December 6, 2021 4:01 am
IRVING, Texas (AP) – The College Football Playoff is set: Cincinnati will play Alabama in the Cotton Bowl and Michigan will face Georgia in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Eve. Fourth-seeded Cincinnati becomes the first team to break through the CFP’s glass ceiling and make college football’s final four from a non-Power Five conference. The Bearcats won the American Athletic Conference and head into the postseason as the only unbeaten team in the country. Their reward will be a matchup with the defending national champions. The Crimson Tide is in the playoff for the seventh time in its eight-year history.
December 6, 2021 3:58 am
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – The Vancouver Canucks cleaned house late Sunday night, dumping three executives and head coach Travis Green and replacing him with veteran Bruce Boudreau. The Canucks, in a statement, said general manager Jim Benning was fired, and assistant manager Jim Weisbrod, Green and assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner were also relieved of their duties. The Canucks say the search for new hockey operations leadership “has begun.”
December 5, 2021 1:55 am
Mt. Lebanon scored on its first seven possessions and triggered the PIAA mercy rule for the third straight playoff game as the Blue Devils downed State College, 49-28, in the 6A semifinal. Mt. Lebanon advances to its first-ever PIAA Football Final next Saturday night against the St. Joseph’s Prep, winner of four of the past five 6A titles. PIAA Brackets
Joey Daniels completed 11-of-14 first-half passes for 244 yards and five touchdowns. And the senior completed his only pass after intermission for another 48 yards and another touchdown. Eli Heidenreich was on the backend of nine of those passes for 278 yards and five scores. Alex Tecza ran 16 times for 109 yards and a touchdown. The senior runningback also caught a TD pass in the first half.
Four of the other five WPIAL champions, crowned last weekend at Heinz Field, won their semifinals Friday and clinched championship game berths.
Friday PIAA Football scores
1A Redbank Valley 23, Bishop Canevin 14
2A Serra Catholic 27, Farrell 18
3A Central Valley 35, Central (Martinsburg) 21
4A Aliquippa 41, Jersey Shore 16
5A Penn-Trafford 49, Exeter Township 14
Saturday PIAA Football schedule
6A Mt. Lebanon 49, State College 28
December 5, 2021 7:40 am
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kenny Pickett accounted for three touchdowns and Erick Hallett II returned one of Pittsburgh’s four interceptions for a touchdown to help the No. 17 Panthers beat No. 18 Wake Forest 45-21 in Saturday night’s Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. Hallett, selected the game’s MVP, had a pick-six with 11:42 left that came on the heels of A.J. Woods having a 75-yard interception return that fell only 3 yards short of taking it all the way for the score early in the fourth quarter. That was the highlight sequence in a strong defensive performance that locked up the high-scoring Demon Deacons after the opening quarter and ultimately carried the Panthers to their first ACC title since leaving the Big East in 2013. After surrendering touchdowns on three first-quarter possessions, Pittsburgh (11-2) held Wake Forest scoreless for its last 13 drives while getting after Sam Hartman for five sacks to stymie the Demon Deacons’ tempo-controlling flow. Wake Forest (10-3) was back in the ACC title game for the first time since winning the 2006 championship. But the Demon Deacons finished with 295 total yards, with only 109 of those coming after the opening quarter. Hartman threw for two scores and ran for another in the opening period. But by the end of this one, Hartman was suffering through another nightmarish performance on a field about 20 minutes from his hometown in Cornelius.
December 5, 2021 7:46 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — There is new speculation that this season could be Ben Roethlisberger’s last one with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that Roethlisberger privately told former teammates and some people within the organization that he expects this to be his last season with the team. Roethlisberger returned to the team on a one-year contract for his 18th season. He’s led the Steelers to a 5-5-1 record with 14 touchdowns and 6 interceptions on the season. If this is his last season, he would have six games remaining with the Steelers, not including any potential playoff games. Neither Roethlisberger nor the Steelers are making any public statements about the quarterback’s future, and likely won’t until after the season ends, with the Steelers still in the playoff picture. Schefter says the team is operating as if he’s entering the final six games of his career. Roethlisberger leads the Steelers in all-time wins, touchdown passes and passing yards. He has two Super Bowl Championships and played in a third.
December 5, 2021 7:42 am
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Jake Guentzel scored three goals in the second period and added an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-1 on Saturday night. Guentzel scored two power-play goals after the Canucks had three players sent to the penalty box in quick succession. Sidney Crosby had a goal and a pair of assists, and Kris Letang added three assists for the Penguins. Tristan Jarry, from Surrey, British Columbia, had 22 saves in his first start in Vancouver. Rookie Vasily Podkolzin scored for the Canucks. Thatcher Demko stopped 40 of 44 shots. Pittsburgh beat the Canucks for the second time in 11 days. The Penguins took a 4-1 decision in Pittsburgh on Nov. 24.
December 4, 2021 3:47 am
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) – Pittsburgh and Wake Forest will meet in a Top 25 showdown for the Atlantic Coast Conference title thanks in part to the continuity of being led by coaches who have been given time to build successful football programs. The No. 18 Demon Deacons are led by ACC coach of the year Dave Clawson, who is in his eighth season. He has guided Wake Forest to its first ACC title game since last winning in 2006. The 17th-ranked Panthers are led by seventh-year coach Pat Narduzzi and seeking the program’s first ACC title. Clawson says there are “lessons to be taken here” about schools being patient with coaches.
December 4, 2021 3:50 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in desperation mode as they welcome rival Baltimore to Heinz Field. The Steelers are winless in their last three games and have dropped to last place in the AFC North. A loss to the first-place Ravens would likely end any shot Pittsburgh has at repeating as division champions. Baltimore has won three of four but has struggled to score points of late. The Ravens are averaging just 14 points over their last four games. The Steelers swept the season series from Baltimore in 2020 but the teams have split their last 18 meetings overall.
December 3, 2021 3:55 am
UNDATED (AP) — Antonio Brown is among three NFL players who have been suspended immediately for three games by the league for violating COVID-19 protocols. The punishment comes amid recent allegations that players misrepresented their vaccination status. The suspensions were announced two weeks after a Los Angeles chef told the Tampa Bay Times that Brown obtained a fake COVID-19 vaccination card shortly before the start of training camp in July. Brown, Buccaneers cornerback Mike Edwards and free agent defensive back John Franklin were found in violation of the protocols.
December 3, 2021 3:54 am
DALLAS (AP) – The Dallas Cowboys separated themselves from the rest of the NFC East by winning for just the second time in their last five games. CeeDee Lamb had 122 yards from scrimmage and Tony Pollard provided a 58-yard touchdown run as the Cowboys defeated the Saints, 27-17 in New Orleans. Dak Prescott passed for 238 yards and a 1-yard touchdown to Michael Gallup as the 8-4 Cowboys won without coach Mike McCarthy and five assistants because of positive COVID-19 tests. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was the Cowboys’ acting head coach. Dallas intercepted Saints quarterback Taysom Hill three times in the final 6:32 of the game, including defensive tackle Carlos Watkins’ pick-6 on a screen pass that made it 27-10 with 2:52 left.
