“THE SCOREBOARD”
INDIANA SRN COACHES SPOTLIGHT WITH COACH KEITH MEYERS:
IHSAA COMMISSIONERS REPORT:
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WEEK 6 SCHEDULE
ANDERSON (1-4) AT LAFAYETTE JEFF (4-1)
ANDREAN (4-1) AT HIGHLAND (2-3)
ANDREW (ILL.) AT HAMMOND CENTRAL (0-5)
ANGOLA (2-3) AT FAIRFIELD (3-2)
ARSENAL TECH (1-4) AT INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON (1-3)
AVON (3-2) AT FISHERS (3-2)
BATESVILLE (3-2) AT LAWRENCEBURG (4-1)
BEECH GROVE (3-2) AT EDGEWOOD (5-0)
BELLMONT (0-5) AT LEO (4-1)
BEN DAVIS (1-4) AT LAWRENCE NORTH (4-1)
BLOOMINGTON NORTH (2-3) AT JEFFERSONVILLE (2-3)
BREBEUF JESUIT (0-5) AT INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI (3-2)
BROWN COUNTY (1-4) AT MILAN (1-3)
BROWNSBURG (5-0) AT WESTFIELD (4-1)
BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (5-0) AT SEYMOUR (0-5)
CENTER GROVE (5-0) AT LAWRENCE CENTRAL (3-2)
CENTRAL NOBLE (1-4) AT LAKELAND (3-2)
CHESTERTON (3-2) AT PORTAGE (0-5)
CHRISTEL HOUSE (0-5) AT INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE (2-3)
CINCINNATI BACON (OHIO) AT DANVILLE (2-3)
CLARKSVILLE (2-3) AT PERRY CENTRAL (0-5)
CLOVERDALE (2-3) AT SOUTH DECATUR (2-3)
COLUMBIA CITY (3-2) AT NEW HAVEN (1-4)
COLUMBUS NORTH (3-2) AT TERRE HAUTE NORTH (0-5)
CORYDON CENTRAL (2-3) AT SALEM (1-4)
CRAWFORD COUNTY (4-1) AT SPRINGS VALLEY (5-0)
CRAWFORDSVILLE (2-3) AT CASCADE (5-0)
CULVER (1-4) AT CASTON (2-3)
CULVER ACADEMY (1-4) AT KANKAKEE VALLEY (0-5)
DEKALB (3-2) AT HUNTINGTON NORTH (2-3)
DELPHI (2-3) AT CLINTON PRAIRIE (2-2)
EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL (1-4) AT GRIFFITH (4-1)
EAST NOBLE (5-0) AT NORWELL (1-4)
EASTBROOK (5-0) AT ELWOOD (2-3)
EASTERN (GREENTOWN) (4-1) AT CLINTON CENTRAL (2-3)
EASTERN GREENE (1-4) AT PAOLI (3-2)
EASTERN HANCOCK (2-3) AT PARK TUDOR (4-1)
EASTSIDE (3-2) AT PRAIRIE HEIGHTS (0-5)
EVANSVILLE CENTRAL (1-4) AT JASPER (4-1)
EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL (5-0) AT EVANSVILLE BOSSE (0-5)
EVANSVILLE NORTH (3-2) AT EVANSVILLE MATER DEI (2-3)
EVANSVILLE REITZ (4-1) AT CASTLE (4-1)
FLOYD CENTRAL (4-1) AT COLUMBUS EAST (3-2)
FOREST PARK (2-3) AT PIKE CENTRAL (0-5)
FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK (1-4) AT TOLEDO CHRISTIAN (OHIO)
FORT WAYNE DWENGER (4-1) AT FORT WAYNE NORTHROP (4-1)
FORT WAYNE LUERS (2-3) AT FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA (0-5)
FORT WAYNE SNIDER (2-3) AT HOMESTEAD (3-2)
FORT WAYNE SOUTH (1-4) AT CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) (2-3)
FORT WAYNE WAYNE (0-5) AT FORT WAYNE NORTH (3-2)
FRANKFORT (0-5) AT WESTERN BOONE (3-2)
FRANKTON (0-5) AT MADISON-GRANT (4-1)
FREMONT (4-1) AT CHURUBUSCO (3-2)
GREENCASTLE (2-3) AT NORTH MONTGOMERY (0-5)
GREENSBURG (0-5) AT FRANKLIN COUNTY (3-2)
HAGERSTOWN (3-2) AT SHENANDOAH (3-2)
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (3-2) AT ZIONSVILLE (2-3)
HAMMOND NOLL (2-3) AT LAKE STATION (4-1)
HANOVER CENTRAL (2-3) AT MUNSTER (1-4)
HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) (2-3) AT MCCUTCHEON (2-3)
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (3-2) AT INDIANAPOLIS RITTER (2-3)
HERITAGE HILLS (5-0) AT GIBSON SOUTHERN (4-1)
INDIAN CREEK (4-1) AT TRI-WEST (4-1)
INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS (4-1) AT CONNERSVILLE (3-2)
INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD (4-1) AT GUERIN CATHOLIC (3-2)
INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN (4-1) AT COVENANT CHRISTIAN (1-4)
INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA (3-2) AT GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN (1-4)
INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY (1-4) AT PURDUE ENGLEWOOD (4-1)
IRVINGTON PREP (1-3) AT SOUTHSIDE HOMESCHOOL
JAY COUNTY (1-4) AT WOODLAN (1-4)
JENNINGS COUNTY (2-3) AT BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE (4-1)
JIMTOWN (1-4) AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY (3-2)
JOHN GLENN (2-3) AT BREMEN (3-2)
KNIGHTSTOWN (3-2) AT CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN (0-5)
KNOX (5-0) AT LAVILLE (2-3)
LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (1-4) AT RENSSELAER CENTRAL (3-2)
LAPEL (5-0) AT RUSHVILLE (1-4)
LAPORTE (2-3) AT MERRILLVILLE (3-2)
LEBANON (4-1) AT TRITON CENTRAL (5-0)
LOGANSPORT (5-0) AT HAMILTON HEIGHTS (1-4)
LOWELL (4-1) AT HOBART (4-1)
MACONAQUAH (5-0) AT NORTHWESTERN (3-2)
MANCHESTER (3-2) AT SOUTHWOOD (1-4)
MARION (1-4) AT KOKOMO (1-4)
MARTINSVILLE (2-3) AT WHITELAND (3-2)
MICHIGAN CITY (3-2) AT LAKE CENTRAL (2-3)
MISHAWAKA (4-1) AT NORTHRIDGE (0-5)
MISHAWAKA MARIAN (2-3) AT SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON (1-4)
MISSISSINEWA (5-0) AT BLACKFORD (0-5)
MOORESVILLE (3-2) AT FRANKLIN (2-3)
NEW ALBANY (0-5) AT SILVER CREEK (1-4)
NEW CASTLE (1-4) AT DELTA (2-3)
NEW PALESTINE (5-0) AT GREENFIELD-CENTRAL (3-2)
NEW PRAIRIE (0-5) AT SOUTH BEND RILEY (3-2)
NOBLESVILLE (1-4) AT FRANKLIN CENTRAL (3-2)
NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) (2-3) AT MITCHELL (0-5)
NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) (2-3) AT CARMEL (4-1)
NORTH DAVIESS (5-0) AT WEST WASHINGTON (2-3)
NORTH DECATUR (5-0) AT LINTON (3-2)
NORTH HARRISON (1-4) AT EASTERN (PEKIN) (1-4)
NORTH MIAMI (3-2) AT WINAMAC (1-4)
NORTH NEWTON (3-2) AT FRONTIER (5-0)
NORTH VERMILLION (0-5) AT ATTICA (1-4)
NORTH WHITE (2-3) AT BOWMAN ACADEMY (2-3)
NORTHEASTERN (5-0) AT CENTERVILLE (4-1)
NORTHVIEW (5-0) AT TERRE HAUTE SOUTH (3-2)
NORTHWOOD (3-2) AT CONCORD (4-1)
OAK HILL (3-2) AT ALEXANDRIA (3-2)
PARKE HERITAGE (3-2) AT COVINGTON (4-1)
PENDLETON HEIGHTS (4-1) AT MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE) (0-5)
PERRY MERIDIAN (2-3) AT GREENWOOD (1-4)
PIKE (1-4) AT WARREN CENTRAL (4-1)
PLAINFIELD (5-0) AT DECATUR CENTRAL (3-2)
PRINCETON (2-3) AT NORTH KNOX (3-2)
PROVIDENCE (3-2) AT MADISON (0-5)
RICHMOND (1-4) AT MUNCIE CENTRAL (2-3)
RIVER FOREST (2-3) AT BOONE GROVE (1-3)
ROCHESTER (4-1) AT PERU (1-4)
SCOTTSBURG (5-0) AT CHARLESTOWN (4-1)
SEEGER (4-1) AT FOUNTAIN CENTRAL (2-3)
SHERIDAN (3-1) AT TAYLOR (4-1)
SOUTH ADAMS (3-2) AT ADAMS CENTRAL (5-0)
SOUTH BEND ADAMS (2-3) AT PENN (5-0)
SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH (5-0) AT ELKHART (4-1)
SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) (0-5) AT PIONEER (4-1)
SOUTH DEARBORN (4-1) AT EAST CENTRAL (4-1)
SOUTH NEWTON (2-3) AT WEST CENTRAL (5-0)
SOUTH SPENCER (1-4) AT NORTH POSEY (4-1)
SOUTH VERMILLION (2-3) AT RIVERTON PARKE (5-0)
SOUTHERN WELLS (2-3) AT BLUFFTON (5-0)
SOUTHMONT (5-0) AT NORTH PUTNAM (2-3)
SOUTHPORT (0-5) AT BLOOMINGTON SOUTH (5-0)
SOUTHRIDGE (1-4) AT MOUNT VERNON (POSEY) (4-1)
SPEEDWAY (0-5) AT MONROVIA (2-3)
SULLIVAN (2-3) AT OWEN VALLEY (1-4)
SWITZERLAND COUNTY (4-1) AT EDINBURGH (1-3)
TECUMSEH (2-3) AT TELL CITY (3-2)
TIPTON (3-2) AT HERITAGE (3-2)
TRI-COUNTY (0-5) AT FAITH CHRISTIAN (1-4)
TRITON (4-1) AT NORTH JUDSON (4-1)
TROTWOOD (OHIO) VS. INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (3-2)
TWIN LAKES (4-1) AT BENTON CENTRAL (0-5)
UNION COUNTY (1-4) AT UNION CITY (0-5)
VALPARAISO (1-4) AT CROWN POINT (5-0)
VINCENNES LINCOLN (2-3) AT EVANSVILLE HARRISON (0-5)
WABASH (1-4) AT NORTHFIELD (0-5)
WARSAW (3-2) AT PLYMOUTH (3-2)
WASHINGTON (2-3) AT BOONVILLE (3-2)
WAWASEE (1-4) AT GOSHEN (1-4)
WES-DEL (2-2) AT MONROE CENTRAL (2-3)
WEST NOBLE (4-1) AT GARRETT (2-3)
WEST VIGO (0-5) AT SOUTH PUTNAM (4-1)
WESTERN (4-1) AT WEST LAFAYETTE (2-3)
WHEELER (4-0) AT GARY WEST (2-2)
WHITING (2-3) AT CALUMET (4-1)
WHITKO (1-4) AT LEWIS CASS (3-2)
WINCHESTER (4-1) AT TRI (3-2)
YORKTOWN (4-1) AT SHELBYVILLE (3-2)
_____
+++INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL SCORES:+++
https://www.maxpreps.com/in/volleyball/scores/?date=9/25/2025
Z RATINGS: HTTPS://WWW.ZVOLLEYBALL.COM/IPV/INDIANA-HS-Z-RATINGS/Z-GIRLS-2025
_____
+++INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS SOCCER SCORES:+++
https://www.maxpreps.com/in/soccer/scores/?date=9/25/2025
_____
+++INDIAN HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS SOCCER SCORES:+++
https://www.maxpreps.com/in/soccer/girls/scores/?date=9/25/2025
_____
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS GOLF REGIONALS
1. LAKE CENTRAL | SANDY PINES GC | SAT, 8 AM CT | RESULTS
FEEDER SECTIONALS: SECTIONALS 1-5
2. EAST NOBLE | NOBLE HAWK GC | FRI, 8:30 AM ET | RESULTS
FEEDER SECTIONALS: SECTIONALS 6-10
3. LAFAYETTE JEFFERSON | BATTLEGROUND GC | SAT, 9 AM ET | RESULTS
FEEDER SECTIONALS: SECTIONALS 11-15
4. LAPEL | EDGEWOOD GC | SAT, 9 AM ET | RESULTS
FEEDER SECTIONALS: SECTIONALS 16-20
5. WASHINGTON | COUNTRY OAKS GC | SAT, 8:30 AM ET | RESULTS
FEEDER SECTIONALS: SECTIONALS 21-25
6. FRANKLIN COMMUNITY | THE LEGENDS GC | SAT, 8:30 AM ET | RESULTS
FEEDER SECTIONALS: SECTIONALS 26-30
_____
+++INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY RESULTS:+++
South Ripley Great Pumpkin Invitational: https://in.milesplit.com/meets/695568-south-ripley-great-pumpkin-invitational-2025/results
_____
+++INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS TENNIS SCORES:+++
NO SCORES REPORTED
_____
+++INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL UNIFIED FLAG FOOTBALL+++
NO SCORES REPORTED
_____
+++MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL+++
CINCINNATI 2 PITTSBURGH 1
BALTIMORE 6 TAMPA BAY 5
MINNESOTA 4 TEXAS 0
HOUSTON 11 LAS VEGAS 5
LA DODGERS 8 ARIZONA 0
PHILADELPHIA 1 MIAMI 0
DETROIT 4 CLEVELAND 2
NY YANKEES 5 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 3
TORONTO 6 BOSTON 1
NY METS 8 CHICAGO CUBS 5
KANSAS CITY 9 LA ANGELS 4
SEATTLE 6 COLORADO 2
_____
+++COLLEGE FOOTBALL+++
WEEK 5
THURSDAY, SEPT. 25
EAST CAROLINA 28 ARMY 6
FRIDAY, SEPT. 26
7 P.M. | NO. 8 FLORIDA STATE AT VIRGINIA | ESPN
9 P.M. | NO. 24 TCU AT ARIZONA ST. | FOX
10:30 P.M. | HOUSTON AT OREGON ST. | ESPN
SATURDAY, SEPT. 27
12 P.M. | NO. 21 USC AT NO. 23 ILLINOIS | FOX
12 P.M. | NO. 16 GEORGIA TECH AT WAKE FOREST | ESPN
12 P.M. |NO. 22 NOTRE DAME AT ARKANSAS | ABC
12:00 P.M. | RUTGERS AT MINNESOTA | BTN
12:00 P.M. | DUKE AT SYRACUSE | ACCN
12:00 P.M. | LOUISVILLE AT PITTSBURGH | ESPN2
12:00 P.M. | CINCINNATI AT KANSAS | TNT
12:00 P.M. | UCF AT KANSAS STATE | FS1
12:00 P.M. | SOUTH ALABAMA AT NORTH TEXAS | ESPNU
12:00 P.M. | BOWLING GREEN AT OHIO | CBSSN
12:00 P.M. | STETSON AT DAYTON | YOUTUBE
12:00 P.M. | NEW HAVEN AT DUQUESNE |
12:00 P.M. | DELAWARE STATE AT SACRED HEART | ESPN+
12:00 P.M. | CORNELL AT YALE | ESPN+
12:00 P.M. | NORFOLK STATE AT WAGNER |
12:00 P.M. | DARTMOUTH AT CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE |
12:00 P.M. | PENN AT LEHIGH | ESPN+
12:00 P.M. | GEORGETOWN AT COLUMBIA | ESPN+
12:45 P.M. | UTAH STATE AT NO. 18 VANDERBILT | SEC NETWORK
1:00 P.M. | EASTERN MICHIGAN AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN | ESPN+
1:00 P.M. | MARIST AT BUTLER |
1:00 P.M. | LIU AT STONEHILL |
1:00 P.M. | HOLY CROSS AT FORDHAM | ESPN+
1:00 P.M. | UALBANY AT NEW HAMPSHIRE |
1:00 P.M. | TOWSON AT BRYANT |
1:00 P.M. | MOREHEAD STATE AT PRESBYTERIAN | ESPN+
1:30 P.M. | GEORGIA SOUTHERN AT JAMES MADISON | ESPN+
2:00 P.M. | MILES AT MORGAN STATE |
2:00 P.M. | UTAH TECH AT AUSTIN PEAY | ESPN+
2:00 P.M. | SOUTH DAKOTA AT NORTH DAKOTA STATE | ESPN+
2:00 P.M. | HAMPTON AT ELON |
2:00 P.M. | HOWARD AT RICHMOND | ESPN+
2:00 P.M. | ST. THOMAS (MN) AT SAN DIEGO | ESPN+
3:00 P.M. | ARKANSAS STATE AT UL MONROE | ESPN+
3:00 P.M. | ALABAMA A&M AT BETHUNE-COOKMAN |
3:00 P.M. | ALABAMA STATE AT FLORIDA A&M |
3:00 P.M. | IDAHO STATE AT NORTHERN COLORADO | ESPN+
3:00 P.M. | MERCYHURST AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | NO. 1 OHIO STATE AT WASHINGTON | CBS / PARAMOUNT+
3:30 P.M. | NO. 4 LSU AT NO. 13 OLE MISS | ABC
3:30 P.M. | AUBURN AT NO. 9 TEXAS A&M | ESPN
3:30 P.M. | UTAH AT WEST VIRGINIA | FOX
3:30 P.M. | NO. 11 INDIANA AT IOWA | PEACOCK
3:30 P.M. | UCLA AT NORTHWESTERN | BTN
3:30 P.M. | CALIFORNIA AT BOSTON COLLEGE | ACCN
3:30 P.M. | BAYLOR AT OKLAHOMA STATE | ESPN2
3:30 P.M. | UCONN AT BUFFALO | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | SAN DIEGO STATE AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | RICE AT NAVY | CBSSN
3:30 P.M. | AKRON AT TOLEDO | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | WESTERN CAROLINA AT CAMPBELL |
3:30 P.M. | PRINCETON AT LAFAYETTE | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | FURMAN AT SAMFORD | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | MERRIMACK AT STONY BROOK |
3:30 P.M. | WILLIAM & MARY AT VILLANOVA |
3:30 P.M. | NORTH CAROLINA A&T AT MAINE |
3:30 P.M. | LINDENWOOD AT MIAMI (OH) |
4:00 P.M. | NEW MEXICO STATE AT NEW MEXICO |
4:00 P.M. | TULANE AT TULSA | ESPNU
4:00 P.M. | EASTERN ILLINOIS AT WESTERN ILLINOIS | ESPN+
4:00 P.M. | EASTERN WASHINGTON AT MONTANA STATE | ESPN+
4:10 P.M. | HAWAI‘I AT AIR FORCE | FS1
4:15 P.M. | NO. 15 TENNESSEE AT MISSISSIPPI STATE | SEC NETWORK
4:30 P.M. | TENNESSEE TECH AT TENNESSEE STATE | ESPN+
5:00 P.M. | NORTHERN ARIZONA AT PORTLAND STATE | ESPN+
5:00 P.M. | TEXAS SOUTHERN AT MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE |
5:30 P.M. | MERCER AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE | ESPN+
6:00 P.M. | MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT KENNESAW STATE | ESPN+
6:00 P.M. | LIBERTY AT OLD DOMINION | ESPN+
6:00 P.M. | SOUTH CAROLINA STATE AT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN | ESPN+
6:00 P.M. | SAINT FRANCIS (PA) AT BUCKNELL | ESPN+
6:00 P.M. | BROWN AT HARVARD | ESPN+
6:00 P.M. | NICHOLLS AT EASTERN KENTUCKY |
6:00 P.M. | THE CITADEL AT CHATTANOOGA | ESPN+
6:30 P.M. | RHODE ISLAND AT WESTERN MICHIGAN | ESPN+
7:00 P.M. | ARIZONA AT NO. 14 IOWA STATE | ESPN
7:00 P.M. | VIRGINIA TECH AT NC STATE | THE CW
7:00 P.M. | SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE AT UT MARTIN | ESPN+
7:00 P.M. | JACKSONVILLE STATE AT SOUTHERN MISS | ESPN+
7:00 P.M. | WESTERN KENTUCKY AT MISSOURI STATE | ESPN+
7:00 P.M. | MEMPHIS AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC | ESPN2
7:00 P.M. | UTRGV AT SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA | ESPN+
7:00 P.M. | ABILENE CHRISTIAN AT UIW | ESPN+
7:00 P.M. | NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL AT TEXAS A&M–COMMERCE | ESPN+
7:00 P.M. | CENTRAL ARKANSAS AT LAMAR | ESPN+
7:00 P.M. | PRAIRIE VIEW A&M AT GRAMBLING |
7:00 P.M. | ALCORN STATE AT ARKANSAS–PINE BLUFF |
7:00 P.M. | JACKSON STATE AT SOUTHERN | ESPN+
7:30 P.M. | NO. 6 OREGON AT NO. 3 PENN STATE | NBC / PEACOCK
7:30 P.M. | NO. 17 ALABAMA AT NO. 5 GEORGIA | ABC
7:30 P.M. | MASSACHUSETTS AT NO. 20 MISSOURI | ESPNU
7:30 P.M. | WASHINGTON STATE AT COLORADO STATE | CBSSN
7:30 P.M. | SAN JOSE STATE AT STANFORD | ACCN
7:45 P.M. | KENTUCKY AT SOUTH CAROLINA | SEC NETWORK
8:00 P.M. | MCNEESE AT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN | ESPN+
8:30 P.M. | WEST GEORGIA AT SOUTHERN UTAH | ESPN+
9:00 P.M. | CAL POLY AT SACRAMENTO STATE | ESPN+
10:00 P.M. | WEBER STATE AT UC DAVIS | ESPN+
10:15 P.M. | NO. 25 BYU AT COLORADO | ESPN
10:15 P.M. | IDAHO AT MONTANA | ESPN+
_____
+++NFL SCHEDULE+++
THURSDAY, SEPT. 25
SEATTLE 23 ARIZONA 20
SUNDAY, SEPT. 28
MINNESOTA VS. PITTSBURGH AT DUBLIN, IRELAND, 9:30 A.M. (NFLN)
NEW ORLEANS AT BUFFALO, 1 P.M. (CBS)
WASHINGTON AT ATLANTA, 1 P.M. (CBS)
LA CHARGERS AT NY GIANTS, 1 P.M. (CBS)
TENNESSEE AT HOUSTON, 1 P.M. (CBS)
CLEVELAND AT DETROIT, 1 P.M. (FOX)
CAROLINA AT NEW ENGLAND, 1 P.M. (FOX)
PHILADELPHIA AT TAMPA BAY, 1 P.M. (FOX)
JACKSONVILLE AT SAN FRANCISCO, 4:05 P.M. (FOX)
INDIANAPOLIS AT LA RAMS, 4:05 P.M. (FOX)
CHICAGO AT LAS VEGAS, 4:25 P.M. (CBS)
BALTIMORE AT KANSAS CITY, 4:25 P.M. (CBS)
GREEN BAY AT DALLAS, 8:20 P.M. (NBC)
MONDAY, SEPT. 29
NY JETS AT MIAMI, 7:15 P.M. (ESPN)
CINCINNATI AT DENVER, 8:15 P.M. (ABC)
_____
+++WNBA SCORES+++
_____
+++MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER+++
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
_____
+++TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES/NEWS RELEASES+++
NFL NEWS
SEAHAWKS SURVIVE CARDINALS’ LATE RALLY, WIN ON LAST-SECOND FG
Jason Myers kicked three field goals, including a 52-yarder as time expired, leading the Seattle Seahawks to a 23-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night in Glendale, Ariz.
Kyler Murray threw two touchdown passes in the final six minutes as the Cardinals (2-2) rallied from a 14-point deficit to tie the score with 28 seconds left.
However, the ensuing kickoff landed at the 21-yard line, an infraction, and the Seahawks (3-1) got the ball at their own 40. Sam Darnold guided them into field-goal range as they beat Arizona for an eighth consecutive time.
Darnold completed 18 of 26 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown. Seattle’s Kenneth Walker III rushed for 81 yards on 19 carries, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba made four catches for 79 yards.
Without leading rusher James Conner, who sustained a season-ending foot injury Sunday in a loss to San Francisco, the Cardinals’ offense struggled until late.
