Sports category, Page 759
Nadal returns with win in Brisbane in 1st competitive singles match in a year
BRISBANE, Australia — His arms raised triumphantly, unable to conceal a winner’s grin, Rafael Nadal took time to savor a victory that was 12 months and a lot of rehab in the making. Sure, it was the first round of a season-opening tournament, but it felt momentous for the 22-time...
Michael Penix Jr. leads No. 2 Washington to 37-31 victory over Texas and spot in national title game
NEW ORLEANS — The remarkable comeback story of Michael Penix Jr. is a victory away from a perfect ending for Washington. Penix passed for 430 yards and two touchdowns, and the Huskies held off Texas 37-31 in the Sugar Bowl on Monday night to advance to the College Football Playoff...
Analysis: officials, coaches had crucial Week 17 calls that could have huge playoff ramifications
The NFL is approaching the 5-year anniversary of a non-call on a blatant pass interference in the NFC championship game that helped the Rams advance to the Super Bowl over the Saints. It’s a black eye the league would like to forget, a difficult task in a season that’s been...
Penguins forward Bryan Rust a game-time decision against Capitals
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust has been labeled as a “game-time decision” in advance of his team’s home game against the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday. Coach Mike Sullivan provided a status on Rust following a morning skate. Currently designated to long-term injured reserve due to an...
Fired-up Lions coach Dan Campbell insists he has moved on from loss to Cowboys
DETROIT — Dan Campbell’s passion has been on display since the moment he was hired as coach of the Detroit Lions, famously saying at his opening news conference nearly three years ago that his teams would kick in teeth and bite kneecaps of opponents. Campbell has screamed with joy, and...
Christian McCaffrey will miss 49ers’ regular-season finale, should return for playoffs
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — NFL leading rusher Christian McCaffrey will miss San Francisco’s regular-season finale with a mild calf strain but should be ready to return for the playoffs. McCaffrey got hurt in Sunday’s 27-10 victory at Washington that helped the 49ers clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC...
Michigan beats Alabama 27-20 in overtime on Blake Corum’s TD run to reach national title gameVideo
PASADENA, Calif. — Blake Corum rushed for a 17-yard touchdown on the second snap of overtime, and top-seeded Michigan advanced to its first College Football Playoff championship game with a 27-20 victory over fourth-seeded Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Monday. Michigan’s defense ended only the second overtime game in...
With playoffs clinched, Browns may rest QB Joe Flacco, other starters for finale vs. BengalsVideo
CLEVELAND — The Browns are in both the playoffs and an unusual spot: They can treat their regular-season finale like a preseason game. With a wild-card berth already locked up, Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski indicated Monday he may rest some starters, including red-hot quarterback Joe Flacco, for Sunday’s final regular-season...
Joey Daccord posts 2nd career shutout as Seattle topples Vegas 3-0 in Winter ClassicVideo
SEATTLE — Joey Daccord made 35 saves for his second career shutout, Eeli Tolvanen had a goal and an assist and the Seattle Kraken beat the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-0, on Monday in the NHL Winter Classic. A crowd of 47,313 at T-Mobile Park watched the Kraken dominate the reigning...
Marc-Andre Fleury can’t help but smile about his career in goal, even if he’d rather skip the fussVideo
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The two decades Marc-Andre Fleury has spent in the NHL have passed as quickly for him as the airborne pucks that speed toward him in the net each time he takes the ice. Now the fourth goalie in history to appear in 1,000 games, a mark...
Steelers notebook: Mike Tomlin focused on Ravens, not other games or another Saturday kick
For the third time in four weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers will play on a Saturday. For the second time in that span, the Saturday kickoff was announced after the season began. On this occasion, the advance notice for the modification in the week of preparation came during a flight home...
Bo Nix closes career with 5 TD passes as No. 8 Oregon rolls over Liberty in Fiesta Bowl
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Bo Nix threw for 363 yards and five touchdowns to cap a recording-breaking career, and No. 8 Oregon closed a season that started with national title expectations by rolling over No. 18 Liberty, 45-6, in the Fiesta Bowl on Monday. Nix played like a Heisman Trophy finalist...
Nussmeier shines as Daniels’ successor, No. 13 LSU rallies to nip Wisconsin 35-31 in ReliaQuest BowlVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Garrett Nussmeier threw for 395 yards and three touchdowns, helping 13th-ranked LSU launch its post-Jayden Daniels era with a come-from-behind 35-31 victory over Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Monday. Stepping in to make his first college start after Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, opted out...
