been postponed because of COVID-19. In the Big 12 alone, three games have been pushed.

The TCU vs. SMU matchup was scheduled for Friday, but per an announcement from Horned Frogs athletic director Jeremiah Donati, some athletes and support staff recently tested positive for COVID-19.

A Tulsa vs. Oklahoma State game previously scheduled for Sept. 12 is now pushed to Sept. 19.

Multiple Golden Hurricanes players had tested positive for COVID-19, and the team's practice schedule has been truncated in response, per the Associated Press, necessitating more recovery time and on-field work before playing a game.

Other matchups that have been postponed include NC State at Virginia Tech, Marshall at East Carolina, ULM at Troy, Temple at Navy, Rice at Marshall and UAB at Rice, per Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press.

The quarterbacks coach at North Texas was arrested Thursday on counts of an improper relationship with a student, according to Brett Vito of the Denton Record-Chronicle. 

Vito reports that Tate Wallis was arrested after the discovery of an alleged relationship when he was an offensive coordinator at Argyle High School in Texas last year before joining North Texas. The university has placed him on administrative leave.

Wallis was charged with two counts of an improper relationship between a student and educator in Denton County, Texas and was released on $20,000 bond. 

The offenses date back to October and December of 2019 when he was a high school coach.

“We have been made aware of charges brought against a member of our football coaching staff for a matter unrelated to his employment with the university," North Texas said in a statement obtained by Vito. "The employee has been placed on administrative leave and will not be allowed on campus or to participate in any job-related duties while on leave. We have initiated a review of the available information, and we will take appropriate action following completion of the review.”

Before joining North Texas, Wallis coached at Baylor University from 2009-2015 as a member of Art Briles' staff coaching wide receivers and was a two-year letterman at quarterback for SMU in 2002 and 2003.

Wallis has previously been sanctioned by the NCAA for impermissible contact with recruits while at Baylor and was suspended one game. 

"I'm really looking forward to adding Coach Wallis to our staff," North Texas head coach Seth Littrell said in announcing Wallis' hiring. "He's been very successful everywhere he has been and will bring another creative dynamic to what we can do offensively. I'm excited about welcoming him into our family and can't wait to see him have the opportunity to work with our very talented quarterback room."

North Texas is set to open the season on Saturday, Sept. 5 against Houston Baptist University. 

Florida International University receivers coach Aubrey Hill died of cancer Sunday, the school announced.

The 48-year-old was heading into his fourth season at FIU after also spending time at Florida, Miami, Duke, Pittsburgh and Elon, mostly spending time leading the receivers. He was a head coach at the high school level for four years as well, leading Miami Carol City to a state championship in 2016.

FIU head coach Butch Davis provided a statement on Hill:

"It was a shock to learn of Aubrey's passing tonight after his long battle with cancer. Aubrey was loved and adored by so many who saw him not only as a coach but as an amazing husband and father. We mourn his loss, but we will also hold on to the great memories he left behind and how honored we all were to be a part of his life. We pray for his family and loved ones during this difficult time."

"One of the greatest men I've ever been around," Davis added, per Brett McMurphy of Stadium. 

Multiple NFL players also expressed their sympathies:

Hill had already produced impressive results on the coaching level, but he is arguably better known for his playing career at Florida.

He totaled 18 receiving touchdowns on 87 receptions during his five years with the team, including seven touchdowns as a team captain during his senior season in 1994. The Gators won three SEC Championships under head coach Steve Spurrier during Hill's time with the program.