Murray was 27 of 41 for 200 yards, with two TDs and two interceptions. He was sacked six times.
Arizona didn’t score a touchdown until Murray hit Marvin Harrison Jr. with a 16-yard pass to the back left corner of the end zone with 5:50 remaining, cutting the deficit to 20-13.
Myers, who connected from 44 and 31 yards earlier, missed wide right on a 53-yarder with 3:16 left that would have extended the lead to double-digits.
Murray hit Emari Demercado on a 7-yard screen pass with 28 seconds left, and Chad Ryland’s extra point tied the score at 20-all.
The Cardinals opened the scoring on a 33-yard field goal by Ryland with 4:37 left in the first quarter. The drive started when the Cardinals stopped Seattle on fourth-and-1 at Arizona’s 48-yard line. Murray was picked off by defensive back Coby Bryant on a pass down the middle, but Bryant fumbled when a teammate ran into him on the return, and Arizona got the ball back.
The Seahawks responded with a seven-play, 77-yard drive, with Darnold hitting tight end AJ Barner in the back left of the end zone for the touchdown.
Seattle got the ball back on its own 8 with 3:45 left in the half and drove the length of the field, with Zach Charbonnet scoring on a 1-yard plunge with 1:01 left to make it 14-3 at the half.
The Seahawks took the second-half kickoff and Myers converted on a 44-yard field goal.
Ryland booted a 57-yarder with 1:39 left to pull Arizona within 17-6 entering the fourth quarter.
Charbonnet had a second TD run nullified by a holding penalty and the Seahawks settled for a 31-yarder from Myers to take a 20-6 lead with 9:33 remaining.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR – WEEK 4
Below are players that can set historic marks or reach career milestones in Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season, including:
- QB Justin Herbert
- WR Keenan Allen
- QB Jared Goff
- RB Jahmyr Gibbs
- RB Christian McCaffrey
- WR Puka Nacua
- QB Lamar Jackson
- RB Derrick Henry
- WR Ja’Marr Chase
- DE Trey Hendrickson
- DE Myles Garrett
JUSTIN HERBERT & KEENAN ALLEN
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert recorded 300 passing yards in Week 3, marking his 29th career game with at least 300 passing yards since entering the NFL in 2020.
With at least 300 passing yards at the New York Giants (1 p.m. ET, CBS), Herbert can become the fourth quarterback in NFL history with 30 such games in his first six seasons, joining Patrick Mahomes (41 games) as well as Pro Football Hall of Famers Dan Marino (32) and Kurt Warner (30).
The players with the most games with at least 300 passing yards in their first six seasons in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM | GAMES |
| Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City | 41 |
| Dan Marino HOF | Miami | 32 |
| Kurt Warner HOF | St. Louis Rams | 30 |
| Justin Herbert | L.A. Chargers | 29* |
| *in sixth season | ||
Herbert, since Week 3 of the 2024 season, has nine consecutive regular-season road starts without an interception. Without an interception on Sunday, Herbert can become the first quarterback in NFL history without an interception in 10 consecutive regular-season road games (minimum 15 attempts in each game).
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen has 993 career receptions in 157 games and with seven receptions on Sunday, can surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison (167 games) as the fastest player in NFL history to reach 1,000 career receptions.
JARED GOFF & JAHMYR GIBBS
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has 43 career games with at least 300 passing yards since entering the NFL in 2016.
With 300 passing yards against Cleveland (1 p.m. ET, FOX), Goff can tie Drew Brees (44 games) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino (44) for the third-most such games by a player in his first 10 seasons in NFL history, trailing only Patrick Mahomes (48 games, in his ninth season) and Matt Ryan (45).
The players with the most games with at least 300 passing yards in their first 10 seasons in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | GAMES |
| Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City | 48^ |
| Matt Ryan | Atlanta | 45 |
| Drew Brees | San Diego Chargers, New Orleans | 44 |
| Dan Marino HOF | Miami | 44 |
| Jared Goff | L.A. Rams, Detroit | 43* |
| *in 10th season; ^in ninth season | ||
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs had two rushing touchdowns in the Lions’ Week 3 win, marking his 28th and 29th career rushing touchdowns.
With a rushing touchdown on Sunday, Gibbs – who turns 24 years old following the 2025 season – can become the seventh running back in the Super Bowl era with at least 30 rushing touchdowns prior to his 24th birthday, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Barry Sanders (43 rushing touchdowns), Emmitt Smith (41) and Walter Payton (34) as well as Maurice Jones-Drew (34), Clinton Portis (34) and Jonathan Taylor (33).
The players with the most rushing touchdowns under the age of 24 in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS |
| Barry Sanders HOF | Detroit | 43 |
| Emmitt Smith HOF | Dallas | 41 |
| Maurice Jones-Drew | Jacksonville | 34 |
| Walter Payton HOF | Chicago | 34 |
| Clinton Portis | Denver, Washington | 34 |
| Jonathan Taylor | Indianapolis | 33 |
| Jahmyr Gibbs | Detroit | 29* |
| *turns 24 on March 20, 2026 | ||
CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey recorded 88 receiving yards and 52 rushing yards in the 49ers’ Week 3 win, his third consecutive game with at least 50 receiving yards and 50 rushing yards to begin the 2025 season.
With at least 50 receiving yards and 50 rushing yards against Jacksonville (4:05 p.m. ET, FOX), McCaffrey can become the first player with at least 50 receiving yards and 50 rushing yards in four consecutive games multiple times in his career.
The players with the most consecutive games with at least 50 receiving yards and 50 rushing yards in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM | DATES | GAMES |
| Christian McCaffrey | Carolina | Nov. 11, 2018 – Dec. 2, 2018 | 5 |
| Charlie Garner | Oakland Raiders | Sept. 8, 2002 – Oct. 6, 2002 | 4 |
| Robert Smith | Minnesota | Oct. 29, 2000 – Nov. 19, 2000 | 4 |
| Marshall Faulk HOF | St. Louis Rams | Dec. 5, 1999 – Dec. 26, 1999 | 4 |
| Herschel Walker | Dallas | Nov. 8, 1987 – Nov. 26, 1987 | 4 |
| Lydell Mitchell | San Diego Chargers | Oct. 8, 1978 – Oct. 29, 1978 | 4 |
| Clem Daniels | Oakland Raiders | Oct. 23, 1966 – Nov. 13, 1966 | 4 |
| Christian McCaffrey | San Francisco | Sept. 7, 2025 – active | 3* |
| *active streak | |||
PUKA NACUA
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua recorded 11 receptions for 112 yards in Week 3, his fifth-consecutive regular-season game with at least eight receptions.
With at least eight receptions against Indianapolis (4:05 p.m. ET, FOX), Nacua can join Eric Moulds (in 2002 with Buffalo) and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (in 2007 with Cincinnati) as the only players in NFL history with at least eight catches in each of his team’s first four games of a season.
LAMAR JACKSON & DERRICK HENRY
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson completed 21 of 27 attempts (77.8 percent) for 288 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions for a 148.1 passer rating in Week 3. Jackson has recorded at least two touchdown passes, no interceptions and a passer rating of 125-or-higher in each of his three games this season.
With at least two touchdown passes, no interceptions and a passer rating of 125-or-higher at Kansas City (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS), Jackson can become the first player ever to reach those marks in each of his team’s first four games of a season.
In Week 4, Jackson can become the fifth quarterback in NFL history to record at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 90-or-higher in 12 consecutive games, including the postseason, joining Tom Brady (12 games from 2014-15), Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (13 games in 2004), Philip Rivers (13 games from 2017-18) and Aaron Rodgers (14 games from 2010-11).
Jackson has a 141.8 passer rating through his first three games this season. On Sunday, he can become the fourth quarterback with a passer rating of 140-or-higher through his team’s first four games of a season in NFL history (minimum 50 pass attempts), joining Milt Plum (152.7 passer rating through Cleveland’s first four games in 1960), John Hadl (145.7 with the L.A. Rams in 1973) and Craig Morton (143.3 with Dallas in 1969).
The quarterbacks with the highest passer rating through his team’s first four games of a season in NFL history (minimum 50 attempts):
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASON | PASSER RATING |
| Milt Plum | Cleveland | 1960 | 152.7 |
| John Hadl | L.A. Rams | 1973 | 145.7 |
| Craig Morton | Dallas | 1969 | 143.3 |
| Lamar Jackson | Baltimore | 2025 | 141.8* |
| *through team’s first three games | |||
Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry enters Week 4 with 109 career rushing touchdowns. With a rushing touchdown on Sunday, Henry can tie Pro Football Hall of Famer Walter Payton (110 career rushing touchdowns) for the fifth-most rushing touchdowns in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith (164 career rushing touchdowns), LaDainian Tomlinson (145) and Marcus Allen (123) as well as Adrian Peterson (120) have more.
The players with the most rushing touchdowns in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | SEASONS | RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS | |
| Emmitt Smith HOF | Dallas, Arizona | 1990-2004 | 164 | |
| LaDainian Tomlinson HOF | S.D. Chargers, N.Y. Jets | 2001-11 | 145 | |
| Marcus Allen HOF | L.A. Raiders, Kansas City | 1982-97 | 123 | |
| Adrian Peterson | Minnesota, New Orleans, Arizona, Washington, Tennessee, Seattle | 2007-21 | 120 | |
| Walter Payton HOF | Chicago | 1975-87 | 110 | |
| Derrick Henry | Tennessee, Baltimore | 2016-active | 109* | |
| *entering Week 4 | ||||
BENGALS ON MONDAY NIGHT
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has recorded at least 115 receiving yards in each of his four career games on Monday night, with two touchdown receptions in each of his past two.
With at least 100 receiving yards at Denver on Monday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC), Chase can become the first player in NFL history with at least 100 receiving yards in each of their first five games on Monday night.
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson has recorded at least half a sack in each of his nine appearances on Monday Night Football.
With at least half a sack on Monday night, Hendrickson can become the first player in NFL history with at least half a sack in each of his first 10 games on Monday night.
MYLES GARRETT
Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett – with at least half a sack in each game this season – ranks tied for second in the league with four sacks entering Week 4.
With two sacks at Detroit (1 p.m. ET, FOX), Garrett – who has 106.5 career sacks and turns 30 years old on Dec. 29 – can surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer Reggie White (108 sacks) for the most sacks by a player under the age of 30 since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic.
EAGLES-BUCCANEERS MEET IN A MATCHUP OF UNBEATEN TEAMS THAT COULD BE A PLAYOFF PREVIEW
Philadelphia (3-0) at Tampa Bay (3-0)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Eagles by 3 1/2.
Against the spread: Eagles 2-1; Buccaneers 2-1.
Series record: Buccaneers lead 13-11.
Last meeting: Buccaneers beat Eagles 33-16 on Sept. 29, 2024, in Tampa Bay.
Last week: Eagles beat Rams 33-26; Buccaneers beat Jets 29-27.
Eagles offense: overall (27), rush (14), pass (29), scoring (8)
Eagles defense: overall (11), rush (18), pass (24), scoring (15)
Buccaneers offense: overall (15), rush (7), pass (22), scoring (13)
Buccaneers defense: overall (11t), rush (6), pass (19), scoring (17)
Turnover differential: Eagles plus-2; Buccaneers plus-2.
Eagles player to watch
WR A.J. Brown. The three-time Pro Bowl wideout had six catches in the first two games before a breakout second half against the Rams. He had six catches for 109 yards and one touchdown. Brown didn’t play in the past two games vs. Tampa Bay because of injuries.
Buccaneers player to watch
TE Cade Otton. With Mike Evans sidelined by injury, Baker Mayfield may look more to his tight end even with rookie WR Emeka Egbuka emerging. Otton has 23 catches for 198 yards and three touchdowns in four games that Evans has missed.
Key matchup
Eagles interior offensive line vs. Buccaneers NT Vita Vea. The Bucs have had better success stopping Philadelphia’s “tush push” mainly because of the presence of the 347-pound Vea in the middle of the defensive line. He’s also a big reason why the defense has held 11 straight opponents to under 100 yards rushing. The Eagles will look to get Saquon Barkley on track and will need left guard Landon Dickerson, center Cam Jurgens and right guard Tyler Steen to hold off Vea.
Key injuries
Eagles: LB Nolan Smith (biceps), WR Darius Cooper (shoulder) and CB Jakorian Bennett were placed on injured reserve this week. … RT Lane Johnson is trying to return from a stinger. … LB Zack Baun (knee), LB Jihaad Campbell (triceps) and CB Adoree’ Jackson (groin) didn’t practice on Wednesday.
Buccaneers: TE Ko Kieft (leg) was lost for the season. RT Luke Goedeke (foot) is out and G Cody Mauch (knee) is also done for the season. … Evans (hamstring) is out. … All-Pro LT Tristan Wirfs (knee) and WR Chris Godwin (ankle) are trying to return. … DL Logan Hall (groin) and S Christian Izien (quad) didn’t practice Wednesday.
Series notes
The Buccaneers have dominated the series recently, going 4-1 against Jalen Hurts since 2021, including a pair of playoff wins. The Eagles lost 33-16 in Tampa in Week 4 last season, but have gone 19-1 since. Philadelphia defeated the Bucs on the road 25-11 in a Monday night game in Week 3 in 2023.
Stats and stuff
QB Jalen Hurts is 53-16 against the rest of the NFL since he became a full-time starter in 2021, excluding his 1-4 mark against the Bucs. He has five TD passes and five interceptions along with 131 yards rushing and four TDs rushing in five games against the Bucs. He’s been sacked 14 times and lost one fumble. … RB Saquon Barkley is averaging 3.3 yards per carry after setting an NFL record with 2,504 yards rushing in the regular season and playoffs last year. He has 50-plus scrimmage yards in 22 straight games. … WR A.J. Brown has 18 games with 100-plus receiving yards since 2022. … . WR DeVonta Smith had eight catches for 148 yards in his previous game vs. the Bucs in a wild-card loss on Jan. 15, 2024. … DT Jalen Carter had a blocked field goal last week. … DT Jordan Davis had a blocked field goal and returned it for a TD to seal a win last week. … The Buccaneers are the first team in the Super Bowl era to have a game-winning score in the final minute of the first three games. … The Bucs have rushed for more than 100 yards in 17 games since start of last season. … They’ve held 11 straight opponents to under 100 yards rushing. … QB Baker Mayfield is the only player with a passer rating above 95 in three straight games. He had 347 yards passing and two TDs passing and one rushing in the previous meeting vs. Philadelphia. Mayfield leads the NFL with 75 TD passes since 2023. … Rookie WR Emeka Egbuka has 14 catches for 181 yards and three TDs. … CB Jamel Dean had a 55-yard pick-6 last week. … S Antoine Winfield Jr. had his 18th sack and 12th forced fumble of his career in Week 3.
Fantasy tip
Brown could have a big game after the Eagles finally opened up their passing game in the second half against the Rams. He has 11 catches for 142 yards and one TD in two games vs. the Bucs but missed the past two matchups.
UNDEFEATED CHARGERS VISIT THE WINLESS GIANTS LOOKING TO START THE SEASON 4-0
L.A. Chargers (3-0) at N.Y. Giants (0-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
BetMGM line: Chargers by 6 1/2
Against the spread: Chargers 3-0; Giants 0-3
Series record: Chargers lead 8-5.
Last meeting: Chargers beat Giants 37-21 on Dec. 12, 2021, at Los Angeles.
Last week: Chargers beat Broncos 23-20; Giants lost to Chiefs 22-9.
Chargers offense: overall (6), rush (24), pass (2), scoring (T14)
Chargers defense: overall (8), rush (9), pass (9), scoring (4)
Giants offense: overall (21), rush (T21), pass (9), scoring (27)
Giants defense: overall (31), rush (31), pass (28), scoring (24)
Turnover differential: Chargers even; Giants minus-2
Chargers players to watch
S Derwin James had four tackles for loss and a sack among his 12 tackles against the Broncos. James has always been a versatile player, but defensive coordinator Jesse Minter continues to find innovative ways to use him. With Giants QB Jaxson Dart making his first start, where James lines up and how the 29-year-old is deployed will determine how difficult Los Angeles makes it on the rookie.
Giants player to watch
Dart is in the spotlight after getting six snaps as a change of pace to Russell Wilson in the past two games. The first-round pick out of Mississippi has yet to attempt a pass in the NFL. Dart will get plenty of chances for that now, along with zone-read and run-pass-option plays.
Key matchup
Chargers running game vs. Giants defensive front. New York’s Dexter Lawrence said early in training camp that the pass rush would only be effective if he and his teammates could stop the run. They have not been able to do that. With Najee Harris out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon, LA’s backfield is rookie Omarion Hampton with Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal backing up, so it’s a chance for the Giants to potentially get to QB Justin Herbert.
Key injuries
Chargers: RG Mekhi Becton remains in concussion protocol and didn’t practice Wednesday. Jamaree Salyer would get the start if Becton isn’t cleared. … C Bradley Bozeman (back) and RT Trey Pipkins III (knee) are also banged up, which could further test offensive line depth.
Giants: WR Malik Nabers (shoulder) and TE Theo Johnson (toe) missed practice time. Nabers was noncommittal Wednesday about his playing status. … RB Tyrone Tracy (shoulder) is expected to be out.
Series notes
The Chargers have won five in a row against the Giants going back to 2005, when they were in San Diego. The Giants most recently beat them in 1998, more than four years before Dart was born. … The Chargers are 3-0 for the first time since 2002, when they won their first four games under coach Marty Schottenheimer. … The Giants have been outscored 83-52.
Stats and stuff
Herbert is the only player in the league this season with two games of 300-plus yards passing. … WR Keenan Allen needs seven receptions to reach 1,000. If he does it against the Giants, Allen would do so in 158 games, besting Marvin Harrison at 167 games for the fewest games to that milestone. … Los Angeles has the best red zone defense in the league, allowing touchdowns on 25% (2 of 8) of trips inside the 20. Only Houston’s 0-for-4 red zone offense is worse than the Giants’ 2-for-8 (20%). … K Cameron Dicker made field goals of 55 and 38 yards in his only previous visit to MetLife Stadium in 2023 to help the Chargers to a 27-6 win over the Jets. … Giants rookie RB Cam Skattebo had 161 scrimmage yards against the Chiefs, including his second career rushing TD. … Nabers was limited to two catches for 13 yards last week. It’s the first time in 18 NFL games he didn’t have at least four receptions. … LB Bobby Okereke leads the league with 34 tackles. … New York’s defense has just one takeaway through three games.
Fantasy tip
With Tracy out, expect Skattebo to get the lion’s share of the carries, with Devin Singletary mixed in. Skattebo could be a safety valve for Dart, if coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka continue to use the Arizona State product as a rusher and a receiver.
JETS AND DOLPHINS MEET ON MONDAY NIGHT, EACH LOOKING TO AVOID 0-4 START
New York Jets (0-3) at Miami (0-3)
Monday, 7:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN
BetMGM NFL Odds: Dolphins by 2 1/2
Against the spread: Jets 2-1; Dolphins 1-2
Series record: Dolphins lead 61–57–1
Last meeting: Jets beat Dolphins 32-20 on Jan. 5 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Last week: Jets lost to Buccaneers 29-27; Dolphins lost to Bills 31-21
Jets offense: overall (26), rush (9t), pass (31), scoring (16)
Jets defense: overall (22), rush (23), pass (14), scoring (28t)
Dolphins offense: overall (23), rush (26), pass (21), scoring (25)
Dolphins defense: overall (26), rush (28), pass (21), scoring (32)
Turnover differential: Jets minus-4; Dolphins minus-5.
Jets player to watch
WR Garrett Wilson. The Jets’ top wide receiver is among the NFL leaders with 21 catches and 229 yards receiving through three games. Even while New York has been trying to find a complementary No. 2 receiver and opponents have focused on him, Wilson has been able to remain highly productive. He has 300 catches in only 54 games, just the 10th Jets player to reach that milestone. He needs 10 receptions to pass George Sauer for 10th in franchise history.
Dolphins player to watch
QB Tua Tagovailoa. In the second season of his $212.4 million contract extension, Tagovailoa has not replicated the career-best numbers he put up in 2023 to earn the big pay day. Coach Mike McDaniel said after Thursday’s loss to the Bills that in order for the Dolphins to win, Tagovailoa needs to play well. Tagovailoa has been inconsistent in the first three games of the season and has turned the ball over five times in three starts.
Key matchup
Dolphins passing attack vs Jets secondary. Miami used a take-what-the-defense-gives-us approach against the Bills, leaning on the run game and checkdowns to move the ball down the field. Speedy receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle were each held under 40 receiving yards despite both scoring touchdowns. The Dolphins emphasized this week that in order for their offense to flourish, they’ll need to incorporate the downfield throws that helped them lead the NFL in yards and explosive plays just two seasons ago. They may have an advantage in that area against New York’s banged-up defense that has been beset by tackling issues this season.
Key injuries
Jets: QB Justin Fields remained in the concussion protocol earlier in the week after missing last week’s game. If Fields can’t go, Tyrod Taylor would get his second start in a row. … LB Quincy Williams went on IR with a shoulder injury. … Backup LB and special teams captain Marcelino McCrary-Ball also was placed on IR with an injured hamstring. … Edge rusher Jermaine Johnson (ankle) and newly acquired CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (ankle) are “week to week,” according to coach Aaron Glenn. … WR Josh Reynolds (hamstring), S Tony Adams (hip), RB/KR Kene Nwangwu (hamstring) and DT Jay Tufele (illness) are expected back.
Dolphins: TE Darren Waller (hip strain) practiced this week and is expected to make his Dolphins debut on Monday.
Series notes
The Jets have lost nine straight games at Miami, with their most recent win coming in Rex Ryan’s final game as coach to end the 2014 season. … The Dolphins are 34-25-1 at home against the Jets. … Tagovailoa is 6-0 as Miami’s starter against the Jets and led the Dolphins’ comeback in Week 14 against the Aaron Rodgers-led Jets, throwing for 331 yards and two touchdowns. … McDaniel is 5-2 against the Jets as Miami’s head coach. … The game marks the 14th time the Jets and Dolphins square off on “Monday Night Football,” with New York holding a 7-6 edge.
Stats and stuff
The Jets will try to avoid their ninth 0-4 start and first since 2020, when they opened 0-13 under Adam Gase. … Aaron Glenn is still looking for his first win as an NFL head coach. He’ll also try to not join Gase (2019) and Lou Holtz (1976) as the only coaches to begin their Jets tenures with four losses. … The Jets are 3 for 22 on third down conversions in their past two games. … After rushing for 107 yards on 19 carries in the opener, Breece Hall has just 50 on 19 attempts in the two games since. … Wilson’s 300 receptions are the most for a Jets player in his first 54 games since at least 2000, according to Tru Media. … The Jets have no takeaways through their first three games for the first time in franchise history. … Edge rusher Will McDonald blocked a field goal attempt against Tampa Bay and returned it for a touchdown, the first such score for the Jets since Ray Mickens accomplished the feat in 1997 — when Glenn was a cornerback for New York. … The Dolphins are trying to avoid their first 0-4 start since 2019, when they started the season 0-7 under coach Brian Flores. Miami ended that season 5-11. … Third-year RB De’Von Achane scored in two of the first three games of the season and has 18 catches, the most by a Dolphins running back in the first three weeks of a season since 1970. … Rookie RB Ollie Gordon II scored his first career touchdown in Week 3 at Buffalo, while converting all three of his third-and-short attempts. … Despite having the No. 23 total offense and No. 25 scoring offense in the NFL, the Dolphins have converted 19 of 35 third down attempts (54.3%), which is the best third down mark in the NFL through the first three games. They have converted 87.5% of their third down attempts of three yards or fewer. … Miami’s defense has struggled to stop the run this season, allowing 133 yards rushing per game.
Fantasy tip
Wilson could potentially have a big game, given the Dolphins’ struggles on defense. Miami has allowed an 80-plus-yard receiver in two of the first three games. Hall could also be looking to bounce back after being bottled up against Tampa Bay last week.
LIONS HOST BROWNS IN MATCHUP OF BALANCED, HIGH-SCORING OFFENSE AND RUN-STUFFING, STINGY DEFENSE
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions got their groove back on offense, reviving a balanced attack that looks a lot like it did last year as the NFL’s highest-scoring unit after a sputtering start in Green Bay.
Cleveland, meanwhile, has a surprisingly stingy defense.
Detroit (2-1) expects to be challenged by the Browns (1-2) when Jared Goff hands the ball off and drops back to pass on Sunday at Ford Field, even though it has restored some respect around the league with two straight wins.
