“THE SCOREBOARD”
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE-WEEK 4
ADAMS CENTRAL (3-0) AT JAY COUNTY (1-2)
ALEXANDRIA (3-0) AT EASTBROOK (3-0)
ANDERSON (1-2) AT MCCUTCHEON (1-2)
ANDREAN (2-1) AT MUNSTER (0-3)
ANGOLA (2-1) AT WEST NOBLE (2-1)
ATTICA (1-2) AT PARKE HERITAGE (2-1)
BEECH GROVE (3-0) AT INDIAN CREEK (3-0)
BELLMONT (0-3) AT NORWELL (0-3)
BEN DAVIS (1-2) AT CENTER GROVE (3-0)
BENTON CENTRAL (0-3) AT LOGANSPORT (3-0)
BLACKFORD (0-3) AT ELWOOD (1-2)
BLOOMINGTON NORTH (1-2) AT BLOOMINGTON SOUTH (3-0)
BLUFFTON (3-0) AT WOODLAN (1-2)
BOWMAN ACADEMY (2-1) AT EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL (0-3)
BREMEN (1-2) AT LAVILLE (2-1)
BROWNSBURG (3-0) AT AVON (2-1)
CALUMET (3-0) AT HIGHLAND (1-2)
CALUMET CHRISTIAN AT WHITING (1-2)
CARMEL (3-0) AT LOUISVILLE TRINITY (KY.)
CASTON (1-2) AT PIONEER (2-1)
CENTERVILLE (3-0) AT WINCHESTER (2-1)
CHARLESTOWN (2-1) AT NORTH HARRISON (1-2)
CLINTON CENTRAL (2-1) AT SHERIDAN (1-1)
COLUMBIA CITY (3-0) AT HUNTINGTON NORTH (0-3)
COLUMBUS EAST (1-2) AT JENNINGS COUNTY (1-2)
COLUMBUS NORTH (3-0) AT INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI (1-2)
CONNERSVILLE (2-1) AT MADISON (0-3)
CROWN POINT (3-0) AT LAKE CENTRAL (2-1)
DANVILLE (1-2) AT HAMILTON HEIGHTS (1-2)
DELPHI (1-2) AT CARROLL (FLORA) (2-1)
EAST CENTRAL (2-1) AT FRANKLIN COUNTY (3-0)
EAST NOBLE (3-0) AT DEKALB (2-1)
EASTERN (PEKIN) (0-3) AT SILVER CREEK (0-3)
EASTERN GREENE (0-3) AT MITCHELL (0-3)
EASTSIDE (2-1) AT CHURUBUSCO (1-2)
EDGEWOOD (3-0) AT OWEN VALLEY (1-2)
EVANSVILLE BOSSE (0-3) AT JASPER (2-1)
EVANSVILLE CENTRAL (1-2) AT VINCENNES LINCOLN (1-2)
EVANSVILLE HARRISON (0-3) AT CASTLE (2-1)
EVANSVILLE MATER DEI (2-1) AT EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL (3-0)
EVANSVILLE NORTH (2-1) AT EVANSVILLE REITZ (2-1)
FAIRFIELD (2-1) AT CULVER ACADEMY (0-3)
FAITH CHRISTIAN (1-2) AT FRONTIER (3-0)
FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK (1-2) AT SHENANDOAH (1-2)
FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA (0-3) AT FORT WAYNE NORTH (2-1)
FORT WAYNE DWENGER (2-1) AT CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) (1-2)
FORT WAYNE LUERS (0-3) AT FORT WAYNE SOUTH (0-3)
FORT WAYNE NORTHROP (3-0) AT HOMESTEAD (2-1)
FORT WAYNE WAYNE (0-3) AT FORT WAYNE SNIDER (1-2)
FOUNTAIN CENTRAL (0-3) AT COVINGTON (3-0)
FRANKFORT (0-3) AT SOUTHMONT (3-0)
FRANKTON (0-3) AT MISSISSINEWA (3-0)
GARRETT (1-2) AT LAKELAND (2-1)
GARY WEST (2-0) AT RIVER FOREST (1-2)
GOSHEN (1-2) AT PLYMOUTH (1-2)
GREENCASTLE (1-2) AT WESTERN BOONE (1-2)
GREENFIELD-CENTRAL (2-1) AT PENDLETON HEIGHTS (3-0)
GRIFFITH (2-1) AT BOONE GROVE (1-2)
GUERIN CATHOLIC (2-1) AT BREBEUF JESUIT (0-3)
HAGERSTOWN (1-2) AT UNION COUNTY (1-2)
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (3-0) AT FISHERS (2-1)
HAMMOND MORTON (2-1) AT BYRON CENTRAL (MICH.)
HENDERSON COUNTY (KY.) AT GIBSON SOUTHERN (2-1)
HERITAGE (3-0) AT SOUTH ADAMS (1-2)
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (1-2) AT COVENANT CHRISTIAN (1-2)…INDIANA SRN BROADCAST 7:00
HOBART (3-0) AT KANKAKEE VALLEY (0-3)
INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS (2-1) AT CHRISTEL HOUSE (0-3)
INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD (3-0) AT INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (1-2)….INDIANA SRN BROADCAST 7:00
INDIANAPOLIS RITTER (1-2) AT GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN (1-2)
INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA (2-1) AT INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN (2-1)
INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE (0-3) AT HAMMOND CENTRAL (0-3)
INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY (1-2) AT ARSENAL TECH (0-3)
INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON (1-1) AT PARK TUDOR (3-0)
JEFFERSONVILLE (1-2) AT KOKOMO (0-3)
JOHN GLENN (1-2) AT JIMTOWN (1-2)
KNOX (3-0) AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY (2-1)
LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (1-2) AT TWIN LAKES (3-0)
LAFAYETTE JEFF (2-1) AT HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) (2-1)
LAPEL (3-0) AT MUNCIE CENTRAL (1-2)
LAPORTE (1-2) AT CHESTERTON (1-2)
LAWRENCE NORTH (2-1) AT NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) (1-2)
LAWRENCEBURG (2-1) AT GREENSBURG (0-3)
LEBANON (2-1) AT MARION (1-2)
LINTON (1-2) AT SULLIVAN (2-1)
LOWELL (2-1) AT HANOVER CENTRAL (1-2)
MADISON-GRANT (3-0) AT OAK HILL (1-2)
MANCHESTER (2-1) AT LEWIS CASS (2-1)
MARTINSVILLE (1-2) AT DECATUR CENTRAL (1-2)
MICHIGAN CITY (2-1) AT VALPARAISO (1-2)
MISHAWAKA (2-1) AT NORTHWOOD (2-1)
MISHAWAKA MARIAN (2-1) AT SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH (3-0)
MONROE CENTRAL (1-2) AT TRI (2-1)
MONROVIA (1-2) AT TRITON CENTRAL (3-0)
MOORESVILLE (2-1) AT GREENWOOD (1-2)
MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE) (0-3) AT NEW PALESTINE (3-0)
NEW ALBANY (0-3) AT BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE (2-1)
NEW HAVEN (0-3) AT LEO (3-0)
NOBLESVILLE (1-2) AT WESTFIELD (2-1)
NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) (2-1) AT CLOVERDALE (1-2)
NORTH DECATUR (3-0) AT BROWN COUNTY (1-2)
NORTH JUDSON (2-1) AT NORTH MIAMI (3-0)
NORTH KNOX (2-1) AT BOONVILLE (2-1)
NORTH MONTGOMERY (0-3) AT CASCADE (3-0)
NORTH NEWTON (2-1) AT SOUTH NEWTON (1-2)
NORTH PUTNAM (1-2) AT CRAWFORDSVILLE (2-1)
NORTH VERMILLION (0-3) AT SOUTH VERMILLION (1-2)
NORTHEASTERN (3-0) AT CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN (0-3)
NORTHFIELD (0-3) AT SOUTHWOOD (0-3)
NORTHRIDGE (0-3) AT CONCORD (2-1)
NORTHWESTERN (1-2) AT PERU (1-2)
OSCEOLA GRACE AT FREMONT (2-1)
PAOLI (1-2) AT PERRY CENTRAL (0-3)
PENN (3-0) AT SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON (1-2)
PERRY MERIDIAN (2-1) AT PLAINFIELD (3-0)
PIKE (0-3) AT SOUTHPORT (0-3)
PIKE CENTRAL (0-3) AT NORTH DAVIESS (3-0)
PORTAGE (0-3) AT MERRILLVILLE (1-2)
PRAIRIE HEIGHTS (0-3) AT CENTRAL NOBLE (0-3)
PRINCETON (2-1) AT WASHINGTON (1-2)
PROVIDENCE (2-1) AT CLARKSVILLE (2-1)
PURDUE ENGLEWOOD (3-0) AT NOBLESVILLE HOMESCHOOL
RENSSELAER CENTRAL (3-0) AT WEST LAFAYETTE (0-3)
RICHMOND (1-2) AT SOUTH DEARBORN (2-1)
RUSHVILLE (0-3) AT BATESVILLE (2-1)
SALEM (1-2) AT BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (3-0)
SCOTTSBURG (3-0) AT CORYDON CENTRAL (1-2)
SEEGER (3-0) AT RIVERTON PARKE (3-0)
SEYMOUR (0-3) AT FLOYD CENTRAL (2-1)
SHELBYVILLE (2-1) AT NEW CASTLE (1-2)
SOUTH BEND ADAMS (1-2) AT NEW PRAIRIE (0-3)
SOUTH BEND RILEY (2-1) AT ELKHART (2-1)
SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) (0-3) AT TRITON (2-1)
SOUTH DECATUR (1-2) AT CRAWFORD COUNTY (2-1)
SOUTH PUTNAM (2-1) AT EASTERN HANCOCK (1-2)
SOUTH SPENCER (0-3) AT MOUNT VERNON (POSEY) (2-1)
SOUTHRIDGE (1-2) AT HERITAGE HILLS (3-0)
SOUTHSIDE HOMESCHOOL AT EDINBURGH (0-3)
SPRINGS VALLEY (3-0) AT WEST WASHINGTON (2-1)
SWITZERLAND COUNTY (3-0) AT MILAN (1-2)
TAYLOR (2-1) AT EASTERN (GREENTOWN) (3-0)
TECUMSEH (1-2) AT FOREST PARK (1-2)
TELL CITY (3-0) AT NORTH POSEY (2-1)
TERRE HAUTE SOUTH (2-1) AT TERRE HAUTE NORTH (0-3)
TIPTON (2-1) AT WESTERN (2-1)
TRI-COUNTY (0-3) AT NORTH WHITE (0-3)
TRI-WEST (2-1) AT SPEEDWAY (0-3)
UNION CITY (0-3) AT KNIGHTSTOWN (2-1)
WABASH (0-3) AT ROCHESTER (2-1)
WARREN CENTRAL (2-1) AT LAWRENCE CENTRAL (2-1)
WAWASEE (1-2) AT WARSAW (2-1)
WES-DEL (1-1) AT SOUTHERN WELLS (1-2)
WEST CENTRAL (3-0) AT LAKE STATION (3-0)
WEST VIGO (0-3) AT NORTHVIEW (3-0)
WHEELER (3-0) AT HAMMOND NOLL (1-2)
WHITELAND (1-2) AT FRANKLIN (2-1)
WHITKO (1-2) AT MACONAQUAH (3-0)
WINAMAC (0-3) AT CULVER (1-2)
YORKTOWN (2-1) AT DELTA (1-2)
ZIONSVILLE (1-2) AT FRANKLIN CENTRAL (2-1)
SAGARIN RATINGS: https://scoreboard.homestead.com/football/classrate.htm#load
_____
+++BATTLE OF THE UNBEATENS THIS WEEK: JOHN HARRELL POINT SPREAD+++
ALEXANDRIA AT EASTBROOK (EASTBROOK BY 3)
BEECH GROVE AT INDIAN CREEK (BEECH GROVE BY 1)
SEEGER AT RIVERTON PARKE (RIVERTON PARKE BY 7)
WEST CENTRAL AT LAKE STATION (WEST CENTRAL BY 21)
+++BATTLE OF THE WINLESS: JOHN HARRELL POINT SPREAD+++
BELLMONT AT NORWELL (NORWELL BY 21)
EASTERN PEKIN AT SILVER CREEK (SILVER CREEK BY 25)
EASTERN GREENE AT MITCHELL (EASTERN GREENE BY 4)
FT. WAYNE LUERS AT FT. WAYNE SOUTH (LUERS BY 10)
SHORTRIDGE AT HAMMOND CENTRAL (HAMMOND BY 3)
NORTHFIELD AT CONCORD (CONCORD BY 18)
PIKE AT SOUTHPORT (PIKE BY 31)
TRI-COUNTY AT NORTH WHITE (TRI-COUNTY BY 1)
_____
+++UNBEATEN VS. WINLESS (JOHN HARRELL POINT SPREAD)+++
BENTON CENTRAL 0-3 AT LOGANSPORT 3-0 (LOGANSPORT BY 42)
COLUMBIA CITY 3-0 AT HUNTINGTON NORTH 0-3 (COLUMBIA CITY BY 14)
FOUNTAIN CENTRAL 0-3 AT COVINGTON 3-0 (COVINGTON BY 7)
FRANKFORT 0-3 AT SOUTHMONT 3-0 (SOUTHMONT BY 35)
FRANKTON 0-3 AT MISSISSINEWA 3-0 (MISSISSINEWA BY 42)
HOBART 3-0 AT KANKAKEE VALLEY 0-3 (HOBART BY 21)
MT. VERNON AT NEW PALESTINE (NEW PAL BY 31)
NEW HAVEN 0-3 AT LEO 3-0 (LEO BY 31)
NORTH MONTGOMERY 0-3 AT CASCADE 3-0 (CASCADE BY 45)
NORTHEASTERN 3-0 AT CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN 0-3 (NORTHEASTERN BY 56)
PIKE CENTRAL 0-3 AT NORTH DAVIESS 3-0 (NORTH DAVIEES 35)
RENSSELAER CENTRAL 3-0 AT WEST LAFAYETTE 0-3 (WEST LAFAYETTE BY 10)
WEST VIGO 0-3 AT NORTHVIEW 3-0 (NORTHVIEW BY 45)
_____
+++CLOSET PREDICTIONS BY JOHN HARRELL (1-3 POINT SPREAD)+++
ALEXANDRIA OVER EASTBROOK BY 3
BEECH GROVE BY 1 OVER INDIAN CREEK
BLACKFORD BY 3 OVER ELWOOD
GUERIN CATHOLIC BY 3 OVER BREBEUF
HAMILTON SE OVER FISHERS BY 1
HERITAGE OVER SOUTH ADAMS BY 3
CATHEDRAL OVER BISHOP CHATARD BY 3
HAMMOND CENTRAL BY 3 OVER SHORTRIDGE
LEWIS CASS OVER MANCHESTER BY 3
MISHAWAKA OVER NORTHWOOD BY 3
CLOVERDALE BY 3 OVER NORTH CENTRAL FARMERSBURG
NORTHFIELD OVER SOUTHWOOD BY 1
NORTHWESTERN BY 1 OVER PERU
WESTERN OVER TIPTON BY 1
_____
BIGGEST BLOWOUTS EXPECTED-JOHN HARRELL POINT SPREAD
LOGANSPORT OVER BENTON CENTRAL 42-0
FRONTIER OVER FAITH CHRISTIAN 63-10
MISSISSINEWA OVER FRANKTON 45-3
NORTH DECATUR OVER BROWN COUNTY 59-10
NORTHEASTERN OVER CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN 66-10
PROVIDENCE OVER CLARKSVILLE 56-10
NORTHVIEW OVER WEST VIGO 52-7
WHEELER OVER HAMMOND NOLL 45-3
_____
+++INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL SCORES:+++
Z RATINGS: https://www.zvolleyball.com/ipv/indiana-hs-z-ratings/z-girls-2025
_____
+++INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS SOCCER SCORES:+++
_____
+++INDIAN HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS SOCCER SCORES:+++
_____
+++INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS GOLF SCORES:+++
NEW PALESTINE 173, RICHMOND 176
_____
+++INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY RESULTS:+++
NO RACES SCHEDULED
_____
+++INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS TENNIS SCORES:+++
FRANKTON 4 MADISON GRANT 1
_____
+++INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL UNITED FLAG FOOTBALL+++
BROWNSBURG 47 AVON 30
_____
+++MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL+++
TEXAS 6 MILWAUKEE 3
LAS VEGAS 5 BOSTON 4
ARIZONA 5 SAN FRANCISCO 3
LA ANGELS 4 MINNESOTA 3
BALTIMORE 2 PITTSBURGH 1 (10)
KANSAS CITY 4 CLEVELAND 3
MIAMI 8 WASHINGTON 3
PHILADELPHIA 11 NY METS 3
DETROIT 11 NY YANKEES 1
HOUSTON 3 TORONTO 2
CHICAGO CUBS 3 ATLANTA 2
CHICAGO WHITE SOX 6 TAMPA BAY 5
CINCINNATI 2 SAN DIEGO 1
SEATTLE 4 ST. LOUIS 2 (13)
LA DODGERS 9 COLORADO 0
_____
+++MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL+++
INDIANAPOLIS 8 IOWA 3
_____
+++COLLEGE FOOTBALL-WEEK 3 TV SCHEDULE+++
THURSDAY, SEPT. 11
7:30 P.M. | NC STATE AT WAKE FOREST | ESPN
FRIDAY, SEPT. 12
6:30 P.M. | INDIANA STATE AT NO. 22 INDIANA | BIG TEN NETWORK
7 P.M. | COLGATE AT SYRACUSE | ACC NETWORK
7:30 P.M. | COLORADO AT HOUSTON | ESPN
9 P.M. | KANSAS STATE AT ARIZONA | FOX
10 P.M. | NEW MEXICO AT UCLA | BIG TEN NETWORK
SATURDAY, SEPT. 13
12 P.M. | NO. 4 OREGON AT NORTHWESTERN | FOX
12 P.M. | NO. 12 CLEMSON AT GEORGIA TECH
12 P.M. | CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT NO. 23 MICHIGAN | BIG TEN NETWORK
12 P.M. | NO. 13 OKLAHOMA AT TEMPLE | ESPN2
12 P.M. | WISCONSIN AT NO. 19 ALABAMA
12 P.M. | LEHIGH AT DUQUESNE | ESPN+
12 P.M. | HOUSTON CHRISTIAN AT NEBRASKA | FS1
12 P.M. | TOWSON AT MARYLAND | PEACOCK
12 P.M. | WILLIAM & MARY AT VIRGINIA | ACC NETWORK
12 P.M. | SAMFORD AT BAYLOR | ESPN+
12 P.M. | MEMPHIS AT TROY | ESPNU
12 P.M. | BUFFALO AT KENT STATE | CBSSN
12:45 P.M. | SOUTH ALABAMA AT NO. 24 AUBURN | SEC NETWORK
1 P.M. | DAVIDSON AT TENNESSEE TECH | ESPN+
1 P.M. | LAFAYETTE AT GEORGETOWN | ESPN+
2 P.M. | NEW HAMPSHIRE AT BALL STATE | ESPN+
2 P.M. | NORTHERN COLORADO AT SOUTH DAKOTA | ESPN+
2 P.M. | RHODE ISLAND AT HOLY CROSS | ESPN+
2:30 P.M. | ELON AT WESTERN CAROLINA | ESPN+
3 P.M. | UCONN AT DELAWARE | ESPN+
3 P.M. | NORTH DAKOTA AT MONTANA | ESPN+
3 P.M. | SAN DIEGO AT MONTANA STATE | ESPN+
3 P.M. | ILLINOIS STATE AT EASTERN ILLINOIS | ESPN+
3 P.M. | BOWIE STATE AT DELAWARE STATE | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | VILLANOVA AT NO. 2 PENN STATE | FS1
3:30 P.M. | NO. 6 GEORGIA AT NO. 15 TENNESSEE | ABC
3:30 P.M. | SMU AT MISSOURI STATE | CBSSN
3:30 P.M. | OREGON STATE AT NO. 21 TEXAS TECH | FOX
3:30 P.M. | USC AT PURDUE | CBS/PARAMOUNT+
3:30 P.M. | NORFOLK STATE AT RUTGERS | BIG TEN NETWORK
3:30 P.M. | YOUNGSTOWN STATE AT MICHIGAN STATE | BIG TEN NETWORK
3:30 P.M. | WASHINGTON STATE AT NORTH TEXAS | ESPNU
3:30 P.M. | PITT AT WEST VIRGINIA | ESPN
3:30 P.M. | RICHMOND AT NORTH CAROLINA | ACC NETWORK
3:30 P.M. | NORTHWESTERN STATE AT CINCINNATI | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | UIW AT UTSA | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | MORGAN STATE AT TOLEDO | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE AT NORTH DAKOTA STATE | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | VMI AT BUCKNELL | ESPN+
4 P.M. | NO. 14 IOWA STATE AT ARKANSAS STATE | ESPN2
4 P.M. | LOUISIANA AT NO. 25 MISSOURI | ESPN+/SECN+
4 P.M. | UTAH TECH AT IDAHO | ESPN+
4 P.M. | LINDENWOOD AT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN | ESPN+
4:15 P.M. | UTEP AT NO. 7 TEXAS | SEC NETWORK
4:30 P.M. | NO. 18 SOUTH FLORIDA AT NO. 5 MIAMI (FLA.) | THE CW NETWORK
4:30 P.M. | ALABAMA A&M AT TENNESSEE STATE | ESPN+
5 P.M. | LIBERTY AT BOWLING GREEN | ESPN+
5 P.M. | MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT NEVADA | MOUNTAIN WEST NETWORK
5 P.M. | EASTERN WASHINGTON AT UNI | ESPN+
6 P.M. | ALCORN STATE AT MISSISSIPPI STATE | ESPN+/SECN+
6 P.M. | FAU AT FIU | ESPN+
6 P.M. | MERRIMACK AT KENNESAW STATE | ESPN+
