WVU crowd, coach Rodriguez revel in Mountaineers’ victory in Backyard Brawl
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia’s disdain for Pitt was evident at virtually every corner before, during and after Saturday’s Backyard Brawl, where an overflow crowd of mainly WVU fans crammed into Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium to witness a classic comeback victory by the Mountaineers. Think Pitt’s home at...
Ben Griffin holds slim Napa lead with an amateur right behind and Scheffler closing fast
NAPA, Calif. — Ryder Cup rookie Ben Griffin made his first bogey of the tournament on the final hole as his lead narrowed Saturday in the Procore Championship. He had a 2-under-par 70 and leads a pair of players who are No. 1 in the world. One shot behind was...
Ethan Shine and Zach Tanner lead Robert Morris to 28-14 win over Division II-foe West Liberty
Ethan Shine ran for 133 yards, Zach Tanner threw two short touchdown passes and Robert Morris defeated West Liberty, 28-14, on Saturday night. Tanner threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Lee, Donta Whack scored on a 2-yard run and Tanner connected with Jaqai Carter for a 4-yard score, giving...
McCray’s TD gives No. 6 Georgia OT win over No. 15 Tennessee 44-41
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Josh McCray scored on a 1-yard run in overtime to give No. 6 Georgia a 44-41 victory over No. 15 Tennessee on Saturday. The Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 SEC) came from behind three times to beat the Volunteers (2-1, 1-0) for the ninth straight time with Nate Frazier...
West Virginia ties score late, shocks Pitt with OT win in Backyard Brawl
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — More than enough Backyard Brawls (108 after Saturday’s contest at Milan Puskar Stadium, to be exact) have been played to confidently make some generalizations about Pitt and West Virginia’s historic rivalry. A good rule of thumb for when the Panthers and Mountaineers meet is to expect the...
Georgia Tech hits 55-yard FG as time expires to stun No. 12 Clemson 24-21
ATLANTA — Aidan Birr made a 55-yard field goal as time expired, and Georgia Tech upset No. 12 Clemson, 24-21, on Saturday. With no timeouts left and the clock running with under 20 seconds to play, the Georgia Tech special teams squad sprinted onto the field and lined up. And...
Allar, defense lead No. 2 Penn State to 52-6 blowout of FCS Villanova
UNIVERSITY PARK — Drew Allar threw for 209 yards and a touchdown, and No. 2 Penn State got another near flawless effort from its defense in a 52-6 win over Villanova on Saturday. Nicholas Singleton ran for two touchdowns, Kaytron Allen added another, Trebor Peña caught a touchdown and Ryan...
Backyard Brawl gives Pitt, West Virginia opportunity to settle longstanding rivalry
Jonathan Crum — a die-hard West Virginia fan — never misses a Backyard Brawl. “This has always been probably the highlight of the year,” he said. “I’ve been to every game in Morgantown since probably 1989.” Saturday marks the 108th installment of the Backyard Brawl between the University of Pittsburgh...
Hayden Johnson throws 3 TD passes and Lehigh tops Duquesne 35-21 in inaugural matchup
Hayden Johnson threw three touchdown passes, and Lehigh defeated Duquesne, 35-21, on Saturday. It was the first meeting between the two Pennsylvania schools that have been playing football since the late 19th century. Despite twice falling behind by 14 points in the second half, Duquesne trailed only 28-21 early in...
Pirates snap 7-game losing streak thanks to 4-run 8th, Bubba Chandler’s strong start
Bubba Chandler dealt with disaster in his first major-league start against Milwaukee, but the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander bounced back by flirting with perfection against the Washington Nationals. A day before his 23rd birthday, Chandler retired the first 15 batters he faced before giving up a run in the sixth...
Steelers’ Chris Boswell, other NFL kickers redefine position thanks to long list of factors
When Gary Anderson lined up for a field goal in overtime of a playoff game on New Year’s Eve 1989, eyebrows across Western Pennsylvania were raised. Though Anderson ultimately would retire as the NFL’s career leader in successful field goals, where Anderson was lining up that day at the Houston...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Forget the excuses, the Pirates aren’t close to being good
No matter how bad the Pirates are, the true believers and media stooges never run out of excuses. Here’s the latest: On Friday night, the Pirates extended their losing streak to seven with a 6-5 defeat at Washington. It was their fourth straight loss by one run. It was quickly...
Sidney Crosby remains the center of attention for the Penguins
A position-by-position look at the Penguins as they approach training camp. Today, the centers. The Penguins’ depth down the middle will look much like it did last season. And for the past two decades, at least at the top. Sidney Crosby remains an elite top-line center as evidenced by the...
