October 5, 2020 3:58 am
UNDATED (AP) – Oklahoma has dropped out of The Associated Press college football poll for the first time since September 2016, while Iowa State jumped back into the Top 25 after a day of upsets.
There largely was stability at the top of the rankings after No. 1 Clemson, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Florida all won big, though the Bulldogs and Gators switched spots.
Five teams dropped out of the rankings after eight ranked teams lost Saturday, six of them to unranked opponents.
October 5, 2020 3:59 am
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Sergio Garcia birdied the final hole of the Sanderson Farms Championship for his first PGA Tour win since the 2017 Masters. Garcia delivered two key shots on the back nine, the last one an 8-iron to 30 inches of the stick on 18. He closed with a 5-under 67 and won for the 10th consecutive year worldwide. Peter Malnati closed with a career-best 63 and and walked off the course as the leader before falling short in his bid for a second PGA title.
October 4, 2020 4:21 am
The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed goaltender Tristan Jarry to a three-year contract, it was announced Saturday by executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford. The contract will run through the 2022-23 season and carries an average annual value of $3.5 million. Jarry, 25, enjoyed a career year in 2019-20 with Pittsburgh, leading to his first career NHL All-Star Game selection. He set career highs across the board in games played (33), wins (20), goals-against average (2.43), save percentage (.921) and shutouts (3). Jarry’s goals-against average (9th) and save percentage (8th) both ranked in the top-10 in the NHL.
October 4, 2020 7:24 am
PITTSBURGH — North Carolina State head coach Dave Doeren kept waiting for quarterback Devin Leary to take a firm grasp of the starting job. Doeren knew Leary had all the tools necessary to provide some stability at a position where there’s been little of it recently for the Wolfpack. At some point, Doeren figured it would all come together for the charismatic redshirt sophomore with the big arm. That point arrived in the fourth quarter on Saturday at Heinz Field against No. 24 Pittsburgh. Twice the Wolfpack needed to go the length of the field to reclaim the lead. Twice they did it, the last time coming on a 13-yard strike from Leary to Emeka Emezie with 23 seconds to go to give N.C. State a stunning 30-29 victory over the previously unbeaten Panthers. Leary, making his first start of the season, drove the Wolfpack 79 yards in 12 plays, the last a perfect back-shoulder throw to Emezie, who made a perfect spinning grab to give N.C. State its first victory over a ranked team since 2017. Leary finished 28 of 44 for 336 yards and four touchdowns as the Wolfpack (2-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) bounced back from a dismal loss at Virginia Tech to stop Pitt’s bid for the program’s first 4-0 start since 2000.
October 4, 2020 7:25 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Leddie Brown scored a 3-yard touchdown run in the second overtime after West Virginia’s defense made a stop, and the Mountaineers outlasted Baylor 27-21 on Saturday. West Virginia (2-1, 1-1 Big 12) squeaked out the win in a game where offensive consistency was rare and mistakes were plentiful. Baylor (1-1, 1-1) surpassed 200 rushing yards a week ago against Kansas but managed 256 yards overall against West Virginia. West Virginia’s defense chased down Baylor’s Charlie Brewer all day. They sacked him six times, had 11 tackles for loss and forced two interceptions. Brewer threw three touchdown passes, but his interception in the second overtime proved costly.
October 4, 2020 7:21 am
The NFL postponed this week’s game between New England and the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs after “positive COVID-19 tests on both teams.” Patriots starting quarterback Cam Newton and Chiefs practice squad quarterback Jordan Ta’amu were both added to the NFL’s COVID-19 reserve list released on Saturday afternoon. The NFL said Saturday that the game, originally scheduled for 4:25 p.m. EDT on Sunday, will be played Monday or Tuesday, a move that would be possible only if there is no wider spread of the disease on the rosters. Newton has started all three games for New England. Ta’amu has not appeared in a game but would have spent time in meetings with Super Bowl MVP Pat Mahomes and the team’s other QBs. It is the second game this weekend that has been affected by COVID-19. After an outbreak on the Titans, the matchup between Pittsburgh and Tennessee was postponed — originally for a day or two, and then until Oct. 25 as the positive tests accumulated.
October 4, 2020 7:22 am
BALTIMORE (AP) — Those hanging around the heavily restricted stakes barn at Pimlico Race Course this week joked around that Authentic would stare down filly Swiss Skydiver whenever she walked past. Swiss Skydiver added one final memorable moment to cap off a topsy-turvy Triple Crown season, beating favored Authentic by a neck after a stretch duel in the Preakness Stakes run without fans Saturday. She became the sixth filly and first since Rachel Alexandra in 2009 to win the Preakness, which this year served as the third leg of the Triple Crown for the first time.
October 3, 2020 3:38 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The NFL has rescheduled the Pittsburgh-Tennessee game postponed from Sunday to Oct. 25 in Week 7, and the Steelers will play Baltimore on Nov. 1 as a result of the Titans’ COVID-19 outbreak. The league announced the scheduling changes Friday, hours after the Titans’ outbreak expanded by two more players to a total of 14 within the past week. Officials from the NFL and its players union were in Nashville reviewing how the Titans have handled the outbreak. The Vikings, who played the Titans last week, again had no positive results and are on target to play Houston on Sunday.
October 3, 2020 3:48 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers say they’re not going to let their unexpected week off derail their focus. Pittsburgh’s scheduled game against Tennessee was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the Titans. The delay means the Steelers will have to end the regular season with 13 straight games, a prospect head coach Mike Tomlin says doesn’t bother him one bit. Pittsburgh is off to its best start in a decade behind the steady play of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The 38-year-old Roethlisberger has thrown seven touchdowns against one interception through three games. Pittsburgh hosts Philadelphia in Week 5.
October 3, 2020 3:50 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Miami Marlins don’t make a lot of trips to the postseason, but they are winners once they get there.
The Marlins won their first playoff series in 17 years by completing a two-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs, 2-0 in the NL Wild Card Series. That leaves Miami 7-for-7 all time in postseason series, having won the Fall Classic in 1997 and 2003. The game was scoreless until Garrett Cooper homered off Yu Darvish in a two-run seventh. Magneuris Sierra added an RBI single to chase Darvish, who allowed just five hits over 6 2/3 innings. Brad Boxberger threw 1 1/3 innings to get the win in relief of hard-throwing rookie Sixto Sanchez, who limited the Cubs to four hits over five innings. Chicago collected nine hits and scored just one run in the series. Javier Baez, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo combined to go 0 for 12 Friday and finished the series 1 for 24. The outcome puts the Marlins in the NL Division Series against the Braves in Houston. Meanwhile, the Padres are in the NL Division Series following a 4-0 shutout of the Cardinals. San Diego went the bullpen route to close out the Wild Card Series as nine pitchers combined on a four-hitter in the Padres’ second straight win. Eric Hosmer broke a scoreless tie in the fifth with an RBI double off losing pitcher Jack Flaherty, who allowed six hits while striking out eight over six innings. Jake Cronenworth added an eighth-inning solo homer for the Padres, who will take on the Dodgers in the next round.
