November 25, 2019 3:54 am
UNDATED (AP) – The latest Associated Press football poll still has LSU at No. 1 following the Tigers’ rout of Arkansas, but second-ranked Ohio State picked up ground by beating previous No. 9 Penn State on Saturday. LSU claimed 50 first-place votes, while the Buckeyes received nine. Clemson is third, followed by Georgia and Alabama. Utah, Oklahoma, Florida, Minnesota and Michigan round out the top 10, and Oregon dropped eight spots to 14. The CFP rankings will be released on Tuesday as its committee has the final say on the semifinalists for the national championship.
November 25, 2019 3:50 am
CINCINNATI (AP) – Devlin “Duck” Hodges took over for struggling Mason Rudolph and threw a 79-yard touchdown pass Sunday, sparking the depleted Pittsburgh Steelers to a 16-10 victory that kept the Cincinnati Bengals the only winless team in the NFL. Hodges connected with James Washington on the game-turning play in the third quarter, leaving Pittsburgh (6-5) with a quarterback decision as it moves forward without Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers’ defense has steadied them through the transition, and it had a major impact in Pittsburgh’s 10th straight win over the hapless Bengals (0-11), who set franchise records for worst start and longest losing streak. Tyler Boyd made a catch and was stripped by Devin Bush at the Steelers 8-yard line in the fourth quarter, preserving the lead. Bud Dupree sacked Ryan Finley and forced a fumble that he recovered with 2:38 left, closing it out. What’s left of the Steelers’ offense – hollowed out by injuries and a suspension – struggled in the first half and prompted coach Mike Tomlin to switch from Rudolph to Hodges, who provided an immediate boost. His touchdown pass to Washington gave the Steelers a 10-7 lead and got thousands of Terrible Towels twirling at Paul Brown Stadium. Hodges filled in for one game after Rudolph suffered a concussion and directed a 24-17 win over the Chargers on Oct. 13. Tomlin went back to Rudolph as soon as he was healthy. Now, he’s got a big decision as the Steelers try to stay in the playoff chase. Hodges ran an offense missing three stars after a 21-7 loss to Cleveland that ended with ugliness – Myles Garrett clubbing Rudolph with the QB’s own helmet. Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey served the first of his two-game suspension Sunday for kicking and punching Garrett in the melee. Also, receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was out with a concussion and running back James Conner had a shoulder injury from the Cleveland game. The Steelers got what they needed out of what was left, with Hodges leading the way. He went 5 of 11 or 118 yards with two sacks. Rookie Benny Snell Jr. returned from a knee injury and ran for 98 yards.
November 23, 2019 3:46 am
BEREA, Ohio (AP) – Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry feels the NFL rushed its decision to suspend star defensive end Myles Garrett indefinitely for striking Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph with a helmet. Garrett’s appeal has been denied and he’ll begin serving the longest ban for a single on-field act in league history. Landry contends the league’s investigation should have been more thorough and says the rulings seemed like a deliberate attempt to “mess” with Cleveland.
November 23, 2019 3:43 am
(AP) – The Pittsburgh Penguins were able to bounce back from a pair of overtime losses to the New York Islanders by dumping another Metropolitan Division rival. Jake Guentzel’s team-high 11th goal of the season broke a 1-1 tie with about 7 1/2 minutes left in the second period of the Pens’ 4-1 win over the Devils. Pittsburgh took control when Jared McCann and John Marino scored 25 seconds apart in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the third period. Dominik Kahun also tallied and Tristan Jarry made 36 saves, 19 coming in the second period. Jarry blanked New Jersey after Taylor Hall scored a power-play goal 31 seconds into the middle stanza. The Penguins won for just the second time in six games and handed the Devils their second straight loss.
November 22, 2019 3:42 am
HOUSTON (AP) – The Houston Texans have regained first place in the AFC South by rebounding from Sunday’s 41-7 loss in Baltimore. Deshaun Watson threw two touchdown passes to DeAndre Hopkins and finished with 298 yards to help the Texans beat the Colts, 20-17. Houston trailed by four early in the fourth quarter when Hopkins got in front of Pierre Desir and stretched out to haul in a 30-yard reception to give the Texans a 20-17 lead. Hopkins finished with 94 yards receiving, including a 35-yard scoring grab in the second quarter. Jacoby Brissett ran for a touchdown but threw for only 129 yards as the 6-5 Colts dropped one game behind the division-leading Texans.
