Player Notes

13-17 minutes 8/27/2023There’s a special relationship between a quarterback and a center.There’s an even greater trust between a quarterback and his blindside protector at left tackle.At one point this offseason, Donovan Smith had neither.Almost two months had gone by since Smith transferred to Houston from Texas Tech, and Jack Freeman had yet to say a word.“In all honesty, I didn’t really know how ...

Jackson MooreIn news first broken exclusively to BarkBoard VIP subscribers on Thursday, Fresno State has named its starting quarterback for the 2023 season. UCF transfer Mikey Keene has won the job and will lead the offense in the Bulldogs' opener at Purdue on Sept. 2.The Bulldogs spent most of fall camp with newcomer Keene and 2022 back-up Logan Fife splitting the first-team quarterback reps. As Fresno ...

Loading your audio articleWho knew 100 years ago that late, great American industrialist Henry Ford was actually foreshadowing the mindset of both the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big 12?You see, it was Ford who once profoundly said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t — you’re right.”In other words, your success (or your failure) is determined by your own self-esteem and your state ...

STORRS — Joseph Fagnano won the UConn football team's starting quarterback job. Ta'Quan Roberson and Zion Turner didn't lose it.Coach Jim Mora made that clear Sunday as the Huskies continued preparations for Thursday's opener against North Carolina State at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field."We keep track of everything," Mora said. "Sometimes the way it looks in practice to the naked eye ...

FORT COLLINS — Mo Kamara doesn’t just know how to read a quarterback’s eyes. Unlike some conference commissioners these days, the star of CSU’s defensive line can actually read a map.“The Pac-12 just makes sense (for us),” the Rams’ senior pass-rusher said of his preferred realignment destination for CSU.“It makes sense. And I think we match up against them. They’re not that much better. They’re regional, ...

FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman related an interesting story during his first Sam Pittman Live radio appearance of the season with Chuck Barrett on Wednesday.Pittman said he and the staff decided they would take the option of going on offense first in the third overtime against Kansas in the Liberty Bowl with the score tied 53-53. At that point, the teams were forced to exchange ...

When you make a mistake, it’s best to fix it as soon as possible. When it concerns family issues, get out front in a hurry.If you don’t, the snowball coming at you will grow until it smashes everything.I knew this summer it was time to step up. So this commentary is a confession, albeit 25 years late.Family is not the issue, unless you consider Razorback Nation to be family. I do.I’ve had the story ...

Playing his part and everything it entails on and off the field is something that doesn’t seem that big of a deal for Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman.He gets it. He gets that if he plays well, he’s a story. He gets that if he doesn’t play well, he’s a story. He gets that if Notre Dame wins, he’s a story. If Notre Dame loses, well, what happens next may still be a few weeks away.Hartman embraces ...

JACKSONVILLE — Jacksonville State says it wishes to be branded as Jax State moving forward, and maybe Saturday's football opponent, Texas-El Paso, should make a change, too. They should go with something besides UTEP.My friend Chris Roberts, a former journalism colleague and a Jax State alumnus, offered this suggestion: University of Texas at El Intercepted Passo.The intercepted pass came courtesy ...

JACKSONVILLE — Jacksonville State linebacker Quae Drake took the field on Burgess-Snow field for the first time Saturday night, but he didn’t waste any time introducing himself to the home crowd.He had a team-high 11 tackles in the 17-14 win over Texas-El Paso. He didn’t hold back in the postgame news conference either.“I think we proved that we belong here,” Drake said. “And I speak for defensively, ...