Wisconsin
Wisconsin football players turn attention to Nebraska in wake of Phil Longo’s firing
MADISON – Perhaps no player on the Wisconsin football team will feel the absence of former offensive coordinator Phil Longo more than Braedyn Locke.
The opportunity to play in Longo’s Air Raid offense played a large role in the redshirt sophomore’s decision to transfer two UW from Mississippi State two years ago. And when Locke was in high school, Longo, then the offensive coordinator at North Carolina, was among the coaches in pursuit of the Texas high school star.
The two go way back – Longo also recruited Locke’s younger brother Landyn to Wisconsin’s 2025 class – so when Badgers head coach Luke Fickell fired Longo as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Sunday, Locke admitted the news hit hard.
“Yeah,” he said. “We have a great relationship, but that relationship will never fade. I feel strongly about that and take comfort in that.”
That said, Locke also knows this isn’t the time for emotions to get in the way. He, center Jake Renfro and receiver C.J. Williams spoke with reporters about Longo’s dismissal and a couple of themes came from the interviews.
1. While each shared his appreciation/respect for Longo, they also expressed the need to focus on Nebraska. The Badgers play the Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
2. No one wanted to put a finger on what went wrong, or if they had some idea they weren’t sharing their thoughts with the media.
“I feel like everyone went through their own sort of shock when we found out, but you’ve got to move on,” Renfro said. “We’ve got a game to prepare for. That’s in the past, so whatever is in front of us we’ve got to attack, and that was this week Coach Longo moving on. But it is what it is. We’ve got a game to prepare for and we’re ready to for that challenge.”
‘We have so much to play for’. Trophy games close the season
Life without Longo begins with the Badgers at crossroads. With a 5-5 record, the team still needs one win assure bowl eligibilty for the 23rd straight year. UW also has a run of 22 straight winning seasons to preserve.
Nebraska is equally desperate. The Cornhuskers (5-5, 2-5) are trying to reach a bowl for the first time since 2017 as well as snap a four-game losing streak.
UW closes the season against Minnesota at home in the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe.
“We have so much to play for,” Locke said. “We have two trophy games left on our schedule that are very important to our players and our coaches and fan base and our state. Two great opportunities, games that will require a full 60 minutes to win.
“It means a lot for us to do this the right way for our seniors and to finish well. We don’t take that lightly, the players or coaches. That is where our hearts and minds are right now.”
The Badgers’ offense produced a season-low 226 yards in the loss to Oregon on Saturday, went 1 for 12 on third downs and failed to get a first down on its final two possessions, drives that could have netted a go-ahead touchdown or game-tying field goal.
The game completed a three-game run when the Badgers didn’t gain more than 300 yards. Williams said the offense’s struggles created frustration.
“The defense performed at a very, very, very high level like they have multiple times this year and we put it on our shoulders to perform better at times as receivers, as quarterbacks, as an offense, the tight end group. Offensive line,” Williams said. “I truly feel in my heart when I walk off that field and we don’t put up points for the defense it hurts me.”
Cutting ties with Longo forces staff, players to adjust
Life without Longo will require some adjustments. There will be a new play caller, though Fickell would not identify that person.
A key change will be how the quarterback position is coached. That unit along with the receivers will now be coached together by receivers coach Kenny Guiton, who played quarterback at Ohio State and served as the interim offensive coordinator at Arkansas last season.
Williams and Locke like the early returns on that portion of the change.
“It’s been a good mesh,” Locke said. “Coach Guiton played the position, understands that perspective and how to manage that position so I’ve enjoyed working with him.
“But we’ve worked closely with the receivers all year, so I think that’s been good. We had a good day of practice today and will clean up things tomorrow and put another good one together and we’ll go in there Saturday ready to play.”
This marks the second straight year Fickell has relieved a coach of his duties. Last year offensive line coach Jack Bicknell was not retained. Two other coaches left for other jobs: receivers coach Mike Brown took the same position at Notre Dame and safeties coach Colin Hitschler moved on to Alabama.
“If anyone is listening or reading this, this is the new day and age of college football,” Renfro said. “Coaches leave. Players leave. This and that. It’s so much. It’s really turning into the NFL and you just have to trust the process, trust your work ethic, trust everyone around you because it’s all going to work out.
