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Good morning! Rush the field today.
While You Were Sleeping: The biggest upset of the year?
Kennesaw State entered last night’s game against Liberty trending toward hopeless. In the Owls’ lone year at the FBS level, they had lost all six of their games and ranked No. 133 in Chris Vannini’s 134. They welcomed a CFP contender to the Atlanta suburbs — and made history.
Winning 27-24 win last night as a 27-point underdog extinguishes the previously undefeated Liberty‘s Playoff hopes, as the Flames had a legit chance to finish the season as the highest-ranked Group of 5 team. No more.
It was a huge moment for the Owls, who started their football program less than 10 years ago. Fans — including our own senior newsletter editor Jason Kirk, an alum — rushed the field after the game. Here’s Jason’s review:
“Rushing the field, students were a little tentative, because KSU has almost literally never done this before. After officials added one more second, we got to rush it again like veterans. To answer one FAQ: Our cheer is ‘hooty hoo,’ like the OutKast song.”
Hooty hoo. Moving on:
First Impressions: The Intuit Dome debuts with a barnburner
Tuesday’s NBA action was a mere appetizer for a fuller menu last night. Let’s overreact to a few openers:
- The Suns! Also the Clippers! I fully expected to write a “Suns stacked, Clips cooked” bit here. But a feisty Clipper group — without Kawhi Leonard, mind you — nearly upended a team many think is a top-line contender, opening LA’s brand-new Intuit Dome with an overtime loss. It may not be sustainable without Leonard, but James Harden looked good overall (29 points and 12 rebounds). Honestly a solid showing for both teams.
- Charlotte? The Hornets beat the Rockets 110-105 last night, a slight surprise, considering we thought Charlotte might end up tanking for Cooper Flagg while Houston projects as a fringe playoff team. LaMelo Ball scored 34 points, and Houston clearly needs to figure out some things already.
- Speaking of tanking: We may be able to slot Portland into that group right now after a 139-104 debacle against the Warriors, who looked like an actual contender again. Steph Curry scored 17 (in three quarters), but more importantly Buddy Hield — a new addition — accounted for 22 points off the bench.
See all the scores here. There’s plenty more action tonight, too.
P.S. In sadder news, Pelicans point guard Dejounte Murray, just acquired this offseason, fractured his hand in New Orleans’ 123-111 win over Chicago. He will miss an extended period of time.
News to Know
Packers hire Saleh
Fired Jets coach Robert Saleh is with the Green Bay coaching staff in a “fluid” role, Packers coach Matt LaFleur said yesterday, while noting Saleh has not been officially hired in any capacity. Saleh and LaFleur go way back to their days as roommates at Central Michigan. I just think it’s funny that Aaron Rodgers’ last two coaches are hanging out on Rodgers’ old team. (Since you’re wondering: The Packers don’t play the Jets.) See full details here.
Bond set for former PSU players accused of rape
Former Penn State football players Jameial Lyons and Kaveion Keys appeared in court Wednesday, where a judge set bail for Lyons at $500,000 and Keys at $400,000 in their ongoing case. Both are accused of felony rape and other sex crimes, and were removed from the roster in August. Read our full report here.
More news
Trades! Hello, NFL hot stove
Remember yesterday, when we talked about NFL trades in the abstract, wondering if and when they’d happen?
About an hour after publish time, the Chiefs agreed to acquire Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins — not the Rams’ Cooper Kupp — setting off what could be a busy trade deadline. Most recently a Pro Bowler in 2020, Hopkins adds an extremely necessary (and talented) set of hands to a WR corps desperate for bodies. Getting compensation for the 32-year-old (a conditional draft pick) is a big win for 1-5 Tennessee.
So, trades are happening. Check. Two others we’d like to see from this list cooked up by Jeff Howe and Mike Jones:
- Maxx Crosby to the Lions. Detroit is an aggressive franchise, and nothing would scream “we need to win the Super Bowl this year” like grabbing an All-Pro to fill in for the injured Aidan Hutchinson. Crosby is under contract for two more years, too.
- Justin Fields (!) to the Dolphins. This will probably not happen with Tua Tagovailoa back, but it’s hard to imagine a better place for the still-young Fields to be than in a Mike McDaniel offense. Fields is a superb talent who’s never been in a great situation; Tagovailoa is obviously an injury concern. I love this idea.
See that full list here. I hope the deadline is dramatic.
Watch and Listen
📺 NFL: Vikings at Rams
8:15 p.m. on Prime Video
There are no good losses in the NFL, but Minnesota’s near miss against Detroit last weekend comes close. They came into the year unheralded, went blow-for-blow with one of the league’s best and are now 5-1. They should roll here.
📺NBA: Oklahoma City at Denver
10 p.m. ET on TNT
Two expected contenders in the West get to make their first impressions tonight. I will be seated.
Get tickets to games like these here.
🎧 “The Athletic Football Show” revisits QB tiers, where Lamar Jackson was not a Tier 1 guy initially. Absurd. Listen here.
Pulse Picks
I loved this story so much: Sam Blum and C. Trent Rosecrans tracked down “cameo” players who made brief appearances for World Series champions and asked them how they felt about getting rings. The answers are … nuanced.
I thought Dusty Baker’s tribute to Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela was profound.
Andrew Marchand had a good conversation with ESPN’s Joe Buck about his prescient call of Chris Godwin’s injury Monday.
It’s one game, yes, but listen to the Lakers and you see signs of very real hope, all thanks to new coach JJ Redick.
Novak Djokovic will miss the Paris Masters, which is a bigger deal than you think.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our obituary of Valenzuela.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Our story on the bonkers ticket prices for the World Series.
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(Top photo: Harry How / Getty Images)
