Georgia
Georgia’s Kirby Smart on player celebrating after loss to Ole Miss: ‘Just stupid’
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart on Monday addressed a video of backup safety Jake Pope seemingly celebrating on the field after the Bulldogs’ 28-10 loss to Ole Miss last weekend.
“What an idiot. I mean just stupid,” Smart said. “I didn’t see it till today. But he’s embarrassed about it. He’s upset about it. … Just not real smart, but to be honest with you, I don’t have time to waste energy on that.”
Georgia player celebrating with Ole Miss fans??? 🤨https://t.co/v4yvJLacwx pic.twitter.com/rLIVF4V57D
— On3 (@On3sports) November 11, 2024
The video gained traction online on Monday. Pope apologized on X, clarifying that the person he was celebrating with was a childhood friend and former teammate of his whom he was excited to see.
“I want to say sorry for the way it was taken out of perspective and has caused distractions/commotion for my teammates and coaches,” Pope said. “In no way, shape or form would I ever celebrate a loss in this program and anyone who knows me well knows that.”
— Jake Pope (@JakePope24) November 11, 2024
Pope added he is “Georgia through thick and thin.”
Pope was a three-star prospect from Buford (Ga.) High in the Class of 2022. He transferred to Georgia this season from Alabama and has appeared in three games for the Bulldogs.
GO DEEPER
An important week for the narrative of this Georgia season
(Photo: Petre Thomas / Imagn Images)
Georgia
NC State football vs Georgia Tech score: Live updates, highlights from ACC game
The N.C. State Wolfpack and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets play in primetime on Thursday (7:30 p.m., ESPN) at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Week 13 of the college football season.
Coming off an idle week, the Wolfpack (5-5, 2-4 ACC) needs to win one of its final two games to become bowl eligible for the fifth straight season. But it won’t be an easy task taking on the Yellow Jackets (6-4, 4-3) in Atlanta, where N.C. State has lost 11 of 15 games in the series.
The Wolfpack hasn’t won at Georgia Tech since 2010.
NC State vs GT preview, prediction
Keep this page refreshed and bookmarked for live updates for N.C. State vs. Georgia Tech.
NC State vs Georgia Tech score
Live scoreboard:
What channel is NC State vs Georgia Tech today?
TV Channel: ESPN
Livestream: Fubo (free trial), ESPN+
Watch NCSU vs. GT on Fubo
N.C. State vs. Georgia Tech will be broadcast nationally on ESPN in Week 13 of the 2024 college football season. Matt Barrie and Dan Mullen will call the game from the booth at Bobby Dodd Stadium, with Harry Lyles Jr. reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers. Matt Chazanow, Johnny Evans and Tony Haynes will have the radio call on the Wolfpack Sports Network.
NC State vs Georgia Tech start time
Date: Thursday, Nov. 21
Start time: 7:30 p.m.
Buy NCSU vs GT tickets here
The N.C. State vs. Georgia Tech game starts at 7:30 p.m. from Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
NC State vs Georgia Tech history
Series record: Georgia Tech 20-11
NC State’s last win: 2020 (23-13)
Georgia Tech’s last win: 2019 (28-26)
NC State vs Georgia Tech prediction
Georgia Tech 30, N.C. State 23: The Yellow Jackets will remain undefeated at home behind a big effort from quarterback Haynes King. The Wolfpack will head to Chapel Hill for the regular-season finale, needing a win to play in the postseason.
NC State vs Georgia Tech spread, betting odds
Game lines and odds from BetMGM will be posted as they become available.
Spread: Georgia Tech is an 8.5-point favorite
Over/under: 52.5 points
Moneyline: N.C. State (+270), Georgia Tech (-350)
NC State vs Georgia Tech weather
Temperatures for kickoff will be around 44 degrees under clear skies in Atlanta, Georgia. Winds will be between 8-16 mph, with gusts up to 38 mph.
NC State vs Georgia Tech injury updates
This section will updated in the pregame.
NC State schedule 2024
- Aug. 29: Western Carolina (W, 38-21)
- Sept. 7: Tennessee (L, 51-10)
- Sept. 14: Louisiana Tech (W, 30-20)
- Sept. 21: at Clemson (L, 59-35)
- Sept. 28: Northern Illinois (W, 24-17)
- Oct. 5: Wake Forest (L, 34-30)
- Oct. 12: Syracuse (L, 24-17)
- Oct. 19: at Cal (W, 24-23)
- Oct. 26: OPEN
- Nov. 2: Stanford (W, 59-28)
- Nov. 9: Duke (L, 29-19)
- Nov. 16: OPEN
- Nov. 21: at Georgia Tech (Thursday)
- Nov. 30: at UNC
Georgia Tech schedule 2024
- Aug. 24: Florida State (W, 24-21)
- Aug. 31: Georgia State (W, 35-12)
- Sept. 7: at Syracuse (L, 31-28)
- Sept. 14: VMI (W, 59-7)
- Sept. 21: at Louisville (L, 31-19)
- Sept. 28: OFF
- Oct. 5: Duke (W, 24-14)
- Oct. 12: at UNC (W, 41-34)
- Oct. 19: Notre Dame (L, 31-13)
- Oct. 26: at Virginia Tech (L, 21-6)
- Nov. 2: OFF
- Nov. 9: Miami (W, 28-23)
- Nov. 16: OFF
- Nov. 21: NC State (Thursday)
- Nov. 29: at Georgia
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Georgia
Critics accuse Georgia sheriff of silencing them on social media in lawsuit
Three Georgia residents are accusing Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens of violating their free speech rights, alleging in a lawsuit that he silenced their critical opinions on Facebook following a viral incident in which he called deputies to a Burger King over a botched order.
