Sports category, Page 348
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: James Franklin is a Penn State hero, so why all the hate?
To Penn State fans, James Franklin should be a hero. Penn State made the Big Ten championship game and the College Football Playoff semifinals. Any Penn State supporter would have been salivating at that prospect before the season. The Nittany Lions were very competitive in both those games, losing to...
Pitt adds former Louisville freshman Cataurus Hicks, Panthers’ 3rd wide receiver from transfer portal
In his quest to seek upgrades in his wide receiver group, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi has received a pledge to enroll from Cataurus Hicks, who played the past two seasons at Louisville. And Pitt’s coach, staff and players know him well. View this post on Instagram A post shared by...
Steelers rookies realize urgency of raised stakes in preparation for Ravens in 1st playoffs
As the Pittsburgh Steelers practiced for Saturday’s AFC wild-card game against the Baltimore Ravens, the stakes started to sink in for four rookies who played significant roles this season. It was a normal game week, save the consequences. “It’s single elimination. Win, you move on; lose, you go home,” center...
Ohio State gets shot at 6th national title after beating Texas in CFP semifinalVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — Jack Sawyer had the kind of moment that will live on long past his playing days with Ohio State. Of course, one more victory would make it that much sweeter. Sawyer stripped Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers — his former roommate — and returned the fumble 83 yards...
Minor league report: Sam Poulin leads Penguins past SenatorsVideo
A pair of goals by forward Sam Poulin led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to a 6-1 rout of the Belleville Senators at CAA Arena in Belleville, Ont. on Friday. Forward Avery Hayes had a goal and two assists for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (20-8-3-0) while forward Rutger McGroarty recorded three assists. Goaltender Joel Blomqvist...
Jordan Spieth sees wrist surgery as chance to reset, plans to return at Pebble BeachVideo
Jordan Spieth has been playing golf for a month without pain and plans to return from wrist surgery at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, ending his longest stretch without competition and looking at his time off as a chance to reset. “I had some really bad habits for a long...
Former rivals Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray team up at Australian OpenVideo
MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have known each other for a quarter of a century. They played from the age of 12, meeting 36 times as professionals, including 10 Grand Slam matches. Yet they’ve never been able to talk shop and freely trade all sorts of thoughts...
Harbaugh back in Houston for playoffs a year after winning college title when Chargers visit TexansVideo
HOUSTON — Coach Jim Harbaugh returns to Houston on Saturday with the Los Angeles Chargers for a wild-card playoff game against the Texans, a little more than a year after leading Michigan to a national championship at NRG Stadium. Harbaugh left Michigan after that 34-13 victory and has turned around...
How a loss to Northern Illinois set the table for Notre Dame’s run to the CFP title gameVideo
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The toughest game Notre Dame will play this season is, obviously, going to happen on Jan. 20, the College Football Playoff national championship game. The toughest game the Irish played to date probably was the Orange Bowl against Penn State. There were plenty of tough games...
Pitt Take 5: Noon start vs. Louisville, players’ meeting allow Panthers to quickly get back to work
The next game after a loss is always one of the most important of any season. Coming off a 29-point defeat Tuesday at Duke, Pitt’s players immediately met amongst themselves to quickly dissolve the sour taste and get back to the business of winning games. “After the game, we came...
‘Living off past glory’: Plenty at stake as Steelers vie to end 8-year drought of playoff wins
Mike Tomlin has a history of guiding the Pittsburgh Steelers to 18 consecutive seasons without a losing record and a dozen NFL playoff appearances, yet the Super Bowl XLIII champion coach knows his story comes with baggage that he refuses to project onto his players. That doesn’t mean he’s immune to...
Steelers tasked with solving NFL’s hottest defense when they face Ravens in wild-card matchup
It’s not lost on the Pittsburgh Steelers that their opponent in the NFL’s wild-card playoff round doesn’t just possess the league’s top-ranked offense but also the stingiest defense over the final eight weeks of the season. Starting with their Week 11 meeting with the Steelers — when they didn’t allow...
