Sports category, Page 367
Steelers blow chance to clinch AFC North — but still control fate in division race
BALTIMORE — The Pittsburgh Steelers could have taken the easy route to their first division title since 2020. Instead, they likely have more work to do. Saturday’s 34-17 defeat to the Ravens kept Baltimore alive to defend as AFC North champion and moved it into a tie with the Steelers...
Joey Porter Jr., Ben Skowronek leave Steelers loss to Ravens because of injury
BALTIMORE — Pittsburgh Steelers starting cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and depth wide receiver Ben Skowronek could not finish Saturday’s loss at the Baltimore Ravens because of injuries suffered during the first quarter. Porter and Skowronek each briefly returned to the game in the second half but again left. Porter had...
Texas beats Clemson, advances to face to Arizona State in College Football Playoff quarterfinals
AUSTIN, Texas — Jaydon Blue ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns, the last a 77-yard burst in the fourth quarter, and Texas beat Clemson 38-24 on Saturday in the first round of the expanded College Football Playoff. Blue’s fourth-quarter touchdown came after Clemson rallied from down 31-10 to 31-24...
Derrick Henry, Ravens run all over Steelers in rare rivalry blowout to tie for AFC North lead
BALTIMORE — The Pittsburgh Steelers came here with a chance to clinch the AFC North championship but failed to heed the whistle of a warning from one of the Charm City’s most memorable TV characters. You come at the king, you best not miss. A depleted defense couldn’t stop the...
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid working through injuries and mental health struggles
PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid is trying to believe in the good that can come from asking for help. Embiid’s career has yielded an MVP — and so many more DNPs — with a biography littered by the kind of devastating injuries that can, in time, heal. Ask even the most...
Stolen base king Rickey Henderson dies at 65
OAKLAND, Calif. — Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, the brash speedster who shattered stolen base records and redefined baseball’s leadoff position, has died. He was 65. Henderson died Friday. The Athletics said Saturday they were “shocked and heartbroken by his passing,” but did not specify a cause of death. Known...
Sports fans enjoy ‘Barbenheimer’ of football with Penn State, Steelers games back-to-back
For Western Pa. sports fans, Saturday’s lineup of back-to-back Penn State and Steelers football games offered the athletics equivalent of the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon that left movie fanatics in a frenzy for the same-day release of films “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” last year. Football fans filled seats and bar stools at Hempfield’s...
History looms in NCAA volleyball championship with female coaches poised as first to win a title
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Players and coaches who will make history at the NCAA volleyball championship still find it hard to believe a female coach hasn’t already won a title. After all, a female coach has influenced almost every stage of their volleyball lives. It was assumed a woman had already...
Duquesne tops UC Irvine for 3rd win in last 4 games
While Duquesne was enjoying a double-digit lead Saturday at halftime against UC Irvine, Dru Joyce III insisted he wasn’t nervous about the impending outcome, even though the Dukes’ first-year men’s basketball coach knew all along the Anteaters were renowned for their strong second-half play. Two days earlier, they rallied from...
Alvaro Folgueiras leads Robert Morris’ win against St. Francis (Pa.)
MOON TOWNSHIP — Alvaro Folgueiras scored 27 points as Robert Morris beat St. Francis (Pa.), 90-77, on Saturday for the Colonials’ second win in a row. Folgueiras added 16 rebounds, four steals and three blocks for the Colonials (8-5). He entered the game averaging 11.7 points and 10.4 rebounds. “He...
Patrick Mahomes throws for TD, runs for score in Chiefs win
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes knew he could run on the ankle he sprained last week. The bigger concern for the Chiefs quarterback was how he would stop, when all the weight and pressure and momentum would land squarely upon it. The solution against Houston was simple: Mahomes didn’t...
Konan Niederhauser scores 18, Ace Baldwin adds 15 in Penn State win
PHILADELPHIA — Yanic Konan Niederhauser scored 18 points, Ace Baldwin Jr. had 15 points and six assists and Penn State defeated Drexel, 75-64, on Saturday at Wells Fargo Center. Penn State led 51-38 with 15 minutes left in regulation before Drexel went on an extended rally to get within 58-56...
