Every week here at Blogging the Boys, we’ll spotlight the biggest college matchups and the players who could soon wear the Star. If you want to get a jump on who might help America’s Team in the years to come, this is your weekly college football guide. GAME OF THE WEEK There’s college football, and then […] Every week here at Blogging the Boys, we’ll spotlight the biggest college matchups and the players who could soon wear the Star. If you want to get a jump on who might help America’s Team in the years to come, this is your weekly college football guide. GAME OF THE WEEK There’s college football, and then there’s college football at night in Baton Rouge. The lights, the band, and the air that tastes like jambalaya and danger. This Week 3 matchup drops the Florida Gators into LSU’s Death Valley, where visiting dreams go to die. Both sides have game-breakers, wide receivers who can teleport after the catch, backs who cut once and vanish. One slip, six points. This isn’t just plays, it’s posture. Florida wants to plant a flag on the road and say, “give us attention.” LSU on the other hand wants to slam the door and say, “not this time.” Scripted openers matter, but so do mid-game answers when things get tough for either team. Game Overview Matchup: Florida vs. LSU (3) September 13th, at Tiger Stadium. Kickoff Time: 7:30 p.m. (EST) LSU favored by 7 points Off to a strong start and opening SEC play at home, LSU has the night kickoff game which will set the stage for great prime-time atmosphere. Player Watch Florida: Jake Slaughter, OC Jake Slaughter is the kind of center who stabilizes an offensive line, he’s the steady voice in a room full of noise. He brings intelligence, technique, and consistency. If he continues polishing his lower-body strength and refining his nuanced technique (especially hand work and anchor), he projects as a Day 1 starter in pro systems that value communication and positional discipline. There’s a chance he could be the first center off the board next year. Tyreak Sapp, DE Sapp plays like a lever, he pries open edges with power and then snaps through with a compact burst. He’s not a pure speed merchant, his calling card is sturdy, assignment-sound edge defense with enough pop and counters to finish. Keep the pad level cleaner and the counter move on a shorter trigger, and you’re looking at a dependable three-down end who can moonlight inside on money downs and grind out production without needing schematic gimmicks. Caleb Banks, DT Banks is a space-eater with pass-rush teeth, think pocket-denter first, block-shedding run plug second. If he strings together lower pad level with earlier, firmer hand fits, he projects as a scheme-flex interior lineman who can live on early downs and stay on the field for money downs to collapse launch points. Eugene Wilson III, WR Wilson is Florida’s ignition switch, run him to the perimeter and the offense hums. He wins by getting open instantly and staying slippery after the catch, and the Gators are leaning into that with a heavy quick-game to let him do damage in space. If the staff sprinkles in more intermediate shots to keep safeties honest, his volume-plus-YAC profile plays like a down-to-down stress test for defenses rather than just a gadget spark. LSU: Garrett Nussmeier, QB We covered Nussmeier in Week 1. Since then, he’s put up 237 yards and one touchdown against Louisiana Tech, and also 230 yards with one touchdown against Clemson. So far this year, Nussmeier has done well to keep the offense on-schedule, played low-mistake football, and willing to ignore playing hero-ball for field position. If the intermediate/deep explosive plays return while keeping the turnover profile this tame, his box score will catch up to the wins. Harold Perkins, LB Perkins plays well when he’s on form to collapse pockets. He tilts down with burst and menace, and when LSU lets him hunt rather than hover, game tempo bends his way. Keep the run-fit discipline steady, you’re looking at a weekly problem offenses must solve before they solve anything else. Nic Anderson, WR Anderson profiles as LSU’s go-long receiver, a speed threat who can widen safeties and cash in if the secondary can’t keep up. If the Tigers push his route tree back to more posts, seams, and fades, his impact should scale quickly from chain-mover to coverage-dictator. Texas A&M (16) vs Notre Dame (8) Week 3 drops a blueblood crossover with serious pageantry as No. 16 Texas A&M rolls into South Bend to meet No. 8 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish snagged the first act last year, the rematch flips to South Bend with the stakes ratcheted up. Marcel Reed’s dynamism has juiced A&M’s offensive explosiveness early. Across the sideline, CJ Carr settles into the biggest home stage of his young career. Game Overview Matchup: Texas A&M (16) vs. Notre Dame (8) September 13th, at South Bend Kickoff Time: 7:30 p.m. (EST) Notre Dame favored by 6.5 points Irish favored by just under a touchdown, total hovering around 49–50. The oddsmaker’s way of saying this will be a good one. Player Watch Texas A&M: Taurean York, LB York sets the defense’s rhythm and bites when it’s time. The floor is high, the missed-tackle rate low, and the trust from coaches is obvious. Clean up the shed-through-contact and he profiles as a three-down starter who keeps a unit on schedule and steals drives with timely pressures. Ar’maj Reed-Adams, OG Reed-Adams is a tone-setter on the line, he tilts the line with leverage and torque, then finishes with nasty energy. Keep the hands earlier and lower, and you’ve got a plug-and-play interior starter who can power zone and gap schemes alike while bringing captain-level reliability to a huddle. Kevin Concepcion, WR What an addition Concepcion has been to the roster this year. Through two games he’s at nine catches, 145 yards, three receiving touchdowns, plus four

