Augusta Leaders Rally Around Paine

Gus Malzahn just gave UCF’s administration and its fan base the best early Christmas present he could ever give them. On this just-completed Thanksgiving weekend, I believe Knight Nation owes Malzahn a huge debt of gratitude. He voluntarily resigned as the head football coach on Saturday, apparently forfeited most of the $12 million in contract buyout money he could have collected had he been fired and then shockingly took the offensive coordinator’s position at Florida State. According to one source, Malzahn has been considering this move since the loss to West Virginia two weeks ago and finally came to the conclusion that he “just wanted to go call ballplays” at FSU instead of trying to rebuild UCF. The fact that Malzahn left so much buyout money on the table certainly shows that, at 59, he’s lost his appetite for dealing with all of the headaches involved in the new dynamics of college football.

Hurricanes veteran offensive lineman Jalen Rivers and tight end Elijah Arroyo are ceding their last year of college eligibility and are NFL-bound. Rivers, a fifth-year redshirt junior, and Arroyo, a redshirt junior, accepted invits  to the Senior Bowl, according to posts on the game’s social media account. The Senior Bowl is a premier pre-NFL draft scouting event. “I love this place,” Rivers said after Miami’s loss to Syracuse on Saturday.

In the minutes following UCF’s 84-76 win over Milwaukee on Wednesday, Darius Johnson took a few moments to sign autographs for some young Knights fans. It’s been an incredible stretch for the senior point guard, who scored a season-high 28 points against the Panthers, highlighted by 8-of-10 shooting from 3-point range.

The Miami Dolphins lost Thursday night in Green Bay and officially need help to get into the playoffs. Help, though, is not what they got during the NFL’s Week 13 Sunday slate. Wins by, first and foremost, the Indianapolis Colts and, to a lesser extent, the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers diminish the Dolphins’ chances of climbing back into the AFC playoff picture. The Dolphins are 5-7 and ninth in the AFC.

By MARK LONG JACKSONVILLE — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was carted off the field after taking a violent elbow to the facemask from Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair that prompted two sideline-clearing scuffles. Lawrence was scrambling for a 6-yard gain on a second-and-7 play in the second quarter. He initiated a slide before Al-Shaair raised his forearm and unleashed on the defenseless quarterback. Lawrence clinched both fists after the hit — movements consistent with what’s referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.

TALLAHASSEE — When Florida quarterback DJ Lagway goes off script and makes a big play, the 19-year-old experiences football in its purest form. While stakes had changed during Saturday night’s  31-11 win at Florida State, the sport’s essence remained the same. “At the end of the day, it’s football,” Lagway said. “It’s what you used to play in the backyard with your family.” Florida quarterback DJ Lagway rolls out to throw a pass to tight end Hayden Hansen during the Gators’ 31-11 win at Florida State Nov.