September 10, 2019 3:39 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Southern California athletic director Lynn Swann has resigned after three years in charge at his alma mater. Dave Roberts will serve as interim athletic director. USC’s athletic department has faced several setbacks during Swann’s say, notably involvement in the widespread college admissions scandal. The 67-year-old Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver was hired in 2016 despite no significant experience in athletic administration.
September 9, 2019 12:29 pm
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – The Jacksonville Jaguars have acquired quarterback Josh Dobbs in a trade with Pittsburgh, giving them a backup while Nick Foles recovers from a broken collarbone. The Jaguars gave up a fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft for Dobbs, who was in his third season with the Steelers. He was a fourth-round pick in 2017. He has played in five career NFL games, completing 6 of 12 passes for 43 yards and an interception. He will back up rookie Gardner Minshew, who completed 22 of 25 passes for 275 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception, in his NFL debut Sunday. Foles broke his left clavicle on the team’s 10th offensive play of the season. He was hit and landed on while throwing a 35-yard touchdown pass to DJ Chark.
September 8, 2019 7:15 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Marcell Ozuna hit a three-run homer to break out of his slump and Adam Wainwright pitched seven strong innings, helping the St. Louis Cardinals maintain their lead atop the NL Central with a 10-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night. The Cardinals entered the day 2 1/2 games ahead of Chicago for the division lead. After Dexter Fowler opened the scoring with an RBI single earlier in the third inning, Ozuna connected against Steven Brault (4-4) for his 26th home run of the season and a 4-0 lead. The cleanup hitter also walked twice after having two hits in his 35 at-bats. Wainwright (11-9) helped himself with a double and single while lasting seven innings for the second straight start. He gave up one run and six hits. Starling Marte drove in the Pirates’ run with a single in the third. He had three RBIs and four hits, including a first-inning triple Saturday, in seven at-bats in two games since missing the previous two with a leg injury. Tommy Edman and Harrison Bader chased Brault with a pair of RBI singles that extended the lead to 6-1 in the sixth. Brault allowed six runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings with two walks, a balk, a wild pitch and a hit batter. Brault hadn’t given up more than four runs in 15 appearances – 13 starts- ) since May 12, when St. Louis also tagged him for six in 3 2/3 innings before losing 10-6. Paul DeJong tacked on two more runs with a double off Clay Holmes, making it 8-1 in the seventh. Bader hit an RBI double in the ninth before Andrew Knizner scored on a groundball to cap it. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a single to center in the ninth inning. His career best string is 16 games.
September 8, 2019 7:14 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Kenny Pickett passed for a career-high 321 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown to Maurice Ffrench, to lead Pittsburgh to a 20-10 win over Ohio on Saturday. A week after getting sacked four times and barely completing half of his attempts in a loss to Virginia, Pickett fared far better in his second game trying to run new offensive coordinator Mark Whipple’s pass-heavy offense. Pickett completed 26 of 37 passes and looked far more comfortable against the Bobcats. Ffrench finished with 10 receptions for 138 yards. His long catch-and-run early in the second quarter gave Pitt (1-0) a 10-point lead the Panthers never came close to squandering. A.J. Davis ran for 89 yards for Pitt and Vincent Davis added 50 on the ground, including his first career touchdown that put the Panthers up 17-0. That was more than enough cushion for a defense that kept the Bobcats (1-1) in check. Defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman finished with three of Pitt’s six sacks as the Panthers never let Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke get going. Rourke hit on 15 of 27 passes for 177 yards and couldn’t make anything happen with his legs. Rourke, who ran for 75 yards in Ohio’s season opener against Rhode Island, finished with minus-43 yards on the ground. The Bobcats finished with 35 yards rushing on 29 attempts, with no rush gaining more than eight yards. Ohio’s only real push came late in the third quarter when De’Montre Tuggle’s 7-yard touchdown run drew the Bobcats within 10. Ohio would get no closer. The Bobcats managed just one first down over their final three drives and Pitt’s size advantage up front wore Ohio down. The Panthers took over at the Pitt 7 with 7:05 remaining and never let the Bobcats get the ball back, bleeding the clock behind an offensive line that pushed Ohio around until the clock hit zero.
September 7, 2019 4:02 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh will try to avoid its first 0-2 start since 2005 when Ohio visits Heinz Field. The Panthers are coming off a 30-14 loss to Virginia in the season opener. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi says he’s encouraged by what he saw against the Cavaliers despite the 16-point margin. Ohio is coming off a solid victory over Rhode Island in its opener. The Bobcats are led by coach Frank Solich, who was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a short drive from Heinz Field.
September 6, 2019 2:59 am
UNDATED (AP) – Star receiver Antonio Brown is not with the Oakland Raiders four days before the season opener amid reports he could be suspended over a confrontation with general manager Mike Mayock. Mayock said at the beginning of practice Thursday that Brown wasn’t at the Raiders facility and won’t be practicing a day after Brown posted a letter from the GM on social media detailing nearly $54,000 in fines for missing a practice and walkthrough. ESPN reported earlier Thursday that the two had a confrontation over the posting of the letter and that the Raiders plan to suspend Brown. Teams have the right under the collective bargaining agreement to suspend players up to four games for conduct detrimental to the team. A suspension would also void the more than $29 million in guarantees over the next two seasons contained in Brown’s contract with the Raiders.
September 6, 2019 2:55 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Brian Moran became the first player in major league history to make his debut while facing his brother on the mound, striking out younger sibling Colin in the Marlins’ 10-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night. Brian (1-0) entered in the fourth inning with the Marlins trailing 5-2. After Bryan Reynolds led off with a groundout, Colin stepped to the plate having doubled in each of his first two at-bats. The 30-year-old Brian fell behind 3-1 before throwing back-to-back sliders to strike out Colin looking. The 26-year-old Colin shouted toward the mound on his way back to the dugout. Moran hit Josh Bell with a pitch and then got Melky Cabrera to fly out in his only inning of work. The Marlins rallied for four runs in the fifth, allowing Brian to get the win. Colin finished 2-for-4. They became the first siblings to face each other in a pitcher-batter scenario with one of the brothers making his major league debut, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
September 5, 2019 2:57 am
UNDATED (AP) – Ezekiel Elliott has a new contract with the Dallas Cowboys, just in time for the regular season. The star running back and the club agreed on a $90 million, six-year extension that will make him the NFL’s highest-paid player at his position and end a holdout that lasted the entire preseason. Elliott will get $50 million guaranteed. The $15 million-per-year average on the extension surpasses the $14.4 million Todd Gurley got from the Los Angeles Rams last summer. Gurley’s guarantee was $45 million. The 24-year-old has a contract that totals $103 million over the next eight seasons.
September 3, 2019 3:52 am
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Ninth-ranked Notre Dame has opened its season by spoiling Scott Satterfield’s first game as Louisville’s head coach. Ian Book threw for a touchdown and ran for another as the Irish dumped the Cardinals, 35-17 at Louisville. Jahmir Smith had a pair of short rushing touchdowns for Notre Dame, which trailed 14-7 in the first quarter before Tony Jones Jr. ran for an 11-yard TD. Jones carried 15 times for 112 yards to help the Irish outgain the Cardinals, 425-383. Louisville freshman Javian Hawkins rushed for 122 yards on 19 carries.
September 3, 2019 3:49 am
UNDATED (AP) – The St. Louis Cardinals remain three games ahead of the second-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central following victories by both teams this afternoon. Adam Wainwright scattered four hits over seven scoreless innings as the Cardinals won for the 10th time in 12 games, 3-1 over the Giants. Kolten Wong delivered a run-scoring triple and Paul DeJong had an RBI single as Wainwright reached the 10-win plateau for the 10th time in his career. The Cubs kept pace by scoring five times in the seventh inning to rally past the Mariners, 5-1. Kyle Schwarber’s bases-loaded triple broke a 1-1 tie and sent Chicago to its first win in three games. Anthony Rizzo went 2-for-2 and was hit by two pitches. He’s now the Cubs’ all-time leader in being hit by pitches with 139, topping the mark of 137 set by Frank Chance over a century ago.
