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Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Texas Tech Defense Preview 2025: Transfer Portal Rescues the Red Raiders
The defense killed the 2024 season. There was little pass rush, the D allowed 460 yards and 35 points per game, and only Tulsa allowed more passing Red Raiders allowed 35 points or more eight times, and the 453 total points were the most given up since 2016. But this is the transfer portal era, and WOW, did Texas Tech - potentially - fix the glitch. X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN2025 Texas Tech PreviewTexas Tech Offense Breakdown Season Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season- You want more from your defensive line, Texas Tech fans? Here you go. Now, there's a whole lot more projection than proof on the edge, but David Bailey (Stanford) was one of the biggest gets in the portal, and Romello Height (UTEP) has a world of transfer combination of Lee Hunter (UCF), Skyler Gill (Northern Illinois), and AJ Holmes (Houston) is fantastic. Hunter is an All-Big 12 anchor, and Gill is a fantastic interior pass rusher. - The linebackers did what they could. All team stats aside, the combination of Jacob Rodriguez on the outside and Ben Roberts in the middle did everything they could, combining for 210 tackles. They were 1-2 in stops, respectively, and both should be in the All-Big 12 mix. John Curry is a terrific backup option who made 35 tackles. - The defensive front six/seven is relatively settled. And then there's the secondary. The safeties have a few key parts back in AJ McCarty and Chapman Lewis after combining for five picks, but they're still in a fight for their gigs. Mississippi State's Brice Pollack should step in at one corner job, and North Dakota State's Cole Wisniewski should shine at one safety after missing almost all of last year hurt. Season Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season 2025 Texas Tech PreviewTexas Tech Offense Breakdown © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UCLA softball opens NCAA regional with dominant win over UC Santa Barbara
UCLA's Megan Grant (43) celebrates after hitting a home run to cap a 9-1 win in six innings over UC Santa Barbara in the Los Angeles Regional Friday at Easton Stadium. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times) With UCLA's bats quiet early, Kaitlyn Terry stepped into the batter's box looking to ignite a two-out rally — and with one swing she brought the Bruins to life. Terry, a right fielder and left-handed pitcher, hit a three-run home run in the second inning to jump start UCLA's 9-1 win over UC Santa Barbara in six innings in the opening round of the Los Angeles Regional on Friday. Advertisement The No. 9 Bruins (49–10) advanced to Game 3 of the regional, where they'll face the winner of Arizona State and San Diego State at 2 p.m. PDT Saturday. Before the season, coach Kelly Inouye-Perez stressed that a UCLA championship push had to start with securing a regional at Easton Stadium — and taking care of business once there. Read more: 'How does this thing not sink?' UC regent Bob Myers questions UCLA athletics' finances UCLA is chasing its ninth Women's College World Series berth in the past decade, but early on Friday, the path looked shaky. Instead of a confident march into the postseason opener, it felt like déjà vu for a moment — a flashback to the haunting 2023 regional, when the Bruins dropped their first game and ultimately fell short of a trip to Oklahoma City. Advertisement The Bruins squandered early opportunities uncharacteristic of the nation's No. 2 run-scoring lineup. Trailing in the second inning, Alexis Ramirez reached base on a hit up the middle, then stole second. After advancing on a ground out, she was caught in a rundown between third and home. Still, UCLA had a chance to even the score with runners on first and second, but Terry's flied out to end the inning. Terry found herself in a similar situation two innings later, this time delivering. With two outs in the fourth, Kaniya Bragg reached first on a hit-by-pitch. Batting for the first time this season, Taylor Stephens followed with a slow roller into right field — just soft enough for Bragg to beat the tag at third while Stephens stepped into second. Advertisement On the next pitch, Terry crushed a home run to center field. Taylor Tinsley, an All-Big Ten First Team selection, allowed three hits and one walk while striking out one. Her only blemish came in the second inning, when she gave up a run. Her biggest challenge came in that frame, as a base hit and an error at third put runners on first and second with one out. Read more: Jordan Chiles once thought she was 'ugly.' Now she's proud to be SI Swimsuit cover model After the Gauchos put runners on the corners in the second, UCSB catcher Delaina Ma'ae drove a fastball into right field for an RBI double. Advertisement A pair of home runs in the sixth inning ended the game via the mercy rule. Jessica Clements hit a three-run home run. That was followed by a walk and steal from Savannah Pola, who was driven in by Jordan Woolery's RBI single. Megan Grant ended the game with a two-run homer to left-center field. UCLA, which finished tied for second with Nebraska in its first season in the Big Ten, has won 26 games by mercy rule this season. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
UCLA softball opens NCAA regional with dominant win over UC Santa Barbara
With UCLA's bats quiet early, Kaitlyn Terry stepped into the batter's box looking to ignite a two-out rally — and with one swing she brought the Bruins to life. Terry, a right fielder and left-handed pitcher for the Bruins, went one for two with a three-run home run in UCLA's 9-1 win over UC Santa Barbara in six innings in the opening game of the Los Angeles Regional on Friday. The No. 9 Bruins (49–10) advanced to Game 3 of the regional, where they'll face the winner of Arizona State and San Diego State at 2 p.m. Saturday. Before the season began, coach Kelly Inouye-Perez stressed that a UCLA championship push had to start with securing a Regional at Easton Stadium — and taking care of business once there. UCLA is chasing its ninth Women's College World Series appearance in the past decade, but early on, the path looked shaky. Instead of a confident march into the postseason opener, it felt like déjà vu for a moment — a flashback to the haunting 2023 Regional, when the Bruins dropped their first game and ultimately fell short of a trip to Oklahoma City. To start, the Bruins' offense was a stark contrast to the firepower expected from the nation's No. 2 run-scoring lineup, squandering opportunities. Trailing in the second inning, Alexis Ramirez sparked some life into the Bruins with a base hit up the middle, then stole second. After advancing on a groundout, she was caught in a rundown between third and home. Still, UCLA had a chance to even the score with runners on first and second, but Terry's flyout ended the threat, stranding both runners. Terry found herself in a similar situation two innings later, this time delivering. With two outs in the fourth, Kaniya Bragg reached first on a hit-by-pitch. Batting for the first time this season, Taylor Stephens followed with a slow roller into right field — just soft enough for Bragg to beat the tag at third while Stephens stepped into second. On the next pitch, Terry crushed a home run to center field. Taylor Tinsley, an All-Big Ten First Team selection, allowed three hits and one walk while striking out one. Her only blemish came in the second inning, when she gave up a run. Her biggest challenge came in that frame, as a base hit and an error at third put runners on first and second with one out. After the Gauchos put runners on the corners in the second, UCSB catcher Delaina Ma'ae drove a fastball into right field for an RBI double. A pair of home runs in the sixth inning ended the game via the mercy rule. Jessica Clements hit a three-run home run. That was followed by a walk and steal from Savannah Pola, who was driven in by Jordan Woolery's RBI single. Megan Grant ended the game with a two-run homer to left-center field. UCLA, which finished tied for second with Nebraska in its first season in the Big Ten, has won 26 games by mercy rule this season.
