The Rock Chalkboard

2022 LB Kaiden Turner talks virtual visits, Kansas recruitment
"We're right there," Turner said in a phone call with Phog.net. "We're like one piece away from starting to win games and tear people up. ... I'm not sure what it is, but we just need it. Once we get that, everything will come together and we'll start winning some games."

Les Miles updates Kansas football QB situation entering off week
The Jayhawks dropped to 0-3 with a loss to Oklahoma State over the weekend. Four defensive starters did not play in that game, including three who made the did-not-dress list. The offense's injury luck wasn't much better.

Wichita-native Nick Channel makes most of first Kansas start
“There’s players out there,” Miles said. “Nick Channel made some of the most physical plays that were in the game. I think he’s going to develop into a really good linebacker.”

Recently minted local 5-star on UMD: "Our relationship's great."
Baltimore native Kwame Evans Jr. made his highly anticipated debut in the rankings as a five-star recruit and the No. 5 in the nation. Evans, who plays for Baltimore Poly and Team Durant, is grateful for the recognition but knows there’s still a lot of work left to be done.

Kickoff time, TV info announced for Kansas at West Virginia
As mentioned, the Jayhawks (0-3, 0-2 Big 12) will have the week off leading into that contest. Kansas is most-recently coming off a 47-7 loss to Oklahoma State, which was the Jayhawks' homecoming game at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Kansas fell 47-14 to Baylor (in Waco) to open Big 12 play, and the team also dropped its lone non-conference contest, 38-23, to Coastal Carolina in mid-September.

Bits o Chalk

Patrick Mahomes was 'controlled quite a bit,' referee says, on controversial first-half play that aided Kansas City Chiefs
Referee Tony Corrente said Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was "being controlled quite a bit" as the reason that a key play in Monday's game against the New England Patriots was ruled a sack and not a fumble.

LeBron James -- Know from experience to stay 'on edge' and 'locked in'
"Until the series is completed, I kind of stay on edge, stay locked in on the job at hand," James said Monday after having a day to digest the Los Angeles Lakers' Game 3 loss to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. "Obviously, no one wants to ever lose. You hate that feeling, especially when you know you didn't play your best, and I definitely wasn't at my best [Sunday] night from an individual standpoint. So I take that responsibility, and I take that with a lot of passion and understanding of how I can be much better in the following game."

Atlanta Falcons safety Damontae Kazee carted off with 'serious' Achilles injury
Kazee fell to the ground and grabbed the back of his left foot/leg. He remained on the ground in obvious pain while being checked by the training staff before he was carted off, and he was later ruled out for the remainder of the game, which the host Packers won 30-16.

Houston Texans fire coach/GM Bill O'Brien after 0-4 start
The Houston Texans have fired head coach and general manager Bill O'Brien and named associate head coach Romeo Crennel the team's interim head coach.

Bits o Chalk

Donald Trump's reckless return met with a dramatically changed White House - CNNPolitics
President Donald Trump may be eagerly seeking a return to normal after three nights in the hospital. But the White House he arrived home to Monday with dramatic and reckless flourish has changed drastically since he was airlifted off the South Lawn at the end of last week.

Nine Days in Wuhan, the Ground Zero of the Coronavirus Pandemic | The New Yorker
There had never been any logic to the Huanan combo: fish downstairs, eyeglasses upstairs. Locals told me that, more than fifteen years ago, some eyeglass merchants had been attracted by the low rent. Since then, fish and eyeglasses had coexisted peacefully, until the last day of December, when the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission issued a report confirming a series of rumors. The report noted that scientists were studying an unknown type of “viral pneumonia” that had infected twenty-seven people who were associated with the seafood market. But the over-all message was reassuring: “The investigation so far has not found obvious human-to-human transmission, and no medical staff infection has been found.”

Watch track by track breakdown of Oasis' '(What's The Story) Morning Glory?'
Reflecting on how Oasis made such an iconic album, Noel said: “You’re just working on instinct, because you don’t second guess anything when you’re young. You’re like “My instinct is telling me this is gonna be great, so therefore we’ll go and we’ll do it.'”

McConnell confirms Amy Coney Barrett hearings will begin Monday
“Judge Barrett’s hearings will begin one week from today. Chairman Graham has all the tools to conduct a hybrid hearing, just like the 150 others the Senate has held this year,” McConnell said on Twitter Monday evening. “We will not stop working for the American people because Democrats are afraid they may lose a vote.”

Police investigating fatal accident in Kalispell
A fatal accident occurred Monday morning at the intersection of Highway 93 South and Kelley Rd in Kalispell.

Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to 3 Scientists for Work on Black Holes - The New York Times
The prize was awarded half to Roger Penrose for showing how black holes could form and half to Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez for discovering a supermassive object at the Milky Way’s center.