Sports category, Page 387
Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson resumes practicing
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson rejoined his teammates for a practice session in Cranberry on Friday. While he participated in a non-contact fashion, it marked the first time he has formally practiced since he suffered an undisclosed injury during a 3-2 overtime road loss to the Ottawa Senators on Dec....
No. 20 Colorado cherishing matchup with No. 17 BYU in Alamo Bowl as Sanders, Hunter complete careers
SAN ANTONIO — Colorado is relishing the chance to end its season on a high note regardless of the outcome of the Alamo Bowl. While a number of teams are shuffling their roster with players opting out of bowl games to enter the transfer portal or prepare for the NFL...
Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein, 2nd-team All-American linebacker Kyle Louis reveal plans to return in 2025
Quarterback Eli Holstein, who led Pitt to a 7-0 start before injuries derailed much of the remainder of his season, and All-America linebacker Kyle Louis said Friday on social media platform X they will return to the team in 2025. Holstein will lead a quarterback room that will include former...
Analysis: Pat Narduzzi, Pitt’s football program have much to prove in 2025
Nothing about Pat Narduzzi’s 10th season should be shocking news for anyone who has followed the passionate coach throughout his time at Pitt. He loves his players. Sincerely, I believe. Many of them love him back, especially the 14 players who have publicly announced their intentions to stay the course...
Mark Madden: No surprise that flawed roster, poor coaching led to Steelers’ collapse
This column will be all over the place. Because the Pittsburgh Steelers are all over the place. From 10-3 to 10-6. From AFC North front-runner in line for a playoff home game to hitting the road for the wild-card round. From “a legit Super Bowl contender that can beat anybody”...
Behind improved offensive line, Penn State running game peaking at right time
Andy Kotelnicki made clear Thursday afternoon that Penn State will lean on one position group to continue marching through the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions’ offensive coordinator shined a light on the offensive line Thursday, specifically for the consistency and physicality it has shown of late. Against SMU, the...
Jaylen Raynor, Zak Wallace lead Arkansas State past Bowling Green in the 68 Ventures Bowl
MOBILE, Ala. — Jaylen Raynor passed for 221 yards and two touchdowns to go with a rushing score, and Zak Wallace had 99 yards rushing and a TD to help Arkansas State beat Bowling Green, 38-31, on Thursday night in the 68 Ventures Bowl. Wallace scored on a 14-yard run...
Football Footnotes: As Steelers spiral, much of their AFC playoff fate could be determined this weekend
The Steelers are locked into one of the AFC’s seven playoff spots. You just wouldn’t know it based on how they performed against three straight playoff teams over these past three weeks. Against a trio of division leaders — the Philadelphia Eagles (NFC East), the Baltimore Ravens (AFC North) and...
Williams, Woolen lead way as Seahawks beat struggling Bears 6-3 to boost playoff hopesVideo
CHICAGO — Riq Woolen intercepted Caleb Williams’ late pass, and the Seattle Seahawks boosted their fading playoff hopes, squeezing past Chicago, 6-3, on Thursday night to hand the Bears their 10th straight loss. Jason Myers kicked field goals on the game’s first possession and near the end of the second...
Dylan Edwards scores 3 TDs, Kansas State rallies to beat Rutgers, 44-41, in Rate BowlVideo
PHOENIX — Dylan Edwards ran for 196 yards and scored his third touchdown on a 36-yard run in the fourth quarter, helping Kansas State rally past Rutgers, 44-41, in the Rate Bowl on Thursday night. The Scarlet Knights (7-6) led by 10 at halftime and went up 34-17 on Ja’shon...
Cowboys shutting down CeeDee Lamb with 2 games to go because of shoulder injuryVideo
FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys are shutting down CeeDee Lamb with two games remaining after their 2023 All-Pro receiver spent the second half of the season dealing with a sprained right shoulder. The team said Thursday that additional exams revealed enough damage to keep Lamb off the field Sunday...
Pitt loses 10-point lead in 4th quarter, drops GameAbove Sports Bowl to Toledo in 6 OTs
After Toledo put a painful exclamation point on Pitt’s first six-game losing streak in 26 years, Pat Narduzzi sat between senior co-captains Gavin Bartholomew and Brandon George and tried to put a positive spin on a six-overtime drama. Not an easy task after Toledo (8-5) of the Mid-American Conference walked...