“We can’t go through the ebbs and flows,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “After the Packers, we were done for the year. And now all of a sudden, we’re going to be … it doesn’t matter. We have our own standards.”
The Browns, whose defensive coordinator is former Lions coach Jim Schwartz, are giving up the fewest yards overall and on the ground this season.
Baltimore’s Derrick Henry gained just 23 yards two weeks ago and Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs saw his 11-game touchdown streak snapped last week against Cleveland. The Browns are ranked fourth against the pass, allowing just 147 yards per game despite facing Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Jordan Love.
Led by four-time All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett, the Browns have limited opponents to three-and-out drives an NFL-high 12 times.
The Lions, though, may be tough to slow down.
Detroit is the first team since the 1970 merger to have six passing touchdowns and six rushing touchdowns without giving up a sack or turnover in a two-game stretch. And for the second time in franchise history and first since 1950, the Lions have gained more than 900 net yards and scored 90-plus points in consecutive games.
Goff said the offense has been as effective the past two games as it has ever been in his five seasons with the Lions.
“It’s been pretty good,” he said. “Again, another tall test this week and got to try to do it again.”
Goff has taken advantage of the offensive line giving him time and creating lanes in the running game, setting him up to complete 43 of 56 passes for 536 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions.
“Extremely talented thrower,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “More athletic than you probably think.”
Schwartz’s shot
The Lions in 2009 gave Schwartz his first chance to lead an NFL team. He will be on the visiting sideline at Ford Field for the third time as a former Detroit coach.
He led the Lions to the playoffs in 2011, their first playoff appearance this century. After a four-win season was followed up by a second-half flop, he was fired in 2013 with a 29-51 record over five seasons and two years left on his contract.
Schwartz went on to become defensive coordinator in Buffalo and Philadelphia before the Browns brought him back in 2023. He started his NFL career in Cleveland three decades ago as a scout under Bill Belichick.
Creative celebrations
Detroit’s defense has made the most of its opportunities to have fun following big plays the past two games.
After picking off Caleb Williams, safety Kerby Joseph reenacted the trick play then-defensive coordinator Ben Johnson called for the Lions against the Bears last year when he had Goff fake stumbling before throwing a pass.
And after recovering Henry’s fumble in Baltimore on Monday night, defensive back D.J. Reed rolled the football as if he was bowling toward teammates who stood like pins and rookie Tyleik Williams shimmed his shoulders before falling to the turf.
Getting in gear
The Browns’ offense ranks 22nd in yards and 40-year-old Joe Flacco’s passer rating on throws of 10-plus yards through the air is the second-lowest in the league among quarterbacks who have played three games.
“There’s always a point in your career where, probably wrongfully so, you’re worried about putting up yards and things like that,” Flacco said. “All I care about is winning football games.”
Big spread
Even though Cleveland is coming off a three-point win against the Packers, oddsmakers are expecting Detroit to win big. The Lions were favored by 10 points on Thursday, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
VIKINGS AND STEELERS CLASH IN DUBLIN FOR FIRST NFL REGULAR-SEASON GAME IN IRELAND
Minnesota (2-1) vs. Pittsburgh (2-1) in Dublin, Ireland
Sunday 9:30 a.m. EDT, NFL Network
BetMGM NFL Odds: Vikings by 2 1/2
Against the spread: Vikings 2-1; Steelers 1-2
Series record: Patriots lead 19-16
Last meeting: Patriots beat Steelers 21-18 in Pittsburgh on Dec. 7, 2023.
Last week: Vikings beat Cincinnati 48-10 at home; Steelers beat New England 21-14 in Foxborough, Mass.
Vikings offense: overall (28), rush (13), pass (30), scoring (6).
Vikings defense: overall (6), rush (22), pass (3), scoring (9).
Steelers offense: overall (30), rush (31), pass (24), scoring (12).
Steelers defense: overall (28), rush (26), pass (26), scoring (22).
Turnover differential: Vikings plus-2; Steelers plus-5.
Vikings player to watch
CB Isaiah Rodgers. The first player in Vikings history with two defensive touchdowns in a game, Rodgers led the romp over the Bengals by scoring on an 87-yard interception return and a 66-yard fumble return in the first half. He added two forced fumbles and two pass breakups.
Steelers player to watch
DT Cam Heyward. The 15-year veteran raised eyebrows by staging a “hold in” during training camp in hopes of getting a raise. Whatever rust — and ill-will — he might have had to brush off is now long gone. Heyward had one of the best games of his stellar career against the Patriots, picking up a sack, forcing a fumble and deflecting a pass that ended up in the hands of teammate Brandon Echols in the end zone to cut short a New England drive.
Key matchup
Steelers CB Jalen Ramsey vs. Minnesota WR Justin Jefferson. With Pittsburgh’s new-look secondary expected to return to full strength for the first time since Week 1, Ramsey — who has been working in various roles, including safety — can return to his main job of matching up with the opponent’s top receiver. This week, that means taking on Jefferson, whose numbers have been modest (by his standards) through three games. That could change with fellow wideout Jordan Addison back following a three-game suspension, meaning Jefferson might see a little less double coverage and a lot of Ramsey.
Key injuries
Vikings: DT Javon Hargrave (chest/ribs) and OLB Andrew Van Ginkel (neck) were held out of practice on Wednesday, with the hope of ramping them up as the week unfolds. … QB J.J. McCarthy (ankle) is out again, with Carson Wentz filling in. Center Ryan Kelly (concussion) is on track to return after missing the previous game, but rookie left guard Donovan Jackson (wrist) is out. Two starters remain on short-term IR with hamstring strains: LB Blake Cashman and RB Aaron Jones.
Steelers: Outside linebacker Alex Highsmith (ankle) will miss his second straight game. Safety DeShon Elliott (knee) could be back after getting injured in the season opener three weeks ago. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (hamstring) could also return after sitting out the past two games.
Series notes
Pittsburgh leads the series 10-9, but the Vikings have won two of the past three meetings, including a 34-27 victory in 2013 in a game played in London. That was the second neutral site meeting between the two clubs. The first was 50 years ago in New Orleans when the Steelers won the first of their six Super Bowl titles by stopping Fran Tarkenton and the Purple People Eaters in a 16-6 victory. … Because the 2013 game in London and this one in Dublin were scheduled as home games for the Steelers, the Vikings will play a 23-season span with just one visit to Pittsburgh if the NFL scheduling formula remains the same. Their most recent road win against the Steelers was in 1995.
Stats and stuff
This is the first NFL regular-season game played in Ireland. Pittsburgh previously faced Chicago in a preseason game in Dublin in 1997. … The Steelers have deep ties to the Emerald Isle. The Rooney family emigrated to the United States from Newry, County Down. The late Dan Rooney, a longtime Steelers executive and Pro Football Hall of Famer, served as U.S. ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2012. … This is Pittsburgh’s eighth international game (including preseason). The Steelers are 3-4 all time when playing outside the United States. … Pittsburgh is looking for a second straight 3-1 start. … Minnesota is 4-0 in regular-season international games, all in London. … Wentz was 14 for 20 for 173 yards, two touchdowns, no turnovers and a 129.8 passer rating in his Vikings debut last week. … RB Jordan Mason had 116 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries last week, the first Vikings rusher with 100-plus yards and two-plus scores in a game since Dalvin Cook on Dec. 9, 2021, against the Steelers. … Vikings OLB Andrew Van Ginkel had his fourth multi-sack game last week in 19 games with the team. … The Vikings defense has seven forced fumbles, including one in each of the past two games by LB Eric Wilson. … Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers will make his 31st start against Minnesota, whom he saw at least twice a season while playing in Green Bay. Rodgers is 17-12-1 when facing the Vikings. Rodgers has passed for 59 touchdowns against Minnesota, his second-highest total against an opponent, trailing only Chicago (64). … Rodgers needs 16 completions to pass former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger for sixth on the NFL’s completion list. Rodgers is at 5,425, with Roethlisberger just ahead at 5,440. … Pittsburgh has won two of its first three despite being outgained in every game. A leaky but opportunistic defense produced five takeaways last week against New England, including two in the end zone to win for the first time in Foxborough, Mass., since 2008. … Steelers LB TJ Watt ended a streak of seven straight games without a sack when he got to New England’s Drake Maye twice last week. Watt will play in his 125th regular-season game on Sunday. Watt’s 110 sacks through 124 games are third most all time. … Pittsburgh will be on a bye next week. The Steelers have won seven of their past eight pre-bye games. … Pittsburgh’s offense has struggled to move the ball at times but has taken advantage when in close. The Steelers have scored touchdowns on seven of their eight trips inside the opponent’s 20 (87.5%), the second-best touchdown rate in the league. … Pittsburgh’s offensive line, which allowed nine sacks through two games, didn’t let New England get to Rodgers once last week. … Steelers RB Jaylen Warren is starting to take control of the starting job. Warren has 54 touches through three games and had a career-best 18 carries last week against the Patriots.
Fantasy tip
Vikings K Will Reichard has made a 50-plus-yard field goal in each of his past seven regular-season games, the longest active streak in the NFL and the longest run in team history. He’s 6 for 6 on field goals and 7 for 7 on extra points this season. In four career outdoor games, the second-year player has not missed a kick: 5 for 5 on field goals and 12 for 12 on extra points.
RAVENS VISIT CHIEFS FOR SUNDAY SHOWDOWN BETWEEN TWO OF THE AFC’S PREMIER FRANCHISES
Baltimore (1-2) at Kansas City (1-2)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, CBS.
BetMGM line: Ravens by 2 1/2.
Against the spread: Ravens 1-2; Chiefs 1-2.
Series record: Chiefs lead 9-5.
Last meeting: Chiefs beat Ravens 27-20 on Sept. 5, 2024.
Last week: Ravens lost to Lions 38-30; Chiefs beat Giants 22-9.
Ravens offense: overall (14), rush (12), pass (14), scoring (1).
Ravens defense: overall (32), rush (30), pass (31), scoring (31).
Chiefs offense: overall (17), rush (17), pass (15), scoring (T21).
Chiefs defense: overall (T11), rush (T18), pass (10), scoring (T9).
Ravens player to watch
WR DeAndre Hopkins arrived in Kansas City in a trade last season, helping the Chiefs reach the Super Bowl for the third straight year. He signed with Baltimore in the offseason and has had a career rebirth. He needs 11 catches to become the 16th player in NFL history with 1,000.
Chiefs player to watch
WR Marquise Brown looked as if he might carry the load for the Kansas City passing attack early in the season when he caught 10 passes for 99 yards in a season-opening loss to the Chargers. Brown has just nine catches for 72 yards combined in the past two weeks, and he has yet to reach the end zone this season.
Key matchup
The Chiefs rush defense against Ravens RB Derrick Henry. Kansas City has done a good job of defending the run this season, holding Eagles star Saquon Barkley in check a couple of weeks ago. Henry has had some big games against Kansas City in the past, including a 188-yard effort with Tennessee during the 2019 season.
Key injuries
Ravens: DT Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) has been ruled out. LB Kyle Van Noy (hamstring), OT Ronnie Stanley (ankle) and DLs Broderick Washington (ankle) and Travis Jones (knee) missed practice time this week.
Chiefs: DE Mike Danna (quad), CB Kristian Fulton (ankle) and WR Xavier Worthy (shoulder) could play after missing last week against the Giants. All of them practiced in some capacity this week.
Series notes
The Chiefs have won six of the past seven games against the Ravens, including a 17-10 victory in the AFC championship game on Jan. 28, 2024, in Baltimore. The only win by the Ravens over that stretch came at home in September 2021. The most recent time the Ravens won at Arrowhead Stadium was a 9-6 victory on Oct. 7, 2012, when Justin Tucker connected on three field goals for Baltimore and Ryan Succop only made two for Kansas City.
Stats and stuff
Five of the previous six games between Baltimore and Kansas City have been decided by seven points or fewer. … Baltimore and Kansas City are two of the four teams with at least 12 playoff berths in the past 17 seasons. Green Bay and New England are the others. … The Chiefs and Ravens rank first and second, respectively in points and total offense since 2018, when Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson took over as their starting QBs. … Jackson is the fourth QB with a passer rating of at least 125 in each of his team’s first three games, joining John Hadl (1973), Mahomes (2019) and Russell Wilson (2020). … Jackson has had at least one TD pass in 27 straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL. He has thrown at least two in nine straight games. … Henry needs two TD runs to pass Walter Payton (110) for fifth on the NFL’s career list. … Baltimore has eight TDs of at least 20 yards this season, the most in the NFL. … The Ravens have scored 111 points through three games, the best in the NFL this season and the most in team history. … Andy Reid will be coaching his 100th home game with the Chiefs. … TE Travis Kelce needs three TDs to break the Chiefs record held by Priest Holmes (83). … Kelce needs 57 yards to pass Dante Hall (12,356) for the most combined yards in Chiefs history. … DT Chris Jones needs 4 1/2 sacks to pass Neil Smith (85 1/2) for third most in Chiefs history. … Kelce needs seven receptions to pass Jason Witten (1,020) for most receptions by a player in his first 13 seasons. … Chiefs WR Tyquan Thornton has two TD receptions this season. He had two total in three seasons with New England.
Fantasy tip
Thornton has become an intriguing option in the Kansas City offense, at least until Worthy proves he is back from a shoulder injury and Rashee Rice finishes his six-game suspension. The 2022 second-round pick of the Patriots will be facing a defensive backfield that has given up big plays this season, and Thornton’s speed could pose a problem for Baltimore on the back end.
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS
NO. 4 LSU AND STAR LINEBACKER PERKINS LOOK TO SLOW DOWN NO. 13 OLE MISS’ DUAL-THREAT QUARTERBACKS
Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin remembers all too well when then-freshman LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. wrecked the Rebels’ game plan with a breakout performance highlighted by a momentum-turning sack, two QB hurries and a pass break-up.
“He isn’t like anyone else out there,” Kiffin said then.
Four years later, Kiffin’s high-octane offense will have to contend with Perkins for likely the last time when the 13th-ranked Rebels (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) host No. 4 LSU (4-0, 1-0) on Saturday.
A victory could vault Ole Miss into the College Football Playoff picture. They’ll just have to figure out how to neutralize Perkins, a premier NFL prospect who opted to return to LSU this year after a major knee injury wiped out most of his junior season.
“I thought he’d be a first-round (draft pick) in the NFL by now,” Kiffin said this week.
LSU sought to deploy Perkins as more of a traditional middle linebacker in 2023 — a season in which the Tigers struggled defensively.
Now, Kiffin sees second-year LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker unleashing Perkins as more of a roving, pressuring defender, resembling how the Tigers allowed him to play four years ago.
“They’re back actually kind of full circle,” Kiffin said. “He did great in our game (in 2022) and impacted our game, and is coming back in the same role.”
Changed circumstances
The last time LSU visited Ole Miss in 2023, the Rebels’ offense racked up 706 yards in a 55-49 victory.
This year’s edition of the Magnolia Bowl could be quite different — and Perkins’ recent form is only part of the reason.
Kiffin said LSU has, “by far,” its most talented defense since the first time his Ole Miss staff went against the Tigers in 2020.
The Tigers have new starters throughout their secondary and at both defensive end spots — all 2025 transfers after LSU coach Brian Kelly ramped up spending on player acquisition.
“It’s paid off,” Kiffin said. “So, a lot of credit to them for embracing the (transfer) portal.”
Kelly agreed that he has “better players” this year, and that LSU’s ability to spend on transfer prospects they identified as good fits for their team helped the Tigers “get to where we are with this roster.”
But Kelly still expects LSU’s defense to be challenged by an Ole Miss attack that features two dual-threat quarterbacks in Austin Simmons and Trinidad Chambliss.
“Both them have been extremely effective and efficient through their first couple games — throwing and running,” Kelly said. “Lane does a great job in preparing his team — in particular for us.”
Chambliss has taken most snaps since Simmons hurt his ankle three weeks ago at Kentucky. But Kiffin wouldn’t say whether he’d continue to stick more with Chambliss, a transfer from Division II Ferris State who passed for 307 yards and rushed for 112 yards in a 45-10 victory over Tulane last week.
“We’re really letting them compete it out,” Kiffin said.
Either one sets up an interesting matchup with Perkins, whose combination of size (6-foot-1, 222 pounds), explosive speed and instincts can put a lot of stress on even the most mobile quarterbacks.
Connections
Ole Miss defensive back Sage Ryan spent four years playing for LSU, starting at cornerback and safety. Now he’s set to play against the Tigers for the first time.
“Sage is a really savvy player that’s played a lot and plays a lot of different spots,” Kiffin said. “I’m really glad he’s part of our team.”
But Kiffin downplayed the notion that Ryan, in this new era of constant player movement, would approach Saturday’s game differently than others.
Across college football, players face their former teams “a lot nowadays,” Kiffin said. “It seems like every week.”
Meanwhile, Kiffin offered a comment on his daughter, Landry, announcing this week on social media that she is dating LSU linebacker Whit Weeks.
“Whit’s an awesome kid and comes from a great family,” Kiffin said. “Glad that those two are happy together. It has nothing to do with the game.”
Ground game
While LSU senior QB Garrett Nussmeier is seen as one of the most talented passers in college football, it could be in the Tigers’ interest to lean more on their ground game this week against a Rebels defense that ranks last in the SEC against run, allowing 190.5 yards per game.
But that could depend on the condition of No. 1 LSU running back Caden Durham, who sprained his ankle last weekend in a victory over Southeastern Louisiana.
Behind Durham are sophomore Ju’Juan Johnson, freshman Harlem Berry, and junior Kaleb Jackson — along with receivers Zavion Thomas and Barion Brown, who both have been periodically involved in the running game.
DEBOER IS LOOKING FOR NO. 17 ALABAMA TO BE RESILIENT IN DIFFICULT ROAD GAME AGAINST NO. 5 GEORGIA
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Alabama’s first game away from home didn’t go well.
That puts much on the line for No. 17 Alabama when it visits No. 5 Georgia on Saturday night.
The Crimson Tide’s 31-17 season-opening loss at Florida State on Aug. 30 left coach Kalen DeBoer’s team with little margin for error. Alabama (2-1, 0-0 Southeastern Conference) needs a win over Georgia (3-0, 1-0) to protect its College Football Playoff hopes.
DeBoer hopes his players learned from the painful loss at Florida State as they prepare for their second road game.
“We’ve got to be resilient,” DeBoer said. “We know there are going to be storms we have to weather in the SEC, on the road, and you’ve got to do it. No one else is going to go do it for you.”
Alabama answered the loss to Florida State with back-to-back wins, including a confidence-building, 38-14 home win over Wisconsin on Sept. 13.
“I know there’s a high want-to factor this group has,” DeBoer said. “They’ve shown it in the work. They’ve shown it in their preparation. That’s the key. Really just prepare, invest, and do everything you can to be confident and do something special together.”
Georgia also enjoyed a confidence boost in its last game, a 44-41 overtime win at Tennessee on Sept. 13 as Gunner Stockton threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score.
The Bulldogs needed the boost in their SEC opener following a sluggish 28-6 win over Austin Peay that left coach Kirby Smart looking for more explosive plays from his offense. Junior wide receiver Zachariah Branch answered the call against Tennessee by leading the Bulldogs with five receptions for 69 yards with a touchdown and a two-point conversion to force overtime.
Hot quarterback
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson completed 24 of 29 passes for 382 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Ryan Williams, in the win over Wisconsin. Two of the incompletions came on drops.
Smart said Simpson “is probably the hottest quarterback right now in all of college football. His two last outings, I don’t know that I’ve seen an incompletion. Like, the ball does not hit the ground.”
Simpson replaced two-year starter Jalen Milroe, a third-round pick by Seattle who was a threat as a runner and passer.
Smart has been impressed by Simpson’s passing and smart reads.
“He’s been accurate, he’s been quick with the ball,” Smart said. “They’re really hard to defend because of their skill. They’ve got tremendously skilled receivers, backs, tight ends, but you’ve got to have a trigger guy that can get those guys the ball, and they do. And he’s seen the field.”
DeBoer vs. Top 25
DeBoer, the former Washington coach in his second season at Alabama, is 15-3 against Top 25 teams. That includes a 5-1 record against teams in the top 10.
The Crimson Tide beat No. 2 Georgia 41-34 in Tuscaloosa last season in DeBoer’s first SEC game as Alabama’s coach.
Long-awaited visit
Smart, the former Alabama defensive coordinator, is in his 10th season at Georgia and finally has his first home game against the Crimson Tide. Alabama has proved to be a difficult opponent for Georgia under Smart, who has a 1-6 record in the rivalry.
Smart’s one win over his former home was memorable — beating Alabama in Indianapolis on Jan. 10, 2022, to win the national championship. That win ended Georgia’s 41-year national championship drought, and Smart led the Bulldogs to back-to-back titles the following year.
Alabama has four wins over Smart and Georgia in Atlanta, including three SEC championship games and the 2018 national championship game.
Playing the best
Branch said the visit from Alabama on national TV (ABC) is the kind of game that attracted him to transfer from Southern California.
“You know, you want to give a chance to play the best competition,” Branch said, adding “the SEC is a great, great conference. So I feel like you just set me up to, you know, have those prime-time games … to play against some of the best competition in the country and, you know, get a chance to showcase my talent when the time comes.”
Top 25 fixtures
Alabama’s current No. 17 ranking is its 283rd consecutive week in the AP Top 25 poll. Georgia has made the AP Top 25 in 137 consecutive weeks.
JAMES FRANKLIN HOPES NEW WEAPONS, RE-TOOLED DEFENSE WILL HELP NO. 3 PENN STATE BEAT NO. 6 OREGON
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — James Franklin didn’t think his team was equipped to beat Oregon in the Big Ten championship game last season.
Things are different now.
The No. 3 Nittany Lions have spent the nine months since their 45-37 loss to the Ducks in the conference title game retooling their wide receiving corps and reimagining their defense. Their goal? Keep pace with the high-flying team currently riding the longest regular-season winning streak in college football.
“We didn’t have enough tools in our tool belt,” Franklin said. “Sometimes they were able to get matchups that were in their favor. If we’re not able to solve that issue with a sack or pressure, then we had some challenges.”
Fresh off a bye week, the Nittany Lions haven’t been tested yet this season. They’ve piled up points against non-conference opponents, working in transfer wideouts Trebor Peña, Kyron Hudson and Devonte Ross.
They’ve also deployed a new defense coordinated by Jim Knowles, who helped lead Ohio State to the NCAA championship last season. Knowles’ defense — which combines man and zone concepts unlike the Nittany Lions did before — helped the Buckeyes go 1-1 against the Ducks last year, including a 41-21 win in the first round of the playoffs.
Franklin is hoping the new defensive scheme will be enough to stop Oregon’s offense.
Led by first-year starting quarterback Dante Moore, the Ducks are seventh in scoring offense and 12th in total offense. They’re averaging 269 yards through the air per game while Moore has already thrown 11 touchdown passes.
“They challenge you formationally with all the different things that they do,” Knowles said. “A lot of times against these teams that do so much, if you’re not in the right place, you don’t have a chance.”
Quieting the crowd
Knowles’ defense has a unique edge in this game.
The Whiteout.
The Nittany Lions will have more than 100,000 fans clad all in white, contrasting against an inky black sky, bellowing collectively at nearly 120 decibels every time the Ducks have the ball.
It is Lanning’s intent to shut them up quickly. So far, Oregon has scored touchdowns on all but one opening possession. They’ve scored eight first-quarter touchdowns in total.
“Starting fast is important for us in each game, but certainly matters in games like this, right?” Lanning said. “When the crowd’s involved, that’s something that you can attack early. If you start fast, that can be an asset.”
Allar’s experience
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar knows he played solidly in the Big Ten championship game. He also knows past performances against the Ducks don’t mean much heading into Saturday’s game.
Allar, who’s yielded the quarterback spot to backup Ethan Grunkemeyer every weekend as games have gotten more lopsided, completed 20 of 39 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns and ran five times for 54 yards and another score. He also threw two interceptions.
He’s grown more comfortable as he, Hudson, Ross and Peña have developed chemistry. Tight end Luke Reynolds has also proven himself to be a sturdy target in an offense that has moved quickly at times.
The Nittany Lions will likely look to keep Oregon’s defense on its heels with tempo. Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki has utilized the no-huddle offense regularly through the first three games.
Allar likes directing traffic at high speed.
“It’s plays that we all really like and just know like the back of our hand,” Allar said. “Coach K and the whole offensive staff does a great job of sequencing those plays for us and presenting us looks throughout the week of what we’re going to get.”
