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Kyle Shanahan expects Aaron Donald to play on Thursday night

Kyle Shanahan expects Aaron Donald to play on Thursday night

Aaron Donald is back. And the coach of the first team on the Rams' docket expects to see No. 99 on Thursday night in Melbourne.

Via Sarah Barshop of ESPN, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Sunday that he "definitely" anticipates Donald playing in the Week 1 showdown down under.

Shanahan explained that he "wasn't crushed" when Donald announced his return after two years of retirement, "because I decided a month ago it was happening." grenadier.co.za

"So I prepared for that the right way, and it is what it is," Shanahan added. "He's a hell of a player and we'll have our work cut out for him."

Donald's unexpected retirement after the 2023 season prompted cheering in the 49ers' facility.

"I was like, 'What the hell's going on?'" Shanahan said. "And then I got it on my phone and it was probably the most we've celebrated in the offseason ever. . . . And then it was the exact opposite this year."

Although 49ers left tackle Trent Williams has a good chance to hold his own against new Rams defensive end Myles Garrett, rookie left guard Carver Willis could be forced to contend with Donald, in the ultimate "welcome to the NFL" moment — as Aaron Donald welcomes himself back to the league he dominated for a decade before deciding he was "full."

Donald is hungry again. And the first of 17 courses is the 49ers.

If Donald plays. Shanahan is bracing for it.

College Football Week 1 Betting Recap: 'We Went From A Big Winner To A Loser'

One second made a world of difference for the public betting masses on Saturday. A simple tick of the clock turned college football Week 1 odds on their head. Huge favorite Michigan got a second shot at a Hail Mary, turning what was seemingly a 12-7 upset loss into a stunning 13-12 victory over Western Michigan. It was equally stunning for bookmakers. "That extra play and successful Hail Mary was a massive swing for the book," BetMGM trading manager Adair Horne said. "We went from a big winner to a loser." That’s what moneyline parlays can do. Oddsmakers from Las Vegas and across the country chimed in to recap the weekend that was in college football betting. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Like Clockwork Michigan was a 27.5-point home favorite vs. Western Michigan. The first drive went as expected, with the Wolverines rolling 75 yards to take a 7-0 lead. But that would be the only Michigan score until the game’s final play, on which the Wolverines ostensibly got a do-over. On second-and-10 from Western Michigan’s 47-yard line, the final seven seconds appeared to run off as Bryce Underwood’s Hail Mary fell incomplete outside the back of the end zone. But upon review, officials deemed a Broncos defender touched the ball while out of bounds with one second remaining, which ended the play … and put one second back on the clock. The second time was a charm, as Underwood connected with a leaping JJ Buchanan to give Michigan the improbable 13-12 victory. That TD helped the masses cash their moneyline parlays that included Michigan. And there were a lot of ‘em. "We took six times the amount of bets on Michigan moneyline compared with Western Michigan," Horne said, noting most of those moneyline plays were on parlay tickets. Added Joey Feazel, Caesars Sports head of football trading: "Michigan was a popular selection on the moneyline for parlays. Bettors were certainly pleased to see that one second added on the clock for the second Hail Mary attempt." Additionally, a Fanatics Sportsbook customer made a huge in-game bet in the waning seconds, when a Michigan loss appeared imminent. The bettor put $10,000 on Michigan +2800 moneyline. When the prayer was answered, that customer banked a $280,000 win (total payout $290,000). High-Flying Favorites Horne said BetMGM had a mixed-bag result in college football Week 1 odds. Big favorites delivered in big ways for the betting public over the past few days. "Customers found the most success with LSU-Clemson, Wisconsin-Notre Dame, Texas State-Texas and pretty much every other big favorite easily covering," Horne said. Lane Kiffin’s LSU debut was a cakewalk, with the Tigers pounding Clemson 51-10 as 10.5-point home favorites. At BetMGM, LSU was the most-bet team of any on the full Saturday schedule, taking the most tickets and money on the spread. Arch Manning and the Longhorns were 29.5-point home favorites vs. Texas State and rolled 59-7. On Sunday night, Notre Dame whacked Wisconsin 41-13 as a 21-point favorite at Lambeau Field. At halftime, the Irish led just 13-10. "Notre Dame covering hurt, after Wisconsin put up a huge fight in the first half," Horne said. Falling-Flat Favorites Horne also noted a few key games that fell in the sportsbooks’ favor. "Bettors had the most difficulties with Washington State vs. Washington, Colorado vs. Georgia Tech, Oregon vs. Boise State and Baylor vs. Auburn," Horne said. Indeed, all four favorites — Washington -23.5, Georgia Tech -6.5, Oregon -24.5, Auburn -6.5 — failed to cover the spread. And the Yellow Jackets lost outright against coach Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes. Georgia Tech led 13-7 late, but allowed a touchdown with 37 seconds left. Then Colorado blocked the Jackets’ game-winning field-goal attempt as time expired. The public was all over Georgia Tech at BetMGM, more so than any other team on an 11-game Thursday night slate.

William Byron confounded by engine blowout that led to DNF at Darlington

The first race of the Chase is officially in the books, with Christopher Bell taking the checkered flag at Darlington on Saturday.
The win was a huge boon for Bell's championship chances, bumping him up to second in the points standings where he trails Denny Hamlin by just 12 points.
On the other side of the outcome spectrum was William Byron, who was forced to bring his car in early due to ...Keep reading

Kyle Shanahan expects 49ers fan takeover vs. Rams in Melbourne

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has been salty about the Rams' desire to export a home game to Australia, in order to avoid yet another San Francisco-fan takeover of SoFi Stadium. Now that Shanahan and the 49ers have hunkered down in Melbourne, Shanahan feels differently.

Via David Lombardi of the San Francisco Standard, Shanahan explained in a Sunday press conference that he has a different outlook on the situation.

Shanahan reiterated his belief that the league "let the Rams off the hook" by allowing them to hand-pick the annual showdown against the 49ers as the game to be sent overseas. Shanahan currently believes "it won't be much different" in Austrialia — and he expects the so-called Faithful to take over the 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday night.

It really is a consequential game, given the impact of the outcome on the tiebreakers within the division. Arguably, a game like that shouldn't be part of the international series.

But if the Rams gave up their supposed home-field advantage against the 49ers in order to avoid the embarrassment of having red far outnumber blue in the L.A. venue, it apparently won't be much different for the NFL's first-ever game in Australia.

In brief

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