College Football

Friday's Sun Bowl between the No. 18 UCLA Bruins and Pittsburgh Panthers left social media buzzing, as Pitt overcame a late deficit and hit a game-winning field goal with just four seconds remaining, giving the Panthers a 37-35 victory in El Paso, Texas.

UCLA led by as much as 14 in the second half, but Pittsburgh scored 20 unanswered points to take a six-point lead into the latter stages of the fourth quarter.

The Bruins seemed like they were out of it after senior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson exited the final collegiate game of his career in the fourth quarter with an apparent back injury, but backup Ethan Garbers led a touchdown drive that put UCLA back up 35-34 with 34 seconds remaining:

Pitt quarterback Nick Patti came through in the clutch, though, completing 18- and 17-yard passes to Jared Wayne and Bub Means, respectively, before scrambling for 11 yards to set up kicker Ben Sauls' fifth successful field goal of the game:

Given the drama and back-and-forth nature of the matchup, observers on Twitter were left in a state of shock:

The No. 18 Bruins were in search of their first 10-win season since 2014 and seemed to be well on their way to getting there, but their offense largely stalled in the second half.

It was a tale of two halves for DTR, who put up big numbers and had UCLA ahead 21-14 at the break before a second-half collapse.

While Thompson-Robinson did throw three interceptions, he also tossed two touchdowns and rushed for another.

The senior signal-caller was on pace for over 500 passing yards, but he couldn't get anything going in the second half and went just 1-of-5 for seven yards with no touchdowns and one pick after the break.

UCLA extended its lead to 28-14 in the third quarter on a pick-six, but Pitt tied it up with two touchdowns, including one off Thompson-Robinson's third interception. DTR did not return after that pick, and while no official injury was announced, it was noted on the broadcast that he appeared to be getting his back worked on.

Even without Thompson-Robinson, the Bruins were in position to win the game, but their defense simply couldn't hold up.

UCLA head coach Chip Kelly will undoubtedly be second-guessed over some of the decisions he made in the loss, and the focus will now shift toward who will be under center for the Bruins next season following the departure of DTR.

NC State football and men's basketball play-by-play announcer Gary Hahn has been suspended indefinitely after making an offensive comment about immigrants and the city of El Paso, per Luke Decock of The News & Observer.

Per that report, Hahn was announcing the score of the Sun Bowl during the broadcast of the Duke's Mayo Bowl between Maryland and NC State when he said, "amongst all the illegal aliens down in El Paso it's UCLA 14 and Pittsburgh 6."

"Learfield has suspended Wolfpack Sports Network play-by-play announcer Gary Hahn from his agreement indefinitely following comments made during today's Duke's Mayo Bowl radio broadcast," Wolfpack Sports Properties general manager Kyle Winchester said in a statement.

Hahn is employed by Learfield Communications and has been broadcasting NC State football and men's basketball games since 1991. He was named the North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year in both 2011 and 2020.

The Sun Bowl canceled its Fan Fiesta on Thursday due to the El Paso convention center being used to house migrants.

"Our Fan Fiesta scheduled for Dec. 29 has now been canceled due to the state of emergency that has been declared," Sun Bowl association executive director Bernie Olivas said in a statement. "They are using the convention center to house some of these poor migrants that are looking for shelter somewhere, so we have canceled the Fan Fiesta."

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court permitted federal officers "to continue expelling migrants before they have received an asylum hearing," per Leyla Santiago, Rosa Flores and Elizabeth Wolfe of CNN.com.

While that policy from the Donald Trump presidency, Title 42, was set to expire on Dec. 21, the Supreme Court ruled that it could remain active while it's being challenged in the courts.

El Paso has seen as many as 2,500 migrants reaching the city per day, according to Mayor Oscar Leeser, and the city has declared a state of emergency.

The convention center was one area being used to house migrants in the city, alongside hotels, churches and NGOs.

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has shut down betting on Monday's Citrus Bowl between Purdue and LSU because of Drew Brees' prior business relationship with sportsbook PointsBet, according to a report from David Purdum of ESPN.

