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‘Ready to show who I am’: Ty Simpson embracing the pressure of his first Rams test

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‘Ready to show who I am’: Ty Simpson embracing the pressure of his first Rams test

The Rams shocked fans — and much of the NFL — when they selected quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th pick in the NFL draft.

Simpson started only 15 games at Alabama before the Rams ostensibly made him the eventual heir apparent to Matthew Stafford.

Now, after offseason workouts, two weeks of training camp and a few preseason practices, Simpson will get his first NFL game opportunity when the Rams open the preseason against Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m. PDT (CBS).

Fourth-year pro Stetson Bennett will start, but Simpson will play in the game.

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“I’m really ready to show who I am,” Simpson said this week.

Simpson, 23, acknowledges the pressure that comes with his draft position, especially for a team that is favored to win Super Bowl LXI. But he does not feel it.

Not outwardly, anyway.

“I try to be as present as I can, and make sure every day I understand how much of a blessing it is knowing that I am the No. 13 pick and everything that comes with it,” Simpson said during training camp. “But also understanding that being here every day, and making the most out of every opportunity that I get, is everything I can ask for.”

Simpson started slow in the first few training camp workouts, but he appeared to break through when he stepped up in the pocket and completed a pass across the middle of the field. Simpson said he had begun to “put the puzzle pieces together,” marrying concepts with lessons learned watching Stafford and Bennett.

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Star receiver Puka Nacua noticed.

“His arm and the confidence that he’s throwing the ball with has definitely grown a ton,” since offseason workouts, Nacua said before the Rams broke camp. “I think he’s feeling more comfortable in the pocket, understanding and seeing more guys run routes.”

Said offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase: “You’ve certainly seen him go and make some throws and go and compete in a really cool way.”

During this week’s joint workout with the Dallas Cowboys, Simpson played a few series, and completed a touchdown pass during a red-zone period.

But there is no tackling during practices. So Saturday will be Simpson’s first time experiencing NFL contact.

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“It’s going to be a whole different lifestyle,” he quipped.

Rams quarterback Ty Simpson looks to pass during a drill in training camp at Loyola Marymount on July 27.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Coach Sean McVay does not play starters or other projected significant contributors during the preseason. In addition to Nacua and Davante Adams being held out, receivers Jordan Whittington and Konata Mumpfield also will not play, McVay said.

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Simpson’s fellow rookies — tight end Max Klare, offensive lineman Keagan Trost, receiver CJ Daniels and defensive lineman Tim Keenan — will play.

Scheelhaase will call plays.

This will be Bennett’s seventh — and most important — preseason start.

Jimmy Garoppolo is no longer on the roster and Stafford was on a limited schedule during training camp, so Bennett worked with the first-team offense for the first time in his career. The former Georgia star, who led the Bulldogs to two national titles, played with confidence and made plays in his bid to show McVay and teammates that he can step in if Stafford is sidelined during the season.

McVay is looking to see how Bennett and Simpson manage the offense before and after the snap. He anticipates that both will use their mobility to make plays if the pocket collapses.

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“Seeing some of that stuff come to life will be important,” McVay said. “But I think it’s got to occur naturally.”

Stafford, Bennett and quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone are among those who have eased Simpson’s transition to the NFL. As Simpson prepared for Saturday’s game, Stafford offered counsel.

“The best advice he gave me was, ‘Just go let it rip. It’s nothing that you haven’t done before,’” Simpson said.

But this will be the first time Simpson will do it as a pro.

Simpson anticipates that it will be “surreal” to put on his game jersey and fulfill a dream of playing in the NFL.

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“There are going to be things that I mess up on,” he said. “I’m going to learn from them and move on, and next week be able to learn from it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

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How to Watch Indiana State vs. Purdue: TV Channel, Live Stream, Time

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How to Watch Indiana State vs. Purdue: TV Channel, Live Stream, Time

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The Indiana State Sycamores visit the Purdue Boilermakers on Friday, September 4, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. ET from Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, IN.

Purdue opens its season at home against Indiana State, an FCS opponent already 0-1 after a 21-23 loss to Southeast Missouri State in Week 0. The Boilermakers have won their last two meetings with the Sycamores by a combined 105-0, including a 49-0 result in 2024. Purdue is a 36.5-point favorite at DraftKings, with the total set at 56.5.

Below, we’ll give you all the details you need to know about how to watch this game.

