The Owls averaged 78.8 points per game, the third most in the conference and the highest in program history. However, their defense lagged behind.
They allowed 77.7 points per game, the most in the conference. The team often was outhustled, leading to multiple blown leads. That culminated in a blown 12-point halftime lead vs. Tulsa in the second round of the conference tournament to end the season with a 17-15 record.
Coach Adam Fisher wanted to change his team’s mindset before the 2025-26 season. He opted for a more defensive-minded approach in the offseason and brought in 11 new players who fit the bill.
“We didn’t really change much, because I think [Fisher] just worked on getting guys that want to play defense and that’s something you can’t really teach,” said guard Aiden Tobiason. “So when you get guys that want to play defense, all you have to do is just install what we already know.”
In the first four games, Temple’s defense showed signs of improvement. The Owls (4-3) gave up 70 points per game as they got off to a 3-1 start. However, the wheels have come off as of late.
Temple allowed a combined 256 points in three games in the Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational in Florida. The Owls finished in sixth place, with a win over Princeton (79-75) and losses against Rhode Island (90-75) and UC San Diego (91-76)
“We tried to really work a ton this offseason, like, ‘Hey, we got to guard better,’” Fisher said. “How does your offense get better? Through your defense.”
Temple’s Derrian Ford is averaging 16.6 points and 4.6 rebounds this season.
Fisher brought in guards Derrian Ford, Masiah Gilyard, and AJ Smith this offseason because of their defensive ability. Ford is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 16.6 points. He and Gilyard lead the team with 4.6 rebounds per game, while Smith has contributed off the bench.
“I really just tried to make sure that I’m in my right spots on defense,” Smith said. “Allowing my teammates to know that I’m there for them and the gaps and things like that. Just defensive integrity, knowing where you’re supposed to be and how you’re supposed to be there and trying to be there early.”
The early-season progress on defense has felt like a distant memory after this past week.
UC San Diego (7-0) poked holes in Temple’s defense for 40 minutes on Monday. The Tritons struck down any scheme the Owls threw at them. They shot 62.5%, and Temple forced just five turnovers.
Those problems persisted in the next two games. Princeton (3-6) and Rhode Island (6-2) put up more than 30 points in the first half. Rhode Island hit 55.2% of its shots, including 12 three-pointers.
The trip to Florida ballooned Temple’s average points allowed. The Owls are allowing 76.6 points and opponents to shoot 48.1% per game, which ranks last in the American Conference.
Temple came into the season looking to fix its defense. However, the last three games have shown that there still is a long way to go before the repairs are sustainable.
“[Fisher] has done a good job of putting teams on our schedule that play like the teams want to play in our conference,” Tobiason said. “So I think we do play a lot of teams that go out and transition, and that’ll get us prepared for conference games.”
The Eagles face the Chicago Bears on Black Friday still in the driver’s seat in the NFC East, but their magic number to clinch the division remains four games following the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving win against the Chiefs.
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Of course, the Eagles are playing for higher stakes than simply winning the division. Entering Friday’s game, the Birds hold the No. 2 spot in the NFC, with head-to-head wins against most of the conference’s top teams, including the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, and Detroit Lions.
The Birds can add the surprising Bears to that list today with a win, while a loss would knock the Eagles down to third place in the NFC with just five more games to go before the playoffs.
The Lions put themselves in a bad position with their loss against the Packers on Thanksgiving. At 7-5, Detroit is suddenly on the outside of the playoffs looking in with a tough schedule that includes games against the Cowboys, Rams, and Bears.
NFC playoff picture
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Week 13: Bears (8-3) at Eagles (8-3)
Where: Lincoln Financial Field
When: 3 p.m., Friday
Streaming: Amazon Prime Video (Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, Kaylee Hartung)
TV: Fox29
Radio: 94.1 WIP (Merrill Reese, Mike Quick, Devan Kaney)
It shouldn’t be hard to watch or stream Friday’s game. In addition to simulcasting on Fox 29 in and around Philadelphia, Amazon is streaming the game for free globally on its Prime Video platform.
Amazon’s Richard Sherman says Eagles play designs are ‘pretty pedestrian’
Richard Sherman called the Eagles’ offense predictable and “pedestrian.”
“[Eagles offensive coordinator] Kevin Patullo is probably a great dude, a great coach, but there’s an art to play-calling that not everyone has and it’s not showing up this year,” Foles said.
Richard Sherman agrees.
The five-time Pro Bowl defender turned Thursday Night Football analyst said during a conference call earlier this week the design of many Eagles plays are “pretty pedestrian,” allowing defensive backs to “determine route combinations and route concepts” based on how the Birds line up.
The Eagles have the 24th ranked offense in the NFL entering Friday’s game, among a handful of teams averaging less than 200 passing yards per game. Plus, Saquon Barkley isn’t coming close to repeating last year’s dominant 2,000-yard performance.
“Do I think they can repair their offense? No, I don’t,” Sherman said. “I think Kevin Patullo’s the issue, and unless they replace him, nothing’s going to change. They’re going to go home” early in the playoffs.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Sherman’s colleague at Amazon who spent 17 seasons as an NFL quarterback, played with Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo during his time in Buffalo. Fitzpatrick said it’s up to Patullo and head coach Nick Sirianni to fix “some missteps,” with their receivers, including getting A.J. Brown ”on a few more out cuts” and “in the slot a little bit more.”
“They’ve got to start in the second half of the season here, breaking some of those bad tendencies,” Fitzpatrick said. “Because you do fall in love with certain routes, with certain guys, because they’re such good players.”
The single greatest motivator in professional sports is not pride or love of the game or legacy. It’s money.
The second greatest motivator: winning.
When it comes to the Eagles, most of their offensive players seemed to have satisfied their appetite for both.
They’ve won a Super Bowl. They’ve been paid. And now, faced with a demanding schedule, playing with the residual fatigue of three postseason runs, and with everyone getting a year older, they look like a shadow of what they should be.
The Eagles don’t rank among the top half of the NFL’s teams in rushing offense, passing offense, or scoring. This, despite allotting just under $130 million of their salary cap on offense, more than twice the allotment on defense.
After the Eagles scored zero points for the final 41 minutes and blew a 21-0 lead at Dallas, running back Saquon Barkley said this:
“They wanted it a little more.”
Eagles linebacker Nolan Smith wraps up Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the second half of their game last Sunday.
