Things are going south in Miami after Week 6.

The Miami Dolphins dropped to 1-5 after they were defeated 29-27 by the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Miami rallied from a 26-13 fourth-quarter deficit, but quarterback Justin Herbert and wideout Ladd McConkey led the Chargers on a game-winning drive that was punctuated by a 33-yard game-winning field goal by kicker Cameron Dicker.

The Dolphins had just enough time for one last desperation play in the final seconds, but quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was picked off by Chargers safety Derwin James to seal the game.

Following the contest, Tagovailoa voiced his frustration and revealed teammates have been late or skipped players-only meetings amid Miami’s struggles.

“I think it starts with our leadership, and helping articulate that for the guys. And then, what we’re expecting out of the guys, right? We’re expecting this. Are we getting that? Are we not getting that?

“We have guys showing up to player-only meetings late. Guys not showing up to player-only meetings,” Tagovailoa said. “There’s a lot that goes into that. Do we have to make this mandatory? Do we not have to make this mandatory? So, it’s a lot of things of that nature that we gotta get cleaned up. And it starts with the little things like that.”

Tagovailoa tossed three interceptions in the loss. The Dolphins QB has seven INTs this season.

“The only place we can go in next week. We talk about figuring this out and getting it together collectively. What are the problems? What are the issues? Are they getting fixed? Are they not getting fixed? Why are they not getting fixed? Or if they are fixed, how are we not allowing them to happen again? Things of that nature,” Tagovailoa explained. “I contributed to that as well with three turnovers. You can’t do that and expect to win games.”

The 1-5 Dolphins are off to their worst start since the 2021 season. Dolphins general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel are both rumored to be on the hot seat.

Miami’s lone victory came against the only team in the NFL without a win, the New York Jets. The Dolphins are on the road versus the Cleveland Browns in Week 7.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

• Rico Dowdle ran for 183 yards in the Panthers’ win over the Cowboys, the running back’s former team.
• Dowdle’s 239 yards from scrimmage set a Panthers single-game franchise record.
• Javonte Williams, Dowdle’s replacement in Dallas, ran for just 29 yards on 13 carries.

Maybe the Dallas Cowboys should have heeded Rico Dowdle’s warning.

After a career day in a win over the Miami Dolphins last week, the Carolina Panthers running back immediately set his sights on the upcoming matchup with his former team, telling the Cowboys they needed to ‘buckle up’ in preparation. On Sunday, Dowdle backed up the talk, rumbling for 183 yards on a personal-high 30 carries to power a 30-27 win.

‘They wasn’t buckled up,’ Dowdle said in a postgame news conference.

With four catches for 56 yards, Dowdle became just the seventh player since 1970 – and the first since Dalvin Cook in 2020 – to have consecutive games with 225-plus yards from scrimmage. No other undrafted player has achieved the feat.

The sixth-year back, who signed a one-year deal with the Panthers this offseason after the Cowboys decided to move in a different direction with their ground game, also set the single-game franchise record for yards from scrimmage with 239.

Dowdle was a punishing presence throughout the day, never breaking a run longer than 15 yards. But his steady presence helped the Panthers rack up 14 first downs via the ground and tie the team’s highest scoring output this season.

‘Just looked like the same guy (as) last week,’ Panthers coach Dave Canales said. ‘Ran with violence, had a plan, man on a mission. (He) wants to make yards.’

Dowdle set the tone last week by issuing a warning of sorts.

“They gotta buckle up,’ Dowdle said after beating the Dolphins. ‘I think they know, for sure. I’ve been there for five years. They didn’t keep me there for five years for no reason.’

While Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer indulged the remarks by saying his defenders would ‘bring our seat belts,’ some players met the remarks with confusion.

‘Man, he got to back it up. I’m not much into talking.,’ Cowboys defensive tackle Kenny Clark said last week in response. ‘They ain’t play nobody like us. We ain’t play them, so he’ll watch the film and see what he’s playing against. … Yeah, he can be emotional. I know he was coming off a 200-yard game, so he’s probably feeling really good. Yeah, it’s going to be a battle in the trenches for sure. (The) trenches are going to win this game.’

Sure enough, they did. Javonte Williams, whom the Cowboys signed this offseason to take over as Dowdle’s replacement as the lead option in the backfield, ran for just 29 yards on 13 carries.

The win elevated Carolina to 3-3, marking the first time that the franchise has been at least .500 since Week 10 in 2021.

