Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa says his “authority was affected” when Luis Suarez criticised his coaching style.

Suarez, who retired from international football in September, said earlier this month Bielsa had “divided the whole group” and some players were considering quitting.

In an interview with Latin American broadcaster DSports, Uruguay’s all-time leading scorer also asked “the fans not to take it out on the players when things go wrong” because “the players will reach a limit and they will explode” under the Argentine’s working conditions.

“As for how the situation affected me, I don’t ignore what happened, and I know that my authority was affected in some way,” said Bielsa after Saturday’s defeat by Peru.

Uruguay lost 1-0 in the Fifa World Cup qualifier, but remain third in the overall standings, behind Argentina and Colombia, with 15 points from nine games.

“What happened during the week does not condition or explain how we played, nor do I think it has had an effect because it was a week with a lot of effervescence,” added the former Leeds United boss.

“It didn’t alter the conviction with which the match was prepared and the way the group and the coaching staff worked. The preparation was the same as always.”

Suarez had also criticised the treatment of midfielder Agustin Canobbio, who was forced to train as a ball boy and a spare man during the 2024 Copa America, and staff not being allowed to greet or eat with the team.

Bielsa was sacked by Leeds in February 2022 but became known for his intense training sessions and meticulous level of detail during his time at the Elland Road club.

He was appointed Uruguay boss in May 2023 to build a strong team for the 2026 World Cup.

Uruguay face Ecuador next on Tuesday at the Estadio Centenario.

College football fans were treated to plenty of outstanding games in Week 7, highlighted by Oregon‘s thrilling 32-31 victory over Ohio State, which in return elevated Dillon Gabriel‘s Heisman stock.

While Gabriel saw his Heisman stock rise, Colorado’s Travis Hunter saw his stock take a hit after he exited the Buffaloes‘ 31-28 loss to Kansas State with an apparent shoulder injury. Meanwhile, Boise State‘s star running back, Ashton Jeanty, remains at the top of the Heisman leaderboard after putting together another jaw-dropping performance, this one coming against Hawaii.

Here is a look at the current Heisman Trophy odds following a jam-packed Week 7:

Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State: +160

Another day, another dominant performance from Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. The Broncos’ star back carried the ball 31 times for a jaw-dropping 217 yards and a touchdown in Boise State’s 28-7 win over Hawaii. Jeanty has now topped the 200-yard rushing mark in three games this season, and he has totaled 1,248 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in six games.

Next: Jeanty and the Broncos have a bye before traveling to UNLV to take on the Rebels on Oct. 25.

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty celebrates one of his two touchdowns against Hawaii.

Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon: +400

Gabriel was sensational in Oregon’s memorable 32-31 win over Ohio State on Saturday. The lefty QB completed 23 of 34 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns through the air, while also adding 32 yards and a score on the ground in the win. Oregon should be favored in every remaining game on its schedule, and if the Ducks are able to run the table, Gabriel should continue to find himself near the top of this leaderboard.

Next: Gabriel and the Ducks travel to Purdue to take on the Boilermakers on Oct. 19.

Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns in the Ducks’ 32-31 win over Ohio State.

Cam Ward, QB, Miami (Fla.): +550

Ward and the Hurricanes had a bye this weekend after their thrilling comeback victory over Cal last week. Ward finished that game 35-of-53 for 437 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning TD pass to Elijah Arroyo with 26 seconds remaining. Ward also added a rushing score in that win as Miami improved to 6-0 for the first time since the 2007 season.

Next: Ward and the Hurricanes travel to Louisville to take on the Cardinals on Oct. 19.

Miami QB Cam Ward threw for 437 yards and two touchdowns in Miami’s 39-38 comeback win over Cal.

Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado: +900

After finding himself near the top of the leaderboard following his memorable performance against UCF back on Sept. 28, Hunter’s Heisman hopes took a hit this weekend after he was knocked out of the game Saturday with an apparent shoulder injury. The Buffaloes’ two-way star caught three passes for 26 yards on offense and recorded a tackle on defense before exiting the game.

Next: Hunter and the Buffaloes travel to Arizona to take on the Wildcats on Oct. 19.

Travis Hunter caught three passes for 26 yards before exiting Colorado’s game against Kansas State with a shoulder injury.

Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama, +1000

Jalen Milroe and the Alabama Crimson Tide entered Saturday hoping to bounce back following an ugly 40-35 loss to unranked Vanderbilt last weekend. The Tide were able to squeak out a win against South Carolina, but it was far from pretty. Milroe was 16-of-23 passing for 209 yards with a touchdown and two rushing scores in a 27-25 win over the Gamecocks. He ran in a 7-yard touchdown with 10:42 remaining in the fourth quarter and then hit Germie Bernard for a late 34-yard score to help No. 7 Alabama survive the scare. With the victory, Milroe and the Tide improved to 5-1 on the year.

