College Football

Iowa senior linebacker Jack Campbell helped the Hawkeyes defeat the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, but the 22-year-old received some devastating news afterward.

Campbell's grandfather, William Smith Jr., who was 76, died Friday night after a car struck him as a pedestrian, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. He was transported to Vanderbilt Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Campbell's parents decided not to tell him until after the game so he could have "one last time to play with his Iowa Hawkeye teammates," the school said, via Adam Hensley of Hawk Central.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said in a statement:

Our hearts are with Jack and his entire family as they grieve the tragic death of their grandfather and father, William Smith, Jr. We know Mr. Smith was a strong influence on his grandson and a faithful Hawkeye football supporter. All of us -- players, coaches and staff members -- will keep the Campbell family in our thoughts and prayers during this profoundly difficult time.

Campbell played a significant role in Iowa's 21-0 win over Kentucky, posting one sack, 10 tackles and two tackles for a loss.

He had an outstanding 2022 campaign for the Hawkeyes. In 12 games entering the Music City Bowl, he had posted one pass breakup, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, two interceptions, 115 tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss.

Campbell was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and also became the first Hawkeye to take home the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker.

Bryce Young was crowned the Sugar Bowl MVP as No. 5 Alabama cruised to a 45-20 victory over Kansas State on Saturday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

In what's widely expected to be his final college game, Young went 15-of-21 for 321 yards and five touchdowns through the air.

The Crimson Tide fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter following an 88-yard touchdown run by Wildcats running back Deuce Vaughn. The Alabama offense subsequently woke up, dropping 35 unanswered points.

Young was the driving factor behind that turnaround.

The turning point came after Kansas State turned the ball over on downs on the Alabama 2-yard line inside the final minute of the first half.

Young completed passes of 28, 22 and 12 yards as his team took a 21-10 lead into halftime. He carved open the Kansas State secondary with surgical precision.

The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner didn't take long to get Alabama on the board in the second half, either. He floated a 32-yard pass in the end zone to Ja'Corey Brooks as the lead swelled to 18 points.

In terms of his 2023 NFL draft stock, Young didn't stand to gain too much by suiting up in the Sugar Bowl. He's the B/R Scouting Department's highest-ranked quarterback and the eighth-ranked prospect overall in this class.

With such an impressive performance, the junior might have firmly planted himself as the top quarterback on the board.

Ohio State's C.J. Stroud has quite the task ahead to match Young's showing Saturday night in the Peach Bowl against reigning national champion Georgia.

Bryce Young couldn't call it a career with Alabama without enjoying one more prolific performance.

The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner went 15-of-21 for 321 yards and five touchdowns as the fifth-ranked Crimson Tide beat No. 9 Kansas State 45-20 in the Sugar Bowl on Saturday.

As you'd expect, Young was singled out for praise on social media. He put on quite the show for prospective suitors in the NFL.

Through it was only the second quarter, Alabama's final scoring drive of the first half might have been the game's turning point.

An incomplete pass by Kansas State quarterback Will Howard turned the ball over on downs at the Crimson Tide's 2-yard line. The Wildcats had nothing to show for a possession that ate 10:30 off the clock.

Meanwhile, Young needed only 51 seconds to march the Alabama offense 98 yards down the field. He hit Jermaine Burton for a 12-yard touchdown pass to put his team up 21-10.

Within the first two minutes of the second half, the Tide's lead had swelled to 25 points thanks to a pair of quick-fire touchdowns. Kansas State had no chance from there.

Any season that doesn't result in a national championship is considered to be a disappointment by many Alabama fans. They'll enjoy Saturday's victory, but the team's emphatic performance might lead even more to wonder what could've been were it not for that Nov. 5 loss to LSU.

If history is any indication, the Crimson Tide will be right back in the hunt for the College Football Playoff in 2023. Young will leave a massive void in the offense, though.

Barring a major addition through the transfer portal, the quarterback battle will likely come down to Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson. Milroe filled in for an injured Young earlier this year, while Simpson went 4-of-5 for 35 yards in his limited action.

Whomever wins the job will have huge shoes to fill.