Rico Dowdle stats vs. Cowboys

• Carries: 30
• Rushing yards: 183
• Receptions: 4
• Receiving yards: 53
• Touchdown catches: 1

AI-assisted summary
• Penn State fired head football coach James Franklin after a three-game losing streak dropped the team from its preseason No. 2 ranking.
• Franklin’s tenure ends with a 104-45 record, but he struggled against top-10 opponents.
• Potential replacements include Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, and Indiana’s Curt Cignetti.

Penn State fired football coach James Franklin on Sunday, Oct. 12 in a move that will create a ripple effect on this years coaching carousel.

Franklin and the Nittany Lions fell from preseason No. 2 in the US LBM Coaches Poll to disappointing very fast following their three-game losing streak. Penn State fell to Oregon in overtime on Sept. 27 before falling to winless UCLA and unranked Northwestern, with the latter two losses mounting loads of frustration with the fanbase and program.

Franklin, who was hired before the 2014 season, led Penn State to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff last season. He finishes his Penn State tenure with a 104-45 record, but struggled against elite prorgrams, posting a 4-21 record against top-10 ranked teams.

Penn State is already without quarterback Drew Allar for the rest of the season, as he suffered a season-ending injury against Northwestern.

Here’s a look at potential coaching candidates for Penn State.

Penn State coaching candidates

Matt Rhule, Nebraska

Rhule, a Penn State linebacker from 1994-97, is in his third season as head coach at Nebraska with the Cornhuskers 5-1 this year.

The 50-year-old former Carolina Panthers coach from 2020-22 has a proven track record as a program builder, as he led quick and successful rebuilds at both Temple and Baylor. He also has a long friendship with Penn State athletics director Pat Kraft.

But Rhule also has a losing record in games against ranked competition, which might sour a Nittany Lions fan base that bemoaned Franklin’s record in marquee matchups. Other factors to keep in mind are Rhule’s comfort level at Nebraska and the fact he’s already tugged the Cornhuskers through a difficult two-year learning curve.

Matt Campbell, Iowa State

Campbell, who played college football at Pittsburgh and Division III Mount Union, has built Iowa State into a perennial Big 12 contender since joining the program in 2016.

The 45-year-old coach is a two-time Big 12 coach of the year and has two top-15 finishes with the Cyclones. He has also developed numerous NFL players, including Brock Purdy, Breece Hall, David Montgomery and Will McDonald IV.

Campbell has been a hot coaching name for multiple years, and Penn State could be the first job to lure him away. As much as any coach in the Power Four, there’s always been a very high level of interest and intrigue in how Campbell would fare if given Penn State-type resources. What’s clear is his ability to build a successful and sustainable program.

Curt Cignetti, Indiana

Penn State likely will consider Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, who has turned Indiana into a national title contender in just two seasons.

Cignetti and the Hoosiers are coming off a 30-20 road win over No. 2 Oregon, rising to a program-best No. 3 ranking in the US LBM Coaches Poll. He is 17-2 at Indiana.

Prior to his time in Bloomington, Cignetti helped transition James Madison to the Bowl Subdivision and had a successful stint at Elon. He spent six easons as head coach of Division II Indiana University at Pennsylvania, where he father also coached.

The work Cignetti has done at Indiana represents one of the finest coaching jobs in recent Power Four history. While there’s a belief that the Hoosiers have succeeded at a historic level solely because of its offense, that’s just one piece of the puzzle. Cignetti has done an outstanding job turning the Hoosiers into one of the most physical teams in the Big Ten.

Manny Diaz, Duke

Diaz served as the defensive coordinator at Penn State from 2022-23 before taking over as head coach at Duke in 2024.

Diaz has a 13-6 record with the Blue Devils, leading the program to a 9-4 record in 2024. He also was the head coach at Miami from 2019-21, but finished 21-15 before being fired after the 2021 season.

Diaz wouldn’t be the most attractive option, but he has recent familiarity with the program. He’s also a two-time head coach at Miami and the Blue Devils with a clear area of expertise. One negative for his candidacy are the recent links to the Franklin era, which could make Diaz a non-starter.

Jon Sumrall, Tulane

Penn State will kick the tires on Sumrall, now in his second year at Tulane, and will find an attentive audience. Sumrall’s defensive background would be a good fit from a cultural perspective, though he’d need to present a strong plan for how he’d handle the offensive side of the ball. This is more of a long shot because of Sumrall’s deep ties to the SEC and particularly Kentucky, which might have an opening in the next two months.