“You might not see it right then and there, but now I’m a fifth-year and I’ve looked back at all the work I’ve put in and all the stuff I’ve gone through and it’s made me better.”
Wisconsin
Wisconsin former four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer appears headed for transfer portal
MADISON – It appears that the Wisconsin football team will have almost a completely new quarterback room next season.
Mabrey Mettauer, the last scholarship player left at the position on the roster from this season, is expected to enter the transfer portal, according to 247sports. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound true freshman from The Woodlands, Texas, was a consensus four-star recruit coming out of high school.
This season he served as the top backup to Braedyn Locke after Tyler Van Dyke suffered a season-ending knee injury against Alabama. Mettauer appeared in one game and completed his only pass attempt.
He maintained his redshirt status and will have four years of eligibility remaining.
Mabrey’s departure was the last domino to fall from the firing of Phil Longo as offensive coordinator. Like Van Dyke and Locke, Mettauer came to Wisconsin with the idea that he would play in Longo’s pass-friendly offense.
Locke’s brother, Landyn, a member of the 2025 recruiting class, was also recruited by Longo. Landyn Locke has been released from his letter of intent and has re-opened his recruitment.
After 247sports broken the news of Mettauer’s expected departure he reposted the post on his X and Instagram accounts.
The loss of Mettauer means Wisconsin has three scholarship quarterbacks plus walk-on Milos Spasojevic on the roster for next season:
* Billy Edwards Jr., who started this season at Maryland and threw for 2,800 yards. He has one year of eligibility left.
* Danny O’Neil, who started at San Diego State as a true freshman and threw for 2,000 yards this season. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
* Carter Smith, a four-star prospect from Florida, will enroll early and participate in spring practice.
Wisconsin
14-year-old killed in Wisconsin school shooting shared gifts of music and art with many, friends say
MADISON, Wis. — Rubi Patricia Vergara was a talented young teenager who often handcrafted gifts for others and shared her musical talents with many, family friends recounted at funeral services held Saturday morning.
Vergara, 14, was a student at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, where she was shot and killed by a fellow student Monday. Teacher Erin West, 42, was also killed in the attack.
“She was a quiet, gentle spirit who cared deeply for others,” City Church lead pastor Tom Flaherty said. “But Rubi also had a faith beyond her years.”
Vergara’s services were held at City Church, which is adjacent to the school. West’s funeral is set for Monday at Doxa Church in Madison, according to her obituary.
Two other injured students remained hospitalized Saturday in critical condition but were stable, UW Hospital said.
A family friend, Dawn Moris, spoke about Vergara’s compassion and empathy. Vergara made personalized birthday cards for loved ones with digital artwork, origami and had started crocheting. Moris showed those in the congregation a small crocheted smiley face potato crafted by Vergara.
“She applied a caring and creative approach to everything she did,” Moris said.
Vergara played keyboard in a family worship band and could hear a song and pick it up on the piano, Moris said. As a singer, she had a special talent of harmonizing and “sang like an angel,” Moris said.
Vergara’s aunt played her niece’s favorite song, “Shoulders” by for King & Country, on the guitar during the service. Her uncle, Andy Remus, thanked the people of Madison for supporting his family this past week.
Police say the shooter, 15-year-old student Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow, shot herself at the school and died at a Madison hospital. Police have said she was in contact with a man in California who authorities say was planning to attack a government building. Rupnow’s motivation for the attack remains a key part of their investigation.
Volmert reported from Lansing, Michigan.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Wisconsin
Teenager accused in Wisconsin school shooting had a tumultuous family life, court documents show
MADISON, Wis. — A 15-year-old girl who police say killed two people and wounded multiple others at a private Christian school in Wisconsin endured what appeared to be a tumultuous home life marked by divorces, custody battles and a series of court-mandated mediation sessions to resolve disputes over her care, according to court documents obtained by NBC News.
Jeff and Mellissa Rupnow married and divorced twice, during which their daughter Natalie Rupnow would at times travel between her parents’ homes every few days and attend therapy.