He hit the nail on the head, and he hit it as hard as any hole he’s hit all season.
Something’s missing with the Eagles this season, especially with their offense. They lack desire. They lack motivation.
What they do not lack is money.
They’re 8-3, which isn’t bad, until you drill down and realize why they’re 8-3. They have three losses because they played flat all game against the Giants on Oct. 9 and because they didn’t show up for the second half on the road vs. Dallas (Denver, the other loss, actually is a pretty good team).
That, as the Eagles host an 8-3 Bears team ravenous for relevance on Friday, is troubling.
They’re smelling themselves, and we’ve seen this before.
Just like the 2017 team that won Super Bowl LII with Doug Pederson, the Super Bowl LIX winners and Nick Sirianni are basking in the afterglow of the title. It’s hard to blame them because it’s hard to win it all, and when you’re set for life, and you’re wearing a $50,000 ring, it’s a little bit harder to hold that backside block or finish a decoy route.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni kisses the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9.
That’s the difference between dynasties and winners. Dynasties hold their blocks and finish their routes. Dynasties seek greatness for its own sake and are not weighed down by million-dollar pocketbooks.
Barkley, wide receiver A.J. Brown, left tackle Jordan Mailata, left guard Landon Dickerson, right tackle Lane Johnson, and quarterback Jalen Hurts are playing on what likely will be their most lucrative contract. Some got new money after the Super Bowl win. None are playing to their expected level.
The exception: wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who is on track for an excellent season.
Meanwhile, on defense, linebacker Nakobe Dean, defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter, and corners Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are playing like demons. Not coincidentally, all are playing on rookie deals and are due for big raises. The exception here: sixth-year linebacker Zack Baun, who cashed in on a career season and has been elite again. At any rate, after a rocky start, a midseason infusion of talent via trade, an unretirement, and a return from injury, the defense, which led the team to the title last season, is dominant again.
The offense, meanwhile, has yet to deliver consecutive halves of proficiency against a good team. Former Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins this week suggested to Tim McManus of ESPN.com why the Eagles seem flat: “You just won a Super Bowl. So even though you go back to the starting line, in your mind, you are a Super Bowl-caliber team, and you think you deserve, almost, to get there, even if you don’t talk about it, you might say the right things internally.”
Former Eagles player Malcolm Jenkins feels the afterglow of winning a Super Bowl has contributed to the Birds’ inconsistency this season.
He wasn’t done dealing hard truths.
“A lot of times, you lie to yourself. … Everyone in the sport tells you how good you are and why they expect you to do something. And then the season comes, and you realize that this season has nothing to do with last year,” Jenkins said. “I think the faster teams get to that truth, that they’re starting at zero and [not to] take anything for granted — I think those are the teams that can repeat, that can create dynasties, and that can stand the test of time.”
One of the best barometers of efficiency is penalty count. The Eagles last season committed 103 penalties for 793 yards, which ranked 11th-fewest and fifth-fewest, respectively. Their 37 pre-snap penalties tied for seventh-fewest.
This season, they rank 26th in total penalties against, 27th in total yards against, and 25th in pre-snap penalties against. It’s getting worse: They had 14 penalties at Dallas, the most since Sirianni took over in 2021.
They are an accomplished, veteran team, but they’re playing like a rebuilding bunch of kids.
Jenkins is one of the most qualified people on the planet to say what he said.
He was one of the hardest-working, toughest, most resilient Eagles in history, and for that, he will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame on Friday, assuming these comments don’t put him in Jeffrey Lurie’s doghouse. Jenkins played six seasons in Philly, went to three Pro Bowls, was the team’s unquestioned leader, and, most significantly, won Super Bowls with both the Saints and the Eagles. Jenkins knows what a Super Bowl hangover looks like.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, left, asserted that he felt both sides of the ball were working well in his team’s loss to the Cowboys.
Sirianni pushed back on the assertion from Barkley.
“I felt like, when I watched the tape, I saw the effort sky-high on both sides of the ball,” Sirianni said.
Wonder who else was sky-high during that film session … or some of the others this season.
Sirianni and his pithy axioms — great without the greatness of others, tough, detailed, together, flower power — have not been able to overcome this offensive malaise. Maybe there’s just too much, this time.
The Birds have, in Brown, a wide receiver who, considering his words, actions, and social media posts, clearly is more interested in burnishing his Hall of Fame prospects than simply winning.
They have, in Barkley, a running back who has stopped hitting the right holes and has started seeking the sideline — but at least he got a Wawa sandwich named after him. Consider, though, that Reggie Jackson hit 223 more homers after the “Reggie” bar came out. Saquon hasn’t hit a homer yet this year.
Saquon Barkley appears far from the form that aided his breakthrough season for the Eagles last year.
The offensive line, once a pack of stampeding rhinos bent on destroying linebackers on the second level, now can’t keep Barkley clean at the line of scrimmage.
All of these are issues of effort, not execution.
As Jenkins said, the Eagles themselves probably have not realized this. They had given no indication before Barkley’s confession on Sunday.
There’s a chance that the effort is the same. Maybe injuries have more to do with it than they’re letting on.
Barkley missed a chunk of training camp with a groin injury that has flared again recently. Brown missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury that also cost him Week 8. Dickerson has endured three injuries so far, and Johnson was hurt twice before a foot sprain sidelined him indefinitely two weeks ago. Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens missed two games with various ailments, and, after offseason back surgery, he hasn’t been anywhere close to 100% all year.
Regardless, they’re not moving the ball.
Jalen Hurts could benefit from the ferocity the Eagles’ offensive line delivered to him last season again.
They can not afford to be this kind of team with a quarterback who is limited, as Hurts, whose unremarkable arm strength, slow release, and ponderous processing are only modestly offset by his speed, power, toughness, accuracy, and leadership. The rest of the offense has to operate at an extremely high level — holding those blocks, completing those routes, hitting those holes — to compensate for Hurts’ limitations.
There’s a chance, too, that the culprit is fatigue. Between Super Bowl runs after 2022 and 2024, plus a playoff game after 2023, the Birds have played about two more months of football than every other team except Kansas City.
And the Chiefs look pretty ragged, too.
To the Eagles’ credit, most of the offensive players who got paid last year got paid before they won the Super Bowl. When the monetary incentive disappeared, winning was enough to fuel their fire.
