circus synonym
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AGNC Investment Corp. Declares Fourth Quarter Dividends on Preferred StockThe Onion's rejected purchase of Infowars in an auction bid supported by families of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting dealt them a new setback Wednesday and clouded the future of Alex Jones' conspiracy theory platform, which is now poised to remain in his control for at least the near future. What's next for Infowars and Sandy Hook families' long-sought efforts to hold Jones accountable over calling one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history a hoax was unclear, after a federal judge in Houston late Tuesday rejected The Onion's winning bid for the site . U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston said he did not want another auction but offered no roadmap over how to proceed. One possibility includes ultimately allowing Sandy Hook families — who comprise most of Jones' creditors — to return to state courts in Connecticut and Texas to collect on the nearly $1.5 billion in defamation and emotional distress lawsuit judgments that Jones was ordered to pay them. “Our hope is that when this process ends, and it will end, and it will end sooner rather than later, is that all assets that Alex Jones has available are paid to the families, and that includes Infowars, and that as a result of that process Alex Jones is deprived of the ownership and control of the platform that he’s used to hurt so many people,” Christopher Mattei, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families, said in a phone interview Wednesday. The families, meanwhile, were preparing the mark the 12th anniversary of the Dec. 14 shooting. Why was The Onion bid rejected? The sale of Infowars is part of Jones’ personal bankruptcy case , which he filed in late 2022 after he was ordered to pay the $1.5 billion. Jones was sued for repeatedly saying on his show that the 2012 massacre of 20 first graders and six educators was staged by crisis actors to spur more gun control. Lopez said there was a lack of transparency in the bidding process and too much confusion about The Onion's bid. He also said the amount of money offered in the only two bids was too low and there needed to be more effort to try to raise as much money possible from the selling of Infowars' assets. The Onion's parent company, Global Tetrahedron, submitted a $1.75 million cash offer with plans to kick Jones out and relaunch Infowars in January as a parody . The bid also included a deal with many of the Sandy Hook families for them to forgo $750,000 of their auction proceeds and give it to other creditors. Lopez called it a complex arrangement that led to different interpretations of the bid's actual value as well as last-minute changes to a proposed sale order. The other bidder was First United American Companies, which runs a website in Jones’ name that sells nutritional supplements and planned to let Jones stay on the Infowars platforms. It offered $3.5 million in cash and later, with Jones, alleged fraud and collusion in the bidding process. Lopez rejected the allegations, saying that while mistakes were made there was no wrongdoing. Christopher Murray, the trustee who oversaw the auction, said he picked The Onion and its deal with the Sandy Hook families because it would have provided more money to Jones' other creditors. What happens next? The next steps remained unclear Wednesday. The judge directed Murray to come up with a new plan to move forward. Murray and representatives of The Onion did not immediately return messages seeking comment. The judge said there was a possibility there could be a trial in 2025 to settle Jones' bankruptcy. He said Murray could try to sell the equity in Infowars' parent company. He also said Murray could abandon the efforts, which could allow the Sandy Hook families to return to the state courts where they won their lawsuits against Jones and begin collection proceedings against him. The judge said he wanted to hear back from Murray and others involved in the bankruptcy within 30 days on a plan to move forward. Mattei, who represented the Sandy Hook families in the Connecticut lawsuit, said everyone is waiting to see what plan the trustee comes up with. Jones, meanwhile, continued to allege fraud and collusion on his show Wednesday and threatened legal action over what he called an attempted “rigged auction.” On the social media platform X, he called the judge's ruling a “Major Victory For Freedom Of The Press & Due Process." “I don’t want to have to go after these people, lawsuit-wise, but we have to because if you don’t then you’re aiding and abetting and they do it to other people. They made some big mistakes," he said. Sandy Hook families to mark shooting anniversary It's a solemn and heartbreaking week for relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The 12th anniversary is Saturday, and some of the victims' relatives were traveling to Washington, D.C., to attend the annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence on Wednesday evening. The families usually mark the anniversary out of the public eye. Many of the families said their lawsuits against Jones bought back the unbearable pain of losing their loved ones, as well as the trauma of being harassed and threatened by believers of Jones' hoax conspiracy. Relatives said they have been confronted in public by hoax believers and received death and rape threats. Robbie Parker, whose 6-year-old daughter Emilie was killed, testified at the Connecticut lawsuit trial in 2022 that the decade of abuse his family suffered made them move across the country to Washington state, and even there he was accosted in person. The families have not received any money from Jones since winning the trials. Jones has been appealing the $1.5 billion in judgments, and has since conceded that the shooting did happen. Last week, a Connecticut appeals court upheld most of the judgment in that state but reduced it by $150 million. Associated Press writer Juan A. Lozano in Houston contributed to this report.