Jerry Jones acknowledges risk of Micah Parsons trade but had no regrets – Todd Archer, ESPN Jerry is doubling down on the shocking decision to part ways with Micah Parsons. FRISCO, Texas — As Micah Parsons spoke following the Green Bay Packers‘ win against the Washington Commanders Thursday, the fans had a message for Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones. […] Jerry is doubling down on the shocking decision to part ways with Micah Parsons. FRISCO, Texas — As Micah Parsons spoke following the Green Bay Packers’ win against the Washington Commanders Thursday, the fans had a message for Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones. “Thank you, Jerry. Thank you, Jerry,” they chanted. Speaking Friday at The Star, Jones acknowledged the risk involved in trading away the Pro Bowl pass rusher but expressed no regret. “If anybody doesn’t think that this is rolling the dice, I don’t know what rolling the dice looks like,” Jones said. “You make decisions like this and the consequences usually when they have this type of critique or this type of impact, you’re not out here playing pinochle. You really aren’t if you’re taking risk. And we all are there, and if it weren’t risk then you wouldn’t have so many people probably disagreeing with my decision.” When Jones acquired Charles Haley from the San Francisco 49ers in 1992, he said the Cowboys couldn’t spell Super Bowl without Haley. Does he worry he’s done the same for the Packers in sending them Parsons? ”I worried when we did Herschel Walker to Minnesota. Of course,” Jones said. “A great player, I’ve had some real success with great players. Deion Sanders and I would put Charles Haley in there too, OK. But we also know there was a lot of other supporting cast around Deion and a lot of supporting cast around Charles Haley, too. I weighed that [in the Parsons’ trade]. I did that for months around here, weighing that very good.” The Cowboys acquired the Packers’ two first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 as well as defensive tackle Kenny Clark for Parsons. “Remember you cannot have it all. You just cannot have it all,” Jones said. “There’s not room to have it all. And so looking at how this best suits us over these next three or four years, and this year as well, that’s where Kenny Clark is such a big deal. I wouldn’t talk to anybody that didn’t have a serious football player ready to go for us.” Brian Schottenheimer says DaRon Bland is out for Week 2, likely won’t be on IR – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com The injury to DaRon Bland appears to be short-term. FRISCO, Texas – On Friday, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer confirmed the team will be without CB DaRon Bland (foot) on Sunday against the New York Giants. “I’m not going to put a timetable on it, I think he’ll get back as soon as he can, but we will be without him this week.” Schottenheimer said. Bland injured his foot earlier in the week during practice and first popped up on the injury report Wednesday. This injury is on his right foot, not his left foot that he fractured in training camp last season which caused him to be sidelined until Week 12. The good news for Dallas is at this point in time, the team doesn’t think Bland’s injury is serious enough to place him on injured reserve, where he’d have to miss four games. “We don’t think that that’s what it’s going to require,” Schottenheimer said. “I’d say no decision is ever final, but we don’t think it’s going to be something that significant.” So, what will the Cowboys do without Bland on the field? “We’ve got some different packages that we’re going to use,” Schottenheimer said. “We’ll use the safety down there some, we can play a little more base defense, but also you’re going to see Reddy Stewart play a lot of football.” Stewart is a second year corner out of Troy who spent last season with Matt Eberflus and the Bears before playing for the Vikings practice squad in the 2025 preseason. His familiarity and ball-hawking ability, highlighted by 12 interceptions in college at Troy, is what gives Schottenheimer and his staff trust in the young slot corner they acquired just over two weeks ago. Dallas Cowboys in holding pattern with free agent pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney – Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News The Cowboys continue to monitor Jadeveon Clowney after his recent visit. FRISCO – The Cowboys are still in a holding pattern with free agent pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney. “We are just communicating,” Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Friday. “He would improve our pass rush.” Clowney, 32, visited The Star on Wednesday and while the Cowboys have a roster spot available, nothing has occurred regarding a contract as the team prepares for a Week 2 contest against the Giants on Sunday. “Yeah, good visit,” coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “Talked