49ers running back Jordan Mason had a big game filling in for the injured Christian McCaffrey on Monday night, but when Mason talked to the media afterward he wasn’t in a good mood. Immediately after the game, Mason told Lisa Salters of ESPN that he found out Friday night that he would be starting in place of McCaffrey. That would …

Tyre West. Tennessee Volunteers versus Iowa Hawkeyes in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida on Jan. 1, 2024. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire No. 9 Tennessee (2-0) enters Week 3 with a defensive streak the Vols’ football program has not achieved since 1985. Tennessee’s defense has not surrendered a touchdown in three straight games, …

A year ago, after Week 1 of the 2023 season, I wrote about five rookies who balled out in their debuts and whether it was sustainable over the ensuing four months. Bijan Robinson, Puka Nacua, Christian Gonzalez, Brian Branch and Jalen Carter all made the list. (Interestingly, no C.J. Stroud, who struggled against the Ravens in Week 1 before catching …

Two season is two weeks old and for the second consecutive week the College Football Playoff picture got an overhaul in this week’s USA TODAY Sports bowl projections. Don’t worry. It won’t be the last. Last week’s forecast saw North Carolina State and Oklahoma removed from the field after less-than-stellar wins. Miami and Missouri moved in to take their place. …

On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including the start of the 2024 NFL season. The league saw strong viewership numbers—including a record 28.9 million for Thursday’s opener between the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens. The hosts discuss the NFL both …

Dont’e Thornton Jr. Tennessee’s Orange & White Game at Neyland Stadium on April 13, 2024. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire Week 3 of the college football season will begin on Thursday. Week 2 featured Tennessee (2-0) defeating ACC opponent North Carolina State (1-1), 51-10, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Vols totaled 211 receiving yards …

49ers running back Jordan Mason hadn’t had 28 carries in any game since high school. No 49ers running back had that many carries since at least 2017. Via NFL Research, the 28 rushing attempts were the most by any 49ers player since Kyle Shanahan became the head coach seven years ago. McCaffrey had 26 attempts in December 2022, during a …

What just happened here? Kentucky football went from whispers of being ESPN “College GameDay” hosts for the first time since 2007 for Saturday’s game against No. 1 Georgia to wondering if a bowl game can be salvaged. South Carolina’s 31-6 beatdown of UK not only snatched college football’s No. 1 pregame show from Lexington — the broadcast will now head …

Winner: Michael Penix Jr; Loser: Kirk Cousins Atlanta’s decision to draft a quarterback in April after the Falcons also handed Kirk Cousins a $180m contract the previous month is a thorny one. On the basis of the veteran signalcaller’s shoddy debut in a loss to the Steelers, the Falcons will be happy they drafted a potential replacement for Cousins. Clearly …

The opening weeks of the high school football season brought significant changes to the New Jersey Super 25 rankings. Morris Knolls, Old Tappan, Paramus Catholic, Somerville and Washington Township all joined the rankings after strong starts to the season. There are two battles of ranked teams coming up this weekend: Millville will face Mainland in a rematch of last year’s …

For the past two seasons, the message with the New York Jets rarely changed. If they could just get good quarterback play, they’d be contenders. Aaron Rodgers was back in Week 1, and unlike last season, his season debut lasted more than four snaps. But it mostly looked like the same old story with the Jets. Rodgers led an offense …

Mack Sutter made his way to the Horseshoe. The four-star Dunlap tight end, part of the Class of 2026, was in attendance for No. 2 Ohio State’s 56-0 win over Western Michigan on Saturday, making an unofficial visit to the Columbus, Ohio, campus. Sutter has Ohio State among his 12 finalists. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound junior’s visit to Ohio State followed …

SANTA CLARA, Calif – The Jets are among the most talented teams in the NFL. Pro Bowlers and all-pros litter their roster on both sides of the ball. There isn’t a glaring weakness at any level. They’re that good – no, great on paper. And that means absolutely nothing. The Jets took that roster of who’s who across the country …

Perhaps the No. 1 reason why Saturday’s 20-19 loss versus Iowa State felt so shocking for Iowa football was because it simply rarely ever happens. Dating back to the start of the 2015 season, the Hawkeyes owned a 72-2 record in contests where Iowa led by eight points or more at any point in the game. At least for one …

Mason’s career night fills CMC ‘void’ in 49ers’ win vs. Jets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area SANTA CLARA — Jordan Mason took the field at Levi’s Stadium on Monday night with the weight of the world on his shoulders, but much like the onslaught of New York Jets defenders attempting to tackle the 49ers running back — it …