USA Today
07-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Texans to host potential Laremy Tunsil replace in Oregon's Josh Conerly for top 30 visit
Texans to host potential Laremy Tunsil replace in Oregon's Josh Conerly for top 30 visit Josh Conerly Jr. must have made a strong impression on the Houston Texans during their week-long stay at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. As the draft approaches, Houston wants to know more about the standout left tackle. According to KPRC 2 Sports' Aaron Wilson, the Texans are expected to host the former Oregon offensive lineman for a top-30 visit later this week. Multiple mock drafts have listed Conerly as one of two options on the offensive line for Houston if available at No. 25. Conerly, an All-Big Ten Conference and first-team All-American selection, also has meetings set up Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears. He's the presumed No. 4 offensive tackle in the class behind LSU's Will Campbell, Texas' Kelvin Banks Jr. and Ohio State's Josh Simmons. Adding Conerly would mark another sign that the Texans are truly investing in overhauling their offensive line for C.J. Stroud. The defending AFC South champions made headlines last month by trading Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders in exchange for four draft picks. The Texans also traded Kenyon Green to the Eagles, and cut staring offensive guard Shaq Mason to free up cap space. In their place, Houston signed veteran left tackle Cam Robinson and guard Laken Tomlinson before and for guard Ed Ingram from Minnesota. Conerly, a 6-foot-5, 311-pound giant, impressed during his three seasons in Eugene. He earned a full-time starting job in 2023, and continued to develop into a powerful, consistent blocking presence for Heisman finalist and future first-round pick Bo Nix. Last season, he allowed one sack while protecting Dillion Gabriel, helping the Ducks secure an undefeated regular season and Big Ten title. During last month's combine, Conerly solidified his Day 1 draft stock, running a 5.04 40-time with a 1.71 10-yard split. He had a 34.5-inch vertical leap and an 8-foot-7 broad jump. 'I think I'm pretty agile and able to be used in all schemes,' Conerly told reporters at the combine. 'I help out in a lot of different ways because you can get the ball out on the edge. I'm really good in gap and zone schemes. It doesn't really matter. I bring a lot.' Should Houston select Conerly, he would serve as the heir apparent for Tunsil. Robinson, who signed a one-year deal worth up to $14 million, should start the season on the left side, but if regression sets in Conerly would take over as the full-time new man in command. The Texans own seven picks in this year's draft, including four in the top 100.
USA Today
21-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Eagles to host Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr on a top 30 predraft visit
Eagles to host Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr on a top 30 predraft visit Josh Conerly was a All-Big Ten Conference and first-team All-American that the Philadelphia Eagles could draft and develop to replace Lane Johnson The Eagles build through the trenches, and as the defending Super Bowl champions take steps to retool a dominant roster, the offensive and defensive line will be the focus of attention. The initial wave of NFL free agency is over, and the results could significantly impact April's NFL Draft, which will occur at the end of next month. Like every team in the league, Philadelphia worked hard to retain its talent on the open market while looking to set aside cash for future deals. With no big-money deals paid in free agency, the Eagles will rebuild through the draft over the next two years. Philadelphia is set to have eight selections in this year's draft and could use its first-round pick on a key player in the future. Aaron Wilson reports that former Oregon Ducks All-American offensive tackle Josh Cornerly Jr. has a top-30 predraft visit scheduled with multiple teams, including the Eagles. Conerly is regarded as one of the top offensive line prospects in the draft and is a projected first-round draft target. Philadelphia currently holds the 32nd overall selection. Philadelphia loves athletic offensive linemen, and Conerly fits that mold as Lane Johnson's eventual successor. The Seattle native, who started his career as a running back before transitioning to offensive tackle as a sophomore, doesn't turn 22 until November. In his three seasons at Oregon, Conerly Jr. played 41 games and was a two-year starter. He played 1,881 snaps at left tackle in three seasons and had a 78.0 overall grade from PFF for the 2024 season.
