Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Tyler Herro shined in his return, and the Heat’s defense bailed them out against the Mavericks

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A little closer to comfort for their liking, but the Heat put down the Mavericks in Tyler Herro’s return, winning their fifth in a row and giving top overall pick Cooper Flagg a warm welcome to the league by holding him to 12 points on 35.7% shooting. Their half-court offense was neutralized, but they made up for it by denying the Mavs prosperity in the lane. 

 

Each side started in the mud, but Kel’el Ware was the team’s first-half MVP, pulling down 10 rebounds and scoring 15 points on rim attacks, including two lobs and a few 3-point shots. And next was Herro, who missed his initial four attempts because he was pressing. He went on to close the half on a quick flurry, making his next four shots, racing in transition and blowing by them for two floaters.

 

Ware’s scoring cooled off in the next half, but his pursuit of rebounds did not, recording eight more. Herro’s run then extended, and his consecutive shots reached nine without a miss, on step-back jumpers and drive-bys. After the game, Jaime Jaquez Jr. said, “It was like he never left.”

 

Naturally, the Mavericks erased the Heat’s 11-point fourth-quarter lead, and Herro lived up to his name, dribbling into the lane, making three floaters. Bam Adebayo subsequently iced the game with two freebies after. 

 

The Heat won 106-102 on their worst 3-point shooting night of the season (18.5%). Ware made three of the team’s five treys. Pelle Larsson and Keshad Johnson had the other two. Their record is now 12-6.

 

Ware said in the locker room about Herro, “Y’all seen what he can do last year. For him coming back doing that his first game back after being away for awhile, is something special. I’m just looking [forward] to the next few games.”

 

Game Notes

 

  • The Heat’s 106 points are the second-lowest output of the season, after 18 games. Keep in mind that last year’s club logged below 106 points 24 times. They played significantly slower than normal, at a slightly above-average pace, yet the defense did a lot of bailing them out. They held the Mavs to 83.9 points per 100 half-court plays, which is good enough for the 16th percentile. Adebayo said post game, “We are going to always hang our hat on getting stops. 

 

  • Dallas’ biggest threats in the fourth quarter were P.J. Washington, Max Christie and Flagg, as they combined for 18 points. The Heat’s biggest stop of the night came with the game tied at 49 seconds left. Adebayo intercepted the sideline inbound, which resulted in Herro burying a 10-foot floater over Washington, the man who turned it over.

 

  • Norman Powell was ruled out because of a groin strain. He is the Heat’s best 3-point shooter, aside from being a dependable inside scorer. While the offensive struggles wouldn’t have been as severe with him playing, there is more to this story.  The team was tight because of the weight of the night. Six of their seven missed free throws were in the first half, four belonging to Adebayo.

 

  • Johnson had another fine game, infusing the team with hustle as he defended and crashed the glass in nearly 18 minutes, totaling seven points, three rebounds, including two offensive. He plays hard because, as the 11th man in the rotation, they sometimes don’t know when they’ll get minutes again, and his opening remains while Andrew Wiggins (hip flexor) and Powell are out. 

 

  • Monday’s win completes the Heat’s third back-to-back set of the season. The only one of those lost (5-1) was the match in Los Angeles against the Lakers on Nov. 2.

Devin Vanterpool develops into two-way player, fueling Florida Atlantic’s hot start

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In an era of college basketball teams reloading through the transfer portal and changing both their identity and postseason prospects year after year, it is refreshing to see that the player currently leading the Florida Atlantic Owls in every major statistical category is one who was recruited and developed.

Sophomore guard Devin Vanterpool leads the Owls in points (16.2), rebounds (6.4), and assists per game (3.2). He is also averaging 1.2 blocks and 1.8 steals per game.

“It all starts with the defense end, caring that much to guard so much, and that hard to get a stop on defense,” Vanterpool said. “It definitely creates offense.”

A year ago, Vanterpool played 30 games off the bench as a freshman, averaging only a bucket and a board in eight minutes per game on an FAU team that finished the season in the NIT. His emergence has coincided with the Owls’ 4-1 start to the season.

FAU second-year head coach John Jukas said Vanterpool has transformed from a defensive specialist to a two-way player.