Now, though, they’ve won.
What, if anything, fuels their fire today?
Gameday Central: Bears at Eagles
The Eagles enter Week 13 with an 8-3 record, holding first place in the NFC East and remaining among the conference’s top contenders. They’re looking to rebound after last week’s disappointing loss to the Cowboys. Join The Inquirer’s Olivia Reiner and Jeff McLane on Gameday Central for expert analysis, insider insights & live updates. Listen live.
While most of America is running to stores or shopping online on Black Friday, today’s date marks a golden moment in the history of women’s college basketball.
On Nov. 28, 1976, The Inquirer’s annual college basketball preview included a story with a headline proclaiming, “Move over guys, here comes another Top 20 poll.”
Just below was a graphic of Delta State’s center Lusia Harris, the consensus national player of the year, overlooking the Top 20, complete with an added national preview.
And thus, under the stewardship of this writer, inside the Inquirer offices was born an institution that led to seismic change in terms of national attention on women’s basketball. Two years later, at the request of the College Sports Information Directors of America, the Associated Press began running those first-of-their-kind weekly rankings. This season, the poll celebrates its 50th anniversary.
A clipping from the Sunday, Nov. 28, 1976 Philadelphia Inquirer. Page 14-F featured the first edition of Mel Greenberg’s women’s basketball poll.
Just as the 50th anniversary of the Title IX landmark federal legislation bringing equal opportunity to women in collegiate sports was celebrated in 2022, so too will the poll’s 50th anniversary be celebrated all season.
Technology helped spur the poll’s growth, from the pre-NCAA era to 1981-82, when the organization started sponsoring women’s championships. (Before then, women’s championships were held by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.) This writer handled the tabulation operation through 1993-94, which is when Connecticut began an appearance streak that totals 610 times through this week.
Mel Greenberg, right with former Inquirer editor William J. “Butch” Ward, inside the Inquirer offices as Greenberg is honored for winning the first Women’s Basketball Association Media Award.
Until 1994-95, coaches did the voting because writers were at a minimum nationally.
Fifty years ago, the poll was created using typewriters and $70 calculators that today cost a couple of bucks. It evolved from telerams, faxes, floppy discs, and Radio Shack TRS-80 calculators to giant hard drives, laptops, Blackberries, and, ultimately, smartphones and iPads today.
Early on, a sports media relations professional at North Carolina State called looking for information, but I wasn’t keeping records. An hour later, legendary Wolfpack coach Kay Yow, a voter, called to lecture me on the importance of preserving history.
Fortunately, Colleen Matsuhara, who phoned in then-Cal Fullerton coach Billie Moore’s vote from out West, was keeping tabs, so the first six missing weeks from the records were restored. Today, that has evolved into a spreadsheet of all polls, among other records, and this is now the 889th week of the poll.
Two people most excited about the poll creation were based here — this writer’s Temple classmate, Dick “Hoops” Weiss, the acclaimed men’s writer, and Mike Flynn, who, until recently, ran national AAU powerhouse, the Philadelphia Belles.
Way back I said one day to them, “You think I’m going to do this the next 50 years?”
They nodded in the affirmative.
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, center, reacts after a championship banner reveal at Gampel Pavilion on Nov. 9.
Grandpa Geno
A few years after Philadelphia hosted the Women’s Final Four in 2000, Geno Auriemma’s UConn squad was back in town to face Villanova. Over at the hotel where his Norristown posse were hanging out, Auriemma’s brother noted that perhaps some decisions would have to be made in the near future.
Two days later, UConn signed another No. 1 recruit, so he wasn’t going anywhere.
I saw his brother again shortly after that and quipped that one day someone is going to say they came to Storrs, Conn., because they like Geno’s grandfatherly ways.
Geno’s birthday is March 23, right in the middle of March Madness. Decades later, the date gets noted at an NCAA Tournament news conference, and now-WNBA standout Paige Bueckers shouts out, “Yeah, we call him Grandpa.”
The Eagles and Bears meet for a Black Friday afternoon game with playoff positioning at stake at Lincoln Financial Field.
Can the Eagles bounce back after blowing a 21-point lead Sunday to the Dallas Cowboys on the road? Or will the upstart Bears pull off their signature win of the season?
Discount deals and Eagles football. Happy Black Friday to all.
Perhaps Sunday’s result and the current trends of this Eagles offense don’t have you feeling festive for football this weekend. But fear not, the Eagles are touchdown favorites for a reason.
Sure, the Bears are 8-3 after winning four consecutive games. But they’re doing the thing that teams do sometimes when they’re turning a corner after some down seasons: taking advantage of an easy schedule. Their win Sunday vs. the Steelers, 31-28, was their first against a team with a winning record.
The offensive numbers with Ben Johnson in charge have been impressive, though. Chicago ranks 11th in expected points added/pass and eighth in EPA/rush, and that running success allows Caleb Williams to throw the third-highest percentage of play-action passes (31.3%) in the NFL. The Eagles have really struggled there, and Dak Prescott made them pay quite a few times.
Why could Friday be different? The Eagles should be able to pressure Williams more than he usually is.
Could this be the week when Saquon Barkley pops off in the running game?
Flipping to the other side of the ball, it’s Chicago’s defense that gives the Eagles an advantage, especially considering the Bears are down multiple defensive starters. If there was a get-right game for the Eagles’ ailing running game, this is it. The Bears allow an average of 138.1 yards on the ground, fifth-worst in the NFL. They allow the second-most rushing yards per before contact per rush (2.01). I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Friday is Saquon Barkley’s second game over 100 yards.
If not, and if the Eagles can’t get the running game going against this team, especially with its injuries, the problems plaguing them are more worrisome than we all thought. The run will open up the pass, and the Eagles won’t spoil your leftovers.
Much like last week, the Eagles shouldn’t underestimate the Bears, especially given the state of their offense right now. The Bears defense ranks near the bottom of the league in average yards against (363; No. 27), but they do certain things pretty well. They have a league-high 24 takeaways. (Former Eagles safety Kevin Byard and cornerback Nahshon Wright are tied for the league lead with five interceptions apiece.)
They’ve also been the NFL’s best defense on third-and-long. The Eagles, meanwhile, have one of the worst third-down conversion rates overall (35%) and have a penchant for committing negative plays and penalties that put them behind the sticks.
