Diesel, Northern Illinois’ beloved former Siberian husky mascot, passed away Sunday night after a recent cancer diagnosis. He was 13 years old.

The news was announced in a post on his official Facebook page.

"Dear family and friends. Thank you for the outpouring of support and for visiting during the home opener yesterday. We are very sorry to tell everyone that Diesel's time had come today and he is no longer with us,” the post says. “He was a very lucky dog because he had all of you as friends. Thank you for the last decade of great memories. Please give your pets a big hug from us. We love you all and Go Huskies!"

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According to the DeKalb Daily Chronicle, Diesel was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma in August. He retired as the school’s mascot in 2013 after nine seasons and became well known on the national stage when he was captured high-fiving an NIU cheerleader on an ESPN broadcast.

The school’s athletic department confirmed the dog’s death on Monday morning.

“NIU athletics would like to extend its deepest sympathies on the passing of ‘mascot emeritus’ Diesel,” it said on its Facebook page. “For nine years he visited every stadium in the Mid-American Conference (except UMass), four MAC Championship games, and NIU road games throughout the Midwest. Diesel was a fan favorite to the Huskie faith and fans of opponents alike.”

Diesel, who was given the “mascot emeritus title” upon retirement, spent his last home game as the team’s mascot at Huskie Stadium during NIU’s 2013 season finale on Nov. 26, where he was honored alongside the team’s seniors. He later attended the Huskies' Orange Bowl contest against Florida State.

Even after his retirement, Diesel made appearances at NIU tailgates and even made it to Saturday’s game against UNLV, a 38-30 Huskies victory.

Upon Diesel’s retirement, his successor, Mission, was introduced and put under the care of NIU’s ROTC program. 

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It turns out the injury to Pitt running back James Conner was more serious than initially thought.

Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi said after Saturday’s win over Youngstown State that Conner was “fine.” However, Narduzzi announced Monday that Conner will miss the season due to a torn MCL in his right knee.

The injury, which occurred during the second quarter, will require surgery.

“Even with all of his success last year, James attacked his preparation for this season like he was fighting to earn a starting spot,” Narduzzi said. “He is a tremendous competitor and teammate. After he was injured on Saturday, James was constantly in the ear of his teammates, encouraging them and coaching them on the sideline. Our entire program shares his disappointment but we will also be behind him every step of the way in his recovery.”

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Conner rushed for 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2014 and won the ACC Player of the Year award. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound junior rushed eight times for 77 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday before injuring the knee.

“I greatly appreciate everyone’s support and well wishes,” Conner said. “This is a temporary setback and I’m going to work even harder to bounce back. Even though I won’t be able to play this season, I’m going to be right beside my teammates and help them every way I can to have a great season.”

With Conner out, Pitt turned to redshirt freshman Qadree Ollison and he responded with 207 yards and a touchdown in the 45-37 win – his first career collegiate game.

Coming off Saturday’s win, the Panthers will face Akron on the road Saturday evening.

For more Pittsburgh news, visit Panther-lair.com.

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Jesse Ertz’s stint as Kansas State’s starting quarterback in 2015 did not last long.

Ertz left the Wildcats’ season-opening win over South Dakota Saturday after only a few plays. Head coach Bill Snyder said during the Big 12 coaches teleconference Monday that Ertz is “going to be out for quite some time.”

“We will miss him,” Snyder said per Kansas.com. “We feel badly about the loss and he will be there. He has been a wonderful individual for us, very representative of our value system, of our team and really developing as a leader.

“I am quite confident he will stay invested in what we are doing and will be very helpful to all of his teammates. We will move on.”

Snyder did not offer specifics about the injury. Ertz previously suffered a torn ACL as a high school senior.

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Ertz, a redshirt sophomore, was making his first career start for the Wildcats when he suffered what appeared to be a knee injury on the first play of the game. He remained in for one additional snap – a handoff – and then was helped off the field by two trainers.

After being examined on the sideline, Ertz was taken to the locker room on a cart.

