December 31, 2019 3:46 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Evgeni Malkin had two goals, Jake Guentzel was injured right after scoring his 20th of the season and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators 5-2. Malkin stretched his points streak to six games and has seven goals and 24 points in his past 13 contests. Guentzel had a three-point night but left after scoring 6:55 into the third period. Guentzel tapped one into a partially empty net off Malkin’s feed but crashed hard into the wall right after. He immediately went to the dressing room after getting his 200th career point.
December 31, 2019 3:40 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers survived the loss of franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in Week 2 to finish 8-8, in 2019. Where the Steelers go from here will depend largely on how Roethlisberger recovers from right elbow surgery. Pittsburgh’s offense languished without Roethlisberger. Replacements Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges failed to give the Steelers a consistent boost, forcing the defense to carry much of the load. Pittsburgh’s shot at the playoffs ended with a late three-game swoon. While most of one of the NFL’s best defenses will return in 2020, the offense needs to find playmakers to complement Roethlisberger.
December 31, 2019 2:57 am
DALLAS (AP) – Cory Munson’s 52-yard field goal with no time remaining after a rules review gave Western Kentucky a 23-20 victory over Western Michigan in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas. Munson was given the final play after a five-yard defensive substitution penalty against Western Michigan for having 12 players on the field. Munson had kicked two other field goals and missed one.
December 29, 2019 6:46 pm
GLENDALE (AP) – LSU got the drama out of the way early while Clemson needed almost all 60 minutes in a white-knuckle contest. The result was the same. The two teams of Tigers won Saturday in the College Football Playoff semifinals and will meet in New Orleans for the title on Jan. 13. LSU is moving on after a brilliant 63-28 win over Oklahoma. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 493 yards and seven touchdowns. Clemson beat Ohio State 29-23 after a late rally and then an interception with 37 seconds left. Clemson will be playing for its third title in four seasons.
December 26, 2019 3:48 am
DETROIT (AP) – Pittsburgh and Eastern Michigan will meet in the Quick Lane Bowl hoping to end postseason droughts. The Panthers are 0-4 in bowls under coach Pat Narduzzi. The Eagles have lost all three of their bowls as a Division I football program. One bowl skid will end Thursday night in Detroit. Pitt had higher hopes for the postseason after surging to a 5-2 record with four straight victories. Losing three of four games pushed it to the lower-tier bowl in the Motor City. Eastern Michigan is not so picky, earning a bowl bid in consecutive years for the first time in school history.
December 25, 2019 8:14 am
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) – Robert Griffin III will make his first start at quarterback since 2016 when he leads the Baltimore Ravens against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Because the Ravens have already wrapped up the top seed in the AFC playoffs, Griffin will start for Lamar Jackson in a game that’s essentially meaningless to Baltimore. Griffin hasn’t started since he played for the Cleveland Browns three years ago. The former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Yearáhas been a backup in Baltimore over the past two seasons. Known as RG3, Griffin has thrown one touchdown pass in six games this year.
December 25, 2019 8:13 am
College football’s bowl season is underway.
We’ve got the games for you on WJPA-AM (1450) through January 2.
Thursday, 3:30 pm Independence Bowl–Miami (FL) vs. Louisiana Tech
Miami is a six-point favorite over Louisiana Tech going into the Independence Bowl. Miami is trying to finish the season with a winning record. Louisiana Tech wants a 10-win season for the first time at the FBS level, and Thursday could give Skip Holtz his first 10-win season as a head coach since he guided Connecticut to 10 wins in 1998.
Monday, 12:30 pm First Responder Bowl–Western Kentucky vs. Western Michigan
Tuesday, 1:30 pm Sun Bowl–Arizona State vs. Florida State
Wednesday, Jan. 1 12:30 pm Outback Bowl–Minnesota vs. Auburg
Thursday, Jan. 2 3:00 pm Birmingham Bowl–Boston College vs. Cincinnati
December 24, 2019 3:53 am
UNDATED (AP) – The single-season record for most teams atop The Associated Press men’s basketball is seven, set in 1982-83. Gonzaga has just become the sixth to reach No. 1 in this season’s poll, supplanting Kansas after improving to 13-1. The Bulldogs picked up 54 of 65 first-place votes, while No. 2 Ohio State claimed nine. Third-ranked Louisville and No. 4 Duke received one apiece. Kansas is fifth, followed by Oregon, Baylor, Auburn, Memphis and Villanova. Thirteenth-ranked Maryland, 16th-ranked Virginia and No. 19 Kentucky fell out of the top 10, while Iowa cracked the poll at No. 25.
December 24, 2019 3:50 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The NFC playoff situation is much clearer following the Green Bay Packers’ 23-10 victory at Minnesota. The outcome gives the Packers the NFC North title and makes Matt LeFleur the 10th rookie coach in league history to have a 12-win season. Aaron Jones carried Green Bay’s defense by rushing for 154 yards and two second-half touchdowns. Za’Darius Smith was the Packers’ defensive standout with five tackles for loss. The Packers fought through three first-half turnovers that left them trailing 10-9 at the break. Kirk Cousins threw an interception and was sacked five times, with a whopping 3 1/2 by Smith. Cousins is 0-9 in Monday night games. The outcome leaves the 10-5 Vikings with the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs.
December 23, 2019 3:49 am
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens will be home throughout the AFC playoffs. Baltimore secured home-field advantage in the postseason with its 11th straight win, 31-15 over the Browns. Cleveland could be on the verge of another coaching change. MVP favorite Jackson threw two of his three touchdown passes to tight end Mark Andrews as the Ravens shook off a sluggish start and avenged their last loss on Sept. 29. Cleveland’s disappointing season will end short of the postseason as the Browns were officially eliminated. The loss is another blow to coach Freddie Kitchens who could be fired.
