Sports category, Page 408
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,...
Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust are lifting the PenguinsVideo
Things were different for the Pittsburgh Penguins during Monday’s 7-3 rout against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. No, watching Sidney Crosby and company put up a touchdown’s worth — including an extra point — of goals against their most enduring rival isn’t anything new. The Penguins have racked up inflated offensive...
Steelers vs. Chiefs: What they’re saying in Kansas City after winVideo
Well, that certainly was ugly. The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t just drop a lump of coal in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ stocking, they backed up a dump truck of it. And the drubbing is being talked about among those in Kansas City media in the appropriate manner. “The Chiefs destroyed the...
5 things we learned: Playoff picture coming into focus, and it’s not a clear one for reeling Steelers
Here are 5 things we learned from Chiefs 29, Steelers 10: 1. Sowing the seeds One thing became certain with the Steelers extending their losing streak to three games with the Christmas loss to Kansas City: They are assured of not facing the Chiefs again in the first round of...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans snap after loss to Chiefs on Christmas
Most of Western Pennsylvania spent a good chunk of their Christmas Day watching the Pittsburgh Steelers get throttled at home by the Kansas City Chiefs, 29-10. Personally, I think those fine folks deserve a forum to vent. So here is my belated stocking stuffer for all of you. It’s a...
Lamar Jackson breaks NFL QB rushing record, accounts for 3 TDs as Ravens rout TexansVideo
HOUSTON — Lamar Jackson broke the NFL career rushing record for quarterbacks in the Baltimore Ravens’ victory over the Houston Texans on Wednesday. A highlight came when Jackson dashed 48 yards for a touchdown on a run where he reached a career-best top speed of 21.25 mph. “I was jogging,”...
Beyoncé’s performance highlights Netflix’s NFL debut on Christmas DayVideo
Beyoncé provided more excitement than either game during Netflix’s NFL debut on Christmas Day. Riding into her halftime appearance on a white horse, the 32-time Grammy winner rocked her hometown Houston crowd with a nearly 13-minute performance on Wednesday. She surprised fans by bringing along Shaboozey to perform “Sweet Honey...
Steelers defense questioning its ‘want-to’ after 3rd straight subpar effort in loss to Chiefs
That Pittsburgh Steelers defense that was collecting takeaways and pressuring quarterbacks? The unit that carried the team to two wins this season in which its offense didn’t even score a touchdown? It has lost its swagger. “The last three weeks,” defensive co-captain Cameron Heyward said, “we played like (crap). “Simple...
Airing of Grievances: Poor pass protection, rotten start, shoddy defense doom Steelers on Christmas DayVideo
The Steelers’ Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs went as well as the holiday dinner in the movie “Christmas Vacation.” The offense was about as dry as the Griswold’s turkey. The defense got fried like the family cat, and Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes caused as much chaos...
Steelers notes: Return of George Pickens doesn’t boost sputtering offense
The return of George Pickens did little to kick-start the sputtering Pittsburgh Steelers offense. Pickens, the No. 1 wide receiver, played for the first time Wednesday since Dec. 1 because of a hamstring injury suffered in practice later that week. But instead of buoying an offense that had two of...
Patrick Mahomes dissects defense for 3 TDs as Chiefs hand Steelers 3rd straight loss
If the Pittsburgh Steelers were looking for a gift from a jolly fellow wearing red and white, the Kansas City Chiefs were dressed for the occasion. Chiefs coach Andy Reid even arrived at Acrisure Stadium in a Santa Claus suit. But the trouble following their Christmas Day defeat has less...
Sebastian Aho embracing leadership role with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Sebastian Aho probably would admit this season has taken a different turn from what he had in mind last summer when inking a two-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins worth $775,000 annually. At the time, the Penguins bringing Aho — a veteran of 190 NHL games — aboard with modest...
Chiefs without All Pro DT Chris Jones for game vs. Steelers
Two-time reigning AP NFL All Pro Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones was not in uniform for Wednesday’s game at the Pittsburgh Steelers because of a calf injury four days prior in Kansas City’s win against the Houston Texans. Jones, who has been part of all three recent Chiefs’...
Players have mixed feelings about being on the road on Christmas as NFL adds more holiday games
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Asked if there was any special meaning to playing on Christmas for a second straight season, Lamar Jackson paused for several seconds before answering. That said it all. “I mean, it is,” he finally replied, trying to be diplomatic. “That means we’re good. But at the...
1,000-yard rushers are keeping pace with 1,000-yard receivers for a change in the NFL
Led by free-agent bargains Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, the number of big-play running backs is rivaling the number of high-production wide receivers for a change. With two weeks remaining in the season, there are 11 players who have reached the 1,000-yard milestone in both rushing and receiving, a far...
South Florida beats San Jose State in Hawaii Bowl when Mac Harris knocks down pass in 5th overtime
HONOLULU — Bryce Archie found Keshaun Singleton over the middle to give South Florida the lead in the fifth overtime and Mac Harris batted down a pass in the end zone to give the Bulls a 41-39 victory over San Jose State on Tuesday night in the Hawaii Bowl. It...
