KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Florida boy who was bullied over his homemade University of Tennessee shirt now has fans of his own.

News outlets report the Knoxville school is now selling shirts featuring the boy’s hand-drawn design, which also has been painted onto the Rock , a longtime 97.5 ton campus landmark made of dolomite stone. The school’s VolShop website says a portion of sales proceeds will be donated to the STOMP Out Bullying nonprofit.

The boy’s teacher shared his story on Facebook, noting that his excitement for his school’s college colors day turned to devastation after he was bullied at lunch last week. Her widely shared post led the school to send the boy a care package replete with heartfelt notes and Vols gear that he shared with his class.

(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)
HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Hutchinson Community College freshman Tiyon Evans made quite a debut as a return specialist for the No. 1-ranked Blue Dragons on Saturday.

Evans opened the second half with Hutchinson’s first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2014 and sparked the top-ranked Blue Dragons to a 34-27 victory at No. 7 Iowa Western on Saturday.

For his efforts, Evans was named the Jayhawk Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.

A 5-foot-9, 215-pound freshman from Hartsville, SC, Evans immediately jump-started the Blue Dragons with a scintillating 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He broke out of eight tackles and a did a pirouette to slip away from another to boost the Blue Dragon lead to 27-13 just one play into the second half. It was Hutch Football’s first kickoff return since Anthony Autry ran a kickoff back against Coffeyville on Oct. 11, 2014 (a span of 55 games).

Evans returned three kickoffs and averaged 50.7 yards per return.

Evans is the second Blue Dragon to earn KJCCC Player of the Week honors. Last week quarterback Mark Wright was the league’s Offensive Player of the Week.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California athletic director Lynn Swann resigned Monday after three tumultuous years on the job at his alma mater.

New USC President Carol Folt announced the decision in a letter expressing her “sincere appreciation” for the former Trojans receiver.

“Lynn has been a leader on and off the field at USC for nearly five decades, and he will forever be a valued member of the Trojan family,” Folt wrote.

Dave Roberts, the former head of USC’s compliance department, will serve as interim athletic director while the school searches for a new executive to run one of the nation’s highest-profile athletic departments. Roberts is a special adviser to Folt, who assumed her position in July.

The 67-year-old Swann was hired in 2016 despite no significant experience in athletic administration. USC’s athletic department has faced several setbacks during the Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver’s tenure, notably involvement in the widespread college admissions scandal and the college basketball corruption scandal.

Swann also soured many USC fans by backing football coach Clay Helton, who was retained after the Trojans went 5-7 last year in the powerhouse program’s first losing season since 2000. Swann didn’t hire Helton, but he signed the coach to a lucrative contract extension through 2023 after Helton’s Trojans won the Rose Bowl and the Pac-12 in consecutive seasons.

Swann won four Super Bowl rings during nine years with the Pittsburgh Steelers after playing at USC and winning a national championship in 1972. He worked as a broadcaster and dabbled in corporate board jobs after his NFL retirement, and he made an unsuccessful run as the Republican candidate for governor in Pennsylvania in 2006.

Swann was a surprising choice to replace Pat Haden, another former USC football player and broadcaster who retired in the wake of numerous unsavory revelations about his management of the department.

Haden followed Mike Garrett, yet another former USC football player. The Trojans were enveloped by scandal during Garrett’s tenure, including the harsh NCAA sanctions leveled on the football program for misdeeds surrounding coach Pete Carroll’s wildly successful tenure and Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush.

Roberts arrived at USC in 2010 as its vice president of athletics compliance in the wake of the Bush scandal. Roberts turned around the school’s reputation on compliance, and USC’s overall graduation rates and cumulative athlete GPA have been strong in recent years.

Folt also named a search committee to choose USC’s new athletic director. The committee will include two current student-athletes alongside school executives and alumni trustees including communications mogul Jeff Smulyan, real estate investor William McMorrow and billionaire property developer Rick Caruso.

CHICAGO, Ill. – Kansas City Royals (53-91, fourth in the AL Central) vs. Chicago White Sox (63-80, third in the AL Central)

Chicago; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Royals: Jakob Junis (9-12, 4.94 ERA) White Sox: Ivan Nova (9-12, 4.69 ERA)

BOTTOM LINE: AL Central opponents Chicago and Kansas City will play on Tuesday.

The White Sox are 30-30 against AL Central opponents. Chicago has hit 152 home runs as a team this season. Jose Abreu leads them with 31, averaging one every 18 at-bats.

The Royals are 27-39 against AL Central Division teams. Kansas City is hitting a collective .245 this season, led by Whit Merrifield with an average of .306.