“A lot of people focus on his offense and his growth,” Jukas said. “I would hope the very first thing you say about that man, besides him loves the FAU Owls, he’s very coachable and a wonderful kid, besides him being a great human, he’s a two-way player, not an offensive guy.”

In the Owls’ first-ever meeting with Pacific to start the Sunshine Slam on Nov. 20, Vanterpool scored 12 points with five rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. During that game turned out to be an 82-59 landslide victory for FAU, who as a team recorded nine steals and eight blocks.

“We all just play defense and stack stops,” Vanterpool said. “It helps me play my offense from there.”

The block party against Pacific was shared by forward Devin Williams, who had three of his own, as well as Euro centers Maxim Logue from France and Vincent Neugebauer from Germany, who each had a block. Vanterpool said “knowing and trusting that our bigs are going to come over and make a play” has also been instrumental in helping his defensive game.

“I was fortunate to wall up and get a couple blocks,” Vanterpool said. “Nico was able to wall up and set me up for a block. So just walling up and trusting our bigs.”

FAU takes on undefeated Loyola Marymount in the Sunshine Slam at Daytona Beach on Monday night. The Lions (6-0) are led by Myron Amey Jr., a fifth-year senior guard who, despite not starting in any of the first six games, has averaged 17.5 points and 4 rebounds per game. He most recently scored a season high 29 points in a 78-74 overtime win over UC Santa Barbara.

FAU’s next home game will be against St. Bonaventure on Sunday, Nov. 30.

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat’s rebounding, bench play and Norman Powell’s eruption were too much for the 76ers

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The Heat survived the 76ers, thanks to its strong bench play, locking up the glass and four players scoring between 18 and 32 digits, closing out their two-game road trip undefeated. They sped away each time their hosts got within striking distance and have now won eight of their last 10. 

 

With Tyler Herro out but nearing a return, and Bam Adebayo having missed six games in a row earlier in the month, the team has to feel very grateful for its 11-6 record as Thanksgiving approaches. 

 

Another hot start for Norman Powell ended with a glittering stat line: 32 points on 61.1% shooting, with four rebounds and one assist, and they even fouled him thrice on 3-point attempts. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue must want to flip over a desk whenever he thinks back to how his team traded him for a bag of chips, or how he played him below 27 minutes per game for two seasons.

 

The Heat’s assault was too much to handle, scoring 21 of their first 37 points in the lane.  They also logged at least 70 first-half points for the sixth time this season. A good chunk of the action was Jaime Jaquez Jr.s post ups and drives plus Kel’el Ware’s interior takes over, to go along with six offensive rebounds.

 

Their 3-point shooting and interior efficiency cooled off in the third quarter after reaching a 14-point lead, and they subsequently went into the fourth quarter up six. Then Jaquez plus Powell ripped to the cup for five baskets, and Adebayo buried two floaters  while they denied Philadelphia almost everything outside of three feet from the hoop. 

 

The Heat won 127-117 and set a new season high in rebounding (58).

 

Coach Erik Spoelstra is going to smell the roses a little bit. “I don’t think anybody two months ago thought we’d be sitting third in the East. It’s not everything, but it’s something. I want our guys to enjoy it.”

 

Game Notes

 

  • Philadelphia’s 3-point shooting fell apart in the second half, converting 26.3% of attempts. Tyrese Maxey remained their biggest threat, spraying jumpers and bolting to the rim. 

 

  • The Heat have an advantage because they get good playmaking at all times. Davion Mitchell had 12 assists against one turnover, Pelle Larsson had eight dimes with two turnovers, and Jaquez had seven helpings with four turnovers off the bench. It adds a bit more to the offense when they share the court, as they are strong paint attackers and adept passers. 

 

  • Ware and Adebayo combined for 29 rebounds, and 11 were offensive. On top of that, the bench had 43 points, 22 of them from Jaquez, against Philly’s reserves, who dropped 44. 

 

  • The Heat totaled 72 paint points, tying their second-most of the season. They are 4-0 when scoring at least 70 in the lane. 

 

  • The Heat’s biggest concern was missing 10 free throw attempts. Notably Powell, who is a 90% free-throw shooter, missed three. Larsson makes 82.9% and he missed three, too. 


