Washington's Sun Bowl appearance ranked among top 25 college football games in 2024
Washington's Sun Bowl appearance ranked among top 25 college football games in 2024
Although the Washington Huskies lost the Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl 35-34 to the Louisville Cardinals, it was arguably one of the most exciting games of bowl season. ESPN's Bill Connelly agreed and ranked the matchup as the 25th-best game from the 2024 college football season and the No. 7 best of the postseason slate.
Inside Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas, coach Jedd Fisch got to oversee the official breakout of freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr., while senior wide receiver Giles Jackson ended his career with an exclamation point. Williams completed 81 percent of his passes for 374 yards and 4 touchdowns, all of which went to Jackson, and added 48 yards and a score on the ground.
Jackson set career-highs in every department, hauling in 11 catches for 161 yards, including a touchdown catch to cut the Cardinal lead to one point with under 15 seconds to play in the fourth quarter.
But despite the loss, the day belonged to Williams, who proved that the Huskies will have one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten at their disposal in 2025 if Fisch can continue to develop both the former four-star recruit and his supporting cast.
"I think this dude right here is going to be great. Great," Jackson said of the quarterback after the game. "Literally, I think he has a chance to win the Heisman. That last play where he scrambled and made the throw to Jeremiah, I've never seen that before. He's going to be a Dawg."
The play Jackson described was arguably the single-best play of bowl season, which probably had some impact on Connelly's ranking. On second and 10 as the Huskies were driving with a chance to tie the game, Louisville's pass rush got to Williams quickly, the freshman quarterback had to spin out of a sack and while he was getting hit, he delivered a perfect strike downfield to Jeremiah Hunter, who took it for 32 yards and got his team into the red zone.
Although the Huskies weren't able to come away with the win after Louisville's defense batted Williams' pass away on a two-point conversion attempt, the Sun Bowl provided plenty of entertainment and gave Fisch a lot to build on in his second season on Montlake.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
College World Series: Best bets for Coastal Carolina vs Arizona, Louisville vs Oregon St
College World Series: Best bets for Coastal Carolina vs Arizona, Louisville vs Oregon St The College World Series kicks off in Omaha on Friday. The action begins with Coastal Carolina facing Arizona at 1 p.m. CT. Later, Oregon State takes on Louisville at 6 p.m. CT. Play in Bracket 2 won't start until Saturday, where UCLA faces Murray State and LSU meets Arkansas. Arkansas and LSU are considered the best two teams in the field. Both are stacked with MLB talent. Both squads are battle-tested, too, after playing through the grind of an SEC schedule. It would be a major upset if UCLA or Murray State found a way to win Bracket 2. Coastal Carolina and Oregon State make up the next tier. The Chanticleers and Beavers are seen as serious contenders in Bracket 1, while Arizona and Louisville are long shots. Baseball is a weird game, especially in the postseason. It's a fool's game to make predictions, but that's what we're going to do today. Here are your best bets for Friday's action at the College World Series. Coastal Carolina vs. Arizona U9 -115 Depending on where you look, you might see 8.5 as the total for this one. DraftKings still has it at nine runs with -115 odds. Charles Schwab can be hitter or pitcher friendly depending on the weather. The forecast on Friday isn't calling for a major breeze, so I don't expect the ball to be jumping out of the park. Coastal Carolina's pitching staff is one of the best in the country. It's a bad matchup for an Arizona lineup that ranked near the bottom of the Big 12 in runs per game. However, Arizona has the pitching and defense to compete. I don't see a lot of runs scored in this one. Pick: Under 9, -115 Oregon State -188 vs. Louisville Oregon State's moneyline sits between -185 and -200 as of Friday morning. You can find -188 at DraftKings. The Beavers will start freshman pitcher Dax Whitney. Whitney's stuff is electric with 111 strikeouts in 71.1 innings. He's posted double-digit K's in his last two NCAA Tournament outings. With Whitney on the mound, I like Oregon State's chances vs. Louisville. Pick: Oregon State moneyline, -188 Oregon State -1.5 vs. Louisville