NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans Saints leading receiver Chris Olave had to be hospitalized for treatment of a reported blood clot in his lung, virtually assuring he won't play in the club's regular-season finale at Atlanta on Sunday.
“He obviously is navigating that with our medical staff,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said after Thursday's practice without getting into specifics about the receiver's diagnosis. “Fortunate for Chris they were able to get ahead of this and identify something and make the necessary steps to build a plan moving forward.”
Olave caught eight passes for 119 yards and a touchdown in a victory last week at Tennessee, and has had the best season of his career.
Olave’s 100 receptions for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns are all career highs.
His success also has come one year after head injuries sidelined him for the last half of last season.
Olave has played in 16 games this season and as of earlier this week appeared on track to play 17 games in a season for the first time in his career. But he missed practice on Wednesday with what the team listed as an “illness.”
On Thursday, the severity of his ailment became more clear.
Still, he posted an upbeat message on social media from his hospital bed.
“Thank you God for everything!,” Olave wrote. “Life is full of unexpected twists and turns and I'm grateful to experience it.”
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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave talks to reporters after an NFL football gameagainst the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) carries against Tennessee Titans cornerback Kaiir Elam (35) in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — When Indiana met Oregon in October, the game served as the best test yet of whether the Hoosiers were a one-year wonder or a program that was here to stay.
They met that challenge with a double-digit win that snapped Oregon's 18-game home winning streak. Next week comes a rematch with a trip to the national title game at stake.
A pair of Big Ten blowouts in Thursday's quarterfinals — Indiana 38, Alabama 3 and Oregon 23, Texas Tech 0 — set up Oregon-Indiana, Part 2 in the national semifinals at the Peach Bowl next Friday.
“Why would it be too big for them? Because the name's ‘Indiana?’” Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti said after his team passed its latest big-time test and also became the first of seven teams with first-round byes in the two-year history of the playoff to win their quarterfinal.
The other semifinal will feature Miami against the winner of Thursday's late game — Ole Miss vs. Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
The top-seeded Hoosiers (14-0) opened as a four-point favorite, according to the BetMGM Sportsbook, in their rematch with No. 5 Oregon (13-1). The Ducks closed as 7.5-point favorites in the October meeting that Indiana won 30-20. This blowout win over the Crimson Tide might have been Indiana's most impressive performance since the win at Oregon.
In that one, Ducks defensive back Brandon Finney, who had two interceptions and a fumble recovery against Texas Tech, returned an interception for a touchdown to tie the game at 20 early in the fourth quarter. But Indiana answered with a touchdown drive, an interception and a field goal for a double-digit win over the previous season's Big Ten champion.
The most intriguing matchup in this game isn't hard to find.
Quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza of Indiana Dante Moore of Oregon are projected as the top two picks on many 2026 draft boards. Mendoza is trying to join a rarified list of quarterbacks (among them, Jameis Winston, Cam Newton and Matt Leinart) who have won the Heisman and the national title in the same season.
“It's going to be a great matchup, and all respect to them,” Mendoza said of the Ducks. “I've got to get the game plan and got to get to watching film now.”
Oregon is coming off a defensive domination of Texas Tech. The Ducks created four turnovers that led to 13 points. Moore, meanwhile, was held in relative check, throwing for 234 yards and no scores.
“We go back look at this game, say ‘What did we do really well?’” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “Let's go to the doctor, let's figure out what kind of medicine we have to take for the next game. I think that's always the best indicator of what you have to do when you start to analyze what you have in front of you.”
The 10th-seeded Hurricanes, who beat Ohio State on New Year's Eve, will be in the Fiesta Bowl next Thursday, with the tantalizing prospect of 'Canes QB Carson Beck going against the team he left after last season, the Bulldogs.
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Miami quarterback Carson Beck, right, is hugged by former NFL player Michael Irvin following the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Ohio State Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
