Sports
No. 2 Georgia very familiar with QB, getting to know new-look No. 4 Alabama
Georgia coach Kirby Smart leads his team onto the field before the start of the SEC Championship game against Alabama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. Georgia coach Kirby Smart spent the weekend getting to know a familiar foe with relatively unfamiliar names at the top.
Smart, a former assistant coach at Alabama under Nick Saban, takes Georgia back to Tuscaloosa this week for a big-ticket SEC showdown with the Crimson Tide.
The meeting of teams ranked in the top five takes Smart to the place he called home for nine years. But even in the region where his children were born, there’s less nostalgia and more nose-to-grindstone for the 48-year-old.
No. 2 Georgia is spending extra time preparing after its bye last week to get more familiar with No. 4 Alabama’s new coaching staff and scheme under Kalen DeBoer. DeBoer was hired after a runner-up national title finish at Washington, replacing Smart’s former boss, Nick Saban.
“Last time we went it was 4-5 years from the time we had lived there. It’s so weird when you play there because you’re in and out,” Smart said. “You’re there, then you’re gone. It’s just different. There’s a lot of people that are still there in the organization that I’m close with and have a lot of respect for, but that’s the case for a lot of these places in the SEC.”
With Saban, a seven-time national title winner, moving to an advisory role at Alabama and working with ESPN as a college football analyst, Saturday’s game on a national stage will be played on the newly-minted Nick Saban Field.
Alabama (3-0) is one of six undefeated teams in the SEC. The Crimson Tide beat Wisconsin in Madison before also enjoying a bye last week.
“They’re different defensively for sure. Obviously the offensive staff and defensive staff changed,” Smart said. “There’s remnants, because the quarterback’s the same. The history there, at Washington with Kalen (DeBoer) and defensively the history Kane (Wommack) has and what they’ve done this year is different.”
No matter the system Alabama runs on offense, Smart said the challenge of getting ready for Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe can be overwhelming. Milroe has 590 passing yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions in the pass-first Alabama offense this season.
“With him, the challenges are immense because he’s an incredible football player,” Smart said. “There is no design to a play that you can draw up and then say, ‘Well, I’m pretty sure this is going to happen on this play with him.’ Because you don’t know what’s going to happen. Sometimes the worst thing you can do is cover everybody with him. Sometimes the best thing you can do is cover everybody. It just depends — are you capable of getting him on the ground and tackling him at times? What matchups do you have?”
Milroe also has two rushing touchdowns in each of the first three Alabama games this season. Milroe completed 13 of 23 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns to beat Georgia 27-24 in the SEC Championship game, his only career start against Smart.
“He’s as different a football player in college football as I’ve played against in a long time,” Smart said. “People think he’s just a runner and that’s not the case. He can do things with his arm other people can’t. He can reach spots on the field and get it there faster than you can break on it better than most arm-talent people. It’s a tremendous challenge to defend people like him.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
ATP Roundup: Defending champ Alexander Bublik cruises in Austria
Jun 4, 2025; Paris, FR; Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan at a change of ends during his match against Jannik Sinner of Italy on day 11 at Roland Garros Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images Top-seeded Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan needed only 79 minutes to launch his Generali Open title defense with a 6-3, 7-5 defeat of Argentina’s Facundo Diaz Acosta on Wednesday in Kitzbuhel, Austria.
Bublik, ranked No. 11 in the ATP, served up eight aces and faced only one break point to advance to the quarterfinals. He will face Slovakia’s Alex Molcan, a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 winner over Germany’s Daniel Altmaier.
Argentina’s Sebastian Baez, who won the 2023 Generali Open on the clay, upset third-seeded Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 7-6 (6), 2-6, 6-4 as he earned the key break of serve in the seventh game of the deciding set. Second-seeded Valentin Vacherot of Monaco also fell victim to the upset bug, dropping a 6-3, 6-4 decision to France’s Quentin Halys.
Fourth-seeded Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry got through, ousting Austria’s Jurji Radionov, 6-2, 7-6 (4), while No. 5 Ignacio Buse of Peru outlasted Switzerland’s Kilian Feldbausch 2-6, 6-2, 6-2. Sixth-seeded German Jan-Lennard Struff was not as fortunate as he dropped a 6-0, 6-3 decision to Argentine Mariano Navone. German veteran Yannick Hanfmann eliminated Argentina’s Marco Trungelliti 6-4, 7-6 (2).