But in theory, the Eagles should be able to get the running game going against this Bears defense. Their linebacker corps is banged up. The Bears have given up 470 rushing yards over the last three weeks, the third-highest total in the NFL in that span. They’re conceding 5.3 yards per carry in that same time frame.
If the Eagles can’t run the ball on the Bears, it’s officially time to sound the alarm (if the red flags haven’t already been there). My faith in the Eagles’ rushing attack is dwindling, though, especially in the aftermath of Barkley’s 2.2 yards per carry against the Cowboys on Sunday. Barkley isn’t the only issue — the offensive line has been struggling to run block for him all season long.
I had this game as a win for the Eagles before the season started. But given the state of the Eagles’ offense over the last few games, I’m picking a narrow upset.
A banged-up Eagles team got some good injury news Thursday.
DeVonta Smith, who missed team workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday with chest and shoulder injuries, plus an illness that was noted on Wednesday, was listed as a full participant in Thursday’s walk-through. Smith does not have a game designation entering the team’s Black Friday game vs. the Chicago Bears and is available to play.
The Eagles ruled out three players: Xavier Gipson (shoulder), Myles Hinton (back), and Lane Johnson (foot). Drew Mukuba also is out, but since he was placed on injured reserve Wednesday after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured right ankle, he’s no longer on the 53-man roster and is not listed on injury reports.
With Gipson out, Britain Covey was signed to the active roster Wednesday to take Mukuba’s place. Covey may be back in his role as a return specialist. The Eagles also elevated edge rusher Patrick Johnson and safety Andre’ Sam from the practice squad for Friday’s game. Johnson is a core special teamer and Sam will be active for safety depth.
Saquon Barkley (groin), Reed Blankenship (thigh), Landon Dickerson (knee), and Brandon Graham (groin), all of whom were listed as limited on Wednesday, were full participants Thursday.
Smith likely suffered his shoulder and chest injuries after his acrobatic sideline catch vs. Dallas.
“It was just this spectacular play,” Nick Sirianni said Wednesday. “It looked so easy … the way he just adjusted to it effortlessly and caught it.”
Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith warms up before a Nov. 17 game against the Lions.
While the Eagles’ offense has been maligned for its inconsistency, Smith is having a strong 2025 season. He has 55 catches on 78 targets for 754 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games.
Smith and the Eagles’ offense should have an opportunity to get rolling against a Bears team that is missing multiple starters on defense.
The Bears ruled out linebackers T.J. Edwards (hand/hamstring), Ruben Hyppolite II (shoulder), and Noah Sewell (elbow), as well as defensive end Dominique Robinson (concussion) and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (hip). The corner opposite Stevenson, Jaylon Johnson, is questionable with a groin injury.
Backup guard Luke Newman also is out.
While the Eagles ruled Hinton, a rookie tackle, out for Friday’s game, he was a full participant with his back injury. The Eagles opened his 21-day practice window on Nov. 19 after the sixth-round pick started the season on injured reserve. They would not have to add him to the active roster until after they play their Week 14 game at the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 8.
For the third consecutive year and the fourth time in the last five years, Villanova will open the FCS playoffs at Villanova Stadium, where it has not lost since Sept. 24, 2022.
The Wildcats have won 22 straight home games, including the playoffs. They have won their last three playoff games at Villanova Stadium by an average of nine points, including last year’s five-point win over Eastern Kentucky.
This season, Villanova’s opening-round matchup will be against the Ivy League’s Harvard on Saturday (noon, ESPN+). The Crimson (9-1, 6-1 Ivy) lost to rival Yale to end the regular season, but both teams earned playoff berths and will be on opposite sides of the bracket. The Ivy League is competing in the FCS playoffs for the first time this season.
Harvard is led by its passing game. Quarterback Jaden Craig is tied for the 12th most touchdown passes in the FCS (24) and ranks 16th in passing yards (2,722). His 272.2 yards passing per game ranks fifth in the FCS, while Villanova is middle of the pack in defending the pass (213.8 yards, 61st).
Yale’s Brandon Webster (7) recovers a fumble by Harvard’s Dean Boyd. The two Ivy League schools made the FCS playoffs this season.
Harvard’s defense, meanwhile, ranks seventh in rushing yards allowed (105.5 yards) and has surrendered just nine rushing touchdowns, tied for the second-fewest in the FCS. Villanova’s offense ranks 29th in rushing yards per game (178.6). Sophomore running back Ja’briel Mace has come on strong since starting running back David Avit’s injury, gaining 524 of his 600 total rushing yards in the last three games, including a school-record 291 in a win over Towson on Nov. 8.
Experience is on the Wildcats’ side. They’ve been here before under Mark Ferrante and have a quarterback in Pat McQuaide who takes care of the football (19 touchdowns to two interceptions.
If the Wildcats win, No. 5 seeded Lehigh (12-0) awaits them. Ferrante has led Villanova to at least the FCS quarterfinal in two of its last three trips to the playoffs.
North Texas wide receiver Wyatt Young (10) has the fourth-most receiving yards in the FBS.
The BIG number
1,076: That’s the number of receiving yards North Texas wide receiver Wyatt Young has this season, the fourth-most of any player in the FBS. Young, whose Mean Green face Temple on Friday, has 56 receptions and 10 touchdowns on the year.
One more chance to go bowling
Penn State and Temple will be playing for the right to continue their seasons this weekend. Both teams enter the final week of the regular season at 5-6, and each team is going in very different directions.
The Owls have lost three straight games and now are in danger of failing to end their six-year bowl eligibility drought with North Texas (10-1, 6-1 American Conference) up next on Friday (3:30 p.m., ESPN) in Denton, Texas. The Mean Green, though, learned earlier this week that head coach Eric Morris will take the Oklahoma State job at the conclusion of their season, which could end with a College Football Playoff berth. Temple and K.C. Keeler will be hoping to play spoiler.
North Texas’ offense ranks first nationally in scoring (46.3 points) and total offense (503.3) with Drew Mestemaker (3,469 yards, 26 touchdowns) under center. But if the Owls are to pull off the upset, they’ll need running back Jay Ducker to have a monster game against the North Texas’ fifth-worst rushing defense nationally (211.2 rushing yards allowed per game) and keep the Mean Green offense at bay.
Penn State running back Kaytron Allen rushed for 69 yards and two scores against Rutgers in 2023.
Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions are looking to punctuate a lost season with a fifth straight bowl appearance and their 11th trip over the last 12 seasons. The offense has found its groove behind Kaytron Allen, who became the program’s all-time leading rusher last weekend, and Nick Singleton, who tied Saquon Barkley for the most all-purpose touchdowns in school history.
On Saturday Penn State will play Rutgers (3:30 p.m. BTN), which hasn’t beat the Nittany Lions since 1988.
Considering the Nittany Lions’ run-heavy approach, Rutgers (5-6, 2-6 Big Ten) will have to prove it can stop the ground game. The Scarlet Knights’ defense ranks 127th in rushing yards allowed (201.7) and gives up 31.1 points per game, which ranks in near the bottom nationally. With Penn State riding a two-game winning streak and plenty of momentum heading into Piscataway, N.J., it could be a long day for Rutgers, which also is fighting for bowl eligibility.
Eastern University quarterback Brett Nabb (left) will lead the Eagles against Franklin and Marshall in the Division III playoffs on Saturday.
Three questions
🏈 What’s Penn looking for in a new head coach now that Ray Priore is stepping down? Priore has been with the Quakers for nearly 40 years, his last 11 as head coach. Whomever comes in next will be looking to kickstart a program that has fallen in recent seasons, but the Quakers won 12 Ivy League titles with Priore in the building, including consecutive titles in 2015 and 2016 with him as head coach.
🏈 How will Eastern look after having a week off to prepare for Saturday’s Division III playoff game against Franklin and Marshall College (noon, watch live)? If we’re looking at history, just fine. Following a 39-37 nail-biter against King’s College on Sept. 27, the Eagles had a bye week and then dropped 37 points on Delaware Valley College on Oct. 11, which perennially is one of the better teams in the Middle Atlantic Conference.
🏈 How big or (not) will the transfer-portal exodus be starting next week after Penn State’s regular-season finale? The word is that players are fond of interim coach Terry Smith, but is it enough to play in whatever bowl a six-win Big Ten team would compete in after such a tumultuous season? Not to rip off a Band-Aid, but this was the No. 2 team in the nation at one point. Wild.
Michigan defensive end Derrick Moore (8) and the Wolverines will be out to upend No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday.
Game of the week
No. 1 Ohio State at No. 15 Michigan (noon Saturday, Fox29)
One of the most storied rivalries in all of college football, the Wolverines are 9.5-point underdogs at home against the 10-0 Buckeyes. There’s nothing Michigan would love to do more than beat Ohio State, and if it can, that could be just enough to clinch a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Entering the final stretch of the season, the Eagles still haven’t found their footing in the running game. The lack of production from a unit that produced a 2,000 yard rusher and the NFL’s offensive player of the year has been a big part of the offense’s inconsistency this season.
Saquon Barkley is averaging his lowest yards per carry (3.7) since 2021, when he played 13 games for the New York Giants. His 62.2 yards per game are the second-lowest of his career, and his 16.8 carries per game represent his third-lowest full season total. Barkley’s struggles this season came to a head with a 10-carry, 22-yard performance against Dallas.
Barkley was dominant last season, when he had 11 games of 100 or more rushing yards. This year, he has one. What is causing Barkley’s down season — and can it be rectified before the Eagles embark on another playoff run?
Here’s a look at why the Eagles’ running game has suffered this season and how it could get back on track Friday against the Bears:
Shotgun struggles
Last season, Barkley had 1,050 of his 2,005 rushing yards out of shotgun, averaging 5.8 yards per carry out of the gun with a plus-18.8 expected points added per rush, according to Next Gen Stats. This season, 302 of his 684 rushing yards have come from shotgun runs, and Barkley is averaging 3.6 yards per carry with a minus-13.1 rush EPA.
What stands out most comparing Barkley’s film in 2024 vs. 2025 is how much more dominant the offensive line was at the line of scrimmage. Though Barkley saw far fewer stacked boxes last year (20.6%) than this year (32.4%), according to Next Gen, the loss of Mekhi Becton at right guard has been felt particularly in the running game, coupled with Cam Jurgens, Landon Dickerson, and Lane Johnson all being banged up this year.
Last season, Saquon Barkley had 1,050 of his 2,005 rushing yards come from shotgun, and a good portion of his long runs were just inside zone attempts. Offensive line did a better job last year working double teams to the second level and getting displacement. pic.twitter.com/N6W60Rum9L
Barkley is set to outpace his carries against stacked boxes (eight or more defenders) this season compared to 2024. This year, he already has 60 rushing attempts against stacked boxes, averaging 2.4 yards per carry and managing just 142 yards, per Next Gen. Last season, he averaged 4.5 yards per carry against defenses that loaded the box, on 71 attempts (319 yards).
But back to the shotgun runs. There was far more variety in the scheme last year, along with more movement from the offensive linemen, too. Jurgens was a focal point of that movement, utilizing his athleticism to get out in space for Barkley last season, and it helped pop some big runs downfield. The Eagles would also bring Johnson and Jordan Mailata across the formation to run power and pin-and-pull runs to help create some daylight for Barkley.
The #Eagles had Cam Jurgens pulling out in space more frequently last year out of shotgun than this year, along with Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson. pic.twitter.com/V4TP5Nan3X
Teams are matching the uptick in heavy personnel from the Eagles offense on running downs with eight-man boxes and aligning five and even six players at the line of scrimmage. They’re also slanting defensive linemen to disrupt and shut off cutback lanes for Barkley.
The success the Eagles have had in shotgun this year has come in 11 personnel (one back, one tight end), where teams can’t stack the box because of the threat A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith pose for opposing secondaries.
This year, Saquon Barkley has had 302 of his 684 rushing yards come from shotgun runs, and most of his positive runs have come out of 11 personnel. pic.twitter.com/qY7cC1RrSS
Because of the lack of success the Eagles have had running the ball on gap scheme runs out of pistol, which we will explain more in the next section, the offense has attempted to run counter out of shotgun, with varying levels of success since the second Giants game on Oct. 26.
In recent weeks, the #Eagles have been utilizing more gap scheme runs (power/counter) out of shotgun in an attempt to get Saquon Barkley going. pic.twitter.com/5Kkt6BVEkf
When the monster runs began to come for Barkley down the stretch of the 2024 season, they were typically from the pistol formation, when the running back aligned behind Jalen Hurts. The Eagles’ offensive line specifically thrived on the counter run, which pulls two backside offensive linemen or one backside offensive lineman and a tight end across the formation to kick out edge rushers and linebackers.
