Valkyries’ Gabby Williams reflects on animated huddle speech as Golden State prepares for Game 4

October 23, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

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ATLANTA– Gabby Williams leads by example. Whether it’s her draining momentum-changing triples, picking an opponent’s pocket like a cat burglar, or encouraging her teammates in their lowest moments, Williams has become the player, the star, the leader, the Golden State Valkyries model themselves after when the night is darkest.

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But sometimes leaders need to set the tone. Passionately.

In the wake of the Valkyries’ 97-71 loss to the Atlanta Dream in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, the lasting image of Golden State’s crushing defeat was not the turnovers or plethora of missed shots. It was an animated Williams, visibly emotional and fired up, giving a speech to her teammates in the huddle as Atlanta fans celebrated around them. A moment not out of character for Williams, who’s been a vocal leader throughout her first season with Golden State, but one that underscored the urgency of the situation the Valkyries find themselves in and the passion Williams feels regarding how they’ve played as of late.

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“I’ve been a little bit too loose as a leader,” Williams said at the team’s practice Friday, reflecting on that moment two days removed from the adrenaline of that scene.

“That’s kind of where Coach Nat (Nakase) has been pushing me. So I had to get out of my comfort zone. I think I’ve been a little bit too much of ‘It’s alright. We’ll figure it out. We’re good, we’re good, we’re good.’ So I just wanted to show my team something different because we need something different. These are two games that just haven’t been us. So I had to get out of my comfort zone and try to remotivate the troops, I guess. That’s what that speech was about. Then we went back in the locker room and talked more about it. It’s never easy to do. But I definitely wanted to show my teammates a different kind of fight.”

As Williams said, the Valkyries haven’t been the Valkyries since Game 1. If anything, the Dream have done to the Valkyries what they usually do to teams. From forcing Golden State into some vibe-killing turnovers and inefficient contested shots to Reese bludgeoning her way through the teeth of the defense and Atlanta collectively out-physical-ing them and out-hustling them nearly every step of the way.

Hence the reason for Williams’ passionate speech: Golden State needs a spark. And judging from how her teammates felt about Williams’ somewhat out-of-character animated display, they’re more than okay with their leader trying something different to fire them up.

“This is the Finals. Is it not emotional?” center Kiah Stokes said on Thursday. “I mean, we’ve worked all season to get to this point. I think it’s OK to show some emotions. Not everyone is emotionless like me.”

“I think she’s bringing energy,” Veronica Burton said. “I mean, at the end of the day, it’s the finals, so she’s being a competitor. She’s being a leader. She’s holding people accountable, holding herself accountable, and that’s just the reality of being in the WNBA finals right now. Emotions are high, and we want to be here. We want to win.”

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Gabby Williams’ growth as a leader as the Valkyries look for a spark

To win, the Valkyries are going to have to dig deeper than they ever have. They’re no strangers to adversity. Down 16 in a winner-takes-all Game 3 with the Dallas Wings. Overtime with A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces, with the ticket to the WNBA Finals waiting to be punched. Even in this series, crunch time in Game 1 was as tight and tense a match as you’ll ever see. Time and time again, Golden State’s risen to the moment.

Now, with their backs against the wall heading into a pivotal Game 4 that could either send them into a spiral or reignite the contention of this series, the Valkyries are faced with their greatest trial yet. The embers are there sitting in the fire pit, and the lighter fluid’s packed neatly on the table. They open the lid and pour it on. Perhaps Williams’ passionate leadership is the gasoline the Valkyries need to catch fire and get back to being themselves. Only Game 4 will answer us that.

“It’s easy to lead when everything is going well for you. It’s really easy when shots are falling, or you know you’re winning to stand up and lead. But that obviously hasn’t been (the case) in this series,” Williams said when asked what she’s proud of in terms of her leadership this season.

“So I’m proud of myself for this is where Nat has pushed me because at the beginning of the season, I was like, ‘Well, I didn’t have a good game, so I don’t feel like I can talk.’ And she’s like, ‘That’s not what a leader is. A leader has to talk, even when things don’t go well. Even when you don’t feel your best, the team still relies on you.’ So I think this series has really pushed me in that, in making sure I don’t disappear vocally, even when I’m not feeling the most confident or at my best self.”

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Why was Bryce Underwood benched? Will QB start for Michigan vs Indiana?

October 24, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

Halfway through his second season at Michigan, Bryce Underwood’s college football career has gone to a place few would have ever dared to envision four months ago, let alone 14: the bench.

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The former five-star recruit, who was the No. 1 player nationally in the high school class of 2025, has lost his starting job with the Wolverines after he was pulled coming out of halftime of Michigan’s Week 7 game against Penn State. Trailing 3-0 at halftime, the Wolverines rallied behind quarterback Tommy Carr for a 21-18 victory.