to him again yesterday, and this is one of those deals where it’s a business decision. There’s two sides that have to come together. I think that it was a great visit, and we’ll kind of see how it plays out. But it was great seeing him and hearing about what he’s doing when I talked to him yesterday.” Mazi Smith likely inactive again in Week 2 with Cowboys coaches needing more ‘consistency’ – Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News The former first-round pick remains in the doghouse. FRISCO — The last time defensive tackle Mazi Smith missed a game was the 2020 season when he was a sophomore at Michigan. Smith has played in every college and NFL game since then. Until now. Smith, a 2023 first-round pick, was inactive last week for the first time in his pro career and isn’t expected to be active for Sunday’s home opener against the Giants. “I’m just trying to do what’s best for the team and listen to my coaches and do

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t look so hot defensively in the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles, but they completely turned things around in the second half by giving up just three points. However, despite the pretty good overall success as a defensive unit, second-year linebacker Marist Liufau wasn’t that involved in the game plan. To […] The Dallas Cowboys didn’t look so hot defensively in the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles, but they completely turned things around in the second half by giving up just three points. However, despite the pretty good overall success as a defensive unit, second-year linebacker Marist Liufau wasn’t that involved in the game plan. To lay it all out there, Liufau played just six snaps for the Cowboys. It was very surprising that this was the case considering the potential he showed as a rookie in 2024 and his performance in training camp and the preseason. As the Cowboys get set to take on the New York Giants, it appears that Liufau could potentially see more playing time in the Cowboys’ home opener. Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus spoke on Liufau getting more snaps. Everything is a competition, and it’s all about how you practice. Damone [Clark] did a really good job at camp, and so did Marist. Marist has practiced his tail off last week and this week and he’s earned his right for those reps. Jack Sanborn, Kenneth Murray, and Damone Clark combined for 150 snaps versus the Eagles. Respectfully, it wasn’t a pretty sight when it came to reading and dissecting plays. They always looked a half step behind. Although Saquon Barkley was neutralized to just 60 rushing yards, quarterback Jalen Hurts killed Dallas with timely runs as he extended plays and moved the chains. Liufau is a downhill type of player who can fill the gaps against the run and even rush the passer from the second level. He might have been useful for the Cowboys in Week 1 in helping to limit some of Hurts’ effectiveness on the ground. In Week 2, the Cowboys will face quarterback Russell Wilson. Granted, he can’t move like he used to, but he can still make some plays with his feet. The aforementioned Hurts can be extremely effective with his legs and so can Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders, and Dallas plays all of these guys twice a year. Also, the Cowboys play quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert this season who can make plays on the ground. That’s quite a menu of mobile quarterbacks that Dallas will face. The Cowboys need to see if Liufau can help stop mobile quarterbacks coming up on the schedule. Hopefully, this ramping up of Liufau’s opportunities will lead to the second-year jump for him that many have anticipated. 0 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys Roster

It has been an interesting week for the Dallas Cowboys from a roster construction standpoint. As preparations began for Sunday’s opponent, the New York Giants, it was reported that Dallas was bringing in veteran pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney for a meeting and workout. Clowney ultimately left the team’s facility without a locker at The Star, […] It has been an interesting week for the Dallas Cowboys from a roster construction standpoint. As preparations began for Sunday’s opponent, the New York Giants, it was reported that Dallas was bringing in veteran pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney for a meeting and workout. Clowney ultimately left the team’s facility without a locker at The Star, but the aftermath has suggested that a union is possible down the road. Stephen Jones took to the radio airwaves of San Antonio’s Sports Star on Thursday and was obviously asked about the subject. “We’re still looking at him and seeing how this thing is going to work out. Certainly, he’s a guy that we’re looking at who could give us some help on the outside.” After the initial “what’s going on there” question, Stephen was asked specifically what goes into a meeting with a veteran like this, a situation that could lead to a signing later on down the road and not in the initial moment. “The biggest thing with someone like Jadeveon is just to get to know him. Kind of see what his plan is. And what his thoughts are. Obviously he’s a guy who hadn’t been in a camp. But there’s veterans, that’s kind of, their plan. And we’ve had those