Next: Milroe and the Crimson Tide travel to Tennessee to take on the Volunteers on Oct. 19.

Jalen Milroe was on the move often in Alabama’s win over South Carolina, rushing for two touchdowns. 

Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson: +1200

As good as Milroe and Gabriel have been this year, you could make an argument that no quarterback has been better over the past month than Klubnik. Following an ugly Week 1 loss to Georgia, Klubnik has been on fire, shredding every defense in his way. The Tigers‘ junior signal-caller was fantastic again on Saturday, completing 31 of 41 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-14 win over Wake Forest. Klubnik has now thrown for 1,528 yards and 17 touchdowns in six games.

Next: Klubnik and the Tigers take on Virginia on Oct. 19.

Cade Klubnik led Clemson to another high-scoring win, throwing for three touchdowns in a 49-14 victory over Wake Forest. 

Carson Beck, QB, Georgia: +1500

Beck put up big numbers in the Bulldogs’ 41-31 win over Mississippi State, but this was a game that shouldn’t have been as close as the scoreboard reads. In addition to his 459 yards and three touchdowns through the air, Beck also threw a pair of costly picks, one of which came on Georgia’s first offensive possession of the contest. He did finish with 36 completions to 11 different players, including Arian Smith, who hauled in five catches for a game-high 134 yards and a touchdown.

Next: Beck and the Bulldogs travel to Texas to take on the Longhorns on Oct. 19.

Georgia QB Carson Beck threw for over 300 yards in the first half of its win over Mississippi State.

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Michael Cohen

College Football and College Basketball Writer

LOS ANGELES — High above the sun-splashed turf at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where a 36-yard field goal from kicker Ryan Barker had given No. 4 Penn State an overtime victory over USC, the Nittany Lions’ celebrations spilled into the hallway from the visiting coaches’ booth. Out came offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and his placemat-sized play card that housed more magic and sleight of hand than an improved Trojans’ defense could handle. The back-clapping embraces between Kotelnicki and his coaching comrades reverberated around the press box. “Let’s f—— go, baby!” someone shouted. And the joyous howls attached to a 33-30 overtime victory in which Penn State trailed by double digits began to echo through the elevator shaft on their six-story descent to the field.

The scene that awaited them was one of catharsis mixed with hope and possibility regarding what this Penn State team, which improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten, might achieve in the first year of an expanded College Football Playoff for which they seem destined to qualify. Quarterback Drew Allar, who completed 30 of 43 passes for a career-high 391 yards and two touchdowns, waved his arms from waist height to an altitude well above his sweat-soaked hair while imploring the Nittany Lion faithful to roar in a lower corner of the stadium. “Come on!” Allar shouted. “Come on!” The fans obliged by greeting tight end Tyler Warren, who set a new school record with 17 catches for 224 yards and one touchdown, with a line of high-fives along the front row of seats and a cheer that bifurcated his name adoringly. “Ty-ler War-ren! … Ty-ler War-ren!” they sang.

And out near midfield, where defensive end Amin Vanover careened toward the intertwined “SC” logo for an emphatic stomp after Barker’s winning kick, head coach James Franklin hijacked an attempted flag-planting celebration that began with defensive tackle Hakeem Beamon and continued with cornerback Audavion Collins before cooler heads prevailed. That’s how Franklin, who had nearly lost his voice from screaming throughout the game, came to be holding a giant “We Are” banner on his way toward the tunnel.

“We found a way to get a tough win on the road,” Franklin said. “This is going to make the bye week awesome because it would not have been awesome without this. Just proud of our guys and, again, appreciate the fans and the support that we got, and we’re going to need to spend this bye week getting better. There’s still a ton of stuff that we can get better at. But we’re 1-0 [for six consecutive games and that equals 6-0. And I’m going to take it and run to the airport.

“You guys ever see the movie Soul Plane? … That’s what it’s going to be like on the ride home.”

Franklin understood the snatch-and-grab undertone of a game his team trailed by 14 points on two separate occasions in the first half, the Penn State run defense lacerated by USC’s tailback tandem of Woody Marks and Quinten Joyner, who combined for 193 yards and a score on 23 carries. The Nittany Lions lost the turnover battle, 3-to-1, as Allar, who entered the weekend having only thrown three career interceptions, including just a single INT this season, tossed three on Saturday afternoon alone. Penn State also finished on the wrong side of the field position battle and surrendered 7.1 yards per play to an offense that failed to surpass 17 points in a dispiriting road loss to Minnesota last week. Those were the micro elements of a quasi-heist in which the visitors never led in the second, third or fourth quarters.