“I feel dramatically bad for him,” Snyder said after the game. “We will see how it plays out. I have no idea right now, but anytime anybody gets hurt, they work so hard and for it to take them out of a game you work so hard for to play, our prayers will be with him. Hopefully it is something where he can get back on his feet real quick.”

Ertz beat out Joe Hubener and freshman Alex Delton to win the starting job during preseason practice. Hubener, a junior, came on in relief of Ertz Saturday and led the Wildcats to a victory. Hubener threw for 147 yards and a touchdown in the 34-0 win, but completed only 50 percent (9/18) of his throws. He also ran for 38 yards on nine carries.

Hubener, a former walk-on, will make his first career start for the Wildcats on Saturday on the road against Texas-San Antonio. Hubener played in seven games for K-State in 2014, completing 9-of-17 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown. He also added 142 yards and three touchdowns rushing. 

For more Kansas State news, visit GoPowerCat.com.

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Ahead of Monday night’s Ohio State road matchup at Virginia Tech, Buckeyes fans are making their presence felt across in the state of Virginia.

According to Tidewater News, an Ohio State flag was spotted covering the Virginia Tech logo on the side of Mount Hokie near Capron – about four hours east of VT’s campus in Blacksburg.

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The banner reportedly was first spotted “sometime Friday afternoon.”

Though the Buckeyes are coming off a national championship, their lone loss of the 2014 season came at the hands of the Hokies on Sept. 6 at Ohio Stadium.

After the 35-21 loss, Ohio State reeled off 13 straight wins, including a Jan. 12 victory over Oregon to capture the first-ever College Football Playoff title.

For more Virginia Tech news, visit HokieHaven.com.

For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.

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Utah cornerback Dominique Hatfield has been reinstated to the program, head coach Kyle Whittingham announced Monday.

“He’ll play as soon as he’s ready,” Whittingham said, per KSL.com. “As things are turning out, it was our belief, in fairness, he was deserving to be able to be reinstated back onto the football team.”

Whittingham said he and athletic director Chris Hill reached a decision to reinstate Hatfield and that the cornerback would be able to return to the field “whenever he is ready.”

“If he’s ready to play this week, he’ll play,” Whittingham said. “If he’s not, it could be something like three weeks.”

Hatfield has been in school and on scholarship, but has not been with the team since early July when he was arrested for aggravated robbery. Whittingham kicked him off the team after the arrest, but those charges were dropped a few weeks later.

Even after the charges were dropped, Whittingham said later in July that Hatfield was “working through some things” and remained separated from the team.

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News later emerged that Hatfield had been charged with assault stemming from a July 5 incident.

According to police documents, Hatfield was at a party and was asked by a person to stop “rolling marijuana into a blunt” and not smoke in the house. Hatfield allegedly “began striking (the victim) in the face and other parts of his body” with other “unknown individuals.” The alleged victim reportedly received bruising to his eyes, shoulder and back and cuts on his face and nose.

Hatfield was charged with misdemeanor assault, and according to KSL.com, those charges are still pending.

Hatfield, a junior from Los Angeles, totaled 38 tackles, nine pass breakups and one interception in 10 starts in 2014. He was expected to start in 2015 for the Utes, who are coming off a win over Michigan in Thursday’s season opener.

When asked about the possibility of Hatfield returning to the team, Whittingham said in August that Hatfield could potentially return to the starting lineup. He also has a redshirt year available.

“If it was before camp ended, it’d be a very viable possibility that he could be back in the mix early in the season,” Whittingham said. “The longer it goes, the less likely it is that he’d be a factor this year for us.

“Now he does have a redshirt year; if in fact he’s able to get reinstated and get everything worked through, we have that option, too.”

The Utes face Utah State at home on Friday night.

For more Utah news, visit Utezone.com.

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Louisville receiver James Quick will not play Saturday against Houston after suffering a severely sprained ankle in the season opener against Auburn.

"I’m not real encouraged," Petrino said of Quick’s availability.

The good news, however, was that Quick did not suffer an injury to his Achilles tendon, which was the initial fear when Quick abruptly fell to the ground without contact. He had to be carted off the field.

