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Tuesday, 9 December 2025
Monday, 8 December 2025
Memphis hires Charles Huff as football coach after one year at Southern Miss
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis has hired Charles Huff as football coach after his one season at Southern Miss.
Athletic director Ed Scott announced the hiring Monday with Huff replacing Ryan Silverfield, who left for Arkansas on Nov. 30.
“Early in our search process, Coach Huff quickly rose to the top of our list as a dynamic leader with a proven track record of building strong, competitive programs,” Scott said. “He brings a championship mindset, tremendous drive, and more than 20 years of experience working alongside some of the top coaches in college football.”
Huff went 7-5 with Southern Miss this season after taking over a program that went 1-11 in 2024. That was the program’s best regular-season record since 2019. The six-win turnaround was one of the biggest improvements in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season.
He takes over a program in Memphis that was ranked as high as No. 22 this season before three straight losses for an 8-4 finish. The Tigers are playing North Carolina State in the Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 19 in Tampa. Interim coach Reggie Howard will oversee the Tigers in the bowl game.
“The level of consistency the football program has had over the recent years is incredible,” Huff said of Memphis, thanking university officials with trusting him to lead the program. “To the city of Memphis and Tiger Nation, it’s time to STAND UP! To the players and administration, it’s go time!”
Southern Miss named Blake Anderson as interim coach for the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 23 against Western Kentucky.
Huff went 32-30 at Marshall between 2021 and 2024, capped by a win in the 2024 Sun Belt Conference championship game. Huff coached Marshall to a bowl in each of his four seasons, and he notched wins over then-No. 8 Notre Dame in 2022 and Virginia Tech in 2023.
He worked for Nick Saban at Alabama in 2019 and 2020 as associate head coach and running backs coach working with Najee Harris. He was at Mississippi State in 2018 and coached Saquon Barkley during the coach’s stint at Penn State between 2014 and 2017.
Huff was at Western Michigan in 2013, the NFL’s Buffalo Bills in 2012, Vanderbilt with coach James Franklin in 2011, his alma mater Hampton in 2010, Maryland in 2009 and started his career at Tennessee State in 2006.
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Sunday, 7 December 2025
No. 2 Indiana beats No. 1 Ohio State to end Big Ten title drought
INDIANAPOLIS — Fernando Mendoza’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt gave No. 2 Indiana the lead midway through the third quarter, and the Hoosiers’ stingy defence shut down No. 1 Ohio State the rest of the way in a 13-10 victory on Saturday night for their first Big Ten championship since 1967.
Indiana likely locked up the top seed in the College Football Playoff while extending the best record in school history to 13-0. The Hoosiers are also now poised to claim the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time.
They did it by snapping a 30-game losing streak against the Buckeyes that stretched to 1988. Indiana also ended major college football’s longest winning streak at 16 games, sealing the win with a 33-yard pass from Mendoza to Charlie Becker on third down, a play that took the clock down to the 2-minute timeout.
Ohio State fell to 12-1 overall, though its quest to win back-to-back national championships for the first time will likely begin with the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.
The Buckeyes had a chance to retake the lead on fourth-and-1 from the Indiana 5-yard line late in the third quarter. But a replay review overturned the call on the field, determining Julian Sayin came up short. They also had a chance to tie the score with 2:48 to play, but Jayden Fielding missed a 29-yard field goal wide left.
The two quarterbacks duelling for the Heisman Trophy essentially played to a draw.
Mendoza was injured on the first offensive play of the game but returned after missing one play and finished 15 of 23 for 222 yards and the one TD and one interception. Sayin was 21 of 29 for 258 yards, one TD and one interception.
But when the big plays needed to be made, Mendoza usually got the job done
Indiana took a 3-0 lead after Sayin was picked off in the first quarter, but the Buckeyes turned Mendoza’s miscue into a 17-yard TD pass to Carnell Tate for a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter.