types who’ve really worked out for us in a positive way.” “Just to get to spend time, let him get to know us. Our teammates. Because a lot of guys like that are certainly wanting to find, not only, the money’s gotta be right, but also the right situation.” “It was a great opportunity for him to get to see what our organization’s all about. To meet Coach Schottenheimer and his staff. To meet Jerry, and I and Will. To get to know the facility. I think he was certainly impressed with that.” “But that’s really what goes into the visit. Not as much about the workout with someone like that. He’s a guy who keeps himself in shape and played at a high level for 10+ years in the NFL.” So often meetings like this are about the player getting to know the team as well, a point that Stephen alluded to. Clowney has been in the NFL for a long time and is certainly closer to the end of his career than the beginning so it makes sense that he would want to be selective in choosing his next team. For what it’s worth, reports from 105.3 The Fan suggest that the Cowboys may have been ready to pounce but that Clowney is the one who wants to be patient. Time will tell whether or not the Cowboys wind up signing Clowney. It seems that both parties have a general understanding of what could be if they go down that road, now it is just a matter of whether they do or not. 0 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys Free Agency

The Dallas Cowboys are going to be playing without the services of DaRon Bland against the New York Giants this week. It is the collective hope that this situation does not linger for many more games. On Wednesday of this week it was reported that Bland was seen at the team’s facility in a walking […] The Dallas Cowboys are going to be playing without the services of DaRon Bland against the New York Giants this week. It is the collective hope that this situation does not linger for many more games. On Wednesday of this week it was reported that Bland was seen at the team’s facility in a walking boot which started this saga. Team leadership have suggested that it is in fact a situation that won’t last, but injuries are always a funny thing. Speaking on Friday morning to 105.3 The Fan, head coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke to how the Cowboys may mitigate Bland’s loss. Dallas has been committed to utilizing Bland in the slot with Trevon Diggs and Kaiir Elam playing outside and it seems the team could use some safety help to take over in that capacity. Reddy Steward’s name has been thrown out a lot as a direct solution, but it is the type of issue where you want to have multiple plans given Steward’s lack of experience. Stephen Jones appeared on San Antonio’s Sports Star on Thursday and noted that Dallas thinks this may be a 2-3 week situation which would mean the Cowboys at least have to figure this out for longer than a single game. “Well I think right now we’re hoping it’s on the shorter end of a 2-3 weeks. The great news is we’re getting Diggs back and he’s going to be able to get a lot of this game.” “That part of it’s good and Kaiir’s playing good. And hopefully, we’ve got some other young guys on the roster who are going to get opportunities.” “Right now we feel like we’re in pretty good shape. Especially since we don’t expect this Bland injury to be extensive or take a long time.” It should be noted that in that question Stephen was asked about potential veteran help and that Stephon Gilmore’s name was said by the interviewer. Stephen obviously did not address that in any specific manner, though. The Giants do not exactly boast the most prominent passing attack and if we are looking ahead a week then neither do the Chicago Bears, although the latter is extremely early into the Ben Johnson era and may figure things out soon enough. Hopefully the Cowboys are able to make it through however long Bland is lost for without any serious damage done against them in the win-loss column. 0 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys Roster

The first official Thursday Night Football game is in the books with the Washington Commanders and Green Bay Packers having played last night. If you are curious… technically speaking the first game of the season that the Dallas Cowboys played in against the Philadelphia Eagles is a broadcast of Sunday Night Football and NBC. Details […] The first official Thursday Night Football game is in the books with the Washington Commanders and Green Bay Packers having played last night. If you are curious… technically speaking the first game of the season that the Dallas Cowboys played in against the Philadelphia Eagles is a broadcast of Sunday Night Football and NBC. Details matter! Seriously though, the first TNF game took place and it was a difficult one to watch from a Cowboys perspective with Micah Parsons’ new team playing a division rival of the Cowboys. Thankfully it is over, though. What was your biggest takeaway from all of the action? Do you feel any differently about Green Bay and/or Washington? With Dallas now having played over a week ago we have seen these two teams each play two games now and waiting to get back on the horse is not exactly a fun feeling. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below. 0 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys Roster