Petrino said there’s no timetable for Quick’s return.

Quick was Louisville's leading returning receiver after catching 36 passes for 566 yards and three touchdowns in 2014. He had four catches for 28 yards before leaving Saturday’s 31-24 loss.

While the Cardinals lost a main receiver, they did gain a starting quarterback.

Petrino announced that freshman Lamar Jackson would be the starting quarterback going forward ahead of Reggie Bonnafon, who started against Auburn. Kyle Bolin and Will Gardner round out the rest of the depth chart.

Jackson came into Saturday’s game in the second quarter and finished the contest. He completed 9-of-20 passes for 100 yards and an interception and rushed for 106 yards and a score. Jackson’s rushing yards were the third-most ever by a Louisville quarterback and the first 100-yard rushing game by Louisville quarterback in 41 years.

"He really gave us a lift," Petrino said. "We had four series in the second half. We got three touchdowns and a field goal. He made a lot of big plays, some of them with his legs, some of them with his arm. He showed great competitiveness."

For more Louisville news, visit CardinalSports.com.

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Texas coach Charlie Strong was not happy with the way his offense performed in its season opening 38-3 loss to Notre Dame.

During Monday’s meeting with the media, Strong harped on the inefficiencies of the offense and stressed the need to play faster and get more of the team’s playmakers involved.

“We can't go through another season with a bad offense,” Strong said. “No, that cannot happen. We have some talented players there. You look at J-Gray [running back Johnathan Gray], he touched the ball eight times the other night. He's a back that needs the ball. The ball needs to be fed to him anywhere from 15 to 20 to 25 times.

“Our offense has to run through our running backs and we have to run the football. … We have some athletes there on offense there. We've just got to do a better job of spreading the ball around and making sure that the right guys get the touches. We've got to get the ball in their hands.”

Texas had just 52 offensive snaps and managed just 163 yards of total offense. The running game had 29 attempts for 60 yards, which works out to 2.1 yards per carry. The Longhorns’ quarterbacks completed just 8-of-23 passes and averaged 3.8 yards per pass. If there were any positives from the game, it’s that the Longhorns had just four penalties and they didn’t commit a turnover.

The lack of offensive production was so bad that Strong said he’s reopening the quarterbacking competition and won’t name a starter for Saturday’s home opener against Rice until the end of the week.

Strong also said that he’s going to meticulously evaluate the work of his offensive staff going forward. He said he was so upset Saturday’s loss that he couldn’t meet with his staff Sunday and had to wait until he calmed down Monday.

“It's hard for me after a game to meet with our guys on a Sunday just because the way I feel, because there will be some things said that I'd probably regret later and I don't want it to come out the wrong way, so I kind of just -- because it bothers me,” Strong said. “It bothers me when we play the way we do. It bothers me when we're not productive, and it bothers me when we're not accountable as coaches, so it's hard for me to meet with guys. It's hard for me to talk. I don't talk to my own family, so I don't say nothing.”

Texas ranked 110^th in total offense a year ago and 106^th in scoring offense with just 21.6 points per game. Through one game of the 2015 season, the Longhorns find themselves again at the bottom of the national rankings in key statistics.

However, a home opener against Rice, a team that wasn’t known for its scoring defense a year ago, should help the Longhorns get back on track and perhaps open up the playbook to allow some of the playmakers more opportunities to touch the ball.

“There's millions and millions of people involved with this program, and we've got to give them hope, and they need to see progress, and after the other night, I feel, you look at that game, and you're like, wow," Strong said. "We said we were going to be up-tempo. There was no up-tempo. We said we were going to do this. That didn't happen.

“But there's got to be hope and there's got to be progress. Yeah, you have all these young players, but still, there's still got to be something in it for us where we're looking to say, hey, maybe they are moving forward, maybe we do see a change, maybe we are getting better, and we didn't see those things.”

For more Texas news, visit Orangebloods.com.

