September 22, 2019 7:01 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Wide receiver Aaron Matthews hit quarterback Kenny Pickett on a 3-yard, fourth-down touchdown pass with 56 seconds remaining and Pittsburgh stunned No. 15 UCF 35-34 on Saturday. The Panthers (2-2) ended UCF’s 25-game regular-season winning streak on a play head coach Pat Narduzzi called the “Pitt Special” in a nod to the Philadelphia Eagles, who ran a similar play two seasons ago in their Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots. Pitt trailed by six when Pickett drove the Panthers to the UCF 3. Running back A.J. Davis took a direct snap with Pickett going in motion. Davis handed the ball to Matthews, who rolled to his right and hit Pickett in the end zone. UCF’s last-gasp drive went nowhere. Pickett completed 25 of 47 for 224 yards with a touchdown despite leaving briefly with a right arm injury. Maurice Ffrench and Dontavius Butler-Jenkins caught touchdown passes for the Panthers, who bounced back from an emotional loss to rival Penn State last week by withstanding a 31-point outburst from the Knights (3-1) in the middle of the game. UCF finished with 423 yards, 180 under its season average. The Panthers reeled off the game’s first 21 points, including an 18-yard blocked punt return for a touchdown midway through the second quarter. Trailing by three touchdowns for the first time since a blowout loss to Michigan in 2016, UCF responded emphatically, with a little help from the Panthers. Pitt running back A.J. Davis fumbled deep in Panther territory with 5:41 left in the first half. Adrian Killins scored four plays later and UCF was off and running. Gabriel found Gabe Davis for two third-quarter touchdowns. Those touchdowns were sandwiched around an 87-yard punt return for a score by Otis Anderson, who broke several tackles while racing down the left sideline to the end zone. Gabriel’s 28-yard rainbow to Davis gave UCF 31 points in less than a quarter. Pitt backup quarterback Nick Patti’s first career touchdown pass, a 6-yard toss to Butler-Jenkins, drew the Panthers within three late in the third quarter. The Panthers had a chance to tie it early in the fourth, but Alex Kessman’s 40-yard attempt sailed wide. Gabriel led a long scoring drive – including a conversion on fourth-and-1 at the UCF 47 – that ended with a Dylan Barnas 28-yard field goal with 4:36 to go. Pitt, which opted to attempt a field goal while down seven in the fourth quarter against Penn State last week, moved steadily down the field. And this time, the Panthers dialed up a play that gave them a victory that should provide their season with a massive jolt.
September 21, 2019 3:31 am
(AP) – Trent Grisham hit a bases-loaded triple and Manny Pina drove in a pair as the Milwaukee Brewers hammered Pittsburgh, 10-1. The Brewers improved to 8-2 since reigning NL MVP Christian Yelich broke his right kneecap and moved two games ahead of the Cubs for the second NL wild card, one game behind Washington. Chase Anderson scattered three hits over six shutout innings, matchup his longest outing of the season.
September 20, 2019 4:39 pm
(AP) – The New England Patriots have released receiver Antonio Brown after a second woman accused him of sexual misconduct. The team announced the move Friday in a statement emailed to reporters. The statement said: “We appreciate the hard work of many people over the past 11 days, but we feel that it is best to move in a different direction at this time.” Brown has been accused of rape in a lawsuit by a former trainer. He is also accused of exposing himself to a painter he had hired. He has denied the allegations. The Patriots signed Brown this month hours after he was released by Oakland. He was traded to the Raiders after wearing out his welcome with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he was a four-time All-Pro in nine seasons.
September 18, 2019 3:41 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Marco Gonzales allowed six hits in seven innings, Austin Nola and Omar Narvaez hit back-to-back home runs and the Seattle Mariners beat Pittsburgh 6-0 on Tuesday night after Pirates All-Star closer Felipe Vazquez was arrested on multiple felony charges earlier in the day. Vazquez was charged with statutory sexual assault, soliciting a child and pornography, and placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball. Vazquez was taken into custody by Pennsylvania State Police on one count of computer pornography/solicitation of a child and one count of providing obscene material to minors, both felonies, stemming from an investigation in Florida. He was later charged in Westmoreland County, which is located east of Pittsburgh, with felony counts of statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of minors and a misdemeanor count of indecent assault of a person under 16 years old. Gonzales (16-11) struck out four, walked none and doubled and scored in the fifth inning. The left-hander has set career high in wins, starts (32) and innings pitched (189). Sam Tuivailala and Reggie McClain each pitched one inning to complete the eight-hitter. Narvaez and Nola each had three hits, and their consecutive home runs in the sixth inning off Michael Feliz extended the Mariners’ lead to 4-0. Shed Long led off the seventh with a homer off Williams Jerez as Seattle won its third straight game. Nola has seven hits in his last two games following a 1-for-18 skid. Rookie Mitch Keller (1-5) gave up two runs in five innings in falling to 0-4 in his last six starts. The Pirates’ Jose Osuna and Erik Gonzalez each had two hits. Dee Gordon opened the scoring with a second-inning sacrifice fly and Gonzales scored on J.P. Crawford’s single to make it 2-0. Narvaez drove in the last run with a single in the seventh.
