It took Baker Mayfield one series to show the Tampa Bay Buccaneers everything they wanted to see from him in a preseason-closing 24-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins.

Baker Mayfield has sore ribs and did not practice Wednesday, but the Tampa Bay quarterback says he’ll do everything he can to be ready to try to help the Buccaneers clinch a division title and playoff berth against the Carolina Panthers.

Baker Mayfield might have moved closer to claiming Tampa Bay’s starting quarterback job without even taking a snap in the Buccaneers’ 13-6 preseason victory over the New York Jets.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers third-string quarterback John Wolford was taken to a hospital because of a neck injury after being carted from the field after being sacked in a preseason game against the New York Jets on Saturday night.

Baker Mayfield is excited to have an opportunity to try to win Tom Brady’s old job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Miami third-string QB Skylar Thompson played well in spurts, throwing for 218 yards and one TD in Mike McDaniel’s debut as the Dolphins’ coach.

Alabama looked beatable.

Bryce Young’s first collegiate road start was a rousing success, a three-touchdown performance that helped top-ranked Alabama hold off No. 11 Florida 31-29 in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.

Some Southeastern Conference defenses are flexing their muscles after 2020 being a defensive coordinator’s nightmare.

No. 13 Florida tuned up for the start of Southeastern Conference play with a 42-20 rout of overmatched South Florida that did little to answer the question of whether starter Emory Jones or backup Anthony Richardson is best suited to run the Gators offense.

Tom Brady and the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened the NFL preseason with a 19-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Tom Brady is back on the practice field with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Not much changed on the second night of the NFL draft.

The Denver Broncos wrapped up the second day of the NFL draft by using a compensatory pick to take Ohio State linebacker Baron Browning with the 105th overall pick.

The next game he plays is for his NFL draft stock, provided the Alabama quarterback's gimpy left ankle is good to go. Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said the plan is for Jones to dress out and see how his ankle feels. “Just being in that room, I already learned so much about NFL football,” he said. Mond started 44 games for the Aggies, Ehlinger logged 43 starts for the Longhorns,Mond led the Aggies into College Football Playoffs contention in his final season. I just wanted to come and kind of learn more about NFL football and learn a new playbook, which I thought I did a good job with.

Ohio State won 49-28. “This team, this program, we persevered through so much,” Ohio State running back Trey Sermon said Monday. In addition to Sarkisian's imminent departure, Alabama has to take care of some Heisman Trophy business while preparing for the matchup with Ohio State. Ohio State (7-0) won that meeting en route to the national title. OHIO STATEOverview: Like many teams, Ohio State faced major obstacles during the pandemic.

And with that, Lawrence’s bid to finish an extraordinary college football career with his second national championship in three seasons slipped away. 2 Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Sugar Bowl on Friday night. “Obviously they kicked our butt tonight," Lawrence said. Lawrence is one of four finalists, along with Alabama QB Mac Jones, Crimson Tide receiver Davonta Smith and Florida QB Kyle Trask. Still, he'll be remembered as one of the faces of college football — on the field and off — during a tumultuous junior year.

(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida quarterback Kyle Trask made his future plans official Thursday, formally announcing he’s declining an opportunity to return to school and entering the NFL draft. No one thought Trask would stick around following a record-breaking season that included being named a Heisman Trophy finalist. He led the nation in passing yards and TD passes. He broke the previous school record (39) for TD passes (39) set by 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel. Fellow defensive tackle Zachary Carter, meanwhile, announced plans to return to school for his senior season.

6 CFP), who won the Cotton Bowl in the same NFL stadium where 11 days earlier they claimed their latest Big 12 title. They led 17-0 in the first seven minutes on way to the most points and yards (684) they have ever had in a bowl game. They averaged 10.52 yards per play overall, the most ever against a Power 5 opponent in a bowl game, according to STATS. Their 0-2 start in Big 12 play effectively knocked them out of playoff contention by mid-October. 1 Alabama in the SEC title game, and had averaged nearly 42 points a game.