Corner test
The Ducks have had success with a rebooted secondary complete with freshmen corners Brandon Finney Jr. and Ify Obidegwu.
They haven’t allowed a touchdown pass and are permitting just 120 yards per game to opposing offenses.
Although Penn State has just 10 passing plays of 20 yards or more, Lanning is wary of Allar’s arm and the speed on the outside. Hudson, Peña and Ross have all caught a touchdown and are all averaging more than 11 yards per catch. All three are physical players who could push Oregon’s new corners.
“Experience develops confidence and confidence is going to lead to good execution and the ability to take risks at times when it’s needed,” Lanning said. “You know tackle well, go make plays on the ball, like all those things are going to develop over time. So the more snaps they get, the better they’ve gotten.”
Get the QB
Dani Dennis-Sutton has had a blast playing in Knowles’ defense. Mostly because his instructions are often simple and to the point.
Go get the quarterback.
“I’m a believer in that a D-line can’t be thinking too much,” Dennis-Sutton said. “Just let us get to the quarterback, stop the run and we’re going to make plays.”
That could be tougher against Oregon.
The Ducks’ replaced three starters in the offseason, but so far transfer tackles Isaiah World and Alex Harkey and guard Emmanuel Pregnon have been nearly perfect. Flanking center Iapani Laloulu, who allowed no sacks and just 10 pressures on a team high 970 plays last season, Oregon has allowed just one sack through four games this year.
“They’re a great team,” Dennis-Sutton said. “(Dante Moore’s) been doing a great job of running and stepping up in the pocket as well. So we have to be a disciplined D-line in our rush lanes and not let him use his legs as much as he can.”
TEXAS A&M AIMS FOR 4-0 AS COACH MIKE ELKO CHALLENGES FANS’ MINDSET
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Coming off a thrilling triumph at Notre Dame, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko knows his team’s fans are reticent to fully celebrate big wins because of the Aggies’ recent tendency to disappoint after such victories.
Elko doesn’t like that mindset and wants everyone to embrace his team’s early success as No. 9 Texas A&M looks to improve to 4-0 Saturday in its Southeastern Conference opener against Auburn.
“You love Texas A&M football, so get excited,” Elko told the Houston Touchdown Club last week. “Stop being scared and get excited about what this program is doing. It’s not fair to look at past failures and eliminate how you feel about where Texas A&M football is going.”
The Aggies hope this is the year they finally get over the hump and reach their first SEC title game after winning more than nine games just once since joining the conference. That came in their first year in the league in 2012 when they went 11-2 behind Johnny Manziel’s Heisman Trophy-winning season.
Texas A&M was off last week after beating then-No. 8 Notre Dame 41-40 on Sept. 13. They did it by putting together a 13-play, 74-yard drive, capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass by Marcel Reed with 13 seconds left. It snapped a streak of 13 straight road losses to ranked opponents and was the first time they’d beat an AP Top 25 team since defeating No. 3 Auburn in 2014.
“That was a huge step for our program,” Elko said. “That’s the biggest thing. When you get in those moments, you ultimately have to find a way to get the job done to keep the program moving forward.”
Though he’s encouraged by the Aggies’ strong start, he knows they’ll have to do much more to get to where they want to go.
“Three weeks does not make a finish,” he said. “We still have a lot of things we’ve got to do.”
This week they’ll face an Auburn team trying to move forward after a 24-17 loss at then-No. 11 Oklahoma last week that knocked the Tigers out of the poll.
“We’ve got to rebound,” coach Hugh Freeze said. “It’s a tough league and a tough loss last week, but we’ve got to put it behind us as we go face another tough team … it’s a critical game for us to learn how we handle adversity and rebound.”
Protecting Arnold
The Tigers are looking to better protect Jackson Arnold after he was sacked nine times last week. Through four games, he’s been sacked 15 times and backup Deuce Knight has been taken down once to leave Auburn tied for second-most sacks allowed in the nation.
“You can’t take those sacks and win those games,” Freeze said. “We had some very difficult breaks go against us, but we’ve got to clean up the protection of the pocket. Jackson’s got to clean up getting rid of the ball when he can get rid of it.”
Craver and Concepcion
Texas A&M’s receiving duo of Mario Craver and K.C. Concepcion have been among the best in the nation this season. Craver, who transferred from Mississippi State, and Concepcion, an N.C. State transfer, have given the Aggies the explosive playmaking ability the team lacked last season.
Their presence has helped the Aggies produce 22 plays of 20 yards or longer.
Craver was named The Associated Press national player of the week for his performance against the Fighting Irish when he had career highs with seven catches for 207 yards, including an 86-yard touchdown.
He ranks third in the nation with 443 yards receiving in just three games while the two players ahead of him both played four and his four TD receptions lead the team. Concepcion is second on the team with 227 yards receiving and three touchdowns.
Fields out
Auburn WR Horatio Fields is out indefinitely after breaking his foot in practice this week. Fields, who transferred from Wake Forest, ranks third on the team with 106 yards receiving and a touchdown.
With Fields out, Freeze expects Perry Thompson to fill in. Thompson has played sparingly this season and has just two catches for 11 yards.
“Perry has the potential and talent to do really good things,” Freeze said. “He’s got to learn to do them consistently, over and over again, and with technique. He shows flashes of that. Now we just need it to be more consistent, but he’ll be the first one to get that opportunity.”
On the run
The Tigers have been great against the run this season and rank fifth in the nation by allowing only 58.2 yards rushing a game. This week they’ll face a team that is averaging 157 yards rushing. A&M’s running game is led by Le’Veon Moss, who has 33 carries for 168 yards and four touchdowns. They’ll also have to account for the scrambling of Reed, who is second on the team with 142 yards rushing and a score.
NO. 8 FSU’S VISIT TO VIRGINIA, NO. 16 GEORGIA TECH’S TRIP TO WAKE FOREST HEADLINE ACC SLATE
Things to watch this weekend in the Atlantic Coast Conference:
Game of the week
No. 8 Florida State (3-0, 0-0 ACC) at Virginia (3-1, 1-0), Friday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
The Seminoles opened the year with an expectations-altering win against Alabama, then cruised past East Texas A&M and Kent State by a combined score of 143-10. Things figure to be tougher against the Cavaliers, at least for the FSU defense.
Virginia has scored at least 31 points in every game and ranks fifth nationally in total offense (564.5) in its fourth year under Tony Elliott. Its lone loss came at N.C. State.
This season marks 30 years since Virginia upset then-No. 2 FSU at home to hand the Seminoles their first-ever ACC loss after a 29-0 start. The Cavaliers have unveiled throwback uniforms to that 1995 win for the occasion.
The undercard
No. 16 Georgia Tech (4-0, 1-0) at Wake Forest (2-1, 0-1), Saturday, noon ET (ESPN)
There is a buzz in Atlanta, with the Yellow Jackets having won at Colorado and coming off a win against preseason ACC favorite Clemson. Now they’ll travel to Winston-Salem to face the Demon Deacons, who got off to a 2-0 start in first-year coach Jake Dickert’s rebuild but fell to N.C. State in their league opener.
Duke (2-2, 1-0) at Syracuse (3-1, 1-0), Saturday, noon ET (ACC Network)
It’s difficult to know for sure what to expect with the Blue Devils and Orange. The Blue Devils continually undercut their chances of an upset against then-No. 11 Illinois with miscues and turnovers and fell behind big in a loss at Tulane, but responded by rallying past N.C. State. As for Syracuse, Fran Brown’s team is coming off an impressive win against Clemson but lost starting quarterback Steve Angeli to a season-ending injury.
Impact players
— N.C. State RB Hollywood Smothers. The transfer from Oklahoma has nearly matched his rushing total for last year’s debut with the Wolfpack. He’s sixth nationally in rushing yardage (125.8 per game) entering this weekend’s visit from Virginia Tech.
— California quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele had the Bears off to a 3-0 start before last weekend’s shutout loss at San Diego State. The freshman has thrown for 988 yards and six TDs entering Saturday’s trip to Boston College.
Inside the numbers
The league has three ranked teams in this week’s AP Top 25 poll, headlined by No. 2 Miami. … Louisville (3-0) hits the road Saturday to face Pittsburgh (2-1) in the ACC opener for both teams, with the Panthers having won three of five meetings since the Cardinals joined the ACC for the 2014 season. The Cards have lost the last three meetings at Pitt. … Stanford (1-3) hosts San Jose State on Saturday with a chance to start 2-0 at home for the first time since 2018. … Miami, Clemson, North Carolina and SMU have open dates this week.
NO. 14 IOWA STATE GOING FOR 5-0 START IN 1ST BIG 12 MATCHUP VS. ARIZONA
Things to watch this week in the Big 12 Conference:
Game of the week
Arizona (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) at No. 14 Iowa State (4-0, 1-0), Saturday, 7 p.m. EDT (ESPN)
The Wildcats and Cyclones meet for the first time since 1968, now Big 12 opponents and both coming off open dates.
Iowa State has trailed for only 28 seconds this season and is looking to start 5-0 for the second year in a a row. The Cyclones won a school-record 11 games last year. Rocco Becht, 14-6 in his Big 12 starts, has thrown a touchdown in 22 consecutive games, a school record and the longest active FBS streak.
The Wildcats are sixth nationally in scoring defense (8.7 points a game) and seventh allowing 222 total yards a game. After a disappointing 4-8 debut in the Big 12 last year, Arizona is trying to get to 4-0 for the first time since being the Pac-12 runner-up in 2014.
The undercard
No. 24 TCU (3-0, 0-0) at Arizona State (3-1, 1-0), Friday, 9 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Defending Big 12 champion Arizona State, which opened league play with a game-ending field goal to win at Baylor, has won its last eight home games. TCU has a seven-game winning streak going back to last season. They play for the first time since 1975.
Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson is the Big 12 leader with 31 catches and five TDs, and second at 89.3 yards receiving per game. TCU quarterback Josh Hoover leads the nation at 333.3 yards passing per game, and has had a different 100-yard receiver in each game. The latest was Eric McAlister with eight catches for 254 yards and three touchdowns against SMU. He leads the Big 12 at 106.7 yards per game, while teammate Jordan Dwyer (nine catches, 136 yards in opener at North Carolina) is third (85.7 ypg).
Impact players
— Baylor’s Bryson Washington has three consecutive 100-yard rushing games. He ranks second in the Big 12 with 103.8 yards per game and four TDs.
— Houston quarterback Connor Weigman, the transfer from Texas A&M, hasn’t had a turnover this season while throwing for 569 yards and four TDs, and running for 142 yards and three scores. The Cougars are 3-0 for the first time since 2016.
— Colorado’s Kaidon Salter last week became the sixth different Big 12 QB this season to pass for at least 300 yards and three TDs in a game without an interception. The Buffs (2-2, 0-1) host No. 25 BYU (3-0, 0-0).
Inside the numbers
Oklahoma State (1-2) will play its first game in 20 years without Mike Gundy as head coach — a span of 260 games since the start of the 2005 season. Gundy was fired Tuesday, four days before the Big 12 opener at home against Baylor. The Cowboys have lost their last 11 games against FBS opponents, including instate rival Tulsa last week. … No. 12 Texas Tech, the highest-ranked of four Big 12 teams in the AP Top 25, has an open date after its first 4-0 start since 2013. That was the last time the Red Raiders ranked higher, at No. 10 after a 7-0 start before a five-game losing streak. .. Cincinnati (2-1, 0-0) is third nationally averaging 8.38 yards per game. The Bearcats play at Kansas (3-1, 1-0), where Jalon Daniels is third in the country with 12 TD passes. … UCF head coach Scott Frost has won 16 consecutive games. The Knights are 3-0 in his return after going 13-0 season in 2017 before he left for Nebraska.
Ailing ’Eers
West Virginia (2-2, 0-1) is hurting on offense going into Saturday’s game against Utah (3-1, 0-1). Top running back Jahiem White sustained a season-ending knee injury in the second game and Tye Edwards, who ran for 141 yards in his place the following week, sat out last week with a hip injury. Coach Rich Rodriguez also said starting quarterback Nicco Marchiol visited a specialist this week after being bothered by foot pain for a few weeks. Three offensive line starters are also banged up.
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MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MLB ROUNDUP: DODGERS BLANK D-BACKS, SEAL NL WEST TITLE
Freddie Freeman homered twice, Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pages also went deep and the Los Angeles Dodgers rolled to their 12th National League West title in 13 seasons with an 8-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday afternoon in Phoenix.
The Dodgers clinched home-field advantage for a best-of-three wild-card series that opens Tuesday. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-8) allowed four hits and two walks in six innings to drop his ERA to 2.49, second best in the National League.
Ohtani’s two-run homer in the fourth was his 54th, giving him 108 in his first two seasons with the Dodgers. He is one short of Alex Rodriguez (Texas Rangers, 2001-02) for the second most by a player in his first two seasons with an organization. Babe Ruth had 113 for the New York Yankees in 1920-21.
Diamondbacks opener Jalen Beeks (5-3) departed after allowing Freeman’s leadoff homer in the second. Nabil Crismatt came in and surrendered seven hits and seven runs (five earned) over three innings as the Diamondbacks dropped two games behind the New York Mets for the NL’s final wild-card spot.
Tigers 4, Guardians 2
Jahmai Jones, Wenceel Perez and Riley Greene hit solo homers in the first four innings as Detroit defeated Cleveland to snap an eight-game losing streak and forge a first-place tie in the AL Central. The Guardians hold the tiebreaker.
Six Tigers pitchers combined for a five-hitter. Brant Hurter (4-3) got four outs, and Will Vest struck out the side in the ninth for his 22nd save.
Jose Ramirez stroked an RBI double in the eighth, which set the Guardians’ career record for most extra-base hits with 726. Parker Messick (3-1) allowed six hits and four runs over five innings.
Yankees 5, White Sox 3
Giancarlo Stanton hit a go-ahead bases-clearing double with one out in the fifth inning and New York stayed tied atop the American League East with a victory over visiting Chicago.
The Yankees won their fifth straight game and remained even with Toronto atop the division. Aaron Judge had two hits and drew two intentional walks. He ended the night with a major-league-best .330 average and an AL-record 36 intentional free passes. Carlos Rodon (18-9) allowed three runs on four hits in six innings.
Michael A. Taylor hit a two-run homer for the White Sox, who have lost five in a row. Chicago reliever Tyler Gilbert (4-2) gave up one run in 1 2/3 innings.
Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 1
Daulton Varsho hit a grand slam as Toronto defeated visiting Boston to salvage the finale of the three-game series.
Varsho’s second grand slam of the season snapped a 0-0 tie in the sixth. George Springer added a two-run homer later in the inning.
The Red Sox needed a win to clinch a postseason spot after taking the first two games of the series. Jarren Duran led off the seventh with a double to break a 0-for-12 personal drought and give the Red Sox their first runner of the game. Trevor Story followed with an RBI single.
Reds 2, Pirates 1
Nick Lodolo threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings and Noelvi Marte robbed a game-tying home run in the ninth as host Cincinnati remained a game behind the New York Mets for the final National League wild-card spot.
Lodolo (9-8) posted a career-high-tying 12 strikeouts while scattering two hits and one walk before leaving in the seventh with a groin injury. Emilio Pagan set down the side in the ninth for his 30th save — highlighted by Marte’s leaping grab over the right field wall to take away a homer from Bryan Reynolds.
Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft (4-4) allowed two runs and eight hits over 4 1/3 innings. Spencer Horwitz’ pinch-hit double in the eighth set the table for Pittsburgh’s lone run.
Mets 8, Cubs 5
Brett Baty belted a three-run homer, Francisco Lindor also went deep and rookie Nolan McLean struck out 11 batters, fueling visiting New York to a victory over Chicago.
Lindor recorded his second career 30-homer, 30-stolen base season after his solo shot in the third inning. Brandon Nimmo had three hits and an RBI. McLean (5-1) gave up five runs in 5 1/3 innings, and Edwin Diaz secured his 28th save of the season.
The Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki launched a solo shot in the fourth inning and added a three-run blast in the sixth. Shota Imanaga (9-8) permitted eight runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Phillies 1, Marlins 0
Walker Buehler and three relievers combined on a five-hitter as Philadelphia nipped visiting Miami. With its second straight loss, the Marlins were eliminated from postseason contention.
Buehler (10-7) pitched five scoreless innings to help Philadelphia move within two games of idle Milwaukee for the top seed in the National League playoffs. David Robertson earned his second save. Alec Bohm, who went 2-for-4, drove in the lone run of the game with a first-inning groundout.
Miami starter Janson Junk (6-4) allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings. Troy Johnston had two of the Marlins’ five hits.
Astros 11, Athletics 5
Framber Valdez allowed just one run over seven innings and Christian Walker’s homer highlighted a 12-hit attack as Houston snapped a five-game losing streak and earned a crucial win over the Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif.
Houston remains one game behind Detroit for the final American League wild-card spot. Valdez (13-11) fanned 10 and scattered seven hits while snapping a personal four-start losing streak. Walker produced two hits and three RBIs while Jose Altuve, Isaac Paredes and Carlos Correa drove in two runs apiece.
Nick Kurtz cracked his 34th and 35th homers for the Athletics while Shea Langeliers went 4-for-5 out of the leadoff spot. J.T. Ginn (4-7) surrendered seven runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Orioles 6, Rays 5
Dylan Beavers homered on the first pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning to complete a comeback as Baltimore defeated Tampa Bay to win its home finale. Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo also homered for the Orioles, who trailed 5-2 in the eighth.
Reliever Keegan Akin (5-4) earned the win with a scoreless inning in the rubber match. Kevin Kelly (2-5), who gave up two home runs and a triple among the four batters he faced, took the loss.
Drew Rasmussen started for the Rays, leaving after 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Orioles starter Cade Povich was charged with five runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Twins 4, Rangers 0
Byron Buxton drove in all four runs with a pair of homers and Bailey Ober faced just one batter over the minimum during his six-inning stint as Minnesota took the rubber match of the three-game set in Arlington, Texas.
For the second day in a row, Buxton led off the game with a home run. He added a three-run shot in the eighth. Ober (6-9) scattered two hits and one walk while fanning five in his only scoreless outing of the season.
Rangers starter Tyler Mahle (6-4) gave up five hits and one walk over five innings as he finished with an 0.84 ERA in 10 starts at home. Texas managed just three hits.
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WNBA NEWS
MERCURY AIM TO RIDE MOMENTUM VS. LYNX IN PIVOTAL GAME 3
The Phoenix Mercury have turned seizing home-court advantage into their postseason identity.
The Mercury gained the upper hand in their WNBA semifinal series against the top-seed Minnesota Lynx with a Game 2 road victory Tuesday, and they will begin defense of their home floor in the third game of the best-of-five series Friday.
The Mercury overcame a 20-point deficit in the final 16 minutes of regulation and scored the first six points of overtime while evening the series with an 89-83 victory.
“This is a battle-tested team,” Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts said of the Lynx. “We haven’t done anything yet. We needed to get one there (Minneapolis). We did our job.”
The Lynx, who have won four league titles and lost in the finals last year, took Game 1 82-69 at home by outscoring the Mercury by 13 in the fourth quarter. Game 4 is in Phoenix on Sunday.
“It’s a resilient team,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said of her group. “It’s a team that responds. There are problem-solvers. Nobody said this stuff was going to be easy. It’s all part of the journey.
“Now we have to beat a really good team at their place. That’s a tall order. We’ll do all we can to do it.”
The Mercury took home court from defending champion New York in the second game of their first-round series and clinched it with a win in Game 3 at home.
Lynx point guard Courtney Williams has 43 points, 16 assists and 15 rebounds in this series. Napheesa Collier, the runner-up in league MVP voting, has 42 points and 15 rebounds.
Pressured by Alyssa Thomas, Collier missed a 16-footer at the buzzer after the Mercury’s Sami Whitcomb hit a 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds remaining to send Tuesday’s game into overtime.
“This is what it’s all about,” Thomas said. “You play the whole season for the playoffs and moments like these. I’ve been chasing a championship for a long time. I think this is our time.”
Thomas, who spent her first 11 seasons with Connecticut, directs Tibbetts’ free-flowing offense from the foul-line extended. The Mercury went small in their comeback Tuesday.
Thomas, third in MVP voting, led the league with a career-high 9.2 assists per game in the regular season. Williams was second at 6.2. Thomas has eight triple-doubles and is averaging 18.5 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in the series.
Phoenix’s Satou Sabally had 24 points, including five 3-pointers, and nine rebounds in Game 2.
After making 3 of 23 threes in Game 1, the Mercury were 13 of 32 in the second game.
When ‘Sa’ makes threes, she’s pretty good,” Tibbetts said. “They have a decision to make, right? They are either going to take away the paint or take away threes. It’s really hard to do both.”
BACK ON TRACK, ACES OUT FOR ‘COMPOSURE’ IN GAME 3 VS. FEVER
The Las Vegas Aces are now the team with plenty of momentum going into pivotal Game 3 of their WNBA semifinal series with the Indiana Fever on Friday.
After the teams each won a game at Las Vegas, the best-of-five series now shifts to Indianapolis.
The Aces responded from a Game 1 loss to dominate 90-68 on Tuesday night in Game 2 behind A’ja Wilson’s 25 points, nine rebounds and five steals. NaLyssa Smith had 18 points with seven rebounds. Chelsea Gray was in control of the offense with 10 assists.
“When Chelsea is locked in, she’s hard to stop,” Wilson said.
Much of the attention in the series has centered on the style of play.
Coaches Becky Hammon of the Aces and Stephanie White of the Fever have traded complaints about officiating..
“It’s hard for us to find flow when there is a foul call every 10 seconds,” White said.
“I’m saying it’s out of control,” Hammon said of the contact between players. “… Freedom of movement is supposed to be a point of emphasis.”
Headed on the road, the Aces will be in a different environment.
“I’m not concerned because I know we’ll keep our composure,” Hammon said. “When the pressure starts to escalate, I know they know how to cook under pressure.”
It will be the Fever’s turn to crank up the intensity.
“They were much more aggressive and physical defensively and we didn’t counter that with our off-ball actions,” White said. “They took us out of our comfort zone.”
Wilson said the ingredients are there for the Aces to excel in Game 3.
“We continue to uplift each other,” Wilson said. “We just got to make sure we don’t lose focus on the defensive end.”
The Aces entered the playoffs as the league’s No. 2 seed but went 1-2 against the Fever in the regular season, with both losses at Indianapolis.
“Our experience there has not been great this season,” Wilson said. “We lost games there.”
Smith, who finished a three-year run with the Fever last season, expects a rowdy atmosphere.
“It’s going to be different being on that side of things,” Smith said. “We know how to weather storms.”
Game 4 will be at Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon.
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GOLF NEWS
RYDER CUP TO TEE OFF WITH DECHAMBEAU-THOMAS VS. RAHM-HATTON
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas will face Jon Rahm of Spain and Tyrrell Hatton of England in the opening foursomes match of the Ryder Cup on Friday at Bethpage Black.
United States team captain Keegan Bradley and Team Europe captain Luke Donald revealed their first lineups of the competition Thursday afternoon — not at the usual opening ceremony, which was moved up a day due to stormy weather, but in a Golf Channel interview.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will team with Russell Henley in the second foursomes match against Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg and England’s Matt Fitzpatrick; five-time major champion Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland will partner with FedEx Cup winner Tommy Fleetwood of England against Collin Morikawa and Harris English.
The final foursome of the session pits Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay for the United States against Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and Norway’s Viktor Hovland.
Rahm and Hatton opened the 2023 Ryder Cup with a Friday morning foursomes win over Scheffler and Sam Burns, 4 and 3. That launched a 4-0 sweep in the opening session that propelled Team Europe to a five-point victory. Rahm and Hatton went 2-0 as foursomes partners in Rome.
“I like Jon as a leader going off first with Tyrrell,” Donald said. “They have been a very strong partnership. Jon, 4-0 I think, in foursomes over his history and 2-0 with Tyrrell. It’s a strong start for us, and we’ll need it.”
Meanwhile, DeChambeau figures to be one of the most popular figures on the course this week and should fire up the partisan crowd at the 7:10 a.m. tee time.
“Bryson thrives under this sort of atmosphere,” Bradley said. “For me when I would go out on these first tees, I would be very nervous and didn’t know what to expect. I see Bryson and I can see him walking out there just relishing the moment and relishing the chance to get up there and hit that shot.”
One all-new pairing is that of Morikawa and English, neither of whom drive the ball especially far.