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Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright is only expected to miss "three to four weeks" after undergoing minor knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus he suffered during the season opener against Texas-San Antonio, according to coach Rich Rodriguez.

RichRod said Scooby Wright is out 3-4 weeks "after his scope."

— Daniel Berk (@DSBerk) September 7, 2015

Wright suffered the lateral meniscus tear in his left knee during the first quarter of Thursday night’s 42-32 win.

Rodriguez said Wright would still travel with the team while he recovers and the timetable puts him back on the field either for the Sept. 25 game against UCLA or the Oct. 2 game against Stanford.

Wright led the nation in tackles, tackles for loss and forced fumbles last season.

For more Arizona news, visit GOAZCats.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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No one ever doubted Braxton Miller’s athletic ability, but when he decided to move from quarterback to wide receiver there was a hint of skepticism.

Skepticism quickly turned to shock and awe on Monday as Miller had debut for the ages that included two catches for 78 yards and a receiving touchdown as well as six carries for 62 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

While everything Miller did Monday was pretty spectacular, his touchdown run in the third quarter will be one that will be replayed on highlight reels for the rest of the season and perhaps beyond.

That score put the Buckeyes up 28-17 and pretty much drained whatever fight Virginia Tech might have had left as Ohio State rolled to a 42-24 win.

Miller's spin move was so good that starting quarterback Cardale Jones was replaying it on the Ohio State sideline.

Miller became the first Buckeye to have a 50-yard touchown run and a 50-yard touchdown catch in the same game since Ted Ginn Jr. in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl.

It’s clear Ohio State has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to athletic talent, but Miller might be the best of the lot and perhaps an unexpected Heisman hopeful.

For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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Ohio State is better than it was a year ago.

As crazy as that seems, the defending national champions took the field for their season opener against Virginia Tech on Monday and left with a dominating 42-24 victory.

For three quarters, Ohio State looked like a team that could have beaten any team it was up against. It jumped out to a 14-0 lead thanks to the arm strength of quarterback Cardale Jones and an 80-yard scamper by running back Ezekiel Elliott.

But then the Buckeyes got comfortable, turned the ball over twice and allowed the Hokies to gain momentum and take a 17-14 lead into halftime.

But that was where the good feelings for Virginia Tech ended.

Braxton Miller, the former Buckeye quarterback turned receiver, was the difference in the second half, scoring two touchdowns, including one where he made a spin move and left two defenders out of position.

That score put the Buckeyes up 28-17 and they never looked back. Miller finished his night with two catches for 78 yards and a touchdown, and six carries for 62 yards and a score. He became the first Buckeye to have a 50-yard touchown run and a 50-yard touchdown catch in the same game since Ted Ginn Jr. in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl.

It was Miller's first game action since the 2013 season.

The Hokies had the promise of going toe-to-toe with the Buckeyes in the second half until starting quarterback Michael Brewer suffered a broken collarbone after being crushed by defensive tackle Adolphus Washington while attempting a throw just three minutes into the half.

The Hokies had to punt on that possession and the air seemed to go out of the entire team. Backup Brenden Motley came on to try and fill Brewer’s shoes, but struggled to get any offense going until late in the game when he threw his first career touchdown pass with 1:55 remaining.

While the focus much of the offseason was on the quarterbacking controversy, Jones, who led the Buckeyes to a Big Ten title and a national title during his three games as starter, played the majority of the game and played well. He completed 50 percent of his passes for 186 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed 13 times for 99 yards and a score.

J.T. Barrett, who was the starter the majority of the 2014 season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury, got in late in the fourth quarter and did throw a touchdown pass. Coach Urban Meyer had maintained that the Buckeyes would play two quarterbacks, but even as the game got tight at the end of the first half, Meyer never wavered from Jones and it paid off.

Ohio State made a statement Monday night.

While Virginia Tech isn’t a ranked team, it’s a good team and going to Blacksburg to start the season is no easy feat. Ohio State got a little comfortable when it got up 14-0, but showed in the second half that it has the talent dominate a team when it needs to. The scary part is that the Buckeyes are only going to get better moving forward.

