Sports category, Page 409
Football Footnotes: 5 key points where Steelers can improve against BrownsVideo
Plenty of things went wrong when the Pittsburgh Steelers visited Cleveland and lost 24-19 on Nov. 21. It’s the team’s only defeat in the past seven outings. After the game, most folks were blaming the coaching staff. Rightfully so. It was a lousy performance. Every 50-50 decision Mike Tomlin and...
Lions beat Packers on last-second field goal to clinch playoff spot
DETROIT — Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes, Jake Bates made a 35-yard field goal as time expired and the Detroit Lions clinched a playoff spot with a 34-31 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night. The NFC-best Lions (12-1) broke a franchise record with their 11th straight...
Struggling Bengals visit banged-up Cowboys
With star quarterback Dak Prescott already sidelined for the season by a torn hamstring, the Dallas Cowboys now have to go the rest of the way without right guard Zack Martin because of the seven-time All-Pro’s bad ankle. The latest injury downer for Dallas comes with the Cowboys (5-7) on...
Penn State beats No. 8 Purdue in Big Ten opener
STATE COLLEGE — Ace Baldwin Jr. scored 17 points, Freddie Dilione V added 14 and Penn State pulled away from No. 8 Purdue for an 81-70 victory in the Big Ten opener for both teams Thursday night. Puff Johnson had 13 and four steals, and Nick Kern Jr. had 12...
Ravens can reset before December stretch run they handled so impressively in 2023Video
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — December was when the Baltimore Ravens really hit their stride a season ago. Lamar Jackson took control of the MVP race, and the team finished with the best record in the NFL thanks to emphatic wins over San Francisco and Miami. A year later, Baltimore has...
Heisman hopeful RB Ashton Jeanty confirms he’s leaving Boise State after this seasonVideo
BOISE, Idaho — Boise State running back and Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty confirmed Thursday that this will be his last season at the university. The nation’s leading rusher with 2,288 yards on 312 carries along with 28 total touchdowns, has long been expected to enter the NFL Draft after...
Pitt wide receiver Daejon Reynolds reveals plans to transfer
Wide receiver Daejon Reynolds, whose role in Pitt’s passing game diminished this season, decided to place his name in the NCAA transfer portal. Reynolds, 21, will have one season of eligibility. Reynolds spent the past two seasons with the Panthers after transferring from Florida where he caught a total of...
Scottie Scheffler has new putting grip, trails Cameron Young by 3Video
NASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler brought a new putting grip to the Hero World Challenge and felt enough improvement to be satisfied with the result, a 5-under-par 67 that left him three shots behind Cameron Young on Thursday. Young was playing for the first time since the BMW Championship more...
Bill Belichick interviews for UNC job, AP sources say
North Carolina interviewed former New England Patriots coach and six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick for its head coaching position, two people with knowledge of the situation said Thursday. Both people spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the school isn’t commenting publicly on its search. Belichick’s...
No. 8 SMU looks to complete unbeaten run through ACC in conference title game vs. No. 18 ClemsonVideo
SMU had no problems handling the jump to the ACC. Now the No. 8 Mustangs (11-1, 8-0, No. 8 CFP) look to complete an unbeaten run through the ACC in their inaugural season when they face perennial conference power Clemson on Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte....
Tino Sunseri tabbed to replace Eric Bieniemy at UCLA
LOS ANGELES — Eric Bieniemy’s return to UCLA lasted only one season. The Bruins let go of Bieniemy on Thursday after fielding one of the nation’s worst offenses this season. It didn’t take head coach DeShaun Foster long to find a replacement. Indiana quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri...
Arizona State coach once studied program at Iowa State, the team he now faces in Big 12 title gameVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — There was just something about coach Matt Campbell and his program at Iowa State that intrigued Kenny Dillingham. “His culture and his realness, I think he’s one of the most real people in the sport. You see the passion and emotion on the sideline,” said Dillingham, the...
No. 2 Texas goes for a title in its first SEC season, but must get by No. 5 GeorgiaVideo
ATLANTA — Texas wasted no time making its presence felt in the mighty SEC. In their debut as a member of the powerhouse league, the No. 2 Longhorns posted the best regular-season record and earned a spot in the SEC championship game Saturday. “Not a lot of teams can go...