“Collin Morikawa is one of the best ball-strikers in the world,” Bradley said. “Harris is an incredible putter. We really felt like they complemented each other. They have similar demeanors and they really like each other and they are extreme competitors. They relish the opportunity to play together.”
Schauffele and Cantlay have partnered a number of times in team competitions and are 7-6 across Ryder and Presidents Cups, including 6-3 in the foursomes format.
“We’re sort of the anchor match there,” Schauffele told reporters. “We’re really pumped with the three groups we have in front of us, and those boys are going to get to work, and all we’re trying to do is get our point and focus on us, so get comfortable quickly, get the fans into it quickly, and yeah, get that point.”
Foursomes format features each pairing playing the same ball while alternating shots. It’s considered the more difficult team match-play format.
The pairings Europe is beginning with on Friday are a combined 30-15-2 in Ryder Cup foursomes, while the United States pairings are 8-13-0.
On the bench for the first session are Burns, J.J. Spaun, Ben Griffin and Cameron Young for the United States and Englishman Justin Rose, Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard, Irishman Shane Lowry and Austrian Sepp Straka for Europe.
They’ll have a chance to be utilized Friday afternoon when the format switches to fourball, also known as best ball.
+++TOP INDIANA HEADLINES/NEWS RELEASES+++
COLTS FOOTBALL
REGGIE WAYNE, ADAM VINATIERI AMONG SEVERAL FORMER COLTS PLAYERS NOMINATED FOR PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2026
Several former Colts players are among the 128 nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026, which was announced this week.
The list is headlined by Class of 2025 finalists Reggie Wayne and Adam Vinatieri; Wayne has been a finalist in all six of his previous years of eligibility, while Vinatieri – despite being considered the best kicker in NFL history – did not become the first kicker elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Wayne and Vinatieri are joined this year by longtime Colts defensive end Robert Mathis, who’s been a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist in each of his four years of eligibility. Former Colts center Jeff Saturday is also a returning nominee this year.
Among the newcomers eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 are quarterback Philip Rivers, who finished his career with the Colts in 2020, and running back Frank Gore, who rushed for 2,953 yards for the Colts from 2015-2017.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame will whittle its list of nominees down to a group of 25 semifinalists sometime later this fall, then will announce 15 finalists toward the end of the year. That group of 15 finalists will be considered for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame by the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee, which is comprised of 49 voters.
Those 49 voters will cut the list of finalists from 15 to 10 to seven players, and the selection committee will then vote for five of the seven remaining finalists. A player is selected for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame if he received 80 percent of the final vote.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee can tap as many as five Modern-Era players for induction but only chose three in 2025, making it the smallest class in two decades.
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INDIANA FEVER
GAME PREVIEW: WNBA SEMIFINALS COMES TO INDY KNOTTED AT 1-1
Indiana Fever vs Las Vegas Aces (Game 3)
Friday, September 26
Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:30 p.m. ET
Find Tickets >>
Broadcast Information
TV: ESPN2 – Ryan Ruocco (play-by-play), Rebecca Lobo (analyst), Holly Rowe (sideline reporter)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – John Nolan (play-by-play), Bria Goss (analyst)
Probable Starters
Indiana Fever
Guard – Odyssey Sims
Guard – Kelsey Mitchell
Forward – Lexie Hull
Forward – Natasha Howard
Center – Aliyah Boston
Las Vegas Aces
Guard – Chelsea Gray
Guard – Jackie Young
Forward – Kierstan Bell
Forward – NaLyssa Smith
Center – A’ja Wilson
GAME PREVIEW:
After splitting a pair of games in Las Vegas, the Fever and Aces will clash twice this weekend at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Game 3 of the best-of-five WNBA Semifinals is on Friday night.
The Fever dominated Game 1, shooting 50 percent from the field in an 89-73 win. But the Aces flipped the script in Game 2, shooting 53.8 percent in a 90-68 victory.
There were several stark contrasts between Game 1 and Game 2 for the both sides.
The Fever offense was humming in Game 1, with All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell erupting for 34 points and Indiana committing just 10 turnovers. But in Game 2, Mitchell went just 4-for-14 from the field and the Fever turned the ball over 22 times, which the Aces converted into 28 points.
Conversely, the Fever held four-time MVP A’ja Wilson in check in Game 1, limiting her to just 16 points (only four in the second half) on 6-of-22 shooting. But Wilson was much more efficient in Game 2, scoring a game-high 25 points while going 10-for-18 from the field.
After a blowout by both teams, it wouldn’t be a surprise is Game 3 is more tightly contested. It’s a crucial contest, with the winner moving one win away from advancing to the WNBA Finals. The Fever have the advantage of playing in front of their home crowd and will hope that can help carry them to victory.
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INDIANA MEN’S SOCCER
NO. 3 INDIANA RETURNS HOME, HOSTS UCLA
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Friday (Sept. 26) night’s fixture features NCAA Division I men’s soccer’s winningest program’s – UCLA by number of victories (1,029) and Indiana by percentage (.772).
The Hoosiers (6-2-1, 1-2-0 B1G) will host the Bruins (2-3-2, 2-0-0) for the first time as conference opponents on Jerry Yeagley Field Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, and tickets are on sale here. Fans unable to attend can watch the match on the Big Ten Network.
Friday is IU Student Foundation Night at Armstrong Stadium. IUSF, host of the Little 500 races each spring at The Bill, in partnership with IU men’s soccer, will give away t-shirts to the first 250 students in attendance.
KICKING OFF
• Indiana and UCLA have combined for 12 national championships and 36 NCAA College Cup (final four) appearances.
• IU and UCLA have put together totally opposite seasons to this point. The Hoosiers opened the season unbeaten at 5-0-1 but have since started conference play 1-0-2. Meanwhile,
the Bruins’ two lone victories have come from Big Ten play, boasting a perfect 2-0-0 start to their conference slate.
ABOUT THE BRUINS
• UCLA defeated Northwestern (1-0) and Wisconsin (3-1) to kick off Big Ten play. Friday’s match marks the Bruins’ first conference road match.
• Head coach Ryan Jorden leads the Bruins in his seventh season, sporting a 50-43-20 record during his time in Westwood.
• Redshirt sophomore Sergi Solans Ormo has recorded team-highs in goals (3) and points (8).
SERIES HISTORY
• Indiana has won six of the last seven meetings in the all-time series with UCLA, including their first meeting as Big Ten rivals last season in Los Angeles.
• Josh Maher assisted Indiana’s first goal in that 2-1 road result. His brother, Jack Maher, delivered a 104th-minute golden goal the last time the teams met in Bloomington in 2019.
• Indiana’s two greatest attendance marks have come for matches against UCLA – A record 7,720 fans on September 1, 2013, that leaped the crowd of 7,423 from September 2, 2007.
• Indiana and UCLA have met in the NCAA Tournament four times; three times in the semifinals (1994, 1997 1999) and once in the quarterfinals (2003). IU won three of those matches, twice on its way to national championships (1999, 2003).
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INDIANA MEN’S TENNIS
INDIANA MEN’S TENNIS PREPARES FOR MULTIPLE COMPETITIONS THIS WEEKEND
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––––– After opening the season with the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last weekend, the Indiana Men’s Tennis team will remain busy as they prepare for two competitions this weekend.
Starting on Thursday, September 25, sophomore Braeden Gelletich, redshirt freshman Aidan Atwood, senior Deacon Thomas, and sophomore Karan Raghavendra will compete in the Milwaukee Classic in a tournament consisting of 23 different schools.
The tournament will feature singles and doubles flights. The singles tournament will feature a play-in stage on Thursday, with the top 16 seeds receiving byes and the round of 32 commencing on Friday. The doubles draw will feature a play-in stage on Thursday, with the top eight seeds receiving byes before the round of 16 begins that same day.
On Friday, September 26, senior Luc Boulier, sophomore Matteo Antonescu, and senior Sam Scherer will travel to South Bend, Indiana, to compete in the Fighting Irish Invitational. The competition will feature five different schools and will take place at local Clay High School.
Both tournaments will host finals for singles and doubles on Sunday, September 28th.
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PURDUE VOLLEYBALL
SWEEP IN MACKEY
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The No. 10 Purdue volleyball squad opened Big Ten play in sweeping fashion, downing Washington (5-6, 0-1 B1G) 25-21, 29-27, 25-22 at Mackey Arena.
The Boilermakers are off to their best start since 2022, and its first conference season-opener won in three sets. The sweep included a thrilling Set 2, in which the Boilermakers not only erased an eight point deficit, but denied the Huskies four set points before storming back for the victory.
No. 11 Purdue returns for its second of three Mackey matches this season, hosting Illinois on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The match will be aired on Big Ten Network. Fans are encouraged to come out early before the match, with Purdue Athletics hosting a free-to-attend Block Party from 12-2 p.m. ET at the Sally & Bob Weist Plaza, located outside between Holloway Gymnasium and Mackey Arena. Fans can enjoy inflatable games, music, food trucks including The Tap, bracelet making, 1v1 basketball pop-a-shot, posters, prizes and more.
Key Performances
Kenna Wollard led the team with 17 kills in the match, responsible for back-to-back kills that denied Washington set point, extending the match to 25-25 and 26-26.
Akasha Anderson posted four points in Purdue’s final push in set two, including a block to five Purdue the 28-27 go-ahead point and finished the night with 14 kills on a .393 clip
Despite her position as opposite/right side, Grace Heaney led the team with 12 digs, adding an ace and nine kills to the performance.
Taylor Anderson racked up 39 assists, a season-high five blocks and seven digs
Notes
Winning Streak: 8 matches
Purdue is off to the best start to the season since 2022
The Boilers have hit at least .400 in a set for the last five straight outings
The last time Purdue swept a Big Ten opponent in the season-opener: 2022
The match saw 32 tied scores and 16 lead changes over the course of the match
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PURDUE WOMEN’S SOCCER
PURDUE DEFEATS OREGON AT HOME
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Soccer defeated Oregon 3-0 for its first home conference victory of the 2025 season.
Angelina Thoreson started the scoring early with a strong individual play when she stole the ball, dribbled it into the box and finished off the goal in the sixth minute.
The sixth-minute goal is Purdue’s second-quickest strike of the season after scoring in the second minute in the season-opener against Indiana State. The goal is Thoreson’s third of the season and her first in eight games.
After Thoreson scored on the first shot of the game, Purdue outshot Oregon 6-2 overall and 4-1 in shots on goal the remainder of the half.
During the second half, scoring chances continued to be scarce before Irene Campo hit a perfect strike from outside the 18-yard box into the top right corner of the net in the 85th minute.
In the next minute, Lilly Bane followed with a goal from outside the 18 on the left side that hit off Oregon’s goalkeeper and went in.
Campo’s goal was her fifth of the season to move one shy of Chiara Singarella’s team-leading six and Bane’s goal was her second of the season.
Purdue looks to carry the momentum into a home match against Washington on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
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PURDUE WOMEN’S TENNIS
SUCCESS ON DAY 1 AT MILWAUKEE CLASSIC
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – On the opening day of the Milwaukee Classic, freshman Sophya Devas made her collegiate debut with a victory vs. Marquette’s Emma Davis behind a pair of 6-2, 6-0 wins.
The Boilermaker will join her teammates Ece Gencer, Ida Clement and Fatima Gutierrez, who earn byes for the first day of competition, in the singles Round of 32, which will begin tomorrow at 10 a.m.
Devas, Gencer and Gutierrez will begin play at 10 a.m., followed by Clement at 11.
Meanwhile in doubles, Gencer and Devas picked up a pair of wins, downing the Arkansas State Duo of Sara Millard and Hanmare McAslin, 6-4, in the Round of 32. Then, took down Melisa Senli and Sienna Leeson, 6-4 to advance to the Quarterfinals, set for 9 a.m. ET against Sofia Paladi and Deborah Dominguez Collado.
Additionally, the Boilermaker pairing of Gutierrez and Clement earned a bye for the first round of doubles, then secured a 6-3 win vs. Owen Wilkinson and Ichino Horikawa of Mississippi to advance to the Quarterfinals. They will face fellow Big Ten doubles duo of Karolina Jacobson and Parker Christensen tomorrow at 9 a.m.
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NOTRE DAME MEN’S SOCCER
MATCH 9 PREVIEW: SMU
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame welcomes SMU to Alumni Stadium for an ACC contest at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 27. Admission to the match is free and the contest will be streamed on ACCNX.
NOTRE DAME vs. SMU
Location: South Bend, Indiana | Alumni Stadium
Admission: FREE
Stream: ACCNX
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @NDMenSoccer
Game Notes: vs. SMU
THE SMU SERIES
• The Irish and Mustangs will meet on the pitch for the sixth time on Saturday.
• Notre Dame and SMU ared level in the all-time series with a record of 2-2-1.
• The Irish and Mustangs have only played once in South Bend in series history, as the two sides played to a scoreless draw in 1994.
• The last meeting came during the 2013 season with Notre Dame claiming a 2-1 win in Bloomington, Indiana, in a non-conference matchup.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
• The Irish have allowed just five goals this season, one each against Michigan, Indiana, Omaha and two to Wright State.
• Notre Dame posted back-to-back shutouts against IU Indy and No. 14 Oregon State.
• The Irish haven’t allowed a goal in ACC play this season with clean sheets in wins over Pitt and No. 12 Louisville.
• Notre Dame allowed just two shots on target over the 90 minutes of play in the win over Pitt, frustrating the Panther’s attack.
• Blake Kelly made six saves, five coming in the second half, in the shutout over Louisville.
• The Irish enter Tuesday’s matchup ranked second in the ACC in goals allowed and 18th in the country in the statistical category (0.625).
WINNING WAYS
• The Irish enter Saturday riding a four-match win streak, including two ACC wins at Pitt and over No. 12 Louisville.
• Notre Dame has outscored its opponents 11-3 over the stretch.
• Wyatt Borso and Mitch Ferguson have each scored three goals during the win streak.
• Notre Dame enters the weekend as the only ACC team with no losses or draws in conference play.
BK THE GK
• Blake Kelly has gotten off to a great start to his sophomore season in goal for the Irish, posting four clean sheets and allowing just five goals.
• The shot stopper leads the ACC in saves per game with a mark of 3.25 per outing.
• The sophomore has posted an incredible save percentage of .839 during the 2025 campaign, ranking second in the ACC.
• Kelly started 12 matches for the Irish in 2024 and became the first true freshman goalie to start the season opener in the last 30 years for the program.
STRIKE FORCE
• The starting striker tandem of Wyatt Borso and Luke Burton has found its form over the last couple of weeks, as the two have combined for five goals and an assist
• Borso ranks second on the team in goals with three, scoring one in three of the last four outings.
• Burton has recorded a point in each of the last four matches, scoring in wins over Pitt and Omaha and picking up assists in victories over Louisville and Wright State.
SET-PIECE SUCCESS
• The Fighting Irish have already scored seven goals off set pieces to start the 2025 season.
• Three of the goals have come from free kicks, with Mitch Ferguson scoring a direct free kick and Diego Ochoa and Ferguson finishing from service into the box.
• The Irish have been even more lethal on corners, firing in four goals this season. Ferguson has scored twice while Luke Burton and Martin Von Thun have each recorded one.
BALANCED ATTACK
• Seven players have scored the 13 goals for the Irish this season, as Mitch Ferguson (4), Wyatt Borso (3) and Luke Burton (2) have each scored multiple times while Nolan Spicer, Sylvester Ren, Diego Ochoa and Martin Vont Thun each found the back of the net once.
• Ten returning Irish players registered at least one point in their Notre Dame career, as the team returns 54 points from last year.
• Nine players that scored a goal during the 2024 campaign are back on this year’s team.
• Junior Jack Flanagan is the top returning goal scorer on the 2025 squad after firing in a career-high four goals during his sophomore campaign.
2025 CAPTAINS
• Mitch Ferguson and Wyatt Lewis will serve as the captains for this year’s Fighting Irish team and Blake Kelly will take on the role of assistant captain.
• Ferguson has appeared in 58 games over his Notre Dame career, scoring four goals and adding seven assists from the center back position.
• Lewis enters his third season with the Fighting Irish and has three goals and four assists as a holding midfielder.
• Kelly started 12 matches as a freshman in 2024, posting a record of 4-3-5 while recording 26 saves.
THE CHAD RILEY ERA
• McFarland Family Head Men’s Soccer Coach Chad Riley is in his eighth season in charge of the Notre Dame men’s soccer program in 2025.
• Riley became the first head coach in program history to lead the Fighting Irish to two College Cup appearances, coming during the 2021 and 2023 seasons.
• Notre Dame has captured both an ACC regular season and tournament title under his direction, both firsts in program history.
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NOTRE DAME HOCKEY
IRISH PAIR HIGHLIGHT PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN TEAMS
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Just over a week away from the start of the 2025-26 season, a pair of Irish icers have been tabbed to the Preseason All-Big Ten teams, as announced by the conference Thursday afternoon. Cole Knuble highlights the All-Big Ten First Team for Notre Dame following a breakout sophomore season while classmate Paul Fischer is a Second Team nod at the blueline.
Knuble was the program’s lone all-conference honoree a season ago, finishing his second campaign with the Blue and Gold as the team’s leading scorer with 39 points (12-27-39). Appearing in 34 games as a sophomore, the Grand Rapids, Michigan, native averaged 1.15 points per game which ranked sixth-best all-time. In addition to his postseason honors, Knuble was a 2025 Hobey Baker Memorial Award nominee and earned Big Ten First Star of the Week honors in mid-October 2024.
River Forest, Illinois, native Fischer set a career-best 21 points last season including a team-high 19 assists in his 36 games played. His 21 points also led all Irish defensemen and finished sixth among all Big Ten blueliners in both points and assists.
The Preseason All-Big Ten honors are a first for both Irish skaters as they prepare for their third season with the Irish and will serve as alternate captains this year.
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NOTRE DAME VOLLEYBALL
IRISH RETURN HOME TO OPEN ACC PLAY
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame volleyball team opens up Atlantic Coast Conference play this weekend inside Purcell Pavilion, hosting Syracuse Friday at 6:30 p.m. before a matchup against Boston College at 1:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Both matches will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
The Irish are coming off two hard-fought games against Michigan that completed their non-conference slate. Notre Dame posted wins over Santa Clara, Colorado State and East Texas A&M in non-conference competition.
Sophomore Morgan Gaerte continues to shine amongst the best in the nation offensively. The 2025 Preseason All-ACC selection is currently second in the ACC in kills per set (4.67) and points per set (5.17). She is also 16th nationally in both those categories and leads the team with six solo blocks.
The middle blocker duo of Anna Bjork and Grace Langer have anchored the front line for Notre Dame. Bjork leads the team with 32 total blocks while Langer is one behind at 31. The Irish in total have four players with at least 20 blocks (Chichi Nnaji – 24, Gaerte – 20). Notre Dame is 8th in the conference in blocks per set with 2.50.
History is on the Irish side for the weekend. Notre Dame is 30-10 all-time against Syracuse and 23-5 historically versus Boston College. Notre Dame is on a seven-game home win streak against the Orange and have won 10 of the last 11 meetings against the Eagles.
Notre Dame Volleyball will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a special night Friday against Syracuse. Fans can sign up pregame to win a pair of limited edition SOMOSND coffee mugs. Sunday’s match against Boston College will be the first of four posters in the season’s team poster series giveaway. Posters can be found near the main entrance, and post game autographs will be available after the game.
HISTORY VS. SYRACUSE
- This is the 41st meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Syracuse. The Irish lead the series 30-10
- Notre Dame has won six of the last seven matchups and have a seven-game home winning streak against Syracuse
- The Irish are 10-7 against the Orange since joining the ACC, but were 16-1 when both programs were in the Big East together
HISTORY VS. BOSTON COLLEGE
- This is the 29th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Boston College. The Irish lead the series 23-5
- Notre Dame has won 10 of the last 11 meetings against the Eagles and have a four-game winning streak at home
- Since joining the ACC, the Irish are 11-4 against Boston College. They were 9-1 against the Eagles when both programs were in the Big East together
THE GAERTE PARTY
- The All-ACC Preseason Selection broke the school record for kills in a match against Illinois with 34. Kathy Cunningham’s record of 33 kills had stood for over 37 years. Those 34 kills are tied for the most in a single match so far this season in the country with Racquel Frazier of Hampton.
- She is the just the third player in Irish history to have three consecutive games of 20 or more kills. She has 140 kills this season, just 45 off her total all of last season.
- Gaerte is second in the conference and is 16th nationally with 4.67 kills per set. In points per set, she is also second in the ACC and 16th in the country with 5.17
- The sophomore has had double-digit kills in every single match so far this season
FRESH FACES
- The Irish welcome five freshmen to the team, bringing the Irish to a roster size of 20.
- The freshman class consists of Maya Baker (S), Maya Evens (DS/L), Mae Kordas (OH/O), Chichi Nnaji (OH), Sophia Thornburg (OH).
- Baker, who was a two-time Max Preps All-American, leads the team with 148 assists and is tied for second on the team with 47 digs.
- The Irish pair a duo of former high school teammates in the incoming freshman class. Maya Evens and Mae Kordas both played together at Cathedral Catholic High School in Carlsbad, California. The duo was part of two Open State Championships (2022, 2024).
- Evens has played in every set for the Irish at libero and leads the team with 110 digs early in the season. She also has 31 assists.
- Chichi Nnaji and Sophia Thornburg were high school teammates in Dallas, Texas at the Ursuline Academy of Dallas. Thornburg was named to the Prep Volleyball Top 100 National List for the Class of 2025 while Nnaji spent time working with the USAV National Team Development Program.
- Nnaji has made an early impact in a short time. She is third on the team with 39 kills and has 24 total blocks for 51.5 points.
- The Irish added one player from the portal, outside hitter Sydney Helmers from Texas. She was a member of the 2023 National Champion team as a freshman for the Longhorns. The junior has 53 kills, 27 digs and is third on the team with seven service aces this season.
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IU INDY WOMEN’S SOCCER
WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM’S COMEBACK FALLS SHORT AGAINST RAIDERS
INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indianapolis women’s soccer team went down two goals in the opening half against Horizon League foe Wright State on Thursday (Sept. 25) before eventually drawing even. However, the visiting Raiders got the final tally and earned a 3-2 road win over the Jaguars. Junior Lindsey Castillo and freshman JoJo Murphy both tallied their first goals of the season in the defeat.
Wright State (6-5, 3-0 HL) won for a fifth time in six games while the Jaguars slid to 1-8-1 overall and 0-2 to open Horizon League play.
The Jaguars fell in a quick hole in the seventh minute when Samara Nunn centered a pass to Makenzie Chinn, who was able to turn on a defender and angle a shot past Sarah Bambrick. In the 32nd minute, a defensive miscue led to an easy score for Nunn, doubling the Raiders’ lead.
However, Castillo came up with a critical goal just before halftime. Freshman Maci Sammons sent a pass to Ella Green, who headed a pass to Castillo. Castillo capitalized, hitting a left-footed shot from long distance over WSU keeper Kiera Sarka for her fourth career goal. The score represented a major momentum shift for the Jaguars, after having scored just one goal in the previous five games combined.
“Honestly, we just needed to play our game, just be patient and move the ball through the midfield, talk, communicate and then make sure we played to feet and don’t force balls that don’t need to be forced,” Castillo said. “We just needed to relax.”
While the game slowed down for the Jaguars, the intensity ramped up. IU Indy pulled even in the 65th minute when Murphy flared a shot over Sarka after an assist from Caroline Kelley for her first career goal.
WSU found the winner in the 83rd minute when Ashley Vaughn had the finishing touch from in close, initially setup by Caitlin Burger’s corner kick.
IU Indy finished with 58 percent of the game’s possession but was outshot 18-15. Senior midfielder Emma Frey had a game-high four shot attempts and Castillo and Hannah Roberson had three apiece.
Bambrick closed with five saves in the loss.
The Jaguars will return to action on Sunday (Sept. 28) when they take on Cleveland State at 1:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
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IU INDY MEN’S SOCCER
IU INDY MEN’S SOCCER SET TO TRAVEL TO GREEN BAY
INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indy men’s soccer team will return to action on Saturday (Sept. 27) at 3:00 p.m. CT when the Jaguars head north to face Green Bay. The Jags came up short earlier this week against Milwaukee in a 1-0 loss and is now 1-1-0 in conference play, and their overall record stands at 4-3-2.