6 P.M. | EASTERN KENTUCKY AT MARSHALL | ESPN+
6 P.M. | MONMOUTH AT CHARLOTTE | ESPN+
6 P.M. | EAST TENNESSEE STATE AT WEST GEORGIA | ESPN+
6 P.M. | BETHUNE-COOKMAN AT SOUTH CAROLINA STATE | ESPN+
6 P.M. | FAYETTEVILLE STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL | ESPN+
6 P.M. | STETSON AT CHATTANOOGA | ESPN+
6 P.M. | WOFFORD AT MERCER | ESPN+
6 P.M. | WEST LIBERTY AT ROBERT MORRIS | ESPN+
6 P.M. | ARKANSAS AT NO. 17 OLE MISS | ESPN
7 P.M. | OHIO AT NO. 1 OHIO STATE | PEACOCK
7 P.M. | WESTERN MICHIGAN AT NO. 9 ILLINOIS | FS1
7 P.M. | OLD DOMINION AT VIRGINIA TECH | ACC NETWORK
7 P.M. | JACKSONVILLE STATE AT GEORGIA SOUTHERN | ESPN+
7 P.M. | MURRAY STATE AT GEORGIA STATE | ESPN+
7 P.M. | APPALACHIAN STATE AT SOUTHERN MISS | ESPN+
7 P.M. | PRAIRIE VIEW A&M AT RICE | ESPN+
7 P.M. | WEBER STATE AT MCNEESE | ESPN+
7 P.M. | THE CITADEL AT GARDNER-WEBB | ESPN+
7 P.M. | SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT UT MARTIN | ESPN+
7 P.M. | VALPARAISO AT WESTERN ILLINOIS | ESPN+
7 P.M. | MOREHEAD STATE AT AUSTIN PEAY | ESPN+
7 P.M. | NORTHEASTERN STATE AT NORTH ALABAMA | ESPN+
7 P.M. | MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE AT SE LOUISIANA | ESPN+
7 P.M. | DRAKE AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE | ESPN+
7 P.M. | ERSKINE AT PRESBYTERIAN | ESPN+
7 P.M. | SOUTHERN AT FRESNO STATE | MOUNTAIN WEST NETWORK
7:30 P.M. | FLORIDA AT NO. 3 LSU | ABC
7:30 P.M. | NO. 16 TEXAS A&M AT NO. 8 NOTRE DAME | NBC/PEACOCK
7:30 P.M. | EASTERN MICHIGAN AT KENTUCKY | ESPNU
7:30 P.M. | UMASS AT IOWA | BIG TEN NETWORK
7:30 P.M. | NEW MEXICO STATE AT LOUISIANA TECH | ESPN+
7:30 P.M. | EAST CAROLINA AT COASTAL CAROLINA | ESPN+
7:45 P.M. | VANDERBILT AT NO. 11 SOUTH CAROLINA | SEC NETWORK
8 P.M. | NO. 20 UTAH AT WYOMING | CBSSN
8 P.M. | DUKE AT TULANE | ESPN2
8 P.M. | ABILENE CHRISTIAN AT TCU | ESPN+
8 P.M. | NAVY AT TULSA | ESPN+
8 P.M. | WESTERN OREGON AT CAL POLY | ESPN+
8 P.M. | SUL ROSS STATE AT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN | ESPN+
8 P.M. | LANGSTON AT UT RIO GRANDE VALLEY | ESPN+
8:30 P.M. | AKRON AT UAB | ESPN+
8:30 P.M. | NORTHERN ARIZONA AT SOUTHERN UTAH | ESPN+
9:45 P.M. | AIR FORCE AT UTAH STATE | FS1
10:30 P.M. | TEXAS STATE AT ARIZONA STATE | TNT/TRUTV/HBO MAX
10:30 P.M. | MINNESOTA AT CAL | ESPN
10:30 P.M. | BOSTON COLLEGE AT STANFORD | ACC NETWORK
11:59 P.M. | PORTLAND STATE AT HAWAI’I | SPECTRUM SPORT
_____
+++NFL WEEK 2 SCHEDULE+++
THURSDAY, SEPT. 11
WASHINGTON AT GREEN BAY, 8:15 P.M. (PRIME VIDEO)
SUNDAY, SEPT. 14
JACKSONVILLE AT CINCINNATI, 1 P.M. (CBS)
BUFFALO AT NY JETS, 1 P.M. (CBS)
NEW ENGLAND AT MIAMI, 1 P.M. (CBS)
LA RAMS AT TENNESSEE CLEVELAND AT BALTIMORE, 1 P.M. (CBS)
SAN FRANCISCO AT NEW ORLEANS, 1 P.M. (FOX)
NY GIANTS AT DALLAS, 1 P.M. (FOX)
SEATTLE AT PITTSBURGH, 1 P.M. (FOX)
CHICAGO AT DETROIT, 1 P.M. (FOX)
DENVER AT INDIANAPOLIS, 4:05 P.M. (CBS)
CAROLINA AT ARIZONA, 4:05 P.M. (CBS)
PHILADELPHIA AT KANSAS CITY, 4:25 P.M. (FOX)
ATLANTA AT MINNESOTA, 8:20 P.M. (NBC)
MONDAY, SEPT. 15
TAMPA BAY AT HOUSTON, 7 P.M. (ESPN/ABC)
LA CHARGERS AT LAS VEGAS, 10 P.M. (ESPN)
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ATLANTA 88 CONNECTICUT 72
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NFL NEWS
CHIEFS COACH ANDY REID SAYS EMOTIONAL OUTBURSTS IN LOSS TO CHARGERS ARE ‘PART OF THE GAME’
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs are downplaying a pair of emotional on-field outbursts, including one that involved star tight end Travis Kelce, that marked their season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil last week.
The first came when Kelce got into the face of right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who was penalized four times in the 27-21 loss. The second came late in the game, when Kansas City was trying to make a stop and get the ball back, and linebacker Drue Tranquill had words with defensive tackle Chris Jones, who had lost containment and allowed the Chargers to get a first down.
That mistake ultimately allowed Los Angeles to run out the clock.
“It’s an emotional game. That’s part of it,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday. “The guys pull for each other, they get after each other. That’s all part of it. When guys do good, they jump around. It’s all part of it. Time and place for everything.”
Reid would like to see some of that emotion a little earlier in the game.
Preferably directed at the other team.
Reid acknowledged that his team came out flat last Friday night, even though the Chiefs had vowed all offseason that they would bounce back from a lopsided Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles — who, by the way, visit Arrowhead Stadium for the rematch Sunday. But rather than come out with a sense of urgency against a division rival, the Chiefs fell into an early 13-3 hole, struggled to deal with Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and ultimately never led in the game.
“There are no excuses, for any of us, what took place,” Reid said. “We’ve got to do better bringing energy for sure.”
What may be most concerning is that the early effort in Sao Paulo was strikingly similar to the languid way Kansas City started the Super Bowl. In that case, the Chiefs dug a 24-0 halftime hole against Jalen Hurts and the Eagles, and they trailed 34-0 late in the third quarter, before a couple of late touchdowns resulted in a 40-22 final margin.
“You have to learn from the mistakes you make. That’s part of playing the game,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “You learn from your failures, just like you learn from the positive things you do, and then you come back and play better football this week, and it’s going to take our best football to go out there and get a win.”
Mahomes also downplayed last week’s on-field disputes among teammates, saying simply: “It’s football.”
“It’s passionate. We love the game,” he said. “I’d rather have guys that are passionate about it and want to win than the other way around. And we hold each other accountable, and at the end of the day we love each other. And when you have that you can hold each other accountable, and then push forward the next time you step on the field, there’s no ill will anywhere.
“It’s just a bunch of guys that want to win, and want to do whatever they can to win. And so whenever that happens, sometimes passionate moments — outbursts — stuff happens. At the end of the day, we love each other and we’re going to push each other.”
NOTES: WRs Jalen Royals (knee) and Xavier Worthy (shoulder) did not practice Wednesday. Worthy was hurt when he collided with Kelce early in last week’s game. “I just gotta be better, man. I’m 13 years in the league. There is no excuse running into my own guys like that,” Kelce said on his “New Heights” podcast. … Reid said that surgery is not a consideration for Worthy at this point, nor are the Chiefs considering putting him on injured reserve.
PACKERS AND COMMANDERS ENTER THURSDAY NIGHT MATCHUP LOOKING TO BUILD OFF SEASON-OPENING WINS
Washington (1-0) at Green Bay (1-0)
Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, Amazon Prime Video
BetMGM NFL Odds: Packers by 3 1/2.
Against the spread: Commanders 1-0; Packers 1-0.
Series record: Packers lead 22-17-1.
Last meeting: Commanders beat the Packers 23-21 at Landover, Maryland, on Oct. 23, 2022.
Last week: Commanders beat the New York Giants 21-6 at home; Packers beat the Detroit Lions 27-13 at home
Commanders offense: overall (2t), rush (2), pass (12t), scoring (13t)
Commanders defense: overall (5), rush (10), pass (10), scoring (1)
Packers offense: overall (22), rush (21t), pass (18t), scoring (6t)
Packers defense: overall (6), rush (1t), pass (18), scoring (6t)
Commanders player to watch
WR Deebo Samuel. The Packers grew accustomed to dealing with Samuel during his years with the San Francisco 49ers. Samuel joined the Commanders in the offseason and had seven catches for 77 yards to go along with a 19-yard touchdown run in his first game with his new team.
Packers player to watch
LB Edgerrin Cooper. The 2024 second-round pick from Texas A&M followed up an impressive rookie year by having a career-high 12 tackles in Green Bay’s season opener as the Packers kept Detroit out of the end zone until the game’s final minute.
Key matchup
Commanders running game vs. Packers run defense. Washington rushed for 220 yards on 32 carries against the Giants. Rookie seventh-round pick Jacory Croskey-Merritt ran for 82 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in his debut. Quarterback Jayden Daniels rushed 11 times for 68 yards. The Packers allowed Detroit just 46 yards on 22 carries.
Key injuries
Commanders: Although Washington only had a walkthrough Tuesday, P Tress Way (back), WR Noah Brown (knee) and RB Austin Ekeler (shoulder) would have been limited participants if there had been a full workout.
Packers: CB Nate Hobbs (knee) didn’t play Sunday and was listed as an estimated limited practice participant this week. OT Zach Tom (oblique) and OG Aaron Banks (ankle/groin) left Sunday’s game.
Series notes
The Packers have won each of the last six times Washington has visited Lambeau Field. Washington’s last road victory over the Packers was a 20-17 game at Milwaukee in 1988. The Commanders’ last win over the Packers at Lambeau Field was a 16-7 decision in 1986. This marks the Commanders’ first trip to Lambeau Field since 2021, when the Packers beat them 24-10.
Stats and stuff
Daniels’ 891 career yards rushing are the most by any Washington quarterback in his first 17 games. Robert Griffin III rushed for 840 yards in his first 17 games. … Samuel is tied for fourth in the NFL with 36 touchdowns from scrimmage since 2021. The only players with more during that stretch are Ja’Marr Chase, Mike Evans and Davante Adams. … Ekeler has an NFL-leading 2,435 yards after the catch since 2021. Samuel is third with 2,229, behind only Ekeler and Chase. … Commanders WR Terry McLaurin is seeking his sixth straight season with at least 1,000 yards receiving. No other player in franchise history has more than three straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons. … Commanders LB Bobby Wagner has recorded at least 100 tackles in 13 straight seasons. … Packers RB Josh Jacobs has scored a touchdown in a franchise-record nine straight games. … Packers QB Jordan Love has thrown 195 consecutive regular-season passes without an interception, though he was picked off three times in their playoff loss to Philadelphia last season. He hasn’t been intercepted in his last eight regular-season games. … Packers K Brandon McManus has made his last 17 regular-season field-goal attempts, though he did miss one in Green Bay’s playoff loss. … The Packers haven’t allowed a sack in four of their last seven games. … Packers DL Rashan Gary recorded 1 1/2 sacks against Detroit to increase his career total to 40 1/2. He’s the eighth player to have at least 40 sacks for the Packers. … DL Micah Parsons recorded a sack while playing less than half of Green Bay’s defensive snaps in his Packers debut. Parsons’ workload figures to increase as he recovers from a back issue. … The Packers are 22-10-1 in September games over the last 10 seasons. Only Kansas City (24-6) has a better September record in that time. … Packers coach Matt LaFleur was a quarterbacks coach for Washington from 2010-13. LaFleur was also a quarterbacks coach for Atlanta from 2015-16, when current Commanders coach Dan Quinn was the Falcons’ head coach.
Fantasy tip
TE Tucker Kraft scored the Packers’ first touchdown of the season after having a solid 2024 campaign in which he caught 50 passes for 707 yards and seven touchdowns. Many of Green Bay’s wideouts missed much of training camp with various injuries that could impact them early this season, so look for Kraft to continue making an impact.
PACKERS’ MICAH PARSONS COMPARES COMMANDERS’ DAN QUINN TO A FATHER FIGURE HEADING INTO MATCHUP
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons remains grateful to Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn, even though they’re no longer together in Dallas.
Quinn was Dallas’ defensive coordinator during Parsons’ first three seasons with the Cowboys. They became NFC East rivals last year when Washington hired Quinn.
They’re no longer in the same division, but they’re still facing off in the second week of the season on Thursday, when Quinn’s Commanders head to Lambeau Field to take on Parsons’ Packers.
“It’s just like a father figure, uncle, however you want to put it,” Parsons said. “That’s my guy and we’re going to go forever. We’re in this for the long run and maybe our journeys might cross again one day.”
Their paths cross Thursday, though perhaps not in the way Quinn would have preferred. Quinn knows all too well how Parsons’ presence can be a dream for a defensive coordinator and a nightmare for an opposing offense.
“I was surprised that he was traded, and I had an absolute blast coaching him,” Quinn said. “He brings out the mad scientist in you to see: ‘All right, what if he was here and how would you feature him? And what about over here?’”
This game could come down to how well Parsons and the rest of the Packers defenders handle Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, who led Washington to an NFC championship game appearance as a rookie last season.
Daniels threw for 233 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 68 yards in Washington’s 21-6 season-opening victory over the New York Giants. Parsons played less than half of Green Bay’s snaps as he recovers from a back issue, yet he still had one of the Packers’ four sacks in their 27-13 win over the Detroit Lions.
Parsons was making his Packers debut Sunday, just over a week after Green Bay acquired him from Dallas and made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history. While with Dallas last season, Parsons totaled 4 1/2 sacks in the Cowboys’ two matchups with Washington.
“You don’t let game-wreckers wreck the game,” Daniels said. “You have to keep an eye on him. … He got paid a lot of money for a reason. He is a very good player.”
Quinn-LaFleur connection
Parsons isn’t the only member of the Packers with ties to Quinn.
Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur was a quarterbacks coach on Quinn’s Atlanta staff from 2015-16 and helped the Falcons reach the Super Bowl.