Along with Whitney on the mound, I feel good about Oregon State's lineup in this one. I have questions about Louisville's pitching staff, and the Beavers' lineup has MLB-level talent. Even if Louisville starter Patrick Forbes has a strong outing, Oregon State will get to the Louisville bullpen. You can find Oregon State -1.5 for +100 at BetMGM. Pick: Oregon State -1.5, +100 For those unfamiliar with the College World Series, here's a refresher on how the tournament works. How many teams are in the College World Series? Eight teams compete in the College World Series. Before reaching Omaha, teams must win a four-team double-elimination regional and a best-of-three super regional. Is the College World Series single elimination? No. The College World Series has two double-elimination brackets, much like the setup used in the regional round. A single loss is not the end of the world. How is the College World Series champion crowned? The winners of each four-team bracket meet in the College World Series final, which is a best-of-three series. A team could lose twice and still win it all. A loss in the opening bracket doesn't carry over to the final. 2025 College World Series teams Here are the eight teams set to compete in Omaha: Arkansas LSU UCLA Murray State Coastal Carolina Arizona Oregon State Louisville 2025 College World Series bracket Bracket 1 Bracket 1 features Coastal Carolina, Arizona, Oregon State, and Louisville. CCU vs. Arizona and Oregon State vs. Louisville are the first-round games. Bracket 2 Bracket 2 features UCLA, Murray State, Arkansas, and LSU. The first round games are UCLA vs. Murray State and LSU vs. Arkansas. 2025 College World Series Schedule
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Yankees' Airbender Devin Williams has a new fan in ‘Avatar' co-creator
When the Yankees acquired Devin Williams from the Brewers in December, he began what has been a rocky relationship with a new fanbase. The two-time National League Reliever of the Year didn't make a strong first impression, recording an 11.25 ERA over his first 10 games. The performance led to unprecedented boos for Williams, questions over his comfort in New York, and his removal as the Yankees' closer. Advertisement But with Luke Weaver hurt, Williams is back in the role. The return comes with Williams better resembling his best self lately, as he's held opponents scoreless in 16 of his last 19 outings. On Thursday, he picked up his second save in as many days, recording a 1-2-3 ninth in a 1-0 win over the Royals, giving the Bronx faithful more reason to get behind him. One of Williams' new fans isn't all that interested in his highs and lows, though. Instead, Michael DiMartino has taken note of Williams because of his signature pitch, 'The Airbender.' 'He's definitely on my radar now,' DiMartino told the Daily News. 'I'll have to check out a game.' DiMartino, not much of a baseball fan, had no idea Williams existed until recently. However, he and Bryan Konietzko co-created 'Avatar: The Last Airbender,' the show that inspired the nickname bestowed upon Williams' go-to changeup. Advertisement The animated series, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in February, aired on Nickelodeon from 2005-2008. Popular among kids and critics – the cartoon won a Primetime Emmy and a Peabody Award — 'Avatar' tackled complex themes such as war, genocide, colonialism, discrimination, sexism, classism, animal cruelty, corruption, death and the afterlife despite being geared toward younger viewers. 'I've seen a little bit,' the 30-year-old Williams told The News, noting that he's watched Season 1 multiple times. 'I haven't seen all of it. I used to watch it as a kid, though.' 'Avatar' is set in an anime-influenced universe that's full of martial artists who can telekinetically manipulate, or 'bend,' one of four elements: water, earth, fire or air. Nations are divided based on which element its people can bend, and the Fire Nation is on an imperialistic warpath throughout the show. Only the Avatar, a 12-year-old boy named Aang, can bend all four elements. He's responsible for maintaining harmony between nations. Advertisement There's way more lore to it all, but the thing to know is that Airbenders can make things move like crazy, just like Williams. 