At least 65 million tune in for Netflix NFL Christmas Day games. NBA holiday ratings also skyrocketVideo
LeBron James is going to have to make room for the NFL. Wednesday’s doubleheader on Netflix set records as the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history, with numbers nearly five times more than the NBA. The Baltimore Ravens’ 31-2 victory over the Houston Texans averaged 24.3 million, and Kansas City’s...
Pavia leads Vanderbilt against King, Georgia Tech in Birmingham BowlVideo
Georgia Tech knocked off two top-10 teams, and Vanderbilt toppled then-No. 1 Alabama. The two opponents in Friday’s Birmingham Bowl have taken highly ranked teams into multiple overtimes. They also are led by mobile quarterbacks who throw few interceptions. There’s a reason that Vandy coach Clark Lea calls the teams...
Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s creativity has team humming in CFPVideo
Andy Kotelnicki likes to tinker. It’s just kind of his way. The Penn State first-year offensive coordinator is wary of growing stagnant. No matter how deep into the season it gets, there’s always time for a new wrinkle, a new play, anything to give an upcoming opponent a little something...
Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire ready for Liberty Bowl eager to quiet Arkansas fansVideo
Joey McGuire grew up on the Texas-Arkansas border with his family season-ticket holders for the Razorbacks, a team known locally as the Hogs. The number for his first landline telephone as a teenager literally ended in 1464, or 1HOG. McGuire is wrapping up his third season as coach at Texas...
Analysis: Some Chiefs could rest for 24 days after team clinches No. 1 seed in AFCVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs earned a much-deserved extended rest after their Christmas Day rout of the Pittsburgh Steelers, which capped an unbeaten stretch of three games in 11 days and clinched them the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. That extended rest? Well, it can...
Analysis: Texans must get on track before playoffs after lopsided loss to RavensVideo
HOUSTON — The Houston Texans certainly didn’t look like a playoff team in a rout by the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday. With just one game left until the playoffs begin, the AFC South champions know they’ll have to get much better to be competitive in the postseason. “That’s not who...
Lions sign Teddy Bridgewater as a veteran backup QBVideo
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Detroit Lions are bringing back Teddy Bridgewater to give the team a veteran backup quarterback for their playoff run. Coach Dan Campbell said Thursday that the team signed Bridgewater as another backup with second-year player Hendon Hooker behind starter Jared Goff. The Lions have clinched...
No longer in control of playoff destination, Steelers turn focus to rebounding vs. Bengals
Within an 11-day span, the Pittsburgh Steelers went from having an outside chance of earning home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs to most likely opening the postseason on the road. They not only squandered a chance to control the AFC North, they find themselves trailing the Baltimore Ravens based on...
Ravens now in the AFC North driver’s seat after 3 convincing wins in 11-day stretch
Now Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens can rest a bit. They’ve certainly earned it. Baltimore’s 31-2 rout of Houston on Wednesday capped a sweep of a grueling stretch of three games in 11 days. Baltimore looked like a Super Bowl contender while handling the Giants, Steelers and Texans. A...
Walk-on David Lynch starts at quarterback for Pitt in GameAbove Sports Bowl
For the second time in its three most recent bowl appearances, Pitt will turn to a third-string quarterback. David Lynch, a walk-on who enrolled in January 2023, will start for the Panthers on Thursday against Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Detroit’s Ford Field. Three years ago, Davis Beville...
Detroit Red Wings fire coach Derek Lalonde, name Todd McLellan as his replacement
The Detroit Red Wings fired coach Derek Lalonde on Thursday and named Todd McLellan as his replacement, a major change by general manager Steve Yzerman more than a third of the way through another disappointing season in the place known as “Hockeytown.” The move the day after Christmas comes with...
Jim Larrañaga steps down at Miami, Bill Courtney takes over to finish season
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Jim Larrañaga insists he still loves the University of Miami, still loves the game of basketball, still loves mentoring players, still loves coaching. He doesn’t love what college basketball has become. And with that, he’s leaving. The 75-year-old Larrañaga stepped down Thursday, effective immediately, and will...
Arizona State rides quarterback Sam Leavitt’s steady hand into the College Football Playoff
TEMPE, Ariz. — Sam Leavitt grew up with three older siblings, one of whom went on to play in the NFL. None of them let the baby of the family win at anything, and it drove him nuts. “It’s not like he ever was a good loser,” said Tania Leavitt,...