BYU offensive lineman Sione Veikoso was killed in a construction accident in his home state of Hawai'i on Friday.

"We are extremely saddened to learn of the tragic death of one of our brothers, Sione Veikoso," head coach Kalani Sitake said in a statement. "His passing is heartbreaking to all of us. We offer our deepest condolences and prayers to his family as we share in their grief. Our love for you is forever, Sione!"

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported a 15-foot retaining wall at a home in Kailua collapsed and trapped three construction workers.

Veikoso was one of three people trapped under the rubble. Firefighters rescued two of the workers, who were in serious but stable condition. Veikoso was pronounced dead at the scene.

"He was a gentle giant who loved his family," said his cousin Joshua Kava. "He was reliable and caring."

The 6'7", 305-pound redshirt freshman began his college career at Arizona State after completing a mission in Brazil for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He transferred to BYU in July and appeared in the Cougars' 52-26 win over Utah Tech on Nov. 19.

BYU beat SMU 24-23 in the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 17. Veikoso's family told the Star-Advertiser he was to fly back to school next week.

HEIGHT: 6'5"

WEIGHT: 275

HAND: 10"

ARM: 33 1/2"

WINGSPAN: TBD

40-YARD DASH: 4.95

3-CONE: 7.46

SHUTTLE: 4.65

VERTICAL: 28.5"

BROAD: 9'2"

POSITIVES

— Great size and strength for an NFL defensive end, and he has some pop in his hands to lock out offensive tackles one-on-one. Solid hand placement when taking on blocks too.

— Physical at the point of attack and sets the edge pretty easily with his upper-body strength.

— Refuses to get blocked by tight ends and can close the gap with them.

— Squeezes and comes straight down the line of scrimmage when unblocked on the backside of zone runs to make tackles near the line of scrimmage.

— Times the snap well on passing downs to help make up for some of his lack of acceleration on the line of scrimmage, and he takes good angles off the edge as a pass-rusher to beat tackles with slower feet.

— Has good leg drive when bull-rushing to help collapse the pocket against offensive tackles. Also does a good job of working to get on an edge and has a couple of good counters off the bull, like a cross chop, club over and rip move.

— Decent at turning speed to power as a rusher.

— Good pass-rushing motor to get coverage sacks, and he gets his hands up if he can't get to the quarterback to bat balls at the line of scrimmage.

NEGATIVES

— Doesn't show a lot of athletic ability on the field and isn't quick-twitched.

— Subpar acceleration off the line of scrimmage, which becomes an issue when he doesn't time up the snap.

— Has a habit of stopping his feet on contact and stands up out of his stance too much for his height. He'll get washed out by double-teams and might struggle against more physical offensive tackles at the next level.

— Struggles to recognize and get underneath pullers as the spill player in run fits, he will get kicked out occasionally on the front side of power and counter.

— Hasn't shown many finesse moves he can win around the edge with as a pass-rusher at the next level, partially because he needs to be more accurate with his initial chops to get the offensive lineman's hands down when working a move.

— Not very bendy. His ankles aren't flexible.

2022 STATISTICS

— 12 GM, 23 TOT, 11 TFL, 7.5 SK, 1 FF, 3 PBU

NOTES

— DOB: April 22, 2001

— A 3-star recruit in the 2019 class, No. 396 overall, No. 27 SDE, per 247Sports' composite ratings

—Injuries: 2019 (hip, missed season); 2022 (leg, missed two games)

— 16 career starts, played behind Aidan Hutchinson (2022 second overall pick) and David Ojabo (2022 second-round pick)

— 2022 Honors: Second-team All-American (FWAA), Academic All-Big Ten, first-team All-Big Ten, Smith-Brown Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year

— 2021 Honors: Academic All-Big Ten

— Father played offensive line at Florida State, and sister played basketball at Georgetown

OVERALL

After being hidden behind a couple of top-50 picks last season, Mike Morris burst onto the scene and was one of the most physically dominant edge defenders in the country. He's aggressive at the point of attack and might have the best upper-body strength of any defensive end in this year's draft class.

