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Each week, On3s Mike Huguenin and Matt Zenitz spotlight six games with interesting coordinator matchups. The proverbial chess match between the coordinators very well could determine the outcome.

Here are the six in Week Three.

Time/TV: 3:30 p.m., CBSThe coordinator matchup: Penn State OC Mike Yurcich vs. Auburn DC Jeff SchmeddingThe buzz: Will Penn State be able to run? The running game was stifled in the season-opening win at Purdue, then PSU ran wild last week against Ohio. Auburns defense will be the best the Nittany Lions have seen, so the viability of the run is a genuine question for Yurcich. Schmedding was promoted to DC when Derek Mason left for Oklahoma State, and this is his first big test. Penn State has good receivers, headed by Parker Washington and transfer Mitchell Tinsley; if Sean Clifford has time to throw, the Nittany Lions will do some damage even though Auburns secondary is solid. Given Auburns offensive malaise, it shouldnt take a huge offensive effort from Penn State to win. Still, the potential lack of a rushing attack could mean Clifford is going to have to dodge pass rushers all day, and that could lead to mistakes.

Time/TV: 6 p.m., ESPNThe coordinator matchup: Mississippi State coach Mike Leach vs. LSU DC Matt HouseThe buzz: Leach is his own play-caller, and he and QB Will Rogers likely are looking forward to throwing it around against LSUs rebuilt secondary, which counts heavily on six transfer DBs. The talent is there in the secondary for the Tigers, but everyone still needs to get comfortable with each other. Playing zone and keeping everything in front of you is the key for a defense when playing against a Leach offense. Will Houses group be disciplined enough? Disrupting Rogers will be tough, given all the quick passes. But LSU edge rusher B.J. Olujari, who missed last weeks rout of Southern, is expected to play.

Time/TV: 7 p.m., ESPN2The coordinator matchup: Texas Tech OC Zach Kittley vs. NC State DC Tony GibsonThe buzz: Texas Tech has thrown the ball on 57 percent of its offensive snaps (wed bet that figure is higher than 60 percent soon), and 77 percent of its total offense has come via the pass; thus, NC States DBs are going to be busy Saturday. That should be OK with Gibson, as the Wolfpack secondary is one of the best in the ACC. S Tanner Ingle is the headliner of an experienced group, and that experience needs to show up. Tech had protection issues in last weeks OT win over Houston, but the Wolfpack pass rush has been nonexistent in the first two games. Gibson cant afford to let Tech QB Donovan Smith have a clean pocket, so what does he do?

Time/TV: 7:30 p.m., ABCThe coordinator matchup: Michigan State OC Jay Johnson vs. Washington DC William IngeThe buzz: The first real test for both teams this season. Michigan States offensive balance generally causes problems for opposing defenses; the Spartans can run effectively, especially between the tackles with transfer RB Jalen Berger, and also have a solid passing attack because of WR Jayden Reed. The second part likely worries Inge, whose corners have been spotty against lackluster foes in the first two games. The return of CB Jordan Perryman, a UC Davis transfer who missed last weeks game with a minor injury, will be important. The Huskies have some edge rushers who can provide pressure, and that aspect needs to come to the fore against the Spartans.

Time/TV: 9 p.m., ESPNThe coordinator matchup: Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher vs. Miami DC Kevin SteeleThe buzz: Fisher is his own play-caller, and this will be the eighth time in his career he has gone against a Steele-led defense; Steele leads 4-3. A&M is coming off an abysmal offensive performance against Appalachian State, and there is a quarterback switch from Haynes King to LSU transfer Max Johnson. Miamis secondary can be exploited, so A&M has to get its passing game going. Expect Steele to try to get a ton of pressure on A&Ms quarterback, whoever it is, and load up to stop Aggies RB Devon Achane.

Time/TV: 10:30 p.m., FoxThe coordinator matchup: Fresno State OC Kirby Moore vs. USC DC Alex GrinchThe buzz: Moore, the younger brother of Dallas Cowboys OC Kellen Moore, will rely heavily on the right arm of QB Jake Haener, one of the top quarterbacks on the West Coast. Fresno also has a solid running back in Jordan Mims. USCs offense figures to put up big numbers, so Moore needs to find a way to manufacture a ton of points. Grinchs defense has been OK through the first two games, but Fresnos passing attack is going to make USC DBs work.

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Chess match: Six coordinator matchups to watch in Week 3 - On3.com

It was a startling surprise last November when the Baltimore Ravens, among the NFLs hottest teams at the time with six wins in seven games, visited the struggling Miami Dolphins and their 2-7 record. The Ravens got out-coached, out-played and generally just outed as not an elite playoff contender.

