September 19, 2021 7:30 am
PITTSBURGH — There’s a montage Western Michigan football coach Tim Lester makes his team watch relentlessly. It includes a flash of the letter “R,” which stands for “respond.” That’s not to be confused with “react.” A reaction is emotional. A “response,” according to Lester, is calculated. It’s measured. It’s well-thought-out. One that reverberated all over Heinz Field on Saturday as the Broncos stunned Pittsburgh 44-41 for the program’s victory over a Power Five program during Lester’s five-year tenure. Time and again the Broncos (2-1) would sprint in front only to have the Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett throw a touchdown pass to shift momentum. And time and again Western Michigan quarterback Kaleb Eleby would snap the ball, make the right decision in Lester’s run/pass-option offense and lead a touchdown drive to go back in front. It’s the kind of response the Panthers (2-1) delivered a week ago in a stirring win on the road against Tennessee. While they stressed they would take all the steps to avoid a letdown, it happened anyway. Pitt fell behind by 13 early and while they drew even three times, the defense couldn’t get the stop necessary to give Pickett a chance to take control of the game for good.
September 19, 2021 3:58 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin will face one of his mentors when his team hosts Jon Gruden and the Las Vegas Raiders. Tomlin spent four years as a defensive assistant under Gruden when the two were in Tampa Bay in the early 2000s. Tomlin says he learned a lot from Gruden, including the idea that a coach can’t make decisions based on fear. Sunday’s game is the home opener for Pittsburgh and a sellout crowd is expected. The Raiders head east after a Monday night victory over Baltimore, a schedule that hasn’t been kind to the team in the past.
September 19, 2021 7:26 am
MIAMI — Ke’Bryan Hayes doubled twice and survived a ninth-inning tumble on the pitcher’s mound in the game’s second failed attempt to catch a popup, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Miami Marlins 6-3 Saturday night and move within a win of their first series sweep this year. Miami catcher Nick Fortes homered and singled in his major league debut, a night after Payton Henry was behind the plate for the Marlins in his debut. They became the first teammates to debut as starting catchers on consecutive days since the St. Louis Browns’ Joe Jenkins and Jack Enzenroth on April 30 and May 1, 1914, according to STATS. Cole Tucker had three hits for the Pirates and Bryse Wilson (3-7) allowed two runs and four hits in five innings. Wilson had been 0-4 with a 5.09 ERA in seven starts since the Pirates acquired him from Atlanta July 30.
September 18, 2021 1:02 am
Conference play began for most teams Friday in Week 3 of the high school football season.
6A Mt. Lebanon 37, Canon-McMillan 7
5A Peters Township 28, Penn-Trafford 14 (exhibition)
4A Thomas Jefferson 49, Trinity 7
4A Laurel Highlands 32, Ringgold 29
2A Chartiers-Houston 29, Beth-Center 0
2A McGuffey 41, Charleroi 0
2A Wash High 57, Waynesburg 14
1A Ft. Cherry 35, Shenango 7
1A OL/Sacred Heart 33, Burgettstown 13
1A West Greene 48, California 22
1A Carmichaels 44, Mapletown 18
1A Jeff-Morgan 32, Avella 0
1A Monessen 50, Bentworth 7
September 18, 2021 3:58 am
MIAMI (AP) – Wil Crowe won for the first time since July 30 and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Miami Marlins 2-1. He allowed one run in five innings, giving up three hits. Crowe (4-7) struck out five and walked one. The right-hander’s outing also ended a string of five consecutive no decisions. Bryan Reynolds walked twice and doubled and Anthony Alford had two hits for the Pirates.
September 18, 2021 4:00 am
SAO PAULO (AP) – Brazilian soccer great Pele “took a little step back” in his recovery from surgery to remove a tumor from his colon but he is “recovering well” at a Sao Paulo hospital. That’s according to his daughter, Kely Nascimento. The Albert Einstein hospital said the 80-year-old Edson Arantes do Nascimento had returned to intensive care after “a brief breathing instability” Thursday night. Pele was currently stable in “semi-intensive” care, the hospital said, and he “continues recovering.” It did not give further details.
September 17, 2021 1:56 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Tyler Mahle allowed five hits over six innings and the Cincinnati Reds avoided a sweep by edging Pittsburgh 1-0. Pinch-hitter Asdrubal Cabrera provided the game’s only run with a sacrifice fly against Cody Ponce. Mahle improved to 12-5 for Cincinnati. The victory gave the Reds a little momentum at the end of a nine-game road trip in which they went 3-6. The Pirates are now 0-14 this season when trying to sweep a series from an opponent.
September 17, 2021 2:58 am
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) – Dustin Hopkins made the most of a second chance as the Washington Football Team pulled out a 30-29 win over the Giants. Dustin Hopkins made a 43-yard field goal on an untimed down, the result of a penalty on Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence. Hopkins missed his first attempt from 48 yards out before the penalty gave Washington new life. Taylor Heinicke threw for 336 yards and two touchdowns. He cost Washington dearly with a late interception, but after Graham Gano’s fifth field goal of the game gave the Giants a 29-27 lead with 2:00 remaining, Heinicke guided Washington back into field goal range. Daniel Jones threw for 249 yards and a touchdown for the 0-2 Giants and also ran for 95 yards and a TD.
September 17, 2021 3:00 am
UNDATED (AP) – The “Hard Knocks” franchise will have regular-season episodes for the first time. NFL Films has announced that “Hard Knocks In Season: The Indianapolis Colts” will debut on Nov. 17 on HBO. It will be the Colts’ first appearance on “Hard Knocks,” which debuted in 2001 by following the Baltimore Ravens through training camp as they began defense of their Super Bowl title. The Colts series will have at least nine episodes on Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET.
September 17, 2021 3:01 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NHL says it expects 98% of its players to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the start of the season. The league says that would mean only 10 to 15 players will not be vaccinated by the time the season begins Oct. 12. The league and the Players’ Association did not impose a vaccine mandate on players, but coaches and staff must be vaccinated as a condition of employment. Columbus recently replaced assistant coach Sylvain Lefebvre because he declined to be vaccinated. Teams will be able to suspend unvaccinated players without pay if they cannot participate in hockey activities as part of the protocols, which could include games in Canada. Fully vaccinated players will have any COVID-19 positives treated as hockey injuries and still be paid. Unvaccinated players also will have their movements restricted when on the road. And there will still be regular coronavirus testing for vaccinated players.
