No rookie QBs are set to start in Week 1 for just the second time in the last 19 seasons
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The days of young quarterbacks patiently waiting for their turn to take over after they learn the NFL game are mostly a thing of the past. That’s what made the Las Vegas Raiders’ decision to keep No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza on the bench to start the season behind Kirk Cousins a little unusual, even if it was telegraphed from the moment he was picked. Mendoza is the first quarterback taken No. 1 overall to start his career on the bench since Baker Mayfield in 2018. This marks just the second time in the last 19 seasons that no rookie quarterback will start the season opener.
No. 19 SMU, Florida State kick off after nearly 2-hour delay due to power outage
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The game between No. 19 SMU and Florida State kicked off after a delay of nearly two hours due to a power outage at the stadium. Power went out at Doak Campbell Stadium minutes before the scheduled kickoff and the delay lasted about 1 hour, 45 minutes. The Seminoles and Mustangs finally took the field at 9 p.m. EDT for warmups and the game started at 9:15 p.m. under less than ideal conditions. Not all the stadium lights were operating and the teams were forced to deal with a number of other issues, including no coach-to-player communication, no iPads on the sidelines, no public address announcer and no scoreboard. Coach-to-player communication was restored with about six minutes remaining in the second quarter, and clock functions and yardage distances were back on the scoreboard.
Falcons select Tua Tagovailoa as Week 1 starter; Michael Penix Jr. will be inactive vs. Steelers
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa has been selected as the Atlanta Falcons’ starting quarterback for Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team announced the decision Monday after Tagovailoa’s monthslong competition with Michael Penix Jr. Penix started nine games for the Falcons in 2025 before a season-ending ACL injury in November. Coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that Cooper Rush will back up Tagovailoa and Penix will be inactive. Tagovailoa signed a one-year deal with the Falcons in March after a six-year stint with the Miami Dolphins.
High school QBs face new reality as transfers dominate starting jobs at the top of college football
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — This is a complicated time to be a high school quarterback recruit. There aren’t as many roster spots available for those guys now that most Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks rely on transfers as their starting quarterbacks. And it allows college coaches to be choosier. About 65% of the FBS starting quarterbacks to open this season transferred at some point in their careers. The reliance on transfers by most major programs leaves fewer roster spots available for high school prospects.
No. 19 SMU beats Florida State 27-24 on Nick Reed’s late field goal
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Kevin Jennings shook off a pair of interceptions to lead No. 19 SMU’s winning scoring drive, capped by Nick Reed’s 20-yard field goal with 21 seconds to play, to wrap up a 27-24 win over Florida State. Jennings completed 26 of 36 passes for 430 yards and three touchdowns as SMU (1-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) outlasted Florida State in a game that was delayed nearly two hours due to a power outage at Doak Campbell Stadium. Ousmane Kromah had 22 carries for 116 yards, including a 54-yarder and a 7-yard touchdown to lead Florida State. Ashton Daniels completed 12 of 23 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown.
Rybakina overpowers Osaka, will face Zheng in US Open quarterfinals with a chance to become No. 1
NEW YORK (AP) — Elena Rybakina overpowered Naomi Osaka at the U.S. Open and is a win away from the No. 1 ranking in women’s tennis. She just has to beat Zheng Qinwen, which won’t be easy. Even when Zheng goes down — way, way down — she refuses to stay there. Rybakina advanced to the quarterfinals Monday with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Osaka in a matchup of power-hitting Grand Slam champions. The No. 2-seeded Rybakina is guaranteed to replace Aryna Sabalenka atop the WTA rankings if she reaches the semifinals in Flushing Meadows. Zheng rallied from a 5-0 deficit for the second straight match and beat No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3
Naomi Osaka exits U.S. Open, but not before displaying one more ‘swaggy’ fashion ensemble
NEW YORK (AP) — Naomi Osaka may not have gone out of the U.S. Open Monday with much of a bang. But she surely went out with a burst — of color, and a bit of swag. The two-time U.S. Open champion lost a lopsided fourth-round match to second-seeded Elena Rybakina. But she continued to make her mark as the undisputed fashion queen on tour. Her latest basketball-inspired ensemble was a multicolored cloak lined with fur, designed by the Brooklyn-based label KidSuper. Osaka was philosophical about her loss, saying she did not feel sad and had no regrets.
Veteran coaches surprised that stadium clock was not official clock in wild Michigan win Saturday
Longtime coach Kyle Whittingham was unaware the stadium clock he watched Saturday night at Michigan might not reflect the official game time. Purdue coach Barry Odom also was caught off guard as he watched on television. The two Big Ten coaches acknowledged Monday they did not know there could be a discrepancy between what everyone was seeing on television and inside the stadium and the conference’s tracking system. But that’s how conference officials explained the dramatic conclusion to No. 16 Michigan’s 13-12 victory in Whittingham’s debut in Ann Arbor. After the refs added 1 second to a clock that appeared to expire on the previous play Bryce Underwood hooked up with J.J. Buchanan for a 47-yard TD pass on the game’s final play.
Breanna Stewart sparks US to 105-64 rout of Czech Republic after a scare vs Italy
BERLIN (AP) — Breanna Stewart had 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists to help the United States rout the Czech Republic 105-64. The Americans rebounded from their worst preliminary-round game in 50 years after edging Italy 55-52 on Sunday. Stewart set the tone early to make sure that wouldn’t happen again as the U.S. won its 33rd in a row in the tournament, going back to a semifinal loss to Russia in the 2006 World Cup. Next up for the U.S. is the quarterfinal round on Thursday. They’ll face the winner of the Hungary vs. Japan game which takes place Tuesday.