It was a shock when the Ravens, averaging 29 points per game over the previous month, had no clue how to move the football when facing the zero blitz a gambling defensive strategy the Dolphins used so many times it frustrated quarterback Lamar Jackson to the extent he was yelling at coaches and teammates on the Baltimore sideline.

I was hot, Jackson said at the time, very much meaning angry.

And it would be a stunning surprise if the Ravens, with 10 months to study and recover from this game of coaching wits, arent more prepared to deal with what the Dolphins may to bring to Sundays rematch in Baltimore.

We would have been negligent if we hadnt worked on it, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said this week. Its something we needed to get a lot better at. Weve studied it the whole offseason. Well have a plan for it and hope it works.

These guys are probably the best in the league at doing it right now. They do it more than anybody, they do it better than anybody. Its something theyre committed to. I have all the respect in the world for what theyre doing defensively.

Advantage Dolphins.

The Dolphins crafted a strategy so effective that other teams copied the blueprint and used it against the Ravens. Harbaugh, arguably the best coach in the NFL, responded by having his best minds figure out how to combat the strategy.

But the big advantage for the Dolphins is they can try to use it again Sunday. Or not perhaps using something different the Ravens didnt spend months of prep work trying to figure out.

The element of surprise remains with Miami. The Ravens are expecting Miami to do it. But Miami knows this and might predictably go another direction.

Its the proverbial I know that you know that I know situation.

So Dolphins defensive coordinator Josh Boyer, who has been with the club since 2019 and became the coordinator in 2020 under Brian Flores, has options. Hes obviously not saying what the Dolphins will do next and will actually try to disguise his intentions up until the moment the ball is snapped.

Sometimes when you line up, obviously you can kind of tell whats coming defensively, Boyer said. We try to disguise things as best we can so that all looks dont look the same. But I think it comes down to execution. I really do. I know you guys keep referring to the game from a year ago, but even in some of those zero blitzes, they had some good answers, but it really came down to execution.

And thats in any defensive scheme or any offensive scheme. They have good coaches over there. Theyre going to be well prepared. We know and understand that. Were working very hard to put together the best game plan that we feel going into the game and were looking forward to the competition on Sunday.

Zero blitz, by the way, is a strategy that lines up one defender in coverage against each of the offenses receivers be that three receivers or four. And everyone else rushes the quarterback.

Its great when the pressure, which comes from all positions including safeties, confuses or even sacks the quarterback. But it can also be a nightmare for the defense against quarterbacks that get the ball out quickly to receivers who beat man coverage quickly.

So its a gamble, which is why not a lot of teams use it often and definitely not as often as Miami, which led the NFL in zero blitzes a season ago.

Heres a stat: The Dolphins blitzed a defensive back on 24 of Jacksons 48 dropbacks last November. That represents the most blitzes from the secondary by any team since Next Gen Stats started tracking those numbers in 2016.

The Dolphins didnt use it a ton against the New England Patriots last week but that was perhaps because they enjoyed a 17-0 halftime lead and there was no need to use dangerous blitzes while nursing that lead.

Maybe Boyer was saving his best blitzes for this week. But maybe he intends to go a totally different route.

Remember that Boyer comes from the same New England coaching staff that virtually stopped the Los Angeles Rams and their dynamic offense in the Super Bowl in February 2019. Largely because after playing man coverage most of that season, they played zone in that game.

The Rams had prepared for man and simply didnt produce against the unexpected strategy. When Boyer and former coach Brian Flores were in Miami and played the Rams again in 2020, they did not recycle the strategy they used in the Super Bowl.

This time they attacked L.A. quarterback Jared Goff with the zero blitz again, something the Rams were not expecting.

So Boyer comes from a school of thought that tries to do something different every rematch rather than repeat the same strategy. Thats why a chess match looms Sunday.

We hadnt really gone over defenses doing all-up zero against us, like, just all-up, flat-out zero, Jackson said this week recalling the last game. But I feel like well have an answer for it this year. We watched a lot of film on those guys, because we dont want it to happen again.

Well see.

Follow on Twitter: @ArmandoSalguero

For a breakdown of the rest of Sundays games, check out Dan Zaksheskes piece here.

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Miami Dolphins And Baltimore Ravens Have Been Playing A Chess Match For 10 Months - OutKick

The best chess players in the country aged 17 years and below battle wits in the National Youth and Schools Chess Championships unfolding Saturday at the Dapitan City Cultural Complex in Zamboanga del Norte.