September 17, 2019 3:46 am
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – It seemed like old times for Odell Beckham Jr. as he delivered a pair of highlight-reel catches at Met Life Stadium. The former New York Giant had a long scoring reception and made a one-handed grab as the Cleveland Browns dumped the battered New York Jets, 23-3. Beckham took a slant pass and outran the Jets’ defenders all the way to the end zone for an 89-yard TD that put Cleveland up 23-3 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. His spectacular 33-yard, one-handed grab got Cleveland down to the Jets 4 and set up a field goal for the game’s first points. Beckham finished with six catches for 161 yards as the Browns bounced back from their 30-point loss to the Titans in Week 1. The 0-2 Jets finished the game with their third-string quarterback. Marcus Siemian had to leave the game after taking a hit in the second quarter. Siemian was starting in place of Sam Darnold, who is out with mononucleosis. Siemian finished 3 of 6 for 3 yards, while Luke Falk was 20 of 25 for 198 yards as the Jets absorbed their seventh consecutive home loss since last season.
September 17, 2019 3:44 am
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) – Miami Dolphins defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick has been traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a first-round draft pick in 2020. Fitzpatrick was unhappy about his role with the Dolphins, and he requested and received permission to seek a trade. He played free safety for Miami in Sunday’s 43-0 loss to New England and had six tackles and a fumble recovery. Fitzpatrick was the 11th overall pick in the 2018 draft, but quickly became unhappy after Brian Flores took over as Miami’s coach this year.
September 17, 2019 3:33 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Ben Roethlisberger’s season is over. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback will undergo surgery on his right elbow and be placed on injured reserve, ending the 37-year-old’s 16th season just two weeks in. Roethlisberger injured the arm late in the second quarter of Sunday’s 28-26 loss to Seattle. He did not play in the second half, watching from the sideline as backup Mason Rudolph took over. Head coach Mike Tomlin said Roethlisberger underwent an MRI exam on Sunday night and team doctors determined Roethlisberger requires surgery. Roethlisberger will have the procedure later this week. Roethlisberger, who led the NFL in passing last season, signed an extension in March that runs through the 2021. There was no immediate timetable on his possible return. Pittsburgh (0-2) will now move on with Rudolph, taken in the third round of the 2018 draft. Rudolph went 12 of 19 for 112 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against Seattle in the first regular-season snaps of his career. The Steelers play at San Francisco (2-0) next Sunday.
September 15, 2019 10:28 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Kris Bryant and rookie Nico Hoerner each homered among three hits, and the Chicago Cubs went deep four times to set a club record with 237 home runs as they pounded the Pittsburgh Pirates 14-1 on Saturday. Bryant hit a two-run shot in the fourth and had four RBIs. Hoerner’s second homer in two days, a three-run drive in the sixth, broke the Cubs’ old mark of 235, established in 2004. Ben Zobrist and Victor Caratini added solo shots as the Cubs used a second straight big day at the plate to strengthen their bid for a fifth straight postseason berth. Chicago has outscored Pittsburgh 31-9 in the first two games of the series and won three straight overall. Chicago entered in the second NL wild card spot, one game ahead of Milwaukee and four games behind NL Central-leading St. Louis. The Cardinals hosted the Brewers on Saturday night. Kyle Hendricks (11-9) allowed a run on seven hits in six innings while walking one for his third straight solid outing. He has a 1.52 ERA in the span. Nicholas Castellanos doubled twice to take over the major league lead with 52 and drove in three runs. Anthony Rizzo had two RBIs and was one of four Chicago batters hit by pitches. Bryant’s two-run shot to the left-center basket in the fourth inning was his 29th homer this season. It was the 136th of his career, tying him with Ernie Banks for the most by a Cubs player in his first five seasons. Playing in his sixth game since joining the Cubs on Monday, Hoerner improved his batting average to .417. James Marvel (0-2) allowed seven runs on nine hits in four innings in his second major league start. Kevin Newman had a single, double and triple. Both benches cleared briefly in the sixth after pinch-hitter David Bote ducked into a high pitch from reliever Clay Holmes and was hit on the shoulder. Bote, the fourth Cubs batter plunked, shouted at Holmes before going to first and the teams returned to their dugouts without an altercation.
September 13, 2019 3:58 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers showcased a strong defense and a balanced attack in earning their first win of the season. Peyton Barber ran for 82 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries as the Bucs silenced the Panthers, 20-14 at Carolina. The Panthers had a 12-10 lead until Barber furnished a 16-yard rushing TD with 4:20 remaining in the third quarter. Jameis Winston was 16 of 25 for 208 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions to help Tampa Bay bounce back from their 31-17 loss to the 49ers in the season opener. Chris Godwin was Winston’s prime target with seven receptions for 121 yards and a score. Carolina had a chance to pull out the win until Christian McCaffrey was stuffed short of the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 2 on the Panthers’ final drive.
The Bucs didn’t allow a touchdown as the Panthers settled for four Joey Slye field goals and a fourth-quarter safety for their points. Christian McCaffrey was held to 37 yards on 16 carries, and Cam Newton completed just 25 of his 51 passes for 333 yards.
September 13, 2019 3:52 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping to iron out their defensive problems ahead of a Week 2 visit from Seattle. The Steelers allowed New England star Tom Brady to rack up 341 yards and 3 touchdowns in a Week 1 blowout win. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler put the blame on the coaching staff for not getting the players up to speed in time. Pittsburgh should get starting safety Sean Davis back after Davis missed the opener with an ankle issue.