Brent Key, Georgia Tech

Key would be an unflashy but serious hire for a program that could flourish by embracing the same mentality that has Georgia Tech rising in the US LBM Coaches Poll. Much like Franklin at Vanderbilt, there’s also high interest in how Key could do with a move to a program with much deeper resources.

Mike Elko, Texas A&M

Elko already has an elite Power Four job at Texas A&M, where he’s steadily developing a team and program capable of winning an SEC title and a national championship. But there’s a definite argument for PSU having a clearer and easier path to the playoff and an opening-round bye than at A&M, which would make the Aggies’ second-year coach at least listen to the Nittany Lions’ offer.

Alex Golesh, South Florida

Golesh is one of the hottest names in the Group of Five after leading South Florida to a 5-1 start, including Oct. 10’s 63-36 win against previously unbeaten North Texas. The former Tennessee assistant inherited a one-win team but led the Bulls to bowl bids in each of his first two years to lay the groundwork for this year’s breakthrough.

His background and track record on offense are two major selling points, though his lack of experience makes Golesh one of the Nittany Lions’ backup options.

Fran Brown, Syracuse

Brown, a second-year head coach at Syracuse, has limited head coaching experience but has made a mark after taking the job in 2024.

Brown was the defensive backs coach at Georgia from 2022-23 after serving in a variety of roles at Temple and Baylor under Rhule. The Camden, New Jersey, native was also at Rutgers from 2020-21.

Brown led Syracuse to a 10-3 record last season, and the Orange were 3-1 nthis year after an upset of Clemson. But with starting quarterback Steve Agneli injured in the defeat of the Tigers, Syracuse has lost two in a row.

Enter Pat McAfee. OK, so the former Indianapolis Colts punter lives in Indy and his wife is a Hoosier, but the ESPN personality was on an island this morning picking IU to beat Oregon on the ‘College GameDay’ set.

That faith didn’t go unnoticed by the seventh-ranked Hoosiers (6-0, 3-0). Quarterback Fernando Mendoza made sure to give McAfee some love following Indiana’s 30-20 win over the Ducks (5-1, 2-1).

‘I want to give a quick shoutout to my guy Pat McAfee for shouting us out because he’s friends with my guy Steve Levy, and Boston Connor. Let’s go. Go Hoosiers!’ Mendoza told CBS’ Jenny Dell.

Dell quipped back, ‘ESPN, CBS, whatever. We’ll go with that.’

McAfee’s pick Saturday morning came with a little misdirection.

“Fernando Mendoza has no chance to come in here,” McAfee said. “I love Oregon. I love Dan Lanning. I was shirtless with that man this morning… But my wife is a Hoosier, through and through. And so am I, baby! Give me the Hoo-Hoo-Hoo-Hoosiers! Hoo-Hoo-Hoo-Hoosiers! Hoo-Hoo-Hoo-Hoosiers!  In the biggest win of (Curt) Cignetti’s career, the Indiana Hoosiers tell the world, ‘We’re for real.’”

Indeed, it appears they are.

‘Indiana gets the win today, changes the trajectory of all of college sports,’ McAfee continued. ‘Congratulations to Cig and the boys.

BOULDER, Colo. – Colorado football coach Deion Sanders returned to the sideline here Saturday Oct. 11 against Iowa State, inspiring his team with his energy just four days after undergoing surgery to clear blood clots in his left leg.

He apparently did not sit down during his team’s 24-17 win against the No. 22 Cyclones. ESPN reported during its broadcast an assistant on the sideline was following Sanders around with a stool in case he needed it. Sanders instead stood and prowled the sideline like normal as his Buffaloes held on for the win in front of 52,698 at Folsom Field.

Sanders, 58, didn’t talk about his situation in his postgame news conference. But his players did after Sanders returned to coach his team at practice the next morning following his surgery Oct. 7.

‘It gave us a reason to fight, a great reason to fight,’ Colorado linebacker Jeremiah Brown said after the game. ‘Coach Prime had the surgery Tuesday. He came back that Wednesday morning after a four-hour surgery. He (was) hurt and he (was) limping on the field, hurting, still running around. He was giving us all the energy we need. So I think that’s all we needed to fight.’

Offensive lineman Zy Crisler said Sanders’ comeback this week ‘motivated the team tremendously.’

‘I mean, going into surgery and the next morning, you had practice is crazy,’ Crisler said. ‘But man, Coach Prime is a warrior. He gonna do what he got to do, and I salute Coach Prime.’

What is Deion Sanders’ health history?

