No. 22 Houston hosts West Virginia in Big 12 play
West Virginia (2-6) at No. 22 Houston (7-1) Noon Saturday BetMGM College Football Odds Opening Line: Houston by 14.5. Against the spread: Houston 6-2, West Virginia 4-4. How to watch: Fox Sports 1 Key stats Houston Offense Overall: 381.3 yards per game (73rd in FBS) Passing: 210.0 yards per game...
For Duquesne’s Dru Joyce III, ‘patience’ is becoming a coaching virtue
Duquesne basketball coach Dru Joyce III had one clear roster-building agenda this offseason. Get bigger. Based on the responses he is getting from people who know his program, mission accomplished. “Anyone who has walked in our gym has said to me, ‘Coach, you have some different size this year.’ That...
Beleaguered Steelers defense prepares for Penn State alum, Colts star TE Tyler Warren
No team in the NFL has allowed more yards per game against from tight ends than the Pittsburgh Steelers. No tight end in the NFL has more receiving yards than Tyler Warren. Say no more in regards to what can be a critical matchup of Sunday’s Steelers-Colts game at Acrisure...
Pittsburgh in running to host 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup
As Pittsburgh prepares to host one of the biggest events in the city’s history in April, it has been included among 27 U.S. cities as a possible host for the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup. City officials are hard at work getting the city read for the 2026 NFL Draft,...
How a ‘betfluencer’ from Washington, Pa., wound up at the center of an NBA gambling scandal
PHILADELPHIA — On the green felt of a Bellagio baccarat table, Shane “Sugar” Hennen flaunted $3,125 in winnings from a Pittsburgh Pirates game in June 2014. It was a drop in the bucket for Las Vegas moneylines. But on Instagram, Hennen called it “#2dayswork.” He was burnishing his brand as...
Mark Madden: How did the Penguins get off to such a torrid start?
Gavin who? In just one month and 12 games, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ priorities have dramatically shifted. The goal is to build on their torrid 8-2-2 start and make the postseason for the first time since 2022, perhaps even win a playoff series for the first time since 2018. If you’re...
Top-ranked Ohio State looks to continue rolling along when it hosts reeling Penn State
Penn State thought it finally got a leg up on Ohio State in January when defensive coordinator Jim Knowles left Columbus for Happy Valley to become the highest-paid assistant coach in college football. It ended up being a temporary setback, and, in the long run, made the Buckeyes better. Matt...
Penguins enact development plans for rookies Harrison Brunicke, Ben Kindel
Pittsburgh Penguins rookie forward Ben Kindel reached a significant milestone Thursday when he appeared in his 10th NHL game. That meant the first year of his three-year entry-level contract officially was activated, and he potentially got one year closer to becoming an unrestricted free agent, though not for another half...
First Call: George Pickens addresses contract status in Dallas; ex-Steelers, Colts coach thinks Indy ‘could put up 40 points’
Friday’s “First Call” has an update on contract talks surrounding George Pickens in Dallas. One analyst with Pittsburgh and Indianapolis ties sees little hope for the Steelers’ defense Sunday. We also have odds on all the local college football games, the upcoming local college hockey schedule, and a preview of...
Grass fields a rarity in WPIAL playoffs nowadays — 5 things to watch in high school football
Bentworth’s football team has something that’s becoming rare in the WPIAL playoffs these days. That’s a grass field. Only a handful of first-round games — all in the small-school Class A and 2A brackets — won’t be played on artificial turf, with Laurel, South Side, Mohawk and Apollo-Ridge also hosting...
Roman Wilson earned Steelers’ trust behind the scenes until his chance for breakout game
It was 18 months to the day since he’d become a Pittsburgh Steeler when Roman Wilson had his breakout performance. During Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, Wilson had the Steelers’ longest play from scrimmage (45 yards) and their longest touchdown (21 yards) in addition to leading the team...
Football Footnotes: How have the Colts emerged as the NFL’s best? Ask a Steeler who would know
The Indianapolis Colts are one of the feel-good stories of the year. Based on how their offense is humming and how badly the Steelers’ defense is performing, I’m expecting most of Indiana to be feeling pretty good by about 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon. The Colts visit Acrisure Stadium to play...