“I’m pretty certain I wouldn’t be standing here right now if it weren’t for being with DQ for those two years in Atlanta,” LaFleur said. “It just changed my whole mindset in regards to how much fun you can have within the building yet still get down to business.”
QBs feeling OK
Packers quarterback Jordan Love has said he’s feeling no limitations after undergoing surgery on his left (non-throwing) thumb last month, and he backed that up by going 16 of 22 for 188 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Lions.
Although Daniels appeared on Washington’s injury report with a wrist issue, he practiced this week, and Quinn said he had “zero concerns” about it.
Parsons’ fantasy player
Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper seems ready to take the next step after delivering a productive rookie season. The 2024 second-round draft pick collected a career-high 12 tackles against the Lions.
That didn’t surprise Parsons, who noted that he drafted Cooper in his fantasy football league, which includes individual defensive players.
“They saw me pick up Coop, and they were like, ‘What do you know?’” Parsons said. “Because I’m watching practice and I’m seeing everything we’ve got dialed in and what we’re putting in, and so I started him, and he goes off and gets me 36 points.”
Commanders’ productive rookie
Jacory Croskey-Merritt wasn’t drafted until the seventh round after a college career that included stops at Alabama State, New Mexico and Arizona. But the rookie running back has wasted no time making an impact.
Croskey-Merritt rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries Sunday.
“You could feel he was really prepared, really ready and it wasn’t too big,” Quinn said. “That was really cool to see.”
Protecting Love
While Parsons’ pursuit of Daniels will get much of the pregame attention, the Packers’ ability to give Love enough time to throw also is critical. Sunday marked the fourth time in Green Bay’s last seven regular-season games that the Packers didn’t allow a sack.
Green Bay’s offensive line could be at less than full strength Thursday. Right tackle Zach Tom is dealing with an oblique injury and left guard Aaron Banks has groin and ankle issues; their status is uncertain.
PACKERS WR CHRISTIAN WATSON SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSION AS HE CONTINUES RECOVERY FROM TORN ACL
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson has signed a contract extension as he continues his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that is delaying the start of his season.
The Packers announced the signing Wednesday. Terms weren’t disclosed, but ESPN reported that Watson agreed to a one-year, $13.25 million extension on a deal that would run through 2026.
Watson is beginning this season on the physically unable to perform list, which means he must miss at least the Packers’ first four games. He tore the ACL in his right knee during the Packers’ 2024 regular-season finale.
The 26-year-old has been the Packers’ top deep threat ever since they selected him out of North Dakota State in the second round of the 2022 draft.
Watson had 29 catches for 620 yards and two touchdowns last year while playing in 15 games. His average of 21.4 yards per catch ranked second in the league among players with at least 25 receptions. That also represented the top average for any Packers player with at least 25 catches since James Lofton gained 22 yards per reception in 1984.
He had 41 receptions for 611 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games as a rookie. Watson caught 28 passes for 422 yards and five touchdowns while playing nine games in 2023.
His average gain of 16.9 yards per catch since 2022 ranks third among all players with at least 75 receptions during that stretch.
JETS CUT WIDE RECEIVER XAVIER GIPSON AFTER HIS COSTLY FUMBLE IN SEASON-OPENING LOSS TO STEELERS
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Xavier Gipson is out of a job after a costly fumble in the New York Jets’ season-opening loss to Pittsburgh.
Coach Aaron Glenn confirmed that the team released the wide receiver, but he insisted Wednesday he wasn’t trying to send a message about accountability — something he has preached since being hired in January — by cutting Gipson after one game.
“I want it to be known that decisions that are made are not rash decisions,” Glenn said. “And they’re never based off one incident. So, I will keep it at that. Xavier’s a really good player and he’s going to play in this league.
“But I felt it was time for us to move on in another direction.”
Gipson, in his third season with the Jets, was returning a kickoff in place of the injured Kene Nwangwu on Sunday when he had the momentum-changing mistake in New York’s 34-32 loss. After the Steelers scored to make it a two-point game early in the fourth quarter, Gipson fumbled on the ensuing kickoff. Pittsburgh recovered and the Steelers took the lead two plays later on Aaron Rodgers’ second TD throw in a 50-second span.
Gipson continued to return kicks after the gaffe, which was the first turnover of the game. But afterward, Glenn bemoaned the team’s turnovers and declared: “You will not be on the field with this team if you’re going to cause us to lose games, if you’re going to cause issues like that.”
He backed that up Wednesday by cutting Gipson, although he reiterated that the decision wasn’t based on that play alone. Gipson has 10 fumbles in 35 career games.
“We’re trying to get the best players on this team that can play a role,” Glenn said. “At this point, I just felt we needed to have a change at that spot. It’s not just that as far as accountability. There’s accountability in everything that we do. So, I don’t want to pin it on, ‘OK, he fumbled the ball, OK, he’s getting (cut).’
“Nah, that’s not it. There’s a number of things that led up to this.”
Nwangwu injured a hamstring early in the game, so Gipson — who was New York’s primary punt returner — stepped in on the kickoff return unit. Glenn said Wednesday that Nwangwu’s injury was still being evaluated.
If Nwangwu is forced to miss time, the Jets have a few options, including Isaiah Williams, who was signed Wednesday off Cincinnati’s practice squad. Isaiah Davis, rookie Arian Smith and practice squad members Jamaal Pritchett and Keilan Robinson, who was signed Tuesday, could also be in the mix to return kickoffs. Williams and Pritchett also could be options to replace Gipson as the primary punt returner.
Glenn has familiarity with Williams, who was signed by Detroit — where Glenn was the defensive coordinator — last year as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois. He played in two games for the Lions before being waived and claimed by the Bengals.
Gipson was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023 out of Stephen F. Austin. He won a roster spot in training camp that summer and returned a punt 65 yards for the winning touchdown in overtime to beat Buffalo in the season opener that year — the game during which Rodgers went down with a torn Achilles tendon four snaps into his debut for New York.
The 24-year-old Gipson had 27 catches for 268 yards and a touchdown with the Jets, along with 73 yards rushing and a TD on nine carries. He averaged 8.9 yards on punt returns and 26 yards on kickoffs.
Injuries
Rookie tight end Mason Taylor is dealing with an ankle injury that kept him out of practice Wednesday.
Taylor, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, missed just over a week during training camp after suffering what the team said was a high ankle sprain. Glenn confirmed the current issue is to the same ankle and added that the team is “managing” Taylor’s injury.
The second-round pick out of LSU had a 20-yard reception on his only target in his NFL debut.
Defensive tackle Jay Tufele also sat out to handle a personal matter.
This story has been corrected to show that Gibson was in his third, not second, season with the Jets.
TWO QBS, TWO COMEBACKS: HOW JOSH ALLEN AND J.J. MCCARTHY STUNNED THE NFL
The opening weekend of the NFL season was capped by a pair of unlikely comebacks led by the reigning MVP and a quarterback making his NFL debut.
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills overcame a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter on Sunday night to beat Baltimore in one of the most improbable comebacks in recent history.
J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings followed that up a night later against Chicago when McCarthy became the first QB in four decades to erase a 10-point hole in the fourth quarter and win in his NFL debut.
A look deeper inside the numbers shows how surprising both games truly were.
Let’s start with McCarthy and the Vikings. After sitting out his rookie year with a knee injury, McCarthy struggled in the first three quarters of his debut before throwing two TD passes and running for another in the fourth quarter of a 27-24 win.
McCarthy became the fifth player since the 1970 merger and first since Cam Newton in 2011 to throw for at least two TD passes and run for one in his NFL debut. He was the only one to do that in the fourth quarter.
He also became the first QB since Hall of Famer Steve Young in 1985 to overcome a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter and win in his debut and the first to do it on the road.
Allen staged a memorable comeback against the Ravens as the Bills had just a 1.1% win probability midway through the fourth quarter when they trailed 40-25, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats model. That was the most improbable comeback ever for Allen and the 13th most over the last decade.
Buffalo became the fourth team since at least 2000 to win a game it trailed by at least 15 points in the final 4:10 to play and the first to do it in regulation.
Allen has won two of his last four regular-season games when he threw a pass despite Buffalo allowing at least 40 points, with the Bills beating Detroit 48-42 in Week 15 last season. There have been only 44 other games in NFL history won by a team that allowed at least 40 points, with Fran Tarkenton the only QB with more wins in that scenario with three.
The Ravens became the fourth team to lose an opener when scoring at least 40 points in what is their latest in a string of late-game collapses.
Baltimore’s 17 losses after leading by double digits in the second half under coach John Harbaugh are the most of any team since he was hired in 2008. He joined Weeb Ewbank and Marion Campbell as the only coaches ever to lose twice when leading by at least 15 points at the start of the fourth quarter, with the other coming in Week 2 of the 2018 season against Miami.
Lamar Jackson averaged at least 11 yards per pass and rush in both of those games — something no other player has done even once in a game with at least six carries and 18 passes.
Dazzling QB debuts
McCarthy wasn’t the only quarterback who had an impressive first start with a new team, with Aaron Rodgers, Daniel Jones, Geno Smith and Justin Fields all faring well.
Rodgers threw for 244 yards and four TDs with no interceptions in a 34-32 win over his former team, the New York Jets. No other QB in the Super Bowl era has hit those marks in his debut for a team. Rodgers also tied Tom Brady with his 28th career game with at least four TD passes and no interceptions.
Fields ended up on the losing side against Rodgers and the Steelers but had one of the best games of his young career, throwing for 218 yards and one TD and rushing for two touchdowns. The only other Jets players ever with at least two TD runs and a TD pass in the same game are Josh McCown (2017 vs. the Chiefs) and Mark Sanchez (2011 vs. the Chiefs).
Jones began his tenure in Indianapolis by running for two touchdowns, throwing another and leading the Colts to scores on all seven possessions in a 33-8 win over Miami. Indianapolis was the first team in at least 47 years to score on every offensive possession of a game — although a handful of other teams have done it excluding kneel down drives at the end of a half or game.
Smith completed 70.6% of his passes and threw for 362 yards — the most ever by a Raiders QB in his first start with the team — as Las Vegas beat New England 20-13.
Super Bowl rematch
For the third straight season there will be a Super Bowl rematch in the regular season, with Philadelphia visiting Kansas City on Sunday just over seven months after the Eagles beat the Chiefs 40-22.
These are becoming much more common with the addition of the 17th game, which has meant that first-place teams face two of the four division winners in the other conference each season instead of one of four. There were no rematches for 16 straight seasons from 1998-2013.
The Super Bowl winner has had the upper hand in the rematches, winning seven of the 10 that have been held since the AFL and NFL merged in 1970. The Chiefs have split the past two, losing to the Eagles in 2023 and beating the San Francisco 49ers last season.
The Chiefs come into this game in unfamiliar territory as they are home underdogs for just the second time ever with Patrick Mahomes starting at QB. BetMGM Sportsbook has listed the Eagles as a 1-point favorite. Kansas City lost 24-20 to Buffalo as 2 1/2-point underdogs in 2022.
Kansas City is also alone in last place in the AFC West after losing the opener to the Los Angeles Chargers and with Denver and Las Vegas winning their first games. The only other time in the past 10 seasons when the Chiefs were alone in last place after any week came in 2021. It happened that season after Week 5 when Kansas City was 2-3, one game behind the Raiders and Broncos and two behind the Chargers.
49ers kick Moody to the curb
Jake Moody’s failed tenure with the San Francisco 49ers showed why so few teams are willing to use a high draft pick on a kicker.
The Niners picked Moody 99th overall in 2023 for the highest pick used on a kicker since Roberto Aguayo went 59th to Tampa Bay in 2016. San Francisco hoped Moody would solidify the kicking spot for years to come, but his tenure didn’t end up much better than Aguayo’s with the Bucs.
The 49ers cut ties with Moody one game into his third season after he missed two short tries against Seattle. He was 12 for 23 on field goals in his last 10 games, with one other miss on an extra point.
Aguayo lasted only one season in Tampa Bay, making just 71% of his kicks, and never appeared in another NFL game.
Drafting kickers is never a sure bet. Over the last 10 seasons, there have been 66 kickers who attempted at least 30 field goals. Five of the eight who made less than 77% of their kicks were drafted in the top 175, while 18 of the 24 who made at least 85% were undrafted.
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL
MIZZOU’S TRANSFER STARS SHINED IN A WIN OVER KU. TURNS OUT, THE SEC HAS A LOT OF STARRING TRANSFERS
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Penn State transfer Beau Pribula dropped back to throw, slung a pass to former Mississippi State wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. and watched him prance into the end zone for a touchdown — all to the delight of Missouri fans.
Especially given it came in a victory over hated rival Kansas.
Pribula wound up 30 of 39 for 343 yards and three touchdowns in the 42-31 victory on Saturday. Coleman had 10 catches for 126 yards and that touchdown. Oh, and running back Ahmad Hardy — formerly of Louisiana-Monroe — added 112 yards rushing and a touchdown of his own in the latest impressive performance by coach Eli Drinkwitz’s cast of transfer additions.
“He stayed poised, he stayed calm — that’s the captain on our team,” Coleman said of Pribula, the biggest name of the bunch. “That’s the one we look up to as a team to count on. And when you see that guy staying calm, we’ve got no worries.”
It may as well have been the Senior Bowl or the East-West Shrine Game, the way all those players from disparate schools came together on Saturday. But in truth, it was just another day in college football where, like most leagues, high-profile transfers are helping teams such as Missouri thrive even after losing many key players to graduation and the draft.
Pribula is currently second in the SEC in passing to Oklahoma’s John Mateer, who arrived in Norman after three years at Washington State, and immediately injected some firepower into defensive-minded coach Brent Venables’ offense.
Joey Aguilar has Tennessee off to a flying start after arriving from Appalachian State; he has thrown for 535 yards and five scores without an interception in his first two games. Over at Auburn, ex-Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold completed nearly 78% of his passes with three touchdowns and no picks in wins over Baylor and Ball State.
Those are just the transfer quarterbacks, too.
There are a bunch of new arrivals playing big roles at other positions already this season.
Hardy is the SEC’s second-leading rusher behind Kewan Lacy, who transferred from Missouri. Lacy had 28 carries for Mississippi and gained 138 yards in a 30-23 win over Kentucky in its conference opener; he is averaging 4.9 yards per carry.
Not a bad average. But consider Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr., who is averaging more than 10 yards on his first 18 attempts in helping the Razorbacks to a 2-0 start. He was at Buffalo two years ago and New Mexico State last year.
Dante Dowdell of Kentucky is likewise on his third team in three years, after spending a season each at Oregon and Nebraska. He has run for 185 yards and a touchdown through his first two games with the Wildcats.
The SEC’s leading wide receiver, Harrison Wallace III of Ole Miss, spent last season at Penn State. Texas A&M wide receiver Mario Craver has 13 catches for 236 yards and three scores, one year after catching just 17 for 368 yards at Mississippi State.
In fact, the SEC’s top seven wide receivers in yardage through Week 2 began their careers at another school.
When you combine a top QB transfer with marquee running backs and wide receivers — just like Drinkwitz has done at Missouri this season — the result is predictable. The Tigers rolled through Central Arkansas to begin the season, then took care of Kansas in an emotionally charged rivalry game to break into the AP Top 25 this week.
Forget about rebuilding in the wake of quarterback Brady Cook’s graduation and wide receiver Luther Burden III’s entry in the NFL draft. Not these days. Just like other schools, the Tigers simply used the transfer portal to reload.
“Obviously, Kevin Coleman made some big-time catches and continually does that. But, you know, no panic. I think Beau is really cool, calm, collected,” Drinkwitz said after the win over Kansas, and ahead of Saturday’s game against Louisiana-Lafayette.
“There are going to be a lot of things on tape you’ve got to clean up. He was a little bit finicky in the first half in the pocket. I thought we were moving when we didn’t need to, and we missed some reads. There’s a lot to improve on,” Drinkwitz said. “But in the biggest moments, in the toughest times on fourth down, I mean, he was nails.”
UNRANKED FLORIDA FACES A DAUNTING STRETCH WITH COACH BILLY NAPIER’S JOB ON THE LINE
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida coach Billy Napier has a path to a fifth year in Gainesville. It’s one of the most perilous in school history.
The now-unranked Gators (1-1), coming off an embarrassing loss to South Florida in the Swamp, have an opportunity to climb out of their latest early season hole over the next three weeks. The stretch begins at No. 3 LSU (2-0) on Saturday, followed by a trip to fifth-ranked Miami, an off week and then a visit from No. 7 Texas.
The top 10 trifecta spans 22 days and gives Napier a chance to change the narrative — or perhaps seal his fate.
“It’s all about how you respond to it,” Napier said. “It’s all about, ‘Do we take the lessons that we learned?’ It’s all about application. How do we channel this emotion? Do we have the maturity to turn it around? There’s certain emotions that come with getting beat that can go both ways. I’m anxious to see how we are going to respond. … But you don’t know until you play again.”
The Gators rallied from a 1-2 start last year, so this is familiar territory. They won their final four games to finish with a winning record (8-5) for the first time under Napier.
Those victories, though: against a Tulane team playing without its starting quarterback; against the worst Florida State team in 50 years; against an Ole Miss team that dropped at least six passes, including three would-be touchdowns; and against an LSU team that was bickering on the sideline.
‘We know how to handle it’
Florida’s current road to redemption appears tougher, although players and coaches might have a map.
“We’ve had that taste in our mouths before and had to regroup and come back,” tight end Hayden Hansen said. “One of the positives is that we know how to handle it. We know how to respond.”
Napier got credit for keeping his team together after lopsided home losses to Miami and Texas A&M in the first month of the 2024 season.
The Gators responded by playing stellar defense down the stretch, finding a potential star in quarterback DJ Lagway and developing young talent on both sides of the ball. Napier will need a similar winning formula to keep his job now.
Otherwise, he would be owed roughly $20 million — 85% of what remains on his contract — if Florida fired him during or after this season.
Latest loss has Napier back on the hot seat
Even Napier’s most ardent supporters could be losing faith amid the latest debacle.
Florida never found an offensive rhythm and settled for field goals early. And with the Bulls hanging around, the Gators botched a snap that resulted in a safety, were penalized for an illegal substitution that kept a drive alive following a failed fourth-down play and gave up a 66-yard touchdown pass that came while defenders were caught staring at the sideline.
The most egregious mistakes were 11 penalties for 103 yards, including defensive tackle Brendan Bett getting flagged and ejected for spitting at an offensive lineman. The undisciplined error helped set up Nico Gramatica’s chip-shot field goal, which gave the Bulls an 18-16 victory.