Steelers 4 Downs: Aaron Rodgers got rid of the ball quickly; team relies on 2-TE sets
1. Quick draw Over the first weekend of the NFL season, no quarterback had a faster average time from snap to throw than the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers. Per Pro Football Focus, Rodgers averaged 2.18 seconds from the snap until his attempted passes last week against the New York Jets....
Scouting the Seahawks: For an NFC team, Seattle is a frequent opponent for Steelers’ home opener
SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS Last meeting Steelers beat Seahawks, 30-23, on Dec. 31, 2023, in Seattle Key matchup Steelers DB Jalen Ramsey vs. Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba Smith-Njigba is Seattle’s top wide receiver, and Ramsey has a history of embracing the challenge of a “shutdown corner” role assigned to the opponent’s...
‘Hungry’ JJ Work leads Aliquippa to 4th-quarter rally over Mars
JJ Work felt like he’d already let his teammates down once, so the Aliquippa running back was determined not to let that happen again. A week ago, Work couldn’t play because of an off-the-field school issue. This week, he barreled into the end zone for two fourth quarter touchdowns Friday...
High school football roundup for Sept. 12, 2025: Avonworth routs Thomas Jefferson in battle of top teams
Dmitri Velsaris ran for two touchdowns and Evan Loutzenhiser scored on fumble and interception returns as Class 3A No. 1 Avonworth earned a convincing 41-14 victory over Class 4A No. 1 Thomas Jefferson (3-1) in a nonconference football game between top-ranked teams Friday night. Jaden Jones caught a 92-yard pass...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 12, 2025: Nick Dombkowski, 2 relievers throw 2-hit shutout for Indy
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 80-61) used three pitchers to throw a two-hit shutout in a 4-0 win over Iowa (Cubs). LHP Nick Dombkowski (5.83) started and went 6⅓ innings, giving up one hit and three walks with 11 strikeouts. RHP Valentin Linarez (1-0, 0.00) pitched 1⅔ no-hit innings in his Indy debut...
Ben Griffin takes a 2-shot lead in Napa ahead of his Ryder Cup debut
NAPA, Calif. — Ben Griffin went about his business Friday like he was at any other PGA Tour stop, even with so many Ryder Cup teammates around him. He played bogey-free for the second straight day with a 6-under-par 66 to build a three-shot lead in the Procore Championship. Two...
Scoop Smith’s electrifying kickoff-return TDs boost Woodland Hills past Penn-Trafford
It was a crazy start to Friday’s WPIAL Class 5A Big East Conference opener. The game, which featured two top-five teams, began with some electrifying plays. It was one that saw the teams combined to score four touchdowns in 40 seconds, which included two kickoff returns by Scoop Smith. The...
Pirates blow 3-run lead, fall short in 9th against Nationals for 7th consecutive loss
Mitch Keller was cruising through his start so efficiently that play-by-play man Greg Brown dubbed the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander “10-pitch Mitch” after he required only 51 pitches to navigate five innings. Then the Washington Nationals scratched an itch. After Keller allowed three hits in the sixth, including a leadoff home...
Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins focusing on getting ready for NFL debut
BEREA, Ohio — Quinshon Judkins is focusing on getting ready for his NFL debut. Whether that happens Sunday for the Cleveland Browns rookie running back or is delayed one more week remains undetermined. “Great feeling just to be back with all of my teammates, back in the building,” Judkins said...
WR Ben Skowronek rises to challenge on offense, special teams for Steelers
Exuberant from a season-opening win Sunday, Ben Skowronek, son of a Connellsville native, turned a phrase that showed he is in tune with Steeler Nation in general and yinzers in particular. “In Pittsburgh, PA, we play all three phases: offense, defense and special teams,” Skowronek said in the aftermath of...
Dillon, Larson feeling optimistic at Bristol with NASCAR Cup playoff eliminations looming
Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson have the same goal — reaching the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs — but divergent paths to get there at Bristol Motor Speedway. Entering Saturday night’s 500-lap cutoff race at the treacherous short track in Tennessee, Dillon is on the verge of...
Pirates reinstate RHP Justin Lawrence from 60-day IL, option RHP Colin Holderman
Justin Lawrence’s long road to recovery is finally over. The Pittsburgh Pirates ended the rehabilitation assignment of the right-handed reliever, out since late April with a right elbow injury, and reinstated him from the 60-day injured list before Friday’s game at the Washington Nationals. Lawrence was 1-0 with an 0.79...