November 20, 2019 3:50 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Brock Nelson’s second goal of the game 2:55 into overtime capped a frantic comeback to lift the New York Islanders over the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 Tuesday night to extend their points streak to 15 games. The Islanders trailed by two late in the third period before goals by Josh Bailey and Ryan Pulock in the final 4:29 of regulation forced overtime. Nelson won it when he fired a shot at Matt Murray that trickled to the goaltender’s right. Nelson tapped the rebound into the open net for his sixth goal of the season. Anthony Beauvillier added his seventh for the Islanders, and Semyon Varlamov stopped 27 shots as New York improved to 14-0-1 in its last 15 games. Brandon Tanev scored twice for Pittsburgh. Jake Guentzel had a goal and an assist and Bryan Rust also scored for the Penguins. Murray finished with 37 saves. Pittsburgh handed the Islanders their only setback during this torrid stretch when it rallied form three goals down in the third period to win in overtime. New York returned the favor in the opening leg of a home-and-home that continues Thursday Guentzel made it 4-2 early in the third period when Alex Galchenyuk stopped high in the offensive zone and found Guentzel streaking down the middle. Guentzel flipped the puck by Varlamov’s right pad and New York’s first regulation loss since the second week of the season seemed imminent. It wasn’t. Three days removed from a massive third-period comeback against Philadelphia – when the Islanders erased a three-goal deficit to win in overtime – Bailey’s goal with 4:29 to go got New York back within one. Pulock then tied it when he drilled a slap shot from just inside the blue line with 1:32 remaining after New York pulled Varlamov for an extra skater. Rust’s seventh goal in 10 games gave the Penguins the lead 11:34 into the first, a wrist shot from the slot set up by a backhand pass from Guentzel, who flicked a backhand pass from the right post to Rust’s stick. Tanev pushed Pittsburgh’s lead to 2-0 less than five minutes later, redirecting John Marino’s shot from the point by Varlamov. New York, as it has done regularly during the opening two months, responded emphatically. The Islanders pulled even in the second on goals 2:51 apart. Beauvillier found a soft spot in the left slot between four Pittsburgh defenders and flicked a wrist shot by Murray to make it 2-1. Nelson deflected a Leddy point shot by Murray less than three minutes later to tie it.
November 19, 2019 3:39 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers are running out of healthy proven skill position players following their ugly loss to the Cleveland Browns. James Conner is dealing with a shoulder injury and wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson are in the concussion protocol. Pittsburgh is also facing the prospect of being without center Maurkice Pouncey, who is appealing a 3-game suspension stemming from the brawl in the final minute against the Browns.
November 18, 2019 1:38 pm
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) – Pittsburgh Steelers’ center Maurkice Pouncey is appealing his three-game suspension handed down by the NFL following a brawl at the end of a “Thursday Night Football” matchup with divisional rivals the Cleveland Browns. SPN reports two officers have been appointed by the NFL to review the appeals and make decisions on the appeals of three players: Pouncey, Larry Ogunjobi and Myles Garrett. The league will reportedly issue “mass fines” to players who left the bench area when Myles Garrett ripped off Mason Rudolph’s helmet and smashed him over the head with it in the final minutes of the game. Meanwhile, the NFL has changed the kickoff time of the Pittsburgh Steelers-Cleveland Browns game at Heinz Field on Dec. 1. Originally scheduled for 4:25 p.m., the game has been moved up to 1 p.m. The Steelers said the game was moved under the league’s “flexible scheduling” policy, which is in effect from Week 5 to Week 17. It will be the teams’ first meeting since Nov. 14 in Cleveland.
November 18, 2019 2:01 am
Tied at 14 with less than 10 minutes to play, Zahmere Robinson carried 11 times for 70 yards and the go-ahead score as Wash High topped Brentwood, 20-14, in the Class 2A semifinals at Chartiers Valley. Zack Swartz ran for two-first quarter touchdowns, putting Wash High up, 14-0, but the Little Prexies self-destructed over the next 30 minutes, turning the ball over twice and managing just one first down. Brentwood’s John Milcic threw for one score and passed for another as the Spartans pulled even midway through the third. Despite several penalties, the Washington defense held the rest of the way, getting the ball back at the WHS 20-yard line with 9:26 left in the game. Robinson carried on nine of the first 10 plays but the Little Prexies faced a 4th-and-7 at the Brentwood 21. Swartz rolled right, extending the play long enough to find Caleb Jackson for a great finger-tip grab and a first down. Three plays later, Robinson found the endzone from five yards out with 1:41 left on the clock. After a Brentwood first down to the Washington 47, a sack, a short run and an incompletion brought up 4th down with less than 30 seconds to play. Milcic rolled away from pressure and threw downfield where Jackson grabbed the Little Prexies’ third interception of the night, sealing the win. Top-seeded Washington will play #2 Avonworth in next weekend’s WPIAL 2A championship game.
Peters Township trailed 3-0 at the half but scored four touchdowns after intermission to beat #1 Penn-Trafford, 28-10, advancing to its first-ever WPIAL football championship game. Ryan Magiske capped an early third quarter drive with a three-yard run, then added a 40-yard fumble return touchdown, putting the indians up, 14-3. Logan Pfeuffer hit Aidan McCall with a 29-yard scoring pass early in the fourth. After Penn-Trafford pulled to within 21-10, McCall took a “Pick Six” in from 30 yards to send Peters Township to next Saturday title game against #2 Gateway.
November 16, 2019 3:43 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A person familiar with the decision says the Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to hire Ben Cherington as their general manager. Cherington replaces Neal Huntington, who was hired in September 2008 and fired in October. Cherington has been Toronto’s vice president of baseball operations under GM Ross Atkins since September 2016.