David Benavidez takes down Anthony Yarde in seven rounds, keeping his title and other notes from the Ring IV: Night of Champions

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The main event of the Ring IV: Night of Champions was an execution; a pleasure for the sadists and a painful experience for the squeamish. David Benavidez stopped Anthony Yarde in seven rounds but first left him a bloody mess, retaining his WBC light heavyweight belt and staying undefeated. The outcome was never in doubt, even when the former was stripped of two point for punching the latter on the way down shortly before the end.

 

Benavidez had his opponent backpedaling from round one and softened him up with jabs to the midsection. Yarde’s game plan of moving and striking in between shots caused the former some frustration, but nothing more.

 

The champion only had abuse in mind: he delivered 25 strikes in round three, and 20 were power punches. He capped off the fourth in the corner with endless one-handed strikes while his other glove was held. Yarde subsequently had his best moment of the fight at the start of the sixth, catching Benavidez with a lead right that made him retreat to the ropes. The challenger swung wildly but failed to do any damage, and it cost him. The response was leaving the Englishman leaking from the nose and mouth from a tsunami of punches.

 

Benavidez then went for the kill on the ropes after walking through him. Yarde was still dazed from the knockdown when Benavidez unleashed both hands, and he eventually landed a bombing left hook that compelled referee Hector Afu to jump in between them.

 

He said in his post-bout interview that he made it look easier than Artur Beterbiev and Sergey Kovalev did when fighting Yarde. They knocked him out in rounds eight and 11. Benavidez also said he’s fighting Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez at cruiserweight, for his WBA and WBO titles, in May.

 

—

Devin Haney father Bill said in locker room before the fight that Brian Norman Jr. would be handicapped. Haney then outboxed the harder-hitting man for the WBO welterweight belt, becoming a champion in a third division. His performance debunked claims that he is a shot fighter over what happened to him in an April 2024 clash with a dirty, overweight rival: Ryan Garcia.

 

His unanimous decision win over Jose Ramirez a year later, negatively affected his reputation because he was gun-shy, taking no risks. He still looked that way in round one against Norman, but everything changed in the second when he connected on a checking left hook.

 

Haney soon landed another hook and piercing right that dropped Norman in the same round, and continued lashing. The latter looked stunned as he bled from his nose in the corner while his team instructed and cleaned him up.

 

Haney dominated the first half of the fight, but slowed his work rate, getting too comfortable with his early progress, and giving Norman an opening in the second half. Yet Norman failed to capitalize on that, unable to land shots of real consequence and ate counter punches.

 

The knockdown from round two still had him emotionally unregulated as he bumped Haney at the end of round 11, on the way to the corner.

 

Haney subsequently tied him up and was more active in the 12th to seal the deal.

In his post-fight interview, Haney said, ““In 2024, I lost everything. In 2025, I came to get it back. And in 2026, I’m coming for everything…”

On top of that, Conor Benn is looking to come back to the welterweight division after beating Chris Eubank Jr. in their rematch on Nov.15 at 160 pounds. He said that night that he wanted to square off with the big names of the division, which included Haney. He and his promoter Eddie Hearn, who is the chairman of Matchroom Sport and once was Haney’s partner, were interviewed shortly after away from the ring. Benn said that style would put people to sleep from being so boring, and Hearn said nobody wants to see that.

 

—-

It was supposed to be an action fight, but Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez outclassed Fernando Martinez, knocking him out with a laser-left-handed strike in round 11. the bout so one-sided that Rodriguez’s trainer, Roberto Garcia, cared little for seeing the results on the cards and wanted it over after the 10th.

 

Martinez’s reluctance to jab and insistence on throwing missiles each time with either hand were easily decipherable.

 

—

Lightweight southpaw standout Abdullah Mason edged out a slugfest with Englishman Sam Noakes, becoming the youngest champion in men’s boxing (21), handing him his first defeat in the most entertaining fight on the card. Mason wanted to keep it at a distance to use his speed and length, but Noakes made it nasty by forcing it at close range with his unrelenting courage. Both of them abandoned defense, but the American was the superior brawler.

 

—

Despite Vito “White Magic” Mielnicki Jr. hurting his right hand in the fifth, he wiped out Samuel  “Black Panther” Nmomah four rounds later in their middleweight clash of 10 rounds for the WBO global middleweight championship. His trainer, Ronnie Shields, ordered him to separate himself after the seventh, and Mielnicki didn’t need to be told again. He brutalized Nmomah and ended it with two hard right hands in short order, including one that dropped him flat on his back. The referee wasn’t satisfied with Nmomah’s condition after the count and called it off.

