For many years, I felt like my offensive previews for the Texas A&M Aggies were all about the same when talking about a Jimbo Fisher offense. Since the Aggies made the swap the Mike Elko as the head coach, though, the Tide hasn’t played them, so this is the first time I’ve gotten a good look at the Aggie offense under Elko and offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins (formerly Alabama’s WR coach).

And, uh, it’s not been good.

They’re 71st in the country in scoring with 29.4 points per game, but that’s been buoyed with big days against Missouri State, Arizona State, The Citadel, and Arkansas. In their three other games, they’ve scored all of 6 points on LSU, 6 points on Missouri, and 21 points in a loss to Kentucky.

There’s a lot of negative in their stats, but the biggest issue has been that they have one of the worst passing attacks in the whole country – they’re ranked #122 in passing EPA/play and #132 in passing explosiveness, completing less than 56% of their passes.

After a promising season a year ago, QB Marcel Reed has been awful so far in 2026 for whatever reason.

And the responsibility starts with quarterback Marcel Reed and offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins.

Texas A&M managed just two first downs through three quarters. Two.

The Aggies gained a laughable three yards during the entire third quarter. Eight offensive possessions lasted four plays or fewer.

Reed threw two interceptions, completed just five of 13 passes in the first half and went nearly 14 minutes without completing a throw.

That’s not the production of a quarterback capable of leading an SEC contender.

It’s the production of a quarterback who needs to watch the next game from the sideline.

Reed’s struggles aren’t isolated to Missouri, either. Against LSU, he completed 10 of 26 passes for 106 yards and an interception in a 35-6 defeat.

Against Kentucky, he threw two more interceptions as the Aggies fell 31-21.

Texas A&M has now lost three of its first four SEC games, dropping to 3-3 overall.

Meanwhile, Wiggins has done precious little to demonstrate that he can fix the problems.

The first-year offensive play-caller inherited a quarterback with considerable experience and an offense that averaged 444.5 yards per game last season.

What he’s producing instead is an unimaginative, predictable attack that can’t consistently sustain drives, establish offensive balance or threaten opposing defenses.

Reed isn’t passing the ball well, and he isn’t even being particularly effective as a runner, either, getting all of 175 rushing yards on 54 carries. It’s somewhat difficult to really evaluate his receivers with as poor as the QB play has been. Mario Craver was an excellent slot receiver a year ago and leads the team with 24 catches for 241 yards. Then there’s Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton, who was 280 yards on 20 catches as the more downfield outside receiver. Past these two, the rest of the receivers only have a handful of catches. Deep threat Terry Bussey is out for the season. Freshman Aaron Gregory as scored 3 times on 10 catches, which is pretty cool. And to top things off, Craver is dealing with a nagging injury and may not even play against the Tide.

On the other hand, things have been more positive for the Aggies in the run game. Rueben Owens has been an excellent lead back for them, putting up 314 yards on 76 carries, while freshman KJ Edwards has been something of a revelation, putting up 317 yards on only 47 carries. Carsyn Baker and Jamarion Morrow also rotate in and have 155 and 122 yards, respectively, with Morrow leading the team with 4 touchdowns.

They’ve been especially good rushing off tackle, averaging over 5 yards per carry off both edges.

Interestingly, check out this snippet on their offensive line. Turns out, Wilkin Formby is one of the best pass blocking tackles in the country, but the lowest graded run blocker on his own team. Who would have thought?

When looking at the state of the Aggies offensive line, it’s first important to view the numbers by who is on the field the most. A high-win rate, but a low snap percentage, doesn’t necessarily make a player better on paper, as the number of times they are tested can change the results.

Three players have been consistent on the field throughout the season; left tackle Tyree Adams, center Mark Nabou Jr., and right tackle Wilkin Formby. Their numbers all reflect the amount of time they have spent on the field, and of offensive lineman with at least 100 snaps, those three are the highest rated pass blockers.

Formby paces the team in pass blocking, not only as the highest graded Aggie, but is the highest graded tackle in the country. He has allowed 0 sacks on the year, and just four quarterback hurries. While Formby is the lowest graded run-blocker with at least 100 snaps, Nabou Jr. is the team leader, and has been a really strong part of the interior, allowing just one sack this season.

The guard spot is where the Aggies have really struggled, and at times have led to their detriment. Trovon Baugh, who has the fourth most snaps amonst offensive lineman, has given up the most sacks on the team with four.