Jeremiah Cruz and Janmyl Dilan Tisado spearhead the premier open 17-and-under division, while Rhea Jean Canino and Shaina Magne Romanillos are among the players to watch in the girls 17-and-under side in this eight-day event sponsored by Dapitan City Mayor Seth Frederick Bullet Jalosjos.

Around a hundred participants made it to the finale including some notable entries like reigning national ladies junior runner-up Ruelle Canino and April Joy Claros, who are the favorites to fight it out in the girls 15-and-under.

Another favorite is Christian Gian Karlo Arca in the boys 13-and-under.

Apart from Jalosjos, expected to grace the opener are Grandmaster Eugene Torre, National Chess Federation of the Philippines president/chair Butch Pichay and chief executive officer GM Jayson Gonzales and host city tourism chief Apple Marie Agolong.

Gonzales said the winners here would get a chance to represent the country in international age group meets.Our hope in the NCFP is to produce future national team players and champions, said Gonzales.

International Arbiter Reden Cruz will run this FIDE-rated tournament.

Continued here:
National Youth and Schools Chess is on - manilastandard.net

When five-star linebacker Anthony Hill committed to Texas A&M in July, it was a big win for Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies. But the ink has yet to dry. In fact, the ink doesnt even exist yet.

Hill, as a member of the Class of 2023, will have until at least December to make his decision official, should he choose to do so during the Early Signing Period. If he does not, he will have until National Signing Day in February.

It is unclear as to what his timeline might be, but Hills recruitment is not over. Texas and Steve Sarkisian are in hot pursuit.

The Longhorns staff is actively working to try and flip the nations top-ranked prospect, who also happens to be an in-state prospect. They were playing chess, not checkers, on Thursday night.

Hill, who is currently in the middle of his senior season, played last night. Sarkisian and co-defensive coordinator Jeff Choate were in attendance as Denton Ryan played Saginaw.

Texas was in attendance at Hills game on Thursday, which was just one day prior to his official visit to College Station.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pounder will be in attendance at Saturdays game against Miami. Sarkisian and Choate were the last coaches to speak with him in person before he traveled south for the weekend.

It could have been unintentional timing. The Longhorns staff may not have been able to attend any of Hills games for the rest of the season. But do we really think that Sark didnt know what he was doing?

In addition to the staff, high-profile wide receiver Johntay Cook is also on Hill to flip. He was recruiting him to Texas earlier in the week.

Texas A&M had one of its top targets, a five-star running back, cancel his visit to College Station after its loss to App State last weekend. If the Aggies continue losing, the Longhorns playing some mind games and keeping the foot on the gas with Hill could end up paying off in the end.

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Steve Sarkisian Plays Recruiting Chess, Visits Texas A&M Commit On The Night Before His Official Visit To College Station - OutKick

By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net

Berlin, Germany The Eurobasket quarterfinal game against Germany (13/9, 20.30 CET) has a special significance for Greece. The two-time Eurobasket champions and 2006 silver medalist in the FIBA World Cup have not been in a semifinal in any FIBA tournament since 2009.

With Giannis Antetokounmpo being arguably the best player in the world, this can change, but things against the Eurobasket hosts will not be easy. Can Giannis do it alone? Can the rest of the team step up?

Coach Dimitris Itoudis has the answers and he knows that everyone will have to react during the game: Most people say lets not lose to Giannis, so lets lose to Larentzakis or Papapetrou. Its not something we havent come across. This is the situation we are in. We will try different things, but this also has to do with the game itself. Its a case of chess. Not only from the coaches point of view but also from the players. They deserve congratulations. We are just trying to help from the outside.

Of course, that doesnt mean that Greece will try to reinvent the wheel, being the only unbeaten team left in the tournament.

We wont introduce anything completely new, said Itoudis. We will try to improve some things. What we presented in the Round of 16 was nothing new in terms of approach. We changed some things, but we also did them in the group. When Giannis went up to the guards, we took them out of rhythm, but that also involves a risk, as someone from our backcourt has to guard the opposing bigs. Sloukas fights with Balvin were amazing and you cant be prepared for that. But Sloukas, a point guard, played like a 7-footer. I mentioned Sloukas because Im not used to seeing this kind of thing from him. This means that he wants the team to win and he is ready to sacrifice himself to help the team.

And thats why Greeces approach against Germany will be to disrupt their game and not just aim to stop one player, as Itoudis explained: They have everything on their team. Obviously, they are playing at home, they have good playmaking, shooters, size, control of the tempo, and ability in one-on-one situations. We have to adapt our defense to them first and foremost. We obviously both like to run in transition. So its going to be a hard game. And its not only about Wagner and Schroder. They have real chemistry.

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Dimitris Itoudis: Its a game of chess for the coaches and the players - Eurohoops