Sports category, Page 731
No SEC? Unbeaten P5 but left out? Final 4-team College Football Playoff will be unlike any other
The four-team version of the College Football Playoff is going out with drama and controversy. Championship weekend created as many questions as answers for the CFP committee and the selections Sunday will be the first in the 10-year history of the system where the field is truly hard to predict....
No. 2 Michigan beats No. 18 Iowa for Big Ten title, likely to claim top playoff seed
INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh celebrated his return to the sideline Saturday by hugging players and evasively running to avoid a Gatorade bath. Blake Corum and J.J. McCarthy were already reflecting on bigger goals. And when the confetti came streaming down over the Wolverines, they made sure everyone knew...
No. 4 Florida State beats No. 15 Louisville 16-6 for ACC title, but could miss playoff at 13-0
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Florida State coach Mike Norvell said the possibility of leaving his unbeaten Seminoles out of the College Football Playoff shouldn’t even be discussed. It almost certainly will be. Florida State made things as difficult as possible on the CFP selection committee, using a dominant defensive performance to...
No. 4 Florida State beats No. 15 Louisville for ACC title, but could miss playoff at 13-0
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Florida State coach Mike Norvell said the possibility of leaving his unbeaten Seminoles out of the College Football Playoff shouldn’t even be discussed. It almost certainly will be. Florida State made things as difficult as possible on the CFP selection committee, using a dominant defensive performance to...
Homegrown Pitt men won 22 games in a row 50 years ago
While others were sleeping and the doors to Fitzgerald Field House were locked, they came out and ran up and down the streets of Oakland. Sometimes, they climbed the steps of the Towers — the on-campus dormitory complex whose tallest building rises 224 feet above Fifth Avenue — building endurance...
Pirates A to Z: Johan Oviedo was a workhorse but workload leads to Tommy John surgeryVideo
During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z, an alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster. Player: Johan Oviedo Position: Pitcher Throws: Right Age: 25 Height: 6-foot-5 Weight: 245 pounds 2023 MLB statistics: Went 9-14 with a 4.31 ERA and 1.37 WHIP, 158 strikeouts and 83 walks...
Minor league report: Peter Abbandonato scores twice as Penguins lose in overtimeVideo
Forward Peter Abbandonato scored two goals for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 4-3 overtime loss at home against the Springfield Thunderbirds at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. Defenseman Will Butcher and forward Rem Pitlick each recorded two assists for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (10-8-3-0) while forward Valtteri Puustinen contributed a goal....
Power-play futility continues as Penguins fall to Flyers in shootout
Four months into his tenure as an employee of the Pittsburgh Penguins, defenseman Erik Karlsson was eager for his first encounter with the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday at PPG Paints Arena. After all, it is one of the NHL’s most prominent rivalries. “We’re fighting for our position in the standings...
Pitt volleyball onto Sweet 16 for 4th consecutive season after defeating USC
Stifling the attack of USC outside hitter Skylar Fields was likely never an option for the Pitt women’s volleyball team. But putting up an aggressive and consistent block helped make Fields, a first-team All-American hitter, work for opportunities to score. Fields finished with 10 attack errors for the first time...
Pitt wide receiver Bub Means says he plans to enter 2024 NFL Draft
A day after Pitt tight end Gavin Bartholomew said he will return for his senior season and almost simultaneously as running back Rodney Hammond said he’s coming back, wide receiver Bub Means took the opposite route and announced Saturday his plans to enter the 2024 NFL Draft. Means has been...
No. 8 Alabama knocks off No. 1 Georgia 27-24 for SEC title; both teams await postseason fateVideo
ATLANTA — Alabama is again the top dog in the SEC — and perhaps headed to the College Football Playoff — after ending Georgia’s 29-game winning streak with a 27-24 victory over the No. 1 Bulldogs in the conference championship game Saturday. Now, the big question: Is Georgia’s bid for...
Scottie Scheffler builds a 3-shot lead in the Bahamas. Tiger Woods is happy with his recoveryVideo
NASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler made two eagles Saturday in his round of 7-under-par 65 that gave the No. 1 player in the world another chance to win the Hero World Challenge. Tiger Woods will be around at the end but only to hand out the trophy. Scheffler was never...
Steelers 4 Downs: 1st game post-Matt Canada, offense had one of best outings in years
1. Coincidence? Causation and correlation, at times, are in the eye of the beholder. But it’s impossible to ignore some of the statistical superlatives that the Pittsburgh Steelers offense — and quarterback Kenny Pickett in particular — posted last week in its first game after the firing of coordinator Matt...
