Ohio
Fresno State grinds down Miami (Ohio) to win Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl
Sun Bowl field gets fresh paint ahead of Duke, Arizona State
The Sun Bowl field is shown fully painted with fresh lines, team colors and logos ahead of the Duke vs. Arizona State matchup in El Paso.
The next episode of the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop was a low-scoring game, but it was a closer contest than the previous year.
Fresno State outlasted Miami (Ohio), 18-3, in a low-scoring game and dethroned the Redhawks as the Arizona Bowl champion on Saturday at Casino Del Sol Stadium.
FSU ended the season winning four of its last five games and the Bulldogs finished their first season under head coach Matt Entz with a 9-4 record.
Miami, which has appeared in the last three MAC championships, finished the season with a 7-7 record.
Fresno State’s postgame celebration included Snoop Dogg delivering the Arizona Bowl trophy in a 1963 Chevy Impala and handing out “Death Row Records” chains to FSU players and coaches.
“A guy from Northeast Ohio probably looks unique with a Death Row necklace on,” Entz joked.
“When you finish with a win in December, that’s a good year,” Entz said. “Period. … When you’re winning a game after Christmas, with these type of young men, that’s a win for the administration, that’s a win for the program, that’s a win for Fresno State, that’s a win for our administration and all of our coaches and support people.”
Added Entz: “For them to walk out being a winner, being a champion of the Arizona Bowl, that’s exciting. I’m excited for them. That’s what it should be about.”
Fresno State, which ranks 14th in college football in total defense, is the first team in Arizona Bowl history to not allow a touchdown. The 21 total points on Saturday marked the lowest-scoring Arizona Bowl in the bowl game’s history.
After Miami kicker Dom Dzioban kicked a 33-yard field goal to grab a 3-0 lead, Fresno State outscored the Redhawks 18-0 to finish the game. Following Miami’s field goal on its opening drive, the Redhawks had drives result in two turnovers, two turnover on downs and five punts.
“Their defense outplayed our offense by a large margin,” said Miami head coach Chuck Martin.
Turning point
Miami was without long snapper Hudson Powell, who is expected to enter the transfer portal on Jan. 2. The Redhawks turned to backup long snapper Gray Maultsby, who sailed a snap over the head of punter Pierse Stainton in the second quarter.
Instead of giving up a potential safety or touchdown, Stainton picked up the dribbled snap in the end zone and attempted a punt that was blocked by Fresno State’s Ethan Thierney and recovered by FSU’s Jonathan Arceneaux at the Fresno State 10-yard line. A stuffed run, an incomplete pass and a short run by Fresno State quarterback and Phoenix native E.J. Warner forced the Bulldogs to settle for a 23-yard field goal to tie the game, 3-3.
Miami’s longest drive of the game, a seven-play, 53-yard possession, was cut short after Fresno State linebacker forced Miami running back Jordan Brunson to fumble, which was recovered by cornerback Jakari Embry at the FSU 22-yard line. Miami only had one trip to the red zone the entire game.
“That definitely shifted momentum and gave them some life,” Martin said of the fumble. “We just weren’t going to get in the plus territory many times against that defense, so we knew we had to cash in. … Big shift right there.”
Fresno State kicker Dylan Lynch made a 25-yard field at the end of the first half and the Bulldogs led 9-3 at halftime. Fresno State out-gained Miami 156-40 in the second quarter.
Even though former Arizona Wildcat and Fresno State running back Rayshon “Speedy” Luke suffered an injury in the first half and was limited throughout the game, FSU out-gained in total offense, 391-192 yards, and controlled time of possession, 38:40-21:20.
Fresno State’s only touchdown of the game was a 2-yard pass from Warner to sophomore tight end Richie Anderson III.
“Maybe we didn’t score touchdowns, but we leaned on people and we imposed on our will,” Entz said. “We got our run game going at different times. The gap-scheme stuff was really good.”
Offensive MVP
Warner, who’s the son of Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner, was named MVP for the Arizona Bowl after completing 16 of 23 passes for 214 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.
Warner’s top target was senior wide receiver Josiah Freeman. Fresno State’s leading receiver had seven catches for 143 yards — 109 yards after catch (YAC). Freeman had receptions of 51, 47 and 21 yards.
“Definitely the most (YAC) I’ve had,” Freeman said.
Defensive MVP
Embry entered Saturday with one career interception and he doubled it with an interception on a deep ball near the left sideline in the first quarter.
Embry, who recorded two tackles, had the momentum-shifting fumble recovery.
“The energy from that point went up,” Embry said of the fumble. “Ain’t nothing better on defense than getting a takeaway. That’s the best thing.”
Unsung hero
Lynch was 4-for-5 on field goals on Saturday. Lynch was a combined 8-for-9 in Fresno State’s final two games of the season.
Fresno State was 5-for-7 scoring in the red zone.
Extra points
— Announced attendance for the Arizona Bowl was 37,232. The attendance for the Arizona Bowl last season was 40,076.
— Miami had three players finish with double-digit tackles on Saturday: Safety Eli Blakey and linebacker Malcolm McCain each had 13 tackles and defensive back Silas Walters had 12 tackles.
— Luke, who had four carries for 14 yards, on his return to Tucson: “It felt great, seeing things I haven’t seen in almost a year. It’s a little shocking, because I never thought I’d be back here. It’s amazing.”