The teams traded second-quarter field goals as the Buckeyes took a 10-6 lead, but Mendoza neatly tucked a TD pass into Sarratt near the sideline on Indiana’s first possession of the third quarter, and that was all they needed.
The takeaway
Indiana: The Hoosiers showed everyone why they’re no longer taking a backseat to the Buckeyes or anyone else in college football. Defensively, they were as stingy as ever. Offensively, they moved the ball and played keep away — and did just enough for an historic victory.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes aren’t exactly rolling into the playoffs. They struggled — for a half — at Michigan and two halves against the Hoosiers. At times, Sayin showed his inexperience by missing reads and throws. Still, they’re the defending national champs and are as dangerous as anyone.
Up next
Both teams await the CFP rankings and first-round pairings to be released on Sunday.
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Saturday, 6 December 2025
Jim Barker joining Argonauts in player personnel role
The Toronto Argonauts continue to revamp their management staff in an off-season makeover.
Jim Barker said during an appearance on the Rod Pedersen Show that he is rejoining the Argos in a player personnel role.
The 69-year-old has had multiple stints with Toronto in different roles, including senior advisor, head coach, general manager and offensive co-ordinator. During his time, he has helped the team win three Grey Cups and has two more with the Calgary Stampeders and Montreal Alouettes.
Barker’s addition to Toronto’s front office comes after longtime Stampeders coach and executive John Hufnagel joined the team as a senior adviser on Tuesday. Hufnagel and Barker have worked together in the past, winning a Grey Cup together in Calgary back in 2008.
The Argos are looking to rebound from a down season, going 5-13 and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Toronto also hired Mike Miller as their 46th head coach in franchise history following Ryan Dinwiddie’s departure to the Ottawa Redblacks to become their general manager and head coach.
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Max Verstappen takes pole position for F1 title-deciding Abu Dhabi GP
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Max Verstappen took a brilliant pole position for the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of Formula 1 title rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on Saturday.
The thrilling three-way battle will be decided on Sunday at the Yas Marina Circuit. The McLaren driver Norris is 12 points ahead of Red Bull’s Verstappen and 16 ahead of McLaren teammate Piastri.
Verstappen is aiming for his fifth straight F1 title — Norris and Piastri are chasing their first. All three drivers have won seven races.
The Dutchman is ready to fight for another title battle on the final day — just like in 2021, when he beat seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton on the last lap to clinch his first championship.
“We find out tomorrow don’t we?” Verstappen said. “I will try and win the race.”
Pole position is crucial on the 58-lap circuit in Abu Dhabi, where overtaking is hard. Every driver has won from pole since 2015. The last driver not to win from pole was Nico Rosberg in 2014, when he was beaten by his then-Mercedes teammate Hamilton.
Verstappen had already set the fastest lap on his first go but went even quicker on his second attempt and clocked 1 minute, 22.207 seconds, making him .201 faster than Norris and .230 quicker than Piastri.
“That was insane,” Verstappen said over team radio after his eighth pole of the season and 48th overall. “Yes. Lovely.”
Verstappen kissed his girlfriend, Kelly Piquet, and shook hands with McLaren CEO Zak Brown.
Norris will win the title if he’s on the podium in Abu Dhabi. Even if Verstappen wins, the Dutchman needs Norris to be fourth or lower. If Piastri wins, he requires Norris to finish outside the top five.
Norris will start from the front row but was disappointed not to be on pole.
“We just weren’t fast enough today. We’ll have to try and do it tomorrow,” he said. “I still want to try and win tomorrow, so that’s going to be the goal.”
Piastri was content with his performance.
“Nicely done,” he said. “Wasn’t much left.”
Hamilton was eliminated from Q1, the first section of qualifying, for the third straight race. He also crashed in third practice due to a driver error earlier Saturday, and has not qualified inside the top 10 for four consecutive races.
“I’m so sorry,” Hamilton said over team radio. “There are no words to express how I feel.”
Asked about 2026, a dejected-sounding Hamilton said “I’m not looking that far ahead.”
