Wyoming at Arizona State, Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET (Fox Sports 1)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Arizona State by 6 1/2.
Series record: Arizona State leads 9-6.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Wyoming gets a juicy opportunity to knock off a program from a power conference when it travels to Arizona State, which is still rebuilding under second-year coach Kenny Dillingham. The Cowboys will be led by first-year coach Jay Sawvel, who takes over for the retired Craig Bohl. Sawvel has been the program’s offensive coordinator since 2020. Arizona State plays its first football game as a member of the Big 12, joining Arizona, Utah and Colorado in their move from the Pac-12. The Sun Devils hope to build some momentum under Dillingham after two straight 3-9 seasons.
KEY MATCHUP
Wyoming's defense might have a tough task against a seasoned Arizona State offensive line. All five projected starters are in at least their fourth season of college football. Left tackle Emmit Bohle will be playing his seventh season after the NCAA granted him another year of eligibility following a season-ending injury in last year's opener.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Wyoming: QB Evan Svoboda will be making his second career start on Saturday. The Mesa, Arizona, native played in 10 games last season, starting one, and completed 23 of 38 passes for 200 yards. He’s a dual-threat quarterback, running for 26 yards on five carries and a touchdown in the team’s Arizona Bowl victory last season.
Arizona State: RB Cam Skattebo does a little bit of everything for the Sun Devils and was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award last season, which goes to the nation's most versatile player. He played more than 50 snaps at quarterback, more than 350 at running back, two at tight end, more than 100 at receiver, three on kick return and several on punt coverage.
FACTS & FIGURES
Wyoming RB Harrison Waylee has rushed for 2,876 yards in his career with 15 touchdowns. ... The Cowboys return most of the offensive line. Nofoafia Tulafono has played in 36 career games with Caden Barnett and Jack Walsh each playing 23 games. ... Wyoming DT Jordan Bertagnole has 23 tackles for loss in his career and 10 1/2 sacks. ... Arizona State has 60 newcomes on this year's roster. ... New Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt played at Michigan State last season for new Wyoming offensive coordinator Jay Johnson. ... ASU starting center Leif Fautanu has played 2,657 career snaps. That's the third-most among active players heading into this season.
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FILE - Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham speaks during the Big 12 NCAA college football media days in Las Vegas, Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lucas Peltier, File)
Arizona State running back Cameron Skattebo runs with the ball during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Southern Utah Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Earlier in this turbulent week for the Miami Dolphins, Mike McDaniel joked that enough people had seen him cry.
The Dolphins coach was referring to a news conference in which he choked back tears while reflecting on a controversial traffic stop involving Tyreek Hill hours before Miami's season opener. Five days later, McDaniel sat down for another news conference not 24 hours after a Thursday night game against the Buffalo Bills, and he again couldn't hide his emotions.
His quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, is in the concussion protocol, dealing with his third diagnosed concussion in three years after colliding head-first with defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
McDaniel ran onto the field to check on Tagovailoa, who sat up after a few minutes and was helped to his feet by trainers. As McDaniel walked with Tagovailoa to the sideline, he gave his quarterback a kiss on the side of the head.
“I told him he’s the starting quarterback of his family,” McDaniel said Friday morning, speaking slowly and somberly as he recounted the moment, “and to go in the locker room, take a deep breath and I’ll see you soon.”
The game Thursday was in part about rallying past another emotional event that Miami players and coaches described as both triggering and troubling.
All-Pro receiver Hill has been at the center of a national debate on the use of force by police after body camera footage showed the traffic stop escalated quickly after a verbal dispute between Hill and Miami-Dade police officers.
Hill put up the window of his car despite an officer's instruction to keep it open. After a back and forth about the window, the video shows an officer pull Hill out of his car by his arm and head and then force him face-first onto the ground near Hard Rock Stadium. Officers handcuffed Hill and one put a knee in the middle of his back.
The altercation, and what was seen on the six officers’ bodycam videos, has again brought to the forefront conversations surrounding the experience of Black people with police.
“What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? Lord knows what that guy or guys would have done,” Hill said hours after the incident. “I was just making sure that I was doing what my uncle always told me to do whenever you’re in a situation like that: just listen, put your hands on the steering wheel and just listen. You’ve got to be careful.”
Police Department Director Stephanie Daniels put Officer Danny Torres on administrative duty, and an internal affairs investigation is underway. The department released the identity of Torres, a 27-year veteran of the department, on Tuesday.
Hill has since said he could have handled some parts of the initial interaction better, but he and some teammates also said they would be able to separate the incident from their football duties.
“I think that’s the beauty of the sport,” said offensive lineman Terron Armstead. "You get a chance to escape real-world issues for that time slot. I think there’s no better place in the world that Tyreek could’ve been following that but a locker room and a football game. That’s the beauty of that sport, that you get that time to escape and enter a world that is kind of a fantasy for us.”
Hill caught an 80-yard touchdown pass that helped Miami come from behind to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars that day, but Hill and the Dolphins weren't able to replicate that magic on Thursday.
Hill was limited to three catches and 24 yards, and Miami's offense was stifled in a 31-10 loss to their division rivals.
Losing to the Bills again was hard enough. Buffalo has won 12 of the last 13 meetings between them. That disappointment was overshadowed by fear, uncertainty and concern for Tagovailoa.
“Stuff like this, losses are tough,” McDaniel said. "Ones that you’ve really built yourself up to try to get done ... that’s really tough and then you have your heart completely involved with it — I look at Tua as a family member of mine. When family is going through something, you know how it is. You’re trying to think about a ton of different stuff that people are counting on me to think about. Not easy.”
Players from both teams immediately waved for trainers when Tagovailoa went down after scrambling for a first down.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air. He appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was a movement consistent with something referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a brain injury.
He was immediately diagnosed with a concussion — his third since joining the Dolphins as the fifth-overall pick in 2020.
McDaniel said Friday there are more unknowns surrounding the situation than certainty at this point. He said the Dolphins will bring in another quarterback eventually, but he did not want to rush to judgment on any timelines, or on Tagovailoa's future in the NFL.
“For me, I absolutely positively will not do anything to make anything worse or hurt any one of our players, ” McDaniel said, “specifically guys that are in concussion protocol. Ironically, I think there’s a lot of people that have vested interest in the Miami Dolphins. There’s a lot of fans and there’s a lot of people that want to support, but quite literally, questioning timelines, that gives forth anxiety.”
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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) and Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) collide during the second half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Tagovailoa suffered a concussion on the play. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) lies on the field after suffering a concussion during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel talks to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) as he leaves the game after suffering a concussion during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel talks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