Underwood’s ineffectiveness in his second college season, and his first season under new Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham and offensive coordinator Jason Beck, had been one of the major talking points of the 2026 college football season, leading many around the country to wonder whether the Wolverines would sit a player with such a reportedly large NIL deal.

Against Penn State, that question was answered.

The question now id whether Underwood will be able to find his way back to a role that was once considered safely his. Whittingham didn’t offer any early indications as to whether that would be the case when he declined to name a starter for Week 8 in his weekly news conference.

As Michigan prepares to face off against No. 6 Indiana, the reigning national champions, on Saturday, Oct. 24, here’s a closer look at what led to Underwood’s benching and what’s next for him:

Why Bryce Underwood was benched

Underwood arrived at Michigan with no shortage of hype. A Detroit area prospect who was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class, he made the short trip west on I-94 to Ann Arbor to try to lead the Wolverines back to national championship glory.

Underwood was inconsistent as a freshman, as many first-year quarterbacks are, throwing for 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions while displaying some of his dual-threat capabilities, with 392 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

Entering his sophomore season, there was some expectation for improvement. He had a year of college experience under his belt, allowing him to adjust to the speed of the game. He was getting a new offensive coordinator in Beck who had worked wonders the previous season at Utah with another dual-threat quarterback, Devon Dampier. And, beyond all of that, there was still so much latent talent to believe that better days were ahead.

That expected progress hasn’t arrived, though.

Through six games this season, Underwood is completing only 58.1% of his passes for 924 yards, 7.5 yards per attempt, five touchdowns and six interceptions. He wasn’t particularly effective on the ground, either, with 223 rushing yards, on 3.7 yards per attempt and two touchdowns.

After briefly appearing to turn a corner in a win against UTEP and a last-second loss to Iowa, he turned in a brutal performance in a loss at Minnesota – a game in which he completed only 10 of 21 passes for 101 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. It was the Wolverines’ first road loss against the Golden Gophers since 1977.

During a bye week, Whittingham had said he would “look at everything” to try to improve Michigan’s fortunes after a disappointing 3-2 start. That would include some potential changes at quarterback.

“Bryce is our guy,” Whittingham said at the time. “If we think that giving Tommy a series or two helps our chance to win, then you will see that.”

Underwood followed up that bye with arguably his worst outing of the season, completing only five of 11 passes for 43 yards and two interceptions in the first half against Penn State, with his team trailing, 3-0. For the opening drive of the second half, it was Carr, not Underwood, who came out to lead the team.

After Michigan punted on its first drive with Carr, it scored touchdowns on three of its final five possessions. A Wolverines offense that managed just 80 yards of total offense in the first half racked up 221 in the second. Though Carr only had so much of a personal hand in that rapid turnaround — he completed five of seven passes for 47 yards while adding 36 rushing yards and a touchdown — the difference in Michigan’s offensive effectiveness under his guidance was palpable.

“I supported it,” Whittingham said after the win of the move to Carr. “I'm not gonna say I was against it, but they said, ‘Hey, thinking about making changes.’ Whatever we gotta do. I think that the timing was probably about as good as it could have been.

“People say, 'Well you should have gone to Tommy sooner.' No, I don't think so. I think that how this has unfolded has given Bryce an opportunity to prove himself and, again, I'm not sitting here making a decision going forward who it's gonna be because it was not just Bryce Underwood in the first half that wasn't playing at the top of their game.”

Is Bryce Underwood starting vs Indiana?

Even after Carr helped reignite the Michigan offense in the second half in the win against Penn State, Whittingham has been non-committal on who will start on Saturday against Indiana ... at least publicly.

"We know exactly what we're doing and the plan going forward," Whittingham said at a news conference on Oct. 19. "We're not going to tip our hand to the opponent. But we have a good plan in place."

That lack of a public declaration may just be a bit of gamesmanship on Whittingham’s part heading into a game in which his team is a touchdown underdog.

According to multiple reports this week, Carr is expected to get the start over Underwood.

Tommy Carr 247

Coming out of Saline High School in Saline, Michigan, Carr was rated as a four-star prospect who was ranked as the No. 318 overall prospect and No. 22 quarterback nationally by 247Sports’ composite rankings.

In two seasons as the starter at Saline, Carr threw for 5,247 yards on 357-of-514 passing (69.5%) with 64 touchdowns and nine interceptions, along with 589 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.

Carr is the grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr and the younger brother of Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why was Bryce Underwood benched? Will QB start for Michigan vs Indiana?

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Here's how to test a CR2032 battery to see if it's good

October 24, 2026 · Engadget

CR2032 batteries are found in a lot of gadgets around your home. They're easy to test when they run low, especially if you have the appropriate devices.

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