Dell Sports – College Football News

After not playing Virginia for a six-year stretch, Clemson is preparing for a second game against the Cavaliers in a 10-month span.The top-ranked Tigers (2-0, 1-0 ACC) take on Virginia (1-0, 1-0) on Saturday night at Clemson's Memorial Stadium, where a masked and socially distanced crowd of approximately 19,000 is expected."It'll be a great atmosphere for our guys," said Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, whose team trounced Virginia 62-17 last December in the ACC Championship game. "Our guys are in a good place. We've got good momentum. We're in a good place, but let's turn the page and step into October here."Clemson has been in "a good place" for several years now. The Tigers are pursuing their record sixth consecutive ACC title and sixth straight trip to the College Football Playoff.Clemson has won 23 consecutive games against ACC competition dating back to the 2017 season and 44 of its last 46 games against league foes.Despite last year's lopsided loss to the Tigers, fifth-year Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall is looking forward to the challenge once again."I'm thrilled to be able to get a chance to play Clemson again," Mendenhall said. "Having earned the chance to play them in the ACC Championship last year, it just accelerated our program. It exposed deficiencies. We're anxious to learn and apply and improve from what we showed a year ago."Virginia went 9-5 in 2019 and capped the season with a 36-28 loss to Florida in the Orange Bowl. It marked the Cavaliers' first nine-win season since 2007.Mendenhall's team opened its season last week with a 38-20 victory over Duke."One game in, they look like the team that went to the ACC Championship game last year," Swinney said. "They're very experienced. Bronco has done an amazing job. This is a program and a culture that has been building each year. They're one of the more experienced teams out there."But it was a couple of relative newcomers who shined against the Blue Devils. Sophomore quarterback Brennan Armstrong rallied the team from a 20-17 fourth-quarter deficit and finished with 269 yards on 24-of-45 passing.

No. 9 Texas jumps from the frying pan into the fire on Saturday when it hosts dangerous and talented TCU in a Big 12 Conference dustup in Austin, Texas.The Longhorns are 13-point favorites in the game, but the Big 12 is a dog-eat-dog world, with the only thing certain being the uncertainty in each game. The Horned Frogs have defeated Texas in five of the past six years, including a 37-27 win over the Longhorns last season in Fort Worth.The Longhorns (2-0, 1-0 Big 12) slogged through a mostly ragged second half before rallying to beat Texas Tech 63-56 on the road last week. Texas fell behind by 15 points late in the fourth quarter but scored two touchdowns and a two-point conversion late in regulation to tie the game and won with a touchdown, and a defensive stand, in overtime.Texas coach Tom Herman said Monday that the Longhorns were "glad to get out of Lubbock with a win," especially after allowing Texas Tech to rack up 447 yards of offense and missing scores of tackles."Our players on defense, they're embarrassed," Herman said. "We know we can play better. I think (defensive coordinator) Chris (Ash) is well aware of the challenges, also well aware of how poorly we played at times in that game against Texas Tech. There's nobody more committed to making it better than him."Through two games, the Longhorns have amassed 122 points, 55 first downs, 1,165 yards of total offense and scored 16 offensive touchdowns. Texas ranks as the national leader in scoring offense, averaging 61.0 points per game.All that will mean nothing on Saturday -- the Horned Frogs can go toe-to-toe with Texas. Since beginning Big 12 play in 2012, TCU is 6-2 against Texas, including a 3-1 record in Austin."We've got a ton of respect for coach Patterson and his ability to adjust his defense," Herman said. "It gets frustrating sometimes because Gary, to his credit, doesn't do a whole lot. What he does is he has his players play really, really hard, puts them in great position, and they're extremely fundamentally sound."

It might be unprecedented to have nearly a full month off between games, but that is the situation facing No. 25 Memphis on Saturday as it visits SMU in an American Athletic Conference game in Dallas.The Tigers (1-0, 0-0 AAC) haven't played since their season-opening 37-24 win over Arkansas State on Sept. 5 due to COVID-19 cases that caused the program to pause activities and cancel games against Houston and UTSA.Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield said that "a majority" of his team is back and he is confident the players are in a good spot to play."We feel like we are getting back where we need to be," he said. "Still not at full strength, nor will we be at kickoff. But we are getting to where we need to be to where we feel comfortable having normal practices."Such a long layoff leads to obvious questions as to how rusty and conditioned Memphis will be, and Silverfield admitted the team will have to rotate more players in and out in all three phases of the game.As for the rust element, Silverfield feels there is a good solution."We have to be fundamentally sound," he said. "That's how you try and knock the rust off."SMU coach Sonny Dykes told MustangVision that it will be hard to get a read on Memphis given its layoff, but he pointed out that the Tigers have won a lot of games over the last three years and that they will be ready to play."They may not have played for a while, but those guys have a lot of skins on the wall," Dykes said. "They have won a lot of football games."

