Sports category, Page 377
Steelers notes: Team struggles in Philly – but Russell Wilson does not
It has been discussed at length this week that the Pittsburgh Steelers have not won a game in Philadelphia since 1965. That’s OK. Their starting quarterback has never lost there. The Steelers have lost 10 consecutive in their trips across the state. But while he was with the Seattle Seahawks...
Minnesota reaps windfall from epic comeback of lake trout in Lake Superior
MINNEAPOLIS — Once-rare lake trout in Lake Superior are doing so well that state biologists will use the fish to stock the species in lakes around the state, officials have announced. This fall, the Department of Natural Resources successfully harvested lake trout eggs from fish captured in two nets set...
Off the couch and into the fire: Chiefs keep finding reinforcements for Super Bowl-contending rosterVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Pick your adjective to describe the Kansas City Chiefs this season — charmed, serendipitous, fortunate or just plain lucky — and it probably fits and not just because they keep winning games that come down to the wire. Every time they need help at a position,...
Pittsburgh Riverhounds to play in 2025 Jägermeister Cup
For the first time, a U.S. soccer league will hold its own interleague cup, and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC will participate. The United Soccer League announced Thursday the expansion of the USL Jägermeister Cup, which will unite teams from the USL Championship and League One. The USL Jägermeister Cup will include...
Teryl Austin, Steelers know they can’t have A.J. Brown repeat from last game at Eagles
Teryl Austin could do nothing but laugh and repeat the question. “Do I recall that game?” the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator said Thursday of the most recent time his team played in Philadelphia. “That was not a good game for us.” No, it was not. The Eagles connected for three...
Bill Belichick ‘always wanted’ to give college coaching a try. Now he will at North CarolinaVideo
Bill Belichick had just been introduced Thursday as North Carolina’s next football coach when chancellor Lee Roberts came armed with a gift: a short-sleeved gray hoodie — a bit of a trademark from Belichick’s NFL coaching days — bearing a blue interlocking “NC” logo. It was the visual confirmation, which...
Despite turnovers in Big Ten title game, Penn State carries offensive momentum into CFPVideo
By now, Penn State players and coaches long have digested last weekend’s Big Ten championship game loss to Oregon, with all eyes and attention on the College Football Playoff. A new season awaits the No. 6 seed Nittany Lions, who host No. 11 SMU on Dec. 21 at Beaver Stadium....
Rich Rodriguez returning to West Virginia for a second stint as head coach
Rich Rodriguez is returning to West Virginia for a second stint as head coach at his alma mater. Athletic director Wren Baker announced the hiring Thursday, 17 years after Rodriguez made a hasty exit for what became a disastrous three-year experiment at Michigan. “We are thrilled to welcome coach Rich...
First Call: Steelers expect Eagles to get A.J. Brown more involved; Joey Porter Jr. discusses defensive assignmentsVideo
Thursday’s “First Call” finds a Pittsburgh Steeler who is getting ready to play the Philadelphia Eagles for a second time this year. Joey Porter Jr. talks about trying to slow the Eagles’ offensive attack. The Penguins are heading up to Canada. And an AFC contender is keeping a close eye...
U mad, bro?: Readers fuming about Steelers fans’ behavior, George Pickens media coverage, MLB contracts
The Pittsburgh Steelers have won two in a row. The Penguins are generally playing better. And it even appears the Pirates are trying to address their first base hole with someone who isn’t old, washed up and overweight. So, generally, readers are in a good mood right now. Keep in...
Minor league report: Boris Katchouk ties goal record as Penguins beat CheckersVideo
Four goals by forward Boris Katchouk led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to a 6-4 win against the Charlotte Checkers at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday. Katchouk tied Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s single-game record for goals. His predecessors: • Erik Christensen — Oct. 5, 2005 (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 8, Bridgeport Sound Tigers 1) • J.F....
Duquesne men’s basketball team loses at home to Maine
As the college basketball season sinks lower for the Duquesne Dukes, first-year coach Dru Joyce III reaffirmed Wednesday night a calm, cool and collective commitment to success in the wake of a 61-56 loss to Maine at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. “You’ve got to work through the kinks, learn to trust,”...
Freshman Brandin Cummings scores 30 off bench to lead Pitt past Eastern Kentucky
Pitt’s 96-56 victory against Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday night was special for freshman Brandin Cummings long before he scored 30 points and became only the fourth Pitt player to reach that benchmark in school history. Seated courtside at Petersen Events Center, almost close enough to block one of Cummings’ shots,...