TOP PERFORMERS: Abreu leads the White Sox with 64 extra base hits and is slugging .507. Welington Castillo is 5-for-19 with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs over the last 10 games for Chicago.

Jorge Soler leads the Royals with 41 home runs and is batting .250. Hunter Dozier is 15-for-39 with two doubles, a triple, two home runs and six RBIs over the last 10 games for Kansas City.

LAST 10 GAMES: White Sox: 3-7, .266 batting average, 6.67 ERA, outscored by 12 runs

Royals: 6-4, .271 batting average, 5.66 ERA, outscored by 10 runs

White Sox Injuries: Carlos Rodon: (elbow), Michael Kopech: (elbow), Ryan Burr: (elbow), Manny Banuelos: (foot), Jon Jay: (hip).

Royals Injuries: Trevor Oaks: (hip), Jake Newberry: (shoulder), Salvador Perez: (elbow).

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Following a 52-0 shutout of Bowling Green, K-State will hit the road for the first time in 2019 as the Wildcats travel to Starkville to face 23rd-ranked Mississippi State on Saturday.

The game will kick at 11 a.m., and be shown nationally on ESPN with Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Dan Orlovsky (analyst) and Allison Williams (sidelines) on the call.

The game will also be on locally at KHMY MY93.1 fm Sirius channel 119, XM Channel 199 and in addition to the TuneIn app. Live stats are available at k-statesports.com, and Twitter updates (@KStateFB) will also be a part of the coverage.

A LOOK AT K-STATE

• K-State has opened the Chris Klieman era with two convincing victories, a 49-14 win over Nicholls and a 52-0 shutout of Bowling Green, its first shutout since 2005.
• K-State has rushed for 694 games in its first two games, the first time since at least 1965 that the Cats have opened the season with two 300-yard rushing games.
• With 521 yards against Bowling Green, K-State has also eclipsed the 500-yard total offense mark for the first two games of a season for the first time ever.
• The Cats held the ball for 42:52 against Bowling Green – the highest TOP by a Wildcat team since at least 1988 – while they lead the nation in that department at 42:00.
• Five different running backs have recorded touchdowns this year – including three by James Gilbert – and the backs has accounted for nine scores this year after the position group had only 13 a year ago.
• The rushing attack has an experienced offensive line in front of it as there are five seniors in the starting rotation led by 40-game starter Scott Frantz followed by right guard Tyler Mitchell (32) and center Adam Holtorf (27).
• Quarterback Skylar Thompson has shined so far this season, going 26-of-35 for 363 yards and three scores through the air, in addition to 56 yards and a score on six carries.
• At receiver, Malik Knowles has led the way with eight catches for 125 yards and two scores.
• Much like its counterpart on offense, the defensive line is stacked with a two-deep of veteran players, headlined by senior tackle Trey Dishon, senior end Reggie Walker and sophomore end Wyatt Hubert, the latter coming off Freshman All-America honors in 2018.
• Linebacker returns the team’s leading tackler from a year ago in Da’Quan Patton, and he paces the squad with seven tackles this year. As a whole, K-State has defended against only 85 plays (42.5 per game).
• The kicker and punter spots are held down by players who were phenomenal in 2018 as kicker Blake Lynch is back after making 87.5-percent of his field goals last year, while punter Devin Anctil held a 43.6-yard average in 2018.

A LOOK AT MISSISSIPPI STATE

• The Bulldogs are off to a 2-0 start after knocking off Louisiana in New Orleans and Southern Miss in their home opener.
• The offense is balanced, averaging 235.5 yards per game on the ground and 206.0 through the air.
• Running back Kylin Hill is one of the best in the SEC and is averaging 160.0 yards per game so far this season.
• Quarterback Tommy Stevens is a Penn State transfer who has completed 29-of-40 passes for 341 yards and four scores this season while also adding one rushing touchdown.
• The defense is giving up 387.0 yards a game, 136.5 on the ground and 250.5 a game through the air.

A LOOK AT THE SERIES

• Saturday marks the fourth all-time meeting between the Wildcats and Bulldogs with Mississippi State holding a 2-1 advantage.
• MSU has won all three games on the field, but it was forced to forfeit its 24-21 victory in Manhattan in 1977.
• Last season in Manhattan, the Bulldogs totaled 538 yards, including 384 rushing yards, en route to a 31-10 victory.
• The Wildcats hold an all-time record of 46-86-5 against current members of the SEC, while they are 7-17 when taking out K-State’s games against former Big 8/12 members Missouri and Texas A&M.
• K-State has won only one game on the road against an SEC team (excluding Missouri and Texas A&M), and that came in the form of a 5-0 triumph at Arkansas in 1910.
• Recent games against SEC opponents have included Auburn (2007 and 2014) and Vanderbilt (2017).
• K-State will host Vanderbilt next season, while the Wildcats also play Missouri in a two-game series, with the 2022 contest in Manhattan and the 2023 matchup in Columbia.