'I had never thought about it before,' DiMartino said, 'but someone who can actually air-bend would make a great pitcher.' According to Baseball Savant, Williams' Airbender entered the 2025 season as the most valuable pitch thrown by a reliever since 2020. While the Mets' Pete Alonso got a hold of one last October and the pitch lacked effectiveness when Williams struggled earlier this season, it's back to being a deadly weapon, yielding a 39.6% whiff rate in May and a 40% rate so far in June. Williams doesn't use telekinesis to make his Airbender dart, though, even if it may seem that way at times. Advertisement 'It kind of defies physics,' said Yankees Triple-A catcher Alex Jackson, who caught Williams in Milwaukee and this spring. Added Ben Rice: 'It looks like a cue ball coming in.' Williams' wrist pronation and flexion are responsible for his Airbender's movement. So is former Brewers and current Yankees teammate Trent Grisham, who recommended that Williams alter the grip of his changeup when the two were with Milwaukee in 2019. 'He does a really good job of getting his hand to the top, inside corner of the ball,' said Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake. 'Most guys side-spin the ball or cut it, and he does a good job of top-spinning the inside of the ball at a really high rate. So it ends up being essentially a left-handed slider with how hard he spins it from that position. Most guys can't do that.' Advertisement Others referred to The Airbender as a screwball when Williams first started chucking it. The debate left Rob Friedman, a.k.a. the Pitching Ninja, searching for an alternative. Then he remembered the show about a kid who can bend air. 'I was definitely familiar with the name of the cartoon, but never watched it,' Friedman said. 'I just liked the name and thought it was a great way to categorize something that's so nasty while stopping the argument of whether it was a changeup or screwball.' Weaver, who throws his own filthy changeup, said Williams' is 'in a different category' and a 'unicorn-type pitch.' Advertisement Austin Wells agreed, claiming Williams has an 'anomaly' in his arsenal. 'It's just different than what guys are used to seeing,' Williams said. While the Yankees have become familiar with Williams' Airbender, the group didn't know much about DiMartino's. Like Friedman, few had seen the series. Some didn't even know about it. Jazz Chisholm Jr. proved to be an exception. 'I watched it growing up,' said the Yankees' resident cartoon expert, who wears anime-inspired gear. 'My mom bought me the discs that had all the seasons and all the episodes on it. 'I watched it a lot.' Williams, meanwhile, has leaned into being baseball's first Airbender. Advertisement The image used for this story is the same one that Williams uses for his profile pic on Instagram. It was created by Francis Lee, a big fan of the Yankees and 'Avatar: The Last Airbender.' The glowing eyes and arrow in the center of Williams' forehead are a nod to Aang's character design. The same arrow appears on Yankee Stadium's jumbotron when he enters a game. 'It's cute!' said DiMartino, who majored in animation at the Rhode Island School of Design. 'He makes a good-looking Avatar.' Could Williams make a good-sounding 'Avatar' character, though? Maybe he'll get the opportunity to find out. Advertisement In 2021, Nickelodeon founded Avatar Studios with the intention of an expanded universe through new shows and movies. One film, 'The Legend of Aang,' has already been announced. If Williams were to ever lend his voice to the Avatar universe, he wouldn't be the first athlete to do so. Tennis icon Serena Williams is 'obsessed' with the show and made cameos in 'The Last Airbender' and a spinoff, 'The Legend of Korra.' 'You never know,' DiMartino said of the Yankees' Williams playing a part. Williams has never done any voice acting, but he's open to the idea. 'Sure,' he said. 'Tell him to contact my agent.' Advertisement Chisholm, meanwhile, sounded ready to represent Williams should Nickelodeon come calling. 'He should be doing that!' the third baseman said. 'That's why you have that great nickname, bro. Use it to your advantage. It's sick!' Williams said he'd like to finish the original 'Avatar' series, as he's a fan of anime. For now, however, he will focus on closing. DiMartino plans on checking in, though the Vermont native's newfound support comes with a plot twist. 'Growing up in New England, Boston teams were my dad's favorites, so the Red Sox hold a special place in my heart,' said DiMartino, who watched Bill Buckner's infamous error in the 1986 World Series in horror before shifting his interests away from baseball. 'I'll still be rooting for the Red Sox if the Yankees play them. Sorry, Devin!' Advertisement With the Bombers starting a new series against the Red Sox on Friday, Williams, who already has one save against Boston this season, would rather make Yankees fans happy than DiMartino. 'Hopefully,' he said, 'I don't give him anything to cheer about.'