They married in 2011 and divorced for the first time in 2014, according to court documents.
The two agreed to joint custody of Natalie, but she would live primarily with her mother, the documents state.
They remarried in 2017, according to their marriage certificate obtained by NBC, but filed for divorce a second time in 2020. Mellissa and Jeff Rupnow again agreed to share custody of Natalie, but this time she would spend “equal time with both parents,” the court documents show. A divorce certificate obtained by NBC News shows their divorce was finalized in 2021.
Natalie Rupnow, who also went by Samantha, shot and killed a teacher and a student and wounded six others during study hall on Monday at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, before dying from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. The victims were identified as Erin M. West, 42, and Rubi P. Vergara, 14.
Two students who sustained life-threatening injuries during the shooting remained in the hospital and the other four injured have been discharged, police said.
The FBI detained Alexander Paffendorf, 20, in California earlier this week and ordered him to temporarily surrender his firearms after he allegedly communicated with Natalie Rupnow. Authorities say Paffendorf admitted to discussing plans with Rupnow to arm himself with explosives and target a government building. The FBI uncovered messages between the two but did not disclose their alleged plans.
Paffendorf and his family could not immediately be reached for comment.
The apparent turmoil in Natalie Rupnow’s family life, as documented by court records, offer a glimpse into events that may have shaped her path before Monday’s tragedy.
In 2022, Mellissa and Jeff Rupnow sought mediation for custody of Natalie. That May, Dane County Family Court Services notified the parents of a requirement to attend a “mandatory parent education program via Zoom” due to a “disagreement concerning child custody and/or physical placement.” A month later, according to court documents, Mellissa Rupnow had “been scheduled to attend on June 2nd and June 16, 2022, but did not appear” for the Parent Education Program. Shortly after, the couple was asked to appear for a “mandatory mediation session in person appointment.”
In July 2022, an agreement was reached, granting them joint legal custody of Natalie, who would primarily live with her father, according to court documents. The documents also indicate that the parents agreed to “consider Natalie’s therapist’s recommendations regarding placement” for Natalie during the weekends.
Natalie’s mother agreed to connect with her therapist and “participate in therapy to the extent recommended by the therapist,” according to the court documents. Natalie’s father would make “every effort to schedule therapy appointments” to accommodate the mother’s schedule.
The court documents noted that “the parents report a generally positive co-parenting relationship and will continue to communicate with one another by text messages and phone conversations.”
Jeff and Mellissa Rupnow did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the two are “fully cooperating” with investigators, who are still trying to identify a motive and have not released many details on the teenager.
“Identifying a motive is our top priority. But at this time, it appears that the motive was a combination of factors,” Barnes said at a news conference.
Trish Kilpin, the director of Wisconsin’s Office of School Safety, said on Monday that “targeted violence is preventable.”
“When somebody decides to use violence, it’s often to redress an upset or a grievance, and they progress down a pathway towards that violence,” Kilpin said. “And when they do that, they often study previous school shooting incidents.”
A neighbor of Jeff Rupnow’s who spoke to NBC News expressed shock when he learned about the shooting and described Jeff as a “kind person.”
“He really helped us out,” said the neighbor, who did not want his name used out of fear of publicity about the case. “I know we’re still trying to piece everything together.”
The neighbor indicated he didn’t know Natalie, saying “the very limited things we knew, it’s horrifying for everyone, obviously, and just horrifying for the families of the school and those kids.”
Selina Guevara reported from Madison, and Chloe Atkins and Daniella Silva reported from New York City.
-
Politics1 week ago
Canadian premier threatens to cut off energy imports to US if Trump imposes tariff on country
-
Technology1 week ago
Inside the launch — and future — of ChatGPT
-
Technology1 week ago
OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change
-
Politics1 week ago
U.S. Supreme Court will decide if oil industry may sue to block California's zero-emissions goal
-
Technology1 week ago
Meta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit
-
Politics1 week ago
Conservative group debuts major ad buy in key senators' states as 'soft appeal' for Hegseth, Gabbard, Patel
-
Business6 days ago
Freddie Freeman's World Series walk-off grand slam baseball sells at auction for $1.56 million
-
Technology6 days ago
Meta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age