In his previous game Oct. 4 at TCU, Sanders was seen sitting down during the game and took a shoe because he said he was “hurting like crazy” and suspected it was because of blood clots. He has battled blood-circulation issues over the last four years and even had two toes amputated from his left foot in 2021, forcing him to miss three games that year when he was coach at Jackson State.

The surgery on Oct. 7 was the 16^th since that time, according to videos posted by his son Deion Jr. He also had his bladder removed in May after a cancerous tumor was discovered during a medical appointment related to his vascular issues, which have involved arterial blood clots in his lower body.

Other coaches have sat during games

When he returned to the sideline after surgeries in 2021, Sanders coached Jackson State from a motorized wheelchair.

Other coaches have been forced to sit because of health issues, too, although it’s rare. Penn State coach Joe Paterno coached from a seat in the press box late in his career because of health issues. In 2019, Liberty coach Hugh Freeze coached from a bed in the press box as he recovered from a staph infection and back pain.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman also coached a game at Missouri from the press box after suffering from a broken hip.

Coaching from the press box is problematic because it separates the coach from his players on the field and makes it hard for the coach to join his team in the locker room at halftime. Being immobile on the sideline also is problematic because coaches need to follow their teams up and down the field as they communicate with their players and game officials.

Sanders and Colorado (3-4) have an off weekend next week before returning to play Oct. 25 at Utah.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

Former unified welterweight champion Jaron Ennis walked away a winner at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday night.

Ennis recorded a pair of knockdowns against Uisma Lima in the first round of the 154-pound bout.

With the victory, Ennis becomes the new WBA Interim World Super Welterweight Champion. Ennis extends his undefeated record to 35 wins, including 31 knockouts.

Uisma Lima had won his last four fights before the loss to Ennis. He falls to 14-2-0 in his professional career.

Here’s what you missed from the Ennis vs. Lima main card on Saturday:

Jaron Ennis vs Uisma Lima fight results

Jaron Ennis overwhelmed Uisma Lima throughout the first round, claiming the victory on Saturday.

Guido Vianello vs. Alexis Barriere results

Guido Vianello got the best of Alexis Barriere in the fifth round after landing several shots. Barriere fell to the ground and sat on the mat as the referee began to count, calling for the end of the fight before reaching the 10-count.

Tahmir Smalls vs. Jose Roman results

Tahmir Smalls dropped Jose Roman in the third round. Despite the early-round knockdown, the fight managed to go the distance before Smalls was declared the winner by unanimous decision.

Dennis Thompson vs. Sean Diaz results

Dennis Thompson won the six-round fight against Sean Diaz by split decision.

How to watch Jaron Ennis vs Uisma Lima fight

Jaron Ennis will face Uisma Lima on Saturday, October 11 with the whole event broadcasted on DAZN.

• Date: Saturday, October 11
• Time: 8 p.m. ET
• Jaron Ennis vs Uisma Lima main event ringwalks (approx) : 10:47 p.m. ET
• Stream:DAZN

Watch Jason Ennis vs Uisma Lima on DAZN

Jaron Ennis vs Uisma Lima ring walk

• Jaron Ennis and Uisma Lima are expected to walk to the ring at 10:47 p.m. ET.

Jaron Ennis vs Uisma Lima prelim fight results

• Zaquin Moses defeats Antonio Dunton-El Jr. by unanimous decision.
• Giorgio Visioli defeats James Wilkins by unanimous decision.
• Harley Mederos defeats Hylon Williams Jr. by TKO
• Naheem Parker defeats Justin Palmieri by unanimous decision.

When does Jaron Ennis vs Uisma Lima start?

The Jaron Ennis vs. Uisma Lima fight card consists of nine fights and will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 11, 2025 with early prelim fights. The main event for the Jaron Ennis vs. Uisma Lima fight is expected to be around 10:47 p.m. ET. However, the duration of the undercard will impact when Ennis and Lima actually start.

Jaron Ennis vs. Uisma Lima fight card

• Jaron Ennis vs Uisma Lima, Super welterweight
• Alexis Barreire vs Guido Vianello, Heavyweight
• Tahmir Smalls vs Jose Roman, Welterweight
• Dennis Thompson vs Sean Diaz, Super bantamweight
• Zaquin Moses vs Antonio Dunton-El Jr., Super featherweight
• Giorgio Visioli vs James Wilkins,  Super featherweight
• Harley Mederos vs Hylon Williams Jr., Lightweight
• Justin Palmieri vs Naheem Parker,  Lightweight