While regulators only noted that "an individual associated with Purdue Football team" was in violation of state regulations, Brees—who is serving as an interim assistant coach for Purdue during the Citrus Bowl—is reportedly the person in question.

Brees agreed to that role Dec. 15, releasing the following statement:

"I am extremely excited to work with our team over the next few weeks as we prepare for the Citrus Bowl. I see it not only as an opportunity to coach and mentor this group of young men, but represent all the former Purdue players that care so much about our program. This is also preparation for the future of Purdue Football with new head coach Ryan Walters. I had a great conversation with Coach Walters last night, and love the energy, passion and detail he will bring to our program. The future is bright, and there is no better time to be a Boilermaker!"

A week later, the New Jersey-based PointsBet ended its relationship with the retired NFL quarterback, noting, "Regulatory and legal compliance, responsible gaming practices, and the integrity of legal sports betting are top priorities for our organization and this decision will allow us to uphold that commitment."

Not only did the NJDGE tell state sportsbooks to stop taking action on the game, but it also forced any bets placed on the contest after Dec. 15 to be voided.

Per ESPN's report, Brees—though not named by the NJDGE—was in violation of statute 5:12A-11 (f), which "prohibits athletes, coaches, referees or director of a sports governing body from having 'any ownership interest in, control of, or otherwise be employed by an operator.'"

Brees, 43, retired from the NFL following the 2020 season. The 13-time Pro Bowler and one-time Super Bowl champion then took a job with NBC Sports for one year, working as an analyst for both Football Night in America and Notre Dame football broadcasts.

He spent four years at Purdue (1997-00) during his college career, throwing for 11,792 yards and 90 touchdowns.

The Maryland Terrapins defeated the NC State Wolfpack 16-12 on Friday afternoon in what was a huge defensive battle in the Duke's Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Terrapins quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa completed 19-of-37 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown against two interceptions in the win. He also rushed for just three yards on nine carries.

Octavian Smith Jr. caught Tagovailoa's lone touchdown pass and finished the day with three catches for 34 yards.

The Maryland defense played a great game, holding NC State to just 296 total yards and no touchdowns. The defense also forced two turnovers as Fa'Najae Gotay and Jakorian Bennett picked off Wolfpack signal-caller Ben Finley.

While Maryland won the game, all CFB Twitter could talk about was head coach Mike Locksley wearing a big hat to shield himself from the ensuing mayo dunk:

While Locksley didn't get the full mayo bath, fans can still celebrate that he led the Terrapins to a second consecutive bowl win following a victory in the Pinstripe Bowl last season.

Maryland improved to 8-5 on the season with the win. It marks Locksley's second straight winning season with the Terrapins. He took over as head coach in 2015 after a stint at New Mexico.

TCU will honor late Mississippi State head football coach Mike Leach with decals on their helmets during the College Football Playoff semifinal against Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday.

According to ESPN's Dave Wilson, TCU head coach Sonny Dykes announced that his Horned Frogs players will have pirate flag decals on their helmets due to Leach's love for pirate history.

A few other teams have also worn decals in honor of Leach, including one of the schools at which he formerly coached in Texas Tech, which utilized the pirate flag idea as well.

Regarding the decision to honor Leach in that way, Dykes said the following:

"I think that's going to be a big part of my feelings pregame tomorrow—just the impact Mike had on my life and really college football in general. I'm sure there'll be a little bit of shoutout to Coach Leach before I take the field, just what he meant to me personally in my life.'

'I certainly wouldn't be here without his guidance or mentorship and the huge impact he had on my life."

Leach died on Dec. 12 after being hospitalized with a heart condition while in preparation for Mississippi State's ReliaQuest Bowl game against Illinois on Jan. 2.

Both Dykes and Leach were assistant coaches at Kentucky in 1997, and Dykes later served as an assistant under Leach from 2000 to 2006 when Leach was the head coach at Texas Tech.

