November 9, 2020 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – Alabama is No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll for the first time this year. That extends the Crimson Tide’s record of consecutive seasons with at least one week on top of the rankings to 13. Notre Dame moved up two spots to No. 2 after upsetting Clemson in a dramatic double-overtime game. It’s Notre Dame’s best ranking since it was No. 1 at the end of the 2012 regular season. Clemson gave up the top spot for the first time this season and fell to No. 4, behind Ohio State. Texas A&M moved up two spots to No. 5, the Aggies’ best ranking since they finished fifth to end the 2012 season. Florida jumped two spots to No. 6 after beating Georgia to snap a three-game losing streak against its SEC East rival. The Bulldogs fell eight spots to a season-low 13th. No. 8 BYU, No. 9 Miami and No. 10 Indiana round out the top 10. The Hoosiers moved up three spots after beating Michigan to receive their best ranking since they were No. 10 in 1969.
November 9, 2020 2:20 am
Seneca Valley sophomore Beaux Lizewski scored late in the second overtime to win a second WPIAL soccer title in three years, ending the Peters Township season. The Indians had won two straight double-overtime playoff games to reach the final. Only the WPIAL champions advance to the PIAA playoffs. PIAA Soccer brackets
Girls WPIAL Finals WPIAL Girls Soccer brackets
1A #1 Greensburg Central Catholic over #6 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 3-2
2A #3 North Catholic over #5 Avonworth, 1-0
3A #1 Mars over #2 Plum, 1-0
4A #5 North Allegheny over #2 Butler, 2-1 2OT
Boys WPIAL Finals WPIAL Boys Soccer brackets
1A #1 Greensburg Central Catholic over #2 Winchester-Thurston, 3-2
2A #2 Deer Lakes over #1 Shady Side Academy, 2-1 SO
3A #1 Mars over #2 Franklin Regional, 2-1 OT
4A #2 Seneca Valley over #1 Peters Township, 4-3 2OT
November 8, 2020 7:36 am
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Garrett Gilbert appears set for his first NFL start for the Dallas Cowboys against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. The NFL Network, citing unidentified sources, reported the Cowboys planned to start Gilbert at home Sunday. Gilbert’s agent, Leigh Steinberg, posted on Twitter that he was traveling to “see Garrett Gilbert start” against the Steelers. The Cowboys will start their fourth different quarterback in the past five games. Star Dak Prescott is out for the season after breaking his ankle in Week 5 against the New York Giants. Two weeks later, Andy Dalton was knocked out of a game in Washington because of a concussion and has since been placed on the COVID-19 list. Ben DiNucci started last week’s 23-9 loss to Philadelphia, but the rookie seventh-round pick was so overmatched, coach Mike McCarthy said the starter against Pittsburgh would be either Gilbert or Cooper Rush. Neither has started an NFL game, but both have been in the league much longer than DiNucci. Gilbert’s first start would come six years after he was drafted by the Rams. He has thrown six passes in his career. Dallas signed him off Cleveland’s practice squad after Prescott’s injury.
November 8, 2020 7:37 am
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — From start to finish, Authentic left no doubt he was the horse to beat in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. His dominant performance on another big stage should also end the debate about this year’s top 3-year-old, strange as the season has been because of the coronavirus pandemic. Authentic won the Classic in the same fashion he took the rescheduled Kentucky Derby two months ago, going wire-to-wire for a 2¼-length victory over Improbable that gave trainer Bob Baffert a 1-2 finish on a warm, sunny fall Saturday at Keeneland. And perhaps erased Baffert’s regret over Authentic’s narrow runner-up finish to filly Swiss Skydiver in last month’s Preakness, also shifted to the fall because of the pandemic.
November 7, 2020 4:22 am
(AP) – A person with knowledge of the matter tells The Associated Press that Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has been fined $100,000 and the club $250,000 because coaches improperly wore facial coverings last Sunday. The person said Friday that members of the coaching staff were “not wearing face coverings at all times on the sidelines.” Tomlin was among those cited for not following protocols during the victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The league has been clamping down on violators. The Las Vegas Raiders and coach Jon Gruden this week were fined a total $650,000 and docked a sixth-round draft pick for repeated violations.
November 7, 2020 4:23 am
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – D’Eriq King threw five touchdown passes, the last a go-ahead 54-yard catch-and-run play with Michael Harley with 2:43 left, and No. 11 Miami rallied to beat North Carolina State 44-41 on Friday night. Miami improved to 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. It scored the final 13 points to win its third game in a row and match last season’s victory total under second-year coach Manny Diaz. King was 31 for 41 for 430 yards and ran for a game-high 105 yards on 15 carries. Harley also had a 20-yard TD catch in the second quarter. He finished with 153 yards on eight receptions. Zonovan Knight had a 100-yard kickoff return to put NC State on top in the third quarter.
November 6, 2020 3:52 am
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) – Aaron Rodgers threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns and the Green Bay Packers overwhelmed the undermanned San Francisco 49ers 34-17. Rodgers connected on deep shots to Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and a short toss to Marcedes Lewis in the first half to get the Packers out to a 21-3 lead. It was quite a reversal from the team meetings last season when San Francisco outscored Green Bay by a combined 50-0 in the first halves on the way to lopsided wins in the regular season and NFC title game. The Niners were missing almost all their key pieces from that game.
November 5, 2020 3:57 am
UNDATED (AP) – The San Francisco 49ers have shut down their facility after receiver Kendrick Bourne tested positive for the coronavirus. The team said the positive test came back Wednesday morning and Bourne immediately went into self-quarantine after getting the diagnosis. He was later placed on the COVID-19 list. The team’s game against Green Bay on Thursday night is still set to be played, according to a person familiar with the plans. The Packers are also dealing with coronavirus issues. Running backs A.J. Dillon and Jamaal Williams are on the COVID-19 list. San Francisco will also be missing several key players Thursday due to injuries. They include Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle, Raheem Mostert, Nick Bosa and Richard Sherman. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens are short-handed at practice this week after moving two starting offensive linemen to injured reserve and placing eight players on the COVID-19 reserve list. For Sunday’s AFC clash against the Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore will be without left offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley and right guard Tyre Phillips, who are on injured reserve. Baltimore also must find a replacement for All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who has tested positive for the coronavirus. If the other seven players on the reserve/COVID-19 list test negative on Saturday, they can face the Colts.
November 5, 2020 3:58 am
UNDATED (AP) – Louisville has paused all football activities and its Saturday game at Virginia has been postponed at least a week due to a spike in COVID-19 cases. Louisville’s athletic director says the program has 10 players who have tested positive for COVID-19 and five players in quarantine because of contact tracing. Nine Louisville players, mostly on defense, were held out of last week’s 42-35 loss to Virginia Tech. Coach Scott Satterfield said afterward that some of the absences were COVID-19-related.
November 4, 2020 3:34 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Antonio Brown has been activated from the reserve/suspended list and is set to practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the first time on Wednesday. The Bucs signed the former Pittsburgh, Oakland and New England receiver last week and expect him to make his debut with his team when the Bucs host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night. Brown was suspended for the first eight games of the season for multiple violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Coach Bruce Arians said Tuesday he’s not sure how much Brown will play this week, but that he’ll definitely have a role in the game plan. To make room on the roster for Brown, the Bucs waived wide receiver Cyril Grayson.
