Le Journal

The 8-4 Ohio Bobcats were thrown an unexpected curve ahead of bowl season when the program announced that head coach Brian Smith has been placed on indefinite leave. The school did not disclose the reason, but it confirmed that defensive coordinator and associate head coach Jon Hauser will take over on an interim basis. The university released a formal statement outlining the transition, noting Hauser’s rapid rise within the staff and his impact on the program’s recent success. “John Hauser has been named Interim Head Coach of the Ohio football program,” the statement read. “Hauser has served as associate head coach and defensive coordinator for the Bobcats since December 2024 and has been with the team since 2022. Head Coach Brian Smith will be on leave for an undetermined period of time beginning December 1. Hauser’s leadership of Ohio’s defense has been credited as one of the factors that led the team to its Mid-American Conference Championship in 2024.” Smith’s sudden absence comes after his first full season as head coach, during which he guided the Bobcats to an 8-4 record and a 6-2 mark in MAC play. His tenure began when he stepped in as interim coach last season following Tim Albin’s departure to Charlotte 49ers. Smith, previously an offensive coordinator at Hawaii and Washington State, was elevated to full-time head coach shortly after. Hauser is no stranger to the program or the conference. He has coached extensively in the MAC, including stops at Northern Illinois and Miami (OH), before he joined the Ohio staff in 2022 as safeties coach, and later rose to defensive coordinator. The Bobcats closed the regular season strong with a 31-26 victory over Buffalo. With Bowl projections in place, the official destination for Bobcats will be announced on December 7. With uncertainty surrounding Smith’s status, Hauser now leads Ohio into a crucial stretch. The post Ohio Bobcats head coach on indefinite leave before bowl game appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Auburn Tigers football program began a new era Monday with the official introduction of new head coach Alex Golesh. During the press conference at the Harbert Family Recruiting Center, a viral moment emerged when a reporter asked if Golesh enjoyed golf — a subtle jab referencing the recent coaching search and the exit of former head coach Hugh Freeze. The Tigers’ new head coach immediately picked up on the underlying message and seized the chance to clearly state his position. The moment gained further attention when The Athletic’s Chris Vannini shared it on X (formerly known as Twitter). He noted that Golesh recognized the subtext in real time and deliberately chose not to engage. Vannini’s post helped amplify the exchange, allowing it to quickly circulate and spark conversation online. “That’s a setup question. I’ve been here long enough to know that.” Golesh eased into a grin as the room reacted, then guided the talk back to Auburn football and the tone he plans to set. He followed with a simple line that fit the values of the Tigers football program and made clear where his time will be spent, adding the following. “I like football more than golf. And I’m terrible.” The former head coach of the USF Bulls went on to add that his wife and kids enjoy golf, but he prefers to work in the facility and on the field. For fans who were drained by the Freeze era and the view that the former coach spent too much time on the course while going 15-19 and 6-16 in SEC play, the message struck the right chord. The introductory press conference of the new Auburn head coach acted as a reset for the entire program. Golesh arrived after a strong run at USF, where he posted a 23–15 record over three seasons. With one answer, he aligned himself with the program’s standard of work and effort, making it clear that his regime plans to live on the practice field, not the fairway. The post Auburn football’s Alex Golesh laughs off ‘setup question’ during intro presser appeared first on ClutchPoints.

LOS ANGELES – Just as the Los Angeles Lakers got LeBron James back in the lineup, they lost Marcus Smart who has been dealing with a back injury. Smart was set to miss his third straight game as the Lakers hosted the Phoenix Suns on Monday, but Lakers head coach JJ Redick was optimistic that the veteran guard would not be out for too long. Prior to the Lakers’ game against the Suns, JJ Redick gave an update on Marcus Smart’s injury, including a potential timeline for his return to the lineup. “He was feeling a little tightness, I guess it was three games ago. . .it tightened up after, was really tight the next day, the day before Thanksgiving, so we got imaging. Imaging was unremarkable, looked like a normal 11-year veteran. We’ve all gotten that MRI, so he’s there,” Redick said. “We’re not concerned long-term. It’s a day to day thing. I had a number of those week to week episodes during a stretch of my career when I played for the Clippers, and it would just pop up.” “You would feel like you’re progressing, and then it would kind of plateau,” Redick continued. “So we expect him to be back soon. It’s not a long-term thing.” Smart last played during the Lakers’ win against the LA Clippers last week, finishing with seven points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one blocked shot in 20 minutes of play. He is in first season with the Lakers after signing with the team in the offseason upon reaching a contract buyout with the Washington Wizards. Redick has called Smart the quarterback of the team’s defense early this season, and by Smart’s own admission, the Lakers’ defense has plenty of room for improvement. In terms of the regular rotation players, Smart is top-five on the team in defensive rating with 115.1, as per StatMuse Smart has appeared in 14 games so far, including nine starts, at a little over 26 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals with splits of 40.8 percent shooting from the field, 25.4 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 93.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line. Although Smart’s percentages have been low, save for his free-throw percentage, his value to the Lakers goes far beyond his efficiency. Now in his 12th season in the NBA, Smart is the only guard since Gary Payton in 1996 to have won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award. The Lakers will have two days off after the Suns game, and with Redick saying Smart is essentially day to day, his next update will probably be on Thursday when the Lakers face the Toronto Raptors. The post Marcus Smart gets encouraging update amid back injury appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Monday Night Football couldn’t have started any worse for the New York Giants. The New England Patriots built an astonishing 30-7 lead early featuring a botched Giants field goal. But the overall effort left Brian Burns furious. The star edge rusher was seen showing his frustration by ESPN Giants reporter Jordan Raanan. “The entire Giants team is in the locker room. Brian Burns, seemingly furious at what he just saw, sitting on the bench by himself for a couple minutes,” Raanan posted on the social media website X, formerly Twitter. “Nobody seems to be taking the team’s struggles this season harder than the veteran edge rusher.” Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic even caught the moment — snapping this picture through her press box seat. Did Giants make it a game against the Patriots? Eric Canha-Imagn Images No one scored during the third quarter, not even through a field goal try. New York managed to slice the lead to 15 — off some creativity featuring Devin Singletary. New York gets clever with the play design for Devin Singletary’s TD pic.twitter.com/CRPuhThOM4 — ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 2, 2025 Quarterback Jaxson Dart then fired this two-point conversion touchdown pass to cut down the Patriots lead at Gillette Stadium. Jaxson Dart scrambles and fires a perfect throw to complete the 2-point conversion pic.twitter.com/endcQ24LFd — NFL on ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsNFL) December 2, 2025 Still, the Giants endured inconsistent moments and one scary special teams injury involving Gunner Olszewski. He went into the medical tent after Christian Elliss drilled him during the second quarter — forcing the fumble in the process. Burns managed to grab two tackles with one solo stop before the end of the game. Zaire Barnes led NYG with six solo stops and 11 tackles total. Paulson Adebo grabbed 10 tackles (team-high eight solo stops) from his cornerback spot. The Giants also briefly went without top draft pick Abdul Carter, who sat out the opening drive due a coach’s decision. The post Giants’ Brian Burns ‘furious’ amid lackluster effort vs. Patriots appeared first on ClutchPoints.