A NEW ERA

• The new era of K-State Football under Chris Klieman has opened with two wins.
• Klieman, who was named the 35th head coach in school history on December 10, 2018, became the seventh coach in K-State history to win their first two games.
• Additionally, Klieman-led teams have won a streak of 23-straight games as the last loss was when his North Dakota State team suffered a 33-21 setback at South Dakota State on November 4, 2017.

A WINNING HISTORY

• A proven winner with a championship history, Chris Klieman came to Manhattan after capping his five-year stint as head coach at North Dakota State by winning his fourth national championship in 2018.
• Klieman guided the 2018 Bison to a perfect 15-0 record, making NDSU just the fifth team in FCS history to go undefeated and untied on the way to a national championship.
• A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Klieman has a career record of 74-13 (.851), as he went 69-6 in his five seasons at North Dakota State, 3-7 in one year as the head coach at Division III Loras College in 2005 and 2-0 so far at K-State.
• Klieman’s overall winning percentage ranks fourth among all active NCAA coaches – regardless of division – and tops among active FBS coaches.

CONTROLLING THE TEMPO

• K-State has showcased a balanced offense in the opening two games, highlighted by a 347.0-yard average on the ground to lead the Big 12 and rank third nationally.
• The Wildcats’ 573 yards of total offense against Nicholls tied for the seventh most in school history and were the most ever in a season opener.
• With 521 yards against Bowling Green, K-State eclipsed the 500-yard total offense mark in the first two games of a season for the first time ever.
  • The Wildcats’ 547.0-yard average through two games ranks 11th in the nation.
• Also, the Cats possessed the ball for a total of 41:09 against Nicholls, the most in the nation in the opening weekend.
• They followed that up with 42:52 against Bowling Green, which is the most by the Wildcats since at least 1988, ranked eighth in Big 12 history and was the most by a Big 12 team since 2011.
• K-State enters the week atop the national rankings with a 42:00 average time of possession.

CONVERT AT A HIGH RATE

• K-State has converted on 19-of-28 third downs through two games, a figure that ranks third nationally.
• In the opener, K-State converted on 10-of-12 third downs (.833) and that mark was not only the highest in week one of the college football season but also the second highest in Big 12 history.
• The league record is by Oklahoma, which converted 9-of-10 third downs last season against Kansas.
• The Wildcats’ rate against Nicholls was also the highest by K-State since at least 1989.

SPREAD THE WEALTH

• Five different Wildcats scored rushing touchdowns in the opener, the most rushing scores in a game since also having five against Charlotte in 2017.
• Additionally, 20 Wildcats played on the season-opening drive. However, six of those remained constant with the offensive line and quarterback Skylar Thompson staying in the entire drive.
• Of the other five offensive positions, 14 Wildcats rotated into the game for an average of 2.8 players per spot.
• Five players recorded touchdowns against Bowling Green, as eight different players have now recorded offensive touchdowns this season.
• Also, the Wildcats’ 10 rushing touchdowns this season are the most through two games since 2002 and rank second in the country (Maryland, 11).

JAMES JUMPS RIGHT IN

• Senior running back James Gilbert has begun his K-State career with a with a pair of 100-yard games as he ran for 115 yards against Nicholls and 103 against Bowling Green.
• The Ball State transfer recorded the second-most rushing yards by a Wildcat in their debut (Cornelius Davis, 161 yards vs. Army in 1966), while he is the first Wildcat with consecutive 100-yard games to open a season since John Hubert in 2012.

GOOD START ON DEFENSE

• K-State currently leads the Big 12 in passing defense (102.5) and total defense (208.0), figures that rank fifth and eighth in the country, respectively.
• The Cats held Bowling Green to 140 total yards, marking the first time since the 2011 Eastern Kentucky game (129) that an opponent under had fewer than 150 yards.
• Bowling Green was also 0-for-11 on third downs, marking the first time since the 2003 KU game that the Wildcats have held an opponent to zero first downs (0-11). It was also the first time since 2011 that a Big 12 team did not allow a third down conversion.
• K-State held Bowling Green to just five first downs, the fewest it allowed since North Texas also had five in 2005.
• The Wildcats forced eight 3-and-outs against Bowling Green, the most since forcing nine against North Texas in 2005.