To their credit, the Aggies did try something new against the Tigers, moving Formby to the guard spot while placing Lamont Rogers at the right tackle position. Unfortunately he graded as one of the worst pass blockers in the contest, while surrendering three pressures, the team-high for the game. That same result was found in Sam Roseborough, who the program tried to give playing time as well.

While we don’t really know what Wiggins is as an OC at this point in his career, I expect the Aggies to come at Alabama with a very similar gameplan as what Tennessee did: Run the ball and throw quick screens. For one, they will want to protect Marcel Reed from giving Alabama freebie. And for two…. Well, it worked for the Vols, why not do the same thing?

While Reed and the running backs will get some rushing yards on the Tide defense, I have trouble seeing how this offense can really threaten the Tide too much, unless the Alabama offense just gives them ball in good field position over and over (which is definitely not out of the realm of possibilities). I think the Alabama defense mostly self-corrects some of their flaws from a week ago, though the questionable nature of Zabien Brown’s injury may affect things.

Still, I think that this is an OC that is probably out of his league against a more experienced Kane Wommack, and there’s been nothing to suggest that Marcel Reed won’t continue to self-sabotage. So let’s go with 12-14 points for the Aggies.

Roll Tide

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Hall of Fame shortstop Robin Yount says he feels a different level of anxiety watching the Milwaukee Brewers now than when he was playing for them during their only other World Series run.

“It’s almost like watching your kids play,” said Yount, who was the American League Most Valuable Player when the Brewers reached the 1982 Fall Classic. “You’re a lot more nervous watching your own kids play than when you played yourself. And I kind of feel that way now.”

Yount and the rest of the 1982 Brewers are hoping this year’s Milwaukee team can settle some unfinished business by winning the franchise’s first World Series title.

The 1982 Brewers won the AL pennant and led 3-1 in the sixth inning of Game 7 of the World Series that year before falling 6-3 to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers are finally back on this stage 44 years later.

The Brewers swept the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL championship series to earn this matchup with the AL champion Tampa Bay Rays. Game 1 is Friday in Milwaukee.

“In my 80 years on this planet, I have never been more impressed with a team — the way they played against the Dodgers — in my entire life,” said Larry Hisle, who played nine games for the Brewers in 1982 before undergoing shoulder surgery that essentially ended his 14-year major league career.

On the surface, this year’s Brewers don’t have much in common with the 1982 squad.

The 1982 team was known as Harvey’s Wallbangers, a nod to Milwaukee’s drinking culture, Brewers manager Harvey Kuenn and the fact that the Brewers hit an MLB-leading 216 homers that year. This year’s Brewers hit just 154 homers to match the second-lowest total in the majors.

But the two teams do share some traits.

Jerry Augustine, a pitcher on the 1982 team, said that squad “had respect for each other about going out and playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”

“This team is exactly the same,” Augustine said. “They respect each other. They go out and play hard. They don’t give up. When you play this team, you’d better be ready to play 27 outs.”

Cecil Cooper, a first baseman on the 1982 team, said he’s appreciated the Brewers’ approach at the plate during this playoff run.

“You watch every at bat, these guys are grinding,” Cooper said. “They’re not out there just wailing away at the first pitch. They’re grinding at bat after at bat. That’s what you do. That’s what winners do.”

That 1982 team’s star-studded roster featured five Hall of Famers in Yount, third baseman Paul Molitor, catcher Ted Simmons and pitchers Rollie Fingers and Don Sutton.

The list of familiar names on that team isn’t limited to the players. Florida Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito was a Brewers bat boy and clubhouse attendant that year. He did laundry, rubbed mud on baseballs for better gripping and played catch in right field with outfielders between innings.

Zito brought the Stanley Cup into the Brewers’ clubhouse during the summer of 2024, after the Panthers won their first of two straight NHL championships.

Would his name be on the Stanley Cup twice if he hadn’t been a Brewers bat boy? Zito doesn’t think so.

“I’m guessing maybe some of the guys working there now realize what an unbelievable opportunity it is, to learn and to be around professional sports,” Zito said. “The lessons that you take away, maybe I didn’t understand them at the time. … But now, reflecting back, they were all so important.”

The 1982 squad remains beloved in Milwaukee and was a subject of a documentary, “Just a Bit Outside,” that came out in 2024.

Milwaukee started slowly that year until Kuenn took over and provided a spark after the June firing of Buck Rodgers. The Brewers clinched the AL East title by winning a winner-take-all game at Baltimore on the final day of the regular season. They rallied from two games down to beat the California Angels in the best-of-five ALCS.