Florida’s first loss in five meetings with USF landed Napier back on the proverbial hot seat. Athletic director Scott Stricklin, however, is unlikely to make a coaching change soon, even if the Gators lose the next three games and fall to 1-4.
Stricklin made it clear last year that patience is the best approach, especially with the Gators now paying some $20 million annually to athletes and planning a $1 billion renovation to Florida Field. But there’s little doubt Napier is on thin ice.
A pattern, not a phenomenon
The two-time Sun Belt Conference coach of the year was hired from Louisiana-Lafayette in November 2021 and is now 20-20 at Florida, with eight of those wins against teams outside the Power Four. It’s the worst 40-game start for a Florida football coach since Charley Pell (18-21-1) in 1982.
Napier is 10-14 in Southeastern Conference play, 15-7 at home and 3-10 against rivals Florida State, Georgia, Miami, LSU and Tennessee.
He’s often compared with Ron Zook, who replaced Steve Spurrier in 2002 and was fired midway through his third season. Zook was 20-13 overall and 14-7 in league play when he was canned.
The better match might be Will Muschamp, a great recruiter, a defensive mastermind and someone well liked inside the program who just couldn’t get it done on game days. Muschamp was 27-20 overall and 17-15 in the SEC when he was let go in his fourth season in 2014.
The 46-year-old Napier has done plenty right during his tenure. He oversaw the opening of an $85 million standalone facility, roughly doubled his support staff, more than tripled his recruiting budget and signed consecutive top-15 recruiting classes.
But the on-field results — mounting losses, game-management clunkiness and play-calling ineptitude — have been difficult for the Florida faithful to stomach. The miscues at Tennessee last year, the unforgivable special teams mistake against Arkansas in 2023, the comedy of errors at Utah earlier that year or the stunning loss at Vanderbilt in 2022.
“We’ve been here before; we know what it is,” center Jake Slaughter said. “A lot of guys on this team, we’ve experienced this kind of adversity, and we need to use it as a springboard. We cannot let it hold us back. We’ve got to learn from our mistakes. We’ve got to move forward.”
The question is whether — or when — Stricklin is saying the same thing.
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COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS
NCAA BANS 3 COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYERS FOR BETTING ON THEIR OWN GAMES AT FRESNO ST, SAN JOSE ST
The NCAA banned three Division I college basketball players by permanently revoking their eligibility on Wednesday, saying they had bet on their own games at Fresno State and San Jose State and were able to share thousands of dollars in payouts.
The NCAA Committee on Infractions released findings from an enforcement investigation that uncovered violations by Mykell Robinson, Steven Vasquez and Jalen Weaver. The NCAA said the three bet on one another’s games and/or provided information that enabled others to do so during the 2024-25 regular season; two of them manipulated their performances to ensure certain bets were won.
The NCAA said a sports integrity monitoring service in January notified Fresno State and NCAA enforcement staff that a Nevada sportsbook operator had flagged suspicious prop bets on Robinson. The investigation began a week later. The schools did not immediately respond to a request for comment and the former players could not immediately be located by The Associated Press.
According to the NCAA, Robinson and Vasquez had been roommates at Fresno State during the 2023-24 season. In January 2025, Robinson, who was still at Fresno State, and Vasquez, then at San Jose State — discussed over text message that Robinson planned to underperform in several statistical categories during one regular-season game. Robinson also placed multiple bets on Weaver, his teammate at Fresno State in 2024-25, the NCAA found.
During one game, Robinson, Vasquez and a third party bet a combined $2,200 on Robinson to underperform, and a $15,950 payout was redistributed among those who had bet, the NCAA said.
During that same season, Robinson placed 13 daily fantasy sports over-line and under-line prop bets totaling $454 on parlays that included his own performance. He collected $618 on one occasion.
Robinson placed multiple bets on Weaver, including two bets placed before a game in late December 2024 after he and Weaver exchanged information about their respective betting lines, the NCAA said. Weaver also placed a $50 prop bet on a parlay for himself, Robinson and a third athlete, and he won $260.
Vasquez and Robinson failed to cooperate with the enforcement staff’s investigation, the NCAA said. Weaver cooperated and agreed to the violation in his case.
All three were released from their respective teams and are no longer enrolled at their previous schools. Neither school was punished.
The latest case comes eight years after a 2017 federal investigation into off-the-books payments to players and their families that, at the time, was against NCAA rules and one of the biggest scandals in the sport’s history.
Since then, the growth of legalized gambling across the United States has raised different concerns for college sports leaders and there have been scattered allegations, including some earlier this year, against programs involving betting.
The NCAA in June said that “several sports betting-related violations by staff members at NCAA schools” have been resolved in recent years and noted its enforcement staff was working on issuing notices of allegations in several ongoing gambling cases.
“The enforcement staff’s sports betting-related caseload has significantly increased in recent years, and our staff — including our new sports betting integrity unit — has been effective in detecting and pursuing violations,” Jon Duncan, NCAA vice president of enforcement, said then.
The nation’s largest college sports organization, overseeing some 500,000 athletes, also said it was considering a proposal that would allow athletes and staff members to bet on professional sports and shift enforcement efforts to college sports betting and “behaviors that directly impact game integrity.” The Division I Council introduced the proposal that will be considered this fall and be implemented if Divisions II and III officials also approve.
Current NCAA rules do not allow athletes or institutional staff to engage in sports betting for any sports that have NCAA championships; bets by an athlete on their own team or own sport risks a lifetime ban from college athletics. Those rules would not change under the pending proposal.
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MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
TIGERS HAVE HAD AT LEAST 8 EMPLOYEES ACCUSED OF MISCONDUCT TOWARD WOMAN, ACCORDING TO THE ATHLETIC
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Tigers have had at least eight employees accused of misconduct toward women over the last two years, according to a report by The Athletic.
The report published Wednesday followed an investigation that started last April and included interviews with 45 current and former employees along with access to emails, human resources documents, text messages and court records.
Female employees of Ilitch Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Tigers, Red Wings and other businesses, were subjected to misconduct by seven of the eight men named by The Athletic.
“We are committed to a culture of respect, safety, and inclusion,” the organization said in a statement Wednesday in response to the report. “We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment, and when concerns are raised, we investigate promptly and take decisive action, which has included terminating employees for misconduct, regardless of seniority or tenure.”
Six of the eight men alleged to have harassed and abused women were fired or did not have their contracts renewed and one was suspended after The Athletic requested comment about allegations against him last week.
Former Tigers assistant general manager Sam Menzin resigned in April after he sent unsolicited, lewd photos to multiple women who worked for the team, according to The Athletic. The report includes details about former sales vice president Michael Lienert resigning in 2023 after allegedly pushing a female co-worker, with whom he had an undisclosed relationship, down a flight of stairs. Menzin and Lienert did not respond to The Athletic’s efforts seeking comment.
Messages seeking comment were left by The Associated Press with Menzin and the Chicago Fire, a Major League Soccer club that employs Lienert as vice president of partnership sales.
Director of communications and broadcasting Ben Fidelman was investigated by human resources last spring after a female employee alleged he subjected her to retaliation and gender discrimination, according to the report.
“It is inaccurate and unfair to group Mr. Fidelman within a story about accusations of sexual harassment or related misconduct,” the organization said. “A concern unrelated to either was raised, and consistent with our process, it was investigated thoroughly, and no wrongdoing was found.”
Feldman declined comment to the AP, deferring to the organization’s statement.
The AL Central-leading Tigers, with fewer than three weeks left in the regular season, are nearing their first division title since 2014.
MLB ROUNDUP: TIGERS USE 5-RUN INNING TO POUND YANKEES AGAIN
Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter hit two-run homers in a five-run eighth inning and Jack Flaherty pitched five scoreless innings as the Detroit Tigers pulled away for an 11-1 victory over the host New York Yankees on Wednesday.
The Tigers have outscored the Yankees 23-3 in the first two games of a three-game series.
Gleyber Torres drove in three runs against his former team, including a two-run single that gave the Tigers the lead in the fifth inning. Flaherty (8-13) gave up just two hits.
Yankees starter Carlos Rodon (16-8) allowed two runs on five hits in six innings. Austin Wells homered in the eighth inning as New York averted a shutout.
Phillies 11, Mets 3
Max Kepler homered, had three hits and drove in a season-high five runs in support of Cristopher Sanchez as Philadelphia rolled over visiting New York to take the first three games of a four-game set.
Brandon Marsh added three hits and two RBIs for Philadelphia, while Harrison Bader and J.T. Realmuto each notched two hits and scored twice. Sanchez (13-5) gave up one run and four hits over six innings.
Mets starter Clay Holmes (11-8) surrendered four runs and six hits over four-plus frames. Juan Soto was the offensive standout for New York, going 3-for-5 with a homer and a double.
Rangers 6, Brewers 3
Jake Burger had a pair of home runs and three RBIs and Merrill Kelly outdueled Freddy Peralta as Texas beat Milwaukee to sweep an important three-game interleague series in Arlington, Texas.
Kelly (12-7) pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up three runs and a season-high 10 hits with six strikeouts. The righty is 3-1 in eight starts since being acquired from Arizona at the trade deadline. Phil Maton earned his fourth save of the season.
Entering the game with a 29-inning scoreless streak, Peralta (16-6) left after giving up five runs and six hits in five innings. He struck out nine batters. Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio opened the game with back-to-back homers for the Brewers.
Reds 2, Padres 1
Andrew Abbott snapped a personal five-game losing streak with eight dominant innings as Cincinnati rallied past host San Diego despite a stellar effort by Padres starter Nick Pivetta.
Abbott (9-6) gave up only five hits and a run, walking two and striking out six. In four career starts against San Diego, the left-hander has permitted just three runs in 27 2/3 innings. Tony Santillan pitched the ninth for his sixth save as Cincinnati got within two games of the New York Mets for the National League’s final wild-card position.
The Reds trailed 1-0 entering the eighth as Nick Pivetta blanked them for seven innings, yielding only four hits and a walk while fanning eight. But they rallied against the Padres bullpen, with Miguel Andujar driving in the winning run in the eighth against Adrian Morejon (11-5).
Cubs 3, Braves 2
Nico Hoerner had three hits to pace Chicago’s 11-hit attack and help the visiting Cubs beat Atlanta to take both this three-game series and the season series.
Hoerner was 3-for-5, his 10th three-hit game of the season, stole two bases and scored a run. He hit .417 (5-for-12) with a double and a run scored in the three-game road trip. He has hit safely in six straight and in 11 of his last 13 games.
Chicago starter Jameson Taillon was lifted after 4 1/3 innings with runners on the corners. He allowed two runs on six hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Taylor Rogers (3-2) entered to pitch a scoreless inning and earned the win.
Astros 3, Blue Jays 2
Yainer Diaz hit a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning and visiting Houston defeated Toronto.
Diaz homered on a 1-1 fastball from Jeff Hoffman (9-7) with one out after the Blue Jays tied the game in the eighth. Diaz had an RBI double in the first. Carlos Correa also homered for the Astros, who squared the three-game series.
Berrios retired seven straight before Correa lined a 1-1 changeup to left for his 200th career home run, his 13th of the season and second of the series. Braydon Fisher replaced Berrios, who allowed two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Athletics 5, Boston 4
Lawrence Butler’s walk-off single helped the Athletics secure a win over Boston and avoid a three-game sweep in West Sacramento, Calif.
The Athletics’ Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz both hit their 30th home runs of the season and Brent Rooker was 3-for-5 with his 39th and 40th doubles. Hogan Harris (2-1) earned the victory after getting two outs on six pitches in the ninth. Starter Mason Barnett gave up three runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Nate Eaton was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored for Boston, which tied the game 4-4 in the top of the ninth on an RBI double from Rob Refsnyder. Aroldis Chapman (4-3) surrendered two hits and the game-winning run after not allowing a hit to the previous 50 batters he faced.
Diamondbacks 5, Giants 3
Eduardo Rodriguez threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings of two-hit ball for Arizona, which avoided a sweep by beating host San Francisco.
Rodriguez (8-8) continued his excellent pitching from over the past couple of weeks by winning his third straight start. The left-hander yielded two hits and two walks and struck out six against a team he had posted a 6.14 ERA in three previous starts. Geraldo Perdomo hit a leadoff home run for the Diamondbacks, who snapped a three-game losing streak. The shortstop finished 2-for-4 with a stolen base, two RBIs and one walk, and he was among four Arizona hitters to rack up multiple hits in the game.
Carson Seymour (1-3) , a rookie making his third career start and 13th appearance, lasted just 1 1/3 innings. He gave up four runs on six hits and struck out a batter for the Giants.
Orioles 2, Pirates 1
Rookie Dylan Beavers hit a game-winning single with no outs in the 10th inning as Baltimore beat visiting Pittsburgh.
It marked the Orioles’ second extra-inning victory in as many nights and the team’s fourth walk-off triumph in the past five games. Albert Suarez (2-0) pitched the 10th despite a wild pitch allowing a runner to reach third base with one out.
Pirates starter Paul Skenes threw five scoreless innings, striking out eight to push his season total to 205. Kyle Nicolas (1-1) took the loss.
Angels 4, Twins 3
Mike Trout drove in two runs, including the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning, to give Los Angeles a win over Minnesota in the rubber match of their series in Anaheim, Calif.
Trout drove in Bryce Teodosio, who had led off the inning with a triple off the wall in center field off Twins reliever Cole Sands (3-4). Zach Neto hit a two-run homer and Trout went 1-for-2 with an RBI single and a run scored for Los Angeles, which won its second straight game.
Robert Stephenson (2-0) picked up the win in relief, and Kenley Jansen pitched a 1-2-3 ninth that included a pair of strikeouts for his 27th save in 28 opportunities and the 474th of his career. James Outman homered and doubled, Byron Buxton hit a home run, and Trevor Larnach doubled and had two hits and a walk for Minnesota.
Marlins 8, Nationals 3
Leadoff batter Xavier Edwards went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer and scored three runs as host Miami rallied to defeat Washington.
Jakob Marsee went 4-for-5 as the Marlins beat the Nationals for the first time in six tries. Reliever Lake Bachar (6-2) retired two of the three batters he faced and got the win after Miami rallied for four runs in the sixth inning.
Nationals starter Jake Irvin (8-12) allowed four runs, three earned, in five-plus innings. He and Washington interim manager Miguel Cairo were ejected in the sixth inning following a disputed tag play.
Royals 4, Guardians 3
Pinch hitter Nick Loftin hit a game-tying single in the seventh inning before scoring the go-ahead run on Maikel Garcia’s double as visiting Kansas City beat Cleveland.
The Guardians (74-71) had their five-game win streak snapped and fell three behind the Mariners, who are in the third and final American League wild-card spot.
Kansas City (74-72) moved within 3 1/2 of Seattle. The Royals had lost their previous three games, including two in Cleveland by a combined margin of 12-2. Royals reliever Luinder Avila tossed two scoreless innings for his first big-league win.
White Sox 6, Rays 5
Mike Tauchman and Lenyn Sosa delivered two-run doubles in a five-run second inning and Andrew Benintendi homered to lift host Chicago past Tampa Bay.
Reliever Jordan Leasure (5-6) pitched a scoreless seventh inning as the White Sox won for the eighth time in 10 games. Tyler Gilbert struck out Brandon Lowe with two runners in scoring position to end the game and pick up his first career save.
Yandy Diaz, Carson Williams and Junior Caminero homered for the Rays. Reliever Mason Montgomery (1-3) got just two outs and yielded five runs.
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WNBA NEWS
BRITTNEY GRINER SCORES 17, DREAM ROUT SUN IN SIXTH STRAIGHT WIN
Brittney Griner recorded 17 points and four blocks off the bench to fuel the visiting Atlanta Dream to an 88-72 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday in Uncasville, Conn.
Griner made 7 of 11 shots from the floor in the regular-season finale for the Dream (30-14), who won their sixth straight game to move ahead of the red-hot Las Vegas Aces (29-14) in the race for the No. 2 seed.
Atlanta will clinch that seed if Las Vegas sees its franchise-best 15-game winning streak come to a halt against the host Los Angeles Sparks in the teams’ season finale on Thursday. The Aces own the tiebreaker over the Dream by virtue of sweeping the season series.
Rhyne Howard scored 15 points while Allisha Gray and Brionna Jones added 13 each for Atlanta, which completed a home-and-home sweep of Connecticut. The Dream shot a sizzling 54.1 percent from the floor and held a 34-10 edge in points off the bench.
Marina Mabrey scored 22 points and Saniya Rivers added 16 for the Sun (11-33), who made 3 of 20 shots from 3-point range.
Connecticut’s Tina Charles scored nine points to boost her total to a franchise-best 700 on the season. Charles sank a jumper from the top of the arc late in the second quarter to pass DeWanna Bonner (697) for the record.
The Sun trimmed a 23-point halftime deficit to nine points at 65-56 following Rivers’ layup with 2:18 remaining in the third quarter. Atlanta, however, scored nine of the next 11 points to bridge the third and fourth quarters. The Dream were not seriously threatened the rest of the way.
Howard connected from beyond the arc with 7:38 remaining in the first quarter to become just the ninth player in WNBA history — and first member of the Dream — to make 100 3-pointers in a single season.
Howard added another 3-pointer and Nia Coffey connected from long range just before the buzzer to propel Atlanta to a 31-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Griner scored a team-high six points in the second quarter to help Atlanta push its advantage to 51-28 at halftime.
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+++TOP INDIANA HEADLINES/NEWS RELEASES+++
COLTS FOOTBALL
PRACTICE NOTEBOOK: INJURY UPDATES ON CBS CHARVARIUS WARD SR., JAYLON JONES AHEAD OF COLTS’ WEEK 2 GAME VS. DENVER BRONCOS
Cornerback Charvarius Ward Sr. did not participate in Wednesday’s practice ahead of the Colts’ Week 2 game against the Denver Broncos; Ward sustained a concussion during the Colts’ Week 1 win over the Miami Dolphins and is currently in concussion protocol.
“We’ll see how this week goes,” head coach Shane Steichen said Wednesday when asked about the possibility of Ward playing on Sunday. Ward will need to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol before he is able to play.
Cornerback Jaylon Jones also sustained an injury against the Dolphins, reinjuring the same hamstring he hurt during training camp that sidelined him for the majority of training camp and preseason. He did not participate in practice on Wednesday.
“He’s gonna be out for a while,” Steichen said. “I don’t have a timetable for it, but he’ll be out for a while.”
