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Thur Recap, Fri Schedule, QB Intel, and More
CFB Roundup – November 1, 2024
Good morning, and welcome back to CFB Roundup from CFB Home – the first daily newsletter that’s all college football, all the time with no bias, no slant, and no fluff.
If you're frustrated by one-sided reporting, our 5-minute newsletter is the missing piece. We sift through 100+ sources to bring you comprehensive, unbiased news—free from political agendas. Stay informed with factual coverage on the topics that matter.
YESTERDAY’S RESULTS:
Winner | Loser |
---|---|
Tulane: 34 (7-2) | Charlotte: 3 (3-6) |
TODAY’S SCHEDULE:
Betting Information as of time of writing
Away | Home | Time (ET) | Channel | Spread | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Georgia State (2-5) | UConn (5-3) | 7 PM | CBSSN | CONN -8.5 | 48.5 |
USF (3-4) | FAU (2-5) | 7:30 PM | ESPN2 | USF -2.5 | 47.5 |
San Diego State (3-4) | Boise State (6-1) | 8 PM | FS1 | BOIS -23.5 | 56.5 |
Tulane’s Defense Holds Charlotte to <200 Yards, Green Wave Roll the Miners 34-3
Tulane beat Charlotte 34-3 last night in a game where nothing was going the Miners’ way.
The Green Wave excelled in every metric, winning the turnover battle 1-0 with a Pick Six, winning the time of possession battle with over 42 minutes of possession, winning the yardage battle 431 to 189, winning the first downs gained battle 29 to 12, and winning the conversion down battle 12/18 to 1/12.
QB Darian Mensah finished 21-of-29 for 214 yards for the Green Wave, with RB Makhi Hughes rushing for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns on 27 carries. He also added a pair of catches for 15 yards.
RB Shaadie Clayton-Johnson finished with 59 yards and a touchdown on 6 carries, too. WRs Mario Williams and Yulkeith Brown had a solid day receiving, finishing with 6 catches for 96 yards and 7 catches for 53 yards, respectively. DB Micah Robinson rounds out the box score for Tulane, as he was the defender to record the Pick Six for Tulane on Charlotte QB Deshawn Purdie’s interception.
Purdie finished 5-for-12 for 66 yards and an interception. After the Pick Six and a three-and-out started the second half, backup QB Max Brown came in for Purdie, finishing a paltry 2-for-10 for just 3 yards. He did also add 25 rushing yards on 3 attempts. RB Hahsaun Wilson led all Miners with 68 rushing yards on 6 carries, with Cartevious Norton only rushing for 21 yards on his 5 carries. Ultimately, with under 18 minutes time of possession, Charlotte was only able to run 44 total plays (compared to Tulane’s 78).
Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke to Start and Play on Saturday Against Michigan State
Indiana Coach Curt Cignetti shared yesterday that QB Kurtis Rourke will start and play for Indiana against Michigan State this weekend.
Rourke missed the last game after undergoing surgery on a thumb injury he suffered two weeks prior. Thought it’s unclear if it’s the same injury as Navy QB Blake Horvath, Horvath had trouble gripping the ball in Navy’s blowout loss to Notre Dame while toughing out the pain of an injured thumb on his throwing hand. Navy turned the ball over 6 times in that game, though not all because of Horvath’s injury.
Rourke and the #13 ranked Hoosiers take on Michigan State at 3:30 PM ET on Peacock as they look to improve to 9-0 and continue their path to a possible playoff berth.
Georgia’s Kirby Smart Unconcerned with QB Carson Beck’s Recent Play
Georgia has been winning, with its most recent win coming over Texas in an impressive 30-15 road win prior to a bye week this past week.
Now, Georgia faces off the Gators this weekend, and ahead of the rivalry game, Coach Kirby Smart is not particularly concerned with the questions about his quarterback’s performance.
Of QB Carson Beck, Coach Smart was asked what’s going wrong with him, to which Coach Smart said, “I don’t answer it, because I don’t think anything’s wrong with him. He hasn’t played perfect, but nobody does. So I’m very comfortable with where Carson is and in terms of his leadership, his practice habits, the things we’re asking him to do, I think he’s doing a good job of those.”
This comes after Beck threw 3 interceptions and no touchdowns against Texas and has already thrown 8 interceptions on the season after throwing just 6 last year. His INT % this season of 3.2% is more than double the 1.4% it was last season. Despite that, though, Coach Smart still has supreme confidence in his QB, especially as they face off this weekend against Florida at 3:30 PM, which can be watched on ABC.
Texas A&M’s Mike Elko on Where QBs Stand
Texas A&M has been mixing and matching quarterbacks in the gameplan as needed, with the most recent change coming while Conner Weigman sputtered against LSU before Marcel Reed came in and sparked life into the Aggies.
This change, while earning a win over LSU, did come with the price of questions over who will start for the Aggies moving forward.
To which Coach Mike Elko said the staff is evaluating all options ahead of Saturday’s game against South Carolina. In evaluating the decision, Coach Elko shared, “I think we’re fortunate. I think we have two quarterbacks who give us an opportunity to win football games. Both of them have won football games for us this year, both of them have won SEC football games for us this year and both of them have won games on the road this year.”
When considering a timeline for the decision, Coach Elko shared that it’s likely going to be a game-time decision: “Yeah, I think [game-time decision is] probably the best way to sum it up. And you’re gonna keep asking, I’m gonna keep giving you every neutral answer I possibly can.”
