McClain's 13 lead Texas Southern past Grambling 67-60
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GRAMBLING, La. (AP) — Kavion McClain had 13 points in Texas Southern's 67-60 victory over Grambling on Saturday night.
McClain also contributed six assists and three steals for the Tigers (11-14, 8-4 Southwestern Athletic Conference). Jaylin Jackson-Posey scored 13 points and added three steals. Grayson Carter had 10 points and went 4 of 8 from the field (2 for 3 from 3-point range).
The Tigers (8-17, 5-7) were led in scoring by Antwan Barnett, who finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. Kintavious Dozier added 14 points and nine rebounds for Grambling. Mikale Stevenson finished with nine points.
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San Francisco Chronicle
9 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
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The complex's 17 tournament courts — including Arthur Ashe Stadium — and five practice courts were approved as dark sky-friendly last year. USTA officials wanted the best lighting possible on their courts, which also happened to be friendly to dark skies. Their lighting company suggested striking a balance that would satisfy crowds and TV crews while cutting down spillover into the surrounding environment. 'This is an international event that has an impact on the community,' said the USTA's managing director of capital projects and engineering Chuck Jettmar. 'Let's minimize that and make sure that everybody's happy with it.' U.S. Open qualifying matches this week were punctuated by players grunting, crickets chirping and audiences cheering. Rows of lights stood like sentries above, adorned with flat visors that guided the glow onto the action. The lights at Flushing Meadows glow at a quarter of their brightness when the courts are rented for play during the year. 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USA Today
39 minutes ago
- USA Today
The top 10 SEC safeties for 2025: Georgia 5-star leads the way, two LSU players make it
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TaMarcus Cooley, LSU LSU was aggressive in the transfer portal this offseason, which included the signing of former NC State defensive back TaMarcus Cooley. This is Cooley's third stop after he began his career at Maryland in 2023. Cooley led all ACC safeties in pass breakups in 2024. He picked off three passes and owned a 62.4 passer rating when targeted. Cooley recently took control of a starting safety spot at LSU and the Tigers are counting on Cooley to create the same havoc for LSU's defense. Cooley impresses as a run defender too, making 11 stops and forcing two fumbles in 2024. 9. Jalen Catalon, Missouri Catalon is entering his seventh year of college football. Yes, you read that right -- seventh year. Catalon began his career at Arkansas in 2019, where he spent four years. Then he transferred to Texas for a year before playing the 2024 season at UNLV. Catalon transferred to Missouri for the 2025 season, making it his fourth school. Catalon has played over 2,200 career snaps -- which makes him one of the most experienced defenders in the country. At UNLV, he recorded 75 tackles while picking off five passes. He's smart enough and athletic enough to be a true playmaker on the backend. Catalon's best year in the SEC was 2020 at Arkansas. His next three years of SEC football provided mixed results, but its hard to overlook Catalon's production and experience. 8. Bryce Thornton, Florida Few SEC safeties were better in coverage than Florida's Bryce Thornton. He posted a 38.3 passer rating when targeted, which is No. 2 among returning SEC safeties. Thornton's allowed completion percentage of 59% ranks in the top 10 among the same group. Thornton is entering year three in Gainesville, but already has significant experience thanks to playing as a true freshman in 2023. The three-star safety took a big leap as a sophomore and similar progress can be expected as a junior. 7. Robert Spears-Jennings, Oklahoma Spears-Jennings enjoyed a breakout campaign as a junior in 2024 and enters 2025 as a leader in the Sooners' secondary. He was a four-star recruit in 2022, ranking as the No. 12-ranked safety in the country. Spears-Jennings has been limited with an injury at times during OU's fall camp, but should be ready to go for week one. Per PFF, his 78.7 defensive grade ranks No. 4 among returning SEC safeties. Spears-Jennings stands out as a run defender and his 93.1 PFF grade in that department led the same group. Spears-Jennings made 47 tackles and 19 stops while recording a pick in 2024. 