That stint helped launch Dykes' head coaching career, as he went on to coach Louisiana Tech, California and SMU. Dykes is in the midst of his first season at TCU, and he has led them to a 12-1 record and the school's first CFP berth.

At the time of his death, Leach was in the midst of his third season as the head coach at Mississippi State and had led the Bulldogs to an 8-4 record this season.

All told, Leach went 158-107 in 21 seasons as the head coach at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State.

HEIGHT: 6'5"

WEIGHT: 244

HAND: TBD

ARM: TBD

WINGSPAN: TBD

40-YARD DASH: TBD

3-CONE: TBD

SHUTTLE: TBD

VERTICAL: TBD

BROAD: TBD

POSITIVES

– Impressive get-off with his quick reaction to the snap and good acceleration off the line of scrimmage; he can put pressure on offensive tackles vertically as a pass-rusher.

– Uses head/shoulder fakes during the stem phase of a rush to help set up his moves.

– He has the change of direction and quickness to develop an inside stick move if his use of his hands improves.

– Keeps his legs pumping through contact when bull-rushing or turning speed to power to collapse the pocket against weaker tackles.

– Has shown impressive strength as a tackler by bringing running backs and quarterbacks down with one arm.

NEGATIVES

– Lean frame, needs to add more size and functional strength when taking on blocks to hold his ground better versus one-on-one blocks from offensive linemen.

– Poor use of his hands as a run defender and pass-rusher; he'll get caught with his hands by his waist and exposes his chest, making getting off blocks and defeating the hands in pass rush extremely difficult.

– Needs a better pass-rushing plan throughout the game. For example, he'll try a ghost rush without setting it up by winning with a few one-arm stab moves, making the ghost rush less effective.

– Struggles to stay on balance and fight through chip blocks.

– Primarily a situational pass-rusher at Michigan and UT Martin.

– On his fourth team in five years, dismissed from Alabama and Houston.

NOTES

– DOB: June 7, 1999

– A 5-star recruit in the 2018 class, No. 4 overall, No. 1 WDE, per 247Sports' composite rankings

– Dismissed from Alabama reportedly for tardiness, skipping class, clashing with teammates and insubordination and was dismissed from Houston for "some of the same issues," according to Matt Zenitz of On3 Sports; left UT Martin on good terms

– 10 career starts

– 2021 Honors: OVC All-Newcomer Team, All-OVC Third Team (Phil Steele)

– 2018 Honors: SEC All-Freshman Team

– Had 46 sacks in last two years of high school

– Averaged 11.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in basketball during the 2015-16 season

OVERALL

Before even talking about football or what he can do on the field, Eyabi Okie (formerly Anoma) will have to answer questions about what happened at Alabama and Houston. He's said his issues at those two stops had to do with maturity, and to his credit, he's stayed out of trouble since leaving the Cougars.

On the field, Okie has shown off a few of the traits that made him a top-five recruit, as he's clearly a good athlete, most notably with his impressive get-off/acceleration. He could be an effective pass-rusher in the NFL, but his lack of success as a run defender is concerning.

Both Michigan and UT Martin used him primarily as a situational pass-rusher, which is surprising for a player who was once considered one of the top recruits in the country. He's just not strong enough to hold up at the point of attack against the run, and that coupled with his poor use of his hands makes getting off blocks a challenge.

Also, while the Baltimore native did rack up six sacks for the Skyhawks, he didn't dominate at the FCS level as one might expect. And it's concerning that he didn't take over the starting role at Michigan when Mike Morris went down at the end of the regular season.

All of that being said, he has enough traits and a good enough resume to still be draftable for an odd-front team that is looking for a standup outside linebacker and/or a third-down pass-rusher toward the end of Day 3.

GRADE: 5.6 (Backup/Draftable, Rounds 6-7)

Written by B/R NFL Draft Scout Matt Holder

HEIGHT: 6'3"

WEIGHT: 323

HAND: 9 3/4"

ARM: 33 3/4"

WINGSPAN: TBD

40-YARD DASH: TBD

3-CONE: TBD

SHUTTLE: TBD

VERTICAL: 29.5"

BROAD: 8'11"

POSITIVES

— Unique blend of size, strength and athletic ability. He carries his frame well, too, with little to no bad weight.