That currently leaves Mekhi Blackmon, Johnathan Edwards, Xavien Howard and Kenny Moore II as the four healthy and available cornerbacks on the Colts’ roster.
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INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANS EVEN SERIES WITH IOWA
INDIANAPOLIS – Two early home runs from Rafael Flores and Sammy Siani powered the Indianapolis Indians to an 8-3 win over the Iowa Cubs on Wednesday afternoon at Victory Field.
The Indians (37-28, 79-60) jumped out to an early lead with four runs in the first inning. Alika Williams led off with a single, Sammy Siani walked and Nick Solak ripped a double down the left field line to plate Williams for a 1-0 lead. Rafael Flores then launched a three-run home run 422 feet to the shrubbery in center field.
In the bottom of the second inning, Siani hit a solo homer to extend the lead, 5-0. Indy added a sixth run in the fourth inning on an RBI groundout by Solak.
Jonathan Long got the I-Cubs (33-32, 72-67) in the run column with a solo homer in the fifth inning, his 20th of the campaign. He later cut the deficit, 6-2, with an RBI single in the seventh frame. Caleb Knight was hit by a pitch in the next at-bat to load the bases and Nicky Lopez brought the third Iowa run home on a sacrifice fly.
Indy got a run back in the bottom half of the seventh when Anthony Prato came around to score on a throwing error by center fielder Owen Caissie. Solak added one more insurance run in the eighth to extend the lead, 8-3, with an RBI single.
Drake Fellows tossed 4.2 innings of one-run ball, giving way to Ryder Ryan (W, 6-1), who allowed two runs across 3.1 innings. Cam Sanders tossed a scoreless ninth inning to seal the win
Antonio Santos (L, 0-3) started for Iowa and allowed five runs across 3.0 innings.
The six-game series between Indy and Iowa continues on Thursday night at 6:35 PM. LHP Hunter Barco (3-1, 3.93) is set to start for the Indians and LHP Jordan Wicks (3-4, 3.32) takes the mound for the I-Cubs.
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INDY ELEVEN
INDY ELEVEN ACQUIRES GOALKEEPER LUKE PRUTER ON LOAN
Indianapolis (Sept. 10, 2025)– Indy Eleven has acquired Columbus Crew 2 goalkeeper Luke Pruter on loan for the remainder of the season. The transaction was completed prior to the USL Championship Roster Freeze on Monday. Per club policy, terms of the deal will not be disclosed.
The 24-year-old Pruter started 13 matches for Columbus Crew 2 in MLS NEXT Pro this season. He has recorded 54 saves, 16 interceptions, five clearances, and 21 long balls in 2025. The 6’5 Pruter made three saves to earn a clean sheet vs. Carolina Core FC on June 28. He recorded a season-best seven stops against Chicago Fire FC II on Aug. 3.
Pruter joined Crew 2 after his selection in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft as the 87th overall pick.
The Redondo Beach, California, native appeared in 53 matches (51 starts) during his four-year career at UC-Irvine. He registered 4,667 minutes, 166 saves and 14 shutouts for the Anteaters.
Pruter finished his collegiate career on UCI’s goalkeeper top-10 all-time list with 19 wins (6th), 14 shutouts (T 3rd), 166 saves (8th) and a 1.35 goals against average (9th) in 53 matches (T5th).
As a junior in 2023, Pruter earned All-Far West Region and All-Big West Conference second-team honors, recording eight shutouts and making 51 saves with a 1.04 goals against average.
He made a career-high 13 saves at Stanford as a freshman, tied for the second-most in a game in program history.
Pruter played club soccer for L.A. Galaxy Academy, LA Galaxy II, and Barca Academy.
For the Boys in Blue, Pruter will wear #31.
Indy Eleven continues its season-long three-game USL Championship road swing with a key Eastern Conference match at Rhode Island FC on Saturday at 7 pm on ESPN+. The Boys in Blue currently lead Rhode Island by two points in the race for the final playoff position with seven games left in the regular season.
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INDIANA FEVER
RESILIENT FEVER READY FOR POSTSEASON
By Madie Chandler | FeverBasketball.com
“I don’t think, thinking back to the beginning of the season, that anyone would have ever foreseen it going like this,” coach Stephanie White said.
The Indiana Fever have navigated a fair amount of adversity over the course of the regular season – adversity that’s been extensively discussed and documented. Five season ending injuries obliterated the 11-deep opening day roster, opened craterous holes in the game plan, and created an opportunity for the remaining healthy players to accomplish something seemingly impossible.
Against all odds, the Fever clinched a playoff spot on Sunday after defeating the Washington Mystics, 94-65.
“We’re all we’ve got,” Kelsey Mitchell said. “And we’re all we need.”
It became a mantra for the cobbled-together roster; an affirmation spoken before every game. It kept them present, grounded, and rooted in the now – the most important moment as far as the Fever were concerned. Coach Stephanie White adopted her own version of the sentiment, repeating, “Be where your feet are,” throughout the season.
So Indiana did.
They earned their first Commissioner’s Cup Championship. They put together a five-game winning streak in late July, and Mitchell found new levels each time the Fever needed another answer. She turned her play up so many levels that she inserted herself into the MVP conversation. Mitchell even became the Fever’s first player to average over 20 points in a season in franchise history.
“Every time we’ve had a setback, her numbers have just continued to get better,” White said. “…We continue to put more on Kelsey Mitchell’s plate, and she just continues to rise to the challenge.”
When the Lynx rolled back into Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday for the Fever’s regular season finale, Indiana was playing for pride. Minnesota beat the Fever in both of the previous two meetings, and Indiana was hungry to take the third.
A 10-0 run by the Fever to open the game was proof of Indiana’s conviction. That lead grew as the Fever stepped on the gas – by halftime their lead was 13 points, but they’d led by as many as 17 before the break.
The Lynx surged to open the second half, cutting the Fever lead down to just four points, but the Fever responded. By the end of the third quarter, Indiana had regained its 17-point advantage. By the time the buzzer sounded on the final contest of the Indiana Fever’s regular season, the Fever led by 11, 83-72.
Indiana secured a wire-to-wire victory over the league’s top team.
“It was a big win for us because they set the bar high, standard wise,” Mitchell said postgame. “We know what to expect when it comes to the Minnesota Lynx. And so I think going into the playoffs…it’s big for us, because we are giving ourselves a chance, and if they are the standard, we get to see what we are.”
Indiana’s victory over the Lynx secured a 24-20 record on the season. After an offseason that ratcheted expectations to new heights, and a regular season riddled with adversity, the Fever crossed the finish line with a three-game winning streak in their wake.
“A new season starts on Sunday,” Odyssey Sims said. “Everybody’s 0-0. Anything can happen. We’re not looking at the regular season, what we did, what our record was. We have a new record. We have a different mindset.”
They closed the regular season with a win, but Indiana isn’t ready to talk about finish lines. Because the Fever aren’t finished – they’ve just stepped up to another starting line, and are preparing for a race that begins on Sunday.
The WNBA title is at the end, and the Fever are prepared to chase it.
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INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
HOOSIER HOOPS ON KIRKWOOD SET FOR OCTOBER 2
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana men’s and women’s basketball will kickoff the 2025-26 season with a new interactive fan event, Hoosier Hoops on Kirkwood, on Thursday, Oct. 2 from 8-10 p.m. ET.
Among the event’s attractions will be player introductions, skills competitions, and meet-and-greet opportunities. It will take place on one of the most iconic college backdrops on Kirkwood Avenue and Sample Gates, spanning the 300, 400, and 500 blocks.
The women’s program is coming off its 10th-straight 20-win season and sixth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2024-25 and are led by head coach Teri Moren, who enters her 12th season at the helm of the program. Senior guard Shay Ciezki (11.4 ppg.) returns to guide the Hoosiers as redshirt sophomore guard Lenée Beaumont is poised for return after an injury last season kept her sidelined. The roster will feature eight new players including the last two Miss Indiana Basketball winners in Maya Makalusky (2025) and Chloe Spreen (2024).
The men’s team underwent a complete overhaul and was highlighted by the hire of head coach Darian DeVries, the program’s 31st head coach, on March 19, 2025. DeVries brought in the 10th-ranked transfer portal class according to 247Sports. The 10-player class comprised off highly productive players from successful programs. Fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson (Sam Houston State) averaged 20.5 points per game and shot 44.5% from behind the 3-point line in 2024-25 while fifth-year senior forward Tucker DeVries (Drake, West Virginia) has averaged 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game in 112 career games.
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PURDUE FOOTBALL
GAME 3 PREP: PURDUE HOSTS USC TO BEGIN B1G PLAY
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Starting 2-0 for the first time since 2021 following a pair of non-conference victories, Purdue Football begins Big Ten play by hosting USC at Ross-Ade Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
QUICK HITS
During Saturday’s contest, Purdue will honor the 2000 team that is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Big Ten Championship season and a trip to the Rose Bowl Game.
Led by Heisman finalist and Maxwell Award winner Drew Brees, the 2000 Boilermakers featured seven future Super Bowl champions (Brees, John Standeford, Matt Light, Gene Mruczkowski, Chukky Okobi, Brandon Gorin, Gilbert Gardner).
While the 2000 Rose Bowl team will be honored, Purdue and USC first met in the 1967 Rose Bowl to conclude the 1966 campaign. Jack Mollenkopf’s Boilermakers beat the Trojans 14-13.
Legendary Purdue quarterback Gary Danielson will be on the call Saturday as an analyst for CBS, his 36th and final season as a college football broadcaster and 20th with CBS. Danielson is a member of the Cradle of Quarterbacks, featuring 12 of the best quarterbacks in program history.
The Purdue defense has allowed only 17 points this season, the fewest allowed through the first two games of a season since 2004.
The Boilermakers scored touchdowns on their first two drives in both games this season, totaling 28 points. Purdue scored 13 first quarter points throughout the entire 2024 season.
Kicker Spencer Porath was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after going 2-for-2 on field goals against Southern Illinois.
Rushing for 126 yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 32 carries in the win over Southern Illinois, Devin Mockobee became the first Boilermaker to produce at least 125 yards and two touchdowns on the ground since Zander Horvath in 2019.
Mockobee is currently ranked in the program Top 10 in several career categories: 100-yard rushing games (4th), rushing yards (5th), rushing touchdown (9th).
Ryan Browne is just the second Boilermaker quarterback since 1995 to average at least 15.0 yards per completion through the first two games of the season. Kyle Orton accomplished the feat during the 2002 and 2004 seasons.
Defensive back Tahj Ra-El made a team-high seven tackles in each of the first two games, and his 14 tackles (all solo) lead the Boilermakers. He ranks third in the Big Ten and eighth nationally in solo tackles.
Wide receiver Arhmad Branch leads Purdue with 132 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. Out of Branch’s six career touches (five receptions, one rush), three have resulted in touchdowns.
25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIG TEN CHAMPS
The 2025 season marks the 25th anniversary of the Boilermakers’ 200Big Ten title and trip to the 2001 Rose Bowl Game. Purdue will welcome back the historic team to Ross-Ade Stadium for the USC game on Sept. 13.
Quarterbacked by Heisman Trophy finalist and Maxwell Award winner Drew Brees, the Boilermakers went 8-4 overall with a 6-2 mark in Big Ten play to earn a share of the Big Ten title and reach the Rose Bowl Game for the first time since 1967.
Ten Boilermakers garnered All-Big Ten honors, led by Brees, the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and Chicago Tribune Silver Football Award winner. Safety Stuart Schweigert was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
The 2000 roster featured seven future Super Bowl champions (Drew Brees, John Standeford, Matt Light, Gene Mruczkowski, Chukky Okobi, Brandon Gorin, Gilbert Gardner).
WELCOME BACK, GARY DANIELSON
A familiar face returns to West Lafayette this weekend in legendary quarterback Gary Danielson.
A longtime college football analyst for CBS, Danielson will call the game this weekend in his 36th and final year in the broadcast booth.
Danielson (1970-72) is one of 12 QBs that make up Purdue’s Cradle of Quarterbacks.
In 1971, Danielson led the Big Ten in passing offense with 1,467 yards and was the architect of six of the conference’s 11 longest plays of the season. He set the Big Ten record for passing accuracy that year at 61.7 percent in conference games.
In the early 1970s, Purdue Athletics commissioned a university artist named Keith Butz to create a poster featuring outstanding Boilermaker quarterbacks of the previous 30 years. That poster featured Bob DeMoss, Dale Samuels, Len Dawson, Bernie Allen, Bob Griese, Mike Phipps and Gary Danielson.
BACK-TO-BACK WINS
With the win over Southern Illinois, Barry Odom became the first Purdue head coach to start his tenure in West Lafayette 2-0 in more than a century.
The last coach to start his tenure 2-0 was Cleo O’Donnell in 1916 when he beat Monon Bell rivals Wabash and DePauw.
The best start to a Purdue career was by Knowlton Ames, who went a perfect 12-0 over two seasons (4-0 in 1891, 8-0 in 1982) to win back-to-back Indiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championships.
CROSS COUNTRY CONNECTIONS
Despite campuses being separated by more than 2,000 miles, there are a couple of connections between Purdue and USC.
Purdue offensive coordinator Josh Henson served as USC’s offensive coordinator for three seasons before joining head coach Barry Odom in West Lafayette.
Michael Jackson III, Purdue’s leader in receptions (7) through the first two games of the season, spent the first three seasons (2021-23) of his collegiate career at USC. Jackson caught 46 passes for 498 yards and five touchdowns for the Trojans.
THE MOCKCAT OFFENSE
In his first four years as a Boilermaker, Devin Mockobee never took a snap from the quarterback position. However, under new offensive coordinator Josh Henson, the Wildcat formation has become the Mockcat.
All three of Mockobee’s rushing touchdowns this season have come from the Purdue running back taking the snap before rumbling into the end zone.
Scoring a pair of touchdowns in the win over Southern Illinois, Mockobee recorded his first game with multiple rushing touchdowns to bring his career total to 22 (ninth all-time).
Thanks to the Mockcat, Mockobee’s three rushing touchdowns rank third in the Big Ten and ninth nationally through the first two weeks of the season.
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
After giving up some record-breaking numbers last year, the Purdue defense has locked down under new head coach Barry Odom and defensive coordinator Mike Scherer.
The Boilermakers have allowed only 17 points thus far, their fewest surrendered through the first two games of a season since 2004, ranking 14th nationally in scoring defense.
Purdue has surrendered just three points over the final three quarters of both games, a 53-yard fourth quarter Southern Illinois field goal.
The Boilermakers shut out Ball State in the season opener, one of 10 teams to start the year with a shutout, allowing only 203 yards of total offense.
In the final three quarters against SIU, Purdue only gave up three points and 130 yards, including just 66 yards in the second half.
NO PUNTS, NO PROBLEM
In the 34-17 victory over Southern Illinois, the Purdue offense was so efficient that the Boilermakers did not have to punt during the game.
It marked the first time Purdue played an entire game without punting since 2016, a 24-14 win over Nevada.
The Boilermakers have had four games without a punt over the past 21 years, all games resulting in victories.
Punting only three times this season, Purdue leads the nation in net punting with a 51.3 average. That includes ranking second in punt return defense, producing negative yardage (-3.0 average).
SPECIAL SPENCER
Sophomore kicker Spencer Porath was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after going 2-for-2 on field goals against Southern Illinois.
This season, Porath is 3-of-3 on field goals with a long of 43 yards.
The last Boilermaker to earn Big Ten Special Teams of the Week was J.D. Dellinger in November of 2019.
Last season, Porath connected on seven kicks to tie for fourth most on the Purdue freshmen charts.
He became the first Purdue kicker to score 10 points in a game since Mitchell Fineran made five field goals for 15 points in the 2022 Big Ten Championship game (Dec. 3, 2022).
Porath improved 3-for-3 on field goals this season, increasing his career total to 10-for-14. His 71.4 career field goal percentage ranks fourth among Purdue kickers (since 1995) through the first 14 games of their careers.
FAST START
Purdue has gotten off to fast starts in each of the first two games of the season. The Boilermakers scored touchdowns on their first two drives in both games, totaling 28 points. Purdue scored only 13 first quarter points Purdue throughout all of last season.
Arhmad Branch has scored Purdue’s first touchdown in both games. The wide receiver has gotten off to fast starts of his own, recording four catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns in first quarters this year.
It took the Boilermakers two plays and only 36 seconds to score for their first points of the season. After a 13-yard run by Devin Mockobee, Ryan Browne found Branch down the middle of the field. The sophomore wideout broke multiple tackles and added a smooth spin move before finding the end zone for the 49-yard touchdown.
The last time Purdue scored within the first minute of the season was at the start of the 1981 campaign.
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PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL
SMITH, KAUFMAN-RENN GARNER PRESEASON HONORS FROM BLUE RIBBON MAGAZINE
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The top college preview magazine in the country has named Braden Smith its preseason National Player of the Year, while Trey Kaufman-Renn was named a second-team All-America announced today by Blue Ribbon Magazine.
The magazine, compiled by several authors, is 411 pages that features lengthy write-ups on every team, preseason All-America teams and a preseason top-25 listing.
The Boilermakers are ranked second in the top 25 behind Florida and followed by Houston, Duke and Connecticut in the top five. Among Big Ten teams, Michigan is ninth, UCLA is ranked 12th, and Illinois and Wisconsin are ranked 20th and 21st, respectively.
Purdue is scheduled to play ranked teams Kentucky (8th; exhibition game), Michigan (9th), Alabama (11th), UCLA (12th), Auburn (13th), Texas Tech (14th; possible game), Iowa State (17th), Illinois (20th) and Wisconsin (21st).
In addition, Purdue’s backcourt was named the top backcourt in the Big Ten, while the frontcourt was named the second best in the Big Ten behind Michigan’s frontcourt.
Smith, a senior guard from Westfield, Indiana, is the lone returning first-team All-American in the country after averaging 15.8 points, 8.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds a year ago. He won the Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard last season and has 1,375 points, 758 assists and 535 rebounds in his three seasons at Purdue. He is the only player in Big Ten history, and one of 16 players in NCAA history, to have even 1,300 career points, 700 assists and 500 rebounds, and he has a full season to play.
Smith needs just 125 points and 242 assists to become the first player in NCAA history with 1,500 points, 1,000 assists and 500 rebounds.
Smith was last season’s Big Ten Player of the Year.
Meanwhile, Kaufman-Renn, a senior forward from Sellersburg, Indiana, was named to Blue Ribbon Yearbook’s second team after averaging 20.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists a year while shooting just under 60 percent the field. Kaufman-Renn, a first-team All-Big Ten honoree a year ago, is the only returning high-major player nationally from last season to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and two assists per game.
