January 3, 2023 3:55 am
BOSTON (AP) — Jake DeBrusk scored his second goal of the third period with just over two minutes remaining and the NHL-leading Boston Bruins rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Winter Classic on Monday at Fenway Park. Linus Ullmark made 26 saves for Boston, which is 8-0-3 in its last 11 games. Because the Bruins were the “home” team, they improved their home record to 19-0-3 this season. Kasperi Kapanen scored for the Penguins, and Casey DeSmith made 19 saves in relief of Tristan Jarry, who left with an apparent injury late in the first period. Playing on an unseasonably warm day with temperatures in the upper 40s (4 Celsius) early in the game, the Bruins won for the fourth time in the NHL’s 14th annual showcase event that was held at the home of the MLB’s Boston Red Sox in front of a sellout crowd 39,243. Playing with the stadium lights illuminating the ice, DeBrusk swooped in and banged home the rebound of Taylor Hall’s backhand shot with 2:24 left. DeBrusk collected a pass from Brad Marchand at the side of the net seconds after a power play expired, spun in front and slipped it behind DeSmith to tie it at the 7:46 mark of the period.
January 2, 2023 3:04 am
BALTIMORE (AP) — Kenny Pickett threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Najee Harris with 56 seconds remaining, giving the Pittsburgh Steelers a 16-13 victory over the Baltimore Ravens and improbably keeping their playoff hopes alive for another week. It was the first touchdown allowed by Baltimore at home in four games, and the Steelers needed it to avoid elimination. Just like they needed Miami to lose to New England earlier in the day, which also happened. Pittsburgh can now make the playoffs by beating Cleveland next weekend — if Miami and New England both lose. The Ravens’ chances of winning the AFC North took a hit.
January 2, 2023 3:05 am
The 109th edition of the Rose Bowl will feature the two-time Pac-12 champion Utah Utes and ninth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions. Led by quarterback Cameron Rising, the seventh-ranked Utes defeated Southern California in the Pac-12 title game to earn a second straight berth in the Rose Bowl after losing 48-45 to Ohio State last year. The Nittany Lions finished with a 10-2 record behind veteran quarterback Sean Clifford and freshmen running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Penn State returns to Pasadena on Monday for the first time since 2017, a wild 52-49 loss to the Trojans.
January 2, 2023 3:06 am
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (AP) — Jalen Pickett finished with a season-high 26 points, Andrew Funk scored 20 and Penn State held on for an 83-79 victory over Iowa. Pickett made 10 of 16 shots from the floor and all six of his free throws for the Nittany Lions (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten Conference). Funk sank 7 of 12 shots, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range. Camren Wynter added 14 points, while Seth Lundy scored 10 and came up with the biggest play of the game. Funk hit all four of his shots from 3-point range and scored 16, while Pickett made his first five shots, scoring 14 to power the Nittany Lions to a 44-26 lead at halftime. Kris Murray scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half for Iowa (8-6, 0-3).
January 2, 2023 3:09 am
Kenny Albert and Eddie Olczyk are veterans when it comes to calling outdoor games. Yet, the Winter Classic still resonates for them as one of the biggest games of the season. This will be the fifth time Albert has done the Winter Classic, but only his second on television. Olczyk has been the television analyst for most of the Winter Classics since it started in 2008. Monday marks the second time TNT will carry the Winter Classic after it took over rights from NBC. The Penguins visit Fenway Park in Boston to battle the Bruins Monday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
January 1, 2023 7:55 am
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Max Duggan accounted for four touchdowns, TCU returned two interceptions for scores and the third-ranked Horned Frogs withstood a frenetic second-half surge by No. 2 Michigan to win the Fiesta Bowl 51-45 and advance to the College Football Playoff national championship. TCU, the most unlikely team to ever reach the four-team playoff in its nine-year history, has one more game to play in its improbable season and it will come against No. 1 Georgia, a 42-41 semifinal winner over No. 4 Ohio State, on Jan. 9 for the national championship at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The Horned Frogs will try to win the program’s first national championship since 1938.
January 1, 2023 7:54 am
ATLANTA (AP) — Quarterback C.J. Stroud and No. 4 Ohio State came up just short, and this one has to hurt. After dominating No. 1 Georgia for most of the first three quarters, the Buckeyes ended their season early Sunday with a second straight loss. The first one, to archrival Michigan on Nov. 26, was bad enough, but the sting of dropping a national semifinal 42-41 in the Peach Bowl after leading the Bulldogs by 14 in the fourth quarter must feel worse. It wasn’t until Noah Ruggles’ 50-yard field-goal try, a career-long attempt for the fifth-year graduate student, sailed well left that Ohio State (11-2) had its fate sealed.
December 31, 2022 4:11 am
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Ben Sauls kicked five field goals, including a 47-yarder in the final seconds, and Pitt beat No. 18 UCLA 37-35 in a back-and-forth Sun Bowl. The Panthers, playing without five starters who opted out of the game, took advantage of five UCLA turnovers, including four interceptions. UCLA grabbed a 35-34 lead on T.J. Harden’s 8-yard touchdown run with 34 seconds remaining. The late scoring drive started at the UCLA 25-yard line with less than two minutes left. Pitt then drove down the field, using two spikes to stop the clock, and kicked a field goal for the win.
UCLA (9-4) grabbed a 35-34 lead on T.J. Harden’s 8-yard touchdown run with 34 seconds remaining. The late scoring drive started at the UCLA 25-yard line with less than two minutes left, and was keyed by a 34-yard run by Harden.
Pitt quarterback Nick Patti had completions of 18 yards to Jared Wayne and 17 yards to Bub Means on the ensuing drive. After spiking the ball to stop the clock, Patti scrambled for 11 yards to the UCLA 29-yard line. After another spike with 10 seconds left, Sauls came on to kick the game-winner.
Sophomore Rodney Hammond Jr., the game’s MVP, rushed for 89 yards and two TDs for the Panthers, who were without running back Israel Abanikanda, the nation’s leader in total TDs with 22. “We were down a few guys and just found a way to win a football game,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “One way or another, our guys found a way to get it done. I couldn’t be more proud of this team.”
December 31, 2022 4:11 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Jamarius Burton scored a career-high 31 points, Blake Hinson had seven points in the final minute and a half and Pittsburgh knocked off No. 25 North Carolina 76-74. Burton was 14 of 17 from the field and had six rebounds. Pitt win its fourth straight game and is unbeaten in Athletic Coast Conference play. Pitt went ahead for good with 1:28 remaining when Hinson made a 3-pointer. North Carolina made it 74-72 on Tyler Nickel’s layup with two seconds left but Pitt ran out the clock to end the Tar Heels’ four-game winning streak.
December 30, 2022 3:51 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Dak Prescott threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns to Dalton Schultz as the Dallas Cowboys beat the banged-up and resting Tennessee Titans 27-13 for their sixth win in seven games. The Cowboys posted their first back-to-back 12-win seasons since 1994 and 1995, when Dallas won its last of the franchise’s five Super Bowl titles. Fans were chanting “Let’s go Cowboys!” throughout the game. The Titans lost their sixth straight hours after placing quarterback Ryan Tannehill on injured reserve. They gave Joshua Dobbs his first NFL start after signing him Dec. 21 off Detroit’s practice squad.