WELL RESTED

• K-State’s defense enters the week well rested as it has only played 85 total snaps this season, an average of 42.5 snaps per game to rank as the fewest in the nation.
• The next closest team is Air Force, which has only played one game and defended against 50 plays in its opener against Colgate.

—k-statesports.com—

(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)

AMARILLO, Texas – The 10th-ranked Hutchinson Community College men’s golf team had a bit of a roller-coaster ride in the first two rounds of the 2019 fall season on Monday.

After shooting even par to open the West Texas A&M Ryan Palmer Foundation Invitational, the Blue Dragons shot 7-over in windy conditions to finish at 575 after 36 holes. The Blue Dragons are 16 strokes off the pace of team leader St. Edwards University.

The final round begins at 9 a.m. on Tuesday at the Toscosa Golf Club.

TEAM SCORES AFTER 36 HOLES
INDIVIDUAL SCORES AFTER 36 HOLES

WACO, Texas – Fort Hays State moved down to No. 25 in the latest edition of the AFCA Division II Top 25 Poll on Monday. The Tigers drop 14 spots in the poll after their season-opening loss at Central Missouri.

The MIAA now has four teams inside the Top 25 of the poll. Even though Northwest Missouri State won its season opener against Missouri Western, NWMSU moved down one spot to No. 7 in this week’s poll. With its win over Fort Hays State, Central Missouri jumped from the receiving votes section to No. 21 in the poll. Pittsburg State also moved up out of the receiving votes section to No. 23 after defeating Central Oklahoma in Week 1. Fort Hays State hangs on in the poll at No. 25. Emporia State is the only MIAA team referenced in the receiving votes section of this week’s poll.

Fort Hays State looks to get back on track this week when it hosts Missouri Western on Thursday night (Sept. 12) in Hays at 7 pm. The Tigers are looking to avenge a 23-13 loss to the Griffons last year in St. Joseph. Missouri Western fell to Northwest Missouri State in Week 1 by a score of 45-35, but the 35 points is the most scored in a game against Northwest Missouri since 2014 when Pittsburg State scored 35 in a win over NWMSU.

Below is the AFCA Top 25 Poll following Week 1.

Dropped Out: Hillsdale (Mich.) (19), Ashland (Ohio) (23), Fairmont St. (W.Va.) (25).

Others Receiving Votes: Bowie St. (Md.), 56; Virginia Union, 40; Ashland (Ohio), 38; Augustana (S.D.), 30; Carson-Newman (Tenn.), 24; California (Pa.), 23; Southern Arkansas, 15; Ohio Dominican, 13; West Texas A&M, 13; Colorado Mesa, 12; Angelo St. (Texas), 10; Florida Tech, 10; Emporia St. (Kan.), 9; Kutztown (Pa.), 9; Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 9; Albany St. (Ga.), 5; Chadron St. (Neb.), 5; Winona St. (Minn.), 5; Central Washington, 4; Findlay (Ohio), 4; Michigan Tech, 4; Shepherd (W.Va.), 3; St. Cloud State (Minn.), 2; Eastern New Mexico, 1; Fairmont St. (W.Va.), 1; Kentucky St., 1.

—fhshathletics.com—

CLEVELAND (AP) — Odell Beckham’s football fashion taste clashed with the NFL’s.

The league reached out to the Browns on Monday and told them that their star can no longer wear a watch on the field after he sported an expensive one during Sunday’s season opener against Tennessee.

The flashy, fashionable wide receiver wore an orange Richard Mille-designed watch — which retails for more than $250,000 — during the Browns’ 43-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

On Monday, league spokesman Michael Signora said while there are no rules prohibiting jewelry, there is a policy “prohibiting hard objects.”

Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said he was not aware that Beckham had on the lavish time piece. Kitchens also said the team will abide the rules.

“As long as they’re going to enforce that with everyone, I’m fine with it,” Kitchens said. “Let’s just make sure it gets enforced with everybody.”

It’s not clear if Beckham spoke with anyone from the league or if he will be fined for his fashion faux pas.

Beckham, who came to Cleveland in a blockbuster offseason trade from the New York Giants, caught seven passes for 71 yards in his first action for the Browns.

Known for his style and one-handed catches, the 26-year-old Beckham drove his customized, orange Rolls Royce to FirstEnergy Stadium for Sunday’s game.

Beckham will return to New York next week as the Browns play the New York Jets on Monday night.

WICHITA, Kan. –  Connor Kaegi of (22) Ottawa University, Kwame Sexton of Sterling College, and Tanner Galliart of Bethel College have earned this week’s KCAC Offensive, Defensive, and Special Teams Player of the Week honors, respectively, the conference office announced Monday. The three student-athletes were selected for their performances on Sept. 7 by a vote of conference sports information directors.