Out of pistol formations last season, Barkley had 529 yards, four touchdowns, and averaged 5.7 yards per carry, according to Next Gen. This season those numbers are down drastically to 84 yards on 32 carries (2.4 yards per carry).
One of the keys to unlocking the #Eagles running game last year vs. the struggles this year was the effectiveness of the run game out of pistol. Running counter/power for Saquon Barkley worked well last year because of how the O-line controlled the LOS and got up to the second… pic.twitter.com/buKNE18Cgr
The linemen pulling across the line of scrimmage last season typically included Becton, whose size and physicality would naturally knock defenders out of the play, with Johnson, or tight ends Grant Calcaterra and C.J. Uzomah, following the action and wrapping up to block a linebacker or safety filling the run gap.
On those same runs this season out of pistol, the Eagles have been largely unsuccessful. The offensive line has struggled with maintaining blocks and working their double teams up to the second level, the kick out blocks haven’t been as effective, and teams are slanting in an attempt to change the aim points for the Eagles O-line, post-snap.
This season, the blocking hasn't been as clean for Barkley and the O-line hasn't been generating the same type of movement on double teams/kick out blocks. The #Lions game was the only game Barkley was able to get a sizable gain on so far this year out of pistol. pic.twitter.com/siZpvJIn3O
The Eagles have only utilized Barkley out of pistol formations seven times since the bye week, and he’sonly popped two runs of five or more yards, both attempts against the Detroit Lions.
The offense had more success earlier in the season when Barkley ran outside zone out of pistol in Week 1 against Dallas, against Kansas City, and in the first meeting with New York. Giving Barkley natural cutback lanes on such runs seemed to yield more success than trying to recreate what worked last season against far less stacked boxes.
If the #Eagles decide to go back to pistol runs for Barkley, they could opt to run outside zone or duo out of the alignment. They've only attempted 7 runs with Barkley out of pistol since the bye week. pic.twitter.com/ga85iYG6Tp
Under-center runs have come into focus more as the Eagles deploy more heavy personnel, such as 12 personnel (one back, two tight ends) and 13 personnel (one back and three tight ends), along with having a sixth offensive linemen on the field.
In 2024, Barkley had just 72 attempts but averaged 5.9 yards per carry on under-center runs, according to Next Gen, and Barkley is already set to outpace last year’s rushing attempts from under center. He’s up to 70 attempts, averaging 4.3 yards per carry, his highest of any alignment formation this season, on under-center runs, with three of his four rushing touchdowns coming on those types of runs.
#Eagles RB Saquon Barkley's highest YPC (4.3) formationally this year are on under center runs this season and he particularly has found success on duo and outside zone runs, where he can find cutback lanes pic.twitter.com/UFPiaZf7Pn
The same outside zone runs that are working out of pistol seem to be working on under center runs, too, for Barkley.
The lone long touchdown run of the season from Barkley, which came on Oct. 26 against the Giants and went for 65 yards, was on a duo run, which includes two double teams on the front side of the running play and a solo block on the backside. Employing more of those runs, especially with a sixth linemen on the field, can create one-on-one opportunities for Barkley against linebackers and safeties.
Barkley's longest run of the season, his 65-yarder vs. the Giants, came on under-center duo. His longest run since the bye week, against Green Bay a few weeks ago, also came on an UC duo run. pic.twitter.com/I4fOzCsqjq
The effectiveness of the under-center runs from Barkley opened up the play-action passing game against the Vikings on Oct. 19, though it hasn’t had quite the same effectiveness in recent weeks. Still, it’s worth noting the two runs Barkley has had for 10-plus yards were from under center, on pitch plays that went the opposite way of the formation’s strength (against Dallas on Sept. 4 and the Lions on Nov. 16).
Last season, Saquon Barkley had six runs of 10 or more yards against stacked boxes, and this year, he just has two, both of which came on under-center pitches opposite the formation's strength. Can see the #Eagles coming back to this play on Friday and down the stretch of the… pic.twitter.com/aGNGAAL0Qf
The most telling sign of his struggles though are Barkley’s stats while the Eagles are leading, last year vs. this year. In 2024, Barkley rushed for 1,100 yards on 173 attempts, seven touchdowns, and a plus-16 EPA while the Eagles were leading, according to Next Gen. Those stats this year are much different: 327 yards on 110 attempts (3 yards per carry), one touchdown, and a minus-27.8 EPA.
One other stat to store away: the Eagles are calling designed runs for Hurts at the lowest-rate this season since 2022. According to TruMedia, Hurts has a designed run rate of 62.5%, down from his career-high of 74% last season. And according to Pro Football Focus, he has 106 yards on designed rushing attempts this year, on track to be his lowest as a starter. Hurts has just 298 rushing yards this season, which is also on track to be the lowest of his career.
With the offensive line’s struggles and Hurts’ decrease in designed rushing attempts, defenses are keying in on Barkley even more this season. The Bears’ defense offers a potential course-correction game for the Eagles on Friday. We’ll see if they take advantage.
Six NFL teams will take the field Thursday in the league’s latest incarnation of an annual Thanksgiving ritual, but for the 10th straight year the Eagles won’t be among them.
The last time the Birds played on Thanksgiving was in 2015, when they were blown out by the Lions in Chip Kelly’s final season as head coach.
The NFL decided to go big this year, pitting the Dallas Cowboys against the Kansas City Chiefs on CBS in a matchup likely to become the most-watched NFL regular-season game in league history. The current high mark is a 2022 Thanksgiving game between the Cowboys and New York Giants, which drew 42.1 million viewers.
With the Cowboys and Chiefs both coming off comeback wins and fighting for playoff spots, that bet paid off. But the league seriously considered scheduling Eagles-Cowboys in Dallas for Thanksgiving, which would’ve been just the third time the NFC East rivals faced off on the holiday — they previously played one another in 1989 and 2014.
Maybe the league got sick of the Eagles’ holiday dominance. The Birds are 6-1 in games played on Thanksgiving, the highest win percentage (.857) in NFL history among teams that played at least five games.
