College Football

The Weekender: College Football’s Best Attend The NFL Scouting Combine, NCAA Football Rules Committee Takes Aim on Faking Injuries, JuJu Watkins Leads No. 4 USC Past No. 2 UCLA To Earn Big Ten Women’s Basketball Regular Season Crown

Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what’s next.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S BEST ATTEND THE NFL SCOUTING COMBINE

The annual NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis brings some of college football’s most elite athletes together, allowing NFL teams to glimpse who they may want to draft in late April.

As always, there was a treasure trove of stories coming out of the event. Most notably, the saga surrounding the health of former Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter — a candidate to be the  No. 1 overall pick — took over headlines earlier in the week. After initial reports indicated that Carter might be headed toward foot surgery prior to April’s NFL Draft, later scans revealed that he would not need to go under the knife. While Carter did not participate in drills at the combine, he is expected to showcase his talents at Penn State’s Pro Day on March 28. 

Another major storyline at the top of the draft board was the battle between quarterbacks Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders to be the first signal caller taken in April’s draft. While Ward has seemingly separated himself from the pack as the top option at quarterback, Sanders has tried to maintain his hold as the No. 2 quarterback in the class. However, the former Colorado quarterback did not participate in drills at the combine. 

Several former Buckeyes descended on Indianapolis for the combine, and Eleven Warriors has you covered regarding each of Ohio State’s prospects.

NCAA FOOTBALL RULES COMMITTEE TAKES AIM ON FAKING INJURIES

It’s not a secret that college football defenses have employed “creative” strategies to slow down up-tempo offenses.

One of the more unsavory practices in slowing down an offense is the dreaded fake injury. There have been countless examples of players falling to the turf with an undisclosed injury while the opposing offense lines up in formation, causing the officials to call the play dead and stop any momentum the offense may have.

To combat this, the NCAA Football Rules Committee proposed that a team may lose a timeout whenever their medical personnel would have to evaluate an injured player after the ball has been spotted. If the team has no timeouts remaining, then a five-yard delay of game penalty would be assessed. 

In addition to this potential rule change, the committee also eyed limiting the amount of timeouts in games that go longer than three overtime periods. 

JUJU WATKINS LEADS NO. 4 USC OVER NO. 2 UCLA TO EARN THE BIG TEN REGULAR SEASON CROWN

JuJu Watkins stuffed the statsheet by producing 30 points, five assists, three rebounds, three blocks and two steals to lift No. 4 USC to an 80-67 victory over No. 2 UCLA, clinching the regular season Big Ten title for Trojans.

In its first season as a Big Ten program, USC went 17-1 in conference play — in addition to a 26-2 mark on the season — behind the phenomenal play of Watkins. The Los Angeles native averaged 24.2 points per game, alongside 6.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per contest, while leading the Trojans to the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament.  

ICYMI

KYLE MCCORD WAS HAPPY TO SEE OHIO STATE WIN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, THINKS HIS TRANSFER TO SYRACUSE WORKED OUT BEST FOR EVERYONE

During his NFL Scouting Combine press conference, former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord — who transferred to Syracuse last offseason — talked about the Buckeyes winning the national championship and his transfer to the Orange. 

A HISTORIC NIGHT AT THE SHOE: SIGHTS AND SOUNDS FROM THE NHL STADIUM SERIES GAME AT OHIO STADIUM 

The Columbus Blue Jackets prevailed over the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 during Saturday’s NHL Stadium Series matchup at Ohio Stadium.

“HE’S NOT TO BE MESSED WITH”: NFL COMBINE DEFENDERS WHO PLAYED OHIO STATE LAST SEASON TOOK NOTICE OF JEREMIAH SMITH 

Jeremiah Smith turned plenty of heads during his freshman season, and several NFL prospects that played against him took note of his other-worldly talent.

WHAT’S NEXT

  • 41 Days: Ohio State Football Spring Showcase
  • 181 Days: Ohio State Football season opener vs. Texas
  • 244 Days: Jim Knowles returns to Columbus
  • 272 Days: The Game

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