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.

YESTERDAY’S RESULTS:

TODAY’S SCHEDULE:

Betting Information as of time of writing

Jacksonville State Remains Unbeaten in CUSA Play, Beats Liberty 31-21

Jacksonville State ran for 363 yards to mark its 4th consecutive game hitting the 300-yard mark on the ground as the Gamecocks beat Liberty 31-21 to give the Flames its second loss in conference play and putting Jacksonville State in the driver’s seat for Conference USA.

RB Tre Stewart led all rushers with 232 yards and 4 touchdowns on 27 carries as QB Tyler Huff also added 130 rushing yards on 20 carries. Huff also finished with 95 passing yards on 6 of 10 passing.

For Liberty, QB Kaidon Salter finished 12-for-25 with 147 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, while also adding 68 rushing yards on 17 total attempts. However, that interception came at a critical time, as the Flames trailed 24-21 late. Salter’s interception was returned to the 1-yard line, which was punched in by Stewart two plays later.

Liberty RB Quinton Cooley finished with 133 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Liberty WR Elijah Canion led all receivers in this game with 63 receiving yards on 5 catches.

Western Kentucky Scores 21 in 1st Quarter in 31-14 Win Over Kennesaw State

Western Kentucky scored on 4 of its first 5 drives, including 3 touchdowns, to take an early 24-7 lead in the 1st half. Even though Kennesaw State’s defense settled in and did not allow another score until the 4th quarter, by that point the damage was done.

With scoring drives of 79 yards, 75 yards, 78 yards, and 78 yards, it should be no surprise that Western Kentucky outgained Kennesaw State 462-272, and on a per play margin of 7.97-4.06.

Western Kentucky QB Caden Veltkamp finished with 3 passing touchdowns, one to Easton Messer, one to Noah Meyers, and one to Trevor Borland. Both Meyers and Borland entered the day with zero catches on the season, with Meyers having never even had a college reception in his career. Veltkamp finished an efficient 17-for-22 with 276 yards to go with those 3 touchdowns mentioned.

RB Elijah Young also had a solid day, finishing with 114 yards on just 15 carries, good for a 7.6 yard per carry average. On top of a touchdown, Messer finished with 68 yards, in large part thanks to a 64-yard touchdown.

For the Owls, Kennesaw State QB Davis Bryson finished with 96 passing yards and an interception on 13-for-26 passing. Bryson also added 37 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 rush attempts, which does include the 3 sacks he took, 2 of which came from Western Kentucky LB Darius Thomas. RB Michael Benefield led the Owls with 98 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, while Qua Ashley was held in check, more, with only 38 rushing yards on 11 carries.

Pitt QB Eli Holstein Cleared for Ranked Matchup at SMU

Pitt Coach Pat Narduzzi shared yesterday that QB Eli Holstein is cleared for #18 Pitt’s matchup against #20 SMU in Dallas this weekend.

Holstein left last week’s game against Syracuse in the 4th quarter with an injury, and Coach Narduzzi did not share whether he would be good to go this week. But it looks like Holstein has been cleared to play, and will be ready to face the Mustangs.

Holstein currently sits at 1,805 passing yards with a 17:5 TD to INT ratio on 64.2% passing. SMU opens as a 7.5-point favorite at home for its matchup that takes place at 8 PM and can be seen on the ACC Network.

Middle Tennessee RB Frank Peasant Announces Plan to Enter Portal

Middle Tennessee RB Frank Peasant announced on social media yesterday his intention to enter the transfer portal.

On his Instagram, Peasant shared that he is entering the portal as a graduate transfer before showing gratitude for the coaches, teammates, and friends who have made his experience at MTSU meaningful.

Peasant’s best season came in 2022, when he rushed for 777 yards and 9 touchdowns. On his career, Peasant currently sits at 1,511 rushing yards and 443 yards receiving. He’s also scored 19 rushing touchdowns and 2 receiving touchdowns in his career.

4-Star QB Carter Smith Decommits from Michigan

Near consensus 4-star QB Carter Smith decommitted from Michigan yesterday after committing to the Wolverines back in November of 2023.