NFL makes some Thanksgiving changes
This year’s NFL slate reveals a major shift for the league. Instead of dumping mediocre matchups on Thanksgiving knowing they’ll get good TV ratings — think of all those bad Cowboys-Washington games — the league turned to marquee teams in an attempt to maximize viewership.
“We decided that based on last year, and the numbers, and the audience, and how many people were watching, to really see how high Thanksgiving can get,” Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution, told Front Office Sports.
The NFL also pushed the start of the first Thanksgiving game back 30 minutes, from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. Schroeder told the Detroit Free Press the earlier kickoff time was potentially lowering viewership numbers slightly.
“We look at the data where we can be informed,” Schroeder said. “It told us there’s a lot more fans that are home, that are back from wherever they are Thanksgiving morning to be on their couches and being able to watch. So that felt like a really obvious thing from a media perspective.”
2025 NFL Thanksgiving TV schedule
Green Bay Packers (7-3-1) at Detroit Lions (7-4)
Jared Goff and the Lions will take on the Packers in a NFC North battle.
Where: Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.
Kickoff time: 1 p.m. Eastern
TV: Fox (Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi)
Radio: 94.1 WIP via Westwood One
Stream: Fox One
This game will only have playoff implications for the Eagles if the Birds lose a few more games.
While both the Packers and Lions are among a cluster of teams atop the NFC, the Eagles hold tiebreakers against both thanks to head-to-head wins against the Packers and Lions in back-to-back weeks earlier this month.
The game does have big ramifications in the NFC North, which the Packers are looking to win for the first time since 2021. Green Bay defeated Detroit way back in Week 1 and could sweep the season series with a win on Thanksgiving.
This is the 29th time the Packers and Lions have faced off on Thanksgiving, with Detroit holding a 12-9-1 edge overall.
Kansas City Chiefs (6-5) at Dallas Cowboys (5-5-1)
Dak Prescott hopes to keep the Cowboys’ slim playoff hopes alive.
Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas.
Kickoff time: 4:30 p.m. Eastern
TV: CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson)
Radio: 94.1 WIP via Westwood One
Stream: Paramount+
The Cowboys have new life after their 21-point comeback win against the Eagles Sunday.
While the NFC East is likely out of reach for the Cowboys (barring an epic collapse by the Eagles), Dak Prescott and company are still alive in the wild-card hunt. A win on Thanksgiving would improve the Cowboys’ chances of making the postseason to 22%, according to the New York Times playoff simulator. A loss drops their already poor odds down to just 6%.
The Chiefs are in a similar situation, though things aren’t as dire. Despite entering Week 13 in 10th place in the AFC, Kansas City is right in the middle of the wild-card hunt with important divisional games against the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers coming up.
Cincinnati Bengals (3-8) at Baltimore Ravens (6-5)
Joe Burrow is back just in time for a big national game.
Outside of Joe Burrow’s return to the Bengals, the Thanksgiving nightcap has limited interest to Eagles fans.
The Bengals would need to pull off a remarkable streak of wins to sneak into the playoffs. They head into Thanksgiving looking to end a four-game losing streak, and over the next three weeks they’ll play the Ravens twice and face Josh Allen and the Bills in Buffalo.
The Ravens enter the game back in first place in the AFC North, though they’re tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers at 6-5. The Ravens’ offense has sputtered this season along with Lamar Jackson, who is playing despite ankle, knee, and toe issues. But the Bengals have the second-worst run defense in the league, which Derrick Henry and the Ravens could end up feasting on.
Fubo subscribers won’t be able to watch one Thanksgiving game
Mike Tirico (left) and Cris Collinsworth will call the evening Thanksgiving game on NBC.
All three games will stream on their network’s respective subscription streaming services — Fox One for Fox, Paramount+ for CBS, and Peacock for NBC.
The games also will stream on any so-called skinny bundle that carries the three broadcast networks, including YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and DirecTV Stream. Most offer a free trial.
The one exception this year is Disney-owned Fubo, whose more than 1.3 million subscribers won’t be able to stream Thursday’s Bengals-Ravens on NBC due to a carriage dispute with NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast.
As a result, all of NBC’s TV networks — including Bravo, CNBC, MS NOW, and NBC Sports Philadelphia here in the city — are dark on Fubo, with no sign of a deal on the horizon.
If you live in the Philadelphia TV market, you can stream all three games on NFL+, the league’s subscription streaming service, which runs $6.99 a month. But that only includes tablets and mobile devices.
If you’re looking to stream the games for free and you live in or around Philadelphia, your best option is using a digital antenna, since all three will air on broadcast television.
What NFL teams have never played on Thanksgiving?
Jacksonville is still looking to play in their first Thanksgiving game.
The Jacksonville Jaguars remain the only NFL team to never play a Thanksgiving game.
There are a lot of reasons for this, but it’s mostly because the Jaguars just haven’t been that good or compelling, and there are less opportunities for AFC teams than NFC teams.
It doesn’t help Jacksonville has only played a total of nine road games against the Lions and Cowboys in 30 seasons since entering the league in 1995, and isn’t scheduled to face either team this season.
The NFL’s old TV rules didn’t help, either. Prior to 2022, any Jaguars-Lions or Jaguars-Cowboys game would have had to air on CBS, which had the rights to broadcast AFC teams when they were on the road facing NFC teams.
Maybe they’ll get their shot next season, since the Jaguars appear to be on the upswing and will face the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in 2026. Then again, if the NFL is focusing on big matchups, Jacksonville may be out of luck.
Jayden Boyd texted a group of Northeast High School football players from his hospital bed in September.
“I got shot,” he wrote.
Jeremiah Tellus read it and thought the quarterback was playing a joke. A few hours later, Tellus saw his friend on a Zoom call as Boyd told the team what happened.
Some Northeast players were sleeping at an assistant coach’s house in Frankford so they wouldn’t be late to practice on Labor Day morning. They were playing video games when they heard gunfire around 1 a.m. outside on Adams Avenue.
Boyd dropped to the floor of the living room.
“Because, you know, that’s what people do,” Boyd said.
Police said several shots were fired through the living room window, and one struck the 17-year-old.
“People always say it feels like it’s burning,” Boyd said. “But I just felt like something went in me. I said, ‘I got shot.’”
Police rushed Boyd to Temple University Hospital, where a surgeon removed a bullet that fractured the quarterback’s spine. His football season, they figured, was finished. Doctors said it could have been worse.