No. 7 Texas bids farewell to Big 12 with title win over Oklahoma StateVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — Quinn Ewers and the Texas Longhorns are leaving the Big 12 with bookend championships and still hoping for a chance at the College Football Playoff. As for their fans, it was good riddance to the commissioner they felt was rooting against them. Longhorns fans heartily booed and...
Burns scores 18 as Youngstown State knocks off Robert Morris, 71-57Video
MOON TOWNSHIP — Damiree Burns scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help Youngstown State defeat Robert Morris, 71-57, on Saturday. Brett Thompson scored 17 and added six rebounds for the Penguins (5-3). Ziggy Reid finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. The Colonials (2-6) were led by Stephaun...
Miami (Ohio) upsets No. 23 Toledo to win MAC championship
DETROIT — Rashad Amos ran for two touchdowns, Graham Nicholson kicked three field goals and Miami (Ohio) upset No. 23 Toledo, 23-14, in the Mid-American Conference championship game Saturday. The RedHawks (11-2) last won the MAC title in 2019 when they beat Central Michigan. It is the first time Miami...
‘Best defensive player on the planet,’ T.J. Watt primed to finish strong for Steelers
Firmly established as a contender to win a second NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, T.J. Watt received a ringing endorsement from his head coach this week. Mike Tomlin was talking about Watt being a stabilizing force on a defense beset by injuries at key positions this season. It’s...
North Allegheny ends 11-year wait, moves on to state finals vs. powerhouse St. Joseph’s Prep
ALTOONA — North Allegheny is headed to the PIAA finals for the first time since 2012, and waiting for the Tigers will be a team that’s dominated the state for the past decade. But that’s a concern for another day. North Allegheny had no worries Saturday after a strong defensive...
Latrobe grad Trent Holler enters NCAA transfer portal after 2 years at Marshall
Redshirt junior lineman Trent Holler, a Latrobe native, is entering the NCAA transfer portal. The 6-foot-2, 306-pound center played the last two seasons at Marshall and will be a graduate transfer. Boston College offered him a spot soon after his announcement Saturday. He played in 11 games this season and...
Slippery Rock can’t get past Kutztown in NCAA Division II regional finals
The final statistics don’t tell the story. No. 15 Slippery Rock ran roughshod over Kutztown, outgaining the Golden Bears, 502-203. Kutztown finished with just 11 first downs, two in the second half, when it held the ball for only about 8 minutes. And it ran zero plays from scrimmage inside...
Bucknell hands Penn State 4th straight loss 76-67Video
STATE COLLEGE — Jack Forrest scored 23 points, Noah Williamson added 21 and Bucknell handed Penn State its fourth straight loss, 76-67, on Saturday. Forrest was 8-of 14 shooting, including 5 of 7 on 3-pointers. Williamson was 9 of 13, and Josh Bascoe had 11 points and 10 rebounds for...
McKeesport’s Courtney Dunn wins Fralic Award as WPIAL’s top lineman
Matt Miller said Courtney Dunn wanted to be a running back several years ago when the senior lineman was coming up in the McKeesport football program. “His mom told him, ‘You’re too slow to run the ball. Get back to your position,’ ” said Miller, McKeesport’s coach. “We don’t want...
Penguins forwards Noel Acciari, Matt Nieto out vs. Philadelphia with undisclosed injuries
At least for the time being, the Pittsburgh Penguins will have to brace for more injury-related absences among their corps of forwards. While they recently got Bryan Rust back after a three-game absence, Rickard Rakell remains on long term injured reserve. Additionally, Noel Acciari and Matt Nieto, both of whom...
Penguins recall forward Joona Koppanen from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
This season, the Pittsburgh Penguins already have made a healthy number of transactions with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, shuffling players up and down to bolster their depth, offset injuries and plug holes in the lineup. Forwards Radim Zohorna, Vinnie Hinostroza and Jansen Harkins, to varying extents, all got...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers must make most of opportunity ahead
It’s difficult to evaluate the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season. They are beneficiaries of an unchallenging schedule, a dearth of quality NFL quarterbacks, a rotten league in general. As Tom Brady rightly said, “I don’t see the excellence that I saw in the past.” I doubt Brady sees it in Pittsburgh, either....