—-

The undercard nearly all went according to plan for the A-side prospects: 

 

  • Sixteen-year-old Juan El Guerito De Tepito shined in his pro bantamweight debut against Barker Ssewanyana, who is nearly twice his age (31), winning all four rounds. He landed body shots that resembled swinging pendulums with both hands. He didn’t have the power to finish his opponent, yet he boxed well.

 

  • Super featherweight Sultan Almohammed, age 17, engaged in the pocket with Umesh Chavan, outclassing him with strikes to the head and body and quickly finished the latter with a left hook between the ribs. It was such a powerful shot and the precise spot that Chavan turned around, wanting a count, but the ref did not oblige and spared him a beating. Almohammed, trained by Abel Sanchez, improved to 2-0.
  • Julio “Diamanté” Porras got bailed out by the judges, scoring a draw when he was schooled because he was slow and telegraphed punches, failing to use his size as a weapon against the much smaller Pius Mpenda in their six-round super middleweight bout. Porras didn’t jab enough to keep his man away, and his defense was suspect in round three, eating four overhand rights to the face. Mpenda figured out the right distance and kept stunning the bigger man with thunderous right hands.

 

  • Mohammed Alakel punished Jiaming Li with lightning-fast jabs, hooks and overhand rights. He buckled Linin in round one when evading a left hook and countering with a strong right. His size and reach were an unbreakable code that left Li missing and suffering huge shots. He subsequently dropped Li at the end of round five with a counter right and won on the cards.

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat make a statement with win over the Bulls in Chicago

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The Heat sacked the United Center in Emirates Cup play, claiming their third road win and their largest margin of victory this season (36).  Andrew Wiggins missed the game (hip flexor), and as a result, Keshad Johnson, the team’s 12th man in minutes, got extra time off the bench, and they didn’t suffer for it. Yet the difference was their unforgiving defense and pressure on the glass.

 

Five Heatles logged multiple baskets in the first quarter, raising them to a 36-32 lead. Norman Powell strained his groin, and he stayed loose on the workout bike when he checked out, returning four minutes into the second quarter.  

 

The visitors suffocated the Bulls, invaded the restricted area on the other side and downed three more treys, taking a brief 25-point lead. Powell was their leading scorer in the period, logging 10 points on catch-and-shoot threes and getting to the cup. Kel’el Ware was next, tallying a dozen digits on rim attacks.

 

They went to intermission ahead by 18 and had a significant stimulus from their second-chance scoring (15-4) and 18 made free throws. 

 

Ware and Bam Adebayo subsequently contained the lane with back-line movement, and the crew had easy access to the cup, nailing five shots, including three from Davion Mitchell. He also made a pull-up jumper in the middle. 

 

Everything went right for the Heat, and the opposite was the case for the Bulls, including Kevin Huerter not being emotionally regulated and getting ejected for frustratingly tapping a ball to a ref’s backside. 

 

The Heat took their largest lead of the night (27) going into the fourth. Adebayo got his final rest shortly after extending the advantage to 39, pouring in a corner triple, and Ware momentarily replaced him. Coach Erik Spoelstra kept Pelle Larsson and Ware in to even out the lineup.

 

The Heat won 143-107 and are 4-0 this season when scoring 140 or more points. They had eight players in double-figure scoring and improved to 10-6. The Bulls are the third-fastest team in the NBA, and the Heat held them to 92.3 points per 100 transition plays, good enough for the 16th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass.

 

Spoelstra said, “It started with our defensive intentions. That looked like us before Bam [Adebayo] was out, defensively, covering a lot of ground… and then offensively, that definitely looked more like how we looked 10 days ago, two weeks ago.”

 

Regarding Powell’s groin check, Spoelstra said he “feels good right now.”

 

Game Notes

 

  • Kel’el Ware got his 12th start of the season, having a solid night throwing his body around the lane for 12 first-half points on 55.5% shooting. He finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Combining and staggering him with Adebayo led to the Heat having strong center minutes at all times. “He’s being much more intentional…He’s making his presence felt with his size,” Spoelstra said.

