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September 2026
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Jax State QB1 is one of the Nation's Best By Brandon K. Pierce The Sports Ledger
Jacksonville State quarterback Caden Creel showed why he is one of the top players in college football during the Gamecocks first home game of the season. Creel led Jax State to a 49-7 victory over Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, September 5, 2026 and he did so in record breaking fashion. With 327 yards passing and five touchdowns, Creel set a career high mark in single game yards and touchdowns. He also completed 21-of-28 pass attempts to set a career completion record. To go with 327 yards against Eastern Kentucky, Creel threw for 85 yards in the Gamecocks season opening loss to North DaKota State. Combine those games, and Creel has 412 total yards in just two contests. Those yards were not easy. Creel has been sacked four times by the opposing team’s defense, and he has thrown two interceptions this season. Maybe you are wondering who has been on the receiving end of Creel's five touchdowns for Jax State? That would be Jamill Williams, who caught four touchdown passes in the win over Eastern Kentucky. Creel’s other scoring pass went to Pisgah native Luke Gilbert. Not only was it special for the Gamecock’s QB1, but it was Gilbert's first career touchdown catch with the Gamecocks. With the numbers Creel put up against Eastern Kentucky, it ranks him as one of the top passing quarterbacks in the nation. Following the first full week of the 2026 season, Creel was ranked as a Top 10 passing quarterback by ESPN. Creel's passing game was at the same level as Miami's Darian Mensah who put up 401 passing yards and five touchdowns in the seventh ranked Hurricanes 45-6 season opening victory over Stanford.
Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger
Jacksonville State 's Caden Creel in action against Eastern Kentucky.
Former Auburn star called up to Atlanta Braves Luke Weaver had 550 passing yards, but also over two games. Weaver had 234 yards passing and two touchdowns against USC, and 326 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 27-21 victory over Eastern Michigan. Some of the other top passing quarterbacks were Arizona State's Cutter Boley, Jayden Maiava of USC (University of Southern California) and Luke Weaver of SJSU (San Jose State University). Boley had six touchdowns and 387 passing yards in the Sun Devils 70-7 win over Morgan State. Maiava has 635 passing yards and five touchdowns. However, that was over a two-game span. Maiava had 349 passing yards and three scores in a 39-0 win over Fresno State and 286 passing yards and two touchdowns in a 42-16 victory against San Jose State.
HOMECOMING ROYALTY - Alyssah Bell was named the 2026 Sardis High School Homecoming Queen during a pregame ceremony on Friday, September 11, 2026. The Lions earned a 48-6 homecoming victory over Crossville. See the inside of this issue for more football coverage. Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger
Book Celebrates Alabama Football's Rose Bowl History A new book by Tommy Ford and Mark Mayfield commemorates the
Mayfield will return to the Paul W. Bryant Museum for a special book signing on Saturday, September 26, 2026 from 2-4 p.m. Guests may purchase copies of Remember the Rose Bowl at the Museum and have them signed by Ford and Mayfield. The publication is part of the Paul W. Bryant Museum’s continuing mission to collect, preserve and interpret the history of University of Alabama athletics and to ensure that the stories of the athletes, coaches and individuals who built that legacy are preserved for future generations On January 1, 1926, Coach Wallace Wade’s undefeated Alabama team faced the heavily favored Washington Huskies in Pasadena, California. Alabama’s dramatic 20–19 victory became one of the defining moments in Crimson Tide history, introducing Alabama football to a national audience and establishing a legacy that continues a century later. The impact of that afternoon stretched far beyond a single football game.
Former Auburn closer Blake Burkhalter has been called up by the Atlanta Braves with the expansion of Major League Baseball rosters for September. Burkhalter becomes 65th former Auburn player to make it to the big leagues, including the 14th since the beginning of the 2020 season. That mark is good for the third most of any SEC program during the span. He also becomes head coach Butch Thompson’s 27th pitcher to make the big leagues, including the 21st since 2014. A three-year member of the Auburn baseball program from 2020-22, Burkhalter turned in a 3.01 ERA in 51 career relief appearances, striking out 104 batters in 71.2 innings pitched. The Dothan, native played a pivotal role during the Tigers’ 2022 College World Series season in which he ranked second in the country with 16 saves and struck out 71 batters while issuing just seven walks in 46.1 innings pitched. On the Tigers’ way to Omaha, Burkhalter
earned saves in each of the two wins in the Corvalis Super Regional vs. Oregon State before also earning a save in the program’s first College World Series win since 1997 vs. Stanford. His effort earned him Second Team All-America and All- SEC honors while he was also named a finalist for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award. The Braves drafted Burkhalter with the 76th overall pick of the 2022 MLB Draft, making him the first college reliever selected that summer. He has made 77 career minor league appearances with the organization, including 33 starts, and has posted a 2.88 ERA over four seasons with Atlanta. Primarily pitching for Triple-A Gwinnett, Burkhalter has posted a career best 1.26 ERA with 46 strikeouts and 11 walks in 35.2 innings in 2026. He returned to Double-A Columbus from a rehab assignment on June 17 and didn’t allow a run in his first 15 appearances with the Clingstones and Stripers.
Alabama Crimson Tide’s century-long connection to “The Granddaddy of Them All” which is the Rose Bowl. The new book commemorates the 100th anniversary of Alabama’s landmark appearance in the 1926 Rose Bowl, a game that forever changed the trajectory of Alabama football and helped transform the national perception of college football in the South. The Paul W. Bryant Museum will celebrate the release of Remember the Rose Bowl: The Alabama Crimson Tide’s Storied 100-Year History in “The Granddaddy of Them All” with a special event on Friday, September 18, from 6-8 p.m. at the Paul W. Bryant Museum. Remember the Rose Bowl retails for $59.95 and will be available for purchase at the Museum beginning September 18. Fans can pre-order copies now at bryantmuseumstore.com. Additionally, authors Tommy Ford and Mark
FORMER ALABAMA COACH NICK SABAN UA Photo
Remember the Rose Bowl explores the players, coaches, games and moments that have connected Alabama to Pasadena across 100 years of Crimson Tide football. From the trailblazing 1925 team that made the journey west to the generations that followed, Ford and Mayfield tell the story of how the Rose Bowl became woven into the identity and tradition of Alabama football. Drawing upon the collections and historical resources of the Paul W. Bryant Museum, the book brings together photographs, stories and historical details that allow readers to experience one of the most important chapters in the history of Alabama athletics.
“Alabama’s history with the Rose Bowl is truly one of the defining stories of our football program,” said Olivia Arnold, Director of the Bryant Museum. The title Remember the Rose Bowl recalls a phrase that became part of Alabama football tradition following the Tide’s early trips west, a reminder of the standard established by the players who first carried Alabama onto the national stage. Throughout the decades, Alabama returned to Pasadena and built a remarkable Rose Bowl legacy. Those appearances created legends, established traditions and helped cement Alabama’s place among college football’s most storied programs.
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