Kaufman-Renn has scored in double-figures in eight straight games and finished last year with 723 points, the 10th-most points scored by a Purdue player in school history. He had 12, 20-point games in the last 15 contests last season.
Purdue opens its exhibition season on Oct. 24, when it travels to Rupp Arena to face Kentucky. The regular-season opener is Nov. 4, when Evansville visits Mackey Arena.
The Boilermakers are ranked in the top three of almost every early top-25 poll ranking released so far.
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PURDUE WOMEN’S SOCCER
BOILERS TAKE ON NO. 23 WISCONSIN IN BIG TEN OPENER
West Lafayette, Ind. – Purdue Heads to Madison, Wis. for their first Big Ten match up against the Wisconsin Badgers this Thursday, September 11, at 7:00 p.m. EST.
The Boilermakers head into the match with a 3-3-2 record, while Wisconsin has posted a 6-1 record, tabbing them the No. 12 team in the country by TopDrawerSoccer and the No. 23 team by the United Soccer Coaches and NCAA poll.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
The Wisconsin Badgers are currently 6-1 on the season, defeating Milwaukee, UIC, Central Michigan, to name a few. The Badgers dropped to LSU in a 1-0 loss to put the one blemish on the otherwise perfect resume.
The Badgers are led by Brooke Allen who has two goals and an assist, and Anya Gulbrandsen who has three goals on the season. Ashley Martinez leads the team in assists and has three goals on the season. One other player has two goals, and five other players have one goal so far this season.
SERIES HISTORY
The Badgers lead the series over Purdue 14-11-3, with the matchups dating back to 1999. In the most recent matchups, the Badgers have taken the victory. In 2022 the Badgers won 5-2, and in the most recent match in 2023, the Badgers took the game 2-1. This will be the second matchup in a row that the teams will take each other on in Madison, Wisconsin.
The Boilers look to break the streak and earn their second-consecutive conference opening win since defeating Northwestern 2-0 a year ago.
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NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL
NO. 8 NOTRE DAME TAKES OFF REINS ON CJ CARR AND WILL TURN HIM LOOSE AGAINST NO. 16 TEXAS A&M
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — No. 6 Notre Dame played it safe with a new starting quarterback on the road in its season-opening loss at then-No. 10 Miami.
It may have cost coach Marcus Freeman more than a victory. He also acknowledged losing some sleep.
So with the Fighting Irish back on their own turf following a bye week, Freeman is ready to make a change — giving CJ Carr a longer leash against No. 16 Texas A&M on Saturday.
“I think we were very intentional about trying to protect the first-time starter early in the game, right?” Freeman said. “I was vocal about giving him easy reads, easy throws. Let’s not just tell him to bomb the ball down the field every play, because he’ll do that if we allow him to. CJ will throw the ball down the field every single play.”
Carr certainly has the arm strength to succeed, and the stat line from his first start — 19 of 30 with 221 yards, two touchdown passes, one TD run and one interception — was solid, not spectacular.
But he did rally the Fighting Irish (0-1) from a 21-7 third-quarter deficit, played well enough to become the first Notre Dame quarterback to throw a TD pass and run for a score in his first career start since Brandon Wimbush in 2017, and after another week of practice appears to have earned more trust from Freeman.
So this week, Notre Dame seems ready to turn Carr loose.
“He showed he’s ready, he’s capable,” Freeman said. “As you saw as the game went on, we were able to take some more shots. I still am a firm believer shots are a response to being able to have positive run plays, right? We have to be able to run the football. But we feel like, listen, CJ can execute the entire game plan, the entire playbook. He’s a special player.”
If Freeman could pinpoint one sequence in which Carr proved himself, it might be his 65-yard completion to Eli Rairdon that set up Notre Dame at the Miami 10-yard line in the fourth quarter. Carr rushed for 3 yards on the next play, then raced 7 yards to the end zone to tie the score at 24 with 3:21 to play.
Miami responded with the go-ahead field goal with 1:04 remaining and Carr was sacked twice on Notre Dame’s final possession.
Still, it showed Freeman that Carr was ready to play on the big stage. It wasn’t just Freeman, either.
Receiver Jaden Greathouse praised Carr’s leadership, noting the key to Notre Dame’s aerial attack is timing and chemistry.
“You get a lot of different things during the game, some things you do expect, some things you don’t expect,” Greathouse said. “And so, you know, every game is an adjustment, and you just kind of have to take it how it comes. CJ can handle that quickly. He just has kind of a knack for feeling out where we’re going to be and where we kind of want the ball, where we’re kind of expecting the ball. That helps us a lot with our run after the catch and things like that.”
But Greathouse knows the Irish offense still needs to be better.
The key, he believes, is running crisper routes and getting better ball placement than they had at Miami, facets that will improve in time.
Running the ball better would help, too. Notre Dame had 28 carries for 93 yards as preseason All-American Jeremiyah Love was limited to 33 yards on 10 carries. And if the Irish need to use Carr’s legs to open up running lanes against Texas A&M, Freeman says he won’t hesitate to give the kid a chance.
After all, Carr has only made one start and everyone in the program understands this offense is still a work in progress.
“A lot of it is just natural things that take a lot of work,” Greathouse said. “Working on our communication. It’s a lot different in the game.”
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NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL
FORMER IRISH TRIO CLAIM BRONZE MEDAL AT THE AMERICUP
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Last weekend, the United States won the Bronze medal at the AmeriCup, the men’s basketball championship organized every four years by the FIBA Americas. USA played six games across eight days in the tournament, going 4-2 in those games. Their two losses came against Uruguay and Brazil, the eventual tournament champion. The United States’ final win came on August 31 in the third place game against Canada with a final score of 90-85.
Among the 12 players on the U.S. team were three former Fighting Irish basketball players: Jerian Grant, Jack Cooley, and Zach Auguste. All three of these former ND stars played key roles for the United States’ success in the tournament.
JERIAN GRANT
In his first time suiting up for USA Basketball, the former point guard for the 2015 Elite Eight team started all six of the United States’ games at the AmeriCup. In these six games, Grant averaged 8.8 points per game, 4.8 assists per game, and 2.2 rebounds per game. He scored a tournament high of 13 points in the United States’ 83-70 win against Uruguay. Grant currently plays for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League and the EuroLeague.
JACK COOLEY
Also playing for the first time for the United States, the 2013 Notre Dame graduate began the tournament coming off the bench before starting the team’s final four games. Cooley averaged 3.8 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game throughout the tournament. He was also the team leader in rebounding in four of the United States’ six games, with his tournament high coming in their win against Uruguay when he grabbed 12 rebounds. Since 2019, Cooley has suited up for the Ryukyu Golden Kings in Japan’s B League.
ZACH AUGUSTE
The member of both the 2015 & 2016 Elite Eight teams, who also wore “USA” on his chest for the first time, did not start any of the team’s games but played a pivotal role off the bench. Auguste averaged 10.2 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, and two assists per game in the six games that he suited up. His best moment came when he scored 28 points and grabbed seven boards in the United States’ 105-93 win against the Bahamian national team. Auguste currently plays for the SeaHorses Mikawa in Japan’s B League.
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NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S SOCCER
PREVIEW: IRISH OPEN ACC PLAY AT NC STATE
The No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish open up conference play on the road as they travel to take on NC State on Thursday, Sept. 11 at 7:00 PM.
#6 NOTRE DAME at NC STATE – Thursday, September 11 at 7:00 PM
Location: Raleigh, NC | Dail Soccer Field/Track Complex
LIVE STATS | SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES | WATCH ON ACCNX
CHUKWU CLINIC AT MICHIGAN STATE
Sophomore Annabelle Chukwu has been named the ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week and was also named to the Top Drawer Soccer Women’s Team of the Week.
She recorded her first career hat trick as she scored one goal in the first half and two goals in the second in the 3-0 win at Michigan State
Shooting a perfect 3-for-3 on night, she finished with a career-high six points.
This is also Chukwu’s first multi-goal game in her Irish career. With the three goals in the win, she has now recorded a total of eight career goals, six games through her sophomore season.
Chukwu’s header in the 26th minute put the Irish on the board and scored again in the 48th minute, burying it from the top of the box into the upper 90 to make it 2-0.
Just two minutes later, In the 50th minute, Morgan Roy fired the perfect corner kick to the near post as another Chukwu header found the back of the net to cap off the hat trick.
MATRIANO HAD HERSELF A WEEK
Laney Matriano has been named the ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week and was also named to the Top Drawer Soccer Women’s Team of the Week.
Matriano helped guide the Irish to a 3-0 win over Michigan and an 8-0 win over Oakland, finishing the week with an impressive two goals, three assists, and seven points.
She recorded a career-high three assists in the win over the Wolverines on Thursday, assisting on every goal scored that game and becoming the first ACC player to record three assists in a match against a Power Four conference team since Pitt’s Landy Mertz on November 11, 2023.
She then recorded a brace in the win over Oakland on Sunday, another career-best.
A CAREER NIGHT IN THE 8-0 WIN OVER OAKLAND
The No.6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish advanced to 4-0-1 on the season as they defeated the Oakland Golden Grizzlies (1-4-1) in a 8-0 victory on Sunday evening.
The Irish had seven players in the scoring column, but senior Laney Matriano led the way with a brace, recording a career-high two goals in the dominant win.
Junior Morgan Roy and sophomore Grace Restovich recorded their first goals of the season, The sophomore duo of Annabelle Chukwu and Izzy Engle chipped in one goal a piece for their second and sixth goals on the season, respectively.
It was a night of career-firsts and career-highs for Notre Dame. Freshman Tessa Knapp and sophomore Randie Foor each recorded their first career goals, with junior Jackie Hollomon grabbing her first save in goal.
Sophomore Lily Joseph tied her career-high two assists and Senior Kiki Turner recorded her first career assist.
IRISH REMAIN UNDEFEATED: TAKE DOWN WOLVERINES
The No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-0-1) remain undefeated on the season as they defeated the Michigan Wolverines (2-3-0) in a 3-0 win at Alumni Stadium on Thursday evening.
The Irish scored on three headers in the win, with goals coming from the sophomore trio of Izzy Engle, Abby Mills, and Ellie Hodsden.
Notre Dame finished with a season-best five assists as senior Laney Matriano led the way with a team-best and career-high three assists. Senior Leah Klenke and graduate Carolyn Calzada each recorded an assist for the Irish in the win.
The Irish outshot the Wolverines 16-5 as sophomore Sonoma Kasica finished with three saves and recorded her ninth career clean sheet.
IRISH TAKE DOWN BEARCATS
It was a great offensive night for the Irish with three players netting goals in the 4-0 win at Alumni on Thursday, Aug. 21.
Sophomore Izzy Engle recorded her second brace of the season, with sophomore Annabelle Chukwu and sophomore Ellie Hodsden each adding one goal apiece in the second half.
Sophomore Grace Restovich led the way with two assists, with senior Laney Matriano and junior Morgan Roy each recorded an assist as well.
The Irish defense suffocated the Bearcat attack, allowing only one shot on goal. Sophomore Sonoma Kasica finished with a clean sheet for the Irish, her eighth clean sheet in her career.
IRISH DRAW AT #2 ARKANSAS
The No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-0-1) earned a hardfought draw on the road against No. 6 Arkansas Razorbacks (0-1-1) on in a heated top-10 battle.
The Irish offense was led by Charlie Codd and Ellie Hodsden, who each recorded their first goals of the season in the 2-2 draw.
While Codd netted the first goal of the game to tie it up at1-all, just over 35 minutes later, Ellie Hodsden had the play of the game. The sophomore received a pass in her own half and took it coast-to-coast before firing in a great shot from just inside the box.
Sonoma Kasica recorded four saves in the stalemate, totaling eight saves in the opening week of the season.
ENGLE WAS EVERYTHING NEEDED IN HOME OPENER
Sophomore Izzy Engle recorded a brace in the 2-1 win in the season opening win against the defending MAC Champions Western Michigan at Alumni Stadium on Thursday evening.
The reigning ACC Freshman of the Year and All-American picked up right where she left off in the 2024 campaign, recording her seventh career multi-goal game.
The Irish improved to an impressive 29-5-3 record in season openers.
Junior Chase Ying recorded her first career point off an assist on the opening goal.
Sophomore goalkeeper Sonoma Kasica recorded four saves to pick up the win.
PRESEASON PRAISE
Coming off of NCAA Quarterfinal run last season, the Irish were selected as the no. 2 team in the country in this year’s United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll. This is the highest preseason ranking since the 2011 season after the Irish won the National Championship in 2010.
The Irish were also selected as the no. 2 team in the 2025 Preseason ACC poll.
Goalkeeper Sonoma Kasica and forward Izzy Engle have been named to the United Soccer Coaches 2025 NCAA Players to Watch list this preseason.
Engle was also selected as a Preseason All-ACC honoree, alongside senior Leah Klenky. Both were All-ACC standouts last season, earning All-Region status as well.
Engle and Klenke are were each named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List as well this preseason.
BY THE NUMBERS – NCAA TOURNAMENT
For the 30th time over the last 32 years, the Notre Dame women’s soccer program qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
Notre Dame improved its all-time postseason record to 77-26-4. Their 77 victories passed UCLA (75) for the third most and rank only behind Florida State and UNC.
With a dominant 5-1 victory over Milwaukee in the First Round, the Irish improved to 52-4-1 at home in the NCAA Tournament
They have recorded 50 all-time clean sheets in the NCAA Tournament.
Notre Dame was a seeded team for the fourth consecutive year, earning the four-seed in the bottom-right quadrant.
The past four seasons under Doug & Lisa Jones Head Coach Nate Norman: Sweet 16 in 2021, Elite Eight in 2022, 2nd Round in 2023 and an Elite Eight in 2024. Thus, two quarterfinal appearances over the last three years.
The Irish made their 17th all-time appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals. They are now 12-5 all-time in that round.
They’ve qualified for 12 College Cups with their last being in 2010. They are 8-4 in the Semifinal round.
The Irish boast three NCAA championships, which is tied for second most – 1995, 2004, 2010 – and five runner-up finishes (1994, 1996, 1999, 2006, 2008).
NOTRE DAME’S 2024 RESUME
In the final United Soccer Coaches Poll, the Irish landed in the No. 6 position. There were six ACC teams in the top-10.
Irish finished with a RPI rank of No. 8. They achieved a 4-4-1 record against the RPI 1-25.
Notre Dame competed in the No. 1 RPI league, the ACC, and went 5-2-4.
The Fighting Irish recorded a 5-4-1 mark against ranked opposition this season. They defeated No. 2 Miss State, No. 6 Stanford, No. 13 TCU and No. 14 Virginia, No. 25 Cal, while tying at No. 1 Duke.
All 4 of ND’s losses were to ranked teams.
HOME SWEET HOME
It is not easy for opposing teams to earn a victory inside Alumni Stadium. Since its creation in 2009, Notre Dame has gone 135-32-11.
Over the last four seasons in particular – an impressive 37-6-6 (.816) record inside Alumni.
The last 5 seasons – 48-9-7 (.805)
A COLLEGE CUP CORE
The expectations every year for this program is to qualify for a College Cup and compete for a national championship. The Irish fell a little short in 2024 but the pieces are there to make a run in 2025. We’ve talked already about how dynamic of a freshman class it was. Then there’s the returning vets: Morgan Roy, Charlie Codd, Laney Matriano, Leah Klenke and Clare Logan all started in at least 15 games this season.
Key losses include graduate forward/midfielder Ellie Ospeck (who recorded 33 points over her Irish career), captain Sophia Fisher (68 games played, 19 starts, 19 points) and KJ Ronan (58 games played, 5 starts).
All-in-all, the Irish return 141 of its 161 points aka 87.6 percent.
ACC PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1. North Carolina (10), 246
2. Notre Dame (2), 229
3. Florida State (4), 225
4. Duke, 208
5. Stanford, 201
6. Wake Forest, 172
7. Virginia (1), 169
8. Virginia Tech, 162
9. Clemson, 132
10. California, 124
11. Pitt, 111
12. SMU, 83
13. Boston College, 81
14. Louisville, 67
15. Miami, 44
16. NC State, 40
17. Syracuse, 18
ALL-AMERICAN – IZZY ENGLE IS BACK FOR YEAR 2
Izzy Engle immediately took the collegiate landscape by storm by putting together an All-American campaign in her freshman season. The United Soccer Coaches named her a Second Team All-American. Head Coach Nate Norman has now produced four different All-Americans over the past three years (Korbin Albert, Eva Gaetino, Olivia Wingate).
Engle scored 19 goals on the year, plus one assist, finishing with 39 total points. Her 19 goals were the sixth most all-time by a freshman at Notre Dame.
Her 19 goals were the 2nd most scored in the country in 2024. Kate Faasse from North Carolina scored 20. Engle’s 0.86 goals per match ranked second nationally as well.
The Minnesota native scored nine goals over the last nine games and scored in three of the four NCAA Tournament games, including the game-winner against Mississippi State.
Engle’s 39 points ranked sixth nationally and second amongst ACC players.
Engle’s brace at No. 1 Duke marked the first time in program history in which an Irish freshman recorded multiple goals against the No. 1 team in the country.
Engle recorded the first freshman hat trick in program history since 2008 in Notre Dame’s win at Samford. She was the third quickest in program history to record a hat trick, doing so in just her second game. Kerri Hanks (2005) and Rosella Guerrero (1992) achieved hat tricks in their freshman debuts.
FRESHMEN CLEAN UP ACC AWARDS – 2024 ACCOLADES
Kudos to Coach Norman for the talent he’s been developing in South Bend. For it was the third straight year in which the program took an ACC ‘of the year’ award. And get this, it’s been three different players as well. Korbin Albert in 2022 (ACC Midfielder of the Year), Eva Gaetino in 2023 (ACC Defender of the Year) and now Izzy Engle in 2024 (ACC Freshman of the Year).
Engle’s awards didn’t stop there. The Minnesota native was also named First Team All-ACC alongside junior defender Leah Klenke. Third-Team All-ACC honors went to freshmen Annabelle Chukwu and Lily Joseph.
Klenke, who missed a portion of the early season because she was busy winning a bronze medal with Team USA at the U20 World Cup. Klenke came back and solidified the back-three while also securing a goal and an assist. This marked the second straight year for Klenke taking home an All-ACC award, improving upon her Second-Team status in 2023.