Federal appeals court upholds law requiring sale or ban of TikTok in the US
The Onion's rejected purchase of Infowars in an auction bid supported by families of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting dealt them a new setback Wednesday and clouded the future of Alex Jones' conspiracy theory platform, which is now poised to remain in his control for at least the near future. What's next for Infowars and Sandy Hook families' long-sought efforts to hold Jones accountable over calling one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history a hoax was unclear, after a federal judge in Houston late Tuesday rejected The Onion's winning bid for the site . U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston said he did not want another auction but offered no roadmap over how to proceed. One possibility includes ultimately allowing Sandy Hook families — who comprise most of Jones' creditors — to return to state courts in Connecticut and Texas to collect on the nearly $1.5 billion in defamation and emotional distress lawsuit judgments that Jones was ordered to pay them. “Our hope is that when this process ends, and it will end, and it will end sooner rather than later, is that all assets that Alex Jones has available are paid to the families, and that includes Infowars, and that as a result of that process Alex Jones is deprived of the ownership and control of the platform that he’s used to hurt so many people,” Christopher Mattei, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families, said in a phone interview Wednesday. The families, meanwhile, were preparing the mark the 12th anniversary of the Dec. 14 shooting. The sale of Infowars is part of Jones’ personal bankruptcy case , which he filed in late 2022 after he was ordered to pay the $1.5 billion. Jones was sued for repeatedly saying on his show that the 2012 massacre of 20 first graders and six educators was staged by crisis actors to spur more gun control. Lopez said there was a lack of transparency in the bidding process and too much confusion about The Onion's bid. He also said the amount of money offered in the only two bids was too low and there needed to be more effort to try to raise as much money possible from the selling of Infowars' assets. The Onion's parent company, Global Tetrahedron, submitted a $1.75 million cash offer with plans to kick Jones out and relaunch Infowars in January as a parody . The bid also included a deal with many of the Sandy Hook families for them to forgo $750,000 of their auction proceeds and give it to other creditors. Lopez called it a complex arrangement that led to different interpretations of the bid's actual value as well as last-minute changes to a proposed sale order. The other bidder was First United American Companies, which runs a website in Jones’ name that sells nutritional supplements and planned to let Jones stay on the Infowars platforms. It offered $3.5 million in cash and later, with Jones, alleged fraud and collusion in the bidding process. Lopez rejected the allegations, saying that while mistakes were made there was no wrongdoing. Christopher Murray, the trustee who oversaw the auction, said he picked The Onion and its deal with the Sandy Hook families because it would have provided more money to Jones' other creditors. The next steps remained unclear Wednesday. The judge directed Murray to come up with a new plan to move forward. Murray and representatives of The Onion did not immediately return messages seeking comment. The judge said there was a possibility there could be a trial in 2025 to settle Jones' bankruptcy. He said Murray could try to sell the equity in Infowars' parent company. He also said Murray could abandon the efforts, which could allow the Sandy Hook families to return to the state courts where they won their lawsuits against Jones and begin collection proceedings against him. The judge said he wanted to hear back from Murray and others involved in the bankruptcy within 30 days on a plan to move forward. Mattei, who represented the Sandy Hook families in the Connecticut lawsuit, said everyone is waiting to see what plan the trustee comes up with. Jones, meanwhile, continued to allege fraud and collusion on his show Wednesday and threatened legal action over what he called an attempted “rigged auction.” On the social media platform X, he called the judge's ruling a “Major Victory For Freedom Of The Press & Due Process." “I don’t want to have to go after these people, lawsuit-wise, but we have to because if you don’t then you’re aiding and abetting and they do it to other people. They made some big mistakes," he said. It's a solemn and heartbreaking week for relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The 12th anniversary is Saturday, and some of the victims' relatives were traveling to Washington, D.C., to attend the annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence on Wednesday evening. The families usually mark the anniversary out of the public eye. Many of the families said their lawsuits against Jones bought back the unbearable pain of losing their loved ones, as well as the trauma of being harassed and threatened by believers of Jones' hoax conspiracy. Relatives said they have been