Penn State pummels SMU in 1st round of CFP, using pick-6s to reach quarters
UNIVERSITY PARK — For as much as James Franklin likely subscribes to the coach-talk cliche of disregarding outside noise, he had to be aware of the major reputational implications Saturday’s College Football Playoff game held for him and his Nittany Lions program. Finally, Penn State was in the CFP, but...
Steelers without 4 starters vs. Ravens, including CB Donte Jackson
BALTIMORE — The Pittsburgh Steelers have a chance to clinch the AFC North Division title with a win over the Baltimore Ravens but will have to do so without four starters. Wide receiver George Pickens (hamstring), strong safety DeShon Elliott (hamstring), cornerback Donte Jackson (back) and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi...
Pitt goes into holiday break with 10 wins after pounding Sam Houston
Pitt coach Jeff Capel and his players will take a 10-2 record into the holiday break, but it’s time for everyone to take a deep breath and relax. At least until they’ve had that last sip of egg nog. After Pitt’s 110-78 victory Saturday against Sam Houston at Petersen Events...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Despite being in postseason chase, Penguins need to be sellers
If the Pittsburgh Penguins stay in the playoff picture as the NHL season slogs into January — that’s a big “if,” but never bet against Sidney Crosby — a few things must happen. The Penguins must regardless trade defenseman Marcus Pettersson, an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. President of hockey...
Pitt gets commitment from former Murray State kicker James London
Pitt filled a huge need through the transfer portal when kicker James London pledged to enroll next year. He could be the successor to Ben Sauls, who has been Pitt’s regular kicker the past three seasons. 1000 % COMMITTED ???????? pic.twitter.com/UZMOdwga65— James London 5 ⭐️ Kicker (@JamesLondonJr29) December 20, 2024...
Minor league report: Nailers’ winning streak haltedVideo
The Wheeling Nailers’ franchise record 13-game winning streak came to an end with a 4-0 loss to the Toledo Walleye at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, W.Va. on Friday. Goaltender Taylor Gauthier made 25 saves on 29 shots as his record slipped to 3-1-0. Wheeling (17-4-1-0) was shut out for the...
Notre Dame christens new playoff era with dominant win over Indiana
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Jeremiyah Love tied the Notre Dame record with a 98-yard touchdown run, Riley Leonard added two more scores and the Fighting Irish shut down the highest-scoring team in the College Football Playoff, overwhelming Indiana, 27-17, on Friday night. The seventh-seeded Fighting Irish (12-1) won their 11th...
Tim Cowlishaw: SMU-Penn State matchup signals a strange new world for college football
DALLAS — The SMU Mustangs are venturing into the unknown Saturday, and I don’t just mean trying to find University Park on a map, which is a challenge of its own. This is something completely different. For years, one loud chorus of voices shouted that college football needed a real...
DJ Lagway helps Florida trounce Tulane in Gasparilla Bowl
TAMPA, Fla. — DJ Lagway shrugged off a couple of first-half turnovers and threw for 305 yards and a touchdown to lead Florida to a sloppy but dominating 33-8 victory over Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl on Friday. Trey Smack kicked a Gasparilla Bowl-record four field goals for the Gators...
Deer Lakes grad Michael Sullivan chosen in MLS draft
Deer Lakes graduate Michael Sullivan has been drafted by MLS club Toronto FC. Sullivan, a midfielder who just completed his senior season at Pitt, was selected with the ninth pick of the second round, 39th overall, of the MLS SuperDraft. Sullivan played 67 games in four years with the Panthers,...
Tiger Woods’ immediate goal: Keep his son from beating him in golf for 18 holesVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods turns 49 at the end of the month, and he has one pressing goal that relates to his golf. He wants to prolong that inevitable day when his son beats him over 18 holes. They will be playing with — not against — each other...
Former NFL star Michael Vick officially hired by Norfolk State on FridayVideo
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk State officially named Michael Vick its football coach Friday, the latest hire of a talented NFL player with no college coaching experience to lead an HBCU program. Vick’s addition was unanimously approved by the school’s board of visitors, Norfolk State athletic director Melody Webb said in...
Parker Navarro’s big 1st half helps Ohio win Cure Bowl
ORLANDO, Fla. — Parker Navarro ran for three touchdowns and passed for a fourth in the first half, and Ohio held off Jacksonville State, 30-27, on Friday in the Cure Bowl, the only bowl game featuring two conference champions. The Mid-American Conference champion Bobcats (11-3), who won their seventh straight...