2026 4-Star DL Vodney Cleveland Commits to Alabama
#ROLLTIDE!!! 🐘
— Vodney Cleveland (@Vodney_Clev)
11:13 PM • Oct 31, 2024
2026 Consensus 4-star DL Vodney Cleveland committed to Alabama yesterday over offers from Georgia, LSU, Oregon, Michigan, Texas, and others.
Cleveland has visited the Crimson Tide on multiple occasions between the spring, summer, and a couple games this fall.
He ranks as high as 35th nationally and 4th at his position according to 247Sports, with the On3 industry composite ranking him 80th nationally and 6th for his position in the 2026 class.
For Alabama this is their second 4-star in the 2026 class, as Cleveland joins CB Dorian Barney as a commitment for the Crimson Tide.
2026 WR Tyreek King Commits to Tennessee
WE STAYING HOME !!!🍊🍊🍊 #GBO@Vol_Football@coachjoshheupel@CoachKelseyPope@CoachHalzle@On3sports@Rivals@ChadSimmons_@adamgorney@BuckFitz@NCEC_Recruiting@KCIrishFootball@PennySmith_
— Tyreek King (@Tyreekking15)
2:12 PM • Oct 31, 2024
2026 4-star WR Tyreek King committed to Tennessee yesterday while also holding offers from programs like Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss.
King was only a few miles away from Tennessee, which should be no surprise that it felt like home to King. He also said that since he was in the 8th grade, he’d been dreaming of getting the offer from Tennessee, and once he did, no where else has come remotely close to Tennessee to create that feeling for him.
King ranks as high as 60th nationally and 6th at the WR position for the 2026 class according to On3, but the On3 industry composite places him 119th nationally and 18th at the WR position.
This is Tennessee’s 4th Blue Chip commitment and 5th commitment overall in the 2026 class, a class which currently ranks 4th of the 24 programs with enough commitments in the junior class to justify a ranking.
Big 12 Announces No Tech Was Compromised
Following a complete review of the helmet communication, the Big 12 Conference has determined that no tech was compromised.
The equipment is being returned to the schools, now, with an encryption update to provide further security to the communications systems.
It is unclear what, exactly, the “technological shortcomings” were that prompted the return of the equipment in the first place, but there were stated concerns about outside parties being able to listen in on or access the live channels during games and effectively hear communication between the coach and the player with the speaker in the helmet.
Either way, this should assuage concerns over the in-helmet communication systems, at least for now, and the in-helmet communication technology should be back to all of the teams in time for games this weekend, another concern over returning the equipment when it was.
Mike Elko on the SEC: Very Similar to NFL
Mike Elko is in his first season as the Head Coach at Texas A&M, and he went on the Jim Rome Show to discuss life in the SEC after having spent the previous two seasons as the Head Coach of Duke.
In speaking on what it’s like in the SEC, he described it as similar to the NFL: “we compare it to the NFL a lot, and we think it’s very similar, just in terms of how even the teams are matched up. So, every single week, you’ve gotta bring your best or you’re gonna be at risk of getting beat. And you see that week in, week out in this conference.”
The Aggies are still unbeaten in SEC play, as its lone loss on the season came against Notre Dame in the season opener. The schedule has since included multiple Top 25 teams, including its win over LSU last week. Up next is South Carolina on ABC at 7:30 PM ET.
Arkansas Adding in 3% Fee Increase on Concessions Following House Settlement
Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek recently shared in a letter to Hogs fans that the program would be building in a 3% fee to increase concession sales for the purposes of funding in a post-House world.
The letter stated, in part, “we could spend plenty of time discussing the merits of the old system vs. the new system. However, as the leader of Razorback Athletics, I have challenged our administration, coaches, and staff to focus on the road ahead and how we can best position ourselves to build on the tremendous success of our program, while also meeting the increased financial demands of this new intercollegiate athletics world.”
This increase in concession fees is also done in tandem with other revenue-raising measures, including placing logos for Tyson Foods and Wal-Mart on both the football and basketball playing surfaces for Razorback games.
3-Star RB Jamarice Wilder Flips from James Madison to Louisville
After receiving an offer Wednesday night, 2025 3⭐️ and Top-65 RB Jamarice Wilder has flipped his commitment from JMU to Louisville!
This season at Venice, he’s averaging 151.3 yards per game and an impressive 9.1 yards per carry.
— 35KYSports (@35KYSportsMedia)
7:45 PM • Oct 31, 2024
3-Star RB Jamarice Wilder flipped his commitment from James Madison to Louisville yesterday after originally committing to James Madison back in late June.
Wilder also spent some time committed to Coach Prime and Colorado, but is now back to being committed to a Power 4 program as he joins Coach Jeff Brohm’s 2025 class.
Wilder ranks just outside the Top 1,000, as he ranks 1,007th nationally and 76th at the RB position according to the On3 industry composite.
Wilder is Louisville’s 13th commitment for a 2025 class which ranks 59th nationally and 15th out of 17 in the ACC.
Other Commitments/Decommitments
3-Star (88) LB Brenden Anes flips from Wisconsin to Tennessee
3-Star (85) TE Preston Douglas flips from South Carolina to NC State
3-Star (84) QB Jax Brown commits to Sam Houston
Unrated ATH Davion Kerr commits to Syracuse