Estoril Open
Wild card Tiago Torres, a 24-year-old Portugal resident playing in his first ATP event, pulled off his second upset in three days by knocking off third-seeded Alejandro Tabilo of Chile, 6-4, 6-4, to advance to the quarterfinals in his home country.
Torres, ranked No. 427 in the world, staved off all but one of Tabilo’s eight break-point chances. He also earned breaks early in each sets to prevail. Torres will face Frenchman Hugo Gaston, who defeated countryman Tirouan Droguet, 6-0, 6-3.
Fourth-seeded Belgian Alexander Blockx moved on with a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4) triumph over France’s Kyrian Jacquet, but fifth-seeded Nuno Borges of Portugal fell 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 to Argentina’s Roman Andres Burruchaga.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: LIV Golf settles $1M trademark lawsuit
Apr 6, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; The LIV Golf logo is on display along the 10th hole during the second round of LIV Golf Miami golf tournament at Trump National Doral. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images The LIV has agreed to pay $1 million to Stinger Golf to settle a trademark infringement lawsuit with the Ohio-based golf tee manufacturer.
The Stinger Golf Club, one of LIV’s original four-man teams when the league debuted in 2022, rebranded to Southern Guards GC in January ahead of the tumultuous 2026 LIV campaign.
That change did not precede Stinger Golf’s move to sue LIV for $100 million in June 2025.
The company ended up accepting $1 million from LIV, per a July 6 filing in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
“Obviously $1 million doesn’t represent all the damages that our client suffered,” Brian Barakat, a partner at Barakat + Bossa, the firm that represented Stinger Golf, told Front Office Sports.
“It’s a settlement. Settlements are necessarily a compromise. What LIV did in this circumstance was pretty gross. We know that they knew long before they set up the Stinger Golf Club team that they were aware of our trademark, and they just decided that they didn’t care.”
The rebranded Southern Guards GC consists of South African players Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace and Dean Burmeister.
Stinger Golf, which sells its tees in golf retail locations throughout the U.S. as well as online, was motivated to accept the compromise due to concern over LIV entering bankruptcy proceedings.
“They bowed to the realities of this situation and made a compromise that made business sense for them,” Barakat said. “We were very confident to go to trial. It wasn’t a compromise based on any fear of loss in the case. It was a compromise based on what we viewed as an imminent bankruptcy.”
LIV, World Wide Golf Brands, a former apparel partner of LIV, and the Stinger GC golf team were listed as defendants in the case. Only LIV will be making payments to the company.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Roughriders mourning Jayden Dalke entering game vs. Elks
Jun 11, 2023; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Elks running back Kevin Brown (4) avoids a tackle by Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive back Jayden Dalke (38) during the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images If Thursday night’s home game with the Edmonton Elks has taken a back seat for the Saskatchewan Roughriders since late Saturday night, it’s understandable.
Jayden Dalke, a linebacker in his fifth year with the team, died after an auto accident at age 30. His car was driving the wrong way on a highway between Lumsden, Sask., and Regina when it hit another vehicle, whose driver also perished.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported that cannabis and alcohol were found inside Dalke’s vehicle. It’s also been revealed that Dalke stopped for gas in Lumsden and left without paying.
Saskatchewan canceled practice Sunday and briefly considered postponing the game but opted to play. The Roughriders were off last week after routing Hamilton 38-7 on July 12 to improve to 4-1.
How are players trying to focus on a game days after losing a team captain?
“Just be where your feet are,” said quarterback Trevor Harris. “You know, two things can be true at once. You can be focused on a goal that Dalke would want us to be focused on. And we can also mourn his loss.”
While Saskatchewan ping-pongs between readying for a game and mourning the loss of a teammate, Edmonton (5-1) makes the trip as the West leader. The Elks are coming off a 19-17 home win on Friday night over the BC Lions.
Defense was the primary reason for the result as Edmonton intercepted four passes from backup quarterback Chase Brice and converted those into 16 points. The Elks have pilfered 10 passes in the last three games and lead the league with 59 points off turnovers.
“It definitely feels good to get our offense back the ball and see those guys work because that’s a high powered offense,” said defensive back Kenneth Logan Jr. “Any chance we can get our hands on the ball and create a turnover, and create a spark for our team, that’s what we’re willing to do.”
If recent form holds, expect a close game. Last year’s season series saw the teams split two games with Saskatchewan winning 21-18 at home and Edmonton prevailing 27-25 in the Alberta rematch.
–Field Level Media
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ATP Roundup: Defending champ Alexander Bublik cruises in Austria