The Jaguars had a very strong attacking performance against Milwaukee. They outshot the Panthers 23-7, which is a season high for the team, and the sophomore forward Christian Nielsen led the team with six shots. They also had the advantage in corner kicks, 7-3. Nic Diana, Milwaukee goalkeeper, was strong in the net, registering eight saves.
Through nine games, senior midfielder Youri Keijser is the Jaguars’ point leader with two goals and three assists, totaling seven points. And behind Keijser is sophomore defender Stan Klaver, who leads the team with three goals. There are five Jags that have totaled over 650+ minutes, and junior forward Jose Antonio Herrera leads the team with 758 minutes played.
QUOTABLE
“But the problem is, the stats show that, if you look just at the stats, you would guess that we won the game. The problem is there’s also some lapses from us that lead to their goal. It was a very, very disappointing first five to 12 minutes, not just because of the goal we conceded, but I also think we didn’t set ourselves up for success. We didn’t do the things that we talked about doing, and then we’re chasing the game.” Head coach Sid van Druenen said.
SCOUTING GREEN BAY
Green Bay is 4-3 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. They began the season 0-2 with losses against Northern Illinois and ranked opponent #7 IU. Then went on a three-game win streak, all of which resulted in a 1-0 outcome. With one of those games being against a conference opponent, Northern Kentucky.
Through seven games, Keegan Walker leads the team in points with two goals and one assist, totaling five points. In both of their conference games, Walker was able to find the back of the net and scored the lone goal in the loss against Detroit Mercy. And right behind him is Chris Album with two goals, totaling four points. Four players on Green Bay have logged 520+ minutes of game time; Dubem Obilo leads the team with 630.
INSIDE THE SERIES
The Jaguars are 6-6-2 all-time against Green Bay. Last year’s match up resulted in a 0-2 loss.
UP NEXT
The Jaguars will travel to Robert Morris on Saturday (Sept. 27) at 3:00 PM in the North Athletic Complex and on ESPN+.
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BALL STATE VOLLEYBALL
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL OPENS #MACTION WITH SWEEP OF BUFFALO
BUFFALO, N.Y. – – The Ball State women’s volleyball team hit a season-high .430 (51-8-100) to open the 2025 Mid-American Conference season with a dominating 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-17) sweep of Buffalo Thursday evening at Alumni Arena.
Leading the charge for the Cardinals (5-8; 1-0 MAC) was sophomore outside Carson Tyler who blasted a match-high 18 kills and hit a blistering .485 (18-2-33). Tyler, who has reached double-digit kills in all 13 matches this season, also served up two of Ball State’s three aces and tallied five digs.
Not far behind on the offensive front was graduate outside Noelle VanOort who chipped in 12 kills and hit .440 (12-1-25). She fell just shy of her seventh double-double of the season with nine digs.
Junior Lindsey Green and freshman Reese Axness split the setting duties in the MAC opener, with 23 and 13 assists, respectively. Green added five digs, two kills and Ball State’s other ace, while Axness chipped in six digs.
Overall, seven different Cardinals earned at least two kills, while sophomore libero Sophie Ledbetter led all players with 12 digs.
The Bulls (3-7; 0-1 MAC) offense was paced by 15 kills from Emerson Matthews and nine from Manoela Forlin. The Ball State defense was able to limit the Buffalo offense to a .236 (43-17-110) attack percentage and allowed just two aces. Maddie Mitchell and Keira Kleidon tied for team-high honors with seven digs.
While Buffalo scored the opening point of the match, back-to-back kills from VanOort helped Ball State put together a 7-1 run to take early control of the match. Buffalo would manage to tie the score at 16 before a kill and ace from Tyler turned the tide. The Cardinals would go on to win the set 25-21, with the 20th point coming from junior middle Camryn Wise who went 4-for-4 in the set.
Wise would add a kill to open the second, as Ball State pulled ahead by six early at 11-5.The Cardinals would maintain a five-point edge at 20-15 off a Green kill, only to see Buffalo battle back to even the score at 22. With the score tied at 23, a Tyler kill gave BSU set point, while a Bulls attack error ended the frame.
Buffalo looked poised to get back in the match by scoring the first four points in the third. However, the Cardinals answered with a 7-2 run to claim a one-point edge at 7-6. With the score deadlocked at nine, one of junior middle Gwen Crull’s five kills on the night sparked a seven-point Ball State run. The Cardinals then cruised to victory, with VanOort depositing the match-winner.
The Ball State women’s volleyball team continues MAC play Friday with a 6 p.m. first serve at Akron.
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BALL STATE WOMEN’S SOCCER
EARLY SECOND HALF GOAL NOT ENOUGH FOR SOCCER IN SETBACK AT BUFFALO
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Ball State soccer team got an early second half goal by Delaney Caldwell but fell 2-1 at Buffalo on Thursday evening at UB Stadium.
The Cardinals (4-4-2, 1-2-1 Mid-American Conference) trailed 2-0 at halftime before Caldwell scored off an assist by Addie Chester in the second minute of the second period to get the visitors within one goal. The host Bulls (6-2-1, 2-1 MAC) faced six more shots in the half but prevented the Cardinals from knotting the score.
Caldwell’s goal was her third of the season and second in three games, while Chester’s assist was her fourth of the year. Both senior forwards took three shots, with two of Caldwell’s being on goal.
Buffalo scored in the 15th and 34th minute to build the two-goal edge going into the break. The hosts took 8 of their 11 shots in the opening period.
Kate Pallante made five saves in goal for the Cardinals in her first career game going the distance. Buffalo’s Lexie Thompson had one save on her way to being credited with the win.
Delaney Ahearn, Audrey Goodyear, LG Moncrief and Jordyn Klaasen played the full 90 minutes for Ball State.
Buffalo generated more corner kicks (4-2) on the day but was whistled for more fouls (15-6) and offsides violations (2-0).
The next match for the Cardinals is set for Thursday, Oct. 2 at Ohio.
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BALL STATE MEN’S TENNIS
MEN’S TENNIS BEGINS NEW ERA UNDER HEAD COACH GENE ORLANDO
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men’s tennis team will begin a new era this weekend as they compete in its first fall tournament under the direction of first-year head coach Gene Orlando. The Cardinals will participate in the James O’Connell Memorial Tournament this weekend which will take place at the Cincinnati Open in Mason, Ohio.
A total of nine teams including Ball State will be participating in the tournament along with Butler, Dayton, Forman, IU Indy, Lipscomb, Northern Kentucky, Tennessee Tech and Xavier.
The tournament begins at 9:30 am ET with 16 doubles matches followed by a 10:30 am ET first serve for 22 singles matches. At noon 10 more singles competitions will be played with the second round of matches beginning at 12:30 pm ET.
Ball State returns five players from last year’s squad, Jenson Bicanic, Broc Fletcher, Drew Hayward, Jacks Lancaster, and Anthony Shalakov along with welcoming five newcomers, Andrei Caragea, Nolan Hayward, Zack Kimelman, Jeremy Milette.
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BALL STATE FIELD HOCKEY
FIELD HOCKEY HOSTS CMU AND KENT STATE IN #MACTION THIS WEEKEND
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State field hockey team (3-6, 1-0 MAC) will look to remain undefeated in Mid-American Conference action this weekend when it hosts Central Michigan (4-3, 0-1 MAC) on Friday at 1 pm ET. BSU will then welcome Kent State (1-6, 0-1 MAC) on Sunday at noon. Both contests will be played at the Briner Sports Complex.
The last time the Cardinals and Chippewas collided was on CMU’s home turf on Oct. 11, 2024, when Ball State defeated Central Michigan by a score of 3-1. Graduate senior captain Grace Clokie scored a goal for BSU that game. Ball State has won its last six meetings over the Chippewas.
The last time Ball State defeated Kent State was Oct. 22, 2011, in Muncie by a score of 4-3. Since 2009 the Golden Flashes hold a 21-1 record against the Cardinals. Kent State won its last meeting over Ball State by a score of 1-0, Nov. 6, 2024, in Oxford, Ohio at the MAC Tournament.
The Cardinals opened league action last weekend with a 4-3 overtime victory over Longwood University. Clokie garnered the game-winning goal in the extra period for Ball State. Clokie now has two goals for the season and five for her career.
After this weekend, the Ball State field hockey team returns to the road for a 2 pm ET game at James Madison University. The Cardinals will also play at Richmond on Oct. 5 at 11 am ET.
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INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S SOCCER
SYCAMORES DRAW 1-1 WITH UIC AT MEMORIAL STADIUM
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State battled to a 1-1 draw with UIC on Thursday night at Memorial Stadium, as Kaitlynn Long netted the equalizer midway through the second half to secure a point for the Sycamores.
Indiana State created the first chance of the night in the 5th minute when Tori Angelo forced a team save with a shot to the bottom left corner. UIC responded in the 14th minute, as Riley Collet broke through with a right-footed finish to the bottom right corner to put the Flames ahead 1-0.
The Sycamores generated momentum after falling behind, earning four corner kicks in the next 15 minutes. Riley Mathews and Skylar Cano each placed shots on target during that stretch, but UIC goalkeeper Sara Sanabria turned both aside to preserve the lead at halftime.
Indiana State came out strong after the break, earning two shots in the first three minutes of the second half. Their pressure paid off at 69:47, when Long scored her second goal of the season with a right-footed strike to the top right corner off an assist from Addyson Warner. The Sycamores kept the intensity high in the closing stages, with efforts from Alex Lehnert, Lina Fasquelle, and Mackenzie Mills.
Indiana State outshot UIC 16-7 overall and held an 8-5 advantage in corner kicks. Goalkeeper Delaney Timmons collected three saves, including a crucial stop in the 87th minute to deny Rebecca Ruggiero.
How They Scored
14′ – UIC 1–0: Riley Collet opened the scoring with a right-footed shot to the bottom right corner.
70′ – Indiana State 1–1: Kaitlynn St. Long equalized with a right-footed finish to the top right corner, assisted by Addyson Warner.
News & Notes
Kaitlynn St. Long scored her second goal of the season and first since August against SMWC.
Addyson Warner tallied her first assist of the season.
The Sycamores outshot UIC 16-7, with eight attempts on target.
Up Next
Indiana State travels to Evansville on Sunday, September 28, for another MVC matchup against the Purple Aces. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.
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PURDUE FT. WAYNE VOLLEYBALL
PURDUE FORT WAYNE WVB OPENS HORIZON LEAGUE PLAY WITH ROBERT MORRIS
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne women’s volleyball team will play host to Robert Morris to open Horizon League play this weekend (Sept. 26-27).
Game Day Information
Who: Robert Morris Colonials
When: Friday, September 26 | 7 PM – Saturday, September 27 | 2 PM
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Gates Sports Center
Live Stats: Link
Watch: Friday only
Tickets: Friday | Saturday
Match Notes: Link
Attendance Challenge
The Purdue Fort Wayne or Indiana Fort Wayne student who attends the most Mastodon home athletics events this year will win an iPad at the end of the 2025-26 school year! Make sure to check in and get your QR code scanned at the game to start tracking your attendance.
Promotions
• Friday’s match is Educator Appreciation Night, with educators receiving a free ticket.
• Saturday night’s match is Alumni Day, where all Mastodon women’s volleyball alumni will receive a free ticket.
Know Your Foe
Robert Morris is 4-7 and is on a three-match winning streak, picking up Ws over Maryland Eastern Shore, Saint Francis (Pa.) and Buffalo. Jocelyn Jourdan is the team’s leader with 3.00 kills per set. Jasmine Purakal is one of the two reigning Horizon League Players of the Week after being named the Four Twelve Project Volleyball Invitational MVP.
Series History
The Mastodons have a 10-3 edge over Robert Morris in the series history, which dates back to 2006. The Mastodons are 6-0 against the Colonials in Fort Wayne.
Back for More
2024 Horizon League Freshman of the Year Riley Rosneck has the second-most points and second-most kills per set in the league this season with 4.06 points and 3.62 kills per set.
She Means Business
Haiden Means was selected to the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational All-Tournament team on September 20. Over three matches, she dished out 9.67 assists per set while adding 2.58 digs, 0.42 kills and 0.42 blocks per set.
When Life Gives You Plemons
Mya Plemons has a .369 hitting percentage this season, which is the best in the Horizon League and a top-100 mark in the country.
Last Time Out
Purdue Fort Wayne went 1-2 at the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational, topping Mercyhurst in a four-set match. Riley Rosneck had 19 kills in that contest.
Next Time Up
The Mastodons will continue Horizon League play with a quick trip to IU Indianapolis on Tuesday (Sept. 30) before welcoming Green Bay to the Gates Sports Center on Friday and Saturday (Oct. 3-4).
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PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S SOCCER
WOMEN’S SOCCER FALLS AT MILWAUKEE
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Purdue Fort Wayne women’s soccer team dropped their first Horizon League road match on Thursday (Sept. 25) at Milwaukee 5-0.
Milwaukee set the tone early, taking two shots on goal in the first 10 minutes.
Chloe Mariotti took the Mastodons’ first chance in the 23rd minute, a low roller at the keeper’s feet. Alexis Purdy took an attempt at the right corner of the net nearly 10 minutes later, the shot was saved by the keeper.
The Panthers broke the stalemate in the 32nd minute. After Jordan Imes rejected a shot on goal, Milwaukee fired in a shot from just outside the box to score on the rebound.
Purdue Fort Wayne trailed Milwaukee in shots 9-2 at the half.
The Panthers extended their lead just minutes after the break.
Lauren Klusek attempted to cut into the lead with the ‘Dons third shot on goal in the contest, but the chance was stopped by the keeper at the 60th minute.
Milwaukee was able to net three goals to finish out the match, scoring in the 64th, 74th and 84th minutes of the match.
The Panthers finished the match with a 29-3 lead over Purdue Fort Wayne in shots and 7-0 in corner kicks.
Purdue Fort Wayne falls to 1-8-1, 0-2-0 in Horizon League play, and Milwaukee jumps to 4-4-1, 3-0-0 in league contests. The Mastodons play their second match in a three game Horizon League road stretch, facing off against Green Bay on Sunday (Sept. 28).
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EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S SOCCER
ACES SUFFER FIRST CONFERENCE SETBACK AT SIU
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Despite scoring the first goal of the night, the University of Evansville women’s soccer team suffered their first MVC loss of the season on Thursday night, falling to SIU by a score of 2-1 in Carbondale.
Following a save by Allie Lammers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) in the sixth minute, Evansville threatened with a pair of corner kicks in the 17th and 18th minutes. After a shot by Emmy Brenner (Arlington, Tenn./St. Benedict at Auburndale) was blocked to earn a second corner, Brielle LaBerge (Cumming, Ga./Forsyth Central) delivered a perfect service to Taylor Wehrer (Las Vegas, Nev.), who headed a shot past the SIU keeper for the game’s first goal. The goal was Wehrer’s team-leading fourth of the season.
However, the Salukis were quick respond, netting the equalizer in the 20th minute.
In the 32nd minute, the Salukis threatened once again, but Lammers was able to deny a shot on goal with a diving save.
The score went into the half even at 1-1, but SIU quickly took the lead with a goal in the 53rd minute.
That goal proved to be the winner, as the Aces were unable to find a second goal and the Salukis walked away with a 2-1 win.
Wehrer led the way for Evansville in shots with four, as well as shots on goal with two. Lammers made four saves in goal.
With the loss, Evansville moves to 5-3-1 overall and 1-1 in MVC play. The Aces will be back in action on Sunday, hosting in-state rival Indiana State at Arad McCutchan Stadium. Kick-off is set for 6 PM.
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EVANSVILLE VOLLEYBALL
UE WELCOMES BRADLEY FOR MVC OPENER
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With the non-conference portion of the schedule complete the University of Evansville volleyball team opens its Missouri Valley Conference slate this weekend. UE welcomes Bradley to Meeks Family Fieldhouse on Friday before traveling to Southern Illinois on Saturday.
Recapping the Weekend
– Evansville dropped both ends of the home-and-home with USI in four sets
– Brooke Herdes paced UE with 16 kills in the home meeting while Hinsley Everett tallied 15 kills in the rematch across town
– Ainoah Cruz averaged 6.25 digs per set in the two matches
Top 15
– Ainoah Cruz averaged 6.25 digs in the series against USI to raise her season average to 5.08 per set
– Her average ranks second in the MVC and 13th in the nation
– Cruz eclipsed the 1,000-dig mark earlier this season against UAB and is on the cusp of moving into the top 10 in program history
– Her top performance of the season came against PFW where she recorded 31 digs
– Cruz had 29 in the road match at USI
Youth Movement
– Three freshmen lead the UE offense entering the MVC portion of the schedule
– Hinsley Everett paces the team with 2.53 kills per set while Brooke Herdes and Ryan Scheu hold marks of 2.41 and 2.25 kills/set, respectively
– Everett had a team-high 17 kills in the road match at USI while Herdes led the team with 16 kills in the home meeting
– Both had career-highs of 17 kills this season; Everett did so against MTSU while Herdes had 17 versus PFW
Near the Top
– Averaging 7.52 assists per set, Kora Ruff is currently second in the MVC
– Her season-high of 44 assists came against PFW while she had 41 on two occasions
– Last time out, Ruff had 41 assists and a season-high 19 digs at USI
– Ruff is 21st in the MVC with her average of 2.57 digs per frame
Scouting the Opposition
– Friday’s MVC opener will see the Aces take on Bradley
– The Braves enter Valley play with a 6-6 mark with recent wins coming against Central Michigan, Kansas City, and Austin Peay
– Tendai Titley leads the team with 2.70 kills per set
– SIU is 5-7 on the season following a 3-1 win over North Dakota State last weekend
– Annabelle Sulish is the top offensive force for the Salukis with 3.02 kills/set
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EVANSVILLE CROSS COUNTRY
CROSS COUNTRY PREPARES FOR GANS CREEK CLASSIC
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville men’s and women’s cross country teams return to the course tomorrow for the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Mo. The event, hosted by Missouri, features an 87-team field and will be broadcast live on SECN+, while live results can be fund here. The men’s field includes 14 Top 25 squads, while the women’s field features nine teams ranked inside the Top 25.
Eight Aces will compete in the men’s and women’s Black Invitational races, with the men’s race being an 8K and the women’s race being a 6K. The men’s race is set for 8:15 AM, with the women’s race scheduled for 10:30 AM. At 11:15 AM, three Aces will compete in the Open 8K race.
Evansville junior Samuel Lea (Worcester, United Kingdom/Worcester Sixth Form College) won the men’s 8K in dramatic fashion at the John McNichols Invitational last Saturday, helping his team to a fourth place finish. On the women’s side, the Aces finished fifth, led by sophomore Chase Hayes (Noblesville, Ind./Western), who finished 15th.
Lea won the men’s race with a time of 24:47.35, edging out Miami (Ohio)’s Chis Perkins by one second to take the title. The time marks a personal best for Lea and ties Nick Waniger (2006) for the ninth-best 8K time in program history. Rafael Rodriguez (Segovia, Spain/Colegio Claret) placed 24th with a time of 26:00.24, while Woody Burrell (Cedarburg, Wis. Cedarburg) finished closely behind in 28th place at 26:06.43. Tommaso Losma (Lombardia, Italy/Liceo Scientifico David Maria Turoldo, Zogno (Bg)) and Nathan Whitehead Vincennes, Ind./Vincennes) also finished inside the top 50 to help UE finish fourth in the 13-team field.
On the women’s side, Hayes paced the Aces for the third time this season, tying Nicole Prauchner (2023) for the 14th-best 6K time in program history and setting a new personal best at 22:29.93. Avery Stephens (Newburgh, Ind/Castle) was the next UE finisher, posting a time of 23:14.48 to place 27th. Freshman Kyleigh Wolf (Columbus, Ind./Columbus North) finished 33rd with a time of 23:33.07, while Evansville finished fifth in the 11-team field. y), Lauren Bradley (Russiaville, Ind./Western) and Veronica Wilgocki (Chesteron, Ind./Chesterton) secured top ten finishes as well with times of 19:55.1, 20:05.6, and 20:25.7 respectively.
On the men’s side, freshman James Cruse (Melbourne, Australia) won the collegiate race and finished second overall as the Aces’ top finisher with a time of 18:48.3. Cruse was named MVC Men’s Runner of the Week for his performance. Nathan Whitehead (Vincennes, Ind./South Knox) also placed in the top five, finishing fourth at 19:14.7. Tanner Spence (Carmi, Ill./Carmi) and Nathan Campbell (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North) also placed inside the top ten with times of 19:26.5 and 19:37.7, respectively. Evansville took the team title with a score of 26, a margin of victory of 47 ahead of the second place squad.
Friday’s meet will be hosted at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course (3350 E Gans Road Columbia, MO 65201).
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SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S SOCCER
POCHOCKI’S LATE GOAL PROPELS USI TO WIN OVER MOREHEAD STATE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer seized a 1-0 victory over Morehead State University Thursday night, as a late goal from sophomore forward Josie Pochocki lifted the Screaming Eagles to an Ohio Valley Conference win at Strassweg Field.
USI Women’s Soccer (4-5-2, 1-0-1 OVC) recorded three points in the OVC standings with the win while extending the team’s unbeaten streak to six matches. Morehead State (3-8-0, 1-1-0 OVC) suffered its first setback of the OVC season.
Pochocki’s game-winning goal in the 80th minute was the sophomore’s third tally of the season to tie for the team lead. Pochocki paced the Screaming Eagles Thursday night with four shots and three on goal. Redshirt sophomore forward Eva Boer was next with three shots and one on frame. Overall, USI outshot Morehead State 13-10, while the two sides matched with five shots on goal.
Redshirt junior goalkeeper and reigning OVC Goalkeeper of the Week Anna Markland gloved five saves Thursday night. Markland and the USI defensive unit posted their fifth shutout of the season.
The Screaming Eagles jumped out of the gates with some early chances, taking four shots in the first 12 minutes of the contest. Pochocki had two of the first four shots. Pochocki would make another attempt toward the goal nearly eight minutes later.
Morehead State challenged with a look in the 26th minute toward the low corner of the goal, but Markland dove and corralled the ball despite some slippery field conditions due to recent rain in the days leading up to Thursday’s contest. The two teams battled to a scoreless first half.
In the second half, USI produced many threatening opportunities off corner kicks. A corner kick in the 55th minute was flicked on toward goal by Boer, but it was saved.
Markland delivered a crucial save in the 67th minute when a one-touch shot was sent back to her left. Markland got a glove on it to direct it wide of the goal. The USI keeper would make another clutch diving save to her left before the 80th minute on a shot inside the box.
It was a minute later when the Screaming Eagles jumped onto the scoreboard. Freshman forward Haley Kocher led senior forward Emerson Grafton with a pass to the right of the box and toward the end line. Grafton crossed the ball to the far side of the six-yard box, which is where Pochocki volleyed the ball into the net for the game-winning goal.
USI nearly doubled the lead with a similar play from the opposite side of the attacking third, but the shot chance was saved. However, the Screaming Eagles ran out the clock to close out the 1-0 triumph and avenge the loss to Morehead State in the 2024 OVC Tournament quarterfinals.
USI Women’s Soccer concludes the back-to-back OVC homestand on Sunday at 1 p.m. when the Screaming Eagles host Southeast Missouri State University at Strassweg Field for Senior Day, as USI will recognize and celebrate its senior class before the game. Admission to Sunday’s match is free thanks to ProRehab. The contest against the Redhawks can also be seen with a subscription to ESPN+.
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VALPO WOMEN’S SOCCER
BEACONS, REDBIRDS BATTLE TO DRAW
It was a typical Missouri Valley Conference battle Thursday evening at Brown Field, and at the end of the day, the honors were even, as the Valpo soccer team played Illinois State to a 0-0 draw.
How It Happened
It was a struggle for control of the opening half. Illinois State had the better of the first 20 minutes or so before Valpo started to turn the field and get downhill on its attacks.
At the end of the opening 45, the two sides went into the locker room scoreless.
The second half was more of the same, as the teams tried to find a rhythm. Illinois State got more speculative late, recording nine shots in the final 15 minutes, but the Beacons were able to keep the Redbirds at bay.
Inside the Match
Thursday’s result capped a night in which four of the five MVC matches ended in draws. In all, six matches through two match days have been ties, meaning that the Beacons are just one point out of fourth place.
The draw was the third out of the last four meetings between the two programs.
It was Valpo’s first 0-0 draw since a similar tussle at Brown Field back on Sept. 28, 2023 against Missouri State. Notably, that was also the program’s conference home opener that season.
Senior Kate Sheridan (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) made four saves in the goal for the Beacons, including a nice stop while going to ground in the 88th minute, to record the second clean sheet of her collegiate career.