Jaguars hope to get QB Trevor Lawrence, WR Christian Kirk back for finale
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars could get quarterback Trevor Lawrence and receiver Christian Kirk back for their regular-season finale at Tennessee, a game that will help determine the AFC South. Lawrence missed Sunday’s 26-0 drubbing of Carolina because of a sprained throwing shoulder, ending a streak of 51 consecutive...
Nico Iamaleava leads No. 25 Tennessee to 35-0 rout of No. 20 Iowa in the Citrus BowlVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava ran for three touchdowns and threw for one in his first career start, and No. 25 Tennessee shut down No. 20 Iowa’s Division I-worst offense to beat the Hawkeyes, 35-0, in the Citrus Bowl on Monday. Iamaleava, a prized recruit for Volunteers coach...
Mike Tomlin makes potentially seismic decision of Mason Rudolph over healthy Kenny Pickett
It was a short passage among a 170-word answer to the first question Mike Tomlin was asked during his weekly news conference Monday. And while Tomlin downplayed the long-term significance of what he said, a potentially seismic change in the organizational outlook was delivered via 10 simple words. “We are...
Westmoreland campus clippings: former Norwin standout Shanahan follows Cignetti to Indiana
When Mike Shanahan was at Pitt, he played in the Big East. Now, he will coach in the Big Ten. Shanahan, a former Norwin standout wide receiver who played tight end in college, is following head coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana. Shanahan, 34, will be the Hoosiers’ offensive coordinator and...
South Carolina still No. 1 in AP women’s basketball poll, Syracuse enters Top 25Video
South Carolina started the new year where it finished off 2023: atop the Associated Press women’s basketball poll. The Gamecocks received 34 of the 35 first-place votes from a national media panel Monday. They had been unanimous the previous six weeks. UCLA got the other No. 1 vote after beating...
Purdue remains No. 1 in AP Top 25, Gonzaga falls to No. 24 but runs poll streak to 142 weeksVideo
Purdue remained atop the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the third straight week Monday. Gonzaga dropped to No. 24 after a loss to San Diego State but kept alive its streak of 142 consecutive weeks in the poll. The Boilermakers picked up three more first-place votes and...
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin: ‘We are gonna leave the ball in Mason Rudolph’s hands’
With the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season on the line, Mason Rudolph will make a third consecutive start at quarterback. “We are gonna leave the ball in Mason Rudolph’s hands,” coach Mike Tomlin said during his weekly news conference Monday, referencing his intention to start Rudolph in Saturday’s regular-season finale at the...
Mark Madden: Mason Rudolph has earned Steelers’ starting job, but Mike Tomlin doesn’t like to be wrong
As we celebrate Mike Tomlin not having a losing season for the 17th straight time, keep in mind the Pittsburgh Steelers should be 11-5. If the Steelers don’t make the playoffs, it will be because they lost consecutive home games to Arizona and New England, both teams with 2-10 records...
Lower Burrell native Tess Myers regains shooting touch, sets Duquesne women’s record for 3s
Last December, Duquesne guard Tess Myers had a particularly good game against Cornell. The Lower Burrell native made eight of her 11 field-goal attempts on her way to 23 points. Seven of her made field goals were from 3-point range, and, after the game, it was mentioned that she had...
Southmoreland grad Jake Beistel juggles school, fatherhood, helping new Saint Vincent wrestling program
Among the Saint Vincent wrestlers, Jake Beistel is the team dad. Literally and figuratively. Two years ago, the Southmoreland grad became a father and now spends much of his down time between classes and wrestling trying to keep up with a toddler. But his responsibilities as a role model and...
Who stays, who goes when Bryan Rust rejoins the Penguins lineup?
First things first, let’s just acknowledge the phrase “when everyone is healthy” does not have a practical application in hockey. There’s always a puck off a toe or a shoulder rammed into the glass or a groin tweaked by an ice rut or a simple bout of the flu that...
Can Penn State QB Drew Allar reach his full potential in 2024? Time will tell
ATLANTA — Drew Allar stood in solitude. Penn State’s quarterback, warming up his throwing arm Saturday morning, was by himself in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium end zone, peering out at the stage before him. The hours that followed would determine the discourse of the next eight months. Allar’s Peach Bowl could...