— Tons of power in his hands to stand up to offensive linemen at the point of attack. He can gain control of the block fairly easily, and his upper body strength will occasionally allow him to recover if he gets beat initially against the run.

— Takes on blocks with a wide base.

— When he anticipates the second blocker coming, he can absorb contact and split double-teams.

— Sheds blocks pretty easily and has shown the ability to escape with a swim move/arm over, too.

— Has the potential to be an effective power rusher at the next level if his get-off can improve to be more consistent with his bull rush.

— Also showed flashes of winning with hump and club-by moves and can develop a push-pull move if he gets more limber with his lower half to clear his hips and get a clean win.

— When slanting as a pass-rusher, he has a little more time to get his hands up and has a decent hand-swipe move that he can win with.

NEGATIVES

— Late reaction to the snap and doesn't have much initial quickness off the ball. This could become a big issue against scoop blocks and reaches at the next level.

— Likes to stand up out of his stance. Quick interior offensive linemen who play with good leverage will be his nemesis against the run at the next level.

— He's slow to get his hands up as a run defender, which will expose his chest and can lead to his shoulders getting turned versus combo and scoop blocks.

— The effectiveness of his bull rush is inconsistent because of his poor get-off and wide hand placement.

— Needs to add a violent rip to the end of pass-rush moves to get offensive linemen off of him when he does win. He lets them hang on too long and will get ridden past the quarterback.

— Doesn't pass rush with much of a plan or a motor. He'll quit if his first move doesn't work.

2022 STATISTICS

— 14 GM, 48 TOT, 2.5 TFL, 0.5 SK, 1 FF

NOTES

— DOB: June 16, 2001

— No. 1 on Bruce Feldman's list of top athletes entering the season, 22 bench reps at 325 lbs, 550 lbs close-grip bench, 33" vert, 6.95-second 3-cone

— A 4-star recruit in the 2019 class, No. 105 overall, No. 11 DT, per 247Sports composite rating

— Charged with felony weapons possession, per Detroit Free Press, pled guilty to misdemeanor weapons possession, per ESPN, from a traffic stop on Oct. 7

— 27 career starts

— 2022 Honors: First-team All-Big Ten

— 2021 Honors: Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (coaches and media), Academic All-Big Ten

— 2020 Honors: Academic All-Big Ten

OVERALL

The Athletic's Bruce Feldman ranked the 6'3", 337-pound Smith first on his list of players with "unique physical abilities that wow even those who observe gifted athletes every day". Mazi Smith caught everyone's attention heading into this season with his rare blend of size, strength and athleticism. He's shown flashes of some All-Pro caliber traits, but consistency has been a major issue and a large reason why he's been fairly unproductive in college.

Heading into the playoffs, Smith only had half a sack and five tackles for loss in two seasons as a starter, and he would disappear on tape far too often for someone with his physical gifts. Conditioning might play a factor in that, too, as his pass-rush motor is sub-par.

A lot of Smith's lack of production is rooted in his get-off—or lack thereof—and being faster off of the ball will solve a lot of his problems as a run defender and pass-rusher. Michigan did have him two-gap a lot, which can hinder a defensive lineman's initial quickness, but he was still slow off the ball, even when one-gapping or penetrating.

The Wolverine is more traits and tools than a finished project, but it's going to be hard to find more defensive tackles with more potential than he has, meaning his best football could be ahead of him.

Schematically, Smith would be best as a 0- to 2i-technique in either odd or even fronts, and he could potentially play as a 3-technique if he adds some quickness down the line. It's just a matter of how patient teams are willing to be with him as a team hoping for a defensive tackle to make an immediate impact might be looking elsewhere.

