December 7, 2020 3:55 am
UNDATED (AP) – Alabama is No. 1 for the fifth week in a row and has extended its streak of consecutive poll appearances to 210, the third longest in the history of The Associated Press college football poll. The Crimson Tide are the unanimous No. 1 for the third straight week and the top seven teams are unchanged for a fifth consecutive poll. Notre Dame, Ohio State, Clemson and Texas A&M round out the top five. No. 6 Florida and No. 7 Cincinnati also held their spots. No. 24 Buffalo is ranked for the first time in school history.
December 6, 2020 7:29 am
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — After the worst start in school history, Penn State is starting to play like the Nittany Lions of old. Sean Clifford threw a 29-yard touchdown and Penn State’s defense set up three scores with stops or takeaways on Saturday in a 23-7 victory over Rutgers that gave the program its 900th win. Penn State (2-5, 2-5 Big Ten) dominated both sides of the ball, outgained Rutgers 381-204 and held the Scarlet Knights to a season-low for points. The win was the second straight for the Nittany Lions and their 14th in a row over the Scarlet Knights (2-5, 2-5). Clifford opened the scoring with a 29-yard touchdown pass to true freshman Parker Washington with 3:32 left in the first quarter. It came after the Nittany Lions stuffed Johnny Langan on a fourth-and-1 from the Rutgers 45 on the Scarlet Knights’ opening possession. A second stop on a fourth-and-1 from the Rutgers 45 in the second quarter led to a 7-yard touchdown run by Devyn Ford for a 17-0 halftime lead. Coach James Franklin has seen improvement the past two weeks, especially from his defense, particularly in short yard situations.
December 6, 2020 7:30 am
AMES, Iowa — Moments after No. 12 Iowa State finished a 42-6 rout of West Virginia on Saturday, Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said he walked into a subdued locker room. The Cyclones (8-2, 8-1, No. 9 in the CFP) will make their first appearance in the Big 12 championship game Dec. 19 after finishing the regular season alone in first place. They’ll play No. 13 Oklahoma, which secured its spot with a 27-14 win over Baylor. Brock Purdy completed 20 of 23 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns and was the catalyst for an Iowa State offense that finished with 483 total yards against the Big 12’s top defense. The Cyclones scored touchdowns on their first three possessions. West Virginia (5-4, 4-4) didn’t score until Tyler Sumpter made a 32-yard field goal with 12 minutes left. Big 12 rushing leader Breece Hall outplayed No. 2 rusher Leddie Brown. Hall scored twice, ran for 97 yards on 22 carries and caught three passes for 56. Brown had just 48 yards on 14 carries and caught four balls for 18.
December 6, 2020 7:27 am
PITTSBURGH — Justin Champagnie had 22 points and 10 rebounds at Pittsburgh hit a season-high 14 3-pointers in the Panthers’ 89-59 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday night. Ithiel Horton, Xavier Johnson and Au’Diese Toney each scored 15 points for Pitt (2-1). Horton — who made nine 3s in a game for Delaware as a freshman — hit a season-high five 3-pointers, Champagnie added four 3s, and Johnson had seven assists. Champagnie sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around five points by Johnson in an 11-0 run that gave Pitt an 18-point lead with 39 seconds left in the first half. The Panthers, who made a combined 11 of 43 (25.6%) from behind the arc in their first two games, hit 9-of-20 3s before the break. Trendon Hankerson hit four 3s and finished with career-high tying 18 points for Northern Illinois (0-3). Darius Beane added 11 points. Horton hit three 3s in a span of 2 minutes, 38 seconds seconds. Hugley then made a jumper to make it 60-34 with 13:09 to play and an 11-0 run — including a put-back dunk by Champagnie — gave the Panthers their biggest lead at 77-41 with 6:34. The Panthers tied their season high with nine steals and scored 31 points off 17 NIU turnovers.
December 5, 2020 3:52 am
(AP) – Justin Lewis scored 18 points and converted a putback off a missed free throw at the buzzer as Marquette knocked off No. 4 Wisconsin 67-65 on Friday night. Marquette’s D.J. Carton was just inside the 3-point arc when he drew a foul with nine-tenths of a second left. Carton made the first free throw and his second attempt bounced off the rim. Lewis got into the paint and tapped the ball with his right hand. The freshman’s shot hit the front of the rim and went off the backboard before falling through the basket as his teammates mobbed him.Marquette earned its first victory over a top-5 team since beating No. 1 Villanova 74-72 on Jan. 24, 2017. The Golden Eagles also snapped Wisconsin’s 11-game winning streak, which began late last season.
December 5, 2020 3:50 am
(AP) – The NFL is further limiting player access to team facilities as it attempts to enhance safety measures during the pandemic. In a memo sent to the 32 clubs and obtained by The Associated Press, teams are told that they must close their facilities for two days after games, with some exceptions. Beginning Monday, all teams playing on a Sunday must close those facilities the next two days. Only players needing medical attention for injuries or in rehab programs may enter the team complex. Coaches can access the facility, but must work in their own offices and can’t conduct meetings except virtually. The league had its second major outbreak in the last two weeks, with the Baltimore Ravens having at least two dozen people testing positive.
December 5, 2020 3:54 am
BOONE, N.C. (AP) – No. 20 Louisiana-Lafayette overcame three snaps over the punter’s head and another bad one on a extra point, beating Appalachian State 24-21 on a cold, rainy Friday night when the Mountaineers’ Chandler Staton missed a 30-yard field goal with 2 seconds left. Running back Trey Ragas scored three touchdowns, and Levi Lewis threw for 101 yards and a touchdown and ran for 77 yards to help the Ragin’ Cajuns beat Appalachian State for the first time and win their sixth straight game. Louisiana-Lafayette was 0-8 against Appalachian State, including losses in the last two conference championship games.
December 5, 2020 3:48 am
(AP) – A person familiar with the discussions tells The Associated Press that the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association are focusing their discussions on a mid-January start date for the season.
Jan. 1 had been the stated target, but there are a number of issues that need to be resolved before players can travel to begin practice. The two sides still need to agree on a schedule. The current working plan featuring between 52 and 56 regular season games.
December 4, 2020 10:15 am
Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt has been named AFC Defensive Player of the Month for November. This is the third time Watt has won the honor and the second time this year. He was AFC Defensive Player of the Month in September, as well as once in 2019. Watt had 18 tackles, including 13 solo stops, five and a half sacks, 17 quarterback hits and three pass defenses in November.
December 4, 2020 2:39 am
UNDATED (AP) – The unbeaten Pittsburgh Steelers and the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs are closing in on clinching their respective divisions going into Week 13. The Steelers, who are 11-0, can wrap up the AFC North with a win over Washington on Monday night and a Browns loss against Tennessee on Sunday. The Steelers can clinch a playoff spot with a win or losses by the Raiders, Dolphins or Colts on Sunday. The Chiefs can take the AFC West again with a win over the Broncos on Sunday night and a Raiders loss to the winless Jets. Or earn a playoff spot with a win. And in the NFC, the Saints, who have won eight in a row, can clinch a playoff spot with a win and a loss by the reeling Bears.