Folino family brings The Bocce House to O’Hara
The location has changed for a group of avid bocce players, but the love of the game hasn’t. Creating a sporting atmosphere is what Fox Chapel resident Tony Folino and his sons, Frank and Dino Folino, envisioned for The Bocce House of Pittsburgh. The unique complex in RIDC Park in...
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson shreds Dolphins with 4 TD passes in return from injury
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Lamar Jackson threw for 204 yards and four touchdowns, showing little rust in his return from a right hamstring strain, and the Baltimore Ravens routed the Miami Dolphins, 28-6, on Thursday night. Jackson completed 18 of 23 passes in his first start since Week 4 against...
Penguins tame Wild as rookie forward Ben Kindel scores in 10th game
Even if they have a handful of 30-somethings close to becoming 40-somethings, the Pittsburgh Penguins are in the midst of a youth movement. That pursuit was calcified a bit Thursday as 18-year-old forward Ben Kindel appeared in his 10th NHL contest of the season. Surpassing that threshold formally activated the...
Dumba brings physical presence
Matt Dumba experienced a first in his still-brief tenure as a defenseman with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday. Consecutive games. Dumba was in the lineup for Monday’s 6-3 home win against the St. Louis Blues. The right-hander predominantly played on the left side of the third pairing with rookie Harrison...
Avalanche sign Martin Necas to 8-year, $92M contract extension
The Colorado Avalanche signed Martin Necas to an eight-year contract extension through 2034. Necas’ deal is worth $92 million, according to reports. When the contract kicks in starting with the 2026-27 NHL season, Necas will count $11.5 million against the salary cap annually. That is $500,000 a year less than...
Report: Nationals finalizing hire of 33-year-old Blake Butera as manager
The Washington Nationals are finalizing a deal to hire 33-year-old Blake Butera as manager, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The Nationals fired Dave Martinez in July, and Miguel Cairo took over on an interim basis. Butera would be the youngest manager since Minnesota’s Frank Quilici in...
Penguins defensive prospect Peyton Kettles traded in Western Hockey League
Pittsburgh Penguins defensive prospect Peyton Kettles was traded at the junior level within the Western Hockey League on Thursday. The Kelowna Rockets acquired the right-handed Kettles from the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for defenseman Jackson Gillespie and five selections in future WHL drafts: • 2027 first round • 2026...
Errors cost Dodgers in World Series Game 6 loss to Blue Jays
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers had two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell on the mound for Game 5 of the World Series with a chance to take a 3-2 lead. Instead, the Dodgers have fallen behind after losing 6-1 to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday. Though Snell...
Breaking down WPIAL football playoff matchups for Oct. 31, 2025
Welcome to the start of the 2025 WPIAL football playoffs. Don’t be thrown off if the start of the postseason is a little creepy. There are 25 first-round or quarterfinals games slated for Halloween night around the WPIAL, so 50 teams will have to wait until about 9:30 to find...
If called upon 3 days after joining Steelers, safety Kyle Dugger eager to contribute in game
Kyle Dugger, of course, speaks fluent English. So does the entirety of the Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff and defensive unit. Dugger, though, needed to learn what in some ways sounds like a new “language’ — and fast — after officially joining the Steelers on Thursday. Good thing he has a...
Steelers practice report: Darius Slay, Isaac Seumalo out; Pat Freiermuth, Zach Frazier return
Veteran cornerback Darius Slay was absent from Pittsburgh Steelers practice Thursday. The reason listed on the status report was “personal matter.” Slay, who turns 35 on New Year’s Day, is his first season with the Steelers after 12 years, six Pro Bowl berths and a Super Bowl ring earned last...
Steelers captain Cameron Heyward defends criticism of defensive play after successive losses
As a captain of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense, a title he has held for 11 consecutive seasons, Cameron Heyward isn’t afraid to speak his mind when his group underperforms. Such dissatisfaction was on display Sunday when Heyward said the Steelers didn’t handle adversity well and didn’t show enough fight during...
2 Penn State seniors are trending up, another down before Ohio State game
Penn State has an uphill climb to take any positives from its remaining five games. Tilts with No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana are up next, followed by more-winnable games against Michigan State, Nebraska and Rutgers. The Nittany Lions need victories in at least three of those games...