The Irish dominated the ACC All-Freshman Team list with four of the 11 spots, the most of any school. Izzy Engle, Lily Jospeh, Ellie Hodsden and Annabelle Chukwu were all named to the All-Freshman Team. The foursome ranked first, second, fourth and sixth, respectively, on the team in total points.
NOTRE DAME’S OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT
Notre Dame’s scoring offense of 2.50 ranked eighth in the country and third in the league. It marked Notre Dame’s highest scoring offense since 2008 (3.07).
In addition, Notre Dame had a whopping 16 different goal scorers on the year, which marked the most since 2008 as well.
The Irish ranked seventh in the nation in shots per game (19.6) and 12th in SOG/game (8.7).
Their 55 goals ranked seventh nationally.
44 of the team’s 55 goals were scored by freshmen.
The top-4 point getters on the team were freshmen: Izzy Engle (39 points), Lily Joseph (22 points), Grace Restovich (21 points) and Ellie Hodsden (18 points).
Irish were 14-0 when scoring first this season. They were 13-0-1 when leading at the half.
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BUTLER WOMEN’S SOCCER
PREVIEW: BUTLER CLOSES OUT NON-CONFERENCE ACTION WITH TWO HOME MATCHES
The Butler women’s soccer team finishes preparations for BIG EAST competition with a pair of home matches this week. The Bulldogs (2-1-2) will host IU Indy and Drake at the Sellick Bowl.
The Jaguars (1-5-1) defeated Indiana State earlier this season. The Horizon League member has losses to Illinois State, Ball State, Southern Illinois, Eastern Illinois, and SIUE.
The Drake Bulldogs (3-2-2) have wins this season over Western Illinois, SIUE, and Omaha. Losses for the Missouri Valley member came to Kansas and South Dakota, and the team drew with Iowa State and Wyoming. Drake will play South Dakota State on the Wednesday prior to traveling to Butler.
Butler vs. IU Indy
DATE/TIME: Thursday, September 11 / 7PM
LOCATION: Indianapolis, Ind. / Sellick Bowl
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: butlersports.com/StatBroadcast
The Series: Butler leads the overall series, 16-3-1, and has won the most recent nine contests, including last season’s 3-1 victory. IU Indy’s most recent win in the series came in 2012.
Butler vs. Drake
DATE/TIME: Sunday, September 14 / 1PM
LOCATION: Indianapolis, Ind. / Sellick Bowl
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: butlersports.com/StatBroadcast
The Series: The only previous match between Butler and Drake was last season in Des Moines, Iowa, where Butler prevailed, 5-3. In that match, Drake built a 2-0 lead just ten minutes into the match, but Butler tied the game, 2-2, by the 19th minute. Both teams then scored goals in the 25th minute to make the score 3-3. Butler scored two more before the end of the half, making the score 5-3. No goals were scored in the second half by either side.
Bulldog Bits
through Sunday, 9/7
Talia Sommer leads the BIG EAST and ranks 9th nationally with 2.20 shots on goal per game, and she ranks 18th with 4.00 total shots per game. She is second in the conference (39th) with 1.80 points per game.
vs Ball State
Norah Jacomen’s goal was her second of the season and the 12th of her career.
Talia Sommer’s goal was her third this season and the 25th of her career.
Chloe Brecht’s assist was her third this season.
The Bulldogs outshot the Cardinals, 17-4.
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BALL STATE FOOTBALL
FOOTBALL GAMEDAY: CARDINALS ENTERTAIN FAMILY WEEKEND CROWD IN FIRST HOME GAME UNDER UREMOVICH
MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State steps away from the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference this week while hosting FCS power New Hampshire in an annual Family Weekend date to welcome students and families to Scheumann Stadium. The Wildcats are ranked No. 23/24 in national FCS polls. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m., with tailgate lots open at 10:00. It is the first of five home dates for the Cardinals this season.
— Ball State Athletics has implemented a clear bag policy this season to help expedite stadium entry for fans. Also new for the 2025 home schedule is a Barnes & Noble Spirit Shop located just inside Gate 1, and a host of new food trucks that will line the perimeter of Scheumann Stadium, offering more food options and shorter wait lines. Also new this year, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay digital options make it easier for fans to purchase their favorite items while cheering on the Cardinals.
— While the Cardinals’ offense was sluggish at Auburn last week, the defense played well despite the 42 points on the scoreboard. The defense had success reaching the Auburn backfield and came away with five sacks and eight tackles for loss. The Cardinals forced four fumbles and missed on a pair of interception opportunities. Michael Gravely Jr., led the attack with seven tackles and a forced fumble. Caden Johnson and Drew Hughes each recorded the first sacks of their career. Nathan Voorhis had a first-quarter strip-sack, and Joey Stemler and Scott Hudson each added sacks as Ball State’s defense forced 41 yards in losses for the Tigers. Redshirt junior Dejuan Echoles Jr., forced two fumbles on a pair of tackles for loss.
— The Cardinals’ offense managed six first downs at Auburn. While QB Kiael Kelly was sacked six times and limited on the ground, redshirt junior Eric Weatherly caught five passes for 42 yards to lead Ball State. Dating to his redshirt freshman campaign at Bucknell, Weatherly has caught passes in 25 consecutive games. Entering the 10th start of his career, Kelly boasts 940 career rushing yards, third in school history by a quarterback and just 60 yards from 1,000.
— Nominated for MAC special teams player of the week and the Ray Guy Award punter of the week, transfer punter Adam Saul booted 10 times last week for a 46.7-yard average. Eight of ten punts covered at least 40 yards, including career-long kicks of 59 and 67.
WHAT A WIN MEANS:
— Ball State will avenge a 2009 loss to the Wildcats, and win its home opener for the 15th time in the past 16 seasons.
— Mike Uremovich will log his first victory as Ball State’s head coach.
INSIDE THE SERIES: NEW HAMPSHIRE
— Nearly 16 years ago to the day (Sept. 12, 2009), New Hampshire invaded Scheumann Stadium in the only meeting between the teams. The Wildcats came to Muncie and beat the Cardinals, 23-16.
— The Wildcats built a 16-6 halftime advantage in 2009, with kicker Ian McCarvey scoring Ball State’s first nine points, before a late TD pass from Kelly Page to Seth White.
— Ball State’s career leader in points by a kicker, McCarvey kicked the longest field goals of his career with a 48-yarder to open the scoring on the Cardinals’ first possession. He added a 47-yarder moments later for an early 6-0 Ball State lead.
HOME OPENERS
— Ball State has won its home opener in 14 of the last 15 seasons. The only blemish during that span was a 37-30 setback to Western Michigan in 2022 that doubled as a MAC league opener.
INTO THE BACKFIELD
— Despite allowing 42 points during last week’s visit to Auburn, the Cardinals got consistent pressure into the Tigers’ backfield. Ball State managed eight tackles for loss that totaled 41 yards. The Cardinals recorded five sacks and forced four fumbles.
WIDE-RANGING NEW ROSTER
— The Cardinals have welcomed 53 new players since Mike Uremovich took over as head coach last December, and 33 of those have come from other college programs — 30 four-year transfers and three junior-college transfers.
— In addition to the sweeping number of newcomers, Uremovich’s staff has utilized a broad search geographically, too. From a preliminary training camp depth chart, 22 offensive and defensive starters came from hometowns in 13 different states — California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas.
QB1: THE LAST TIME AT SCHEUMANN
— Prior to last week’s opener at Purdue, the last time Kiael (pronounced ky-ELL) Kelly started at quarterback was the final game of the 2023 season, a 17-15 home defeat to Miami (Ohio). It capped a six-game stretch in which Kelly finished the 2023 season with a 3-3 record as QB1.
— In that game, he and RB Marquez Cooper both rushed for 136 yards. It was a career rushing high for the QB from Tampa, Florida, and the third-best single-game rushing effort by a Ball State quarterback.
CAREER RUSHING BY A CARDINALS QB
— Kiael Kelly is always a threat to gain yards with his legs, and he enters the New Hampshire game 673 yards shy of the Cardinals’ career record for rushing yards by a quarterback. He is currently third in career rush yards by a QB.
— He tallied 83 yards in one game as a reserve in 2022. He rushed for 724 yards during a six-game stint as starter in 2023, and he compiled 91 lining up as a QB or wildcat last season.
— Those 724 yards over just six games in 2023 stand as a Ball State single-season record for a quarterback.
— He boasts 940 rush yards overall through two weeks of the 2025 season. He is 60 yards from 1,000 in his career — through just nine starts.
BY THE NUMBERS
4 – The Cardinals forced four fumbles last Saturday at Auburn, and the Tigers put the ball on the turf five times overall.
5 – Ball State managed five sacks, among eight tackles for loss, last week at Auburn. The Cardinals had four sacks by halftime.
14 – Ball State has won its home opener in 14 of the past 15 seasons.
940 – Career rushing yards for QB Kiael Kelly – third-most by a quarterback in Ball State history.
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BALL STATE WOMEN’S SOCCER
SECOND HALF HEADER LEADS SOCCER TO 1-0 WIN AT PURDUE FORT WAYNE
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Ball State soccer team got a game-winning goal from Emily Roper midway through the second half on its way to winning 1-0 over Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday afternoon at Hefner Stadium.
The Cardinals (3-2-1) played the Mastodons (1-5-1) to a scoreless draw in the first half, but Roper got the visitors on the board with a header off a cross from Tori Monaco in the 64th minute to give them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
The goal for Roper and assist by Monaco were the second of the season for each in the respective category.
Grace Konopatzki made three saves as part of a Ball State defense that shut out its opponent for the third time this season. Konopatzki’s solo shutout was her first of the year, and she now has made six saves and posted a 0.50 goals against average in 180 minutes in net this season.
Delaney Caldwell took six shots, placing two on goal, while Addie Chester had five shots and one on target. In addition to Roper’s two chances, six other Cardinals attempted one shot each.
Ball State outshot Purdue Fort Wayne 19-12, including 9-4 in the first half, and placed two more of those chances on goal (5-3). The hosts had more corner kick (5-1) but were offsides more (6-4). The Cardinals were whistled for more fouls (16-7).
Sunday marks the beginning of Mid-American Conference play for Ball State, who will play at 1 p.m. at new MAC member UMass.
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INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S SOCCER
SYCAMORES TRAVEL TO GREEN BAY FOR THURSDAY MATCHUP
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State returns to the road on Thursday, September 11, as the Sycamores travel to Green Bay to face the Phoenix at Aldo Santaga Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET, with live stats available via GoSycamores.com.
Indiana State (3-3-2) comes into the matchup after a dominant 5–0 win over Southeast Missouri State on Sunday at Memorial Stadium. The Sycamores opened the match aggressively, controlling play from the start and finding early success on both ends of the field. Their forward line was sharp, combining effective ball movement with clinical finishing to put five goals on the board. Meanwhile, the defense held firm, earning the team a clean sheet and showing cohesion through the full 90 minutes.
Offensively, the Sycamores have generated consistent pressure across their past two games, posting high shot totals and creating scoring opportunities. Their midfield has provided balance and build-up, allowing the attack to flourish. Defensively, back-to-back shutouts reflect a solid, organized unit that has kept opposing offenses in check.
Green Bay (1-4-1) will pose a new test. The matchup promises fresh tactics and new challenges. The Phoenix have had mixed results thus far, including a resounding 5–0 win over Western Illinois and other competitive performances at home.
Indiana State will look to build on its recent momentum, bringing attacking urgency and defensive discipline to the Forefront of its road trip. With a strong system in place, the Sycamores aim to leave Green Bay with a result that boosts confidence as conference play approaches.
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PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S SOCCER
‘DONS CONTINUE UNDEFEATED START IN FRONT OF RECORD CROWD
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – A record crowd of 1,062 fans for the annual Party at the Pitch contest saw the Purdue Fort Wayne men’s soccer team defeat Manchester 3-0 on Wednesday (Sept 10) evening. The Mastodons improve to 2-0-3 on the season. The last time the ‘Dons started a season unbeaten in the first five matches was 1978.
The ‘Dons will put their undefeated start on the line in Horizon League play on Saturday (Sept. 13) vs. Oakland in a 4 p.m. start at the Hefner Soccer Complex.
Purdue Fort Wayne held a 20-3 edge in shots on goal. All three goals for the ‘Dons came in the first half. Angel Rodriguez scored in the 10th minute and the 13th minute. Both goals were assisted by Shane Anderson. The second Rodriguez goal was a bouncing shot from outside the 18 box.
It was Anderson’s turn to get in on the scoring when he recorded a tally in the 31st minute on a strike from about 22 yards.
Sep Habibi and Josh Jones combined for the shutout. It is the third shutout of the season for Purdue Fort Wayne.
Wednesday’s crowd was boosted by a Mastodon women’s game vs. Ball State to start the day, as well as food trucks, beer tents, giveaways and other fun. The event was in partnership with Student Activities Board and presented by the Army ROTC.
Manchester is 0-1-3 on the season.
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PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S SOCCER
MASTODONS COME UP SHORT AGAINST CARDINALS
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne women’s soccer team dropped their Party at the Pitch match against Ball State on Wednesday (Sept. 10) 1-0.
Both teams traded possession and shots throughout this contest, Ball State held the lead in shots on goal at the completion of the match (5-3).
The Cardinals fired first, taking a shot on goal just three minutes into game action. Daisy Moody responded for the Mastodons in the 16th minute, taking a solo charge down the baseline left of the goal and taking a shot that nearly snuck into the far side of the net.
After battling for possession for nearly 30 minutes, Ball State took the next chance. Jordan Imes wiped the opportunity and the save led to a Moody shot on goal. The Cardinals netted the game winning goal in the 64th minute.
Bethany Loveless attempted to even the score with a header just five minutes after that was corralled by the keeper. Following another Ball State shot on goal, Cyann Retzloff took the ‘Dons offense into her own hands. the sophomore took a header that was sent from the Purdue Fort Wayne half of the field, nearly missing the goal to the left. The California native took attempt at the goal in the 85th minute for the Mastodons’ last chance to even the score.
Purdue Fort Wayne falls to 1-5-1 and Ball State climbs to 3-2-1. The Mastodons will play their final match before league play begins, facing off against Southern Indiana on Sunday (Sept. 14).
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EVANSVILLE MEN’S SOCCER
SHEPHERD’S BRACE HELPS ACES EARN DRAW AGAINST XAVIER
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Evansville freshman Devin Shepherd (Denver, Colo./Arapahoe) netted his first career brace on Wednesday night, scoring in the 10th and 75th minutes to help the Aces earn a 3-3 draw against Xavier at Arad McCutchan Stadium.
Xavier jumped out to an early lead, as an Evansville foul in the box in the fourth minute led to a penalty kick that was buried by Cooper Forcellini. However, the Aces were quick to respond in the 10th minute, when a cross from Will Bencic (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East) deflected off a Musketeers defender and found Shepherd, who put a shot in the back of the net to equalize.
The score remained knotted at one heading into the halftime break, but the Musketeers attack was quick to strike in the opening minutes of the second half. Despite a save by Aces keeper Michal Mroz (Elk Grove, Ill./Elk Grove) in the 46th minute, the Musketeers pulled ahead two minutes later when Porcellini scored his second goal of the night.
The scoring subdued for the next 20-plus minutes of action, with both sides putting up two shots to no avail. However, the Aces struck in the 70th minute, when Shepherd found fellow freshman Andres Escudero (San Sebastián de los Reyes, Spain/IES Joan Miro) on a through ball. Escudero put his first shot off the post, but was there for a second chance opportunity on an open net to score his first career goal and even things at two.
Once again, Xavier found a way to regain the lead, as George Waites scored just over a minute later to put the Musketeers ahead 3-2.
With his team again looking for the equalizer, Shepherd rose to the occasion in the 75th minute. Álvaro Timón (Toldeo, Spain/Valencia International University) found Shepherd at the top right side of the box, who unleashed a strike over the outstretched arms of the Xavier keeper and into the back the of net for his second goal of the net, tying the score at three. The brace was the first by an Evansville freshman since MVC Freshman of the Year Nacho Diaz Barragan in 2022.
Mroz helped UE hold on for the draw, coming up with a clutch save in the 89th minute on a Xavier scoring chance.
“I think any time you go down three times in a match and respond, you kind of have to take the result” said Head Coach Robbe Tarver. “I think we put a lot into the game, I think Xaiver put us in some tough spots, especially on the ball with their movement and connected a lot of passes. There were some good moments and bad moments, but ultimately, we can’t hang our heads about a 3-3 result.”
“I’m just proud of how much we put into the game. We can live with the results if we put in the effort, and I think we did tonight.”
Xavier out-shot Evansville 18-7 overall, including a 7-4 edge in shots on goal. Mroz made a season-high four saves in goal for UE.
With the tie, Evansville moves to 0-2-4 on the season. The Aces will be back in action on Saturday, traveling across town to take on USI in the Mayor’s Cup. Kick-off is set for 7 PM.
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EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S SOCCER
PURPLE ACES TO PUT WINNING STREAK ON THE LINE AT UT MARTIN
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s soccer team will put their three-game winning streak on the line on Thursday, heading to Martin, Tenn. for a clash with UT Martin. Kick-off is set for 7 PM.
Last Time Out
Evansville won their third game in a row for the first time since 2021 last Thursday, taking down Austin Peay by a score of 1-0.
Lily Kytasaari (Platte City, Mo./Platte County) scored the lone goal of the evening, finding the back of the net in the 38thminute for her second goal in as many games.
The Purple Aces’ attack was active throughout the first half, putting five shots on goal in the first 36 minutes of action. Evansville was able to break through off a corner kick, as Ashlyn Koutsos (Cumming, Ga./West Forsyth) put a beautiful ball into the box, where Emmy Brenner (Arlington, Tenn/St. Benedict at Auburndale) nearly scored on a header. However, Kytasaari collected a clearance attempt inside the six and buried a shot to the far post to get the Aces on the board.
The second half saw the Evansville defense hold strong, withstanding 10 Austin Peay shots to preserve the shutout. Reigning MVC Goalkeeper of the Week Allie Lammers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) made three saves, including two in the final 18 minutes of play, to post her second consecutive clean sheet and run her scoreless streak to 225 minutes.
Series History
Thursday marks the 12th all-time meeting between Evansville and UT Martin. UT Martin holds the series lead at 5-3-3. The Aces and Skyhawks met last season in Evansville, playing to a 1-1 draw.
Scouting UT Martin
UT Martin enters Thursday night looking for their first win of the season. The last time out for the Skyhawks came on Sunday, a 1-0 loss to 14th-ranked Memphis. UT Martin has played two other MVC opponents this season, falling to Illinois State 1-0 and Murray State 2-1.
