FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Billy Richmond III led five Arkansas players in double figures with 16 points and the 19th-ranked Razorbacks beat Robert Morris 76-53. Cooper Bowser added 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Davion Thompson had 15 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Arkansas finished with 25 assists on 31 baskets. Coming off a blowout loss to then-No. 9 Virginia in Washington, the Razorbacks got off to a slow start, trailing for most of the first 15 minutes. Arkansas went on runs of 12-2 to close the first half and 16-1 midway through the second to break the game open.
UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA has released data showing that the graduation rate for Bowl Subdivision football players who transferred more than once are 27% lower than those who stayed at one school. This data, shared with The Associated Press on Wednesday, is seen as a warning sign amid ongoing legal battles over eligibility and player movement. The statistics analyzed the six-year graduation rate for around 36,000 athletes who enrolled in college in the 2018-19 school year. NCAA President Charlie Baker says this highlights the negative impact of court-imposed transfer rules on academic outcomes.
UNDATED (AP) — Football Bowl Subdivision teams are taking care of the ball better than they have through a 10th week of a season in at least a quarter century. The average of 2.2 giveaways per game and interception rate of 2.3% are lowest at this point in a season since at least 2000 and the fumble rate of 1.8% is the lowest since at least 2013. That's according to Sportradar. Nebraska is yet to lose a fumble and South Florida is yet to throw an interception.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Arch Manning has been to LSU's Tiger Stadium many times for epic night games in a building with the ominous nickname of Death Valley. Manning is a native son of the Bayou State. For kids like him, LSU games were the center of the football universe. Manning returns to the LSU campus on Saturday night as quarterback of the Texas Longhorns, starring in Act III of the Manning family legacy tour. Manning already has a road win at Tennessee and a home win over Mississippi. A night game at LSU with both teams fighting to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive could be the wildest of them all.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor has agreed to return to the Bulldogs next season. In a statement posted by the university's athletic department on Wednesday, Taylor says he believes the Bulldogs can “build something special” and he promises that “big things are ahead.” Taylor’s decision, first reported by ESPN, comes after Mississippi State reportedly agreed to pay the quarterback about $7 million plus incentives. In parts of six games this season, Taylor completed 65% of his passes for 1,460 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also ran for 147 yards and a touchdown. The Bulldogs have lost five straight since starting 4-0 and host Auburn on Saturday.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Jayda Clark scored 24 points to lead No. 7 Texas to a 93-63 victory over South Dakota State. Texas lost All-American forward Madison Booker to an injury late in the first half. Clark, a sophomore from Australia, scored 14 points in the third quarter, hitting all six of her shots, including two 3-pointers. Texas outscored South Dakota State 29-18 in that period. Zya Vann added 14 points for Texas, while Bryanna Preston and Breya Cunningham contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. South Dakota State was led by Brooklyn Meyer to nine points. Texas forced 21 turnovers, including 15 steals, and scored 46 points in the paint.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mia Woolfolk scored 27 points as No. 8 Vanderbilt cruised to a 101-59 win over Western Kentucky. Vanderbilt, now 4-0, had its fourth straight 100-point game, a first for the team. Aubrey Galvan, last season's Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year, added 19 points, including five 3-pointers in the first half. Mikayla Blakes, a preseason All-American, scored 12 points, ending her streak of 18 games with at least 20 points. Western Kentucky's Trinity Rowe started strong but faced foul trouble and finished with 10 points. Vanderbilt forced 22 turnovers.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The University of Mississippi has been fined $250,000 by the Southeastern Conference after fans threw trash on the field and delayed the game during a blowout home loss to Georgia over the weekend. The SEC says the objects thrown on the field during the second quarter on Saturday interrupted competitive play and endangered participants. The penalty was assessed under the conference's sportsmanship, game management and alcohol availability policies. Ole Miss is not having alcohol sales banned for home games at this point, though the SEC reserves the right to do so in the future.