Players 2 Watch: Biggest players in Sunday’s home opener – DallasCowboys.com Week two is almost here. The mothership highlights a few players to watch for in the Cowboys matchup. Trevon Diggs – Against the Eagles, Matt Eberflus’ defense did not play a single snap of man coverage in the secondary. You don’t see that often, but […] Week two is almost here. The mothership highlights a few players to watch for in the Cowboys matchup. Trevon Diggs – Against the Eagles, Matt Eberflus’ defense did not play a single snap of man coverage in the secondary. You don’t see that often, but for Trevon Diggs in his return, it ended up working out as he wasn’t targeted at all in 20 coverage snaps. If the Cowboys will be that heavy in one coverage again on Sunday, Diggs will need his ball hawking abilities to flash again. He has 16 career interceptions while in zone coverage and 39 passes defended on top of that, and Dallas could use a bump on either or both of those numbers to help them out defensively against New York. – Tommy Yarrish George Pickens – In the season opener, and his debut for the Cowboys, Pickens saw only four targets but hauled in three of them at critical times. It feels like this could be a game wherein Pickens and Lamb swap roles, and it’s the latter that might be stealing coverage away to allow the former the chances to have a monster game against a Giants’ secondary that’s questionable, at times. Those wondering if Pickens will have his shot at stealing the show on any given week could very well get their questions answered on Sunday against Big Blue. – Patrik Walker Juanyeh Thomas missed practice on Thursday. For the most part, Dallas’ Thursday injury report remained the same aside from one new addition: Safety Juanyeh Thomas, who did not participate due to personal reasons that were non-injury related. CB DaRon Bland (foot) once again did not practice as he’s expected to be sideline for a few weeks, and S Malik Hooker (foot) was limited for the second day in a row. On the Giants side, a majority of their players listed as DNP on Wednesday participated in practice in a limited capacity on Thursday, including starting OL Andrew Thomas (foot) and WRs Wan’Dale Robinson (ankle) and Darius Slayton (groin). Star WR Malik Nabers (back) went from a limited participant Wednesday to a full participant Thursday. Cowboys will be searching for young DB’s to step up in DaRon Bland’s absence. If there was one position the Cowboys could not afford to see more injuries to this early in the season, it is their secondary. However, there’s nothing that can be done now. The Cowboys have to play the next man up mentality. That next man could be undrafted free agent Zion Childress. Childress won over the fans during his efforts in the preseason, and now, the former University of Kentucky star may get his moment this Sunday. Childress spent two seasons with Texas State before finishing the final three seasons of his collegiate career with the Wildcats in Lexington. Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game. They are also something the Cowboys know all too well after last season. Injuries cannot and won’t be an excuse for this team. A moment like this is where the coaching staff will need to lean on its depth. Childress, the ball could be in your court. Will the Cowboys rely on players or scheme to overcome Bland’s injury? Even though Dallas and Diggs are making sure they’re responsibly ramping up his snap count, that doesn’t mean Eberflus has Diggs playing cautiously. Diggs said his blitz of Hurts in Week 1 that recorded the third quarterback pressure of his six-year career was his first real blitz in the NFL. That’s why he didn’t look fully natural while charging at Hurts, which allowed the Eagles quarterback to spin out of Diggs’ clutches before throwing the football away. Eberflus said “wrapping up through the waist” and going for a “punch on the football” would be technique points worth emphasizing. “It just looked too good to be true,” Diggs said with a smile. “He wasn’t looking at me, and I was coming full speed, hard. Like ‘Alright, I’m about to kill him. I’m about to kill him.’ And then he spun out, and I’m like, ‘Oh, this is kind of harder than it looks.’ … I’m going to come in with a little bit more control next time.” What do the analytics tell us from the Cowboys week one loss? The headline here is that the Cowboys grade out as the 14th best team in the league right now. Given all the changes in the offseason, along with the trade of Micah Parsons right before things started, most fans will take that. After one week of games, the Cowboys are buoyed by their offense and held down by their defense, which is unsurprising for several reasons. DAVE, which combines actual DVOA results with DVOA-based preseason projections, offers a good comparison for where the team should be right now. The offense is way ahead of schedule, while the defense turned out to be a bit worse than expected. All in all, these metrics reflect that the Cowboys played better than expected last Thursday night. Pivoting to our EPA-based team tiers, the Cowboys find themselves right around the same area as their DVOA ranking. They’re one of many teams in the bottom right quadrant – which is where teams end up when they’re good on offense and bad on defense – but not so far from the average lines that they can’t move into the ideal upper right quadrant in a couple weeks. 0 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys News