January 3, 2020 3:44 am
UNDATED (AP) – Domingo German won’t pitch off a major league mound until June. The New York Yankees starting hurler will miss the first 63 games of the upcoming season as part of an 81-game ban for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. German was put on administrative leave on Sept. 19 while MLB investigated an alleged domestic violence incident involving his girlfriend, with whom he has at least one child. He missed the final nine games of the 2019 regular season and all nine of New York’s postseason games. Those missed games will count toward his ban. The right-hander was the Yankees’ winningest pitcher last season, going 18-4 with a 4.03 ERA in 24 starts and three relief appearances. German’s ban is the longest levied by MLB under its domestic violence policy for a player who was not formally charged. He has agreed not to appeal the punishment.
January 2, 2020 3:48 am
UNDATED (AP) – Alabama was among the favorites to reach the CFP semifinals when the college football season began, but a pair of late-season losses and an injury to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa dropped them out of contention. The disappointment didn’t cause the Crimson Tide from suffering a letdown before their bowl game on Wednesday. Mac Jones threw for three touchdowns and ninth-ranked Alabama capped an 11-2 season by blasting No. 17 Michigan, 35-16 in the Citrus Bowl. Jerry Jeudy became the first Alabama player to top 200 receiving yards in a bowl game as he accounted for six receptions for 204 yards and a TD. DeVonta Smith and Miller Forristall added touchdown grabs while the Crimson Tide outscored the Wolverines, 21-0 in the second half.
In other New Year’s Day bowl finals:
– The aerial duo of Jake Fromm and George Pickens led fifth-ranked Georgia’s offense in a Sugar Bowl victory over No. 7 Baylor, 26-14. Fromm completed 20 of his 30 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Pickens was busy while catching 12 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown as the Bulldogs finished the season 12-2. Matt Landers also had a scoring grab and Zamir White ran for 92 yards and a score.
– Justin Herbert scored his third rushing touchdown of the day on a thrilling 30-yard run with 7:41 to play, pushing seventh-ranked Oregon to a 28-27 victory over No. 11 Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. Brady Breeze returned the first of his two fumble recoveries 31 yards for an early touchdown and used the second to set up Herbert’s go-ahead TD and help the Ducks finish 12-2. Jonathan Taylor rushed for 94 yards and Quintez Cephus caught seven passes for 59 yards and a score. But the Badgers lost despite controlling the ball for over 38 minutes and outgaining the Ducks, 322-204.
– No. 16 Minnesota earned a 31-24 victory over ninth-ranked Auburn in the Outback Bowl as Tyler Johnson had 12 receptions for 204 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson became the Golden Gophers’ career leader in receiving yards while Tanner Morgan completed 19 of 29 passes for 278 yards, two scores and one interception. Receiver Seth Green tossed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Witham on fourth-and-inches midway through the second quarter.
December 30, 2019 2:53 am
BALTIMORE (AP) — Slogging through the rain without several notable stars and with very little at stake the Baltimore Ravens relied upon a strong defensive performance to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-10 and finish the regular season riding a 12-game winning streak. Baltimore’s first touchdown followed a fumble by Steelers quarterback Devlin Hodges, who was held in check the entire game. The Ravens also scored on special teams after Pittsburgh punter Jordan Berry dropped the wet football near his end zone. The Steelers finished the season with three straight losses and were eliminated from playoff contention. Tennessee beat Houston, clinching the second wild card spot and finalizing the AFC playoff field. #1 Baltimore and #2 Kansas City will have first-round byes. #3 New England will host #6 Tennessee while #5 Buffalo travels to #4 Houston. The NFC teams have been determined but the final order of finish won’t be known until the end of Sunday night’s San Francisco at Seattle game. The schedule for Wild Card Weekend (Jan. 4-5) will be announced by the NFL on Monday. You can hear every playoff game and Super Bowl 54 on WJPA-AM (1450).
December 29, 2019 7:56 am
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — All-America linebacker Micah Parsons led the big blitz for Penn State, and he had Brady White all wrapped up when the Memphis quarterback suddenly flipped away the ball — right into the hands of Garrett Taylor. On a day when the Nittany Lions’ defense gave up its most points and yards all season, Taylor turned that gift into a 15-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 53-39 victory over the Group of Five Tigers on Saturday in the highest-scoring Cotton Bowl ever. Journey Brown ran for 202 yards with two long touchdowns, but the Parsons-created pick-six came three plays after Brown was stopped short on a fourth-and-1. Taylor put the No. 13 Nittany Lions (11-2, No. 10 CFP) up 45-36 going into the fourth quarter of the 84th Cotton Bowl. Brown was the offensive MVP and Parsons, with 14 tackles and two sacks, was the game’s top defensive player. Both had gone back and forth about that possibility during practice this week. Freshman running back Noah Cain added 92 yards and two touchdowns rushing for Penn State, which won for the 30th time in its 50 bowl appearances. The Nittany Lions had 529 total yards. Brown got his 202 rushing yards on 16 carries, including a tackle-shredding 32-yard touchdown early and a 56-yard score when he went up the middle virtually untouched.