confronted in public by hoax believers and received death and rape threats. Robbie Parker, whose 6-year-old daughter Emilie was killed, testified at the Connecticut lawsuit trial in 2022 that the decade of abuse his family suffered made them move across the country to Washington state, and even there he was accosted in person. The families have not received any money from Jones since winning the trials. Jones has been appealing the $1.5 billion in judgments, and has since conceded that the shooting did happen. Last week, a Connecticut appeals court upheld most of the judgment in that state but reduced it by $150 million. Associated Press writer Juan A. Lozano in Houston contributed to this report.The Presidio Group Advises STELLATM Automotive AI on $11M in Convertible Loan Financing
Penticton Vees captain Conyr Hellyer is heading east when his time in the BCHL comes to an end. Hellyer has committed to play next season at Clarkson University, based in Potsdam, N.Y., the Vees announced Tuesday, Dec. 10. The Alberta-born forward has 15 points in 18 games this season, his first as captain of the Vees. “I’m excited for a new chapter with Clarkson,” Hellyer said. “Their staff and facilities are the professional environment that I was looking for and I was immediately impressed with what they had to offer." Hellyer, who was named Penticton's captain ahead of the 2024-2025 campaign, is slated to be the team's lone representative at the 2025 BCHL's three-on-three all-star game next month in Salmon Arm. This season is his fourth in junior hockey, as the forward played for the Okotoks Oilers for two years before coming to Penticton in the fall of 2023. Hellyer and the Vees are back in action on Friday, Dec. 13, when they host the West Kelowna Warriors at the South Okanagan Events Centre.Old friends Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson usually have to keep tabs on each other from afar, but this week they'll get to see one another up close. Conners and Henderson will team up once again at the Grant Thornton Invitational, a unique event where some of the best golfers from the PGA and LPGA Tours compete as pairs. The tournament is quickly becoming an annual reunion for the two graduates of Golf Canada's junior program. "Since turning professional, our careers have gone separate ways, and we haven't been able to cross paths too much," said Conners, who finished the men's season 39th on the FedEx Cup standings. "I'm always cheering her on from afar, and always have my eye on the LPGA Tour leaderboard when she's playing." Henderson, likewise, has been keeping tabs on Conners's exploits. "It's just been really fun to watch his career and cheer him on," said Henderson, who finished 13th in the women's tour's rankings. "I think this event has reconnected us, in a way, and it's been really special and great to be able to know his family and just to watch this game and be his partner here is really cool." Both were on Team Canada back in 2013 when they won the Copa de las Americas along with Albin Choi and Augusta James. Conners and Henderson also represented Canada at the last two Olympics but due to COVID-19 restrictions they didn't get to interact at the Tokyo Games in 2021. The men's and women's tournaments were on different weeks at the Paris Games this past summer. The two Canadians finished second at the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational last year with a combined score of 25 under, a shot behind New Zealand's Lydia Ko and Australia's Jason Day. "It's been great to be able to share some experiences like the Olympics and this event last year and spending more time together has been awesome," said Conners, who is from Listowel, Ont. "She's this amazing person, amazing golfer, and a fun partner at this event." The stacked leaderboard will see 16 pairs tee off on Friday at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla. American Tony Finau withdrew from the event on Wednesday afternoon. He was replaced as top-ranked Nelly Korda's partner by Daniel Berger. "I feel like we make a great team, and I'm excited for Friday to tee it up and hopefully make some birdies and be inspired by (Conners's) great shots," said Henderson, who is from Smiths Falls, Ont. PGA TOUR — Six Canadians are vying for a PGA Tour card at the PGA Tour Q-School this week. Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., Edmonton's Wil Bateman, Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., Toronto's Sebastian Szirmak, as well as Matthew Anderson and Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., will all be in the field at Dye's Valley Course and Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., this week. LPGA TOUR — Hamilton's Alena Sharp and Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., both earned full status on the LPGA Tour for 2025 after solid showings at the final qualifying stage of the Q-Series on Monday. Sharp tied for 21st at 7 under and Leblanc tied for 24th at 6 under. The top 25 finishers in the tournament earned their status. GOLFZON TOUR — A team of five golfers from the Greater Toronto Area will be competing in the GOLFZON Tour, a golf simulator league that features 12 teams from North America and the United Kingdom. Team Toronto will play its GOLFZON Tour quarterfinal match at a Golfplay location in Waterloo, Ont., on the virtual Old Course at St. Andrews against Team Orlando on Dec. 19. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2024. John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