6. Kaleb Harris, Auburn Harris was a true freshman in 2024 and wasted no time finding his way on the field. Harris proved to be ready for SEC physicality, making 16 run stops with a 5.7% stop rate. He only got better as the year went on, making nine stops in Auburn's final three games. Harris was a havoc player, forcing a fumble and breaking up three passes. Harris was targeted 26 times, but only allowed 13 catches. Harris should make another jump as a sophomore. 5. AJ Haulcy, LSU Haulcy was a key piece of LSU's top-ranked transfer class after leaving Houston and entering the portal. Per On3, he was the No. 2-ranked safety in the class and the No. 30 overall player. Haulcy was all-conference at Houston, but now tries his hand in the SEC. If practice reports are any indication of Haulcy's SEC preparedness, he's in for a big year. The adjustment has been smooth for the safety who began his career in the Mountain West before moving to the Power Four. Haulcy's 80.5 PFF grade in 2024 ranked No. 4 among Big 12 safeties. He made 58 tackles while recording 18 stops and owned a 64.9 passer rating when targeted. Haulcy is the prototypical safety and filled a big need on LSU's defense. 4. Bray Hubbard, Alabama Hubbard was one of the SEC's breakout defenders last year. He was a four-star recruit in 2023, but didn't see much action in year one. 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Taffe had occasional struggles when tackling, but expect an All-SEC level performance from this Texas safety this fall. 1. KJ Bolden, Georgia Bolden was a five-star recruit in the class of 2024 and made an immediate impact, playing 552 snaps on defense. According to PFF, he posted an 83.9 coverage grade and a 74.6 grade defending the run. Bolden is an all-around safety who impacts all levels of the defense. When targeted, Bolden allowed a passer rating of just 66.1 and allowed 6.7 yards per catch. Both marks were among the best in the SEC. Bolden made 20 stops, forced a fumble, and recorded a sack. Expect those numbers to be even better in Bolden's sophomore campaign. Honorable Mentions
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Oklahoma Sooners included in preseason AP Top 25 for 26th consecutive season
The Oklahoma Sooners were snubbed in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll released last week, but find themselves in a prominent position in the preseason AP Top 25 released on Monday. The Sooners landed at No. 18 in the nation, the seventh-highest rated team in the preseason poll. It's the 26th consecutive season that the Sooners have been ranked inside the top 25, and it is the second-longest streak in the nation behind the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Texas Longhorns are the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation heading into the season after they were voted No. 1 in the coaches poll as well. Penn State earned the No. 2 spot in front of Big Ten rival and defending national champion Ohio State, which was voted the No. 2 team in the US LBM Coaches Poll. Rounding out the top five are the No. 4 Clemson Tigers, the prohibitive favorite in the ACC, and the back-to-back defending SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs at No. 5. The Sooners will play five teams ranked in front of them in the preseason AP Top 25. No. 1 Texas, No. 8 Alabama, No. 9 LSU, No. 13 South Carolina, and No. 14 Michigan. Oklahoma also faces top 25 teams, No. 21 Ole Miss and No. 24 Tennessee. Oklahoma comes into the season with something to prove after finishing 6-7 in 2024 with an offense that ranked No. 97 in the nation. But Brent Venables and general manager Jim Nagy have rebuilt the offensive side of the ball for new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. Led by transfer portal additions, quarterback John Mateer and running back Jaydn Ott, the Sooners have a chance to completely rewrite the narrative surrounding the program in 2025. Here's a look at the full preseason AP Top 25 for the 2025 Season. More: SEC teams ranked by number of US LBM Coaches Poll opponents Preseason AP Top 25 Rank Team Points Final Rank 2024 1 Texas 1,552 (25) 4 2 Penn State 1,547 (23) 5 3 Ohio State 1,472 (11) 1 4 Clemson 1,398 (4) 14 5 Georgia 1,331 (1) 6 6 Notre Dame 1,325 2 7 Oregon 1,236 (1) 3 8 Alabama 1,179 17 9 LSU 1,174 NR 10 Miami (FL) 889 18 11 Arizona State 791 7 12 Illinois 713 16 13 South Carolina 667 19 14 Michigan 662 NR 15 Florida 626 NR 16 SMU 565 12 17 Kansas State 512 NR 18 Oklahoma 463 NR 19 Texas A&M 434 NR 20 Indiana 423 10 21 Ole Miss 370 11 22 Iowa State 309 15 23 Texas Tech 274 NR 24 Tennessee 192 9 25 Boise State 191 8 Others Receiving Votes BYU, Utah, Baylor, Louisville, USC, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Tulane, Nebraska, UNLV, Toledo, Auburn, James Madison, Memphis, Florida State, Duke, Liberty, Navy, Iowa, TCU, Pittsburgh, Army, Colorado, Louisiana-Lafayette Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams. This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma Sooners No. 18 in preseason AP Top 25 for 2025