December 28, 2019 3:45 am
BALTIMORE (AP) – The Baltimore Ravens have already clinched the top seed in the AFC playoffs and will rest several key starters in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That doesn’t mean the Ravens don’t have incentive to win. Baltimore has long been locked in a rivalry with the Steelers and could possibly knock Pittsburgh out of the playoff hunt. The Steelers can get in with a loss, but their best path to the postseason is to win Sunday and have Tennessee lose to Houston. Quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Mark Ingram are among those Ravens who are expected to be inactive.
December 27, 2019 3:46 am
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Penn State has hired Kirk Ciarrocca as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He held the same role for Big Ten foe Minnesota for the past three seasons. Ciarrocca replaces Ricky Rahne, who was named the head coach at OId Dominion earlier this month. Penn State plays Memphis in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday. Ciarrocca grew up as a Nittany Lions fan and has deep ties to Pennsylvania. He guided the Gophers’ offense to a breakout year as quarterback Tanner Morgan set single-season program records for yards and touchdowns.
December 25, 2019 8:15 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mason Rudolph’s star-crossed season is over. The Pittsburgh Steelers placed the second-year quarterback on injured reserve on Tuesday, two days after Rudolph hurt his left shoulder in the third quarter of a loss to the New York Jets. The move clears up Pittsburgh’s quarterback picture heading into the regular-season finale against the Baltimore Ravens. Rookie Devlin “Duck” Hodges will make his fifth straight start for the Steelers (8-7), who are in a tie with Tennessee for the final wild-card spot in the AFC. Paxton Lynch will serve as Hodges’ primary backup. The Steelers signed former Ohio State star J.T. Barrett to the practice squad on Tuesday to provide depth. Pittsburgh needs Hodges to be more careful with the ball. He’s thrown six interceptions over his past two games and was pulled in the second quarter against the Jets after tossing picks on two of the Steelers’ first three possessions. While Tomlin stressed he had no issues with Hodges’ preparation or his approach, Pittsburgh’s offensive limitations at this point require avoiding the kind of mistakes that have forced the Steelers to play from behind during a two-game losing streak that’s put their playoff chances in a precarious position. There’s little chance the Steelers turn to Lynch. A first-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2016, the Steelers signed Lynch to the practice squad in September and he’s done limited work with the starting group. Hodges will have to play without center Maurkice Pouncey, who is out with a left knee injury sustained one snap before Rudolph went down. Running back James Conner is questionable with a quad injury suffered in the first half against New York. Conner, a Pro Bowler last season, has missed extensive time already this year with a lingering shoulder issue. It’s been much the same for Rudolph. He beat out Josh Dobbs during training camp to become the top reserve behind starter Ben Roethlisberger. Rudolph took over when Roethlisberger was lost for the season with a right elbow injury in Week 2, but missed time in October after getting knocked unconscious by Baltimore safety Earl Thomas in a loss to the Ravens on Oct. 6. He returned to lead Pittsburgh to three consecutive victories before an ugly 21-7 loss to Cleveland on Nov. 14 that ended with Rudolph getting into a fight with Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, a brawl that culminated with Garrett ripping off Rudolph’s helmet then hitting Rudolph in the head with it. Garrett later accused Rudolph of using a racial slur shortly before the fight, an allegation Rudolph denied and one the NFL said it had no evidence of. Rudolph started the following week against Cincinnati but was yanked early in the second half in favor of Hodges, who sparked the team to three straight victories before floundering through a four-interception performance in a loss to Buffalo. Hodges started against the Jets but was removed in the second quarter after throwing two more picks. He returned in the fourth quarter after Rudolph went down. The 24-year-old Rudolph passed for 1,765 yards with 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 10 games. Tomlin said Rudolph’s injury does not require surgery but he will not play again this season even if Pittsburgh manages to reach the playoffs. The Steelers do not control their own destiny to reach the postseason. There are several scenarios in play. The clearest path includes Pittsburgh beating the AFC North champion Ravens (13-2) while hoping AFC South champion Houston beats Tennessee.
December 24, 2019 3:56 am
The Marlins and catcher Francisco Cervelli have agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract, pending a physical. Cervelli played in 48 games this year for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves, batting .213 with three home runs and 12 RBIs.
December 24, 2019 3:55 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Central Florida won the Gasparilla Bowl as Richie Grant and Tre’mon Morris-Brash had first-quarter defensive touchdowns in the Knights’ 48-25 rout of Marshall. Grant had a 39-yard interception return on Marshall’s third play and Morris-Brash brought back a fumble 55 yards for a score that put UCF ahead, 21-0. Dillon Gabriel was 14 of 24 passes for 260 yards, tossing two scoring passes in the third period and running for a TD later in the period.
December 23, 2019 3:48 am
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – Le’Veon Bell helped deal his former team’s playoff hopes a big blow, leading the New York Jets to a 16-10 victory over the banged-up Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers entered the game controlling their postseason destiny and would have clinched a berth with wins in their final two games, but now need some help. They also have more injury concerns as running back James Conner, center Maurkice Pouncey and quarterback Mason Rudolph all left with injuries. Bell ran for 72 yards while facing the team with which he spent his first six NFL seasons. Steelers close out the regular season Sunday at Baltimore and need to beat the Ravens and have the Titans lose to Houston.