The timing of this is interesting, as Michigan heavily pursues top LSU commit and 5-star QB Bryce Underwood.

Programs of note moving forward for Smith includes Clemson, Penn State, and Wisconsin.

Smith ranks as high as 95th nationally and 3rd at his position according to Rivals and ESPN, respectively. According to the On3 industry composite, though, Smith ranks 199th nationally and 18th for his position.

Michigan is now down to 12 Blue Chip commitments and 16 commitments overall for a 2025 class which still ranks 12th nationally and 4th in the Big Ten.

The Athletic: Big 12 Instructs Teams to Return Helmet Communication Technology

Per a report from The Athletic, the Big 12 is instructing teams to return coach-to-helmet communication equipment immediately to address “technological concerns” as there are concerns others can listen in on or access an opponent’s communications.

Officials from the Power Four conferences were alerted after the Arkansas – Texas A&M game in late September when a problem was discovered. A Big 12 administrator told The Athletic that the purpose for returning the equipment was to encrypt future communications, whatever that means and however that would be accomplished.

It’s unclear if this will be finished in time for 10 of the conference’s 16 teams to play this weekend.

Continuing to Track Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke’s Injury

The 8-0, #13-ranked Indiana Hoosiers face off against Michigan State this weekend, and the status of QB Kurtis Rourke is still tracking in the right direction according to Brandon Marcello of 247Sports.

Rourke underwent surgery for a thumb injury he suffered a little under 2 weeks ago against Nebraska but all signs are pointing towards Rourke only missing last week’s game against Washington.

James Franklin on the Importance of Every Game Down the Stretch

Penn State Head Coach James Franklin shared how every game – not just a Top 4 matchup against Ohio State – is a big game for him and the Nittany Lions program.

Coach Franklin yesterday said, “West Virginia to open the season was a big game. Bowling Green was a big game. If you don’t think it was, lose to Bowling Green and see how people react. They’re all big games. This is a big game because of how we’ve handled the previous six, so we don’t change our process. I can’t control the noise and the things that are outside this building, but we stay consistent with how we go about our business. I can’t control the other things.”

Penn State is a 3.5-point underdog at home to Ohio State, where a win would catapult Penn State’s chances to winning the Big Ten and getting a first-round bye in the upcoming 12-team playoff.

Ole Miss and Arkansas Injury Report Reveals WR Tre Harris Questionable After Missing OU Game

Wednesday’s injury report for the Arkansas and Ole Miss game was revealed, with several notable names listed, none more pivotal than Ole Miss WR Tre Harris, who is listed as questionable for the Rebels.

For Arkansas, RB Rodney Hill is listed as probable. The following are out for the Razorbacks: DB Jaylon Braxton, K Kyle Ramsey, and RB Ja’Quinden Jackson.

For Ole Miss, the following are out: CB Cedrick Beavers and RB Logan Diggs. The following are listed as questionable: RB Matt Jones, WR Tre Harris, S Andy Jaffe, OL Nate Kalepo. Finally, the following are listed as probable: DT Walter Nolen, TE Dae’Quan Wright, OL Jayden Williams, OL Micah Pettus, OL Jeremy James, and TE Caden Prieskorn.

Auburn S Antonio Kite Dismissed from Team

Auburn DB Antonio Kite was dismissed from the Auburn team yesterday. Kite had played in every game this season, but had seen a decreased amount of snaps in recent weeks. Since September, he has only played five total snaps in the secondary in the last month.

Kite reportedly is being dismissed after missing practice on multiple occasions this season. Kite transferred in to Auburn from Alabama after Nick Saban retired at the beginning of the last offseason.

Kite was expected to make a big impact for the Tigers’ secondary, but true freshman Jay Crawford has been playing in the secondary in Kite’s place.

Other Commitments/Decommitments

3-Star (87) EDGE Cole Cogshell commits to UCLA

3-Star (87) OT Louis Akpa commits to Arizona

Unrated DL Antwon Brown flips from Louisiana Tech to North Texas

2026 Unrated QB Jaylen Mason commits to Kansas