DeVonta Smith is The Associated Press college football player of the year, becoming the first wide receiver to win the award since it was established in 1998, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. Jones received nine first-place votes and 67 points as he and Smith became the first teammates to finish 1-2 in the voting for AP player of the year. Smith is also the first Alabama player to win the award. Derrick Henry won the 2015 Heisman for the Tide, but Stanford's Christian McCaffrey was AP player of the year. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Lawrence, the likely first pick in the next NFL draft, made AP All-America for the first time in his career. ___The 2020 AP All-America team:FIRST TEAMOffenseQuarterback — Mac Jones, junior, Alabama. Running backs — Najee Harris, senior, Alabama; Breece Hall, sophomore, Iowa State. Guards — Ben Cleveland, senior, Georgia; Tommy Kraemer, senior, Notre Dame. Safeties — Kyle Hamilton, sophomore, Notre Dame; Tykee Smith, sophomore, West Virginia.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Oklahoma is going right back to the stadium where the Sooners just won their sixth Big 12 championship in a row to play SEC runner-up Florida in the Cotton Bowl. During a Gators team meeting on Zoom to discuss their bowl destination, one of the first questions players asked Mullen was where the Cotton Bowl was played. Oklahoma is in the Cotton Bowl for only the third time, its first since a 41-13 loss to Texas A&M on Jan. 4, 2013. The Cotton Bowl will be played two days before Alabama faces No. Pitts announced is turning pro and won't play in the Cotton Bowl.

11 Florida in a 52-46 shootout for the Southeastern Conference championship Saturday night. “The resiliency this team has shown this season to win 11 games is pretty phenomenal.”After falling behind 35-17 by halftime, Florida (8-3, No. Alabama had won every game in the pandemic-affected season by at least 15 points until Florida gave the Tide a scare. Florida: The Gators might’ve pulled off the upset if not for some crucial mistakes in the first half. But Florida also had two silly penalties on apparent third-down stops, extending a pair of drives that turned into touchdowns.

Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith and Florida tight end Kyle Pitts are the real stars of the leagues most potent offenses. Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith and Florida tight end Kyle Pitts are the real stars of the league’s most potent offenses. “He’s great at the point of attack.”Added Smith: “Pitts, he just makes unbelievable plays.”Pitts was in the middle of a cautious and costly decision last week. Pitts is a lock for the Mackey Award given annually to college football’s top tight end. But anyone who has watched even a little bit of Alabama and Florida this season knows who the real stars are.

6 Florida 37-34 on a cool and foggy Saturday night in the Swamp. Florida didn’t help itself with three turnovers in the first half that led to 10 points and a 24-17 deficit. He fumbled trying to scramble with 10 seconds to play in the half, essentially handing LSU a field goal. Florida had first-and-10 at the LSU 15-yard line when Trask tried to connect with Kadarius Toney near the sideline. Florida: The Gators have all kinds of issues heading into the title game.

Kyle Trask threw for 433 yards and four touchdowns, and the Gators beat Tennessee 31-19 on Saturday to clinch a spot in the SEC championship game. “It felt like they threw on every snap.”Playing with a depleted roster, Tennessee (2-6) dropped its sixth consecutive game. Florida stretched a 10-point halftime advantage to 24-7 with a 75-yard drive capped by an 8-yard pass from Trask to Trevon Grimes. “I think they did a great job — Tennessee — throughout the game of giving us some different looks," Trask said. The Tennessee defense stiffened and forced the Gators into a field goal attempt from 53 yards.

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields throws a pass against Indiana during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio. 3 Ohio State is playing as much as who will be play playing for the Buckeyes this weekend. Ohio State seems to be on track to play at Michigan State on Saturday after a spike in COVID-19 cases in the program forced a cancellation of last week's road trip to Illinois. If Ohio State has one more game canceled it would be unable to meet the Big Ten's minimum game played to be eligible for the conference title game. UNDER THE RADARNebraska at PurdueNeither team is in the Big West race, but the interesting thing is the Boilermakers (2-3) have won two straight against the Cornhuskers (1-4).

Arkansas acting head coach Barry Odom, center, watches a stadium video monitor after Florida scored a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Trask repeatedly torched the Razorbacks (3-4), who were without coach Sam Pittman and without much of a chance by halftime. It was the second time this season Trask tossed six TDs in a game. “I think I did a great job of executing and being efficient,” said Trask, who now has an SEC-record 28 TD passes and just three interceptions in six games. He became the third player in school history with at least 25 touchdown passes in multiple years, joining Heisman Trophy winners Tim Tebow and Danny Wuerffel. Florida: The Gators have the offense to beat anyone and the defense to keep everyone in games.