East Carolina was thrilled to return to action last weekend. The Pirates will feel even better if they can collect a victory in their second game.After being manhandled by UCF 51-28 in their opener, the Pirates (0-1) play at Georgia State (0-1) on Saturday in a non-conference game in Atlanta.East Carolina's first scheduled game against Marshall on Sept. 12 was postponed due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.Despite his team's lopsided loss last Saturday, Pirates coach Mike Houston is eager to make the team's first road trip."I can't wait until we play again," he said. "Really, it's rejuvenating to be so excited to go play again because I know we're going to improve."They'll have to improve off a game in which they trailed 27-7 at halftime and 41-14 through three quarters.Junior quarterback Holton Ahlers completed fewer than half of his passes but also threw for three touchdowns. He had 21 touchdown passes, compared to 10 interceptions, as the starter last season when East Carolina finished with a 4-8 mark.Ahlers was picked off once in the opener and East Carolina also lost three fumbles.Starting wide receivers C.J. Johnson, Tyler Snead and Blake Proehl were held in check as they each caught just two passes."I was disappointed in our production right there," Houston said. "If you're going to tell me we were going to have man coverage, I would say we're going to have a pretty good day."The defense allowed UCF to rack up 632 total yards but Houston found a silver lining."I think we really made them work for what they got, that's the real key," he said. "We've got to correct our mistakes, continue to push to improve, disappointed we didn't force any turnovers. That's a big goal so that's something we have to continue working on."The Panthers are coming off a frustrating and unnerving week in which their game at Charlotte was postponed on Friday due to positive COVID-19 tests. It turned out that the tests were faulty and they returned to the practice field on Monday.

Baylor has opened the Dave Aranda era on a positive note. It would get even better by finally winning a game at West Virginia.The Bears aim for a first-ever road victory over the Mountaineers, who are hoping to end their own issues within the Big 12 when they meet in a conference matchup Saturday afternoon at Morgantown, W.Va.It took some time due to COVID-19 issues, but Baylor (1-0, 1-0 Big 12) finally opened its 2020 season. Charlie Brewer threw for 142 yards with a touchdown and versatile senior Trestan Ebner scored rushing and receiving touchdowns and returned two kicks for scores (100 and 83 yards) in last weekend's 47-14 home win over Kansas.The result takes some pressure off Aranda, who debuted as Bears coach. The longtime defensive coordinator at Wisconsin and most recently LSU, is finally getting his shot as a head coach, and early on, things look good.Now, the focus for the Bears is to see if they can replicate that success on the road for the first time during this unique season. It's also a chance to avoid going 0-5 at West Virginia, where there will not be any fans in attendance for this contest."We're approaching this as this is about us, and to just take our show on the road," Aranda said."It's all about us ... We would really like for our players and our coaches to just be so tuned in to what we're doing."Brewer, one of the top quarterbacks in the country over the past two seasons, threw for 277 yards with two touchdowns during Baylor's 17-14 home win over West Virginia last season. However, he was picked off three times on eight attempts in a 58-14 loss in Morgantown in 2018.

Whatever football fireworks Oklahoma State planned for its offense have not materialized.Running back Chuba Hubbard and wide receiver Tylan Wallace were surprisingly quiet through two games and quarterback Spencer Sanders is dealing with an ankle sprain that has kept him out since the first half of the opener.Yet the No. 17 Cowboys stand 2-0 overall and at 1-0 in the Big 12 remain a likely contender for the conference crown. They play Saturday at Kansas (0-2, 0-1).Hubbard is no slouch, netting 194 yards rushing, though L.D. Brown has been the Cowboys' most dazzling rusher, averaging 8.4 yards per carry. Wallace has 10 catches for 177 yards."We certainly haven't done enough on offense to win games," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said of drowsy showings against Tulsa and West Virginia. "Our defense has played well, but our special teams has been the deciding factor in the first two games."Sophomore Alex Hale, a walk-on kicker from Australia, has made all five of his field goal attempts, while punt returner Dillon Stoner has a 20-yard punt return average.Oklahoma State is allowing 10 points per game behind linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga, who shares the team lead with 17 tackles."They are playing fast, they're coming together as a group and they're playing reckless," Gundy said.The fact the Big 12 has stumbled out of the gate makes it even more conceivable Oklahoma State will challenge in the league chase. Preseason favorite Oklahoma lost its Big 12 opener and Texas opened its league schedule by going into overtime to edge Texas Tech.In this unpredictable COVID-19 season of college football, the Big 12 could be as goofy as any conference. That's all the more reason for the Cowboys not to take Kansas lightly.