For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.

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Ever wonder what two championship-winning football coaches talk about when they're together? Well, in the case of former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer and current Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, headsets was one of the topics they discussed before the 2015 season.

According to Stoops, Switzer told him he needed to wear his headset less while on the field. So in the Sooners' 41-3 win over Akron on Saturday, Stoops did just that.

“He said sometimes he liked it better, he got a better feel for the game when he wasn't listening to everybody,” Stoops said via the Oklahoman. “And the way we're signaling now, I can get the call without having to hear it. I'll experiment with it, but I kind of like it. I would never have thought of it until talking to Coach about it.”

You may remember the flack that former Michigan coach Brady Hoke got in 2014 for not wearing a headset. But let's be honest, that wasn't so much about the headset but the disorganization and chaos that was Michigan football last year.

And if Stoops' new offense does what it did against Akron on Saturday throughout the 2015 season, Oklahoma fans will want him to ditch the headset forever. In the team's first game under offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, a former Texas Tech assistant under Mike Leach who was last East Carolina's offensive coordinator, quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for 388 yards, the most yards any Oklahoma QB has accumulated in a season opener.

Mayfield's also new. Saturday was his first start for Oklahoma after transferring from Texas Tech following the 2013 season.

If Switzer's words were so convincing about the headset, we've got a suggestion for his next idea. Get Stoops to wear a fur coat on the sidelines.

For more Oklahoma news, visit SoonerScoop.com.

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The broken collarbone that Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Brewer suffered against Ohio State will likely keep him out for about half the season.

Brewer is expected to have surgery for the injury Tuesday. He was hurt when his left shoulder was slammed into the turf on a hit by Adolphus Washington that came after he threw a pass in the Hokies' 42-24 loss. Depending on recovery, he's expected to miss 4-8 weeks.

"I put that kid through hell, and he played his tail off today," Virginia Tech offensive coordinator Scott Loeffler said after the game via the AP. "I said this to our team: 'You can sit, you can feel sorry for yourself, you can do this.' We're going to rally around Motley."

Motley is Brendan Motley, Virginia Tech's backup quarterback who finished the game after Brewer's injury. Motley finished 4-9 passing for 36 yards with a late touchdown and an interception that came on a deep ball. He also ran for 17 yards.

Brewer was one of the reasons why Virginia Tech was hanging in the game throughout the first half. After the Buckeyes struck quickly for a 14-0 lead, Virginia Tech scored 17 unanswered for a 17-14 halftime lead. Brewer, who was hurt early in the third quarter, was 11-16 passing for 156 yards and two scores before his injury.

Brewer was named Virginia Tech's starting quarterback before the 2014 season when he transferred from Texas Tech following the 2013 season. He threw for nearly 2,700 yards, 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 2014.

He was also considered an important part of Virginia Tech's quest to get back to the ACC Championship Game for the first time since 2011. Despite the second-half shellacking Monday night, Virginia Tech is still one of the better teams in the ACC Coastal. If Motley quickly gets comfortable, Tech should be able to survive in Brewer's absence.

Motley was a three-star athlete recruit in the class of 2012 according to Rivals.

For more Virginia Tech news, visit HokieHaven.com.

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Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer kept his starting quarterback decision so tight-lipped that Cardale Jones didn’t know he was starting Monday night against Virginia Tech until the Buckeyes’ first offensive series.

Jones told reporters after OSU’s 42-24 win that both he and J.T. Barrett were ready to go in the game.

“Both of us had our mouth pieces in looking at each other. Should we step to the sideline? Coach Meyer was like, ‘Go Cardale,’” Jones said, per the Associated Press.

Jones played for the majority of the game, completing 9-of-18 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 99 yards and a score on the ground.

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Barrett came on when OSU had the game in hand and completed his only pass of the night – a 26-yard touchdown to Michael Thomas. He also ran for 40 yards.

Meyer’s long-awaited decision was one of the biggest storylines of the offseason after Barrett led the Buckeyes to an 11-win regular season and Jones took over for an injured Barrett en route to OSU’s national championship.