Mike England handed me a shotgun as we prepared to hunt on a piece of land in a redacted location I swore I’d never share, partially out of fear but mostly respect. Outside Bozeman owners Chris McCarthy and Mike England are in the process of selling the local magazine of and are seen in their office on Nov. 19. I’ve never hunted, instead spending much of my time behind a screen, typing away, busily compiling words that would lead to eventual stories, some more read than others. England can relate to that, I’m sure of it. When I loaded the shells and cocked the 12-gauge, ready to take aim at pheasant, I briefly wondered what I was doing out in a wheat field near Belgrade. At the time, it had made more sense, justified as an experience I shouldn’t miss, especially because he had suggested it. And it wasn’t that I was unprepared. I had taken my hunter-safety course, bought my license and tags, wore my orange, and had some shooting experience. I was ready to learn. Mike England looks out for pheasants while standing in a field of wheat on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Gallatin County. Pheasants love to eat wheat so McCarthy knew there would be a good chance to find them in the field. Still, having approached him only a few days earlier as a nagging reporter, I was suddenly thrust into the wild with the founder of Outside Bozeman and his business partner, Chris McCarthy, at their suggestion, walking the perimeter of a field as their two dogs sniffed out our prey. Looking back, from behind my screen as I try to write this, it was an odd way to get a story out of England, though ultimately, it’s one that suits him and is perhaps a fitting way to share that his magazine and media company are for sale. “Chris and I realized we had been doing this a long time, longer than anything else we’d ever done ... because we enjoy it,” England said that day. “We didn’t want to get burned out and we started thinking about passing it off to some younger, fresher blood that can infuse some new energy into it before we started to get old and cranky,” he added. “That ship may have sailed.” Old might be relative for a 54-year-old veteran who exudes a physical appearance contrasting that of a stereotypical writer. Not until he opens his mouth does his quick-witted intelligence begin to pour out, often faster than I can keep up with. But maybe cranky is more accurate, although only when it comes to certain topics, namely public lands and the seemingly increasing limitations on access. Overall, England appears to be in good spirits, in awe of blue skies and bulbous roosters, while remaining well-entrenched in the daily happenings of a quarterly publication. That publication, however, is listed for $925,000, and although I thought it to be a timely story, England and McCarthy have been trying to sell Outside Bozeman for over a year. It’s just that now, after a little nudge and a couple of phone calls, they were ready to share why. “We kept it under wraps for a while and in the past six months we told the staff, and decided it was time to let the cat out of the bag,” England said. In the beginning In 1999, England was doing OK in the journalism world, but some pitches were rejected, and emails went unanswered, making him yearn to be in charge. So, he did the only logical thing and launched a magazine. “When you’re a freelancer you’re going to face some disappointments, and I was having gradual success,” England said. “It wasn’t that I felt like I couldn’t make it, but I got excited about writing whatever the hell I wanted to write, and I got excited about celebrating this town that I love so much.” Chris McCarthy holds the pheasant he killed on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Gallatin County. Having come up with an idea for it, he chipped away at his plans, drawing up a mock sketch of a first issue , what it would cover, and what it would be called. Working as a bartender at the time, he met Jim Harris, a local photographer. “After about his fourth beer Jim said, ‘You know, I got this idea for a magazine for Bozeman,” England said. “Go on,” he told Jim at the time. “I played dumb, and I just let him tell me everything about it,” England continued. “And it was exactly like my idea, down to the name. He had the same name!” The two shook hands that night and started the magazine the next day, and over a few months, the first issue was erected from the depths of their dynamic minds and published in the early summer of 2000. “It looked like a high school project,” England said. “We both put in a couple of grand and we bought a computer, some software and I sold ads. I wrote every article in that first issue. Jim produced every photo.” In their office on East Mendenhall Street, shelves of issues line a wall — the summation of what Outside Bozeman has produced over the years, slowly shifting and morphing from a biannual. “I foolishly thought that we would make a bunch of money and we’d sell it in five years,” England said. “We never made a bunch of money, but it took probably 10 years before we were making decent money.” Today, Outside Bozeman has four issues a year, filled with tongue-in-cheek writing and articles that run the gamut of outdoor-related content, fueled and altered by those feeding the publication. “We worked hard, we threw it together, and it always came out,” England said. “As the years passed, we developed processes and systems so that we didn’t have to pull all-nighters while still maintaining the energy of it and preserving the spirit. Things normalized.” Regarding style and content, and their occasional divergence into the satirical as their most devoted readers likely know, England says, “We’re smart asses and we like to joke around, have fun and poke fun. It naturally flows from our senses of humor.” “Nothing is sacred,” England said. “We get praise, but we rarely publish it, we always publish the hate mail.” Although he says Outside Bozeman prides itself on giving voice to locals, he said it’s important that his team never took themselves too seriously and attempted to stay true to something greater. “Everybody takes themselves too damn seriously and nobody wants to joke, nobody wants to offend anyone,” he said. “I think we deprive ourselves of an important aspect of life when we get too sensitive and too worried about saying the wrong thing.” Although England said they’ve “tempered ourselves a little bit — we don’t really want to deliberately offend people unless they deserve it,” he still believes the publication should “just say whatever the hell we want.” Even with politics, and getting sucked in by a partisan world, he essentially said Outside Bozeman uses its middle finger to bypass societal rules and restrictions, to “Call out the bastards and praise the heroes,” he said. So, they write what they want, when they want, not straying far from an outdoor-focused agenda while remembering to always blaming those they believe are to blame, regardless of party affiliation. “We care about this land, the landscape, and its wild creatures and habitat and nature so we fight for that,” England said. “We call out people who work against it and oftentimes it means we’re calling out Republicans but that doesn’t mean we’re Democrats, right?” I nod, waiting for more. “It just means we care about nature.” Armed for the hunt By the time I fired the shotgun for the first time, McCarthy and England were likely starting to wonder what was taking me so long. We’d traversed the field, multiple roosters had popped, and they each had a kill, but I was too fixated on taking the wrong shot, carefully watching the muzzle of the gun, mindfully aware of where my trigger finger rested, and tracking their bright orange. Still, they kept us going, only stopping by McCarthy’s truck for a quick break before crossing the road into another field, where we made our way through and around a stretch of brush. Soon enough, more pheasant roosters began to pop, to their amazement, both being seasoned hunters. In the end, I missed five shots, but England bagged his three and McCarthy one. Tired and dehydrated, I unloaded the shotgun, got back into the truck and we headed for Belgrade. McCarthy was driving and England pointed out a flock of turkeys out of legal range of our shotguns. When I asked them why they brought a reporter along for a hunting trip, they both got quiet, while I quickly realized that only Chronicle photographer Lauren Miller and I were getting paid to be there. They noted that at least one issue every year features a firearm for hunting on the cover. It all seemed fitting. “You said you would like to start hunting,” McCarthy eventually said. “And I said, ‘Well, I think I’m going out Friday,’ and Mike invited you.” “Chris looked at me and said, ‘Really? You think we want to take a reporter hunting?” England added, laughing. A new beginning I stared out the window as we drove onto Interstate 90 heading east. I saw the day’s last light shine over the Spanish Peaks as McCarthy’s German shorthair pointer began to fall asleep beside me. We’d share bouts of silence before one of us would talk again. McCarthy and England continued to tell me about their journey. About how McCarthy joined in 2010 and bought into the publication around 2012. How they’d rather be hunting or somewhere deep in the wilderness or how England wonders if he’s too old to be a game warden. They told me about all the articles they’d written and how they’d done just about everything they’d wanted to do. About the advertisements, McCarthy sold over the years. How the magazine grew to a quarterly and that each year there’s an issue with a gun on the cover. “I’m surprised that we’ve made it this far. It’s a lot of work,” England said. “We’re not getting rich, so we’re not in it for the money, and I’m surprised we’ve stuck it out this long, that we haven’t gone into something else.” They told me about the writers that have made their way through Outside Bozeman. Some just briefly, and some for years — how they leave their mark and how the magazine changes with each issue. “Outside Bozeman is a living thing, it’s not just mine or Chris’ or ours,” England said. “It’s a living thing that is a reflection of the people and of Bozeman.” And although I first called them with what I thought was a scoop, I quickly began to see it all differently. Outside Bozeman is for sale, sure, and for $925,000 a buyer will get all its intellectual property rights, branding, advertising accounts, access to staffing, and 25 years of content, but that doesn’t begin to breach the whole truth. Rather, it simplifies what Outside Bozeman represents and the place it holds in Gallatin Valley. It strips away some of the magic that England and McCarthy hope continues with a new owner, when they get the boot — and a lucrative paycheck. “I learned a while ago that nobody is that important, that if they’re gone things don’t continue to move forward,” McCarthy said. “If I’m gone, sales will continue, if Mike’s gone, editorial is going to continue.” “It’s bigger than us,” England added. “It exists beyond us; anybody can pick it up. We’re a big part of it but we’re not a necessary part of it anymore.” Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
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During a recent inspection of the road concretisation work in Santacruz West, Mumbai BJP President and MLA Ashish Shelar raised concerns over the sub-standard quality of materials used in the project. He pointed out irregularities in the construction of Bhargava road, urging the civic body to ensure better quality control. Meanwhile, the civic authorities has assured that the contractors comprising with quality of roads will face serious action. The BMC has completed only 46 kms of the planned 324 kms in Phase 1, since last year. Currently, work is ongoing on 213 roads, while 298 roads are yet to be concretised in this phase. In Phase 2, out of 1,420 roads, 433 roads are under concretisation, with many still pending. Road concretisation work in Santacruz | FPJ Road concretisation work in Santacruz | FPJ Shelar noticed substandard work during his inspection of one of the concretisation projects in the western suburbs. He was accompanied by Assistant Municipal Commissioner of H West Ward, Vinayak Vispute, and other concerned officials from the road departments. Shelar has demanded a comprehensive audit of the work and also investigate the matter. The municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani took a review of road concretisation work in the last week. "Not only the contractor but quality management agency will also face the action if any concretised roads work is found to be of inferior quality," said a senior civic official. To ensure high standards and quality in the cement concreting process, the Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay (IIT - B) has been appointed as an independent agency for monitoring the quality of roads work.
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FincenFetch Partners with Florida Society of Enrolled Agents to Offer Free CPE Course on Beneficial Ownership ReportingATLANTA — Mercedes-Benz Stadium is expected to be stuffed to the brim again when Georgia and Texas square off for the SEC Championship game Saturday. A record crowd of 78,320 squeezed in for last year’s game between the Bulldogs and Alabama and there may be close to that many this year. There are conflicting reports as to how excited the Longhorns’ fan base is to being in the game. Earlier this week, VividSeats.com reported a 157% spike of traffic on its website with an average sales price of $574. Likewise, the SEC reported a 127% increase in activity on its ticket site. But as is common in the ticket game, prices have decreased significantly later in the week. SeatGeek.com was advertising some seats in the upper-level corners for just under $100, not including taxes and fees. “I do anticipate a good amount of burnt orange there,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “How much? I don’t know. Tell me how much the ticket prices are and I can probably tell you how many Longhorns are going to be there. If the prices keep going up, that means we’re buying the tickets. Looking forward to seeing Longhorn Nation there and supporting us.” Of course, Georgia always expects to be well-represented at The Benz. This is the Bulldogs’ fourth consecutive appearance in the conference championship and seventh since 2017. While there are legitimate concerns about donor and event fatigue, between the game’s location in Atlanta and many Georgia fans and businesses owning seat licenses through the Falcons, the Bulldogs’ turnout for any event at the Benz tends to be strong. Attendance for the season opener there against Clemson on Aug. 31 was 78,827. Capacity for Arthur Blank’s building is listed as 75,000 for the SEC’s annual title game. Capacity for the NFL seating configuration is 71,000. Having the Longhorns in this year’s game is expected to be a boost for the SEC’s crown-jewel event. Texas and Oklahoma are each in their first year in the SEC after signing an agreement to leave the Big 12 in 2021. So, there was three years’ worth of anticipation built up within the Longhorns’ fan base. Here is everything else you need to know about Saturday’s matchup: Everything to know about the SEC Championship game What: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 5 Georgia When: Saturday, kickoff will be at 3:15 p.m. Where: Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Stadium (cap. 75,000) Rankings & record: No. 2 Texas (11-1, 7-1); No. 5 Georgia (10-2, 6-2 SEC) TV/Radio: ABC/The Team 92.1-FM, Tyler-Longview Weather: It will be 55 degrees and sunny outside The Benz, but a comfortable, controlled 70 degrees inside. Temperatures outside will be in the 30s by the conclusion of the game. Series: Texas leads 4-2 Last meeting: The Bulldogs won 30-15 on Oct. 19, 2024, in their first visit to Austin since 1958. Georgia running back Trevor Etienne scored three touchdowns and the Bulldogs’ defense recorded seven sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception. Tickets: Available on secondary market from $120 to $2,000. Storylines for the SEC Championship game CFP implications Indications are both teams will qualify for the College Football Playoff regardless of Saturday’s outcome. The winner will earn a first-round bye. For the Bulldogs, that bye represents the greatest enticement. Because of the number of injuries they’ve incurred, they desperately need the time off. Another trophy on the wall of the team-meeting room would be nice, too. “I’m an SEC enthusiast that believes in an SEC title is a significant marker to your season, to the kind of season you had,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “Also, it gets you a bye, and it gets you an opportunity to rest and recover while others play formidable opponents, tough opponents. It removes you from that. You’re playing for an opportunity to rest possibly.” The greatest unknown is what might happen to the No. 5 Bulldogs should they lose big. The fifth through eighth seeds will host a home game on campus the weekend of Dec. 20-21. So, a drop to Nos. 9-12 would mean the Bulldogs would travel for the first round. “I hope nobody ever gets punished because they don’t come out on top in this game, because (the SEC) is a real grind,” Sarkisian said. “To earn the opportunity to hoist that trophy is a great one. But, if anything I hope we get recognized for making it to this game and not get punished (for losing).” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey was asked Thursday if the league will seek playoff protection from the selection committee in the future. “I would anticipate they’ll respect that high level of competition, and there wouldn’t be a lot of variance given the results,” Sankey said. Running back roulette Georgia running back Trevor Etienne’s availability is the most intriguing question for Saturday’s game. The 5-foot-9, 210-pound junior has missed the past three contests and half of the Ole Miss game with a rib injury. The Longhorns certainly are interested. Etienne led the Bulldogs with 83 yards and three touchdowns when the teams met Oct. 19. Smart said Thursday that Etienne has practiced some this week but hasn’t been promising. “He wasn’t really close to playing last week,” Smart said. “I don’t know how that’s going to play out.” Smart is known for his gamesmanship surrounding injuries. Etienne should be able at least to put on pads and give it a go. The Bulldogs have options. That starts with freshman Nate Frazier, who leads the team with 587 yards rushing and eight touchdowns. Sophomore Roderick Robinson (toe) played 17 snaps in his first action of the season last week, Branson Robinson (knee) is listed as questionable after sitting out eight games with an MCL sprain and the always dependable walk-on Cash Jones (261 total yards, 4 TDs) remains at the ready. Regardless of who carries the load, the Bulldogs’ ground game needs to improve. They’ve averaged only 87.6 yards rushing against the past three Power 4 opponents and gained only 108 in the first meeting with Texas. Other injuries Georgia is relatively healthy otherwise. The most pivotal injury situation remaining is defensive lineman Christen Miller. The 6-4, 305-pound sophomore was having a banner season before suffering a subluxation of his right shoulder (popped out of socket) early in the Massachusetts game Nov. 23. In that game and the one against Georgia Tech on Nov. 29, the Bulldogs allowed 486 yards rushing, including 260 against the Yellow Jackets. Miller was listed as “questionable” on this week’s injury reports and possibly could play. The only injury of note for Texas is Kelvin Banks Jr. The starting left tackle injured an ankle seven plays into the game against Texas A&M on Nov. 30 and did not return. However, the Longhorns did not miss a beat with 6-7, 315-pound redshirt freshman Trevor Goosby playing the rest of the way. Beck the closer Georgia quarterback Carson Beck was a pitcher and a promising baseball prospect coming out of high school in Jacksonville, Florida. Had he stuck with that game, indications are he might’ve made a pretty good closer. While he has struggled at times this season, especially in the middle of the season, one thing that has been consistent about Beck is his ability to make plays at crunch time for the Bulldogs. In the second half of games this season, Beck is completing a higher percentage of passes (66 to 64.3) for more yards (1,774 to 1,655), more touchdowns (16 to 12) and fewer interceptions (5 to 7). As a result, his quarterback rating is considerably higher in second halves (164.86) compared with firsts (132.62). Similarly, Beck’s numbers get better from the third quarter (157.16 rating) to the fourth quarter (164.20). There are a multitude of factors that play into that, but the primary takeaway has to be focus and determination. In the eight-overtime win over Tech, Beck was 12-of-17 passing for 124 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Bulldogs’ fourth-quarter comeback, then 3-for-3 for 45 yards and two more scores in overtime. “That’s what I love to do,” Beck said of late-game drama. “When those moments come, you either do it or you don’t. As a team and as an offense, we’ve really excelled in those moments. You try not to get into those moments, but we have been in those moments this year, and we’ve been able to execute when we’ve had to.” Texas knows this as well as any team. When the Longhorns got within eight points late in the game in Austin, Beck led Georgia on an 11-play, 89-yard TD drive that put the game out of reach. Ball security The biggest difference in the way Georgia is playing now versus in the loss to Ole Miss in Oxford on Nov. 9 is the Bulldogs are taking better care of the football. Georgia had three turnovers in that 28-10 rainy-day defeat against the Rebels, and the Bulldogs put the ball on the ground two other times in that game but managed to retain possession. In the three games since, Georgia has only one turnover — a lost fumble against Tech — and is plus-3 in turnover margin. Perhaps most important of all, Beck has not thrown an interception or had a fumble during that stretch. In a six-game span ending with the Ole Miss game, he was responsible for 13 turnovers, including 12 interceptions. He has zero turnovers since. There are reasons for that. “There were just some situations where maybe I was trying to force the ball when it didn’t need to and maybe trying to make plays when they weren’t there,” Beck said this week. “I think that’s one thing that I’ve really improved on as we’ve gotten into this (latter) half of the season, not trying to do too much and just playing within myself and playing within the offense. “There’s three downs to get a first down for a reason. You don’t have to try to get it all in one play, and I think I’ve done a better job at that in this second half of the season.” Texas objectives The Longhorns’ strategic objectives for Saturday’s game seem clear, based on their last matchup against Georgia. In Austin on Oct. 19, Texas managed only 29 yards rushing on 27 carries, an average of 1.1 yards per attempt. Also, the Longhorns’ offensive line gave up seven sacks, 10 tackles for loss and eight quarterback hurries. In other words, it was a tough day for the offensive line, which nevertheless somehow has earned recognition as a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, along with Oregon. The Texas ground game has shown significant improvement in the five games since playing Georgia. The Longhorns had 240 yards on 50 carries in the win over Texas A&M, including 186 on 33 carries by Quintrevion Wisner. That ran up their average to 176 yards per game since meeting the Bulldogs. They still have work to do when it comes to pass protection. Texas quarterbacks have been sacked 14 times for a loss of 65 yards in games against A&M, Kentucky, Arkansas, Florida and Vanderbilt. The Texas defense has been stout throughout. Georgia managed only 283 yards of offense — more than 140 below its average — in Austin. The Longhorns arrive leading the SEC in points allowed (11.7 pg), yards allowed (247.2), passing yards allowed (143.7) and third against the run (103.5). Arch sighting imminent The Bulldogs faced quarterback Arch Manning in the previous meeting, and the odds are good that they will see him again in the Benz — possibly a lot more of him. The Longhorns’ famous sophomore quarterback came off the bench in the 17-7 win over Texas A&M and scored a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 2. It was one of three rushes he had in the game for a total of 14 yards. Being a run-first alternative to starter Quinn Ewers have been Manning’s primary role all season. That is, when he wasn’t starting while Ewers was sidelined with an ankle injury. For the season, Manning has completed 67.8% of 90 passes for nine TDs and two interceptions while rushing for 95 yards and four TDs on 141 carries. Meanwhile, Georgia has struggled against running quarterbacks all season. For that reason, the Bulldogs fully expect to see Manning in action. “We’ve practiced knowing Arch can be in there,” Smart said. “Had to defend a lot of quarterback runs.” Georgia saw Manning on Oct. 19. Sarkisian shocked the home crowd when he brought in Manning to relieve a struggling Ewers as the Longhorns trailed Georgia 23-0 in the second quarter in Austin on Oct. 19. Though was able to rip off a 21-yard run, the rest of his time on the field was nightmarish for Manning. He was sacked twice, had minus-1 yard on four rushes and 19 yards on 3-of-6 passing. Sarkisian remains coy on the subject. “Sometimes you’ve got to keep a few things up your sleeve,” he said. He added that Manning “continues to prepare at a high level.” ©2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