Longtime Brewers fans continue to vow that the Brewers would have won the World Series if Fingers hadn’t injured his forearm that September, preventing him from pitching in the postseason.

“We got a parade when we lost the World Series,” Yount said. “How often does that happen?”

Yount, who is generally regarded as the greatest player in Brewers history, has called that 1982 postseason the greatest time but also the worst time of his career because of the way it ended. The pain of losing Game 7 sticks with him.

“Yeah, it stings,” the 71-year-old Yount said. “It hurts. I’m not going to lie, I’ll never get over it until the Brewers win one. So I’m hoping. I hope this happens more often than every 44 years, but I’m pretty excited this year. If it takes another 44, I’m not sure I’m going to be here for that one.”

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AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Steelers Release Veteran Safety Before Paris Game In Latest Shake-Up to Secondary originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The reshaping of the Steelers' secondary will continue into Week 7.

A few weeks after trading Joey Porter Jr. to the Cowboys, with safety DeShon Elliott likely to return from injury soon, Pittsburgh announced it is cutting ties with a veteran safety on Wednesday.

Rayshawn Jenkins will hit free agency after struggling with the Steelers over the first six games of the 2026 season.

Here's what to know about Jenkins' release and what it means moving forward.

The Steelers announced the release of Jenkins on Wednesday after he played in all six games for the team so far, including one start.

However, for the most part, Jenkins — a 10-year veteran who has had stints with the Chargers, Jaguars, Seahawks and Browns — struggled to emerge as a starter despite his experience, with 562 total tackles, 11 interceptions, 5.5 sacks and 34 pass deflections in his career.

After starting all 17 games for the Browns last season, Jenkins landed with the Steelers in the offseason, but was quickly replaced by seventh-round rookie Robert Spear-Jennings in the starting lineup. Per Steelers Now, Jenkins was targeted five times before his release from Pittsburgh, allowing five completions for 120 yards, one touchdown and a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

For the Steelers, the move likely indicates that they didn't have a need for Jenkins because Elliottt will return soon, out since October 2025 with hamstring/knee injuries. Elliott had a setback in the preseason and was unable to start the season for the Steelers.

Elliott's 21-day practice window was opened on Oct. 8, and head coach Mike McCarthy has remained hopeful that he'll be back on the field soon.

Whether Elliott will be ready for the Paris matchup against the Saints remains to be seen, but he's likely to return at some point soon.

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Liverpool could be on the verge of signing an exciting player.

January is just around the corner. It may seem like a long distance away but we are almost approaching Halloween. Soon there will be Christmas decorations in every shop.

Your favourite and least favourite Christmas songs will be chiming out from every radio and speaker wherever you go.

And then, it's January and the proper football transfer season is underway.

For Liverpool, these windows have been quiet in general. There's been the odd big transfer, but mostly Liverpool prefer to do their business in the summer.

This time though things could be different. This time Julian Ward could go on a big spending spree as there are multiple areas to fix in the squad.

So, strap yourself in and get ready for an exciting winter.

Last January, Liverpool got some big deals over the line. They agreed three future transfers for three exciting centre-backs.

Mor Talla Ndiaye joined the Reds immediately. Meanwhile, Jeremy Jacquet and Ifeanyi Ndukwe arrived at the club in the summer after agreeing moves in the winter.

This time around, naturally Liverpool are going to be exploring the market for these type of transfers as well. Gilberto Mora is very much on the club's radar as a potential new signing.

However, he is not the only one who Liverpool will pursue. They will also weigh up their options in the midfield. Lamina Camara is a long-term target who could be available and Ward's exciting plans could involve bringing him to Anfield.

The bottom line is that the Reds will be busy.

We wrote recently about a potentially interesting development of Justin Ellis' alleged social media account posting a picture at Liverpool's training ground.

Now Ellis is one of the most exciting young USMNT prospects breaking through the ranks. A forward who can play out wide on the right and as a no.10 as well, he recently scored two goals in his first three games for the US' senior national team.

For Orlando this season, he has three goals and 12 assists in 28 appearances, and has stood out with his playmaking ability.

The way he plays is similar to Roberto Firmino, and with his contract expiring in June 2027, it would make sense that Liverpool would be interested in him.

He is 19-years-old, proving himself at senior club and international level and with such short-terms on his contract this is a move that screams textbook Julian Ward.

He likes bringing in young versatile players with elite potential. Ellis is exactly that, and it's why he could be heading to Liverpool.