8 Florida beat fifth-ranked and undermanned Georgia 44-28 on Saturday. The Bulldogs (4-2), who entered the game as 3½-point favorites, were likely eliminated from College Football Playoff consideration and probably have a quarterback competition moving forward. Trask and the Gators took advantage, burning Georgia repeatedly with wheel routes while overcoming a 14-0 deficit. POLL IMPLICATIONSGeorgia likely will fall out of top 10 of T he Associated Press' college football poll for the first time this season. ___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

8 Florida reported no new COVID-19 positives in the past week, the first time since September the team’s coronavirus numbers have remained steady. The Southeastern Conference postponed two of Florida’s game following a COVID-19 outbreak that included coach Dan Mullen, at least two assistants and more than 30 players. The reserve/COVID-19 list is for a player who either tests positive for COVID-19 or who has been in close contact with an infected person. ___German soccer club Hertha Berlin says defender Jordan Torunarigha has tested positive for the coronavirus. Schalke said an unnamed player had also tested positive ahead of its German Cup game against Schweinfurt on Tuesday.

The Southeastern Conference docked Mullen $25,000 on Monday for his role in a benches-clearing brawl against the Tigers on Saturday night. The league also issued half-game suspensions for Missouri linebacker Chad Bailey, offensive lineman Dylan Spencer and defensive lineman Markell Utsey. Missouri linebacker Tre Williams was ejected for a flagrant unsportsmanlike conduct foul and will not be punished further. “There is no place in college football for the kind of incident that took place at halftime of the Missouri at Florida game Saturday night," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. Mullen responded by putting on a Darth Vader costume for his postgame news conference, almost welcoming a villain role amid increased scrutiny.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida coach Dan Mullen dressed as Darth Vader was fitting considering his last three weeks. Mullen showed up following a 41-17 victory over Missouri wearing a full “Star Wars” villain costume, complete with a red lightsaber. It was closer to perfect given the coach’s uneven October, which included eyebrow-raising comments about wanting to pack the Swamp — Florida Field, not Dagobah — during a pandemic and questioning an NCAA decision regarding practicing on Election Day. Mullen’s month concluded with a lopsided victory that was marred by a benches-clearing melee at halftime. “Never know with Coach Mullen,” safety Brad Stewart said.

10 Florida returned from a three-week layoff to handle Missouri 41-17 on Saturday night in the Swamp. It could be costly for Florida (3-1), which plays rival and fifth-ranked Georgia next week in nearby Jacksonville. The referee huddled Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz and Mullen near the goal line and then announced the ejections. Missouri defensive lineman Tre Williams, Florida defensive end Zach Carter and Florida linebacker Antwuan Powell were tossed. Florida plays Georgia in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, which will be limited to about 18,000 fans.

18 Penn State was upset by Indiana so instead of returning to Happy Valley to host No. 3 Ohio State with an unbeaten record, the Nittany Lions are trying to avoid going 0-2 for the first time since 2013. No Big Ten team has tested Ohio State in recent years like Penn State, though the Nittany Lions haven't actually beaten the Buckeyes since 2016. 3 Ohio State at No. Can they disturb Justin Fields, who was near perfect last week for Ohio State?

21 Texas A&M beat fourth-ranked Florida 41-38 on Seth Small's 26-yard field goal as time expired Saturday. Kellen Mond threw a 51-yard pass to Caleb Chapman for a tying TD with about 4½ minutes to go. Florida led 28-24 early in the fourth when Spiller struck again, running 19 yards for a touchdown on a fourth-and-2 play. Spiller bounced off several defenders before waltzing into the end zone and then hitting the Florida fan section with a Gator chomp. Trask’s second TD pass came on the next drive when he found Toney for an 11-yard grab.

Florida quarterback Kyle Trask (11) throws a pass against South Carolina during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux,Pool)GAINESVILLE, Fla. – When Florida quarterback Kyle Trask walks into Kyle Field this weekend, it surely will feel a little surreal. So Trask had plenty of loved ones around him rooting against the state’s flagship university in Austin. On Saturday, some of those relatives might be a little torn between their beloved and 21st-ranked Aggies (1-1) and Trask and the No. Trask was a freshman at Manvel High at the time, in the early stages of a seven-year stretch as a backup quarterback. A year after replacing Franks at Kentucky and finishing with the most TD passes (25) for a Florida quarterback since Tebow’s senior season in 2010, Trask leads the Southeastern Conference with 10 TD tosses in two games.

Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts hooked up for two more touchdowns, continuing their hot start and leading Florida to a 38-24 victory over South Carolina on Saturday. But the Gators had their way with South Carolina for three quarters in front of 15,120 socially distant fans in the Swamp. BRIGHT SPOTHarris was one of the few bright spots for South Carolina. "I just did what I had to do.”DROPPED PASSESA big reason South Carolina couldn’t keep up was dropped passes. Florida takes its “Kyle to Kyle Show” to Kyle Field to play Texas A&M next Saturday.

Florida tight end Kyle Pitts (84) breaks away from Mississippi linebacker Jacquez Jones (32) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. 5 Florida won 51-35. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning)

– Kyle Pitts caught four of Kyle Trask's six touchdown passes and No. 5 Florida spoiled the head coaching debut of Mississippi’s Lane Kiffin with a 51-35 victory Saturday. Trask completed 30 of 42 passes for 416 yards including touchdown passes of 1, 16, 71 and 17 yards to Pitts. Ole Miss (0-1) tied it at 14 midway through the second quarter before yielding to the Trask-led Florida outburst. “As members of the Florida and Ole Miss football teams, we recognize the impact of our personal platforms and are choosing to amplify the issues that directly impact us.

6 Florida defeat Virginia 36-28 in Monday night’s Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. 9 College Football Playoff) capped their first 11-win season since 2012 and improved to 4-0 all-time at the Orange Bowl. “That’s pretty incredible.”Dan Mullen, whose Mississippi State team was upset by Georgia Tech in the 2014 Orange Bowl, improved to 7-2 in bowl games as a head coach. Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen reacts to a call against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at the Orange Bowl, Dec. 30, 2019, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Getty Images)That includes Steve Spurrier, who coached his final game as a Gator in the 2002 Orange Bowl and took part in the pregame coin toss.

Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask runs against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Nov. 09, 2019 in Gainesville, Florida. GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Kyle Trask threw for a career-high 363 yards and three touchdowns -- the best passing performance by a Florida quarterback since Tim Tebow's college finale -- and the 10th-ranked Gators overcame a lackluster start to thump Vanderbilt 56-0 Saturday. Trask completed 25 of 37 passes and ran for a score before giving way to Emory Jones. Trask's yardage was the most by a Florida quarterback since Tebow threw for 482 yards in the 2010 Sugar Bowl against Cincinnati. Vanderbilt had a chance to avoid the shutout, but Ryley Guay badly hooked a 50-yard field goal attempt with 3:54 remaining.

State of Jaguars after Ramsey tradeThe Jaguars are 1-0 in the post-Jalen Ramsey era following a 27-17 win at Cincinnati, one of two winless teams in the NFL. Jacksonville improved to 3-4 and is still somewhat hanging around the AFC South race with the season almost halfway done. But the Jaguars felt ultimately being rid of Ramsey and collecting the picks was best, even if the perception is that 2019 seems like more of a rebuilding season now. Progress for Florida State stallingThe Florida State program seems to still be stuck in mud in Willie Taggart's second year as head coach. Wellington (2-7) is off this week, but Abel will return to coach for the team's Nov. 1 game against Seminole Ridge.

Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask reacts after a touchdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Oct. 19, 2019, in Columbia, South Carolina. 9 Florida bounce back from its loss at LSU to outlast South Carolina 38-27 on Saturday. Feaster, the Clemson graduate transfer, ran for 175 yards for South Carolina, which was outscored 21-7 in the final period. But inconsistency on offense doomed South Carolina to its fourth loss to Florida in the past five years. South Carolina heads to Tennessee on Saturday.

Lamical Perine #2 of the Florida Gators runs the ball as LSU Tigers defend. - Joe Burrow passed for 293 yards and three touchdowns, and fifth-ranked LSU scored three straight touchdowns after falling behind early in the second half to emerge with a 42-28 victory over No. Ja'Marr Chase had 127 yards receiving and the last of his two touchdowns was a 54-yarder to give LSU a two-score lead with 5:43 left. POSSESSION DISPARITYWhile Florida methodically ground out four 75-yard scoring drives, including three that lasted at least 11 plays, LSU struck quickly. The Gators wound up possession the ball for 38:19, while LSU had the ball for 21:41.

Kyle Trask #11 of the Florida Gators celebrates after a game against the Auburn Tigers. Now, Florida will turn its attention to another group of Tigers, the LSU Tigers, this week in what will be an even bigger challenge. Those are video gamelike numbers, but on the flip side, Florida will be by far the best defense Burrow has faced thus far. Much was made about how Central Florida was upset by losing 27-24 at Cincinnati last Friday, which seems odd. Florida State seems overmatched, but it also isnt the same dominant Clemson team as last year.

Freddie Swain #16 of the Florida Gators scores a touchdown during the first quarter of a game against Auburn. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)Lamical Perine ran 88 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, Florida's defense delivered another gem and the No. 10 Gators beat seventh-ranked Auburn 24-13 in the Swamp on Saturday. Nix completed 11 of 27 passes for 145 yards for Auburn (5-1, 2-1), with a touchdown and three interceptions. He was seemingly knocked out of the game in the second quarter when Auburn star Derrick Brown landed on his left leg.

Florida's Keon Zipperer celebrates a touchdown with Kyle Pitts (84) and teammates during the fourth quarter of a game against Towson. GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Kyle Trask threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, helping No. 9 Florida beat lower-division Towson 38-0 Saturday and extend its winning streak to nine. Although Florida won the game and covered the 35 1/2-point spread, it also struggled to run the ball early. Tom Flacco, a younger brother of Denver Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco, threw interceptions on his first two drives of the third quarter.

Keon Zipperer #9 of the Florida Gators celebrates a touchdown with Kyle Pitts #84 and teammates during the fourth quarter of a game against Towson. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Kyle Trask threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, helping No. 9 Florida beat lower-division Towson 38-0 Saturday and extend its winning streak to nine. Although Florida won the game and covered the 35 1/2-point spread, it also struggled to run the ball early. Florida: Clearly has issues along the offensive line, which could prove problematic against the more dangerous Tigers: Auburn and LSU.

Jaguars a hot team to follow nationallyForgot the New England Patriots or Dallas Cowboys. The NFLs most interesting team to follow at the moment from a national perspective just might be the Jacksonville Jaguars. 15 is already the best-selling Jaguars jersey since the season began across the Fanatics network, which includes NFLShop.com and the Jaguars' online store, according to ESPN. With winnable games coming up against Denver and Carolina, the Jaguars also could be a team on the rise in the standings. For the first time since November 2016, the Central Florida Knights will take the practice field this week following a regular-season loss.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Kyle Trask threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns in his first start in nearly seven years and No. 9 Florida beat slumping Tennessee 34-3 Saturday, extending the Gators' dominance in a series that used to be the most prominent in the Southeastern Conferences Eastern Division. Trask completed 20 of 28 passes, none better than the ones that went for touchdowns to Kyle Pitts and Freddie Swain. He was benched in favor of freshman Brian Maurer to start the second half. He received a 15-yard penalty for running into punt returner Freddie Swain, who had called for a fair catch.

(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)Whats next for Gators after Franks injury? Franks was carted off of the field with a dislocated ankle, which likely is a season-ending injury. While Franks health off of the field is the most important thing, the Gators do need to forge ahead on the field. Backup quarterback Kyle Trask took over and helped the Gators rally for a 29-21 win after they trailed 21-10 when Franks was hurt. Big night for Oviedo running backIt was a record-setting night on Friday for Keonte Coffie, a senior running back for Oviedo High School.

Ahmad Wagner #14 of the Kentucky Wildcats reaches to catch a touchdown pass against the Florida Gators. 9 Florida with three fourth-quarter touchdown drives, including his go-ahead, 4-yard scoring run with 4:11 remaining that lifted the Gators to a 29-21 victory over Kentucky on Saturday night. Stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1 at the Kentucky 38, Franks appeared to bend backward on the play. Trask entered and led Florida (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) on a 62-yard drive, ending with Lamical Perine's 8-yard TD run to get the Gators within 21-16. Sawyer Smith accounted for all three Kentucky touchdowns with scoring passes of 26 and 13 yards sandwiched around his 2-yard run.