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No. 9 Kentucky, focused on getting better, welcomes Jackson St.Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Cumbie knows how to pull off a bowl game upset. Flash back to the 2004 Holiday Bowl, when Cumbie threw for 520 yards to lead No. 23 Texas Tech to a 45-31 win over Aaron Rodgers, Marshawn Lynch and No. 4 California. Twenty years later, Cumbie hopes to engineer another postseason surprise as Louisiana Tech (5-7) is a prohibitive underdog against No. 22 Army (11-2) in the Independence Bowl on Saturday in Shreveport, La. The Bulldogs weren't supposed to be a part of this game. They are a replacement for Marshall (10-3), which withdrew because of the exodus of at least 25 players through the transfer portal. Enter Louisiana Tech, which adds local flavor as Shreveport is an hour drive from the Bulldogs' campus in Ruston. Cumbie said that the seniors were especially excited after they had left campus for the holiday break figuring their college careers were over. "The first guys we got on the phone with were the seniors," Cumbie said. "They thought it was like a prank call. They thought we were jacking with them." Louisiana Tech is dealing with 16 portal losses, including several linemen from a defense which allowed 301.9 yards per game, the best mark in Conference USA. Defensive lineman David Blay, who led the Bulldogs in sacks (6.5) and tackles for a loss (10.5), has committed to Miami. Offensively, Louisiana Tech averages just 3.0 yards per carry. The Bulldogs rely more on Evan Bullock, who has thrown for 1,932 yards and 14 touchdowns with just two interceptions. Army has an opportunity to finish the season on a positive note after surrendering the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy in a deflating 31-13 loss to Navy on Dec. 14. It's also a chance for Bryson Daily to rebound as he threw three interceptions against Navy after tossing just one previously in the regular season. Daily, who finished sixth in voting for the Heisman Trophy, is the bell cow in Army's rush-heavy triple-option offense. He has carried for 1,532 yards and 29 touchdowns and has also thrown for nine scores. Army will be without its second-best running threat, Kanye Udoh, who announced his transfer to Arizona State hours after the Navy game, prompting Black Knights coach Jeff Monken to call the transfer landscape "off the rails." "I don't think it's healthy to have a transfer portal window open during the season," Monken said. Udoh rushed for 1,117 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. If Army can handle Louisiana Tech, it will finish with 12 wins, which would be the most in a season in program history, even if it didn't get the one it wanted the most. "Anytime you get your butt whipped, you want to get back out there and prove that's not who we are," Monken said. This will be Louisiana Tech's first bowl appearance since 2020 and its sixth time in the Independence Bowl, where it has a 3-2 record. Army was last in a bowl game in 2021, and this is its second appearance in the Independence Bowl. In its first appearance, it lost to Auburn 32-29 in 1996. Army and Louisiana Tech have met twice before, with the Black Knights winning both matchups in 2008 and 2013. --Field Level Media
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ATLANTA (AP) — the peanut farmer who tried to restore virtue to the White House after the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, then rebounded from a landslide defeat to become a global advocate of human rights and democracy, has died. . The Carter Center said the 39th president died Sunday afternoon, , at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, who died in November 2023, lived most of their lives. The center said he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. As reaction poured in from around the world, President Joe Biden mourned Carter’s death, saying the world lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” and he lost a dear friend. Biden cited Carter’s compassion and moral clarity, his work to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless and advocacy for the disadvantaged as an example for others. “To all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility,” Biden said in a statement. “He showed that we are a great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong.” Biden said he is ordering a state funeral for Carter in Washington. A moderate Democrat, as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad grin, effusive Baptist faith and technocratic plans for efficient government. His promise to never deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter said. Carter’s victory over Republican Gerald Ford, whose fortunes fell after pardoning Nixon, came amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over race, women’s rights and America’s role in the world. His achievements included brokering Mideast peace by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David for 13 days in 1978. But his coalition splintered under double-digit inflation and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His negotiations ultimately brought all the hostages home alive, but in a final insult, Iran didn’t release them until the inauguration of Ronald Reagan, who had trounced him in the 1980 election. Humbled and back home in Georgia, Carter said his faith demanded that he keep doing whatever he could, for as long as he could, to try to make a difference. He and Rosalynn co-founded in 1982 and spent the next 40 years traveling the world as peacemakers, human rights advocates and champions of democracy and public health. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, Carter helped ease nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and and Sudan. By 2022, the center had monitored at least 113 elections around the world. Carter was determined to as one of many health initiatives. the Carters built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The common observation that he was better as an ex-president rankled Carter. His allies were pleased that he lived long enough to see biographers and historians and declare it more impactful than many understood at the time. Propelled in 1976 by voters in Iowa and then across the South, Carter ran a no-frills campaign. Americans were captivated by the earnest engineer, and while an election-year Playboy interview drew snickers when he said he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times,” voters tired of political cynicism found it endearing. The first family set an informal tone in the White House, carrying their own luggage, trying to silence the Marine Band’s traditional “Hail to the Chief” and enrolling daughter, Amy, in public schools. Carter was lampooned for wearing a cardigan and urging Americans to turn down their thermostats. But Carter set the stage for an economic revival and sharply reduced America’s dependence on foreign oil by deregulating the energy industry along with airlines, trains and trucking. He established the departments of Energy and Education, appointed record numbers of women and nonwhites to federal posts, preserved millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness and pardoned most Vietnam draft evaders. , he ended most support for military dictators and took on bribery by multinational corporations by signing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He persuaded the Senate to ratify the Panama Canal treaties and normalized relations with China, an outgrowth of Nixon’s outreach to Beijing. But crippling turns in foreign affairs took their toll. When OPEC hiked crude prices, making drivers line up for gasoline as inflation spiked to 11%, Carter tried to encourage Americans to overcome “a crisis of confidence.” Many voters lost confidence in Carter instead after the infamous address that media dubbed his “malaise” speech, even though he never used that word. After Carter reluctantly agreed to admit the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979. Negotiations to quickly free the hostages broke down, and then eight Americans died when a top-secret military rescue attempt failed. Carter also had to reverse course on the SALT II nuclear arms treaty after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Though historians would later credit Carter’s diplomatic efforts for hastening the end of the Cold war, Republicans labeled his soft power weak. Reagan’s “make America great again” appeals resonated, and he beat Carter in all but six states. Born Oct. 1, 1924, James Earl Carter Jr. in 1946, the year he graduated from the Naval Academy. He brought his young family back to Plains after his father died, abandoning his Navy career, and . Carter reached the state Senate in 1962. After rural white and Black voters elected him governor in 1970, he drew national attention by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Carter published more than 30 books and remained influential as his center turned its democracy advocacy onto U.S. politics, monitoring an audit of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. After Carter said he felt “perfectly at ease with whatever comes.” “I’ve had a wonderful life,” “I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” ___ Sanz is a former Associated Press reporter. Bill Barrow And Alex Sanz, The Associated Press
Boom Supersonic’s demonstrator aircraft completed its eighth flight earlier this month, setting a new record for altitude and matching its top speed as it prepares to go supersonic by the end of the year. The flight is part of a series of demonstration flights showcasing Boom’s intention to bring commercial supersonic travel back to America’s skyways. The rising costs of supersonic travel were slowly killing the industry even before the Concorde’s final flight in 2003. But private companies and federal agencies are devising ways to repopularize the previously deafening way of getting around, and the recent Boom flight inches the company closer to that goal. The XB-1’s eighth flight took place on November 16, and achieved a maximum altitude of 25,040 feet (7,632 meters), its highest altitude so far. The flight lasted 54 minutes and the aircraft achieved a top flight speed of Mach 0.82, tying its record speed to date. The demonstrator aircraft’s first flight took place in March 2024, and Boom plans approximately two more subsonic flights before achieving Mach 1. Mach 1 is the speed of sound—about 767 miles per hour (1,234 km/hr). When objects exceed the speed of sound, they induce a sonic boom—the sharp, thunderous crack of an object breaking the sound barrier. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prohibited civil supersonic flight over land in 1973, due in part to the constant sonic booms overhead and the booms’ rattling of windows freaking people out. Boom Supersonic’s work on the XB-1 runs parallel to NASA’s development of the X-59 supersonic aircraft, which won a Gizmodo Science Fair award this year. At 99.7 feet (30.39 meters) long with a wingspan of just 29.5 feet (9 m), the stiletto-shaped X-59 has an arguably more eye-catching design than the XB-1. That’s because the X-59’s raison d’ětre is to mitigate the sonic boom that caused so much uproar when supersonic flight was more common. One NASA engineer told Gizmodo that, to an observer on the ground, the X-59’s sonic boom will sound akin to the closing of a car door. In other words, the sonic boom will become a sonic thump. Boom’s ultimate goal is to run commercial passengers on its Overture jet, for which the XB-1 is a technology demonstrator. Though the Boom XB-1 will be capable of exceeding the sound barrier, the company plans to fly its passenger jet at reduced speeds over land—specifically, at Mach 0.94, about 20% faster than subsonic flight. Meanwhile, supersonic enthusiasts are hoping that the X-59 proves the “sonic thump” can mitigate the impact of sonic booms over land. After the aircraft’s in-flight performance is tested, the plane will be flown over several U.S. cities and residents will be surveyed on the invasiveness of the aircraft’s presence. If the aircraft doesn’t disrupt life on the ground, the FAA may change its regulations surrounding civilian aircraft traveling faster than Mach 1 over land. That would not happen until 2027 at the earliest, so you may as well keep your focus on the Boom demonstrator for now.Digital Storage And Memory Projections For 2025, Part 4
Vandals get bye in FCS playoffs, will play at home Dec. 7
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Iowa rushed the ball 58 times for 268 yards to secure a 26-13 road win over Maryland in fourth-string quarterback Jackson Stratton’s first career start on Saturday. The commitment to the ground game allowed the Hawkeyes (7-4, 5-3 Big Ten) to win the time of possession battle 37:41-22:19. Iowa also limited the Terrapins, the Big Ten's No. 2 passing offense entering Saturday, to a season-low 129 passing yards. Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson (2) celebrates his touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Head coach Kirk Ferentz told the Hawkeye Radio Network the win was a real team effort during a postgame interview. “The defense did a great job, played smart, played competitively,” Ferentz said. “That was a team effort, good pass rush, trying to disrupt the thrower, and being opportunistic in the back end. “The other component was, especially in the first half, being able to keep the ball in our hands ... that minimized the wind and ... I know this, they cannot score if they are over on their sideline.” Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson (2) celebrates his touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Running back Kaleb Johnson, who rushed for 164 yards on 35 attempts, surpassed Shonn Greene for sole possession of the Hawkeyes' single season rushing touchdown record with his 21 st of the season in the second quarter. “Not only did I break the record, but I played another game with my boys,” Johnson told Big Ten Network. “We got one more game. My focus is on Nebraska ... . I always want to chase greatness. I am not satisfied just because I had a little record. I just want to keep going.” Stratton finished 10-of-14 for 76 yards and a 117 passing efficiency rating in the win. “He really, I thought, played with great poise,” Ferentz said. “Also, awareness, for a guy who has never started a game ... it did not seem to affect him at all. He really did a good job of preparing himself and did a really nice job of inserting himself. I thought he really played a good game.” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz watches during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Iowa set the tone early and often in the first half against the Terrapins (4-6, 1-7 Big Ten) with three straight drives of 12 or more plays, which each lasted longer than six minutes. On its opening drive, the Hawkeyes marched 57 yards in 12 plays to the Maryland 23-yard line before a botched exchange between Stratton and running back Kamari Moulton gave the ball to the Terps. After Iowa’s defense forced a punt on the ensuing Maryland drive, Stratton led Iowa 59 yards back down the field over the course of 13 plays before Drew Stevens put Iowa in front 3-0 with a 27-yard field goal with 22 seconds remaining in the first quarter. A three-and-out on Maryland’s second drive set up Iowa’s third long, sustained drive of the game. Stratton piloted the offense 77 yards in 14 plays on a drive that lasted 7:26 and ended with a two-yard touchdown run from Johnson. Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. (9) is sacked during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Stevens added a 54-yard field goal with a minute remaining in the first half to send Iowa to the break with a 13-0 lead. Stevens made it 16-0 with a 50-yard field goal to cap the Hawkeyes first drive of the second half. Trailing by two scores, the Terps managed to find the end zone for the first time with an 11-play, 70-yard drive capped by an eight-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback MJ Morris to Tai Felton. Maryland attempted a two-point conversion but failed allowing Iowa to remain in front by two scores, 16-6. After trading punts, Iowa answered with Stevens’ fourth field goal of the game, a 49-yard boot, to push the lead to 19-6 at the end of the third quarter. Maryland found the end zone once more on a 12-yard connection between Morris and Felton with 11:05 to play in regulation, trimming the lead to 19-13. A 68-yard rushing touchdown from Moulton on the subsequent Hawkeye drive, back-to-back Morris interceptions and a 26-yard field goal from Stevens allowed Iowa to swell its final advantage to 29-13. Stevens finished with a school-record 5-of-5 on his field goal attempts. Iowa will wrap up the regular season against Nebraska on Black Friday at 6:30 p.m. with broadcast coverage provided by NBC. “They are a tough, competitive football team,” Ferentz said. “So, nothing easy, there is nothing east. Nothing is easier today, but that is how college football is supposed to be.” Iowa learned from its 2023 mistakes, leaned on the ground game, defense and Drew Stevens's turnaround to beat Maryland in its road finale on Saturday. With rumor swirling about his status ahead of Saturday's matchup against Maryland, Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara took to social media to clear the air with a statement. In the wake of Mark Farley's midseason retirement announcement, Iowa coaches sent their congratulations to the 24-year head coach of Northern Iowa football and weighed in on Farley's final message. Get local news delivered to your inbox! University of Iowa Athletics Beat Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Democrat Bob Casey concedes to Republican David McCormick in Pennsylvania Senate contestIslamabad [Pakistan]: Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Saturday said that the man seen in a viral video falling from a container during a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest in Islamabad is "completely fine." Speaking to the media, Tarar said that the man sustained minor injuries in the incident, as reported by Dawn. The viral video, shot during a protest at Islamabad's D-Chowk, shows men, dressed as security personnel with riot gear, pushing a man off a stack of three shipping containers. The PTI supporters were demanding the release of their leader and party chief, Imran Khan . The protests turned violent on November 26, and PTI supporters were met with intense tear gas shelling by security forces. 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A video of the incident also went viral, sparking various claims on social media , with some posts alleging that the man had died. Refuting these claims, Minister Tarar said, "Propaganda was spread that a person offering prayers was killed by being pushed down. He is a resident of Mandi Bahauddin and is completely fine. His video has emerged; he sustained an arm injury and has bandages." Tarar further claimed that the man was recording a TikTok video as part of a challenge with a friend and was not offering prayers at the time, as reported by Dawn. Earlier, Awami National Party (ANP) President Aimal Wali Khan called for a ban on political parties that incite violence, including PTI, Dawn reported. Speaking at a press conference alongside Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi at the ANP central secretariat in Wali Bagh on Friday, Khan said that PTI has been working in an undemocratic and nonpolitical manner since its formation and it has always encouraged people to behave in a violent manner. He labelled PTI as "waste that should be disposed of" and said that the state had imposed PTI on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the past 12 years but such decisions did not give good results, as reported by Dawn report. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina coach Shane Beamer has no doubt about where his surging, 16th-ranked Gamecocks belong in the postseason — chasing a national championship. “It's hard for me to say we're not one of the 12 best teams in the country,” a giddy Beamer said Saturday after watching his team pull off another late miracle, courtesy of quarterback LaNorris Sellers, to defeat No. 12 Clemson 17-14. Sellers scored his second touchdown , this one from 20 yards out with 1:08 to play, for South Carolina's sixth straight victory, four of them in that run coming over ranked opponents. Are you paying attention, College Football Playoff selectors? “If the committee's job is to pick the 12 best teams, you tell me,” Beamer said. It would be hard to pick against the Gamecocks (9-3, 5-3 SEC; No. 15 CFP) with Sellers, a confident, poised freshman, playing as well as he is. He finished with 166 yards rushing and 164 yards passing. Two games ago, he set career bests with 353 yards passing and five TD throws in twice rallying the Gamecocks from fourth-quarter deficits to defeat Missouri 34-30. This time, Sellers shrugged off his interception near Clemson's goal with less than 11 minutes left to lead his team to a field goal and then his game winner. Sellers spun away from defender Peter Woods in the backfield, broke through the line and cut left to reach the end zone. Sellers hears defenders get angry when they get their hands on but can't bring down the speedy, 6-foot-3 passer in his first year since taking over for Spencer Rattler. How does he do it? “I don't really know,” Sellers said. Beamer had an answer to that one, too. “He's a competitor, he's a warrior,” Beamer said. “He doesn't get too high or too low. He's out there having fun.” The Gamecocks hope to have more fun in a week so, confident they'll hear their name called among the expanded field of 12 that will play for a national crown. They know, too, they'll have Sellers leading the way. “He's a magician, man,” Gamecocks linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. said. “LeMagic, LeComeback, whatever you want to call him.” Clemson (9-3, 7-1 ACC, No. 12) had a final chance and drove to the South Carolina 18 with 16 seconds left — well within reach of a tying field goal — when Cade Klubnik was intercepted by Knight to end things. The Gamecocks were 3-3 after losing at Alabama in mid-October and then pulled off their longest winning streak since 2012. The Tigers also were hoping to play their way into the CFP's 12-team field. But their offense had too many costly mistakes and their defense could not corral Sellers. “He's a great player and made great players,” Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter said. Still, there could be postseason hope for Clemson, which will cross its fingers and pray Syracuse can pull off an upset over No. 8 Miami later Saturday that would get the Tigers into the Atlantic Coast Conference title game next week against SMU. Both teams came in on highs, the Tigers having won three straight and the Gamecocks five in a row, including three consecutive over ranked opponents Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Missouri. But neither team found its offensive rhythm in the opening half. Sellers was sacked by T.J. Parker and turned the ball over as Parker recovered with South Carolina inside the Clemson 20. The Tigers drove to the South Carolina 11 and turned down a chip-shot field goal to go for it on fourth-and-1. But Mafah was stopped way short by Jalon Kilgore and Knight. Klubnik had scoring runs of 13 and 18 yards for the Tigers. South Carolina: What a run by the Gamecocks, who before the season were picked 13th in the SEC and now may find themselves part of the national championship playoff field. Clemson: The Tigers lost to both ranked SEC opponents they faced this season, first to No. 1 Georgia to start the year and then to rival South Carolina. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney was proud of his team's regular season but knew the loss might leave it short of getting back to the playoff. “We could've had a great year,” he said. "We got better this season, a lot of positives to build on. “But this one is tough. It's tough. It hurts,” he continued. Shane Beamer knew what a big week it was when he got a voicemail from his old boss, former South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier. “Beamer, you're doing great,” said Spurrier, who coached the Gamecocks from 2005-2014. “This might be the biggest game in the history of South Carolina.” South Carolina and Clemson both await their postseason games. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballFormer New Orleans priest convicted of raping teen boy dies while serving life sentence
Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president, has died at 100
ORLANDO, Fla. — UCF coach Gus Malzahn is resigning after four seasons with the school. ESPN’s Pete Thamel was the first to report the move, which will see Malzahn to leave to take the offensive coordinator job at Florida State. Malzahn previously worked with FSU coach Mike Norvell during their time at Tulsa under then-coach Todd Graham from 2007-08. The Knights ended a disappointing 4-8 season in which they lost eight of their last nine games, the longest losing streak since 2015. Malzahn, 59, was in the fourth year of a contract through 2028. His buyout, it is reported, would have been $13.75 million. He finished 27-25 at UCF but lost 16 of his last 22 games and was a dismal 4-14 in two seasons in the Big 12. After back-to-back nine-win seasons in 2021-22, the Knights went 6-7 in 2023 and 4-8 in 2024. This season started with high expectations as Malzahn made sweeping changes to the program. He retooled the strength and conditioning department and hired Ted Roof and Tim Harris Jr. as defensive and offensive coordinators, respectively. He also added nearly 50 new players to the roster, leaning heavily on the transfer market. UCF started by winning its first three games against New Hampshire, Sam Houston and a thrilling comeback at TCU, but offensive struggles saw the Knights tumble through a TBD-game losing streak to finish the season. Terry Mohajir hired Malzahn on Feb. 15, 2021, six days after he was hired to replace Danny White. The move came eight weeks after Malzahn had been fired at Auburn after eight seasons of coaching the Tigers. The two briefly worked together at Arkansas State in 2012 before Malzahn left for the Auburn job. “When he [Mohajir] offered the job, I was like, ‘I’m in.’ There wasn’t thinking about or talking about ...,” Malzahn said during his introductory press conference. “This will be one of the best programs in college football in a short time. This is a job that I plan on being here and building it.” UCF opened the 2021 season with non-conference wins over Boise State and Bethune-Cookman before traveling to Louisville on Sept. 17, where quarterback Dillon Gabriel suffered a fractured collarbone in the final minute of a 42-35 loss. Backup Mikey Keene would finish out the season as Gabriel announced his intention to transfer. The Knights would finish the season on the plus side by accepting a bid to join the Big 12 Conference in September and then by defeating Florida 29-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl. Malzahn struck transfer portal gold in the offseason when he signed former Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee. Plumlee, a two-sport star with the Rebels, helped guide UCF to the American Athletic Conference Championship in its final season. However, Plumlee’s injury forced the Knights to go with Keene and freshman Thomas Castellanos. The team finished with losses to Tulane in the conference championship and Duke in the Military Bowl. Plumlee would return in 2023 as UCF transitioned to the Big 12 but would go down with a knee injury in the final minute of the Knights’ 18-16 win at Boise State on Sept. 9. He would miss the next four games as backup Timmy McClain took over the team. Even on his return, Plumlee couldn’t help UCF, on a five-game losing streak to open conference play. The Knights got their first Big 12 win at Cincinnati on Nov. 4 and upset No. 15 Oklahoma State the following week, but the team still needed a win over Houston in the regular-season finale to secure a bowl bid for the eighth straight season. From the moment Malzahn stepped on campus, he prioritized recruiting, particularly in Central Florida. “We’re going to recruit like our hair’s on fire,” Malzahn said at the time. “We’re going to go after the best players in America and we’re not backing down to anybody.” From 2007 to 2020, UCF signed 10 four-star high school and junior college prospects. Eight four-star prospects were in the three recruiting classes signed under Malzahn. The 2024 recruiting class earned a composite ranking of 39 from 247Sports, the highest-ranked class in school history. The 2025 recruiting class is ranked No. 41 and has commitments from three four-star prospects. Malzahn has always leaned on the transfer market, signing 60 players over the past three seasons. Some have paid huge dividends, such as Javon Baker, Lee Hunter, Kobe Hudson, Tylan Grable, Bula Schmidt, Amari Kight, Marcellus Marshall, Trent Whittemore, Gage King, Ethan Barr, Deshawn Pace and Plumlee. Others haven’t been as successful, such as quarterback KJ Jefferson, who started the first five games of this season before being benched for poor performance. Jefferson’s struggles forced the Knights to play musical chairs at quarterback, with true freshman EJ Colson, redshirt sophomore Jacurri Brown and redshirt freshman Dylan Rizk all seeing action at one point or another this season. This season’s struggles led to several players utilizing the NCAA’s redshirt rule after four games, including starting slot receiver Xavier Townsend and kicker Colton Boomer, who have also entered the transfer portal. Defensive end Kaven Call posted a letter to Malzahn on Twitter in which he accused the UCF coaching staff of recently kicking him off the team when he requested to be redshirted. Get local news delivered to your inbox!FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump promised on Tuesday to “vigorously pursue” capital punishment after President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of most people on federal death row partly to stop Trump from pushing forward their executions. Trump criticized Biden’s decision on Monday to change the sentences of 37 of the 40 condemned people to life in prison without parole, arguing that it was senseless and insulted the families of their victims. Biden said converting their punishments to life imprisonment was consistent with the moratorium imposed on federal executions in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder. “Joe Biden just commuted the Death Sentence on 37 of the worst killers in our Country,” he wrote on his social media site. “When you hear the acts of each, you won’t believe that he did this. Makes no sense. Relatives and friends are further devastated. They can’t believe this is happening!” Presidents historically have no involvement in dictating or recommending the punishments that federal prosecutors seek for defendants in criminal cases, though Trump has long sought more direct control over the Justice Department's operations. The president-elect wrote that he would direct the department to pursue the death penalty “as soon as I am inaugurated,” but was vague on what specific actions he may take and said they would be in cases of “violent rapists, murderers, and monsters.” He highlighted the cases of two men who were on federal death row for slaying a woman and a girl, had admitted to killing more and had their sentences commuted by Biden. On the campaign trail, Trump often called for expanding the federal death penalty — including for those who kill police officers, those convicted of drug and human trafficking, and migrants who kill U.S. citizens. “Trump has been fairly consistent in wanting to sort of say that he thinks the death penalty is an important tool and he wants to use it,” said Douglas Berman, an expert on sentencing at Ohio State University’s law school. “But whether practically any of that can happen, either under existing law or other laws, is a heavy lift.” Berman said Trump’s statement at this point seems to be just a response to Biden’s commutation. “I’m inclined to think it’s still in sort of more the rhetoric phase. Just, ‘don’t worry. The new sheriff is coming. I like the death penalty,’” he said. Most Americans have historically supported the death penalty for people convicted of murder, according to decades of annual polling by Gallup, but support has declined over the past few decades. About half of Americans were in favor in an October poll, while roughly 7 in 10 Americans backed capital punishment for murderers in 2007. Before Biden's commutation, there were 40 federal death row inmates compared with more than 2,000 who have been sentenced to death by states. “The reality is all of these crimes are typically handled by the states,” Berman said. A question is whether the Trump administration would try to take over some state murder cases, such as those related to drug trafficking or smuggling. He could also attempt to take cases from states that have abolished the death penalty. Berman said Trump's statement, along with some recent actions by states, may present an effort to get the Supreme Court to reconsider a precedent that considers the death penalty disproportionate punishment for rape. “That would literally take decades to unfold. It’s not something that is going to happen overnight,” Berman said. Before one of Trump's rallies on Aug. 20, his prepared remarks released to the media said he would announce he would ask for the death penalty for child rapists and child traffickers. But Trump never delivered the line. One of the men Trump highlighted on Tuesday was ex-Marine Jorge Avila Torrez, who was sentenced to death for killing a sailor in Virginia and later pleaded guilty to the fatal stabbing of an 8-year-old and a 9-year-old girl in a suburban Chicago park several years before. The other man, Thomas Steven Sanders, was sentenced to death for the kidnapping and slaying of a 12-year-old girl in Louisiana, days after shooting the girl's mother in a wildlife park in Arizona. Court records show he admitted to both killings. Some families of victims expressed anger with Biden's decision, but the president had faced pressure from advocacy groups urging him to make it more difficult for Trump to increase the use of capital punishment for federal inmates. The ACLU and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops were some of the groups that applauded the decision. Biden left three federal inmates to face execution. They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018 , the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. _______ Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Michelle L. Price and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.
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