Mercedes driver George Russell qualified fourth ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who fared much better than his more illustrious teammate.
Hamilton struggles again
Russell led third practice ahead of Norris and Verstappen.
But Hamilton lost the rear of the Ferrari coming out of Turn 9 and spun full circle before sliding into the barriers, bringing out the red flag. He stepped out of the car and picked up some of the debris himself.
Hamilton owns F1 records for most wins (104) and pole positions (104) but called his own performance “ terrible ” this season.
The 40-year-old Briton won a sprint race in China in March, but nothing else this season. He has not even been on the podium in a main race this campaign.
Norris showed good pace to lead Friday’s first two practice sessions ahead of Verstappen.
McLaren rues errors
Norris had the chance to wrap up the title at last week’s Qatar Grand Prix but a botched strategy call by McLaren handed Verstappen the win, boosting his chances of a fifth straight title to equal Michael Schumacher’s feat with Ferrari from 2000-04.
Verstappen’s victory in Qatar was his 70th overall. His title chances improved after Norris and Piastri were disqualified in Las Vegas.
Tense title race
After winning the Dutch GP on Aug. 31, Piastri led by Norris by 34 points and was 104 ahead of Verstappen, who had won just two races.
Piastri, who is looking to become the first Australian champion in 45 years, hasn’t won in eight races since his Zandvoort win.
When Norris won the Brazil GP sprint race in early November, he moved 39 ahead of Verstappen with four races to go.
Verstappen also qualified in 16th for the main race in Sao Paulo and said he could “ forget about ” winning the title at that point.
Now, it’s a different feeling.
After taking yet another superb pole, Verstappen stood proudly on his car and did a “No. 1” gesture with his finger.
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Friday, 5 December 2025
Canada coach Marsch claims he has ‘gut feeling’ on group ahead of World Cup draw
Like everyone else, Jesse Marsch is eager to learn Canada’s World Cup path at Friday’s draw in Washington, D.C.
But the Canadian coach has an idea of what his 27th-ranked side can expect in Group B, which has already been decided as its landing spot as co-host.
“I have the gut feeling that we’re going to see an opponent that we’ve already played since I’ve been here,” Marsch said.
The draw procedure is simple with the 12 groups populated from four pots, which are sorted by world ranking, other than the co-hosts.
Marsch is expecting a European team with 16 UEFA entries in the expanded 48-country field (12 European teams have already been decided, with the remaining four coming from a 16-team playoff). And he says Canada has an excellent chance of getting an African side.
Qualified teams that Canada has already played under Marsch, who was named coach in May 2024, include No. 13 Colombia, No. 16 Uruguay, No. 23 Ecuador, No. 26 Australia and No. 42 Ivory Coast.
Canada, the 14th-ranked U.S. and No. 15 Mexico have been placed in Pot 1, along with nine top seeds — No. 1 Argentina, No. 2 Spain, No. 3 France, No. 4 England, No. 5 Brazil, No. 6 Portugal, No. 7 Netherlands, No. 8 Belgium and No. 9 Germany.
Teams cannot face countries from the same confederation in the round-robin stage, with Europe the exception because of the number of teams entered. No group can have more than two UEFA teams in it.
The 12 group winners, 12 runners-up and eight best third-place teams advance to the knockout rounds.
Under the draw procedures, Canada will open Group B play against the team drawn from Pot 4 before heading west to Vancouver, where it will face the team first from Pot 3 and then from Pot 2.
So Canada could kick off its campaign against No. 66 Jordan, No. 68 Cabo Verde, No. 72 Ghana or No. 86 New Zealand. But the Canadian men could also face No. 12 Italy, assuming it survives the final European qualifying.
A worst-case scenario could see Canada face No. 10 Croatia, No. 11 Morocco or No. 13 Colombia from Pot 2, No. 29 Norway or No. 34 Egypt from Pot 3 and Italy or No. 21 Denmark from Pot 4, assuming they advance via the European playoffs.