In season filled with close games, nobody wins more than Chiefs
In a season on pace for a record number of close games, no team has been better at pulling them out late than the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs tied an NFL record last week by winning their 10th game this season by seven...
Report: Bill Belichick agrees to become North Carolina’s football coachVideo
Six-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick has agreed to a five-year deal to become the next coach at North Carolina. The school announced the hiring Wednesday night, roughly a week after the 72-year-old Belichick’s name surfaced as an unlikely candidate to replace the program’s winningest all-time coach in Mack Brown....
Pitt wide receiver Konata Mumpfield declares for ’25 NFL Draft
After three seasons at Pitt and one at Akron, wide receiver Konata Mumpfield has decided to end his collegiate career and declare for the 2025 NFL Draft. Mumpfield’s decision further depletes the Panthers’ passing game for the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Dec. 26 after wide receiver Daejon Reynolds and quarterback...
Luke DeCock: Bill Belichick ready to cut sleeves off an Alexander Julian blazer as UNC football coach
RALEIGH, N.C. — Bill Belichick, cutting the sleeves off an Alexander Julian plaid blazer. Bill Belichick, responding to boosters’ grinning back-slaps with a scowl and, “We’re on to Georgia Tech.” Bill Belichick, trying on Mack Brown’s old sideline puffy coat for size. Bill Belichick, being asked to shake the hand...
Kyle Louis, Desmond Reid named 2nd-team All-Americans by The Athletic, CBS Sports
Kyle Louis and Desmond Reid, who were Pitt’s most consistent performers during the football season, were named second-team All-Americans on Wednesday by The Athletic and CBS Sports. Louis, a first-time All-American, offered a little bit of everything from his outside linebacker position, compiling 96 tackles, 15½ for a loss, seven...
Stopping Saquon: Steelers focus on minimizing damage by dynamic Eagles star running back
The Pittsburgh Steelers have seen their share of elite running backs this season, but coach Mike Tomlin described Saquon Barkley as both dominant and dynamic because the Philadelphia Eagles star has created a degree of separation from his peers in highlight reel-caliber plays. Barkley’s backwards bounce over Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback...
Mike Tomlin ‘enamored’ with his run D, but Elandon Roberts says he’s more than that for Steelers
A day after Mike Tomlin recalled how he and former general manager Kevin Colbert were “enamored” with him after attending his 2016 pro day at the University of Houston, Elandon Roberts playfully admonished Tomlin for not acting more on it. “I always mess with Mike T,” Roberts said Wednesday, “‘Man,...
George Pickens, Larry Ogunjobi, DeShon Elliott sit out Steelers practice because of injury
Receiver George Pickens, defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi and safety DeShon Elliott did not practice for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday, according to the league-mandated injury report. Pickens is nursing a hamstring injury suffered late last week that caused him to miss this past Sunday’s win against the Cleveland Browns. Coach...
Blocking, ‘splash’ on special teams help Ben Skowronek settle into role with Steelers
Amidst Zoom-directed training at the height of the pandemic, Ben Skowronek jotted down something that his position coach at Notre Dame had told him. “He said, ‘Look, man, you can be the best in the world at this,’ ” Skowronek said of what Fighting Irish wide receivers coach Del Alexander...
Beach volleyball is king in Dan Fisher’s hometown, but he has carried collegiate version to great heights at Pitt
Dan Fisher grew up in Santa Barbara, Calif., where residents play beach volleyball like Pittsburgh kids play Wiffle ball or Little League. “It is mainstream there,” he said. But it wasn’t on the beach where he learned the collegiate game of volleyball that has lifted him to the top of...
Could forward prospect Filip Hallander re-join Penguins?
On Wednesday, Swedish outlet Expressen reported Pittsburgh Penguins forward prospect Filip Hallander is expected to sign a new contract with the team after this season. Currently a member of Timra IK in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), Hallander — as well as his agent, Patrik Aronsson — declined comment to...
Pirates add 5 players, lose 3 in minor league phase of Rule 5 Draft
With the eighth overall selection in this year’s Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates passed on making a pick. However, in the minor-league portion of the draft, the Pirates added five players: righty reliever Franck De La Rosa (Athletics), left-handed relievers Randy Labaut and Steve Hajjar (both from...