Four Valpo field players went the full 90 on Thursday, while five other starters saw at least 70 minutes of action as the Beacons used a season-low three substitutes.
Thoughts From Coach Marovich
“Tonight was a very prototypical MVC match – very tightly contested, physical, everything you would expect from a Valley competition. We would have loved to get three points, but at the same time, every single point is so valuable, so we’ll take it.”
“I thought our players rose up and stepped up to the moment in the match tonight. We had a lot of good performances in terms of individual defending and marking inside the area, which allowed us to come away with the clean sheet.”
“There’s a lot of positive takeaways from tonight — things that we did well that can be built on and progress as our group continues its growth.”
Next Up
Valpo (3-5-2, 0-1-1 MVC) makes the short trip to Chicago Sunday afternoon to face UIC. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. and can be seen live on ESPN+.
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UINDY FOOTBALL
GLVC HEAVYWEIGHTS DO BATTLE THIS WEEKEND
GAME 5
at Truman Bulldogs (2-2, 1-0 GLVC)
Saturday // September 27
2:30 p.m. ET // Kirksville, Mo.
The No. 1 and 2 teams in the GLVC Preseason Coaches Poll clash this Saturday when the Greyhounds travel to Kirksville, Mo., to battle the Bulldogs of Truman State University. UIndy owns an 11-1 all-time record versus Truman, including wins in each the last eight contests. With that said, the Hounds’ average margin of victory in the series is 11.0 points per game—lowest among all of UIndy’s GLVC opponents with at least three games of history.
Last September, UIndy outlasted the Bulldogs at Key Stadium, 41-34. Truman trailed by just four points early in the fourth and also had the ball, but the Greyhounds got a big stop and scored on the ensuing drive to help secure the “W”.
GAME NOTES: https://athletics.uindy.edu/documents/2025/9/25/GAME_5_at_Truman__web_.pdf
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MARIAN FOOTBALL
GAMEDAY GUIDE: NO. 19 MARIAN HOSTS NO. 5 INDIANA WESLEYAN IN TOP-20 NAIA SHOWDOWN
INDIANAPOLIS – Coming off a bye week, the No. 19 Marian football team is recharged and ready for their next opponent, as the Knights welcome No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan to campus for a top-20 NAIA showdown. The Knights and Wildcats kick off Saturday’s game exclusively on the ISC Sports Network at 1:05 p.m.
THE GAME
Marian enters the week 2-1 and is fresh off their bye, while Indiana Wesleyan is 3-1 overall, coming into the game off a narrow 28-27 victory against Olivet Nazarene. This is the Wildcat’s second road contest of the season, while Marian is playing their third home game of 2025. This will be Indiana Wesleyan’s second road game of the season, and its fourth MSFA-crossover game. For Marian, this is their third crossover game of the year.
The Knights have been on the wrong end of the series of late against Indiana Wesleyan, as Marian has lost four consecutive games, including last year’s 77-21 defeat. Indiana Wesleyan set a record for yards gained and points scored by an opponent against Marian in last year’s meeting. The Knights aim to break their losing skid in the series and ascend in the NAIA rankings, as they aim to carry off of efforts against Defiance.
Marian is among the NAIA’s best in sacks, ranking second in the nation in sacks with 18. The Knights were tied for the NAIA lead prior to their bye week, with Friends (Kan.) taking the mantle while Marian was idle. Both the Knights and Wildcats are among the top-15 in the NAIA in points scored per game, and are both top-25 in rushing yards per game.
MILESTONE TRACKER
Jake Reichard aims to be the 10th pass-catcher in program history to record his 100th catch this Saturday, needing seven receptions to join the program’s elite members. Reichard is currently 12th all-time in receptions, 12th all-time in touchdowns, and ninth all-time in receiving yards. The senior receiver has an opportunity to secure a top-10 ranking in program history for each category this Saturday.
RECORD SETTER
Deon Pettiford became Marian’s all-time leader in career tackles for loss last time out, recording his 39th career TFL in the win against Defiance. Pettiford passed Ryan Hartnett for the all-time record, and has a chance for more history this season, as he is fourth all-time in career sacks. The senior needs 1.5 sacks to tie Dillon Dittemore for No. 3 all-time at Marian University.
WATCH AND FOLLOW ALONG
Those fans unable to attend Saturday’s game can watch live on the ISC Sports Network, as Scott McCauley and Zach Graves have the call. All home games are televised with six camera angles, and single-game live stream passes cost $9.99. Fans can also purchase a season pass of Marian football at a discounted price on a per-game basis, running at $24.99. Passes for this weekend’s game can be purchased now, while the season pass is live. All home games of the 2025 season can be viewed with the season pass purchase. Live statistics will be available at marianstats.com, and updates of the game will be posted on the Marian Knights and Marian Football Instagram and X pages. Fans can follow at @MUKnights and @MarianUFootball.
TICKETS
Tickets for Saturday’s home-opening game are on sale now, with general admission ticket pricing starting at $10. Be sure to get your ticket ahead of the game to avoid lines entering the stadium.
TAILGATING
Tailgate spots are filling fast for this weekend. Be sure to grab your spot! For any questions, reach out to Nick Torres on the Marian advancement team. Cash parking is available for $10.
POSTGAME ATHLETIC EVENTS
Following the game, Marian’s women’s volleyball and women’s soccer programs take action against Goshen College! The volleyball match is the first home match in two weeks, and begins at 5:00 p.m. in the PE Center. The women’s soccer team will also play Goshen, and it is the Knights’ senior night. Senior festivities begin at 6:40 p.m., with the match to follow at 7:00 p.m.
Kickoff for this Saturday’s game against Indiana Wesleyan is set for 1:05 p.m.
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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. 26
1908 — Ed Reulbach of the Chicago Cubs became the only pitcher to throw two shutouts in a doubleheader, beating the Dodgers 5-0 and 3-0.
1926 — The St. Louis Browns beat the New York Yankees 6-1 and 6-2 in two hours and seven minutes. The first game took 55 minutes.
1952 — The New York Yankees clinched their fourth straight AL pennant with a 5-1, 11-inning win over the Philadelphia A’s.
1961 — Roger Maris tied Babe Ruth’s 34-year-old record with his 60th homer, off Baltimore’s Jack Fisher.
1981 — Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros became the first player to pitch five no-hitters, hurling a 5-0 victory over Los Angeles at the Astrodome.
1983 — Bob Forsch of the St. Louis Cardinals pitched the second no-hitter of his career by defeating Montreal 3-0.
1993 — Randy Johnson of the Seattle Mariners became the eighth pitcher to strike out 300 batters in a season with 13 strikeouts in 10 innings of a 3-2, 12-inning loss to Oakland.
1998 — Curt Schilling became the fifth pitcher to strike out 300 batters in consecutive seasons when he fanned Kevin Orie in the seventh inning of Philadelphia’s 4-3 loss to Florida in the first game of a doubleheader.
2000 — The Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 7-1 to clinch the NL East and win their record ninth straight division title.
2007 — The New York Yankees clinched their 13th straight postseason appearance, beating Tampa Bay 12-4.
2007 — Michael Young reached 200 hits for the fifth consecutive season with a pair of RBI singles among his three hits and Texas pounded the Los Angeles Angels 16-2. Young joined Wade Boggs and Ichiro Suzuki as the only players since 1940 with five consecutive 200-hit seasons.
2008 — The Tampa Bay Rays won their first AL East championship when the Boston Red Sox lost to the New York Yankees. They became the first team other than Boston and New York to win the division since Baltimore did it in 1997.
2008 — Seattle outfielder Ichiro Suzuki matched Lou Gehrig’s record with his eighth season of at least 200 hits and 100 runs. Suzuki scored his 100th run of the season in the third inning against Oakland. Gehrig reached the marks in 1927-28, 1930-32, 1934 and 1936-37.
2018 — Jacob deGrom was dominant, throwing eight stellar innings and leaving with a major league-best 1.70 ERA as the New York Mets blanked the Atlanta Braves 3-0. DeGrom (10-9) made his final regular-season start, striking out 10 and allowing just two singles against the NL East champions.
2018 — Colorado Rockies right-hander German Marquez started with eight straight strikeouts to match a modern-era big league record, and the Colorado Rockies routed the Philadelphia Phillies 14-0. By striking out his first eight batters, he tied a post-1900 mark set by Houston’s Jim Deshaies on Sept. 23, 1986, and equaled by the New York Mets’ Jacob deGrom on Sept. 15, 2014.
2019 — The Minnesota Twins become the first team to hit 300 home runs in a season.
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Sept. 27
1914 — Nap Lajoie of the Cleveland Naps collected his 3,000th hit in the opening game of a doubleheader, a 5-3 win over the New York Yankees at League Park II. Lajoie doubled off of Marty McHale for the milestone hit.
1923 — Lou Gehrig hit his first homer in the majors off Bill Piercy of the Boston Red Sox. On the same date 15 years later, he hit his 493rd and last off Dutch Leonard of the Senators.
1930 — Hack Wilson hit two home runs for the Chicago Cubs, giving him an NL-record 56 for the season.
1935 — The Chicago Cubs clinched the NL pennant and won their 21st consecutive game with a doubleheader sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs won the pennant with the opening-game victory.
1936 — Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston played in his only major league game as a late-inning substitute at first base for Johnny Mize of the St. Louis Cardinals. He made one error in two chances and struck out in his only at-bat.
1940 — Rookie Floyd Giebell pitched the Detroit Tigers to a pennant-clinching 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians. It was Giebell’s second and last major league win.
1967 — Philadelphia’s Jim Bunning tied the National League record with his fifth 1-0 loss of the season.
1968 — Bob Gibson of St. Louis pitched his 13th shutout of the season for a 1-0 win over the Houston Astros. Gibson (22-9) struck out 11, walked none and held the Astros to six singles.
1973 — The California Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 5-4 in 11 innings as Nolan Ryan struck out 16, including No. 383 of the season, a modern major league record.
1993 — Randy Myers became the first NL reliever with 50 saves in a season as the Chicago Cubs beat Los Angeles 7-3.
1996 — San Francisco’s Barry Bonds became the second player to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in a season. Jose Canseco was the other. Bonds, who had 42 homers, stole his 40th base in a 9-3 win over Colorado.
1998 — Mark McGwire gave baseball a new magic number, hitting two homers to reach No. 70 in the St. Louis Cardinals’ season finale against Montreal. It was McGwire’s fifth homer in the season-ending, three-game series. McGwire’s 70th and final home run of the season was a line shot over the left-field wall on a first-pitch fastball from Carl Pavano in the seventh.
1998 — The New York Yankees won their seventh straight game and ended their incredible regular season with 114 victories. With a .704 winning percentage, the Yankees (114-48) became the first team since the 1954 Cleveland Indians (111-43) to play .700 ball over an entire season.
2000 — Anaheim’s Darin Erstad was 4-for-5 with an RBI in a 9-7 loss to Oakland. Erstad with 99 RBIs, broke the major league record for RBIs in a season by a leadoff batter set by Boston’s Nomar Garciaparra (98) in 1997.
2005 — The Atlanta Braves clinched their 14th straight division title thanks to Philadelphia’s loss to the New York Mets. The Braves began their record-setting streak in 1991 — when they were in the NL West.
2012 — R.A. Dickey became the first knuckleballer to win 20 games in more than three decades, matching his career high with 13 strikeouts and leading the New York Mets to a 6-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
2017 — J.D. Martinez hit his 16th homer in September during a three-run rally in the ninth inning that lifted Arizona to a 4-3 win over San Francisco. Martinez tied Ralph Kiner’s 1949 NL record for home runs in September.
2017 — From worst to wild card, the Minnesota Twins completed a most remarkable reversal. A couple hours after losing 4-2 to Cleveland, the Twins earned an AL wild-card berth the Angels lost 6-4 in 10 innings to White Sox. A season after winning just 59 games, the Twins became the first team to lose at least 100 and then make the postseason the following year.
2020 — Major League Baseball concludes its abbreviated 2020 season, with the postseason field set as the Phillies and Giants are eliminated with losses today. For the first time, two postseason teams have sub-.500 records: the Astros who finish second in the AL West, and the Brewers, who limp into the final wild card slot in the NL, both with records of 29-31. Happiest are the Cardinals whose 5 – 2 win over the Brewers means they won’t need to play a make-up doubleheader against the Tigers today, their place in the postseason having been secured by finishing second in the NL Central.
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Sept. 28
1919 — In the shortest nine-inning game in major league history, 51 minutes, the New York Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-1.
1920 — A grand jury indicted eight members of the Chicago White Sox on charges of fixing the 1919 World Series in the “Black Sox Scandal.”
1938 — Gabby Hartnett hit his famous “Homer in the Gloamin’” in the ninth inning against Mace Brown to give the Chicago Cubs a 6-5 victory, their ninth straight, at Wrigley Field. It was a key triumph en route to the Cubs’ NL pennant.
1941 — Ted Williams went 6-for-8 in a doubleheader against the Philadelphia A’s to finish the season with a .406 average. No player has batted .400 since.
1951 — Allie Reynolds pitched his second no-hitter of the season as the New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox, 8-0, in the opener of a doubleheader. The Yankees clinched the AL pennant with an 11-3 victory in the nightcap.
1960 — Ted Williams homered in his final major league plate appearance, against Baltimore’s Jack Fisher. Williams did not take a curtain call, but he trotted out to left field in the ninth and was replaced immediately by Carroll Hardy and retired to a standing ovation. It was Williams’ 521st career home run. The Red Sox rallied for two runs in the ninth for a 5-4 victory.
1974 — Nolan Ryan pitched his third of seven career no-hitters, striking out 15 batters and beating the Minnesota Twins, 4-0, at Anaheim Stadium.
1975 — Vida Blue, Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad and Rollie Fingers of the Oakland A’s combined to no-hit the California Angels, 5-0, on the final day of the season.
1995 — Greg Harris of the Montreal Expos became the first pitcher in major league history to pitch with both hands. Harris faced four batters, two from his usual right side and two from the left, in the ninth inning of a 9-7 loss to Cincinnati.
1997 — San Diego’s Tony Gwynn tied Honus Wagner’s record by winning his eighth NL batting title. Gwynn finished at .372, becoming the first player to win four consecutive NL batting titles since Rogers Hornsby won six straight from 1920-25.
2001 — Alex Rodriguez of Texas hit his 50th homer in an 11-2 victory over Anaheim and became the 20th player to hit 50 homers in a season.
2006 — James Loney tied a franchise record with nine RBIs, including a grand slam and a two-run homer, to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 19-11 victory at Colorado.
2012 — Homer Bailey of the Cincinnati Reds threw the season’s seventh no-hitter, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0. The seven no-hitters matched the modern record (since 1900) for one season, tying 1990 and 1991. Pittsburgh (76-81) assured itself of a 20th consecutive non-winning season with the loss, extending its major North American professional sports record.
2016 — John Jaso hit for the cycle and drove in five runs in Pittsburgh’s 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
2017 — Giancarlo Stanton homered twice to become the first player to hit 59 in a season since 2001, and the Miami Marlins opened the last series of Jeffrey Loria’s tenure as owner by beating the Braves 7-1.
2022 — Aaron Judge ties one of the most hallowed records in baseball – the 61 home runs hit by Roger Maris in 1961, which still stands as the American League record six decades later. He takes Tim Mayza deep with a man on base in the 6th inning of a game at Rogers Centre, breaking a 3 – 3 tie to lead the Yankees to an 8 – 3 win. While three players have exceeded that total in the National League, all were active in the steroids era and their accomplishment has been tainted as a result – which is not the case for Judge.
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Sept. 29
1913 — Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators finished the season with 36 victories by virtue of a 1-0 decision over the Philadelphia A’s.
1915 — The Philadelphia Phillies clinched their first NL pennant, beating the Boston Braves, 5-0, behind Grover Alexander’s one-hitter.
1954 — Willie Mays made his famous over-the-shoulder catch of Vic Wertz’s long drive to center field and pinch-hitter Dusty Rhodes homered off Bob Lemon in the 10th inning to lead the New York Giants to a 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians in Game 1 of the World Series.
1963 — John Paciorek of the Houston Colt .45s, in his only major league appearance, went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and four runs scored against the New York Mets. A back injury ended his baseball career the next season.
1976 — John Montefusco of the San Francisco Giants pitched a 9-0 no-hitter over the Braves in Atlanta.
1983 — Mike Warren of the Oakland A’s pitched a no-hitter to beat the Chicago White Sox, 3-0.
1986 — Minnesota’s Bert Blyleven broke Robin Roberts’ 1956 record of 46 home run pitches in a season when he gave up a two-out, third-inning homer to Cleveland rookie Jay Bell. It was the first major league pitch Bell had seen. Despite giving up two more homers, Blyleven was the winner when the Twins rallied in the eighth for a 6-5 victory.
1986 — Chicago Cubs rookie Greg Maddux defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3 in the City of Brotherly Love. The losing pitcher was his brother, Mike, also a rookie. It was the first time brothers faced each other as rookie pitchers.
1996 — Brady Anderson of the Baltimore Orioles became the 14th player to reach the 50-homer mark in a 4-1 loss at Toronto. Anderson’s previous season high was 21.
2001 — Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki set the major league rookie record for hits in a season but the Mariners fell to Oakland 8-4. Suzuki got his 234th hit, breaking the previous rookie mark set by Shoeless Joe Jackson with Cleveland in 1911.
2004 — Major League Baseball announces that the Montreal Expos franchise will move to Washington D.C.
2011 — The Tampa Bay Rays clinched the AL wild card with a stunning rally, overcoming a late seven-run deficit and then beating the New York Yankees 8-7 on Evan Longoria’s home run in the 12th inning. The Rays’ win came four minutes after Boston blew a one-run lead in the ninth at Baltimore and lost 4-3. The Red Sox held a nine-game lead over the Rays in early September. Boston became the first team to miss the postseason after leading by as many as nine games for a playoff spot entering September.
2011 — Chris Carpenter and St. Louis completed one of the more remarkable comebacks in baseball history, clinching the NL wild card with an 8-0 win over Houston and a later loss by Atlanta. The Cardinals got their playoff spot when the Braves fell to Philadelphia 4-3 in 13 innings. St. Louis trailed Atlanta by 10 1/2 games on Aug. 25. The Cardinals won 23 of their last 31 games.
2013 — On the last day of the season, Miami’s Henderson Alvarez pitched one of baseball’s most bizarre no-hitters. Alvarez celebrated in the on-deck circle when the Marlins score on a two-out wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Detroit Tigers 1-0.
2017 — Rockies OF Charlie Blackmon set a new record for RBIs by a leadoff hitter, 101, with a two-run home run in the second inning.
2018 — The Yankees set a new record for home runs in a season with #265 hit by Gleyber Torres in the 5th inning against the Red Sox. It eclipses the mark set by the 1997 Seattle Mariners, but will be topped again next season.
2022 — Another day, another incredible performance by Shohei Ohtani. Today, he takes a no-hitter into the 8th inning before giving up a single to Conner Capel with two outs, on his way to winning his 15th of the year, 4 – 2 over the Athletics. The Angels’two-way superstar also shines at the plate, going 2 for 4 with an RBI and extending his hitting streak to 14 games – the longest in the majors at this time.
Sept. 30
1904 — Doc White of the Chicago White Sox pitched his fifth shutout in eighteen days, a 4-0 win over the New York Yankees.
1915 — The Boston Red Sox clinched the American League pennant when St. Louis beat Detroit 8-2, giving Boston a 2 1/2-game margin.
1916 — New York’s Rube Benton pitched a 4-0 one-hitter over the Boston Braves to give the Giants their record 26th straight win in the first game of a doubleheader.
1927 — Babe Ruth hit his 60th home run of the season in the eighth inning off Tom Zachary to lead the New York Yankees to a 4-2 victory over the Washington Senators.
1934 — Dizzy Dean beat the Cincinnati Reds, 9-0, for his 30th victory of the year as the St. Louis Cardinals clinched the NL pennant.
1934 — New York’s Babe Ruth played his final game as a Yankee, going 0 for 3 with a walk, in a 5-3 loss to the Washington Senators at Griffith Stadium.
1945 — Hank Greenberg’s grand slam in the top of the ninth inning gave the Detroit Tigers a 6-3 win over the St. Louis Browns and the American League pennant on the last day of the season.
1947 — In the first televised World Series, the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers, 5-3, in the opening game.
1951 — Jackie Robinson homered in the 14th inning to give the Brooklyn Dodgers a 9-8 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, tying the New York Giants for first place in the National League and forcing a playoff.
1962 — Willie Mays homered to give the San Francisco Giants a 2-1 victory over the Houston Colt 45s in the season’s final day. That, coupled with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 1-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, forced a playoff for the NL pennant.
1972 — Roberto Clemente doubled off Jon Matlack during Pittsburgh’s 5-0 victory over the New York Mets. The hit was the 3,000th and last for the Pirates star, who was killed in a plane crash during the offseason.
1984 — California’s Mike Witt tossed 97 pitches in a perfect game against the Texas Rangers, winning 1-0.
1988 — Dave Stieb of the Toronto Blue Jays lost a no-hit bid with two outs in the ninth for the second consecutive start and finished with a 4-0 one-hitter over the Baltimore Orioles.
1992 — George Brett became the 18th player to get 3,000 hits in the Kansas City Royals’ 4-0 win over the California Angels at Anaheim. Brett went 4-for-5 and got the milestone with a single in the seventh off rookie reliever Tim Fortugno.
2007 — The New York Mets missed the playoffs when Tom Glavine was tagged for seven runs during the first inning of a season-ending 8-1 loss to Florida. No major league team had owned a lead of seven games or more with 17 to play and failed to finish in first place. New York, which had that margin on Sept. 12, matched the largest lead blown in September.
2014 — The Kansas City Royals overcame a 7-3 lead to force extra innings and outlasted Oakland 9-8 in 12 innings in the AL Wild Card playoff. This was the first wild card game to go extra innings.
2017 — Detroit’s Andrew Romine became the fifth player in baseball history to play all nine positions in one game, helping the Tigers to a 3-2 win over Minnesota.
2022 — Pinch-hitting for Luis Torrens with two outs in the 9th, Cal Raleigh blasts a 406-foot homer against Domingo Acevedo to give Seattle a 2-1 win over Oakland and clinch a postseason spot for the first time since 2001 – the longest active drought in the majors.
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Oct. 1
1903 — The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Boston Red Sox 7-3 in the first World Series game. Jimmy Sebring hit the first series home run. Deacon Phillippe was the winning pitcher and Cy Young the loser.
1932 — Babe Ruth, as legend has it, called his home run against Chicago’s Charlie Root in the fifth inning of Game 3 of the World Series, won by the New York Yankees 7-5 at Wrigley Field. Ruth and Lou Gehrig each hit two homers for the Yankees.
1946 — For the first time in major league history, a playoff series to determine a league’s championship was played between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Cardinals won the first game 4-2, with Howie Pollet holding the Dodgers to two hits — a homer and RBI single by Howie Schultz.
1950 — The Philadelphia Phillies clinched the NL pennant with a 4-1 10-inning victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers on the season’s last day. Dick Sisler’s three-run homer off Don Newcombe in the top of the 10th inning came after outfielder Richie Ashburn saved the game in the ninth.
1961 — Roger Maris hit his 61st home run against Tracy Stallard of the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. The homer eclipsed Babe Ruth’s 34-year-old single-season home run record. The Yankees won 1-0.
1967 — The Boston Red Sox won the American League pennant with a 5-3 win over the Twins on the final day of the season. Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski went 4-for-4 and finished with 44 home runs, 121 RBIs and a .326 average to win the Triple Crown.
1973 — The New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 6-1 to win the National League East. It was the first game of a scheduled make-up doubleheader at Wrigley Field, a day after the regular season ended. The Mets, 11 1/2 games behind and in last place on Aug. 5, won their 82nd game, the lowest number of victories to win a title.
1978 — The Cleveland Indians beat the New York Yankees 9-2 on the last day of the season to force a one-game playoff between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox won their eighth straight game with a 5-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
1988 — Tony Gwynn went 2-for-3 to raise his league-leading batting average to .313 but hurt his hand in a 6-3 victory over the Houston Astros. Gwynn is the first NL batting champion to win the title with an average below .320. The previous low was Larry Doyle’s .320 in 1915.
2000 — Detroit’s Shane Halter became the fourth major leaguer to play all nine positions in a game. He capped his adventure by scoring the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Tigers over Minnesota 12-11.