Despite QBs coming off 400-yard games, Steelers don’t expect shootout with Browns
With the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns having quarterbacks coming off 400-yard passing performances, their meeting Sunday has the promise of another AFC North shootout. The former defensive coordinator in Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is why he admits it’s not in his nature to be comfortable in such games, especially...
Bahamas Bowl to feature pair of 8-win teams as Liberty, Buffalo square off Jan. 4
Liberty will face Buffalo in the Bahamas Bowl on Jan. 4, bowl officials announced Thursday. The Flames (8-3), of Conference USA, will be making their sixth consecutive bowl appearance. Buffalo (8-4), of the Mid-American Conference, will be playing in its fifth bowl game in the last seven years. The Bulls...
Messi, Inter Miami to open Club World Cup against Egyptian club Al Ahly
MIAMI — Lionel Messi and Inter Miami now know their path for next year’s Club World Cup. The host team — invited by FIFA to compete despite criticism from many in the soccer world — will play the tournament’s first match June 15 against Egyptian club Al Ahly as part...
Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson headlines Sweden’s roster for 4 Nations Face-OffVideo
The Pittsburgh Penguins found out how many of their players would be selected for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament a while ago. That’s because no one else from their roster was chosen beyond the preliminary selections that were announced in June. Six players from each squad — Canada, Finland, Sweden...
Browns RB Nick Chubb makes full circle comeback, returns to Pittsburgh for 1st time since knee injury
CLEVELAND — With every game, every carry, Nick Chubb puts a little distance between himself and a moment that changed him. On Sunday, he’ll return to where it happened. The full circle. More than a year since the Cleveland running back’s left knee was obliterated on a trap play near...
Steelers offer up rare December clean injury report
Aside from “W,” it might be the prettiest letters in the NFL to a coach of a team late in its season. FP. “FP,” as in “full participant” at practice on the injury report. And for the Pittsburgh Steelers, everybody on the 53-man active roster dealing with any degree of...
New Pirates assistant pitching coach Brent Strom: ‘I just want to help this ball club’
Brent Strom openly admits retirement is a thought that’s surfaced and resurfaced repeatedly over the last several years. At age 76, that’s hardly unnatural. But Strom, officially named Thursday as assistant pitching coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates, is finding more than enough motivation to begin a new chapter in a...
Blake Lizotte generates energy (and offense) as Penguins’ 3rd-line center
Blake Lizotte knew there was a chance he would not be able to line up at his listed position — center — when the season started. A move to the wing seemed like a probability. That’s because the Pittsburgh Penguins had a surplus of veterans in the middle. And sure...
Larry Ogunjobi named Steelers’ nominee for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award
Larry Ogunjobi isn’t the biggest talker in the locker room or with media. But Ogunjobi’s voice carries in the community and with causes that matter. Ogunjobi, a veteran defensive lineman, was named the Pittsburgh Steelers’ nominee for the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award on Thursday. “He moves...
Steelers DB Cory Trice activated off injured reserve
Versatile defensive back Cory Trice was activated off of the injured reserve list Thursday, giving the Pittsburgh Steelers another piece for their secondary for the stretch run. A 6-foot-3, 206-pound cornerback in college, Trice had played as a dime, in-the-box safety, at outside corner, slot corner and even free safety...
Penn State looks to benefit from presence of healthy, effective Nick Singleton vs. Oregon
Nick Singleton’s individual performance vs. Minnesota in Penn State’s penultimate regular-season game Nov. 23 looked to be a good sign. The junior tailback, whose campaign was derailed by a midseason ailment that limited his participation and effectiveness, managed 63 rushing yards on 13 carries, adding a touchdown against the Gophers....
Pirates announce hiring of Brent Strom as assistant pitching coach
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced the hiring of Brent Strom as assistant pitching coach Thursday morning. Strom, 76, will assist Oscar Marin, who will enter his sixth season with the Pirates in 2025. Most recently, Strom served as pitching coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2022-24. “Brent has a proven track...