Canada would face co-host Mexico in the Round of 32 if both teams finish runner-up in their groups.
Mexico will play out of Group A, and the U.S. in Group D.
By being placed in Pot 1 with the top seeds, the co-hosts avoid the top nine countries — which should increase their chances of advancing. But that also means that Canada’s Group B will be a desirable landing spot.
“You become the team that everyone hopes to get,” said former Canada coach John Herdman. “I’m talking about the Croatias, the Moroccos (both in Pot 2), those teams that are fantastic international teams. They’re all hoping to drop into your group and then therefore you become the team that everyone’s looking to beat.”
Forty-two of the 48 qualified teams have already been decided. Six more, all to be placed in Pot 4, will come from qualifying playoffs in March
The 16-country European playoff field also includes No. 25 Turkey, No. 28 Ukraine, No. 31 Poland, No. 32 Wales, No. 43 Sweden, No. 44 Czechia, No. 45 Slovakia, No. 47 Romania, No. 59 Ireland, No. 63 Albania, No. 65 North Macedonia, No. 69 Northern Ireland, No. 71 Bosnia-Herzegovina and No. 80 Kosovo.
Two more will come from a separate six-country playoff tournament, featuring No. 56 Congo DR, No. 58 Iraq, No. 70 Jamaica, No. 76 Bolivia, No. 123 Suriname and No. 149 New Caledonia.
FIFA says the decision to put the playoff winners in Pot 4, which also includes No. 82 Curaçao and No. 84 Haiti, was made to avoid disadvantaging teams that had already qualified in favour of sides that had to go the additional step of making the field.
The winner of Canada’s Group B will face a third-place team from Group E, F, G, I or J in the round of 32. The Group B runner-up will meet the second-place team in Mexico’s Group A.
The highest-ranked teams, No. 1 Spain and No. 2 Argentina, will be placed on different sides of the draw, as will No. 3 France and No. 4 England.
With just two international windows — March 23-31 and June 1-9 — before the World Cup kicks off June 11, there are limited tune-up opportunities left. Canada has been lining up opponents, yet to be announced, based on what it expects to see at the draw.
Canada, ranked 41st in the world at the time, was grouped with No. 2 Belgium, No. 12 Croatia and No. 22 Morocco at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The Canadians lost all three matches, outscored 7-2, and will be looking for their first win in their third trip to the tournament.
The Canadian men went 0-3-0 in their first tournament appearance in 1986 in Mexico, outscored 5-0 in losses to France, Hungary and the Soviet Union.
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Thursday, 4 December 2025
Revisiting the Canucks’ early-season moves under Rutherford and Allvin
Ahead of the 2024-25 season, the consensus around the Vancouver Canucks was that there was positivity and potential — two things that weren’t exactly present by the end of the previous campaign. The team’s health and tone had improved from just months earlier, and while no one was necessarily projecting it to win a Presidents’ Trophy or Stanley Cup, there was realistic hope and belief it could improve upon its last result — a 90-point finish that left the Canucks two spots out of a wild card — and get back into the playoffs.
But 27 games into the season, the Canucks are not on track to get where they want to be. A lacklustre first quarter (and a bit) has seen the club go 10-14-3 for a .426 points percentage, sitting second last in the Pacific Division and 30th overall. Vancouver is also dead last in goals allowed and hasn’t strung together two consecutive wins since the middle of October.
Although a plethora of injuries taking out chunks of the lineup at times and the adjustment to a new head coach’s system could be considered factors in their poor results, it’s still just not good enough. Especially when the Canucks find themselves at a critical juncture in their history, with generational star defenceman Quinn Hughes becoming extension-eligible in the summer of 2026, all while speculation persists surrounding his desire to play with his brothers in New Jersey.
The Canucks have repeatedly dismissed the notion of a tear-it-all-down rebuild, including recently when team president Jim Rutherford told Sportsnet it’s “not something that we’re going to look at doing,” even if Hughes were to leave, instead referring to the team as being “in transition.”