Georgia's quarterback situation is getting more complicated as the No. 4 Bulldogs prepare to host No. 7 Auburn on Saturday night.D'Wan Mathis started the season opener at Arkansas last week. Stetson Bennett replaced him and provided a spark in a 37-10 victory.Now USC transfer J.T. Daniels enters the picture.Daniels was medically cleared to play after missing the opener as he returns from a knee injury suffered last season. Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said Carson Beck also is in the mix."We'll be looking at everybody across the board," Smart said. "J.T.'s got to be able to show that he can function efficiently and do it with his knee being able to do it."We're not putting ourselves in a pigeonhole, saying we can only have one quarterback. We've got to develop all of our quarterbacks."Any of those options at quarterback will benefit if the Bulldogs (1-0, 1-0 SEC) are able to run the ball better than they did against the Razorbacks. Georgia had just 121 rushing yards, averaging 2.9 per carry."Historically we've been able to run the ball at a good rate compared to a lot of people in our league," Smart said, "and we didn't do that Saturday."This is an unusually early part of the season for the annual matchup dubbed "The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.""This is one of the most traditional rivalries in all of college football," Smart said.Auburn (1-0, 1-0) has no doubt about its quarterback. It's Bo Nix, who was the SEC Freshman of the Year last season and threw three second-half touchdowns in a 29-13 victory over visiting Kentucky in the opener last Saturday.Nix threw two touchdown passes to Seth Williams and one to Eli Stove as he completed 16 of 27 passes for 233 yards. Williams caught six passes for 112 yards.

Georgia's quarterback situation is getting more complicated as the No. 4 Bulldogs prepare to host No. 7 Auburn on Saturday night.D'Wan Mathis started the season opener at Arkansas last week. Stetson Bennett replaced him and provided a spark in a 37-10 victory.Now USC transfer J.T. Daniels enters the picture.Daniels was medically cleared to play after missing the opener as he returns from a knee injury suffered last season. Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said Carson Beck also is in the mix."We'll be looking at everybody across the board," Smart said. "J.T.'s got to be able to show that he can function efficiently and do it with his knee being able to do it."We're not putting ourselves in a pigeonhole, saying we can only have one quarterback. We've got to develop all of our quarterbacks."Any of those options at quarterback will benefit if the Bulldogs (1-0, 1-0 SEC) are able to run the ball better than they did against the Razorbacks. Georgia had just 121 rushing yards, averaging 2.9 per carry."Historically we've been able to run the ball at a good rate compared to a lot of people in our league," Smart said, "and we didn't do that Saturday."This is an unusually early part of the season for the annual matchup dubbed "The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.""This is one of the most traditional rivalries in all of college football," Smart said.Auburn (1-0, 1-0) has no doubt about its quarterback. It's Bo Nix, who was the SEC Freshman of the Year last season and threw three second-half touchdowns in a 29-13 victory over visiting Kentucky in the opener last Saturday.Nix threw two touchdown passes to Seth Williams and one to Eli Stove as he completed 16 of 27 passes for 233 yards. Williams caught six passes for 112 yards.

Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi often finds himself defending the amount of team speed on his roster.But there's no doubt so far this season that the Panthers have been on the fast track.No. 24 Pitt will try to keep that going Saturday afternoon against visiting North Carolina State in an Atlantic Coast Conference clash at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh."I don't think we're slow," Narduzzi said. "We recruit, too. We try to get fast guys, too. Obviously, our guys were faster than their guys (from Louisville) last week."Playing their fourth straight home game, the Panthers (3-0, 2-0 ACC) are gunning for their first 4-0 start since 2000.NC State (1-1, 1-1) is in the middle contest of a three-game stretch of road outings after tumbling Saturday night at Virginia Tech.Narduzzi said he likes the speed available on his offense, and it's clear that Pittsburgh's defenders have been pursuing the ball at a high rate."No one is going to question our effort," he said.While Pittsburgh would like to keep things mostly the same, there could be changes for the Wolfpack.NC State already has created conversation because of its quarterbacks. Bailey Hockman was the surprise starter in the first game after Devin Leary missed significant preseason practice time due to coronavirus quarantine.Hockman and Leary are both listed as potential starters for the Pittsburgh game, though it's highly anticipated that Leary will get the nod as he was the projected starter at the outset of the summer work."We need them both," NC State coach Dave Doeren said. "They're both going to get reps this week, and we'll see who is the most ready to lead our team."Hockman's hot first-half start from the opener against Wake Forest has fizzled since then. Leary was summoned in the third quarter of the second game, completing 12 of 16 passes and doubling the passing yardage (165 to 82) that Hockman produced against the Hokies.The rushing attack that sparked NC State in the first game didn't find traction against Virginia Tech, though running back Zonovan Knight has gained more than 90 yards on the ground in both games.

North Carolina needs to get things cranked up again after a three-week hiatus.The next assignment comes against a Boston College team that has learned how to put it in gear at the right times in the second halves of a pair of victories.The No. 12 Tar Heels (1-0, 1-0 ACC) seem happy just to be heading back to the field, this time for their first road outing of the season Saturday in Chestnut Hill, Mass."We still haven't had our second game, so that will be interesting to see this weekend as we move forward," North Carolina coach Mack Brown said. "But I'm not worried about them being excited about playing, they'll be ready to play."By game day, it will be three weeks since UNC last played.The Tar Heels' scheduled non-league game for Sept. 19 against Charlotte was called off two days before the slated date because of coronavirus concerns related to the Charlotte offensive line. North Carolina officials came up empty in a quest to fill the Sept. 26 open date with an opponent."What we've told our players and coaches is let's just start the season over," said Brown, whose team rolled to a 31-6 win over Syracuse on Sept. 12 in its lone game. "... Let's just go back and restart and that's what we're trying to get their mentality to be."Since North Carolina last played, Boston College (2-0, 1-0) has competed twice -- posting a 26-6 win at Duke on Sept. 19 and pulling out a 24-21 victory last weekend at home against Texas State.The time off from game weeks has given the North Carolina coaching staff time to see what the new Boston College staff might be brewing."We saw a couple of new things from the second game," Tar Heels offensive coordinator Phil Longo said of the Eagles' defense.This has been North Carolina's longest regular-season layoff since 1952, when there was a polio outbreak on campus.The Tar Heels didn't start to click in the Syracuse game until the second half. They're expected to showcase a high-powered offense with sophomore quarterback Sam Howell.Howell threw 38 touchdown passes last year, yet only one in this season's opener.Quarterback Phil Jurkovec of Boston College excelled down the stretch against Texas State, again performing better after halftime following more first-half snags."We have to do a better job to make sure he does that in the first (half)," Boston College coach Jeff Hafley said.

No. 2 Alabama and No. 13 Texas A&M each opened their Southeastern Conference-only seasons with wins last week. The results were about the only similarity.The Crimson Tide opened up a 35-3 lead less than five minutes into the third quarter on their way to a 38-19 victory at Missouri, but the Aggies were sloppy throughout a 17-12 squeaker over Vanderbilt."A victory is a victory, but all three phases didn't play how I thought we could or how we can," Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher said. "We made the plays when we had to, but, man, too much inconsistency. We've just got to get them to play better and that's my fault."Texas A&M will have to up its level of play a few notches if it is to make the trip back from Tuscaloosa on Saturday with the kind of win that would justify a preseason top 10 ranking.A 31 1/2-point favorite against Vandy, the Aggies made things hard on themselves with three turnovers and eight penalties for 50 yards. It took a fourth quarter interception by Leon O'Neal deep in A&M territory for it to hang on to its lead.A&M got a good game from running back Isaiah Spiller, who ripped off a 57-yard run to start the second half and finished with 117 yards on just eight attempts. Senior quarterback Kellen Mond hit on 17 of 28 passes for 189 yards with a touchdown.Fisher said Mond had "four or five throws that we wish he could have back" and pointed to a renewed focus on ball security after Mond had three fumbles."We have to keep playing better around him too. As a quarterback, you can have 100 plays [and] play 97 of them perfectly," Fisher said. "Those two or three bad plays, you touch the ball every time, can affect the outcome of the game no matter what that scenario is. You have to understand that, and you have to be perfect as a quarterback. That's just the way you have to think."Alabama wasted no time demonstrating its superiority against an outmatched foe. Mac Jones was an efficient 18 of 24 for 249 yards and two touchdowns, while Najee Harris pounded out 98 yards and three touchdowns on 17 attempts.The defense collected three sacks and a pair of turnovers, limiting Missouri to 69 yards on the ground and not allowing a touchdown until the final nine minutes.