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UINDY WOMEN’S SOCCER
HOUNDS FALL 2-1 ON THE ROAD TO THOMAS MORE
CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. – The UIndy women’s soccer team fell 2-1 to Thomas More in the team’s second game of a two-game road swing to begin the season.
Dating back to 2002, these two teams have only played each other two times, both of those games coming in the last two seasons, with the Saints taking both games from the Greyhounds, in one goal wins each time.
The chances for both teams were fairly even, but the Hounds came out on top in total shots with 12, compared to Thomas More’s 10. This is the first time UIndy has out shot their opponent since they out shot Missouri S&T last season (10/13/24).
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Saints struck first in this one, getting the game’s first goal after just eight minutes on a shot from Thomas More’s, Ivy Hoffman that beat UIndy’s Kendall Ellis to give the Saints a 1-0 lead.
Emily DeWitt created the game’s next best chance just seven minutes later when her attempt was saved by Natalie Kindt. Along with DeWitt, the Saints also created quality chances of their own in the 23rd and 39th minutes, but were both denied as well by UIndy’s Ellis, who made her second straight start for the Hounds in goal this season.
After both teams went into the locker room, the Hounds pushed to get that goal back, with efforts by Greyhounds newcomer, Izzie Wallace and senior Rochelle Maxson, which both forced saves out of Thomas More’s Kindt, to keep the Saints ahead 1-0 after 58 minutes.
The Saints found their second goal just five minutes later to take a 2-0 lead in the 62nd minute.
Wallace and Maxson continued the Hounds’ push for that breakthrough goal, but were again both denied by Kindt in the 75th and 82nd minutes, respectively.
Karoline Bachelder eventually find the goal UIndy was searching for, in the 89th minute, following a corner kick. That goal marks the second goal in her three year career with the Greyhounds, with the other goal coming against Quincy (9/20/24).
Bachelder’s goal wouldn’t be enough for the Hounds though, as the Saints managed the game’s final 37 seconds to stave off the late comeback attempt from UIndy, and secure the 2-1 win.
INSIDE THE BOX
– Maxson’s two shots on goal are tied for the most she’s had in a single game in her career, the other being against Rockhurst in 2024.
– Lyza Shamy played a full 90 minutes for the 26th time in her career as a Greyhound.
– The two freshmen, Ella Higbie and Frannie Poulos both recorded a shot for the Hounds in tonight’s game.
– For the 14th time in her career as the Greyhound goalkeeper, Ellis notched at least three saves in a single game.
UP NEXT
UIndy will return home to host their annual Back the Pack game on Sunday Sept. 14 at noon, where they will take on Truman in the team’s first GLVC match of the season.
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UINDY MEN’S SOCCER
HOUNDS STORM PAST OILERS IN MIDDAY MATINÉE
INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy men’s soccer team rolled their way to a convincing 6-2 win over Findlay, in the team’s largest win since 2023.
This is also the most goals scored in a match for the Greyhounds since the Hounds poured 11 goals on Southwest Baptist on Oct. 18, 2019. In the previous two meetings between these two regional foes, UIndy has outscored Findlay 10-2, including a 4-0 win in 2018 at Key Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Much of the first half was a stalemate before a handball inside the 18-yard box from the Oilers sent Gio Terlizzi to the penalty spot, where he converted the penalty attempt, the first goal of his career, to put UIndy ahead 1-0 after 38 minutes.
Terlizzi’s goal opened the flood gates, as two more goals were scored four and six minutes later, respectively. Findlay got one back to square the game at one, but was quickly matched with 36 seconds left in the half after a Jona Hogle cross found Nikolas Karnesis wide open on the back post to reclaim the lead for UIndy right before the half.
The scoring didn’t end there, as the next five goals came in bunches, all in less than an 11 minute span of each other.
Demetris Giannakopoulos sent in a cross in the 58th minute that found the head of Alvaro Sanchez to push UIndy in front by two, 3-1. Findlay responded less than five minutes later with a goal of their own, but the Hounds weren’t done, as the first year Greyhound, Truls Karlsen, scored his first career goal for UIndy to put them back in front, 4-2.
Sanchez grabbed his second goal of the match in the 68th minute, when a deflected ball in the 18-yard box fell to the feet of Sanchez who calmly tucked away the half volley to make it 5-2. The Hounds capped off the day with one more for insurance, after Colin Elder got on the end of Kabiru Gafar’s wonderful cross to put the exclamation point on the 6-2 win for UIndy over Findlay.
INSIDE THE BOX
– 25 shots are the most in a single match for the Hounds since Oct. 20, 2023 against Upper Iowa.
– Sanchez recorded his first career multi-goal game for UIndy.
– Seven Greyhounds made their first career debut today; Adam Hatuel, Alexander Veridiano, Alexandros Nathanael, Brayden Doll, Cameron McNelis, Karlsen, and Thomas Piazza.
-Karnesis had a career high in shots with three today in 61 minutes played.
UP NEXT
The Hounds will look to remain unbeaten on Sunday against Truman at 2:30 p.m. at Key Stadium, in the team’s first GLVC match of the season.
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MARIAN VOLLEYBALL
NO. 16 MARIAN DOWNS BETHEL 3-1
MISHAWAKA, Ind. – Using multiple late-set runs, the 16th-ranked Marian volleyball team picked up their second Crossroads League win of the season on Wednesday night, as the Knights took down the Pilots 3-1. Marian jumps to 10-2 with the win, and holds a 2-1 record in Crossroads League play with the victory.
Bethel gained the first advantage on Wednesday night, as the Pilots soared in front 7-3 in the first 10 rallies of the match. Ava Tindall and Chloe Cook sparked Marian’s revival into the set with consecutive kills, as a 4-0 run brought the game to an even score. Khori Dryden and Nicole Wilkinson kept the offense running, as the score traded hands until the score rocked to an even 15-15 margin. Bethel went in front 16-15 on a block of Dryden, but the Knights wouldn’t wait long to make their move, responding with a 5-0 run. Mya Cunningham dunked a kill to ignite the run, which would be the spark to push the Knights to a 1-0 win. The run finished at a 10-3 clip, as Wilkinson put down the final point in the 25-19 win.
Marian fell behind again in the second set, seeing the Pilots build an early 11-6 lead. Bursts of two and three point swings helped Marian jump back into the game after a timeout, eventually clawing within one after a Bethel attack error. The Pilots would push their 16-15 lead into a four-point edge, but a timely stoppage from coach Ryan Bowerman turned the tide for the Knights, as Wilkinson and Cook immediately scored a block to spark a run. Marian scored four consecutive points to force a Bethel timeout, with the run continuing after the break as the Knights pulled out a 25-22 second set win.
The Knights would not see the same fate in the third set, as Bethel held their early 10-4 lead, staying on top as the home team won game three 25-22. Marian trailed by as many as six in the game, and despite a late push from Cook’s offense and Sami Luttel’s serve, the Knights were unable to pull out a third come-from-behind win.
Bethel rode the momentum from their third set win into the fourth and quickly jumped in front 6-1. Marian got a timely side out from a Bethel service error, and scored kills from Tindall and Cook to get back into the set. Trailing 11-7, a service error from Bethel propelled Marian on a 5-0 run, jumping the Knights into the lead. The Pilots were able to overcome their shortcomings and reclaim the lead at a 23-19. Seeing the set almost slip out of their hands, Marian benefited from a Taylor Delp attack error, with a block from Sarah Bennett and Danielle Schade stacking the comeback rally. Marian got within a point after a Schade kill, and despite seeing Bethel at set point, a service error and timely block kept Marian alive to tie the game 24-24.
Marian finished strong, continuing their run with back-to-back kills, winning set four 26-24 to take the match 3-1.
Cook led Marian with 14 kills in the win, while Dryden and Tindall combined for 15 kills. Dryden dominated in the back row as a six-rotation player, recording 19 digs while Emma Lyons had 18. Sami Luttel led the setters with 20 assists, and Mya Cunningham had 19 assists and four service aces. Sarah Bennett finished with a team-high five block assists.
Marian will finish their second week of conference play at home, taking on Mount Vernon Nazarene on Friday night, September 15. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
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MARIAN MEN’S SOCCER
KNIGHTS FINISH WITH A DRAW AGAINST JUDSON
Elgin, Ill. – The Marian men’s soccer team record their first draw of the 2025 campaign against Judson on Wednesday evening. The Knights are now 5-1-1 on the season with one non-conference game remaining.
Donovan Doolittle recorded the first shot of the day but came up short to the Eagles defense in the goal. Judson followed up with a goal in the 13th minute taking the lead. Jesus Sanchez and Gustavo Nunes recorded one shot each while Josh Wesseling recorded a pair but all came up short with Wesseling’s shots on target. The Eagles were able to record three more shots but came up short to Mateo Garcia-Galan’s efforts in goal. Marian continued to push recording five more shots with Samuel Wehaus recording a pair while Nunes, Rafael Zambrano, and Wesseling each recorded one but came up short allowing Judson to take the 1-0 lead going into halftime.
Each team opened up the second half with a shot with Wehaus recording the shot for the Knights. Three minutes later Wehaus took a chance again coming up sucessful tying the game 1-1 with the assist from Joao Antonio Rocha. Judson followed up with a pair of shots that the Knights quickly countered with a pair of their own from Rocha and Doolittle. Marian continued to push with Wehaus, Iaroslav Korablev, Rodolfo Batisti, and Wessling all recording a shot but came up short to the Eagles defense ending the match with a 1-1 draw.
Wehaus lead the team with one goal and five shots while Wesseling recorded four and Doolittle recorded three. Nunes recorded two shots while Sanchez, Korablev, Zambrano, and Batisti recorded one each. Rocha recorded one shot and one assist on the day. In goal Mateo Garcia-Galan recorded his first tie recording four saves on the day.
The Knights will be back in action on Friday, September 12th at 8pm as they take on No. 7 Lindsey Wilson in a ranked match up on the road.
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+++SMALL INDIANA COLLEGE SPORTS WEB SITES+++
UINDY ATHLETICS: https://athletics.uindy.edu/
MARIAN ATHLETICS: https://muknights.com/
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
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+++SPORTS EXTRA+++
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
Sept. 11
1912 — Eddie Collins set a major league record with six stolen bases for the Philadelphia Athletics in a 9-7 win over the Detroit Tigers. Collins stole six more in a game on Sept. 22.
1918 — The Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 behind the three-hit pitching of Carl Mays to win the World Series in six games. This was Boston’s third championship in a four-year stretch — 1915, 1916 and this season.
1936 — Hod Lisenbee of the Philadelphia A’s tied a major league record for hits allowed, giving up 26 in a 17-2 rout by the Chicago White Sox.
1949 — The New York Yankees sent 18 men to the plate in the third inning of the first game of a doubleheader against Washington. In the 50-minute half-inning the Senators walked a major-league record 11 batters as the Yankees went on to a 20-5 win. New York won the second game 2-1 in one hour and 22 minutes.
1959 — The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4, putting an end to reliever Roy Face’s 22-game winning streak. It was his only loss of the season as he finished with an 18-1 record.
1974 — It took the St. Louis Cardinals 25 innings — seven hours, four minutes — to beat the New York Mets. A record 202 batters went to the plate, Felix Millan and John Milner had 12 appearances apiece.
1985 — Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds became the all-time hit leader with his 4,192nd hit to break Ty Cobb’s record. Rose lined a 2-1 pitch off San Diego pitcher Eric Show to left-center field for a single in the first inning. It was the 57th anniversary of Ty Cobb’s last game in the majors.
1987 — New York Mets third baseman Howard Johnson, with 34 homers, became the first National League infielder to reach 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in the same season. His 30th stolen base came in the fourth inning of a 6-4, 10-inning loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
1996 — San Diego’s Ken Caminiti broke his own major league record by homering from both sides of the plate in a game for the fourth time this season. In a 6-5 win over Pittsburgh, Caminiti homered left-handed in the fifth inning, hitting a two-run shot. Batting right-handed in the seventh, he hit a solo shot to break his record set last year.
2008 — Albert Pujols drove in his 100th run with a sixth-inning double in the Cardinals’ 3-2 loss to the Cubs, becoming only the third player in major league history to reach the milestone in his first eight seasons. Pujols also extended his major league-record streak of reaching 30 homers and 100 RBIs in his first eight seasons, two more than any player in history.
2014 — Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton sustained multiple facial fractures, dental damage and cuts that needed stitches after being hit in the face by a pitch. Stanton was hit under the left eye by a fastball from Milwaukee’s Mike Fiers in the fifth inning of a 4-2 loss.
2021 — Corbin Burns and Josh Hader of the Milwaukee Brewers throw a combined no-hitter to beat the Cleveland Indians 3-0. It was the record ninth no-hitter of the season.
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+++TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY+++
Sept. 11
1886 — The Mayflower defends the America’s Cup by beating Britain’s Galatea in two straight heats.
1937 — Don Budge beats Gottfried von Cramm in five sets to win his first U.S. Open men’s singles title. Budge wins 6-1, 7-9, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1.
1964 — ABC television cancels Fight of the Week, ending 18 years of regularly scheduled prime-time boxing on U.S. broadcast network television.
1976 — In the third race at Latonia, jockey John Oldham and his wife, Suzanne Picou, become the first husband and wife riding team to compete in a parimutuel race. Oldham finishes second aboard Harvey’s Hope and Picou rides My Girl Carla to an 11th-place finish.
1977 — In the last U.S. Open match played at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York, Guillermo Vilas beats Jimmy Connors, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-0, for the men’s singles title
1982 — Chris Evert wins her sixth U.S. Open singles title, defeating Hana Mandlikova, 6-3, 6-1.
1982 — In a 23-16 loss to Illinois, Rolf Mojsiejunko of Michigan State kicks a 61-yard field goal in his first collegiate attempt.
1983 — Pittsburgh running back Franco Harris runs for 118 yards in Steelers 25-21 win at Green Bay to become the only the third player in NFL history to rush for 11,000 yards.
1985 — Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds becomes the all-time hit leader with his 4,192nd hit, breaking Ty Cobb’s record. Rose lines a 2-1 pitch off San Diego pitcher Eric Show to left-center field for a single in the first inning. It’s the 57th anniversary of Ty Cobb’s last game in the majors.
1988 — Mats Wilander wins the longest men’s final in U.S. Open history, edging Ivan Lendl, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
1994 — Andre Agassi wins the U.S. Open with a three-set victory over Michael Stich and becomes the first unseeded player to beat five seeded players in a Grand Slam and the first unseeded champion since Fred Stolle in 1966. Andre wins 6-1, 7-6, 7-5.
1999 — U.S. Open Women’s Tennis: Serena Williams wins her first Grand Slam title; beats World #1 Martina Hingis 6-3, 7-6.
2001 — Sports comes to a standstill after terrorism in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, with major league baseball postponing a full schedule of regular-season games for the first time since D-Day in 1944.
2010 — James Madison, a top team in the Football Championship Subdivision, beats No. 13 Virginia Tech 21-16. The last time Virginia Tech lost to a I-AA team was 1985, when Richmond beat the Hokies 24-14 at Lane Stadium.
2010 — The Penn State women’s volleyball team has its record winning streak ends at 109 matches with a 28-26, 25-12, 25-18 loss to Stanford in a tournament at Florida. Penn State’s streak is the second-longest in Division I team sports, behind the 137 straight wins by the Miami men’s tennis program from 1957-1964.
2011 — Carolina’s Cam Newton becomes the first rookie to throw for more than 400 yards in his NFL opener in a 28-21 loss to Arizona. Newton, the No. 1 draft pick playing on the same field where he led Auburn to the BCS championship in January, completes 24 of 37 passes for 422 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
2015 — Roberta Vinci stuns Serena Williams to end her Grand Slam bid in one of the greatest upsets in tennis history. The 43rd-ranked Italian wins 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the U.S. Open semifinals.
2021 — Milwaukee Brewers throw a combined no-hitter to beat the Cleveland Indians 3-0. It was the record ninth no-hitter of the season.
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+++TV SPORTS+++
Thursday, Sept. 11
AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL (MEN’S)
5:30 a.m. (Friday)
FS2 — AFL Playoffs: Hawthorn at Adelaide, Semifinal
AUTO RACING
3:05 p.m.
FS2 — NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series: Practice, Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn.
4:10 p.m.
FS2 — NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series: Qualifying, Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn.
5:30 p.m.
FS1 — ARCA Menards Series: The Bush’s Beans 200, Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn.
8 p.m.
FS1 — NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series: The UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics, Playoffs – Round of 10, Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
7 p.m.
ESPN2 — Fort Valley St. at Clark Atlanta
7:30 p.m.
ESPN — NC State at Wake Forest
COLLEGE SOCCER (WOMEN’S)
6 p.m.
ACCN — Stanford at Clemson
BTN — Maryland at Penn St.
SECN — Arkansas at Florida
8 p.m.
BTN — Minnesota at Nebraska
SECN — South Carolina at Alabama
10 p.m.
BTN — Washington at Southern Cal
GOLF
7 a.m.
GOLF — DP World Tour: The BMW PGA Championship, First Round, Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, United Kingdom
1 p.m.
GOLF — LPGA Tour: The Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, First Round, TPC River’s Bend, Cincinnati
4 p.m.
GOLF — Korn Ferry Tour: The Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation, First Round, Vanderbilt Legends Club, North Course, Franklin, Tenn.
6 p.m.
GOLF — PGA Tour: The Procore Championship, First Round, Silverado Country Club North, Napa, Calif.
HORSE RACING
1 p.m.
FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races
MLB BASEBALL
3 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: Houston at Toronto (3:05 p.m.) OR Tampa Bay at Chicago White Sox (2:10 p.m.)
7 p.m.
FOX — Regional Coverage: Kansas City at Cleveland OR N.Y. Mets at Philadelphia
9:30 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: L.A. Angels at Seattle (9:40 p.m.) OR Colorado at San Diego (9:40 p.m.)
NFL FOOTBALL
8:15 p.m.
PRIME VIDEO — Washington at Green Bay
SOCCER (MEN’S)
8 p.m.
FS2 — Canadian Premier League: Forge FC at Valour FC
TENNIS
2 p.m.
TENNIS — Guadalajara-WTA & Sao Paulo-WTA Early Rounds
WNBA BASKETBALL
8 p.m.
NBATV — Golden State at Minnesota
10 p.m.
NBATV — Las Vegas at Los Angeles
