Torrey Stafford is a surefire player of the year candidate // Matthew Scaviloni
Sophomore outside hitter Torrie Stafford is hitting .393 from the left pin, more than .100 points higher than her average last season as a freshman and a remarkable improvement after missing the entire spring season due to leg surgery.
Batting average: .393 Ranked among the top outside hitters in the NCAA And she ranks third in the country among pin hitters, behind only senior opposite hitter Sophie Paspal of Radford and senior opposite hitter Abby Walker of Cincinnati, both of whom have faced much easier opponents.
Stafford may not get the same amount of playing time as Wisconsin fifth-year outside hitter Sarah Franklin or Texas senior outside hitter Madisen Skinner, who were both named National Player of the Year last year, but when Stafford is in good form, she can make a clear difference for the Panthers.
she Led the No. 1 team in the nation in kills and points per setIf she hadn’t improved since her first season with the Panthers, Pittsburgh wouldn’t be ranked No. 1. Aside from her limited playing time due to Pittsburgh’s excellent roster, Stafford is as good or better than the top players in the country.
Will it ever end? Chiefs come back late in the fourth quarter to win // Camille de Jesus
It happened again. Football fans across the country shook their heads and sighed this week when the Kansas City Chiefs turned what should have been a loss into a late fourth-quarter victory.
In their most recent game against the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday, the Chiefs were trailing by two points with about 40 seconds left in the game. On what seemed to be their final stretch of hope, quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a pass to Rushe Rice, but Bengals safety Diane Anthony blocked the play.
Cincinnati’s hopes of winning were dashed when a pass interference call gave the Chiefs a field goal opportunity, but Kansas City kicker Harrison Butker quickly converted a 51-yarder to give his team the win.
It’s an age-old story: The Chiefs win the game after a big penalty late in the fourth quarter. Was the flag legitimate, or was this just a case of the Chiefs getting saved by the officials late in the game?
Joe Alto should win Offensive Rookie of the Year // Ali Meyer
Offensive tackle Joe Alt was selected fifth overall by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2024 NFL Draft, filling a desperate need for a Los Angeles Chargers team that finished the 2023 season with a 5-12 record.
Alt made an immediate impact on the team. When he faced Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby in Week 1, Alt did not allow Crosby to pressure quarterback Justin Herbert even once. When he faced the Baltimore Ravens’ Jadeveon Clowney, Alt gave Clowney a career-low 30.5 out of 100 from Pro Football Focus.
Alt and the Chargers will face the Pittsburgh Steelers in a matchup in Week 3. Alt will be going up against former Defensive Player of the Year TJ Watt. If he can hold off Watt’s pressure this week, he should skyrocket as a candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Let’s start by giving Omar Khan the title of “Khan Artist” // Alex Porter
When general manager Kevin Colbert retired after 22 seasons with the team, Steelers fans were excited for change. The “Steelers Way” promotes stability and commands respect, but it also severely hinders the team’s ability to adapt. With Kahn taking over in 2022, that all changed. The Steelers have embraced the modern era.
The Steelers are hamstrung by their past. In a conference with Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow, the Steelers still believe they can win their seventh Lombardi with a strong defense and strong run game. This strategy has only produced a 9-8 season with a wild-card loss. Pittsburgh should prioritize their long-term future.
The Steelers already failed to develop 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones, forcing him to play outside of his natural position for short-term improvement, and Khan traded veteran wide receiver Diontaie Johnson without any real plan in place, creating one of the worst receiver rooms in the NFL.
At quarterback, the most important position on the team, Khan went on a clearance sale, signing Russell Wilson, whom the Broncos had waived, for $39 million and trading for former first-round pick Justin Fields, who was worth the equivalent of a sixth-round pick.
But Khan’s plan may still work. He’s wisely prioritized improving in the trenches and has already landed some players in late draft rounds. Let him finish “cooking” before Steelers fans start praising him for it.