General Update: 9/7

“I’m very hot and I’m very wrong. You’re a bad boy.”- Dan Patrick

What a week. Falling stars, mellow mallard hens, napping moose, and an unexplainable plate of salad in the park at 5AM. Even I couldn’t make this stuff up. Oh yeah, and football is back. This time all the way. The NFL came back and graced the world with a game on Thursday, Friday, and all day today. Graced might be the wrong word due to the lack of love in the “city of love” on Thursday night. Unsure what that that Daffy Duck display was, but it was nice to have a full weekend of football, nonetheless.

Football this weekend was like a delicious turkey meal, and the NFL Sunday was the third slice of pie we all sneak when no one is looking. Satisfying, fulfilling, but equally bloating and unnecessary.

Bills and Ravens are about to kick now and the Vikings take on the Bears in Chicago Monday Night, but after that the full weekend of football will be complete. Both of these games better be the refreshing after dinner seltzer water everyone needs after such a heavy meal. This ‘dose of sports’ can act as the antacid that’ll be necessary before bed.

‘A dose of sports to curb the workday boredom’ or the overstuffed belly heaving under the covers after eating like a glutton. Either way, enjoy this week’s General Update, and may we all be as ‘hot’ as Dan Patrick just once in our lives.

What to expect:

• Friday Night Lights
• An entire slate of college games on Saturday
• Hometown Tigers
• What it’s like as a Fantasy Football Assistant Manager
• A Mullings Report
• Update from Nashville
• And Notable NFL scores

Friday Night Lights:

• #1 Liberty (ARI) @ #1 Corner Canyon
  • It was 81, cloudy, and breezy at kickoff. Ducks and geese were flying back and forth along the canals that lead to the Jordan River throughout the game which is not relevant to the game in any way, but it certainly added to the perfection of the evening.
  • I sat amongst the Liberty fans who were strong in number and strong in voice supporting their 31st Nationally Ranked squad until the end of the first half. As that sentence suggests, the Lion faithful hushed for a reason.
  • Corner Canyon ran 5 plays then punted on their first possession and the Lion crowd and sideline were amped…for about 90 seconds. On a 3rd and 1 QB Power to the right, the quarterback fumbled after gaining 5-6 yards and trying to stretch it for more.
    • In fairness, if he broke the tackle, there was nothing but green grass in front of him. Unfortunately, he took a pop a coughed up the ball inside the 30-yard line.
  • One play later Casuga drilled Jasean Mayberry with a 29-yard laser beam TD. 7-0
  • It was after the extra point that the White hat summoned both coaches to midfield to calm down the trash talk. Both teams were popping the pads hard, getting chippy, and trash talking after every play. The coaches gathered their teams to calm them down and after that the pad popping didn’t stop, but the trash talk did.
  • On the next Liberty possession they threw a pick on the first play and gave Corner Canyon the ball at the inside the 30. On the third play Casuga hit Weston Briggs on a easy 15 yard throw and catch for a touchdown. 14-0
  • Liberty responded with their best drive of the entire night sparked by a 20-yard option play to the right. 5 Minutes and 78 yards for an eventual rushing touchdown by Hawaii commit TJ Fo’ilefutu. He’s a stocky dude and will make an impact on short yardage situations for the Rainbow Warriors. 14-7
    • Notable–Liberty threw the ball once on the drive and completed the one throw. Notable only because they never used that strategy again. The Lions insisted on throwing the ball and neither of their QB’s seemed to find their rhythm.
    • I had the pleasure of sitting amongst TJ’s siblings and mother. They were full of love and energy for him all night. “Go wave at your brother on the bench” said Mama to his younger siblings. They dashed to the railing and yelled “TJ!” The 5’11/210 Back turned around and waved with a beaming smile on his face. From my seat three feet away, his family seemed full of love and that’s the real stuff right there.
  • Corner Canyon was forced into a decision at the end of the first as they faced a 4th and 6 from the Lion 22. Coach Kjar elected to go for it and Casuga delivered a 7 yard pass for the first down. A play or two later, he tossed a one yard touchdown. 21-7.
  • On the next Liberty drive which began at their own 20, they threw a pick on their first play. This time picked by Safety Diesel Dart. The Liberty QB got smashed as he released the ball causing the pigskin to flutter like the ducks moving North to South. The QB did not return to the game. I am unsure if it was because of the hit he took or because he had thrown two picks and lost a fumble in the first 15 minutes of gametime.
  • Either way, Corner Canyon took over but came away without a point as they attempted a Field Goal that missed to the right.
  • It was 21-7 at halftime which looks closer than the game felt. #99 Senior D-lineman and Boise St commit Paz St. John absolutely hulk smashed Casuga with six seconds to go in the half forcing him to fumble the ball away, but there was not any time to turn it into points. The bull rush from the defensive lineman was impressive. Warren Sapp type of dude. In fact, I’d like to mention both defensive lines for these teams as both were popping pads and tough as nails all night.
    • Senior Paz St John and Sophomore Aiden Thompson stood out to me for Liberty and Manase Brown and Jase Koslowski were relentless with pressure from Corner Canyon.
  • Liberty #27 Junior Strong Safety Cannon Collins and #0 Senior Safety Zeth Thues (Arizona St) were the bright spots in the secondary, but the rest of the DB play was subpar for this level of high school game.
  • #7 Senior Mike Linebacker Hudson Dunn (Minnesota) looks the part but found himself the victim of great blocking on many of the plays.
  • Corner Canyon received the ball to begin the half and began from the 20. I was scribbling a note as they took the field and looked up just as Casuga released his first throw of the half. He hit Kai Meza on an 18-yard post route. Meza beat the Safety on his first step and took it all the way for an 80-yard touchdown. It was one of those ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ situations. Silence on the away side. 28-7. 11 seconds into the half
  • Liberty punted, and Corner Canyon’s student section, which was packed, coordinated, and energetic found their full voice. My better half pointed out that they all were wearing white shirts in the first half and switched to black shirts for the second half. Several hundred students chanted and cheered in unison throughout the first half, but they hit their stride once the sun and Liberty’s chances of winning disappeared for the evening.
  • On the next drive, Casuga delivered his best ball of the night on a 48 yard in the air pass caught by Jasean Mayberry at the two yard line. It was an absolute on the money throw. He delivered 4-5 super elite balls but this one proved his ability. Weston Briggs rushed it in on the next play. 35-7.
    • The final score was 45-14
      • Casuga tossed 4 and ran in one TD
  • Corner Canyon is now 4-0 notching wins over Bingham, West Broward (FL), Fremont, and now #1 in Arizona and 31st Nationally ranked Liberty. They’ve won by at least 25 in each game. Scoring as many as 67 and giving up no more than 21. This team is about to move into conference play where the chippyness will increase and the stakes will rise. From what I’m seeing, this team is destined for a third State Championship in a row.
  • Corner Canyon host Brighton 9/12 at 7PM.
• Alta 14 @ Davis 59
  • Tradon Bessinger who had thrown (16) passing touchdowns entering this game threw another four in the win
  • Bode Sparrow
    • The #3 player in the state for the 2027 class caught a TD and returned an interception for a touchdown
  • Davis plays at Olympus 9/12 at 7PM
• #2 Lone Peak @ #1 Bishop Gorman (NV)
  • The 6’5 Safety and Oregon commit Jett Washington and Bishop Gorman hosted the Pula Twins and Lone Peak on Friday night in Las Vegas. The Gael’s put up 21 unanswered points in the first quarter. It was 35-14 at half and that ended up being the final due the game being called in the 3rd quarter due to fighting. I don’t know any of the details, but apparently, “more than three players left the sideline during an incident” which is against NIAA rules and subject to forfeit. Lone Peak’s side spilled onto the field during the altercation, but Bishop Gorman remained on their side according to Alex Wright of the “Las Vegas Review Journal.”
  • Bishop Gorman Head Coach said after the game that he coaches his guys to remain composed in those situations and that they actually practice staying on the sideline. In the case of an incident, Bishop Gorman auxiliary coaches are instructed to immediately turn away from the field and focus on keeping the players on the sideline which according to officials, they did. The NIAA will review the tape to be sure Bishop Gorman remained within the rules, but as it stands right now, Lone Peak lost by forfeit 35-14 dropping the Knights to 3-1.
  • Pula Twins
    • Jalen caught two TD’s
  • Lone Peak host Farmington 9/12 at 7PM

The big game between Corner Canyon and Lone Peak in a state playoff rematch is 9/19 at 7PM. If you remember, this game had its own sort of chippyness last season as the Lone Peak QB was eventually ejected in the fourth quarter. I expect this game in two weeks to be similar. Rock steady lads. Rock steady.