— Martin, on the experience at the Arizona Bowl over the last two years: “Amazing. It’s a great bowl. All the bowls are great, I’ve been around all of them, but this is as good as it gets for me, personally. Everybody treats you great, but it is above and beyond here. Everywhere you turn, someone wants to help you if you need something. … The interaction with Snoop, it’s a big deal to a lot of people, not just the players. There’s a lot of adults that are starry-eyed to be close to Snoop. … It’s the funnest football game you’ve ever been a part of.”
After years of unchecked dominance from the SEC, the Big Ten Conference cemented its place as the best in college football in the 2025-2026 season.
The Indiana Hoosiers completed a remarkable 16-0 season by winning a National Championship, beating Ohio State in the conference championship game, dominating Alabama in the Rose Bowl, then blowing out Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
That completed a Big Ten trifecta, with the Michigan Wolverines winning a championship in 2024, then the Buckeyes following it up by beating Notre Dame to win the title in 2025. While the SEC might have better depth overall, it’s no question that the top of the Big Ten is as good or better than anyone.
SEC, BIG TEN ARE DOMINATING COLLEGE FOOTBALL THANKS TO MASSIVE ADVANTAGES OVER OTHER CONFERENCES
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on Jan. 19, 2026. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
And a new program might be ready to take their turn at the top of the Big Ten: those same Oregon Ducks.
One of the most predictive measures of a team’s strength from year to year is how much production they return from the previous season. It makes sense; the more key players that stay with the team, the better it is for continuity and development.
The Big Ten, oddly enough, has several teams that return much of their production on both sides of the ball. ESPN’s Bill Connelly ran the numbers, finding that teams like Maryland, Nebraska, Minnesota and UCLA all ranked in the top 10 nationally in returning value. Though given how these teams played in 2025, that’s less important. Number 12, though? The Oregon Ducks.
And that carryover production is coming from a team that lost just two games all season, both to Indiana. They handled a very good USC team, 42-27, overcame miserable conditions to outlast the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road, beat the rival Washington Huskies, and most impressively, shut out an elite Texas Tech team 23-0 in the College Football Playoff. And they bring back the players responsible for 66% of their overall production, including star quarterback Dante Moore.
Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) warms up prior to the 2025 Orange Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Sam Navarro / Imagn Images)
Just behind them at 65%? USC, heading into a pivotal season under Lincoln Riley.
Here’s where Oregon has the advantage, however. They bring that percentage back from a team that was significantly better than USC. It’s no surprise then, that per Connelly’s SP+ projections, Oregon is expected to be the No. 2 team in the country, by efficiency on offense, defense and special teams.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A BIG 12 WINNER NOT NAMED TEXAS TECH OR BYU, CONSIDER THE HOUSTON COUGARS
What about the other Big Ten schools, though?
USC is the biggest wildcard. They sit at No. 13 in the SP+ projections, thanks to an elite offense and a defense that’s expected to be solid, if unspectacular. But their special teams projections are all the way down at No. 100 in the country, thanks to a series of disastrous mistakes in 2025. Special teams, though, should be the easiest area to improve upon. So if the Trojans can make some adjustments, they could exceed the eight game win expectancy.
Ohio State and Indiana, the two most recent champions, have a bit of a tougher hill to climb, though their roster composition is far from disastrous. The Buckeyes bring back 60% of their production, while Indiana is at 56%, even with several huge departures. That ranks at No. 31 and No. 52, respectively. Important, but not enough to push either team out of the top 5 in the national projections. And Ohio State sits at No. 1, thanks to consistently elite recruiting and key players like Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith returning.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning attends Oregon Pro Day on March 17, 2026, at the Moshofsky Center in Eugene, Oregon. (Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
But if there is an upset brewing at the top of the conference, Oregon might be the place to look. The question then becomes, can they put it all together against a difficult schedule? The Ducks play USC on the road, host Nebraska, travel to Illinois, play Ohio State on the road, host Michigan and have their rivalry game against Washington at Autzen.
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It won’t be easy, but don’t be surprised if at the end of the season, Dan Lanning and the Ducks are right back in the mix.
A Kentucky woman who had been missing for more than two weeks was found dead in her vehicle in Ohio, authorities said.
The body of Debra Wireman was found in her vehicle on July 3 in Clermont County, Ohio, the Flemingsburg Police Department in Kentucky said on Facebook on Wednesday. Investigators were called to the scene after a report identifying the vehicle as belonging to a missing person, police said. The remains were identified as Wireman’s by the Clermont County Coroner’s Office on July 7, according to law enforcement.
Police in Kentucky said the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio is investigating the woman’s death. No additional information will be released by Flemingsburg police “out of respect for Debra’s family and the integrity of that investigation.”
“While this is not the outcome any of us hoped and prayed for, we are thankful that Debra has been found and that her family can now begin to receive the closure they deserve,” police added on Facebook.
Wireman, according to police, was last seen on June 17 at around 4:30 p.m. in Aberdeen, Ohio, while traveling toward Maysville, Kentucky. She was driving a white 2020 Kia Forte with front-end damage. Police said family and friends were “concerned for her welfare.”
“The overwhelming response from our community, neighboring agencies, the media, and countless individuals across the region demonstrated the very best of people coming together in the hope of bringing someone home safely,” Flemingsburg police said.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Central Ohio has a new option for late-night sweets.
Jeff’s Donuts opened its first Ohio location Wednesday morning at 5717 N. Hamilton Road, between Gahanna and New Albany.
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The shop will be open 24 hours.
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