The competition during preseason camp was reportedly neck and neck, and Jones said Monday night he thinks the competition between the two will continue.

Meyer also admitted as much: they’ll both play.

"We met twice along the journey in training camp, and [Jones] was ahead, and J.T. really closed it and almost nudged back," Meyer said, per ESPN. "But the way I looked at it, Cardale finished the season as the starter, and I started thinking for him not to take the first snap, he had to get beat out, and he wasn't beat out. It was very close, but we got two good players and they're going to play."

Jones did struggle a bit Monday night, especially in the second quarter when he threw an interception on an ill-advised throw. Meyer said he considered lifting Jones for Barrett at that point, but he opted to stick with the 250-pound Jones.

"We're going to ride my opinion in that moment," Meyer said per the AP. "In that situation to drive the ball down the field to score, who should be in the game? J.T. has to stay warm. If J.T.'s in the game, Cardale has to stay warm. Is that the right thing to do? At this point it is. Will that change and adapt throughout the year? I don't know. Remains to be seen."

Next on the schedule for the Buckeyes is Saturday’s home game against Hawaii. Will Jones get the nod to start again?

"I'm not even sure who will start Saturday," Jones said.

For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.

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Mississippi State wants its “Cowbell Yell” football pep rally to be known around the world.

The school said in a release that it hopes to set a new Guinness World Records title for “most people ringing cowbells simultaneously.” Seriously.

The event begins at 9 p.m. Thursday night at Davis Wade Stadium and attending fans will be divided into “Cowbells Required” (for those who brought cowbells) and “No Cowbell” sections (for those who didn’t).

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JoJo Dodd, MSU’s student association president, said that Steve Brandon, a two-time MSU graduate and former student association senator, is the “visionary” behind the World Record attempt.

“I hope to see everyone there, cowbell in hand, to make history for our university,” Dodd said. “It’s going to be an incredible experience for all in attendance as we kick off football season. Mr. Steve Brandon is really the visionary behind this attempt. Without his efforts in fundraising and hand in organizing, the logistics of this would not be possible.”

According to the school, MSU fans need to “beat the current record for largest cowbell ensemble” in order to set the record.

It shouldn’t be too difficult to get the job done. From a school release:

While there is no current record holder in this category, in order to set the record, MSU’s number must beat the current record for largest cowbell ensemble. The Associated Press reported on Aug. 1 that more than 1,000 people rang cowbells at a running race in Royal Oak, Michigan, but this record has yet to be verified. According to GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS, the current record for largest cowbell ensemble is a gathering of 640 people in Switzerland on Sept. 6, 2009.

The pep rally is in advance of the Bulldogs’ home opener against LSU on Saturday.

“So much of our success as a department is because of the outstanding fan and student support our teams receive,” MSU athletic director Scott Stricklin said. “Students have taken great ownership in making the special atmosphere that now exists at Davis Wade and have created an incredible home field advantage, while remaining focused on honoring our tradition by respecting the bell. This event provides a great opportunity for our fans and students to prepare for another exciting home season.”

The Bulldogs opened their season with a 34-16 win over Southern Miss over the weekend.

For more Mississippi State news, visit BulldogBlitz.com.

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Two days after Kansas State’s band apologized for its Saturday halftime performance, the school announced self-imposed sanctions.

Kansas State said Tuesday that it received notification from the Big 12 that potential violations of its “sportsmanship and ethical conduct policies” occurred and subsequently “agreed to sanctions with the conference office.”

Those sanctions include a $5,000 fine paid to the Big 12 for “violation of the league sportsmanship policy” and a one-game suspension for the university’s band director for the Nov. 28 game at Kansas. Additionally, all band halftime performance content will need prior approval by representatives from the Office of Student Life and athletic department.

"At Saturday's home football opener Kansas State University fell short of its obligation to conduct itself in a consistent manner with the principles of sportsmanship," said President Kirk Schulz. "Good sportsmanship is part of the Wildcat way; we do not want to do anything that takes away from the tremendous efforts of our student athletes and the award-winning Pride of Wildcat Land marching band."