 

  • Mitchell’s showing growth as a scorer in every game, but he’s also been terrific as a playmaker. He had six helpings and zero turnovers, going along with sharp defense, too. 

 

  • Johnson recorded a season high in minutes (29), plus his first double-double of his career (14 points and 12 rebounds). The defense did well when he played, too. 

 

  • The Heat attempted a season high in free throws, making 35, and it was the second time this year they’ve hoisted at least 40. Adebayo, Powell, Larsson and Johnson each took at least six. The other time they had at least 40 free-throw attempts was their two-point win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 10.


Will both FIU and FAU finish 2025 with bowl eligibility?

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Will both Florida International and Florida Atlantic finish the 2025 season bowl eligible? The final two weeks of the season will answer this regionally profound question.

FBS teams need to win six games (.500 on the season) to be eligible to participate in a bowl game. Both FIU and FAU have spent two decades at the nation’s highest level and have each played in five bowl games, with the Owls (4-1) having seen more postseason success than the Panthers (2-3).

This season, the Panthers (5-5) are ahead of the Owls (4-6) in the race for bowl No. 6. By defeating Liberty in overtime last week, FIU enters its final home game of 2025 with a 5-5 record entering a crucial matchup with Jacksonville State, which leads the C-USA standings with a perfect 6-0 conference record. If the Panthers lose that game, they will finish the season on the road against Sam Houston State, which is currently riding a two-game winning streak after starting the season 0-8.

It seems as though a win in either of the next two games is in the cards for FIU, which CBS Sports projects to take on Southern Miss in the 68 Ventures Bowl. The Panthers reinvented their offense with the appointment of quarterback Joe Pesansky. The fifth-year senior has started the past two games and led FIU to two straight wins. He scored five touchdowns against Middle Tennessee and scored two touchdowns with 206 yards passing against Liberty.

Despite their six-game winning streak, the Gamecocks play every game close has been close for the Gamecocks and they are led by a powerful rushing attack which averages 260.2 rushing yards per game, the fifth highest in the nation. Junior running back Cam Cook’s 1,313 yards is behind only Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy for the FBS lead.

If nothing else, the Panthers are expected to make it an entertaining game.

As for the Owls, these next two games are do-or-die. At 4-6, FAU can’t afford to lose either of the next two games if it wants to remain in play for bowl eligibility. The Owls (3-1 at home) are at their best when playing on their turf but will face a UConn team looking for its second straight 9-win season and East Carolina, which is currently contending for a spot in the American Athletic Conference championship game.

The Owls’ defense will face a tough task against the Huskies and their quarterback Joe Fagnano, who in his sixth season in college, has thrown 25 touchdown passes against one interception. The independent Huskies sport a top-20 offense in the FBS, averaging 36 points per game.

The Owls have a formidable offense of their own. With the addition of the transfer duo from Western Kentucky, quarterback Caden Veltkamp (2,971 yards, 22 TD, 14 INT) and receiver Easton Messer (847 yards, 5 TD), FAU averages 329 passing yards per game, which leads the FBS.

If the Owls’ passing prevails and they upset UConn, their season finale against ECU will be set up as the biggest game of 2025. Win or stay home.

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Norman Powell and Bam Adebayo took over the fourth quarter in win over the Warriors

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The Warriors’ visit to Kaseya Center was a tuneup for the Heatles, not having to deal with Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green. Even on a night when Norman Powell was dormant until the fourth quarter, it went unlike the loss at home against the Cavaliers, who were down three starters on Nov. 13. 

 

The hosts got Bam Adebayo back after he missed six straight games, and he scored 20 points on jumpers and on rim attacks. After the game, he said he felt good and was “Just trying to find a rhythm, not overdo it, and let the game come to me.”

 

Despite going cold and losing the ball five times by the end of the first quarter, the Heat led by nine because they got multiple baskets from Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, and Pelle Larsson, plus the Warriors missed their first 12 shots, being unable to bend coverages.

 

The Heat’s carelessness continued as their turnover count hit nine, and the Warriors closed the gap, spraying them with a 14-2 run. Adebayo got his crew somewhat back on track, scoring on a baseline drive and making a floater on the left side through contact.

 

The Heat went to halftime ahead 49-45, while their half-court offense was in the gutter, scoring 74.4 points per 100 plays, good enough for the fourth percentile. Their other issues were being down on the glass by six, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. plus Simone Fontecchio, two of the team’s ignitable reserves, combined for only 12 points on 25% shooting.

