Nebraska
Tennessee football to play Georgia Tech in 2026-27, replacing Nebraska series
Tennessee football will play Georgia Tech in 2026 and 2027 after Nebraska backed out of its series with the Vols.
Both schools announced the new contract on Wednesday. UT also announced a home game against Kennesaw State on Sept. 19, 2026, with a contract that was finalized last fall.
The first game of the Georgia Tech series will be Sept. 12, 2026, in Atlanta. It could be played at Bobby Dodd Stadium, which has a capacity of 51,913. But Georgia Tech could explore moving that game to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to take advantage of a 71,000 capacity.
The second game will be Sept. 11, 2027, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.
It will be their first meeting since the 2017 season opener, when Tennessee won 42-41 in double-overtime in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Georgia Tech’s last trip to Neyland Stadium was 1987, when UT won 29-15.
The Vols own a 25-17-2 record in the all-time series. The programs met all but three years from 1954-87.
Last season, Georgia Tech posted a 7-6 record with a 3-4 mark in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets have gone 18-16 in three seasons under coach Brent Key.
Why Nebraska backed out of Tennessee series
Tennessee had to scramble to find a new opponent after Nebraska backed out of their 2026 and 2027 games, which had been under contract since 2006.
Tennessee athletics director Danny White anticipated having to schedule neutral site games in back-to-back seasons because of Nebraska’s late pullout. But he thanked Georgia Tech athletics director J. Batt for providing the Vols a good alternative on short notice.
“After Nebraska canceled the series, our main focus was to secure another home-and-home matchup with an opponent from a Power Four conference, which seemed improbable at the time,” Danny White said in a school release. “I sincerely appreciate athletic director J. Batt’s creativity in modifying Georgia Tech’s schedule to make this series possible. We look forward to seeing plenty of orange in Atlanta in 2026!”
Nebraska must pay UT $1 million in liquidated damages, or $500,000 per game, plus any expenses incurred in pursuance. It’s a relatively small penalty for a buyout, but that’s because the contract is so old.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said the Cornhuskers backed out of the UT series because it had no incentive to play tough nonconference games along with a nine-game conference schedule in the Big Ten.
“Why in the world would a Big Ten team who’s already playing nine conference games, why would you ever play one of those games?” Rhule said on “The Triple Option” podcast with Urban Meyer. “… I love the SEC, I’m not anti-SEC, but there’s some SEC teams last year that only played three away games in another team’s stadium. We’re in a league where some years you have five home Big Ten games, and some years you have five road. You go on the road five times in the Big Ten with no like, Florida-Georgia on a neutral site.”
Tennessee football future nonconference opponents
Tennessee quietly added Kennesaw State to the 2026 schedule last fall.
Coincidentally, former UT running backs coach Jerry Mack was hired as Kennesaw State’s new coach in December after the future game was already on the books.
That means the Vols will open the 2026 season against Furman (Sept. 5), Georgia Tech (Sept. 12) and Kennesaw State (Sept. 19). They haven’t added a fourth nonconference opponent yet because the SEC is considering a nine-game conference schedule in 2026.
Here are UT’s other future nonconference opponents.
2025: Syracuse (in Atlanta); ETSU; UAB; New Mexico State
2026: Furman, Kennesaw State, Georgia Tech (in Atlanta)
2027: Western Michigan, Georgia Tech
2028: West Virginia (in Charlotte, North Carolina)
2029: Washington
2030: at Washington
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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Nebraska
Mental health by the numbers in Nebraska
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – A deeper look tonight as First Alert 6 continues to dig deeper into the state of mental health care in Nebraska and possible solutions, ever since last week’s two instances involving law enforcement.
A Douglas County sheriff’s deputy was shot responding to a domestic call. Investigators said the suspect, Brian Huggins, had a history of behavioral health issues. Huggins died by suicide.
And then Noemi Guzman, who police say kidnapped a 3-year-old from inside an Omaha Walmart and cut him in the arm and face with a stolen kitchen knife. Omaha police officers shot and killed her before she could strike again.
Guzman had been on a court-ordered mental health treatment plan since last summer for her schizophrenia. According to court records, psychiatrists determined she could live in the community. Remember, this was after she was arrested for setting her father’s house on fire and threatening a priest with a knife.