The band said the halftime show for last Saturday’s game against South Dakota was supposed to be Star Trek-related and feature the Starship Enterprise fighting the Kansas Jayhawk mascot.

It looked like this:

Kansas State’s “formally apologized to the chancellor and athletic director at the University of Kansas” after Saturday’s game, the school said in a statement.

“We look forward to our upcoming athletic contests with the expectation of sportsmanlike conduct from the entire K-State family,” Schulz said.

For more Kansas State news, visit GoPowerCat.com.

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Penn State players were so dismayed with their performance in Saturday’s 27-10 loss to Temple that they decided to bury it – literally.

“One thing that the captains did, we brought everybody up after the coaches got off the field and one thing that we did is we buried the tape,” safety Jordan Lucas said during Monday's press conference. “We buried the tape, actually buried the tape, with a shovel on the practice field right where we walk out. We buried it.

“I think that’s something that we needed to do to get moving forward and, you know, kind of give us that positive back and, you know, have a little fun with it. So, we buried the tape. Temple’s over, we’re on to Buffalo.”

Penn State hadn’t lost to Temple since Oct. 18, 1941, but looked uninspired against the Owls after taking a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Penn State was so bad that former players started calling out the offensive play-calling and the coaches on Twitter.

Coach James Franklin didn’t sidestep the criticism on Monday saying that he knew fans were going to be disappointed in the result, but asked everyone to stay positive as the team looks ahead to this weekend matchup against Buffalo.

And that’s what Lucas said the team was trying to do in burying the game film.

“We just wanted to let the guy know that, hey look, we’re not going to dwell on the past,” Lucas said. “We lost a game. It’s our fault. We’re going to bury this. It’s not the end of our season, it’s the first game. It’s the first game of the season. So we have 11 more opportunities, trying to get 12 more opportunities after this past Saturday.”

For more Penn State news, visit BlueWhiteIllustrated.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook

At this point, it's easier to tell you which SEC teams aren't in the AP Top 25 after the first week of the 2015 college football season.

Those teams are South Carolina, Florida, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. Yes, that means 10 of the SEC's 14 teams are in the AP Top 25, the most teams one conference has ever had in one AP Poll.

The previous record was held by the SEC at eight, and it had eight teams in the preseason AP poll. After Texas A&M's convincing win over Arizona State on Saturday night and Mississippi State's win over Southern Miss, the two SEC teams jumped into the top 25 at No. 18 and No. 25 respectively.

The SEC's other eight teams in the poll are Alabama (at No. 2), Auburn (No. 6), Georgia (No. 10), LSU(No. 14), Ole Miss (No. 17), Arkansas (No. 18), Missouri (No. 21) and Tennessee (No. 23).

If you're an SEC hater, there's no need to waste any energy complaining that the SEC is overrated at the moment. The conference will not have 10 teams in the top 25 for very long. All seven SEC West teams are currently in the poll and once conference play begins, well, they're going to start beating each other. Depending on the result of Saturday's game between LSU and Mississippi State, the loser may be out of the post-week 2 top 25.

And remember, six SEC teams finished 2014 in the final AP poll.

Here's how the rest of the poll looks. Arizona State, Stanford (lost to Northwestern) and Wisconsin (lost to Alabama) were the three teams that dropped out.

1. Ohio State (LW: 1)
2. Alabama (LW: 3)
3. TCU (LW: 3)
4. Baylor (LW: 4)
5. Michigan State (LW: 5)
6. Auburn (LW: 6)
7. Oregon (LW: 7)
8. USC (LW: 8)
9. Notre Dame (LW: 11)
10. Georgia (LW: 9)
11. Florida State (LW: 10)
12. Clemson (LW: 12)
13. UCLA (LW: 13)
14. LSU (LW 14)
15. Georgia Tech (LW: 16)
16. Texas A&M (LW: NR)
17. Ole Miss (LW: 17)
18. Arkansas (LW: 18)
19. Oklahoma (LW: 19)
20. Boise State (LW: 23)
21. Missouri (LW: 24)
22. Arizona (LW: 22)
23. Tennessee (LW: 25)
24. Utah (LW: NR)
25. Mississippi State (LW: NR)

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Stanford and TCU both lost defensive starters to season-ending injuries over the weekend.

