January 4, 2022 3:56 am
UNDATED (AP) – A contingency plan is in place for the FCS championship game if Montana State or North Dakota State are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Both teams are scheduled to arrive in Frisco, Texas, on Wednesday, three days before the Football Championship Subdivision title game. Saturday’s game could be pushed back nearly a week if one or both teams fall below a minimum 53 players before arriving in Texas. If one or both teams are unable to play after arriving in Texas, the game would be declared a no-contest.
January 3, 2022 3:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Evan Rodrigues and Bryan Rust both finished off hat tricks in the third period and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the San Jose Sharks 8-5 for their eighth straight win. Rodrigues and Rust each scored twice as the Pens built a 6-1 lead in the first period. Both added insurance goals in the final period, with Rodrigues completing his first career hat trick with 2:01 left and Rust scoring into an empty net with 11 seconds remaining. Rust had a career-best five points. San Jose scored three times in the first 4:09 of the third period but couldn’t overcome the huge deficit.
January 3, 2022 3:49 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger could be making his 135th and final start at Heinz Field when the Steelers host Cleveland. The 39-year-old Roethlisberger says all signs are pointing to his 18th season in the NFL as his last. Roethlisberger has been dominant at Heinz Field through the years, winning 91 games in the regular season and six more in the playoffs while leading the Steelers to a pair of Super Bowl triumphs. Pittsburgh needs to win its final two games and get help elsewhere to have any shot at returning to the playoffs.
January 3, 2022 3:56 am
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – Antonio Brown was kicked off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a bizarre, shirtless exit from the field before Tom Brady coolly led the Bucs on a 93-yard drive in the final minutes for a 28-24 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday. Coach Bruce Arians said after the game that Brown was off the team. Brown’s mid-game meltdown came late in the third quarter with Tampa Bay trailing 24-10. He appeared animated while talking to teammate Mike Evans when he stripped off his pads, jersey, gloves and T-shirt – tossing the gloves and T-shirt into the stands. He then jogged into the tunnel.
January 2, 2022 1:54 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said Monday night’s game against the Cleveland Browns could be his last at Heinz Field. The 39-year-old insisted that he won’t make any final decisions until after the season, and Roethlisberger noted that his team remains in the playoff hunt. But for now, the veteran quarterback publicly acknowledged for the first time that he could play his final home game on Monday.
January 2, 2022 7:42 am
TAMPA, Fla. — Arkansas football is on the rise. KJ Jefferson picked up 104 of his 110 rushing yards in the second half and threw for 90 more to lead No. 22 Arkansas past Penn State 24-10 in the Outback Bowl on Saturday. Raheim Sanders had 79 yards and two touchdowns on 13 rushing attempts and Dominique Johnson added 85 yards on 11 carries as the Razorbacks finished with 361 yards on the ground. Arkansas (9-4), coming off four consecutive seasons of four or fewer wins, got its first nine-win year since going 11-2 in 2011. The Razorbacks also played in their first bowl game since the 2016 Belk Bowl. Sean Clifford went 14 of 32 or 195 yards for Penn State (7-6). He gained 47 yards on the ground on 11 attempts. Jefferson ran 20 times while completing 14 of 19 passes. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound sophomore was sacked five times and limited to 6 yards rushing on 11 carries during the first half.
January 2, 2022 7:45 am
AUSTIN, Texas — Marcus Carr spent the nonconference portion of his first season at Texas becoming comfortable in coach Chris Beard’s offense, trying to be a good teammate and working to create shots for others. On Saturday, Carr was assertive looking for his own shots. Carr scored a season-best 20 points and No. 17 Texas defeated short-handed West Virginia 74-59 in the teams’ Big 12 opener, snapping the Mountaineers’ eight-game winning streak. West Virginia (11-2) played without starting guard and leading scorer Taz Sherman (20.9 points per game) along with reserves Gabe Osabuohien and Kobe Johnson. All three are in COVID-19 protocols. Carr averaged 16 shot attempts, seven free throws and more than 19 points as an all-Big Ten player at Minnesota last season. In his first 12 games at Texas, Carr averaged eight field goal attempts, 3.5 free throws and 8.6 points. Against West Virginia, Carr converted 7 of 11 from the field and 4 of 5 free throws. Texas (11-2) led by 28 points with 13 minutes remaining, but West Virginia used improved shooting and dogged defense to make the game more competitive. Courtney Ramey scored 15 points for Texas, and Andrew Jones added 14. Jalen Bridges led West Virginia with 18 points, and Malik Curry scored 14. Sean McNeill, West Virginia’s No. 2 scorer this season, had 12 points, two fewer than his average. He hit 5 of 13 shots.
January 1, 2022 3:51 am
UNDATED (AP) – Alabama has a chance to repeat, while Georgia will have a chance for revenge in the College Football Playoff national championship on Jan. 10 in Indianapolis. The Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs rolled to easy semifinal wins over Cincinnati and Michigan to set up a rematch of the Southeastern Conference title game back in early December. Alabama won that one, humbling Georgia 41-24. Still, the last two title games that have been regular-season rematches have seen the team that lost the first game come out on top. Nakobe Dean led an angry Georgia defense, and the third-ranked Bulldogs returned to their dominant ways, beating No. 2 Michigan 34-11 in the Orange Bowl. Stetson Bennett threw two touchdown passes, as Georgia became the first team in the eight-year history of the CFP to score on each of its first five possessions and led 27-3 at halftime. The Wolverines had rolled to their first Big Ten championship since 2004 without trailing by as many as seven points this season. Alabama smothered Cincinnati’s offense and beat the Bearcats 27-6 in the Cotton Bowl. Brian Robinson ran for a career-high 204 yards, while Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young threw three touchdowns for the Crimson Tide. The Bearcats had been undefeated and were the first non-Power Five team to make the four-team College Football Playoff.
December 31, 2021 3:52 am
ATLANTA (AP) – Payton Thorne’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed gave No. 11 Michigan State the lead with less than three minutes remaining and the Spartans overcame an 11-point deficit to beat No. 13 Pittsburgh 31-21 on Thursday night in the Peach Bowl. Linebacker Cal Haladay’s 78-yard interception return for a touchdown with 22 seconds remaining ended Pitt fill-in quarterback Davis Beville’s bid for a last-minute comeback in the game the Panthers played without star QB Kenny Pickett. Thorne threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes as Michigan State (11-2) rallied. Cam Bright returned a fumble recovery 26 yards for a touchdown 20 seconds into the second half for Pittsburgh (11-3). The Panthers lost fill-in starting quarterback Nick Patti to an injury in the first quarter.
December 31, 2021 3:58 am
UNDATED (AP) – DeMarcus Ware, Andre Johnson and Devin Hester are finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2022 all in their first year of eligibility. The 15 modern-day players who will be considered on Jan. 18 by the selection committee include tackle Tony Boselli and defensive lineman Richard Seymour. Other finalists announced Thursday are safety Leroy Butler, wide receivers Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne, linebackers Sam Mills and Zach Thomas. They are all finalists for the third time. Defensive linemen Jared Allen and Bryant Young and cornerback Ronde Barber are two-time finalists. Tackle Willie Anderson and linebacker Patrick Willis are first-time finalists.
