2025 March Madness highlights: UConn, Michigan St. advance; Cooper Flagg returns

Bears Rookie To Miss Entire 2025 Season For 'personal' Reason

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles stayed cryptic Tuesday when asked about the ongoing situation involving rookie cornerback Zah Frazier.

The UTSA alum has not participated in team workouts or practices since the Bears' rookie minicamp back in May. He was eventually placed on the Non-Football Injury/Illness list.

While speaking to reporters, Poles described the current situation with Frazier without providing any concrete details. Poles did indicate that Frazier's ongoing ordeal "happened before" he became a member of the Bears, which arguably raises more questions than answers.

"He had a situation that presented itself in a category that I would say [is] 'personal,'" Poles said, via ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "As we dug into it, tried to help him out, it revealed itself as something that happened before he got here. So, credit to our staff finding the root cause of what he was going through.

"Kind of a bummer on the front end, but I think because of everyone's hard work and care here we got him on the right path."

Poles confirmed that Frazier would be "down for the year," but would be working closely with medical staff to prepare for next season. The 24-year-old is also expected to participate in team meetings and keep up in the weight room throughout the 2025 campaign.

The Bears drafted Frazier as the first compensatory pick in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. In his final season at UTSA, the defensive back led the American Conference with six interceptions.

Why Is SMU Football At Missouri State? Mustangs' Road Game Part Of Home-and-home

After starting the 2025 season with back-to-back home games, included a double overtime upset by Baylor last week, SMU football is begins Week 3 on the front half of a two-game road stand.

The Mustangs' time away from Dallas, however, begins with an interesting trip for a program that now competes in a Power Four conference for college football.

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Rhett Lashlee and SMU are set to travel to Missouri State on Saturday, Sept. 13 for a Week 3 matchup at Robert W. Plaster Stadium in Springfield, Missouri.

REQUIRED READING: Bowl projections: Illinois rising, Clemson falling in College Football Playoff field

Saturday's meeting between the Mustangs and the Bears is the first in program history for both teams. Here's what to know on why the Mustangs are traveling to Missouri State for a buy game in Week 3:

Why is SMU playing at Missouri State?

According to the game contract obtained by USA TODAY Sports, SMU and Missouri State in June 2024 agreed to play a home-and-home series. The contract was signed by former SMU athletic director Rick Hart, SMU vice president of business and finance Christine Regis and former Missouri State athletic director Kyle Moats.

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The home-and-home series was also agreed upon during different transitions for both teams. At the time of the contract being signed, SMU was in the final weeks of its tenure in the what was then called the American Athletic Conference (now called the American Conference) before joining the ACC., Missouri State, meanwhile, was still competing as a Division I FCS program in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

The 2025 college football season is Missouri State's first competing as a Division I FBS program, out of Conference USA. Saturday's game vs. SMU will be the Bears' home opener as an FBS program after back-to-back road games at USC and Marshall.

Interestingly, SMU is one of four Power Four programs traveling play non-Power Four competition in Week 3 of the 2025 college football season. The others are Oklahoma at Temple; Utah at Wyoming; and Duke at Tulane.

What conference is Missouri State in?

Missouri State is in its first season competing in Conference USA. The Bears announced on May 10, 2024, that they had accepted an invite to join Conference USA, a move that initiated a move up from the Division I FCS level to the Division I FBS level.

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Prior to moving up to FBS and joining Conference USA, Missouri State was a longtime member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

SMU vs Missouri State future dates

The return game for SMU in its home-and-home series with Missouri State is set for Sept. 26, 2026 in Dallas at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is SMU football playing road game at Missouri State? What to know

Vikings-Bears On 'Monday Night Football': What We Learned From Minnesota's 27-24 Win

FULL BOX SCORE

McCarthy settles in and delivers. For three quarters, J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings' chosen quarterback of the future, looked much like his lack of experience suggested: green. The speed of the game appeared to be too much for McCarthy to handle in his first NFL start and the same was true of his responsibilities as the conductor of the offense. Minnesota's offense was a no-show, reaching the fourth quarter with just 85 total yards while struggling with the basic pre-snap operation on nearly a play-by-play basis. Then, a questionable pass interference penalty and a much-needed simplification of the Minnesota offense sparked McCarthy, who took the electricity and detonated Chicago's defense. Those who watched McCarthy at Michigan would recognize this version of the quarterback, as he fired accurate, fearless passes that included his first scoring toss through a tighter-than-usual window, delivering a strike to Aaron Jones for another score and then taking off on a 14-yard run to give the Vikings a 10-point lead in seemingly the blink of an eye. The turnaround was stunning, and much of it depended on McCarthy's intestinal fortitude. After three ugly quarters, the fourth showed us why Kevin O'Connell was confident that McCarthy was his man. 

Bears run out of gas on the freeway. It's been a while since I've seen a high-flying team reach the fourth quarter of a game they'd dominated only to realize they'd prematurely exhausted their fuel, but we saw it Monday night. A Chicago defense that was manhandling Minnesota's offensive line in the first half wilted in the fourth quarter, and save for Montez Sweat's bat down of a McCarthy red zone pass, Chicago's front -- which had harassed McCarthy for much of the night -- disappeared. Conversely, Minnesota's defensive line -- which had pressured Caleb Williams but wasn't consistently causing issues in the first half -- suddenly looked as if it had been injected with superhuman strength, owning the interior and denying the Bears of any chance to move the football while they clung to their lead. That shift in one quarter was enough to completely flip the script of a game that seemed to be in Chicago's control, leading to a heartbreaking -- and shocking -- defeat. There are things to like, but the result is a bitter pill to swallow for a fanbase that was having a whole lot of fun for the first 45 minutes of action.

Minnesota's two-man backfield is dangerous. After a very successful first season in Minnesota, Aaron Jones and the Vikings were able to extend their partnership with a new deal in 2025. What most might not have expected, however, was how his role would change in the new season. Jordan Mason's arrival has bumped Jones out of the bell cow role and preserved him for maximum impact as a pass-catching back, a plan that worked wonderfully during Minnesota's fourth-quarter comeback when Jones ran an excellent choice fade route that gave McCarthy an open target for a crucial score. Mason, meanwhile, handled the rugged responsibilities of a between-the-tackles hammer, bringing much-needed balance to the unit and calming down McCarthy at just the right time, opening the door for the second-year signal-caller to play instinctively and power their scoring assault. Vikings fans have reason to feel nervous about their situation at receiver right now, but if Minnesota can control the game on the ground with these two backs, the absence of Jordan Addison, who served the first of a three-game suspension, will be less noticeable in the next two weeks.

Chicago's revamped offensive line fails first test. The Bears made very intentional efforts to improve their starting five up front after subjecting Williams to frequent harassment during his rookie season, and initially, the results were positive. Though it didn't hold up perfectly, the unit was stout enough to buy Williams time to make plays on the Bears' opening scoring drive. But in the second half, cracks in the blocking unit were visible from the Willis Tower. Williams was pressured 15 times (for a rate of 34.9%), Chicago couldn't run the ball effectively all night and Williams wasn't afforded enough time to consistently deliver on-time, accurate passes in order to preserve its lead. The quarterback's accuracy waned in the second half, further hindering their offense, and once the time came for Chicago to mount a miraculous comeback, all Williams could do was try to play Superman with his legs (save for a missed deep shot to DJ Moore). If Chicago and Williams are going to take a step or two forward in their first season under head coach Ben Johnson, the Bears will need this unit to be better than they were Monday night.

Welcome back to the stage, Brian Flores. Week 1 is often a feeling-out period for most NFL teams in terms of matchup and outlook, and the Vikings were not above that reality Monday night. Williams completed his first 10 passes, ripping a highlight-worthy pass to Rome Odunze and finishing the drive with a 9-yard touchdown run in a sequence that seemed to leave the Vikings scrambling for answers. But by halftime -- and especially in the third quarter -- Brian Flores complicated the picture significantly enough to slow down Williams' processing, short-circuiting Chicago's offense, which relied too heavily on checkdown passes that produced few positive gains in the final two quarters. All of this was the product of the Vikings' respected defensive coordinator's creativity and selective aggression that has defined his career and propelled the Vikings last season. When Andrew Van Ginkel nearly jumped a quick receiver screen attempt, it was clear Flores was winning the chess match by a wide margin. His feel for the game and his personnel played a big part in Minnesota's comeback and will be a key to it finding success in future weeks. 

Next Gen Stats Insights for Vikings-Bears (NFL Pro): In their Vikings debut, Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen generated six pressures each, with Hargrave also recording two sacks and two quick pressures (under 2.5 seconds). They did so despite being double-teamed at 41.9% and 47.1% rates, respectively. All three of the Bears' newly acquired interior linemen (Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson) yielded at least four pressures to the duo alone.

NFL Research: J.J. McCarthy is the first player since Cam Newton with two-plus passing touchdowns and one or more rushing touchdowns in his NFL debut.

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