 

Subsequently, Golden State’s coverage, including a zone, was effective in slowing down the Heat to three makes in 13 tries in the lane. They also took their first lead of the game halfway through the third quarter as the Heat had their worst defensive stretch. Coach Erik Spoelstra said, “We’ll continue to get more comfortable. I was more uncomfortable with some of the decisions and semi-transition, or against their man [coverage].”

 

Yet Miami was able to survive because Powell erupted for 17 points in the fourth on deep jumpers and drive-bys. Adebayo also scored seven in a row to put the game out of reach. 

 

The Heat won 110-96. In spite of the Heat getting out rebounded by 10, and their attack being neutralized, they contained Golden State’s half-court offense to 76.1 points per 100 plays, good enough for the sixth percentile, per Cleaning the Glass. Powell said Adebayo’s presence had a “really big effect,” and that, “Having him on the floor kind of controlling the defense was huge for us. We definitely missed him, and we’re glad to have him back.”

 

Other notes:

  • Second-year player Pelle Larsson had sixth game in the last seven nights scoring in double figures. He’s making it impossible for Spoelstra to shelve him when Tyler Herro returns.

 

  • Jaquez had a poor night in the scoring department, shooting 33.3%, but impacted the game more as a playmaker, racking up seven dimes, the most on the team, against two giveaways.

 

  • Kel’el Ware went back to bench because Adebayo returned, and he had a big night on the glass, recovering 16 rebounds in 19 minutes. Spoelstra said, “I think Kel’el was really good tonight. Adebayo was complimentary of him after the game.

 



Panthers QB Joe Pesansky earns his Miami moment with homecoming heroics

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Shortly after defeating Liberty in overtime in his second start as a Panther, Florida International quarterback Joe Pesansky proclaimed to the camera, with his teammates behind him, that he “is in the greatest city in the world.”

Pesansky went from being hoisted in the air by his teammates to rejoicing with friends and family to then meeting the media for his postgame press conference in a matter of minutes. He admitted at the time that he was “still coming down from the high.”

”Definitely one of the most exciting moments of my life,” he said.

The Tampa native spent four seasons in the FCS circuit with Holy Cross before transferring to FIU. He spent much of the season as the backup quarterback with a few minutes of playing time here and there. He came into the midweek road contest at Missouri State and led a touchdown drive to put the Panthers within a score in the final two minutes.

“That’s the luxury of having a veteran guy,” FIU head coach Willie Simmons said. “When we signed Joe this past January, we were excited because we were getting a guy who played a lot of college snaps and started all last year. And so knowing [Keyone Jenkins] was the incumbent and coming into the season as a starter, you wanted some security at the position, and Joe’s given us that.”

That was the last time FIU suffered a loss this season.

Since naming Pesansky the starter, the Panthers have won two straight games and are one win away from their first bowl berth since 2019, a season highlighted by a rare victory over the Miami Hurricanes. The Panthers host C-USA leader Jacksonville State on Saturday and close out the season on the road at Sam Houston State the next week.

”I’m just so excited for my teammates and this team,” Pesansky said. “This place hasn’t been to a bowl game in a while. Obviously, we’re not there yet, but it’s very feasible.”

Pesansky became the first-ever FIU football player to account for five touchdowns in one game (four passing, one rushing) in the Panthers’ 56-30 road win over Middle Tennessee. In a 34-27 win over Liberty, he completed 24 of 34 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns in his first career overtime start.

“He drove the car,” Simmons said. “Like we say, you’ve got a lot of great pieces around you. You don’t have to do anything extraordinary, just drive the car. And he’s been driving it perfectly, and the offense has been clicking with him there.”

During that crucial period, Pesansky went from falling down on the first snap to throwing a dart in the end zone to redshirt senior receiver Maguire Anderson for his first career touchdown.

“That was all coaching,” Pesansky said. “[FIU offensive coordinator Nick Coleman] told me on either Tuesday or Wednesday, he goes, ‘If they’re in cover zero and we run that play, you’re gonna throw it to the guy over the ball in the middle of the field.’ And I lined up, I saw the look, I knew exactly where I was going with the ball. Maguire knew exactly what to do, and that’s coaching.”