GRADE: 7.3 (High-Level Backup/Potential Starter)

OVERALL RANK: 63

POSITION RANK: DL7

PRO COMPARISON: DJ Reader

Written by B/R NFL Draft Scout Matt Holder

HEIGHT: 6'5"

WEIGHT: 249

HAND: 10 1/4"

ARM: 31 7/8"

WINGSPAN: TBD

40-YARD DASH: 4.65

3-CONE: 4.24

SHUTTLE: 6.74

VERTICAL: 37.5"

BROAD: 10'8"

POSITIVES

— Quick to key and diagnose zone versus gap runs to put himself in a good position to make plays.

— Comes downhill in a hurry to fill his gap on the front side of gap runs. Takes good angles in pursuit against stretch runs or outside zone.

— Physical and strong at the point of attack to get extension against offensive linemen. Has plenty of upper-body strength to stack and shed.

— Wraps up and uses good pad level when tackling.

— Gets his hands on and can force reroutes against receivers and tight ends when playing underneath in zone coverage.

— Has good eye discipline. Locates threats coming into his area and can read the quarterback's eyes to step into throwing windows.

— Impressive ball skills for a linebacker. Uses his height and long arms well to force quarterbacks to try to make perfect throws to beat his coverage between the second and third levels over the middle. Has shown the hand-eye coordination to make one-handed interceptions.

— Hustle player who will make tackles down the field in pursuit.

— Great size for an NFL linebacker.

NEGATIVES

— Falls for a lot of pre-snap eye candy and can get caught out of position against motion.

— Has a habit of taking on blocks square and stopping his feet on contact, which can cause him to lose ground if he doesn't win at the point of attack. Reliant on his upper-body strength.

— Only adequate hip fluidity. Doesn't have enough speed when spot-dropping/running backward to play a lot of Tampa 2 coverage.

— Subpar change of direction is an issue in man coverage against running backs and shifter tight ends and on scramble drills.

— Doesn't have any moves as a pass-rusher. Just runs full speed and tries to run through blockers as a blitzer.

2022 STATISTICS

— 13 GM, 128 TOT, 5.5 TFL, 1 SK, 1 FF, 3 PBU, 2 INT

NOTES

— DOB: Aug. 22, 2000

— A 3-star recruit in the 2019 class, No. 662 overall, No. 44 OLB, per 247Sports' composite rankings

— Injuries: Knee (2022, missed spring ball)

— 27 career starts

— 2022 Honors: First-team All-Big Ten (coaches and media), Consensus All-American, Butkus Award winner (nation's best LB)

— 2021 Honors: Team MVP on defense, Academic All-Big Ten, second-team All-American (FWAA and Phil Steele), first-team All-Big Ten (league media and Phil Steele), third-team All-Big Ten (coaches)

— 2020 Honors: Academic All-Big Ten

OVERALL

The combine will be key for Jack Campbell, as questions remain about his athleticism when it comes to his transition to the NFL. He was athletic enough to be the most decorated linebacker in college football this season, but his change of direction and hip fluidity are questionable for a modern-day NFL linebacker.

With that being said, Campbell isn't devoid of traits that will translate to the NFL. He has impressive speed when coming downhill, which helps him plug gaps against the run and close on pass-catchers in zone coverage. He's also arguably the best linebacker at stack-and-shedding in this draft class, and he has good instincts in zone coverage.

Schematically, the Hawkeye would be best as a middle linebacker in a system that uses a lot of one-high looks and Cover 3. That would give him some help over the top and keep him from having to carry wide receivers in Tampa 2, while still taking advantage of his ability to tighten throwing windows as an underneath defender in zone coverage.

Campbell is not a one-size-fits-all type of player. He could slide in the draft if teams are looking for a linebacker with more man-coverage skills. However, he could be a great Day 2 pick for a team seeking an impact run defender on the second level of its defense.

GRADE: 7.8 (Potential Impact Player)

OVERALL RANK: 27

POSITION RANK: LB1

PRO COMPARISON: Leighton Vander Esch

Written by B/R NFL Draft Scout Matt Holder