And while they may be averse to the idea of taking the time and patience required for a rebuild, Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin have shown they don’t shy away from making big moves when needed. Rutherford, in particular, has built a reputation over his 30-year career of jumping the market and completing blockbuster deals. That was reaffirmed last week when Elliotte Friedman reported the Canucks have made it known they are willing to listen to offers on veteran players, excluding Hughes, and that their goal is to get younger.
Since then, a handful of names have been speculated upon as possible trade pieces, with Kiefer Sherwood and Conor Garland emerging as the leading rumoured candidates. During his Saturday Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada this past weekend, Friedman noted that “there’s nothing imminent in Vancouver” but added that “there’s some teams who are very interested — like Minnesota, Boston, potentially Philadelphia (and) others.” He also said the Canucks appear content to let the market come to them and are “more than comfortable to take their time.”
So, while we’re in watch-and-see mode for what Rutherford and Allvin might have up their sleeves in the near future, let’s take this opportunity to review the most notable early-season deals the duo has orchestrated ahead of the NHL trade deadline during their tenure in Vancouver.
Jan. 30, 2023
To Vancouver: Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty and a 2023 conditional first-round pick
To NY Islanders: Bo Horvat
Why it happened: Bo Horvat, the Canucks’ former captain, and J.T. Miller were due to become UFAs at the same time (2023 off-season). With both due major extensions, it was believed one would have to be re-signed at the expense of the other. While the initial consensus was that it would be Horvat who re-signed, J.T. Miller signed first and entered the 2022-23 season with an extension signed that would start the following year. Horvat’s future remained uncertain and a career year further priced him out, so the Canucks opted to trade him to secure something in return rather than letting him walk in the summer for nothing.
How it’s turned out: Beauvillier spent parts of two seasons in Vancouver before being sent to the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2024 conditional fifth-round pick in another early-season move in November 2023. Raty remains in the organization and has had stints in both the AHL and NHL, winning a Calder Cup with Abbotsford in 2024-25, but has emerged as a full-time NHLer this season. The pick Vancouver acquired in the Horvat trade was later flipped, when the Canucks acquired defenceman Filip Hronek from the Detroit Red Wings in March, just days ahead of the 2023 trade deadline, an elite-level defenceman to partner with Hughes on the top pairing.
Nov. 30, 2023
To Vancouver: Nikita Zadorov from the
To Calgary: 2024 fifth-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick
Why it happened: At the time of the trade, Vancouver was sitting second in the Pacific, primed for a playoff push, and injuries to defencemen Carson Soucy and Guillaume Brisebois (their fifth and sixth options) made blue-line depth an area of need. As Allvin described him then, “Nikita is a big, strong and mobile two-way defenceman who will bring more physicality to our backend.” After shedding Beauvillier’s $4-million cap hit, the Canucks had the means to acquire Zadorov, who had publicly requested a trade from the Flames.
How it’s turned out: In the 54 games Zadorov played for Vancouver, he recorded 14 points, was a plus-six, posted 102 penalty minutes and 124 hits. In 13 playoff games as the Canucks advanced to Game 7 of the second round, he added another eight points, was plus-three, and chipped in 26 penalty minutes and 45 hits. His shooting percentage jumped from 8.2 per cent in the regular season to 19 per cent in the post-season, and his average ice time climbed from 17:04 to 20:09. Zadorov’s combination of performance and personality quickly made him a fan favourite, but it also raised his value as a pending UFA. Unable to reach a contract agreement with the Canucks, he signed a six-year, $30-million deal with the Boston Bruins that summer.