• A National High School Nugget
  • The number one High School team in the country Mater Dei out Santa Ana, California hosted Kahuku High out of Hawaii and avoided an upset winning 21-18 at home.
    • 5 Star Tight End Mark Bowman, 4 Star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui and 4 star EDGE rusher Shaun Scott lead the team and are all on their way to play for Coach Riley and USC next season.
    • 5 Star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr is headed to Ohio St next year. 6’5″/ 205
  • Last week Mater Dei had an “unexpected bye week when last week’s opponent could not field a full team due to suspensions.”
  • I guess chippyness exists everywhere.

Moving on to the Saturday game.

College Football

The first full Saturday of the 2025/26 season has come and gone with Week 2 officially coming to a close around 2AM Mountain time. Hawaii hosted Sam Houston in a game that kicked off after Midnight Eastern. Poor degenerate bastards on the East coast had to wait until 4AM Sunday morning to see if their final wager of the night pulled them back to even for the day or doubled their losses. Hopefully, they backed the home team. At least then the payoff would be worth it.

If one found themselves backing Sam Houston, then I don’t know if there is a silver lining except for maybe grabbing a fresh bagel on the walk home from the underground sports bar. That is of course assuming one has a few more dollars to their name. Hopefully this does not represent anyone, but inevitably there would’ve been at least one or two of this type depressingly stumbling their way home. Sad, cold, probably alone, and only lifted by the heavenly smell of torus shaped dough coming from the bagel shop with the red neon sign that was standing out like a Louisville fan in Lexington. The warm glow beaming “Fresh Bagels.”

Point being, someone had to really, really want to watch a football game that was played between Midnight and four A.M. on the East Coast. I was not one of them, but I hope that bagel was perfect.

There was an abundance of action throughout the daylight hours and primetime that’s worth mentioning. Let’s jump through them.

• Hometown Tigers

After blowing out Chattanooga by 30+ in Week One, the Tigers travelled to Atlanta where they took on the Georgia St Panthers. Nevada transfer Brenden Lewis tallied 264 Total yards and one touchdown leading the Tigers to a 38-16 road victory. “Georgia St will be hungry for that one,” and they were in the first half. Fortunately for the Hometown Tigers, the Panthers were shut out in the second half and Memphis roared back with 21 unanswered for the comeback win.

The Hometown Tigers travel to Troy next week. Troy also played well for one half of football before getting shut out in the second half.

• Other Notable CFB Scores:
  • South Florida 18 @ Florida 16
    • Well done to the Bulls from the AAC. Big win for them and the conference. South Florida will be a force to be reckoned with on October 25th when they face the Hometown Tigers in Memphis.
      • The game had its own form of gross chippyness that has no place in the game, or society for that matter. Florida #90 was ejected, but I almost wish there was a harsher punishment for such a gross act.
  • Arkansas “destroyed” Arkansas St by 40 or so. The Fayetteville Hogs move to 2-0 and will play Mississippi in Oxford next week. Not to look too far ahead, but the following week they travel to the Hometown Tigers and then host Notre Dame the week after that. Tricky start for the Razorbacks, but it’s nice to start 2-0.
  • Utah blew out Cal Poly. The Utes are 2-0 and will head to Laramie next week.
  • BYU 27- Stanford 3
  • Arizona St fell in Starkville 24-20. Mississippi State is 2-0 after sealing the game with a score in final minute. I know that town is feeling some pride after such a victory. Good for the Starkville Dogs and the Maroon and White clad faithful. That had to be an unreal thing to witness. Hail State.
  • West Virginia lost to Ohio University 17-10
    • Only up from here Mountaineers
    • Don’t look now, but Pitt is coming to Monogalia County this weekend for the brawl. Better find some footing and quick.
  • Clemson battled back and beat Troy 27-16 at home
  • Missouri St 21 @ Marshall 20
    • Jacob Clark threw three touchdowns. The third coming in the final minutes to take the lead.
    • This is newly promoted Missouri State’s first FBS win. I remember Jacob Clark saying over the summer, “We won’t back down to anybody.” Hey, after getting smoked by USC last week, this was a phenomenal response from the FBS newcomers. Well done Bears.
    • Remember, don’t sleep on the gas station cashew chicken in Springfield
  • Army 24 @ Kansas St 21
    • Kansas St is now 1-2 and about to play an energetic Arizona squad this Friday night on the road.
    • Army lost to Tarleton St in Week One only to win in Manhattan Week 2. I guess Tarleton should play K State to complete the round robin.
  • Purdue is 2-0. USC on deck. This will be a tight game by the end.
  • Wisconsin is 2-0. I’m a Badger this season. Big test in Tuscaloosa this week.

“Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin’. I don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow.”- Journey

Some true firework type of games yesterday. Massive moments. Some big kicks were made and some were missed. Notably, Dominic missed last night at Oklahoma. First one in a long, long time. He’ll bounce back. He’s going to continue to be great. Just make the next one.

More fireworks are sure to come this season and more to come from the College Football section of future “General Update’s” as the season develops. By Week 4, I’ll start adding how I rank the teams. By Week 6, I’ll have some Heisman candidates I like as well as favorites for the inaugural McNelly Award. For now, this wraps the Saturday game.

Still to come: the scores from the NFL but first enjoy a word from a AFFM.

What it’s like as Assistant Fantasy Football Manager

For the first time in a few years, I am not managing a Fantasy Football team. This isn’t earth shattering news or anything, but it certainly does free up my mind for other tasks throughout the day.

One year I was in sixteen (16), yes, I’ll type it one more time, SIXTEEN Fantasy Football leagues in one season. That is a lot. Too many. Don’t do that. I did end up winning two leagues, finishing second in two, third in five, and missed the playoffs in five. It was a wild ride, but one that I will not be taking again.

Even when managing one or two teams, I’d find myself focusing on NFL related content constantly to make sure my team was as up to date as possible. This was taxing and I needed a break, so this seemed like the right season to take a sabbatical from it.

However, I do find myself this season being an Assistant Fantasy Football Manager (AFFM) and this has been a fun way to stay somewhat connected. Helping this young lad that is brand new to the game has actually been more fun than I expected. He asks questions and I give him advice. It doesn’t mean he takes my advice, but I give him exactly what I would do in his shoes.

For example, we had a draft strategy. He was picking 3rd in a 10-person snake draft, and I wasn’t going to be with him, so we had gone over the different players that might be available at each round and what needs to prioritize. Without giving too much away, there was a certain strategy that I shared with him and one that I believe can be the most fruitful in the long run. Of course, by draft night, which was a few nights before the season, all of that strategy flew out the window.

I don’t know what happened exactly, but I texted to check on him.

Me: “Who do you have so far?”
Lad: “Bijan, Henry, Higgins, Kittle, and just picked Marvin Jr.”
Me: “No QB yet?”
Lad: “SHIT!…I forgot a QB”
Me: “Who is available?”

Eleven minutes later:

Lad: “I took Purdy.”
Me: “Let’s go Niners.”

A fella could do worse than his team turned out, but he certainly deviated from the plan and very early I might add. He took the Texans defense in the 11th round and that also confused me a bit, but hey, he felt it and “went with his gut”. A real Sonny Weaver type. “You’ve got some set of balls on ya Sonny, I’ll give you that.” Shameless “Draft Day” plug. This lad may have pulled some Sonny Weaver magic on his own. I certainly hope so.

Oh well, all I can do is help when asked and laugh to myself at the mistakes of an arrogant youngster. Reminds me of someone I see in the mirror every morning, only fading from “youngster” a little more each day. A real Sonny Weaver. In fact, from now on, that’s his name. Sonny.

The absolute best part of being a Fantasy Football Assistant Manager to Sonny is giving advice and not having to assume any of the responsibilities or pressures but still getting in on the action vicariously through another. I know who he’s starting and who he’s up against, so I can just as easily root for his team and anticipate the frantic phone call when someone does poorly. Bucko, that’s how it goes sometimes. Someone projected 18 or 19 might play the entire game and only get targeted one time like A.J. Brown on Thursday Night.