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
'This brotha had muscles in his breath': Bo Jackson tells a story you need to hear
'This brotha had muscles in his breath': Bo Jackson tells a story you need to hear Show Caption Hide Caption Greg Olsen believes Travis Kelce 'controls how he leaves the game' Former NFL tight end Greg Olsen has high praise for Travis Kelce and shares when he believes Travis Kelce will eventually retire from the NFL. Sports Seriously Editor's note: This story is a part of a series by USA TODAY Sports called Project: June. We will publish at least one NFL-themed story every day throughout the month because fans know the league truly never sleeps. Bo Jackson, one of the most powerful running backs in the history of the NFL, a man who once ran over Brian Bosworth with such impunity, it became legend, was asked a simple question: Have you, Mr. Jackson, ever got, got? Meaning, did Jackson ever get blasted himself while playing in the NFL, instead of what normally happened, which was Jackson doing the blasting? The answer Jackson provided is one of the most entertaining NFL stories you will ever hear. It's one of those tales that takes you inside the sport, and illustrates how violent it can be. Jackson has always been a Paul Bunyan-type figure. This story only adds to his legend. And here it goes. Jackson actually told this story some months ago on the 'Get Got' podcast with former NFL players Marshawn Lynch (who is a legend in his own right) and Mike Robinson. But for whatever reason this part of the podcast didn't get much attention. Boy, it should have. The Raiders were playing the Cardinals, and a trap play was called. 'The trap play was designed because I was notorious for cutting back on you at full speed,' Jackson said. 'I didn't stutter step. I cut back on you and I'm already in fourth gear." It can't be stressed enough how accurate this is. One of the unique things about Jackson as a player was how quickly he got to full speed. Jackson was a shade over 6-feet and about 225 pounds but moved with the quickness of someone much smaller. 'We were down on our 5-yard line. So I'm thinking about 95 yards. Imma bust it from 95. And I don't know this brotha's name. But it was a linebacker. This brotha had muscles in his breath.' Yes, he said muscles in his breath. At this point, Lynch and Robinson start laughing uncontrollably. Have to admit, I was, too. 'I didn't see him. It's always the ones that you don't see that get you. And it was an off-trap play to the weak side. … I was going to go off tackle. 'Homeboy filled that hole. He hit me on the six and dropped me on the two.' Hit me on the six and dropped me on the two. "I never saw him. It was like me running out in front of an 18-wheeler." The player who hit Jackson then helped him up, which Jackson found irritating. On the next series, the Raiders QB, unbelievably, according to Jackson, called the same play. 'I looked at him and said, 'Have you lost your (expletive) mind?" Jackson said. 'We ran that play. Bo didn't cut back on it.' First, one of our super-talented editors did a little digging and found a clip of the Raiders and Cardinals. Jackson played the Cardinals just once in his career, on Dec. 10, 1989, according to Pro Football Reference. I looked and didn't see that specific play. Did Jackson get the team wrong? Did he mean the Seahawks? Another team? It's possible. The game was a long time ago. I can't remember what I ate yesterday afternoon. Second, who was the player who shook Bo Jackson like that? (If anyone knows who the player was or has video of the hit please let me know.) Jackson played in the NFL from 1987-1990. A hip injury ended his career. To me, he is the second greatest American athlete ever behind Deion Sanders. (I said what I said.) The league Jackson played in is different from the current version. Today's NFL is still tough and physical but in Jackson's day it was far more brutal. Imagine how hard you had to hit Jackson for him to tell a story like that. These are the types of stories fans need to hear more about. Players need to take people inside the game. One thing we know for sure is that none of us will ever have muscles in our breath. But we can dream. All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.