Jan. 31, 2024
To Vancouver: Elias Lindholm
To Calgary: Andrei Kuzmenko, Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo, a 2024 first-round pick and a 2024 conditional fourth-round pick
Why it happened: The Canucks had climbed to first in their division and were tied with the Bruins for top spot in the league. Looking to bolster a roster that was now all but assured a playoff berth, Vancouver completed another trade with Calgary — this time acquiring forward Lindholm for a much larger package than the Zadorov trade, headlined by Kuzmenko, who had fallen out of favour with former head coach Rick Tocchet, and the 2024 first-round pick. At the time, Allvin described Lindholm as “a really solid 200-foot player, makes us harder to play against and gives our coaching staff options in the top six.”
How it’s turned out: Lindholm began his tenure in Vancouver as a top-six winger but was eventually moved into a third-line centre role. He missed seven games due to injury, and overall his regular-season performance — just 12 points with a minus-six rating in 26 games — was underwhelming. In the playoffs, he redeemed himself, playing the hero at times and taking on a pivotal shutdown role in others, finishing with 10 points in 13 post-season games. His most valuable contribution was in the faceoff circle, posting a team-leading 58.7 per cent in the regular season and 51.2 per cent in the playoffs. Like Zadorov, Lindholm became a UFA on July 1 and did not re-sign with the Canucks, instead inking a seven-year, $54.25-million contract with the Bruins.
Jan 31, 2025
To NY Rangers: J.T. Miller, Erik Brannstrom and Jackson Dorrington
To Vancouver: Victor Mancini, Filip Chytil and a 2025 conditional first-round pick
Why it happened: Does this one really need an explanation? The Canucks’ 2024-25 season was a rough one, marked by a lot of drama that culminated in the club moving on from Miller amid off-ice issues and subpar on-ice production. It ended a months-long narrative about Miller and Elias Pettersson, in which there was a rumoured rift between the top two centremen that was impacting the team. Friedman reported at one point that all solutions were on the table — trading one, both, or neither — and Rutherford added fuel to the fire when he interviewed with The Globe and Mail, saying, “It certainly appears like there’s not a good solution that would keep this group together.” The solution they ultimately chose was to send Miller to the Rangers and keep Pettersson.
How it’s turned out: Though the trade put an end to the negative attention and drama surrounding the team, Vancouver — almost a full year later — has still not managed to find a reliable replacement down the middle, and the absence of a true second-line centre remains a noticeable weakness as the team struggles this season. As for the players acquired from New York, Mancini has split his time between the AHL and NHL. Chytil, who had a history of head injuries before arriving, has continued to deal with them in Vancouver as well, including what is presumed to be a concussion at present. Since January of last year, he has appeared in only 21 games for the Canucks because of injuries.
Jan 31, 2025
To Vancouver: Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor
To Pittsburgh: Melvin Fernstrom, Vincent Desharnais, Danton Heinen and a 2025 conditional first-round pick
Why it happened: Just hours after trading Miller, the Canucks opted to use their newly acquired first-round pick as trade capital, immediately sending it to the Penguins, along with a trio of players, in exchange for defenceman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O’Connor. Pettersson’s name had been linked to Vancouver for some time leading up to the deal, and he fit the profile of the solid second-pairing blue-liner the Canucks had been seeking. Of Pettersson, Rutherford told The Athletic, “He’s just what we need, in my opinion… He’s just a very, very steady defensive defenceman. You need to have guys like that if you want to win in this league.” And with Heinen and Desharnais moving the other way, the Canucks were also able to part with two players who never quite found a fit within the organization.
How it’s turned out: Both Pettersson and O’Connor were pending UFAs when they arrived in Vancouver, and each was quickly re-signed — Pettersson to a six-year, $33-million contract and O’Connor to a two-year, $5-million deal — a sign of how strongly management felt about their fit moving forward. In 58 games between this season and last with the Canucks, Pettersson has recorded 16 points, is a plus-11 and averages over 20 minutes of ice time, and he’s become a regular on the penalty kill. O’Connor, meanwhile, has also appeared in 58 games, putting up 21 points, and this season he’s operating at a 21.9 shooting percentage and a 64.3 faceoff percentage while taking on PK duties of his own.
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