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How to Watch Indiana State vs. Purdue

Players to Watch

Indiana State Sycamores

Owens already has a real body of work to point to, even after just one game. He threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns in Indiana State’s season opener, numbers that immediately made him the most productive quarterback the Sycamores have had in some time. Purdue enters off a 2-10 season of its own, and coach Barry Odom’s group has not beaten a Big Ten opponent since November 2023. That does not make Indiana State a threat to pull the upset, but Owens playing a clean, mistake-free game against an FBS defense would be a real building block for a program looking to prove last week’s opener was not a fluke.

Indiana State Sycamores

Indiana State’s offense found more than one weapon in its opener, and Wuest was part of that. He caught passes for 67 yards, added 36 yards on kick returns and finished with 103 all-purpose yards, giving the Sycamores a legitimate playmaker on both sides of the ball through one week. Purdue’s defense gave up plenty a year ago during a 2-10 season, and while a Missouri Valley Conference team walking into Ross-Ade Stadium is still a significant step up in competition, Wuest’s early versatility at least gives Indiana State a specific answer for how it plans to move the ball.

Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue is trying to climb out of the Big Ten cellar, and Browne is the returning piece the program is building around. He threw for 300 yards or more twice a year ago, including a 30 of 50, 302 yard effort against a top 25 ranked Illinois team, proof that his arm can handle high volume against real competition. Coach Barry Odom’s Boilermakers have not beaten a Big Ten opponent since a November 2023 win over Indiana, of all teams, which will feel especially strange now that the Hoosiers are the reigning national champions. An opener against an FCS opponent in Indiana State is exactly the kind of low-risk environment where Browne needs to look sharp before Purdue’s Big Ten grind begins.

Indiana State vs. Purdue Odds

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Mission Viejo High’s massive offensive line aims for greatness

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Mission Viejo High’s massive offensive line aims for greatness

Mission Viejo High’s offensive line did not want to be on the field against St. Paul on Friday night. This was evident by their first two plays.

The Diablos’ opening drive began with a 60-yard rushing touchdown, created by a massive gap on the left side of the offensive line. Senior running back Carson Vandermade wasn’t close to being touched by a defender on his way to the end zone.

A 60-yard passing touchdown immediately ensued on the next possession. Of course, the offensive line made sure sophomore quarterback Brett Burnor had more than enough protection to launch one deep to a wide receiver

Coach Chad Johnson knows the level of skill he has on his hands. He’s never had a more talented and cohesive line in his two-plus decades of coaching high school football.

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“It’s abnormal for us to have a line like this, and I’m really enjoying it,” Johnson said after Mission Viejo’s 77-12 victory.

The reason for that rarity is a simple one: every single starting lineman this season is a returning player. Nobody lost to graduation. No transfers. Johnson said he doesn’t recall that ever being the case.

Mission Viejo High offensive linemen (starting second from left) Tyler Johnson, Dylan Felli and Noah Lee in their custom-made jerseys they put on after the Diablos built a huge lead against St. Paul and they were pulled from the game.

(Caleb Otte / For The Times)

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In addition, four of the five starting lineman have NCAA Division I offers.

Senior left tackle Dylan Felli has offers from the University of San Diego and Montana. The guy who helped him create the first touchdown of the game, senior left guard Amaziah Siale, is committed to Louisiana State. Center Max Davidson, who is a junior, has an offer from Northern Arizona, and senior right tackle Tyler Johnson is committed to Cornell.

If the experience and college offers aren’t enough to prove their stature, their size should. Davidson and Felli are listed at 6 feet 4. Siale is 6-7 inches tall and weighs 345 pounds, while Johnson is 6-6 and nearly 300 pounds.

They wouldn’t look out of place lining up across from USC or UCLA. Standing near them is staggering. Trying to out muscle them is nearly impossible.

Johnson said that his team finally has a threatening run game because of the gaps the linemen create.

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“Usually we have to throw the ball to get [opponents] to back off, and then we can run it,” he said. “This year, we’re gonna run the ball until they commit everybody and then we’ll throw it.”

There are two other linemen who also play key roles: senior right guard Noah Lee and senior Baxter Middagh.

Lee is the smallest guy in the group. At 5-10, he looks out of place standing next to the big boys. Once he is on the field, however, the size difference is forgotten.

At 295 pounds, with a low center of gravity, Lee can’t be moved. It’s why he has earned his starting position over the last two seasons despite competing with potential DI players. He might not have any offers, but he doesn’t drag the rest of the group down. In fact, he’s often the leading voice on the sideline.

As for Middagh, his role is adding a new wrinkle to the offensive scheme this season. Last year he was playing on the line. Against St. Paul, he was deployed at tight end. His blocking expertise and size — 6-6 and 295 pounds — allow him to still help in pass and run protection, but now his impact can be felt with the ball in his hands.

