The Texas Tech Red Raiders’ heel turn, from lovable outsiders looking to shake up the system to the unquestioned villains of college football, has been equal parts staggering and entertaining.

The genesis of this villain arc is, of course, the Brendan Sorsby gambling saga that continues to unfold before our very eyes.

The university, its athletic department and anyone associated with it haven’t done the Red Raiders and their quarterback any favors, either, with people like head coach Joey Maguire and billionaire booster Cody Campbell sounding off on the issue and only angering fans further.

Sensing this to be the case, Texas Tech’s athletic department released a 21-minute video statement on Thursday evening to try and put out the flames from the Sorsby fallout, hoping to clear up any misconceptions from the ongoing case.

BRENDAN SORSBY’S LAWSUIT AGAINST NCAA COULD SET A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT IN COLLEGE SPORTS MOVING FORWARD

You can watch the video for yourself and draw your own conclusions, but it’s safe to say fans across social media are rejecting this statement and taking every opportunity to dunk on the Red Raiders while they are at it.

The comments section is filled with college football fans from all over the country calling the university’s athletic department a bunch of clowns and hypocrites, but one Big 12 rival, the TCU Horned Frogs, put out a statement of their own in response to Tech’s video.

Absolute savagery.

TEXAS LONGHORNS HAVE NOTHING TO GAIN BY ANSWERING TEXAS TECH CHALLENGE, WOULD BE FOOLISH TO ACCEPT TERMS

The didn’t quote the original post or even tag Texas Tech in their response, but given the timing of their post, everyone and their mother knew exactly what TCU was referring to.

Kudos to whoever runs their social media account, because I’m sure Horned Frog fans were thinking exactly what the admin was saying here.

Even fans of rival programs in the state and conference were giving TCU their props for their dig at the big bad bullies of the Big 12.

TEXAS TECH MEGABOOSTER CLAIMS BIG 12 RIVALS WANT TO BOYCOTT GAMES BECAUSE THEY FEAR BRENDAN SORSBY

I have to say, I love this. All of it.

Texas Tech morphing from plucky underdog to college football antagonist in less than a season is exactly what the sport needs.

College football was in desperate need of a new villain after the infighting between the SEC and Big Ten had gotten stale.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

Obviously, whatever demons Sorsby is battling, college football fans can and should hope he gets the help he needs.

But at the same time, it’s nice to see rivals taking shots at each other on social media in the summer.

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When the Horned Frogs travel to Lubbock for rivalry week, you had better believe both fanbases will be foaming at the mouth ready to exact some revenge on the field.

Is it September yet?

The Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas torched former President Joe Biden’s open borders policies as he races to clean-up past comments amid criticism he is too radical to be elected in Texas.

James Talarico hardened his stance on border security and pitted himself against the former president during a podcast interview on “Cogdell Law Uncensored” earlier this week.

The Democrat member of the Texas legislature has a far-left track record that includes calls to “tear down” Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE), an agency which he has called “secret police,” and claiming the border should act as a “welcome mat” for illegal immigrants.

He is now the Democratic nominee taking on Trump-backed Republican Ken Paxton in the race for a Senate seat in Texas in November.

JAMES TALARICO SAYS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WAS CONVINCED BORDER SECURITY WAS ‘RACIST’

“I called out Joe Biden for failing to secure our southern border and I got a lot of heat from my own party for doing that,” he told podcaster and attorney Dan Cogdell. “But I remember talking with my colleagues in the legislature who represent border communities and they told me about the utter chaos caused by President Biden’s policies.”

Those calls and his more moderate immigration stance emerged only after Talarico launched his Senate bid in the most populated U.S. red state where the most illegal immigration happens.

When asked repeatedly by Fox News Digital, Talarico’s campaign officials could not produce evidence to support the progressive candidate’s claims he was ever at odds with Biden on the issue of border security before his Senate campaign began and while Biden was still in office.

Millions of illegal aliens poured undetected into the United States during the previous presidency, while Talarico occupied his seat in the Texas House legislature.

Talarico said in the podcast: “The Democratic Party, we’re the ones that should be about making government work for people and our immigration system is a prime example of government not working for people. So I’m a border security Democrat. I believe we’ve gotta have a sane, orderly process to ensure that we know who’s coming into our country.”

While he has accused ICE of “terrorizing our country,” called for Americans to “stand up and fight back” and in 2019 slammed Texas Republicans for passing an “anti-immigrant bill” that funded President Donald Trump’s border wall project, Talarico said on the podcast this week that public safety should be a priority.

TEXAS DEM TALARICO’S ‘CULTURE OF VIOLENCE’ REMARKS RESURFACE AS HE DENIES DEFUND POLICE TIES

“But I also think we need to keep out folks who want to do us harm, and public safety is the most important thing the government does,” he said.

Under Trump, ICE has been tasked with zeroing in on the “worst of the worst” illegal aliens for arrest and deportation, especially those with violent criminal records.

“James has never supported abolishing ICE and supports more border security — which is why he’s authored legislation to modernize our ports of entry and called for more Border Patrol agents,” Talarico’s press secretary JT Ennis told Fox News Digital.

“Both parties have failed us on the issue of immigration, so James is running for Senate to keep our country safe by deporting criminals instead of hunting down moms, babies, and small business owners who have been contributing to our economy for decades.”

Speaking to Cogdell, Talarico also pitched himself as a defender of the Second Amendment while simultaneously calling for strict gun control methods.

TEXAS DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATES SIDESTEP ISLAMIC TERRORISM CONCERNS FOLLOWING DEADLY AUSTIN ATTACK

“I am a believer in the Second Amendment. I don’t pick and choose between the Bill of Rights. I believe in the Second Amendment just as much as I believe in the First,” he said. “We have a right to bear arms, to protect ourselves, our families. We have a right to own weapons for sport or for hunting, but like any freedom in the Bill of Rights, it’s not absolute.”

“We’ve gotta keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals. We’ve gotta make sure that we’ve got safe storage laws and background checks so that we’re keeping everybody safe,” the candidate qualified.

He positioned himself during the conversation as a moderate Democrat, chastising people on the political left who are “trying to take away people’s guns” and people on the political right who “don’t want to see any regulations.”

MS NOW ANALYST ADMITS TALARICO ‘NOT A MODERATE,’ HAS PROGRESSIVE VIEWS LIKE CROCKETT

But only a few months ago, Talarico said he favored “red flag laws,” which allow judges to order Americans to be stripped of their firearms if they think a person is a danger to themselves or others. Talarico also once accused Republicans of loving guns more than children.

“You can’t be the party of freedom and control women’s bodies,” he said at a 2024 event with the Travis County Democratic Party. “You can’t be the party of family and love your guns more than our kids. You can’t be the party of faith and worship at the feet of Donald Trump.”

Ennis said that the candidate has “always believed, like the vast majority of Texans, that we must protect the Second Amendment while also enacting popular, common sense measures like universal background checks that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals.”

MARK HALPERIN: IS DEMOCRAT JAMES TALARICO THE REAL DEAL — OR BETO 2.0 HEADED FOR A TEXAS FLOP?

Talarico also distanced himself from child sex change surgeries, sometimes called “gender affirming care,” and said he does not support them despite often earning criticism for his comments regarding children who identify as the opposite of their biological sex.

“I oppose gender reassignment surgeries for minors,” he told Cogdell, claiming “the people that are in power” are trying to distract from “corruption in our government.”

“So they’re gonna use a tried and true playbook to get out of this,” he said. “Distraction and division. That is how corrupt public officials stay in power.”

‘GOD IS NON-BINARY’: TEXAS DEM NOMINEE TALARICO’S PAST REMARKS ON ABORTION, RACE AND GENDER DRAW SCRUTINY

Talarico’s emphatic support for transgender children has raised eyebrows since he’s entered the national spotlight.

He has said he loves them on multiple occasions, including on a podcast in 2023 when he was asked to name something that he loved other than his friends and family.

“I love, I’m just saying this because it’s all on my mind, the trans children who showed up yesterday at the state capitol to advocate for their humanity,” he said on the Superbloom Podcast.

At the time, he had voted against a state bill to ban cross-sex hormones for minors.

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“I just want to say, I love you and so do a lot of people in this room, and so do a lot of people around this big state. I know it may not seem like it tonight, but you are loved beyond measure,” Talarico also said in 2023 on the Texas House floor, according to the Houston Chronicle.

“James opposes gender reassignment surgery for minors,” said Ennis. “While billionaire-bought politicians like Ken Paxton spread lies to divide Texans, James will continue to stand up against both political parties to fix this broken, corrupt political system and support Texas families.”

Paxton’s campaign did not return Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Talarico’s apparent flip-flop on the border, Second Amendment or transgender youth

fear of lightning
The Meteorological Department said that during this period, strong and gusty winds can blow at a speed of 60 to 80 kilometers per hour. There is also a possibility of lightning at many places. In view of the inclement weather, people have been advised to stay away from open spaces, trees and weak structures.

Parts of Haryana and UP also included
Many districts of Haryana including Kurukshetra, Karnal, Kaithal, Jind, Panipat, Hisar, Rohtak, Sonipat, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Jhajjar, Rewari, Mahendragarh, Palwal, Nuh and Narnaul have been included in the warning. At the same time, there is a possibility of sudden change in weather in Shamli, Kandhla, Baraut, Baghpat, Khekra, Nandgaon and Barsana areas of Uttar Pradesh.

Rain forecast in Rajasthan also
Apart from this, forecast of strong storm, thunder and rain has also been issued in many areas of Rajasthan including Alwar, Bharatpur, Deeg, Bayana, Jhunjhunu, Khairthal, Kotputli, Rajgarh and Mahandipur Balaji.

Appeal to people to stay in homes
The Meteorological Department has appealed to the citizens to remain alert and come out of their homes only when necessary. The administration has also been instructed to remain alert in view of possible weather effects.

Build it and they will come. The Thursday Night Mowing League mission to rewire the brains of over 40 million Americans who spend their weekends doing lawn chores is working after last week’s plea to FoxNews.com readers.

“So awesome to see there is a league for what my neighbors have been making fun of me for doing past 15 years!!” Rebecca, a new TNML fan wrote on Facebook, where membership shot up an astounding 600% over the last 28 days.

Americans who are laughing at Rebecca are, based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, spending two hours on lawn work on the day they decide to mow. Forty million Americans are losing those two hours on weekends. For U.S. men, it’s even more. The average male spends two hours and 15 minutes on lawn work.

Now for more sobering statistics. Americans, based on CDC life expectancy data, are alive for around 4,000 Saturdays. Men can expect to be alive for 3,990 Saturdays; women average around 4,245 Saturdays. Now extract your childhood Saturdays. Between the ages of 25 and 65, the prime years of life, you will enjoy 2,080 Saturdays.

Shall I go on? Let’s dig even deeper into these numbers.

Based on the active mowing season — roughly April through October — you get only 1,040 prime summer Saturdays during your entire adult life. That’s it. Just 1,040 afternoons to sit by the pool, play catch in the yard with your kids, or just relax and enjoy life on the patio.

There’s a simple solution: this league. What are you waiting for?

📩 Email: joe.kinsey@outkick.com or use my personal Gmail. Send your mowing reports, stripe photos, equipment upgrades, garage beer reviews, and league updates.

🐦 Twitter/X: @OutKickTNML Follow along for league news, drought reports, mowing conditions, and weekly action.

📘 Facebook Page: OutKick TNML Follow along for league news, photos, and community updates.

ELIZABETH HURLEY IS LOCKED IN FOR SUMMER, HOCKEY GOALIE MIKAYLA DEMAITER TURNS UP THE HEAT & BASEBALL AND MEAT

This league is more than just mowing, it’s about bringing the family together

Thank you to 2023 TNML national champion Timmy2Cuts for reminding us that there are moments in life that take precedence over mowing on a Thursday, as long as you don’t skip and then mow on Saturday. That’s a cardinal sin in this league. The good news for 2Cuts is that Mrs. 2Cuts is also married to this league. She gets it. They have like six kids. She wants her kids frolicking on the perfectly manicured turf on Saturdays as one big, happy family.

Robot mowers accused of mutilating hedgehogs

You know who didn’t think of the planet when they were engineering their mowers to help save the planet? The robotic mowing world. There’s news out of Europe that some governments are looking to ban the use of robot mowers at night to save the hedgehogs that forage at night.

Guess which mowing league isn’t mutilating hedgehogs? THIS ONE!

“Are you accidentally harming hedgehogs?” a headline read last month. Nope, not us. We’re making the world better for hedgehogs. We mow on Thursdays when there’s daylight.

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Is this too much mower for such a small yard?

You guys make the call.

Mowing reports from around the United States and beyond