Monitoring system
We wanted to know who is part of the system monitoring those who may not be following their mental health treatment plan and are a risk to others or themselves. When that happens, the Board of Mental Health will often notify the local sheriff so a warrant can be issued and deputies can track the individual down.
Here are the numbers since 2023:
In 2023, 842 warrants were issued for those not following their treatment plans according to the Board of Mental Health. In 2024, 756. In 2025, 690. So far in 2026, 190.
But out of these 2,500 warrants, 85% of them didn’t have a second warrant, meaning deputies picked them up, got them back into treatment and the individuals continued to thrive after the one hiccup.
But in 15% of these cases, the individuals messed up again and had another warrant issued by the Board of Mental Health. Twenty-five individuals had five or more issued in Douglas County.
Sheriff Hanson said there has to be a better way, a more team approach for this.
One model to explore is the way Nebraska’s problem-solving courts work like drug court and veterans’ treatment court where experts from a variety of stakeholders help individuals who are on the fringes to do everything to make them productive citizens.
Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
‘Nothing can hold me back’: Nebraska teen scores on first play after open heart surgery
(InvestigateTV) — Sometimes sports are about more than the final score.
For Jack Burke, a high school football player in Nebraska, a medical diagnosis at birth has never stopped him from competing — and a touchdown catch in his first play back from open heart surgery proved it.
Born with a rare heart defect
Burke was born with Scimitar syndrome, a rare heart defect in which babies are born with an underdeveloped right lung and pulmonary artery. The condition also affects blood flow to the right lung. Treatment often includes surgery, and many adults with the condition go on to live healthy lives.
“As a kid, I never really understood,” Burke said. “It was always natural for me that I had to push myself harder to keep up.”
His mother, Bridget Burke, says the condition was not initially considered dangerous for sports participation.
“His Scimitar Syndrome never really came into play as being dangerous for him to play sports,” she said.
The decision to operate
That changed in the spring of 2025, when Burke’s family and doctors decided it was time for a surgery that had been anticipated for years.
“I’ve kind of known I’ve had to get surgery my whole life,” Burke said. “Once I knew I could get the surgery sooner, I was all in. I wanted to get it so I could get back to sports.”
His father, Ryan Burke, says the timing was deliberate.
“This will be done before school gets started, and still have a chance to do almost everything you want to do,” Ryan Burke said.
Jack Burke underwent open-heart surgery, leaving a visible reminder of what he went through.
“There’s a six-inch scar in the middle of his chest that represents a pretty big thing that happened,” Ryan Burke said.
For Bridget Burke, the moment her son was taken to the operating room was difficult.
“When the rubber hits the road and your kid is being wheeled back to the OR, it is scary and emotional,” she said.
The comeback
Burke eased back into football following his cardiologist’s recommended recovery timeline. His return came in week three of the season.
“Before the Schuyler game I talked to his dad and he’s like, ‘I think we might be ready,’” said coach Jay Landstrom.
Bridget Burke says the family approached the return with caution.
“I mean, I was nervous. We didn’t really know how much he would play. It was going to be some cautious situations,” she said.
Those concerns were set aside — at least for a moment — when Burke caught a touchdown pass on his very first play back.
“All the parents were high-fiving everybody and they were like, ‘Was that really Jack?’” Bridget Burke said.
Landstrom called it a special moment.
“It was just meant to be and that was really special,” he said.
For Burke, the touchdown meant something beyond the scoreboard.
“I just remember one of my teammates came up to me and said, ‘He’s back. He’s back,’” Burke said. “It kind of shows something that tried to stop me — I hurdled that obstacle.”
Burke says the surgery has given him a new sense of freedom.
“Now I can do whatever I want. Nothing can hold me back,” he said.
Copyright 2026 Gray Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Nebraska
Nebraska Lottery results: See winning numbers for Pick 3, Pick 5 on April 19, 2026
The results are in for the Nebraska Lottery’s draw games on Sunday, April 19, 2026.
Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on April 19.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 19 drawing
4-3-3
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from April 19 drawing
14-19-24-30-34
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning 2 By 2 numbers from April 19 drawing
Red Balls: 01-02, White Balls: 09-26
Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning MyDay numbers from April 19 drawing
Month: 08, Day: 16, Year: 61
Check MyDay payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 19 drawing
32-42-52-53-55, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Nebraska Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3, 5: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
- Lucky For Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- 2 By 2: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
- MyDaY: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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