January 16, 2020 3:45 am
UNDATED (AP) – Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has ended speculation that he will retire. The Arizona Cardinals have re-signed the 36-year-old Fitzgerald to a one-year contract after he led the team with 75 receptions, 804 receiving yards and four touchdown grabs this season. Fitzgerald is the Cardinals’ all-time leader with 250 games played, 1.378 receptions, 17,083 receiving yards, 120 receiving touchdowns, 120 total touchdowns and 49 100-yard games. He ranks second on the NFL all-time list in receptions and receiving yards, while his touchdown catches are sixth.
January 15, 2020 3:41 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh forward Terrell Brown thought he had a game-tying tip-in with 21 seconds to play, but he was called for a foul on the play, allowing No. 11 Louisville to escape Pitt’s upset bid with a 73-68 overtime victory. Pitt guard Trey McGowens’ driving layup attempt bounced off the rim, and Brown put it back, appearing to tie the game, but he was whistled for an over-the-back foul against Louisville’s Malik Williams. Williams hit both free throws to put Louisville up by two possessions, securing the victory.
January 14, 2020 12:33 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Sidney Crosby is back. The Pittsburgh Penguins captain will be in the lineup on Tuesday night when Pittsburgh faces Minnesota. Crosby hasn’t played since undergoing abdominal surgery on Nov. 14. The Penguins have thrived in spite of the extended absence of the three-time Stanley Cup winner. Pittsburgh is 18-6-4 since Crosby’s last appearance on Nov. 9, tied for the second-best mark in the league during that span. Crosby says his rehab from the surgery was slow at times but watching the team go on a roll helped him stay positive.
January 14, 2020 3:49 am
UNDATED (AP) – Baylor climbed to No. 2 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll after resounding road wins over Texas Tech and Kansas last week. Gonzaga maintained the top spot after breezing to a pair of victories while Duke dropped to third and unbeaten Auburn rose to fourth. Butler rounded out the first five, followed by the Jayhawks and another unbeaten in San Diego State. Oregon, Florida State and Kentucky rounded out the top 10. WVU is ranked 12th.
January 14, 2020 3:45 am
UNDATED (AP) – Joe Burrow’s latest virtuoso performance has turned the LSU Tigers into CFP champions. The Heisman Trophy winner threw for 463 yards and five touchdowns as the boys from Baton Rouge whipped the defending-champion Clemson Tigers, 42-25. Burrow also ran for 58 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries while guiding LSU to its third national championship since the 2003 season. The five TD passes and 463 yards passing are the most for a BCS or College Football Playoff title game as are his six total touchdowns. Burrow is the first major college quarterback to throw 60 touchdown passes in a season. Ja’Marr Chase was Burrow’s favorite target with nine receptions for 221 yards and two scores. Thaddeus Moss also had two touchdown grabs as LSU completed a 15-0 season while ending Clemson’s 29-game winning streak. Clyde Edwards-Helaire logged 164 yards of offense for LSU, including 110 on the ground. Clemson’s offense stalled after taking a 17-7 lead in the second quarter. Trevor Lawrence finished with 234 yards passing, but he completed just 18 of his 37 throws and had just 58 yards in the second half. Lawrence also ran for a one-yard score in the opening half. Clemson tailback Travis Etienne ran for 78 yards and one touchdown while LSU held Tee Higgins in check. Clemson’s top wideout was held to three catches for 52 yards, but he also scored on a 36-yard run. It’s the 10th national championship for an SEC school since 2006.
January 13, 2020 3:48 am
UNDATED (AP) – Kevin Stefanski was the runner-up for the Cleveland Browns’ head coaching position last winter. He finally got the gig. A person familiar with the decision says the Browns have chosen the Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator to replace Freddie Kitchens, who was dismissed after one season and a 6-10 record. The hiring came a day after Minnesota lost to San Francisco in the NFC divisional round. The 37-year-old Stefanski has been with the Vikings since 2006 and oversaw an offensive attack that flourished this season, headed by quarterback Kirk Cousins, running back Dalvin Cook and receiver Adam Thielen. Stefanski is the sixth coach hired by Browns owner Jimmy Haslam since he bought the team in 2012.
January 13, 2020 3:42 am
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Teddy Blueger scored the deciding goal in the eighth round of the shootout and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Arizona Coyotes 4-3. Jared McCann, Patric Hornqvist and Brandon Tanev scored in regulation for the Penguins, who swept a three-game Western road trip. Evgeny Malkin had two assists and Tristan Jarry had 25 saves. Taylor Hall had a goal and an assist, and Conor Garland and Derek Stepan also scored for the Coyotes, who had been shutout in its previous two games. Adin Hill made 30 saves.
January 12, 2020 7:48 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Miles McBride took over when the shots weren’t falling for West Virginia. McBride scored a season-high 22 points, fellow freshman Oscar Tshiebwe added 17 rebounds and No. 17 West Virginia beat 22nd-ranked Texas Tech 66-54 on Saturday night. It marked the second time in two weeks that McBride gave West Virginia a huge lift. The Cincinnati native scored 21 points in a win over No. 11 Ohio State on Dec. 29. He also scored a team-high 18 points in a Nov. 26 win over Northern Iowa.
January 12, 2020 7:46 am
BALTIMORE (AP) — The Lamar Jackson who ran with abandon and thew 36 touchdown passes for the best team in the league failed to show up in the playoffs — again. During his marvelous second season in the NFL, Jackson was an All-Pro quarterback who carried the Baltimore Ravens to the best record in the league. Jackson amassed the most yards rushing by a quarterback in league history and was the catalyst of an offense that led the NFL in scoring. He put up some gaudy numbers on Saturday night against Tennessee — running for 143 yards and amassing 365 yards through the air — but Jackson also threw two interceptions, lost a fumble and failed twice on fourth-and-1 carries and led Baltimore to just one touchdown in a 28-12 upset loss.
January 11, 2020 3:58 am
DENVER (AP) – Jared McCann scored at 3:19 of overtime and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 for their fourth straight road win. Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust each had a goal and an assist for Pittsburgh, which recovered from blowing a late lead to pick up the two points. Matt Murray made 28 saves, Teddy Blueger also scored and Dominik Kahun had three assists. The Avalanche tied the game with 30.4 seconds left in regulation when Matt Calvert tipped in a shot by Cale Makar. Both teams had chances in overtime before McCann beat Pavel Francouz from the slot for his 12th goal of the season.