Origins

Despite being from Tampa, Pesansky was born in West Chester, PA, and grew up a Philadelphia Eagles fan watching games with his father. He comes from an athletic family, as his sister was a rower at Alabama, and his brother, Peter, currently plays for North Carolina as an offensive lineman.

Unlike his brother, Pesansky was a “small, skinny kid” who didn’t grow until his high school days. His friends steered him from running cross country to joining the football team at Jesuit High School in Tampa. In three years as a starter, he led Jesuit to a 29-7 record and threw over 6,700 career passing yards with 80 touchdowns.

“I kind of had a weird path to football,” Pesansky said.

Pesansky originally saw himself entering the sport as an aspiring broadcaster, but watching the 2019 LSU Tigers winning the national championship with Joe Burrow under center inspired him to strive for a life as a Division I collegiate quarterback.

“He was the one who inspired me to be a Division I quarterback and really want to take this thing to the next level,” Pesansky said.

Up Next

Jacksonville State enters the Panthers’ final home game of the season undefeated in C-USA play and on a five-game winning streak. Every game has been close for the Gamecocks, but their powerful rushing attack usually wins the day. JSU averages 260.2 rushing yards per game, which is the fifth highest in the nation. Junior running back Cam Cook’s 1,313 yards is behind only Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy for the FBS lead.

10 FIU seniors, including Pesansky, will be honored on Senior Day this Saturday.

The Miami Dolphins won the first NFL game played in Spain in overtime against the Commanders.

Pressure Point: Dolphins avoid pain in Spain despite fourth-down failure

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Say this for Mike McDaniel, the Miami Dolphins’ coach isn’t afraid to put his neck on the chopping block.

McDaniel’s decision to go for it on fourth-and-goal at the 1 rather than try a short field goal that would have put the Dolphins head by three points with 1:44 left in the fourth quarter Sunday in Madrid, blew up in his face when Ollie Gordon II was thrown for a loss.

It was the second time in the second half that the Dolphins advanced to the shadow of the Washington Commanders’ end zone and came away with zero points

Somehow, fate blessed the Dolphins with a 16-13 win in overtime on Riley Patterson’s walkoff 29-yard field goal. The game was essentially decided by the only turnover of the game, cornerback Jack Jones’ interception of Marcus Mariota’s pass on the first play of the extra period.

And McDaniel, whose future with the Dolphins is very much in question, survived to coach another day.

His decision to eschew the near-certainty of kicking the field goal to take the lead is a rarity in that situation.

I don’t necessarily disagree with it. He clearly didn’t trust his defense to keep the Commanders from responding with a score of their own.

And with good reason. The Fins defense struggled to make an impactful play all day before Jones came through with only their third interception of the season. They didn’t force the Commanders to punt until three minutes remained in the third quarter.

“I didn’t want to give them the ball back with good field position and a good chance to tie the game,” McDaniel said in his postgame remarks. “I definitely would not have made the call if I thought it was going to fail. … “I thought the play was going to work, and it didn’t.”

Report: Ross favors keeping McDaniel, Tua

Earlier Sunday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Dolphins owner Steve Ross favors keeping McDaniel as coach and Tua Tagovailoa as quarterback next season.

Despite McDaniel’s often head-scratching decision-making and game management and Tagovailoa’s uneven play, this disappointing Dolphins season has taken a turn in their favor.

The Dolphins go into the bye week on a resurgent path at 4-7, with wins in three of their past four games and the lightweight Jets and Saints up next.

Sunday, they were outplayed in many ways by an underachieving Commanders team that has now lost six in a row.

Have to wonder what the crowd at Madrid’s historic Santiago Bernabéu Stadium thought of the first NFL game played in Spain. Most of it showcased the flailing and failings of two 3-7 teams.

Dolphins make case as Spain’s team

The drama in the fourth quarter and overtime was the reward for suffering through a lot of sloppy play. Ultimately, it gave the local futbol fans something they could relate to:

A game decided by kicking.

It was almost like a soccer shootout.

The Commanders’ Matt Gay missed a 56-yard attempt that would have won it in the final minute of regulation. Gay missed two of four attempts in the game.

Patterson made all three of his tries, including the winner, ending a messy affair with a Messi-like sure shot.

During the week leading up to the game, Dolphins officials made known their desire to be the team of the Spanish-speaking world.