Latest NFL season highlights financial risks for sports betting companies when so many favorites win
NEW YORK — It’s been a tough football season for sports books. FanDuel and its key rival DraftKings have both showed investors that the house can indeed lose, or at least lose more than anticipated. Flutter Entertainment, which operates FanDuel and dominates the sports betting industry with a market value...
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts clears concussion protocol, will start wild-card game against Green Bay
PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts has cleared the NFL concussion protocol and will start for the Philadelphia Eagles in their NFC wild-card game Sunday against Green Bay. The Eagles quarterback hasn’t played since he suffered a concussion and left a Dec. 22 game early against Washington. Coach Nick Sirianni said Friday...
Browns QB Deshaun Watson reinjures Achilles, has surgery and will miss ‘significant’ time in 2025
CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson had surgery after rupturing his Achilles tendon for the second time in three months and could miss the entire 2025 season. The team said Watson, who has played in just 19 games in three seasons with Cleveland due to an NFL suspension and...
Former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck says he has committed to Miami for 2025 season
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Carson Beck has pushed his NFL plans back a year and is committed to play next season at Miami, making the announcement known Friday and becoming another huge transfer portal acquisition for the Hurricanes. Beck, the now-former Georgia quarterback, delivered the news on social media with...
Lamar Jackson repeats, Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson are unanimous choices for AP All-Pro
Lamar Jackson beat out Josh Allen, and Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson are unanimous choices for The Associated Press 2024 NFL All-Pro Team. Saquon Barkley received 48 of 50 first-place votes and Patrick Surtain II got 49 from a nationwide panel of media members who regularly cover the league. “Wow,...
4 Downs: Steelers outscored 66-0 in 1st quarters of playoff losing streak, 40-3 in current skid
1. First-quarter blues The only Pittsburgh Steelers losing streak uglier than the one over the past four games they’ve played is the five-game postseason skid they carry into Saturday’s playoff game in Baltimore. The Steelers have been outscored by an average of 13 points per game over the past month...
Steelers’ Cameron Heyward, Chris Boswell earn first-team All-Pro honors
Cameron Heyward continues to show that at age 35, he remains one of the NFL’s top defensive linemen. And, at 33, Chris Boswell has emerged as the league’s most reliable kicker. Two of the elder statesmen on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster were rewarded Friday for their work this season when...
Mark Madden: The recalibration of Mike Tomlin’s legend continues
Denial. It’s tough. With the Pittsburgh Steelers set to finish their traditional late-season skid with a fifth straight loss by losing their wild-card playoff game at Baltimore on Saturday, here’s a bit of hope: Betting the Steelers on the money line is great value. The Steelers are plus-400. A worthwhile...
Penn State QB Drew Allar reflects on interception in CFP Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame
MIAMI — Drew Allar sat on the Hard Rock Stadium grass alone, slamming the ground with both hands after making the biggest mistake of his football career. While Notre Dame celebrated, offensive lineman Drew Shelton helped his quarterback to his feet. Walking back to the Penn State sideline, Allar put...
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter to enter NFL Draft
It doesn’t come as a surprise, but Penn State’s biggest star is off to the next level. Junior defensive end Abdul Carter will forgo his final year of college eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday morning. The edge rusher widely has been...
First Call: John Harbaugh brings up ‘next week’ while discussing Zay Flowers; ex-Steeler up for 49ers’ defensive job
Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said something that caught the attention of many Pittsburgh Steelers fans. A former Steeler is making a name for himself on the interview circuit for defensive coordinators. The Penguins have a chance to make some noise in the wild-card race this weekend. And Evgeni Malkin...
Tim Benz: Penguins flip the script to avoid another late-game collapse against Oilers
It’s fitting that the Pittsburgh Penguins’ “Star Wars Night” promotion Thursday evening followed Tuesday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. That defeat created a great disturbance in the force at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins blew a 3-1 advantage in the third period, then lost the shootout 2-0,...
Football Footnotes: If the Steelers are to upset the Ravens, here are 3 specific fixes they’ll need
When you lose 34-17, as the Pittsburgh Steelers did in Baltimore in Week 16, that means there are plenty of things to correct. That’s particularly true if you face the same opponent in the playoffs three weeks later, as the Steelers are doing Saturday when they visit Baltimore again to...