No. 2 Alabama and No. 13 Texas A&M each opened their Southeastern Conference-only seasons with wins last week. The results were about the only similarity.The Crimson Tide opened up a 35-3 lead less than five minutes into the third quarter on their way to a 38-19 victory at Missouri, but the Aggies were sloppy throughout a 17-12 squeaker over Vanderbilt."A victory is a victory, but all three phases didn't play how I thought we could or how we can," Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher said. "We made the plays when we had to, but, man, too much inconsistency. We've just got to get them to play better and that's my fault."Texas A&M will have to up its level of play a few notches if it is to make the trip back from Tuscaloosa on Saturday with the kind of win that would justify a preseason top 10 ranking.A 31 1/2-point favorite against Vandy, the Aggies made things hard on themselves with three turnovers and eight penalties for 50 yards. It took a fourth quarter interception by Leon O'Neal deep in A&M territory for it to hang on to its lead.A&M got a good game from running back Isaiah Spiller, who ripped off a 57-yard run to start the second half and finished with 117 yards on just eight attempts. Senior quarterback Kellen Mond hit on 17 of 28 passes for 189 yards with a touchdown.Fisher said Mond had "four or five throws that we wish he could have back" and pointed to a renewed focus on ball security after Mond had three fumbles."We have to keep playing better around him too. As a quarterback, you can have 100 plays [and] play 97 of them perfectly," Fisher said. "Those two or three bad plays, you touch the ball every time, can affect the outcome of the game no matter what that scenario is. You have to understand that, and you have to be perfect as a quarterback. That's just the way you have to think."Alabama wasted no time demonstrating its superiority against an outmatched foe. Mac Jones was an efficient 18 of 24 for 249 yards and two touchdowns, while Najee Harris pounded out 98 yards and three touchdowns on 17 attempts.The defense collected three sacks and a pair of turnovers, limiting Missouri to 69 yards on the ground and not allowing a touchdown until the final nine minutes.

Arkansas State coach Blake Anderson revealed he was among the members of his program to contract the coronavirus.He said Monday he tested positive on Sept. 16, four days after his Red Wolves upset Kansas State 35-31 despite being without 10 starters and 20 players in all for the game."I got sick within a couple days, started having symptoms," he said, adding he ran a fever for 10 days.Arkansas State's following two games on the schedule -- Sept. 19 against Central Arkansas and Sept. 26 against Tulsa -- were postponed. The Red Wolves (1-1) are set to return to the field on Saturday in a Sun Belt Conference matchup at Coastal Carolina (2-0).Anderson became the second college football coach, following Florida State's Mike Norvell, to disclose a positive COVID-19 test.

Three prominent Big Ten players received NCAA waivers to play this season after originally opting out to prepare for the NFL when the conference called off fall football in August.Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade and guard Wyatt Davis, as well as Michigan tackle Jalen Mayfield, all have been cleared, their coaches confirmed in separate radio interviews.All three players changed their minds about opting out to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft after the Big Ten reversed its Aug. 11 decision to push the football season to the fall amid coronavirus fears.ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Wade ranked No. 7 among draft-eligible prospects. He was projected as an early round pick in the 2020 draft before opting to return for his senior season in Columbus.Wade played in all 14 games last season, registering 26 tackles, four tackles for loss, one interception, two forced fumbles and eight pass breakups.