Hopefully, Derrick Henry gets 22-24 points for him tonight. He’s currently losing by 2 and still has to play against Justin Jefferson tomorrow night. Slim Margins. Either way, the pressure is off of me as Asst. Manager. Win or lose, it’s a long season. Just win next week.

We’ll hear more about Sonny as the season progresses.

“Hard work makes it happen–anybody can do it.”- Miles Scott FS Illinois

NFL

• Update from Nashville
  • Nashville 12 – Denver 20
  • Rough day for the former Oilers from Houston on the offensive side. Rookie QB Cam Ward struggled mightily as did Denver QB Bo Nix. Both will see many ways to improve once they watch the game film. Cam is a future MVP if he can keep grinding.
  • Titans Kicker Joey Slye was 4/4 to keep his team in the game.
  • Kalel Mullings was a listed as active but did not get a touch

Other NFL Notes:

• At 73, Pete Carroll is still coaching. His new venture has begun as his Las Vegas Raiders won on the road in Foxborough. New England of course being one of the places Pete has spent time coaching along with a slew of other places. Coach Carroll wearing khaki pants and a Trojan Red jacket on the USC sideline is just one of those football images that I classify as iconic. My version of the good ol’ days.
• Vrabel at New England looks like a natural fit. Going back to when he was playing Linebacker for Belichick I would’ve said, “he’s going to coach this team one day.” When he took over in Nashville, I was as excited as any Titan fan, but said, “he’s only training for New England.” I was ok with that. He elevated the Titans and brought a relatable type of edge that was necessary at the time. Vrabel has been a good example of a football guy his entire career. His gritty passion is deserved in New England.
• Daniel Jones looks right at home in Indy Colt blue. A 20-0 halftime lead led to a 33-8 win over the Dolphins.
• Miami scoring eight is the story. How does that happen with all of their speed? Yikes.
• Steelers 34 @ NY Jets 32
  • Dk Metcalf caught four passes for 83 yards in his Steeler debut
  • Garrett Wilson had 7 catches for 95 yards and a TD as he developed with his new QB Justin Fields.
  • Fields had over 250 Total yards and scored three total touchdowns. Good for 29 fantasy points.
  • Rodgers scored 27 FFP in his Steeler debut.
  • A big 4th quarter (17-6) helped the Steelers get the road win

• Philadelphia hosted Dallas on Thursday Night
  • Pathetic displays of professionalism in sports.
  • Jevonte Williams was one of the bright spots in the game. He surprised fantasy managers across the globe with his productivity especially in the first half. He’s rostered on something like 82% of teams and listed as a starter in less than half of them. He reached his projection before the first quarter ended and finished the game with 20. Great start to his season.
• Notable NFL Scores:
  • Dallas 20 @ Philly 24
    • Three total combined points scored in the second half
  • Las Vegas 20 @ New England 13
  • Tampa Bay 23 @ Atlanta 20
  • Cincinatti 17 @ Cleveland 16
  • San Francisco 17 @ Seattle 13
    • Seattle led at half but mustered only three points the rest of the game.

Some other games were played, and other things happened, but this seems like enough for NFL Week One. Looking forward to seeing some better examples of respect and sportsmanship from the ‘professional’ level.

“Respect. It’s more than a word.”

SOCCER is on an international break this weekend. Expect Arsenal, Como, and more updates to return in next week’s edition.

CONCLUSION

That’s it for this week’s General Update. From the Friday Night Lights to the grown man’s Sunday game, this was a belly full of weekend football. Some of it was savory and some of it sour. Chippyness from all levels. Despicable or some might say ‘des-spittable’ acts took place across all forms of the oblong version of football. Acts that are more suitable for Daffy Duck. “Sufferin’ succotash! They’re Mon-Stars!”

Plenty of room for improvement across the board, but hey that’s true for us all.

College Football Week 3 Predictions will be out as soon as I get the numbers on next Saturday’s games.

Until then, let’s sleep off this heavy meal until we do it all over again next week when the round form of football returns to their action.

In this game kicking off in just seconds I’ll take the Ravens by one just for fun. Call it 30-29.

Find the Humor and Keep on Movin’

Whit W.