Morris puts his power to good use as a pass-rusher and against the run, as he can collapse the pocket with a bull rush and can be hard to block one-on-one. However, the NFL Scouting Combine will be important for him, as he didn't show a ton of impressive athletic traits on the field.

Probably the biggest concern with the Michigan product moving forward is whether he has enough athletic ability and bend to win around the edge and add a finesse move or two to his pass-rushing arsenal.

That could make his scheme fit a little difficult, as he'll need to show more athleticism to play as an edge in an odd or even front, and he's not big enough to play as a 3-technique. Right now, his best fit is as a defensive end in an even front for a team that is looking for a power-rusher.

GRADE: 6.9 (Potential Role Player/Round 4)

OVERALL RANK: 100

POSITION RANK: DL14

PRO COMPARISON: Za'Darius Smith

Written by B/R NFL Draft Scout Matt Holder

Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III and his rocket arm guided the No. 6 Volunteers to a 31-14 win over the No. 7 Clemson Tigers in the Orange Bowl on Friday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Milton completed 19 of 28 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns. His first score went to wide receiver Bru McCoy for 16 yards.

The Vols' next touchdown came via a two-yard run by Jabari Small in the second quarter, but Milton set up the score with a 50-yard pass to Squirrel White.

The senior later hit White (game-high nine catches, 108 yards) from 14 yards out in the third.

The Tigers made it a one-score game at 21-14 with 10:01 remaining in the fourth quarter, but Milton responded on the following drive with a 46-yard touchdown lob to Ramel Keyton, who got behind the Clemson defense for the pitch-and-catch.

The Vols defense shut down Clemson from there, and a 32-yard field goal by Chase McGrath with 3:07 remaining closed the scoring on the evening.

The 2022 campaign ended up being Tennessee's best season since 2001, when the Vols went 11-2, won the Citrus Bowl and finished fourth in the Associated Press poll. This team also went 11-2 and could very well earn a Top Five AP finish.

The Orange Bowl was an especially impressive ending to the campaign considering that star quarterback Hendon Hooker (32 total touchdowns, two interceptions) was out with a torn ACL suffered Nov. 19 against South Carolina.

And Twitter recognized Milton's stellar evening.

Milton has one year of eligibility left, and he's in line to be Tennessee's starter in 2023.

The Volunteers open next season on Sept. 2 against the Virginia Cavaliers.

It wasn't always pretty. Going nearly four months between games will cause some rust. But when Notre Dame needed quarterback Tyler Buchner to step up, he did just that.

The sophomore quarterback threw for 274 yards and three scores and added 61 rushing yards for another two touchdowns in Notre Dame's 45-38 shootout win over South Carolina in Friday's TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at TIAA Bank Field.

But no, Buchner didn't make it easy. He threw three interceptions, and two of them were returned for touchdowns. He only completed 18 of 33 passes. He dug Notre Dame a hole in the first quarter, as his first pick-six gave the Gamecocks a 21-7 lead.

And with Notre Dame driving down the field in the fourth quarter, in the red zone with a chance to go up two touchdowns, Buchner threw his second pick-six, tying the game.

Suffice it to say, college football Twitter had some thoughts on the performance, both good and bad:

Again, context is key. Buchner hadn't played since Sept. 10 after suffering a shoulder strain. He was only making the third start of his career. It's just as fair to question some of the play-calling on his interceptions—given how well the Fighting Irish ran the ball—as it's fair to call out his own decision-making.

Oh, and he did still throw the game-winning touchdown.

And luckily for Buchner, he wasn't on an island. The running back duo of Audric Estime (95 rushing yards) and Logan Diggs (170 yards from scrimmage, two scores) gashed the Gamecocks (8-5) all night long.

That, in turn, kept the ball out of Spencer Rattler's hands (29-of-46 for 246 yards, two touchdowns and an interception) for long stretches, a key factor for a Notre Dame defense that struggled to slow him down.

Buchner will want some throws back, no doubt. But he still got the win in the end, he accounted for five total touchdowns. And Notre Dame (9-4) finished an otherwise disappointing season on a high note.