No. 22 BYU is undefeated and scoring a lot of points.So is Louisiana Tech.One team will get its first loss of the season when the Cougars meet the Bulldogs in matchup of 2-0 teams on Friday night in Provo, Utah.BYU, which has scored at least one touchdown in all eight quarters it has played, outscored Navy and Troy by a combined score of 103-10 -- outgaining them 1,244 yards to 330 yards.Zach Wilson completed 23 of 29 passes for a career-high 392 yards and two touchdowns against Troy. He also rushed for two touchdowns."He's throwing the ball really well and he's seeing things really well," Cougars coach Kalani Sitake said of Wilson. "He's played a lot of games for us and the guys look to him as a leader."The Cougars had two 100-yard receivers as Dax Milne finished with seven receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown while Gunner Romney produced five catches for 138 yards."All it means is we can't get too big of an ego, too big of a head, going into (the Louisiana Tech game)," Wilson said. "We are a good offense, but it means nothing if we stop it now."It's not just the BYU offense that has been dominant. The Cougars' defense has nine sacks after recording just 17 all of last season."I don't believe in style points," Sitake said. "I believe in just winning the game and establishing an identity that we want to get done for that game."The Cougars had 19 days between their first two games after a scheduled contest against Army was postponed because of COVID-19 issues.

Notre Dame officials revealed Monday that 18 members of the football program tested positive for COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday.The Fighting Irish postponed their game against Wake Forest that was set for Sept. 26 and moved it to Dec. 12. When Notre Dame announced the postponement on Sept. 22, the school said there were seven new positive tests among players with 13 players in isolation.But Monday's news release from the school showed far bigger numbers.Between Tuesday and Sunday, the school performed 273 tests on football players, with 18 positives. Now, the Fighting Irish have a total of 25 players in isolation and 14 quarantined because of their close contact with a person who tested positive.

A contest between Houston and Memphis that was postponed earlier this month has been rescheduled for Dec. 5 in Memphis.The game slated for Sept. 18 between the two American Athletic Conference programs was postponed six days earlier due to a coronavirus outbreak within the Memphis program."Obviously, I'm disappointed the Houston game had to be postponed and rescheduled, but it was for the health and safety of our student-athletes, and they will always be our main concern," Tigers coach Ryan Silverfield said in a news release on Monday. "I'm so excited to be able to play them again at the back end of our schedule. They are a wonderful opponent, and it is going to be awesome to have them come to Memphis and play in the Liberty Bowl."Houston also had last weekend's scheduled game with North Texas postponed after the Mean Green experienced some COVID-19 issues in their program.The Cougars currently are slated to open their season against Tulane on Oct. 8.

Florida State coach Mike Norvell said he will return to practice on Tuesday and coach in Saturday's game against Jacksonville State after missing the loss to Miami due to a positive COVID-19 test.The Seminoles were pounded 52-10 by the Hurricanes on Saturday in their second game since Norvell was hired away from Memphis.Norvell is completing a 10-day quarantine due to the positive test as required by the ACC's medical advisory group.He said it was tough not to be in the locker room after the loss to Miami. He did address the team on Zoom on Sunday."I truly embrace the times when things aren't going well, when you have that opportunity to truly help lift guys up and kind of refocus them," Norvell said. "I sent the team a message there after the game so they got a sense of where I was and my thoughts for them and with them, and it was good to be able to get back at least in front of them on Zoom there on Sunday in our in our meeting, but that was something that I hated that I wasn't there for because this is my team, these are my players, these are guys that I do absolutely care about and believe in.

Transfer quarterback JT Daniels has been cleared to play for Georgia this weekend, coach Kirby Smart said Monday.Daniels, who started his career at Southern California, tore multiple ligaments in his right knee in the Trojans' 2019 season opener and hasn't played since.Smart said he wasn't sure yet what role Daniels will fill when the No. 4 Bulldogs host No. 7 Auburn on Saturday night. Both teams are 1-0 to begin Southeastern Conference play."JT will be cleared, but I don't know how much that changes the picture in terms of reps and development. We'll be looking at everybody across the board," Smart said. "JT has got to be able to show us that he can function efficiently and do it with his knee being able to do it."Daniels was not cleared for the season opener -- a 37-10 win at Arkansas -- and Smart turned to redshirt freshman D'Wan Mathis as his starter.Mathis, who missed last season as he recovered from emergency brain surgery, was 8 of 17 passing for 55 yards and an interception before being replaced by redshirt junior Stetson Bennett.Bennett completed 20 of 29 passes for 211 yards with two touchdowns.

No. 12 North Carolina added a Dec. 11 home game against Western Carolina to its schedule on Monday.The Tar Heels (1-0, 1-0 ACC) opened their season with a 31-6 victory over Syracuse on Sept. 12 in Chapel Hill, N.C. Their game against Charlotte, scheduled for Sept. 19, was canceled because of a COVID-19 quarantine among Charlotte's offensive line.North Carolina returns to action on Saturday at Boston College (2-0, 2-0).