But everyone associated with Penn State was keenly aware of the larger context surrounding Saturday’s game, which was technically a matchup between the No. 4 team in the country and an unranked opponent but could just as easily have been a top-10 showdown were it not for a questionable officiating decision on a fourth-down sneak that sunk the Trojans against the Gophers. They knew that Big Ten teams traveling across two or more time zones were just 1-8 so far this season, the conference’s first with a West Coast contingent. They knew that Franklin had dedicated a portion of his weekly news conference to railing against the travel difficulties associated with a shorter runway at the State College Regional Airport, which prompted the Nittany Lions to drive 90 minutes to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, before flying to California a day earlier than normal. They knew that Penn State had won 21 of 22 games against teams not named Michigan and Ohio State the last two seasons, which meant any loss to someone other than the Wolverines or Buckeyes would invite more questions about where the program stands in a conference that recently added two more historical powers in USC and Oregon. They knew that a favorable 2024 schedule gave the program its best chance of reaching the College Football Playoff in years, perhaps ever, as long as silly defeats were avoided. And now the Nittany Lions are likely to be favored in every game the rest of the year save for a home date with Ohio State on Nov. 2. 

“You’re going to have to find different ways throughout a season to win,” Franklin said. “Some are going to be blowouts — hopefully more of them are blowouts — but some of them are going to be comebacks. Some are going to be home [games] where you get the fans and they’re supporting you. Some are going to be on the road where things are going against you and you don’t have a whole lot of support in the stadium. Maybe weather, or whatever it may be, that’s big. I think the word ‘resilient’ was probably the best word to define our team today.”

There was resiliency from Allar, who responded to a third-quarter interception by leading back-to-back scoring drives measuring 72 yards and 75 yards that knotted the score with 2:53 remaining, and a 14-yard connection to tailback Nicholas Singleton forcing overtime. There was resiliency from Warren, who absorbed one vicious tackle after another while lining up at tight end, running back, wide receiver, quarterback and even center for a brilliant trick play in which he snapped the ball and then caught a 32-yard touchdown. There was resiliency from Penn State’s defense, which rose to the occasion time and again during critical moments by only allowing six points off three turnovers, two of which gave USC the ball on the outskirts of the red zone. 

And there was resiliency from Barker, a former walk-on, who has made all six of his field goals since Franklin changed kickers two weeks ago, including a 4-for-4 showing against the Trojans. He buried the overtime winner from 36 yards and was immediately engulfed by teammates as catharsis, hope and possibility collided. 

“We grinded it out,” Warren said. “And I couldn’t be more happy with the way we played and the way we fought back after being down. It was just an awesome win.”

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.

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England interim head coach Lee Carsley says he doesn’t want to have “any regrets” at the end of his stint in charge of the national team, but expects his side to have a “more conventional” line-up against Finland, than in the 2-1 defeat by Greece at Wembley.

READ MORE: How can England use Bellingham, Foden and Palmer?

“Texas fears nobody.”

That is the caption Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. used to accompany a picture of him holding up a ripped Baker Mayfield Oklahoma jersey following the Longhorns‘ dominant 34-3 win over the Sooners on Saturday afternoon in the 120th edition of the Red River Rivalry.

So, why did the Mayfield jersey have a giant tear down the middle of it? 

Check out this video, which shows Hill and fellow Texas teammate Barryn Sorrell planting the Texas flag right through the Oklahoma jersey at midfield following the game.

During his time at Oklahoma, Mayfield was known for planting the Oklahoma flag on the field, the most memorable moment coming after he led the Sooners to a win over Ohio State during the 2017 season. After dismantling the Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium, Mayfield sprinted down the field waving an Oklahoma flag before emphatically planting it right in the middle of Ohio State’s field.

Hill was asked about his postgame celebration and his decision to plant the flag in the Mayfield Oklahoma jersey.

“I just felt like it was the right thing for me to do,” Hill Jr. said. “I’ve seen all the stuff they posted last year, so I felt like it was right for me to just get a little touch of something on them. I just had to post me a little something to just make the team and make us feel good.”

Of course, there is no love lost between the Sooners and Longhorns when it comes to the Red River Rivalry, which dates back to 1900 and has been played during the State Fair of Texas since 1929. This marked the first meeting between the two rival programs as members of the SEC.

With Saturday’s win, Texas now holds a 64-51-5 advantage in the series. The Longhorns improved to 6-0 on the season with the victory, while Oklahoma dropped to 4-2 with the loss.

Safe to say this moment will add fuel to the fire.

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