Ford Field in Detroit, site of the Rams’ NFC wild-card playoff loss to the Lions last season, would not rank as the friendliest place for an opposing team’s rookie kicker to make his NFL debut. The Rams’ Joshua Karty embraces the challenge. The sixth-round draft pick from Stanford is looking forward to the Sept. 8 opener against the Lions. “Why …

STILLWATER — After Oklahoma State’s 44-20 win over South Dakota State on Saturday, coach Mike Gundy regularly pointed to two bothersome factors of his team’s performance. Mediocre rushing production and big plays allowed by the defense. The first concern makes sense — the Cowboys averaged 3.8 yards per carry — but it seems likely that reigning Doak Walker Award winner …

This is the first story in Sportico’s Turf Wars series, examining the business decisions behind choosing natural grass or artificial turf for an NFL stadium. The NFL built the world’s most valuable sports league largely via forced uniformity. Teams share most revenue evenly, they sell all their media rights as a single entity, and every franchise adheres to the same …

The ACC began the 2024 college football season looking to fortify its bona fides on the gridiron one year after its undefeated champion was left out of the College Football Playoff and as its two best programs over the past 20 years are actively suing the conference. That quest is off to a less-than-ideal start. Florida State, the league’s lone …

The Dolphins have not won a playoff game since acquiring wide receiver Tyreek Hill in a 2022 trade with the Chiefs, but they made it clear this offseason that they like the trajectory the team is on. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, and head coach Mike McDaniel all signed contract extensions while Hill’s deal was tweaked to add …

Kentucky football, after beginning its season with a 31-0 win over Southern Miss in a game cut short following multiple weather delays, will return to Kroger Field this Saturday to begin SEC play against South Carolina. Kentucky is 7-4 against the Gamecocks under head coach Mark Stoops. South Carolina leads the series, 20-14-1. Here’s how much it will cost you …

The Seahawks have found their third quarterback. Seattle announced on Monday that the club has signed Jaren Hall to its practice squad. Hall, 26, was recently waived by the Vikings. Minnesota selected him in the fifth round of the 2023 draft. He appeared in three games for the club with two starts last year, completing 13-of-20 passes for 168 yards …

Louisville football will face Jacksonville State on Saturday at L&N Stadium. The Cardinals are coming off a 62-0 win over Austin Peay. They recorded more than 500 yards of total offense, forced two interceptions and sacked Austin Peay’s quarterback seven times in the victory. Jacksonville State is coming off a 55-27 loss to Coastal Carolina, in which it allowed the …

On paper, the Kansas City Chiefs are the best team in the NFL. They have the game’s best player in Patrick Mahomes, who is on his way to being the best player ever, and they have a great coach in Andy Reid to go with a talented roster. That, coupled with my usual tradition of starting the previous year’s Super …

Steelers running back Jaylen Warren has been dealing with a hamstring injury, but he’s moving in the right direction as the team heads into the first week of the regular season. Video from the team’s practice on Monday shows Warren going through individual drills and having no trouble as he runs and cuts at full speed. Warren said, via Brooke …

The Rutgers football team will host Akron on Saturday at SHI Stadium for its second game of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for noon. The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 44-7 win over Howard, while the Zips on Saturday fell to No. 2 Ohio State 52-6 in Columbus. Here’s how you can get tickets to see Rutgers and Akron …

Kirk Cousins will be Captain Kirk again. As expected. In his first season with the Falcons, the former Vikings quarterback has been elected one of four team captains. The other are tackle Jake Matthews, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, and safety Jessie Bates III. Four captains are the fewest we’ve seen for 2024. The Steelers also have four. For Cousins, he’s …

WEST LAFAYETTE — Leland Smith was on Purdue football’s radar but ended up a late addition to the 2024 signing class. Head coach Ryan Walters was impressed by receiver’s 6-foot-4 frame and blazing speed. “He is one of probably the top-five fastest guys on the team,” Walters said. Smith, who had 655 yards receiving and nine touchdowns in nine games …

The Lions beat the Rams in a home playoff game in January and they’ll be opening the 2024 season at Ford Field against the same opponent, but there’s a significant difference to the opposition this time around. Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald retired after the playoff loss in Detroit and his absence was the subject of a question for Lions …

Clock violation… on the clock? That’s the scenario as Boston College football takes on Florida State on Monday night. The clock was malfunctioning, so the time was being kept on the field. ESPN’s scorebug did not include the time. The back judge will hold both of his hands to indicate that there are 15 seconds left on the play clock …