There is sentiment in South Florida that says: Go ahead, you take them.

While NFL fans in Spain can scan the list of more competent franchises and respond: No thanks, we don’t want them.

Call it disdain in Spain.

Certainly, there is plenty of that back home. Yet the Dolphins, a team with so many maddening tendencies, is revving up hope of staging a late-season, albeit still unlikely run at a playoff spot.

Unlikely, considering they face a final-month stretch run against Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay and New England.

Dolphins’ Achane piling up yards

Nonetheless, I’m not with those Dolfans who want everything torn down and discarded. There are parts worth holding on to.

It’s just increasingly difficult to trust in Tua, who was losing the showdown of Hawaiian quarterbacks until Mariota threw the fateful pick.

Tagovailoa’s lack of ability to escape pressure continues to stand out. If his first read isn’t open, he becomes a sitting duck for rushers.

In a pedestrian performance Sunday, Tagovailoa’s best contributions were avoiding turnovers and handing off to De’Von Achane and Gordon.

The emphasis should continue to emphasize the running game, which produced 169 yards Sunday.

Achane is a standout talent who is on a remarkable run. He had 120 yards rushing on 21 carries (5.7-yard average), and over the past two weeks has 390 yards from scrimmage.

Dolphins have players to build around

Using lineman Daniel Brunskill as an extra blocker has boosted the running game. Injured tackle Austin Jackson may return for the next game.

In addition, Greg Dulcich is providing production at tight end, a distinct upgrade from Tanner Conner, who was jettisoned.

Jordyn Brooks remained the bright spot on defense with 20 tackles. The defense has assets; they just don’t make enough plays like Jones made. Juju Brents shows promise but left with an ankle injury. Young defensive linemen Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips and Zeek Biggers are improving.

One more thing, the Dolphins can claim a distinction that no other NFL team can. They are undefeated on Spanish soil.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for more than four decades. Follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @CraigDavisRuns.

“This is the end of the Benn- Eubank saga…”: Conor Benn destroys Chris Eubank Jr. in rematch

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Conor Benn dismantled Chris Eubank Jr. in their rematch from April, splitting the bouts 1-1, and earning the respect of his foe, who called him a “drug cheat.” The latter knew from round one of their middleweight show down that he was mistaken about how the night would unfold, and now questions remain about his future… while Benn wishes to return to the welterweight division.

 

Benn didn’t rush in with the blind fury that powered him through the fist fight, but instead controlled aggression. He raised his jab frequency and shots to the midsection, which softened defenses for clean, vicious right-handed strikes to the head that sent the crowd in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium into a frenzy. 

 

Eubank was a man way too light for his body after the weight cut and rehydration limit of 170 pounds. It would have been easy to mistake him for a prisoner in a gulag before the weigh-in. He appeared to take every blow twice as hard and had no pop on everything he gave back.  

 

Perhaps Eubank’s finest moment was in round three, tagging Benn’s low-ducking movement at close range, but his action was unsustainable. He kept eating jabs, including nine in round eight while connecting on zero, and he was pieced with 49% of Benn’s power shots, per Compubox.. 

 

Eubank desperately needed a knockout in round 12, and instead went down from a two-piece and again from a chopping right hand, never putting the outcome in doubt. The judges scored it unanimously for Benn: 119-107, 116-110 and 118-108. In his post-fight interview, Benn said, “This is the end of the Benn- Eubank saga. Done and finished. It’s over.”

 

Benn declared the family rivalry over, and said he wants a piece of Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title, or Ryan Garcia, “Rolly” Romero, Devin Haney, and “all of them yanks.”.   

 

Eubank didn’t commit to a rematch. If this was the last go-around, it leaves the Eubank-Benn rivalry at two victories for the Eubanks (1990 & 2025), one draw (1993), and one win for the Benns (2025).

 

Before leaving his presser, Eubank said he’d take time off and didn’t want to discuss his future in boxing. As much as he was affected by the weight cut, the first confrontation between him and Benn was a savage brawl that wasted a lot of himself. It will help him to go up to super middleweight (168 pounds), but he is in the last chapter of his career. 

 

“Conor Benn put on a hell of a fight,” Eubank said. “He had a great performance. He did everything that was asked of him, and I congratulate him for his performance tonight.”