December 4, 2022 8:01 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh defensive tackle Calijah Kancey will not play in the Panthers’ bowl game. The announcement came shortly after Kancey was named the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year. Kancey sustained a season-ending injury in the second half of a win over Duke on Nov. 19. Kancey collected 7 1/2 sacks and 14 1/2 tackles for a loss in 11 games this season for the Panthers. He is the first Pitt player to win the conference’s highest defensive honor since Aaron Donald in 2013.
December 3, 2022 3:47 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) – No. á12 Utah pounded a limping, bloodied Caleb Williams and roared past fourth-ranked Southern California 47-24 to not only win the Pac-12 Championship, but all but end USC’s College Football Playoff hopes. The loss by the Trojans could open the way for Ohio State to find a way in the CFP. USC is fourth in the CFP rankings, the Buckeyes are one step behind. Utah is heading to the Rose Bowl, but the Utes already were going there regardless of this outcome. They are responsible for USC’s only losses, having edged the Trojans 43-42 on Oct. 15 in Salt Lake City.
December 3, 2022 3:48 am
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Frank Harris threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 49 yards and another score, lifting No. 23 UTSA to its second-straight Conference USA championship with a 48-27 victory over North Texas on Friday night at the Alamodome. After falling behind 10-7, the Roadrunners reeled off 17 unanswered points, including 10 in the final 1:12 of the first half to take a 24-10 lead at the break and never trailed again. Harris had scoring passes of 32, 14, and 39 yards to senior Zakhari Franklin, and his fourth – a 16-yard toss to junior tight end Oscar Cardenas – sealed the victory with 4:07 left. áJunior quarterback Austin Aune, who engineered a scoring drive that got North Texas within 34-27 early in fourth quarter, threw for 194 yards and score, but was picked off twice.
December 3, 2022 3:50 am
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Free-agent ace Jacob deGrom and the Texas Rangers have agreed to a $185 million, five-year contract. The two-time Cy Young Award winner leaves the New York Mets after nine seasons – the past two shortened substantially by injuries. After making his first start last season in early August, deGrom went 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA. He helped the Mets reach the playoffs, then opted out of his contract to become a free agent for the first time. Texas announced the signing Friday night after the 34-year-old deGrom passed his physical. A person with direct knowledge of the deal disclosed the financial terms to The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the club did not announce those details.
December 2, 2022 3:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Jake Guentzel and Kasperi Kapanen scored less than 2 minutes apart in the third period to rally the Pittsburgh Penguins past the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3. Guentzel’s power-play goal 7:33 into the third tied the game at 3 and Kapanen’s first goal in nearly two months 112 seconds later put the Penguins in front for the first time. Tristan Jarry made 34 saves for Pittsburgh, which won its first game since star defenseman Kris Letang suffered a stroke.
December 2, 2022 3:53 am
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and the Buffalo Bills beat the New England Patriots 24-10 for their first AFC East victory of the season. Devin Singletary had a 1-yard touchdown run to help the Bills win their third straight and take a half-game lead in the division over Miami. Buffalo had been 0-2 against division foes. Allen became the first player in NFL history with three seasons of 25 passing TDs and five rushing scores. New England has lost two straight since posting a season-best, three-game win streak.
December 2, 2022 3:54 am
The College Football Playoff says it will expand to a 12-team event starting in 2024. The announcement came after the Rose Bowl agreed to amend its contract for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. That was the last hurdle CFP officials needed cleared to expand the four-team format. The expansion is expected to produce about $450 million in additional gross revenue for the conferences and schools that participate. The plan to expand the playoff was unveiled publicly in June 2021 and it took 18 months of haggling and delays to finally complete.
December 2, 2022 3:56 am
GAFFNEY, S.C. (AP) – Baseball Hall of Famer and two-time Cy Young Award winner Gaylord Perry has died at the age of 84. Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler said Perry died at his home in Gaffney, South Carolina, at about 5 a.m. Thursday. The Perry family said that Perry died after a short illness. Perry pitched for eight major-league teams from 1962 until 1983. He won the Cy Young with Cleveland in 1972 and with San Diego in 1978 just after turning 40. Perry was a five-time All-Star who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991.
December 1, 2022 3:16 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is out indefinitely after suffering a stroke. General manager Ron Hextall announced Tuesday that the 35-year-old Letang had the stroke Monday. Letang was a last-minute scratch in a 3-2 overtime loss to Carolina with an undisclosed illness. The team said Letang is not experiencing “any lasting effects” and is undergoing testing. This is the second stroke Letang has suffered during his 17-year career. The three-time Stanley Cup champion missed more than two months in 2014 after a stroke, which doctors determined was caused by a small hole in the wall of his heart.
December 1, 2022 3:48 am
Rose Bowl game organizers have cleared the way for the College Football Playoff to expand to 12 teams starting in the 2024 season. They’ve told CFP officials they are willing to alter agreements for the first two years of the larger playoff. A person with knowledge of the discussions between game organizers and CFP officials told The Associated Press that the Rose Bowl is prepared to be flexible and wants to continue to be part of the College Football Playoff beyond 2025. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the presidents and chancellors who oversee the playoff still needed to give final approval on expansion plans.