For the Cardinal, sophomore defensive tackle Harrison Phillips announced on Twitter that he suffered a torn ACL Saturday against Northwestern.

As mentioned in his tweet, Phillips will pursue a medical redshirt and have three years of eligibility remaining following the 2015 season. Phillips played in six games last season and made his first career start for the Cardinal at nose tackle on Saturday.

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With Phillips out, sophomore Solomon Thomas will move over from defensive end to take Phillips’ spot. Additionally, fifth-year senior Brennan Scarlett is expected to move into Thomas’ starting defensive end spot, according to the Stanford Daily.

The Cardinal host UCF Saturday night.

Like Stanford, TCU also lost a first-year starter in junior linebacker Sammy Douglas, head coach Gary Patterson announced.

Douglas played predominantly on special teams for the Horned Frogs in the past two seasons, but moved into a starting role this year. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Douglas was injured in the second defensive series Friday night in TCU’s 23-17 road win over Minnesota.

With Douglas out, redshirt freshman Ty Summers should move into his starting role.

Additionally, Patterson announced that defensive end James McFarland also may be lost for the season.

McFarland, a senior, led the Horned Frogs with seven sacks and was the MVP of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl win over Ole Miss last season.

The Horned Frogs host SF Austin on Saturday.

For more TCU news, visit PurpleMenace.com.

For more Stanford news, visit CardinalSportsReport.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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Former Iowa safety Tyler Sash was found dead in his home Tuesday, according to various media reports.

A neighbor who came to walk the dog around 8 a.m. found Sash. Details about the cause of death have not been released. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.

The University of Iowa cancelled its Tuesday press conference and coach Kirk Ferentz offered this via a statement.

“We are all very saddened to hear about the untimely loss of Tyler,” Ferentz said. “It is always so difficult when it involves someone this young. Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to Tyler’s family during this extremely difficult time – and we want them to know they are not in this alone. The commitment, passion, and excitement that Tyler brought to football and to life will always endear him to Hawkeye coaches, teammates, and fans. He touched our hearts in many ways and will be missed by all of us.”

Sash, 27, was a member of the Iowa football team from 2008-2010. Sash started 37 games for the Hawkeyes, including the final 34 of his career. He ranks fifth in the program in career interceptions with 13. He holds Iowa career record and ranks fourth all-time in the Big Ten Conference with 392 interception return yards.

Sash was drafted by the New York Giants in 2011 and was a member of the team that won Super Bowl XLVI. The Giants released him in 2013.

For more Iowa news, visit HawkeyeReport.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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Former New Mexico State quarterback Cody Ledbetter was found dead Saturday morning. He was 42.

According to the Tarrant County, Texas, medical examiner via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Ledbetter hanged himself. He was pronounced dead shortly before 8:30 a.m.

He played quarterback for NMSU from 1991-1995. He's the school's second-leading passer with 7.480 career passing yards, 55 touchdowns and 43 interceptions. He also ran for over 700 yards and 13 touchdowns and played in 39 games over four seasons.

He threw for 3,501 yards and 30 touchdowns as a senior in 1995. Ledbetter led the nation in total offense that season with 3,721 total yards. He also had the most pass attempts (453) and interceptions (20) of anyone in the country. 

After he left New Mexico State he played professionally in the Canadian Football League.

Ledbetter pled guilty in 2005 to having sex with a 16-year-old from Alvarado, Texas, in 2004. He was teaching and an assistant football coach at Alvarado High School at the time. However he fled to Canada before he could be sentenced in the case.

He was extradited back to Texas after he turned himself in while in Canada after domestic assault allegations. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Ledbetter was setenced to 12 years in prison for the 2004 offense and had to serve a minimum of three years before he was eligible for parole.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg