College Football Notes: Hayden Moore will start at quarterback for Cincinnati

Cincinnati redshirt freshman quarterback Hayden Moore will make his first career start Thursday night against Miami, filling in while Gunner Kiel recovers from his latest injury.

Kiel was taken to a hospital after suffering another neck injury during a 53-46 loss at Memphis last Thursday. He hadn’t been cleared to return to practice as of early Tuesday afternoon.

The Bearcats (2-2) got a record-setting performance from Moore over the last three quarters. He completed 31 of 53 passes for a school-record 557 yards with four touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.

Knoxville hot seat

Tennessee’s late collapses in two of its last three games have Volunteers Coach Butch Jones facing the most criticism he has encountered since taking over the program in 2013.

The Volunteers blew double-digit, fourth-quarter leads in losses to Oklahoma and Florida, causing disgruntled fans to go on talk radio and message boards questioning Jones’ game management and his team’s ability to close out opponents.

Tennessee (2-2) opened the season with its first top-25 ranking since September 2012, but the Volunteers haven’t met expectations heading into Saturday’s game against Arkansas.

“I understand that’s part of the game,” Jones said of the criticism. “I welcome that. I have big shoulders. Put that all on my shoulders, so our players can go out and perform Saturday.”

Etc.

Michigan State standout left tackle Jack Conklin injured his knee in Saturday’s 30-10 victory over Central Michigan, but Coach Mark Dantonio said that he’s expected to return this season for the second-ranked Spartans. Conklin watched the second half of Saturday’s game in a knee brace. ... Minnesota Coach Jerry Kill says star cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun will not need surgery on the knee he injured Saturday against Ohio.