The legal filing in U.S. District Court lists David Cavender – a Republican who unsuccessfully ran against Owens for the sheriff position this election season – as one of the plaintiffs.
“Defendant Craig Owens was displeased that certain persons, including the Plaintiffs, were publicly criticizing his performance as the Sheriff of Cobb County, Georgia,” the lawsuit says. “Instead of upholding the First Amendment and stomaching speech he found personally distasteful, Owens decided instead to utilize the powers of his office to censor the speech of Plaintiffs, and others, based on viewpoint.”
An attorney wrote that in October, in the weeks leading up to Election Day, a video that emerged of “Owens utilizing Cobb County Sheriff deputies to intercede in a personal dispute with Burger King employees became viral” and that the plaintiffs “had been leveling harsh criticism against Owens” over it and other matters.
GEORGIA SHERIFF CALLS DEPUTIES FOR HELP AFTER BECOMING UPSET THAT BURGER KING GOT HIS ORDER WRONG
READ THE FILING BELOW. APP USERS: CLICK HERE
In that March 2023 incident, three deputies were dispatched to the fast-food restaurant in Mableton with sirens blaring.
“Hey, do me a favor. I need to get, all I need is the owner name of whoever owns this damn facility or the manager,” Owens is heard telling one deputy who showed up on scene.
“I wanted her [to get his female passenger] a Whopper, no mayo, cut in half, right?” he continued.
The sheriff added: “I don’t need no damn money back no more. I just need to find out who owns this place so I can do an official complaint.”
The lawsuit says on Oct. 29 of this year, Owens put in place “sweeping restrictions” over who can post comments on the Cobb County Sheriff Office’s Facebook page.
EX-GEORGIA POLL WORKER INDICTED FOR MAILING BOMB THREAT TO POLLING PLACE: FBI
“On information and belief, these restrictions were put in place because of the viewpoint of commenters’ posts grew increasingly critical of Owens and his performance as Sheriff; in other words Owens put the restrictions in place to prevent the expression of a viewpoint,” the lawsuit says, adding that some of the posts made by the plaintiffs were deleted or hidden by the Sheriff’s Office Facebook account.
The Sheriff’s Office then wrote on Nov. 1 that it is “committed to providing a safe and respectful space on our social media channels.
“To keep our posts focused on community safety updates and educational info, we’ve turned off the comments feature,” it added.
The lawsuit is asking a judge to “declare the actions of Defendant Owens… to be view-point based restrictions in violation of the First Amendment”, prohibit his “unlawful practice of retaliatory censorship” and to prevent him “from deleting comments, blocking posters, or restricting commenters to those who are friends or referenced within posts,” among other damages.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Both the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office and the law firm that filed the lawsuit did not immediately respond Thursday to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Georgia
Lefty Georgia DA in Laken Riley case faces outrage after killer migrant avoids death penalty
The progressive Georgia district attorney who was prosecuting nursing student Laken Riley’s illegal immigrant killer refused to seek the death penalty even after removing herself from the case – drawing outrage when the defendant was sentenced to life without parole.
Athens-Clarke District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez, who appointed a special prosecutor to take over the prosecution of Jose Ibarra at the end of February amid criticism over her own prosecutorial record, laid out her soft-on-crime reforms when she assumed office in January 2021.
Gonzalez said her office would “no longer seek the death penalty” and when considering charging defendants, she would “take into account collateral consequences to undocumented defendants,” according to a copy of the district attorney’s policies shared by Georgia State Rep. Houston Gaines.
Ibarra, a 26-year-old Tren de Arangua gang member, was sentenced Wednesday to life without parole after being convicted of murdering the 22-year-old college student. His sentence angered many Republicans, including Gaines, who felt the killer should get the death penalty.
Gonzalez announced this spring would not seek the death penalty against Ibarra, stating, “our utmost duty is to ensure that justice is served and that the victim’s family is an integral part of the deliberation process.”
She also acknowledged critics will seek to “exploit this case for political gain,” but legal decisions must “always transcend political considerations,” according to WRDW.
The decision appears in line with what Gonzalez told staff in 2021.
“Cases which are legally eligible for the death penalty are eligible for sentences of life without parole and life with parole eligibility after serving thirty years,” she wrote.
“Both of these sentences constitute very substantial punishment. Decisions to seek the sentence of life without parole are a sentence of death in prison.”
She also reportedly said the office would take into account “collateral consequences to undocumented defendants,” when making charging decisions.
GOP lawmakers were incensed that Ibarra would not face the death penalty.
“If there was ever a case where the death penalty was appropriate, this is it,” Gaines tweeted Wednesday.
Meanwhile state Sen. Colton Moore called on the state attorney general to intervene.
“I am officially calling on Attorney General Chris Carr to file an emergency motion to intervene and demand the death penalty for the murderer of Laken Riley,” he tweeted.
“District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez let her radical political agenda stand in the way of justice. By refusing to seek the death penalty, she denied Laken’s family, friends, and community the full measure of justice they deserve.”
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene also weighed in.
“Jose Ibarra deserves the death penalty,” she tweeted. “Just as Laken’s mother Allyson asked the judge, Laken’s evil (murderer) deserves exactly what he gave to Laken.”
Gonzalez lost her reelection bid this month by a 20-percentage point margin.
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