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Case in point, Middagh scored a touchdown on a screen pass Friday. He was surprisingly fast, making it even harder to tackle him. Opponents will struggle if Mission Viejo can get Middagh, who is committed to Idaho, into open space.

Johnson said he might rotate who plays on the line based on what a possession needs, but that their best 11 includes Middagh on the field.

“He is super athletic and can catch the ball really well,” Johnson said. “The catches he makes are insane, some one-handed, and he runs a 5.3 [second] 40-yard dash at 300 pounds.”

Off the field, the mountainous young men turn into humble and funny teenagers. After being taken out at halftime, all six players cheered on the backups and joked with each other about everything and nothing.

At one point, Middagh’s family came down to the sideline and he went over to hug everybody and chat. There was no embarrassment by their presence near his teammates and friends, just an appreciation for those who love and support him.

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Siale also sheepishly waved to his family in the stands, getting a slight grin on his face when they yelled back down to him. Late in the fourth quarter, the public-address announcer credited Siale with a block on a big run play even though the big man hadn’t touched the field all half. He just laughed and high-fived some teammates who were offering sarcastic congratulations.

Despite their talent, cohesiveness and positive personalities, Johnson said that his offensive line isn’t perfect. In Mission Viejo’s 55-17 win against Chaparral in the season opener, they made some silly penalties for unnecessary roughness after the play ended, which negated big gains. Johnson wants that cleaned up moving forward.

“You don’t play up to a good team and down to a team that is not as good. You stay consistently great,” he said.

His team obliged. Whenever the offensive line gives the quarterback time to pass and the running backs space to run, there isn’t much complaining a coach can do.

“I’m going to try to take it all in and soak every game up, because I know at some time the curtain is going to call and they’re going to graduate,” he said.

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Two guys standing on Mission Viejo’s sideline were wearing custom made shirts of the offensive line. It was a picture of them all standing together, with the words “Higher Council” printed below. The message is clear.

Siale succinctly said what everybody else was dancing around.

“We’ve got the number one offensive line in the nation,” he said.

That claim will be put to the test against one of California’s best teams next week, when Mission Viejo travels to Sacramento to play Folsom High. Northern California will meet the Higher Council.

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2026 Cy Young Odds: Misiorowski Overwhelming Favorite Entering Final Month

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2026 Cy Young Odds: Misiorowski Overwhelming Favorite Entering Final Month

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With the 2026 MLB season now entering the home stretch, both Cy Young races are taking shape. 

Let’s check out the odds for this season’s winners at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Sept. 3. 

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

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AL Cy Young Winner

Cam Schlittler: -215 (bet $10 to win $14.65 total)
Dylan Cease: +190 (bet $10 to win $29 total)
Drew Rasmussen: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Sonny Gray: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)

What to know: When the season began, Detroit’s Tarik Skubal was favored to win a third straight Cy Young. That’s how dominant he’s been. However, he was forced to have surgery to remove loose bodies in his throwing elbow, was sidelined for months, and has now been traded to the Dodgers. The Yankees’ young star, Cam Schlittler, owns a 2.04 ERA (second), 210 strikeouts (fourth) and a 0.94 WHIP (fourth) this season, and remains the favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award. His only competition at this point is Toronto’s Dylan Cease, who has won his last three starts and has the second-most strikeouts in baseball (221).

Major League BaseballNL Cy Young Winner

Jacob Misiorowski: -600 (bet $10 to win $11.67 total)
Chris Sale: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
Cristopher Sanchez: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto: +6000 (bet $10 to win $610 total)

What to know: The NL Cy Young race looks a lot different than it looked a few months ago. Entering June, Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sanchez was atop the board (+145), followed by Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski (+340), Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes (+450) and the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani (+750). Now, while “The Miz” has only become more dominant and Sale has continued to find success, Skenes and Ohtani have fallen off the map. The more shocking fall-off belongs to Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young winner who entered 2026 as the favorite to repeat is now not even on the oddsboard. He began the season 6-3, but then lost his next nine starts. He has a 3.97 ERA, a far cry from the 1.97 ERA he had last season and the 1.96 ERA he registered as a rookie. His 8.0 WAR from last season has dropped all the way to 2.4 this season. As for Ohtani, he’s been dealing with a bothersome knee and has not taken the mound since July 3. Going back to Misiorowski, he’s quickly become the best pitcher in the NL and possibly in baseball. He leads MLB in ERA (1.97), strikeouts (227) and WHIP (0.97). It is his race to lose at this point. 

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