January 6, 2021 3:48 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Move over running backs, Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith has emerged as the best player in college football. Smith became the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy in 29 seasons Tuesday night, breaking the monopoly quarterbacks have had on college football’s most prestigious award by beating out three of them. The Crimson Tide senior is the fourth receiver to win the Heisman, joining Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991, Notre Dame’s Tim Brown in 1987 and Nebraska’s Johnny Rodgers in 1972. The other finalists were Smith’s Alabama teammate Mac Jones, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Florida’s Kyle Trask. Crimson Tide running back Najee Harris finished fifth in the voting. Quarterbacks had won 17 of the previous 20 Heisman trophies, including the last four.
January 6, 2021 3:46 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Kellan Grady had 13 points as Davidson beat Duquesne 61-48. Carter Collins added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats, who held the Dukes to 28.8% shooting, the lowest mark of the season for a Davidson opponent. Marcus Weathers led the Dukes with 12 points.
January 6, 2021 3:45 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Penguins have retooled both on and off the ice following consecutive early playoff exits. The team traded goaltender Matt Murray and popular forward Patric Hornqvist. The Penguins have added forward Kasperi Kapanen and defenseman Mike Matheson among others. Coach Mike Sullivan also retooled his staff, bringing back former Pittsburgh assistant Todd Reirden to help revitalize the power play. Captain Sidney Crosby says change is inevitable. The Penguins open the season at Philadelphia on Jan. 13.
January 5, 2021 3:43 am
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) – Derek Culver had 22 points and 19 rebounds to help No. 14 West Virginia come all the way back from 19 down in the second half to beat Oklahoma State 87-84. Miles McBride scored 19 of his 21 points after halftime for West Virginia, including 14 in the final four minutes. Taz Sherman added 20 points for the Mountaineers, who lost 75-71 at Oklahoma on Saturday. Freshman star Cade Cunningham had 25 points and nine rebounds before fouling out in the final minute for Oklahoma State. Isaac Likekele added a season-high 22 points and seven rebounds for the Cowboys, who were coming off an overtime win at then-No. 13 Texas Tech on Saturday.
January 5, 2021 3:46 am
UNDATED (AP) – Gonzaga and Baylor remain atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, while fourth-ranked Texas has climbed to its highest perch in nearly a decade. The Bulldogs earned 63 of 64 first-place votes in the latest AP Top 25 to remain at No. 1. Gonzaga and Baylor have been 1-2 in all seven polls this season. Villanova moved up a spot to No. 3. Creighton climbed five spots to fifth and is followed by Kansas, Iowa, Tennessee, Michigan and Iowa.
January 5, 2021 3:44 am
UNDATED (AP) – ‘Tis the season to be firing NFL head coaches. Two more were shown the door on Monday after the New York Jets said goodbye to Adam Gase. The Chargers have fired head coach Anthony Lynn after four years and a 33-31 record in regular-season games. The Chargers went 21-11 with one playoff appearance in their first two seasons under Lynn, but that was followed by consecutive losing campaigns. Los Angeles won its last four games this season to end up 7-9. Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone has been dismissed, a little more than 12 hours after ending the season with a 15th consecutive loss. Marrone went 24-43 in four seasons with the Jaguars, falling a few plays shy of the team’s first Super Bowl in 2017. Jacksonville has dropped 21 of Marrone’s final 24 games, including 15 by double digits.
January 5, 2021 2:39 am
The 14-team NFL playoff field is set, including the the Steelers returning after a two-year absence. The Tampa Bay Bucs and Cleveland Browns broke lengthy playoff droughts and the Washington Football Team grabbed a home game as NFC East champion despite a losing record. AFC #1 Kansas City and NFC #1 Green Bay each have first-round byes. WJPA-AM will have every game of the NFL playoffs through Super Bowl 55 on February 7th.
Saturday, Jan. 9
12:30 pm AFC #7 Indianapolis Colts at #2 Buffalo Bills
4:40 pm NFC #6 Los Angeles Rams at #3 Seattle Seahawks
8:15 pm NFC #5 Tamp Bay Buccaneers at #4 Washington Football Team
Sunday, Jan. 10
12:30 pm AFC #5 Baltimore Ravens at #4 Tennessee Titans
4:40 pm NFC #7 Chicago Bears at #2 New Orleans Saints
8:15 pm AFC #6 Cleveland Browns at #3 Pittsburgh Steelers
January 4, 2021 3:50 am
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph’s return to Cleveland was a success everywhere but the scoreboard. Rudolph threw for a career-high 313 yards and two touchdowns in Pittsburgh’s 24-22 loss to the Browns while filling in for starter Ben Roethlisberger. Rudolph also exchanged pleasantries with Cleveland’s Myles Garrett afterward. The two shook hands in an attempt to put their ugly 2019 brawl behind them. Coach Mike Tomlin called Rudolph’s performance “gritty.” Rudolph will return to his backup role next week when the Steelers host Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs next Sunday night.
January 4, 2021 3:52 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Penguins are betting big on defenseman John Marino. The team signed the 23-year-old Marino to a six-year contract extension. The deal runs through the 2026-27 season and carries an average annual value of $4.4 million. The signing caps a meteoric rise for Marino. The Penguins acquired him from Edmonton in July 2019 in exchange for a sixth-round pick. Marino impressed as a rookie, scoring six goals to go with 20 assists in 56 games to go with a plus-17 rating.