“One more inch to the right, and I would’ve been paralyzed,” he said. “I try not to think about that.”
Boyd told his teammates in the morning that everything would be OK and reminded them to focus on their next game. He was recovering from a gunshot wound but was thinking about his team. He’s a true quarterback, his mother said.
Quarterback Jayden Boyd practicing on Wednesday with his teammates at Northeast High School.
Boyd returned to school three weeks later but missed Northeast’s next nine games and could only watch as the Vikings lost to Lincoln in the Public League playoffs.
“He kept saying, ‘I let my team down,’” said his mother, Bahisha Durbin. “I said, ‘You didn’t let anybody down. This is not your fault.’”
But Boyd’s season did not end that night in Frankford. Doctors told him last week that he can play again, clearing the quarterback in time to join his team for its Thanksgiving game against rival Central. On the night he was shot, the teenager underwent surgery to remove the bullet. He never lost the ability to walk. After he recovered, he underwent physical therapy at Children’s Hospital before he was cleared to play. Boyd practiced Monday afternoon, wearing shoulder pads for the first time in more than two months. It was surreal, he said.
And his teammates — guys like Tellus, who prayed that their teammate was still alive until he showed up on that Zoom call — could not believe it.
Boyd made it back for Thanksgiving.
“Thankful,” he said. “Thursday is going to be very emotional. I know we’re going to score when I’m in the game, so I’m probably going to shed a couple tears.”
Football brought joy
Durbin signed up her son to play football when he was 7 years old, hoping the sport would help his ADHD.
“It was a godsend,” she said. “It’s helped out so much. I can’t thank the coaches enough.”
Football soon became Boyd’s life. That’s all he cares about, his mother said.
“I’m, like, a physical person, so I wanted to be a part of that,” Boyd said. “It brought joy to my life.”
Boyd wanted to be a wide receiver like Odell Beckham Jr. but soon fell in love with playing quarterback. He spent his first two high school seasons at Archbishop Carroll before transferring to Northeast.
He leaves his home in South Philly each morning at 6:15 and takes two buses and a subway to get to school.
“He’s a great part of the team,” said Tellus, a running back. “He’s a great friend. He has great loyalty. He always has my back. He’s a great friend to have.”
Boyd dreamed of playing college ball and studying sports medicine. That felt impossible, though, after he was shot. Schools had been in touch with him, but Boyd knew he needed to show more on the field. His junior year was supposed to be his chance to display his talent as a dual-threat quarterback — “I can beat you with my arm and legs,” he said — and earn a college scholarship.
Northeast High’s Jayden Boyd says he cannot wait to play in his senior season: “We’re going to do something crazy next year.”
“Football was the last thought on my mind, but he doesn’t care about anything else,” Durbin said. “He was like, ‘Life is over because football is over and I can’t play.’ I said, ‘It’s OK, Jay. It’s not like your grades are messed up and that’s why you can’t play. You can’t play because you got shot.’ He’s just so passionate.”
Boyd was devastated to not play and soon became nervous in his own neighborhood. He spent weeks with a friend in Drexel Hill as the shooting made him afraid of being in Philly. Boyd figured if he couldn’t be safe playing video games, then where could he?
He had nightmares and flashbacks about that night on Adams Avenue and now meets with a therapist. His mother asked him if he wanted to switch schools. Boyd declined.
He wanted to stay at Northeast with coach Nick Lincoln, who was at Temple University Hospital that night and kept Boyd involved with the team while he was sidelined.
“It’s not something you necessarily prepare for when you get into coaching,” Lincoln said. “But being in Philly for about 15 years, I can’t say it’s the first time that something has occurred to my players off the field. It’s always disheartening and surprising. You just try to figure out how you can best support him and his family. We want these kids to use the sport to better themselves, become men in the community, and not become products of an environment.”
Reasons to be grateful
Durbin was sleeping when her son called that night.
“Usually, when Jayden is blowing my phone up it’s because he wants something from Wawa,” Durbin said. “I’m like, ‘I’m not giving this boy any more money.’ That’s usually what it is.”
So she didn’t answer. And then her other son ran into her bedroom to tell her what happened.
Northeast High coach Nick Lincoln celebrating a win against Central on Thanksgiving last year.
“I called Jay, and I was yelling at him,” Durbin said. “I hear him, but I don’t. It’s 1 o’clock in the morning, and we don’t play in the streets at 1 o’clock.
“I said, ‘What were you doing outside?’ He said he wasn’t outside. So I said, ‘How did you get shot?’”
Boyd told his mother the story, reminding her that he was sleeping at a coach’s house.
“He was loud but calm,” Durbin said. “That’s what helped me not get hysterical. Because he was calm. He didn’t call me screaming.”
She rushed to the hospital, fearful that her son would never walk again, and then was relieved to see he was OK. Durbin worried about the teammates who were there that night.
“I felt bad for the kids who had to watch and see it,” Durbin said. “These are good kids. They’re not in the hood doing crazy stuff. All these kids know is football. The one kid was shaking so bad because the coach was telling him to apply pressure on [Boyd’s] back. He was scared.”
Earlier this month, police arrested Nasir Johnson, 26, and charged him with aggravated assault, a firearms charge, and related offenses. Police said they had obtained surveillance footage of someone wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt firing a gun on 4200 block of Griscom Street in the direction of the 1500 block of Adams Avenue, where Boyd was playing video games. Police said they recovered several items — including clothing that was consistent with what the suspect was wearing in the surveillance footage — when they arrested Johnson.
Lincoln called Boyd’s mother last week to say he wanted the quarterback to play a few snaps on Thanksgiving, just enough to give him a taste of being back on the field before next season. The series against Central, which dates to 1892, is said to be the nation’s oldest rivalry among public schools.
Boyd wasn’t able to show college coaches his promise this fall, but he still has another season of high school ball to prove himself. He can’t wait.
“We’re going to do something crazy next year,” he said.
His mother agreed to let him play Thursday but told the offensive line to “protect my baby.” She gave her son Psalms to recite before he takes the field, and she’ll be in the stands with an entire section of family and friends. Nearly three months after being shot, Boyd will be back on the field for one last game. His season is not finished.
“We’re just grateful,” Durbin said. “I’m grateful that he’s here. It’s Thanksgiving, for sure.”