2004 — Ichiro Suzuki set the major league record for hits in a season. He broke George Sisler’s 84-year-old mark with two early singles, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 8-3. Sisler set the hits record of 257 in 1920 with the St. Louis Browns over a 154-game schedule. Suzuki broke it in the Mariners’ 160th game.
2007 — Matt Holliday and the Colorado Rockies scored on Jamey Carroll’s shallow fly, capping a three-run rally in the 13th inning against Trevor Hoffman. He led the Rockies past the San Diego Padres 9-8 in a tiebreaker for the NL wild card.
2018 — Lorenzo Cain hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth inning, Christian Yelich had three more hits, sending the Milwaukee Brewers to their first NL Central title since 2011 by downing the Chicago Cubs 3-1 in a tiebreaker game. Yelich won the NL batting title with a .326 average. He fell one home run and one RBI short of what would’ve been the NL’s first Triple Crown since Joe Medwick in 1937.
2022 — The Dodgers become only the third team in the history of the National League (and seventh in the majors) to win 110 games in a season with a 6 – 4 win over the Rockies. Only the 1906 Cubs and 1909 Pirates have preceded them in the senior circuit.
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Oct. 2
1908 — Addie Joss of the Cleveland Indians pitched a perfect game, defeating the Chicago White Sox, 1-0.
1916 — Grover Alexander pitched a 2-0 three-hitter against the Boston Braves for his 16th shutout and 33rd victory of the season.
1920 — The only tripleheader in this century was played, with the Cincinnati Reds defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first two games. The Pirates won the nightcap, which was called after six innings because of darkness.
1938 — Bob Feller struck out 18 Detroit Tigers to set a single-game record that stood until Steve Carlton broke it in 1969.
1968 — Bob Gibson set a World Series record by striking out 17 Detroit Tigers in Game 1.
1978 — In a one-game playoff for the AL East title, Bucky Dent hit a three-run homer off Mike Torrez to lead the New York Yankees to a 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
1986 — Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets became the first pitcher in baseball to strike out 200 batters in each of his first three seasons as he fanned seven en route to an 8-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1991 — The Toronto Blue Jays clinched the American League East title and became the first team in sports history to draw four million fans in one season.
1995 — The Seattle Mariners, behind Randy Johnson’s three-hitter, beat California 9-1 in a one-game playoff for the AL West title.
2001 — Sammy Sosa, Chicago Cube, becomes the first player in MLB history to total 60 home runs in three seasons.
2005 — Roy Oswalt got his 20th win to lead the Houston Astros over the Chicago Cubs 6-4, clinching the NL wild-card berth and capping a historic comeback. Houston started the season 15-30 and became the first team since the 1914 Boston Braves to make the postseason after falling 15 games under .500.
2009 — B.J. Upton became the first player in Tampa Bay history to hit for the cycle. He went 5 for 5 with a career-high six RBIs in a 13-4 win over the New York Yankees.
2013 — Tampa Bay posted another must-have win on the road, beating the Cleveland Indians 4-0 in the AL wild-card game. The Rays playing in their third city over four days advanced to the best-of-five division series.
2016 — Baltimore’s Matt Wieters homered from both sides of the plate and Kevin Gausman gave the Orioles a clutch pitching performance to beat the New York Yankees 5-2 and snag a playoff spot on the final day of the regular season.
2018 — Tony Wolters hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the 13th inning, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in an epic NL wild-card game.
+++TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY+++
Sept. 26
1942 — Jockey Club stewards revoke Eddie Arcaro’s license for one year after his display of “rough riding” aboard odds-on favorite Occupation in the Cowdin Stakes on Sept. 19, in which he attempted to injure a fellow rider during the race.
1961 — New York Yankee Roger Maris ties Babe Ruth’s 34-year-old record with his 60th homer, off Jack Fisher of Baltimore.
1981 — Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros becomes the first player to pitch five no-hit, no-run games. This one is a 5-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Astrodome.
1981 — Kelvin Bryant of North Carolina rushes for 173 yards and scores four touchdowns in a 56-14 victory over Boston College, giving him 15 touchdowns over the last three games, an NCAA record.
1983 — Australia II wins America’s Cup yacht race to end the longest winning streak in sporting history. Australia II, skippered by John Bertrand, wins the title in the seventh and final race. Australia II crosses the finish line with a winning margin of 41 seconds over Liberty, which is skippered by Dennis Conner. The U.S. had successfully defended the cup over a period of 132 years, since the schooner America won it in a fleet race around England’s Isle of Wight in 1851.
1992 — Rocky Mountain’s Steve Thompson rushes for 405 yards and six touchdowns in a 42-36 overtime victory over Carroll College. The rushing total is the second highest in NAIA history.
1996 — SF Giant Barry Bonds is 2nd player to hit 40 HRs & steal 40 bases.
1998 — Prairie View A&M ends its NCAA-record 80-game losing streak by stopping a 2-point conversion in the final minute for a 14-12 victory over Langston. The victory is the Panthers’ first since Oct. 28, 1989, when they defeated Mississippi Valley 21-12.
2000 — At the Sydney Olympics, the U.S. softball team completes a stunning comeback by edging Japan 2-1 in extra innings to win its second straight gold medal.
2004 — Peyton Manning of Indianapolis passes for 393 yards and five first-half touchdowns in a 45-31 win over Green Bay. Manning has the most TD throws in one half since Tommy Kramer in 1986, and the most yards in a quarter, 247, since Boomer Esiason in 1996.
2004 — San Francisco’s 34-0 loss at Seattle ends a 420-game streak of not being blanked for the 49ers, an NFL record.
2010 — Christine Sinclair has two goals and Marta adds a goal and two assists as the FC Gold Pride beat the Philadelphia Independence 4-0 to win the Women’s Professional Soccer championship.
2010 — Seattle’s Leon Washington returns two kickoffs — 101 and 99 yards — for touchdowns in the Seahawks’ 27-20 win over San Diego.
2015 — Aaron Green catches a tipped pass in the back of the end zone with 23 seconds left and No. 3 TCU outlasts Texas Tech 55-52 in the Big 12 opener for both teams. On fourth-and-goal from the 4, Trevor Boykin throws four touchdown passes and finishes with a career-high 509 yards for TCU.
2015 — Sebastian Giovinco breaks the MLS single-season points record, assisting on two goals in Toronto FC’s 3-2 victory over the Chicago Fire to push his total to 35.
2017 — Sylvia Fowles grabs a WNBA Finals-record 17 rebounds and scores 13 points to lead the Minnesota Lynx to a 70-68 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks in Game 2, evening the series at one game apiece.
2021 — United States regains the Ryder Cup beating Team Europe 19-9 at Whistling Straits, Haven, Wisconsin.
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Sept. 27
1894 — Aqueduct Race Track opens its doors. The building is torn down in 1955 and the new Aqueduct reopens on Sept. 14, 1959.
1947 — Armed, then the world’s leading money-winning thoroughbred, meets 1946 Kentucky Derby winner Assault in the first $100,000 winner-take-all match race, held at Belmont Park. Armed earns an easy victory over Assault, who was not in peak racing condition.
1950 — Ezzard Charles wins a unanimous 15-round decision over Joe Louis at Yankee Stadium in New York to retain the world heavyweight title.
1973 — Nolan Ryan strikes out 16 in 11 innings, for record 383 of season.
1975 — Kansas quarterback Nolan Cromwell rushes for an NCAA record 294 yards in a 20-0 victory over Oregon State.
1987 — NFL players’ strike begins in the U.S.
1988 — American diver Greg Louganis wins the 10m platform gold medal at the Seoul Olympics; wraps up diving double after also taking out the 3m springboard gold.
1988 — Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson is disqualified from the Seoul Olympics 100m after his urine sample found to contain steroid stanozolol; American Carl Lewis awarded gold medal and world record 9.92.
1992 — World champion Nigel Mansell sets a single-season victory record, leading from start to finish in the Portuguese Grand Prix for his ninth win of the Formula One season.
1998 — Mark McGwire gives baseball a new magic number, hitting two homers to reach No. 70 in the St. Louis Cardinals’ season finale against Montreal. It’s McGwire’s fifth homer in the season-ending, three-game series. McGwire’s 70th and final home run of the season was a line shot over the left-field wall on a first-pitch fastball from Carl Pavano in the seventh.
2000 — The Women’s British Open is elevated to major championship status on the LPGA Tour, replacing the du Maurier Classic. The other majors are the Nabisco Championship, the LPGA Championship and the U.S. Open.
2000 — United States baseball team, managed by Tommy Lasorda, wins Olympic Gold Medal in Sydney, Australia.
2003 — B.J. Symons of Texas Tech throws for 661 yards — a school and Big 12 record — and six touchdowns, in the Red Raiders’ 49-45 win over Mississippi.
2009 — Japan’s Kimiko Date Krumm becomes the oldest winner of a WTA Tour tournament since Billie Jean King in 1983. Date Krumm, who turns 39 on Sept. 28, beats second-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-3 for the Korea Open title. King was 39 years, 7 months, 23 days when she won at Birmingham, England.
2009 — With rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford leading the way, Detroit ends a 19-game losing streak with a 19-14 victory over the Washington Redskins. The Lions had not won since Dec. 23, 2007, and their skid matched the second longest in NFL history.
2009 — New England beats Atlanta 26-10 for the 16th straight regular-season victory of the NFC. It’s the longest steak any team has posted against the opposite conference since the 1970 merger.
2014 — Watson Brown becomes the first head coach in NCAA history to lose 200 games when Tennessee Tech dropped a 50-7 decision to Northern Iowa. Amos Alonzo Stagg had held the record since 1946, going 314-199-35 in 57 seasons. Brown is 128-200-1 in 30 seasons as head coach.
2018 — Jared Goff passes for career highs of 465 yards and five touchdowns, winning a scintillating duel with his Minnesota counterpart Kirk Cousins and leading the unbeaten Los Angeles Rams to a 38-31 victory over the Vikings. Cousins passes for 422 yards and three touchdowns.
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Sept. 28
1920 — A Chicago grand jury indicts eight members of the Chicago White Sox on charges of fixing the 1919 World Series, known as the “Black Sox Scandal.” White Sox owner Charles Comiskey immediately suspends the eight players.
1940 — Bud Brennan, a spectator at Memorial Stadium, races out of the stands and attempts to tackle Michigan’s Tom Harmon at the 3-yard line. Harmon easily evades Brennan and completes an 86-yard touchdown run, his third return for a touchdown, in a 41-0 rout of California.
1941 — Ted Williams ends the season with a .406 batting average.
1951 — Norm Van Brocklin of Los Angeles throws for an NFL-record 554 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Rams to a 54-14 rout of the New York Yankees. Elroy Hirsch catches four of the touchdown passes and finishes with 173 yards receiving and teammate Tom Fears has 162 yards receiving.
1964 — Australia beats the Unites States 3-2 to win the Davis Cup, the first time it’s played on clay courts.
1968 — The Atlanta Chiefs beat the San Diego Toros 3-0 to win the first NASL championship.
1969 — Minnesota’s Joe Kapp throws for 449 yards and ties an NFL record with seven touchdown passes to give the Vikings a 52-14 victory over the Baltimore Colts.
1976 — Muhammad Ali wins a unanimous 15-round decision over Ken Norton at Yankee Stadium in New York to retain his world heavyweight title.
1979 — Larry Holmes knocks out Earnie Shavers in the 11th round at Las Vegas to retain his WBC heavyweight title.
1985 — Tight end Brian Foster of Rhode Island catches 18 passes for 327 yards to set an NCAA record in a 32-27 loss Brown.
1996 — Troy Davis of Iowa State rushes for 378 yards, the third highest total in major-college history, to lead the Cyclones past Missouri 45-31.
1997 — Wendy Ward records the lowest total in relation to par in the 47-year history of the LPGA tour for her first victory. Ward’s 23-under 265 gives her a two-shot victory in the Fieldcrest Cannon Classic. Ward, who made just one bogey all week, closes with 13 consecutive pars to match Kelly Robbins’ LPGA record for the lowest 72-hole total.
2000 — Tampa Bay forward Gordie Dwyer is suspended for 23 games by the NHL for manhandling two officials in attempts to fight opponents during an exhibition game on Sept. 19 against Washington.
2008 — Brett Favre throws a career-high and Jets-record six touchdown passes, three to Laveranues Coles, and New York takes advantage of mistakes by Arizona in a big second quarter of a 56-35 victory. Kurt Warner completes 40 of 57 passes for 472 yards and two TDs for Arizona.
2012 — Homer Bailey of the Cincinnati Reds throws the season’s seventh no-hitter, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0. The seven no-hitters match the modern record (since 1900) for one season, tying 1990 and 1991.
2017 — Sam Saunders, Arnold Palmer’s grandson, shoots a 12-under 59 in the first round of the Web.com Tour Championship. Saunders closes with six straight birdies at Atlantic Beach Country Club for the seventh sub-60 round in Web.com Tour history. Stephan Jaeger set the tour record of 58 last year in the Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae in Hayward, California. Saunders has 13 birdies and a bogey.
2018 — Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo accused of rape in 2009 in US lawsuit filed in Nevada; case dismissed based on improper breach of attorney-client privileged communications.
2020 — Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley Cup for the second time with a 4-2 series win over the Dallas Stars in Edmonton, Alberta.
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Sept. 29
1920 — Yankees slugger Babe Ruth sets then-MLB home run season record at 54.
1923 — Gene Sarazen beats Walter Hagen 1 up to capture the PGA championship.
1941 — Joe Louis knocks out Lou Nova in the sixth round at the Polo Grounds in New York to retain the world heavyweight title.
1954 — Willie Mays makes his over-the-shoulder catch of Vic Wertz’ long drive to center field and pinch-hitter Dusty Rhodes homers off Bob Lemon in the 10th inning to lead the New York Giants to a 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians in Game 1 of the World Series.
1967 — American boxer Emile Griffith regains his world middleweight crown on points in a brawling re-match with Italian Nino Benvenuti at Shea Stadium, NY; second of famous trilogy of fights.
1974 — Dr. Norbert Sander Jr. wins the New York City Marathon in 2:26:30 and Kathy Switzer capture the women’s division in 3:07:29.
1976 — Tommy Lasorda replaces Walter Alston as Los Angeles Dodgers manager.
1977 — Muhammad Ali wins a unanimous 15-round decision over Earnie Shavers at Madison Square Garden in New York to retain his world heavyweight title.
1984 — Mike Prindle of Western Michigan sets an NCAA record by kicking seven field goals in a 42-7 rout over Marshall.
1985 — Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon is sacked 12 times in a 17-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys to tie an NFL record.
1988 — American athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee wins her second gold medal of the Seoul Olympics by taking the long jump with an Olympic record leap of 7.40m; previously won the heptathlon.
1988 — American sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner sets women’s 200m world record 21.34; completes sprint double at the Seoul Olympics.
1988 — U.S. men’s basketball team beats Australia 78-49 to take the bronze medal at the Seoul Olympics; last time US represented by a team that doesn’t feature NBA players.
1988 — U.S. retain women’s basketball title at he Seoul Olympics with a 77-70 win over Yugoslavia; star guard Teresa Edwards top scores for the Americans with 18 points.
1991 — Pat Bradley wins the MBS LPGA Classic by one shot over Michelle Estill for her 30th career victory, qualifying her for the LPGA Hall of Fame.
1995 — The NHL and NHL Players Association strike a deal to allow league players to participate in the 1998 Winter Olympics.
2000 — At the Sydney Olympics, the U.S. men’s basketball team escapes the humiliation of playing for a bronze medal with an 85-83 victory over Lithuania in the semifinals. It’s the closest victory and biggest scare for a U.S. Olympic team since NBA players started competing in 1992.
2002 — After losing to Iowa State, Nebraska drops out of the Associated Press Top 25 football poll after being ranked for 348 consecutive weeks. The last time Nebraska was missing from the poll was Oct. 5, 1981.
2002 — Seattle’s Shaun Alexander scores an NFL-record five touchdowns in the first half of a 48-23 rout of Minnesota. He finishes with 139 yards rushing and 92 receiving and one TD short of the league mark of six in a game.
2004 — Major League Baseball announces the Montreal Expos will move to Washington to begin play at RFK Stadium in the 2005 season.
2012 — Geno Smith throws for 656 yards and ties a Big 12 record with eight touchdown passes to lead No. 9 West Virginia to a 70-63 win over No. 25 Baylor. Smith outduels Baylor’s Nick Florence, who has a standout game of his own with 581 yards and five TDs. Baylor’s Terrance Williams sets a Big 12 record with 314 yards receiving. The old mark was set minutes earlier by West Virginia’s Stedman Bailey, who had 303 yards and five TDs.
2015 — NCAA bans the SMU men’s basketball team from the postseason and suspends coach Larry Brown for nine games, saying he lied to investigators and ignored a case of academic fraud by a player.
2018 — Seventeen-year-old Hailie Deegan uses a bump-and-run on her teammate to become the first female winner of a NASCAR K&N West Series race. Her last-lap shove of Cole Rouse at Meridian Speedway in Idaho gives her the victory.
2020 — Ben Ainslie wins the Olympic gold medal in the Laser class, beating previous Laser Olympic champion Robert Scheidt.
Sept. 30
1916 — The Boston Braves snap the 26-game winning streak of the New York Giants with an 8-3 victory in the second game of a doubleheader.
1927 — Babe Ruth hits his 60th home run of the season in the eighth inning off Tom Zachary to lead the New York Yankees to a 4-2 victory over the Washington Senators.
1939 — Fordham participates in the world’s first televised American football game. In front of the sport’s first live TV audience, the Rams defeats Waynesburg College, 34-7.
1972 — Roberto Clemente hits a double against New York Mets left-hander Jon Matlack during Pittsburgh’s 5-0 victory at Three Rivers Stadium. The hit is the 3,000th and last for the Pirates’ star, who dies in a plane crash during the offseason.
1984 — The Los Angeles Rams set an NFL record with three safeties in a 33-12 victory over the New York Giants. Two of the safeties are on blocked punts in the end zone.
1992 — George Brett becomes the 18th player to get 3,000 hits in the Kansas City Royals’ 4-0 win over the California Angels.
1995 — Prairie View A&M sets the college football record for consecutive losses with a 64-0 loss to Grambling State. It is the team’s 51st straight defeat, an NCAA record for any level.
2007 — Osi Umenyiora has six of the New York Giants’ NFL record-tying 12 sacks in a 16-3 victory over Philadelphia.
2007 — Detroit scores an NFL-record, 34 points in the fourth quarter of a 37-27 victory over Chicago. The Lions combine with Bears for 48 points — also a league record.
2007 — Brett Favre passes Dan Marino to become the NFL leader in career touchdown passes, throwing Nos. 421 and 422 in Green Bay’s 23-16 victory over Minnesota.
2007 — Germany defeats Brazil 2-0 in the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup held in Shanghai, China.
2012 — New England beats Buffalo 52-28 to become the first team since the 1950 New York Giants (48 points) to score at least 45 second-half points in a game in which it trailed at halftime (14-7). The Patriots become the second team in NFL history with a 300-yard passer (Tom Brady, 340 Yards), two 100-yard rushers (Brandon Bolden, 137 and Steven Ridley, 106) and two 100-yard receivers (Wes Welker, 129 and Rob Gronkowski, 104). The only other team to accomplish the feat was the 2008 Packers on December 28.
2015 — The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agrees that the NCAA’s use of college athletes’ names, images and likenesses in video games and TV broadcasts violate antitrust laws but strikes down a plan to allow schools to pay players up to $5,000.
2017 — Troy’s defense forces four turnovers and the surging Trojans upset No. 25 LSU 24-21. Troy is the first team from outside the Southeastern Conference to win in LSU’s Death Valley since UAB in 2000.
2017 — Detroit’s Andrew Romine becomes the fifth player in baseball history to play all nine positions in one game, helping the Tigers to a 3-2 win over Minnesota.
2018 — The Ryder Cup is won by Europe 17½-10½ at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines, France. The home team secures the victory when Phil Mickelson knocks one in the water at the par-3 16th hole, conceding his match to Francesco Molinari right on the tee box. Molinari becomes the first European player to go 5-0 in the competition since the current format was adapted in 1979. Tiger Woods loses all four of his matches, capped by a 2-and-1 loss to 23-year-old Jon Rahm of Spain, the youngest player in the event.
2018 — Brittney Griner scores 15 points to help the United States beat Australia 73-56 and win the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
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Oct. 1
1903 — The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Boston Pilgrims 7-3 in the first World Series game. Jimmy Sebring hits the first Series homer, Deacon Phillippe is the winning pitcher and Cy Young the loser.
1932 — Babe Ruth made his legendary “call” as he points to center field before hitting a home run into the Wrigley Field bleachers in the 5th inning of Game 3 of the World Series. Yankees go on to win, 7-5.
1945 — World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis is discharged from US army after being awarded the Legion of Merit.
1961 — Roger Maris hits his 61st home run of the season, against Tracy Stallard of the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. The blow gives New York a 1-0 victory and eclipses Babe Ruth’s 34-year-old single-season home run record.
1967 — Richard Petty continues phenomenal NASCAR winning streak by taking the Wilkes 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway; unprecedented 10th consecutive victory.
1975 — In the “Thrilla in Manila,” Muhammad Ali beats Joe Frazier in 14 rounds to retain his world heavyweight title.
1977 — 75,646 fans come to the Meadowlands to see soccer great Pele play his farewell game. Pele plays the first half with the New York Cosmos and the second half with his former team, Santos of Brazil.
1988 — Flamboyant American sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner wins her third gold medal of the Seoul Olympics anchoring the victorious US 4 x 100m relay team.
1988 — Steffi Graf beats Gabriela Sabatini 6-3, 6-3 to win the women’s singles tennis gold medal at the Seoul Olympics; clinches first and only Golden Slam in history (Grand Slam & Olympics).
1993 — In his first World Boxing Council heavyweight title defense Lennox Lewis beats fellow Londoner Frank Bruno by TKO in 7 at the National Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
1997 — Kevin Garnett agrees to terms with the Minnesota Timberwolves on the richest long-term contract in professional sports history, a six-year deal worth more than $125 million.
1999 — In a blockbuster NBA trade, the Houston Rockets move All Star forward Scottie Pippen to Portland Trail Blazers for Kelvin Cato, Stacey Augmon, Walt Williams, Carlos Rogers, Ed Gray and Brian Shaw.
2000 — NBA stars Ray Allen and Vince Carter each score 13 points as the U.S. beats France 85-75 to win the men’s basketball gold medal at the Sydney Olympics.
2000 — United States wins the most medals (97), and the most gold medals (40) in Summer Olympics held in Sydney, Australia.
2004 — Ichiro Suzuki sets the major league record for hits in a season, breaking George Sisler’s 84-year-old mark with a pair of early singles as the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 8-3. Sisler set the hits record of 257 in 1920 with the St. Louis Browns over a 154-game schedule. Suzuki breaks it in the Mariners’ 160th game of the year.
2006 — Tiger Woods matches his longest PGA Tour winning streak of six at the American Express Championship. Woods finishes with a 4-under 67 for an eight-shot victory. It’s also his eighth victory of the year, making him the first player in PGA Tour history to win at least eight times in three seasons.
2011 — Tyler Wilson throws for a school-record 510 yards and Jarius Wright catches 13 passes for a school-record 281 yards as Arkansas turns an 18-point halftime deficit into a 42-38 victory over Texas A&M.
2017 — Frankie Dettori wins an unprecedented fifth Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as Enable caps a memorable season. Enable, the 10-11 favorite, leads for most of Europe’s richest horse race to claim her fifth consecutive victory after wins in the Epsom Oaks, the Irish Oaks, the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Yorkshire Oaks. The filly wins by 2 1/2 lengths over Cloth Of Stars.
2017 — Houston’s Deshaun Watson becomes the first rookie to throw four touchdowns and run for another one, since Fran Tarkenton in 1961 and tied an NFL record for most TDs by a rookie quarterback in Houston’s 57-14 victory.
2017 — Todd Gurley scores the go-ahead touchdown on a 53-yard catch-and-run, and Greg Zuerlein kicks a career-high seven field goals to lead the Los Angeles Rams to a 35-30 win over Dallas.
2017 — Former NFL star O.J. Simpson is released from Nevada’s Lovelock Prison after less than 9 years of detention of his 33 year sentence for armed robbery and kidnapping.
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Oct. 2
1906 — Canadian world heavyweight boxing champion Tommy Burns KOs American challenger ‘Fireman’ Jim Flynn in 15 rounds to retain his title in Los Angeles, California.
1950 — Jim Hardy throws six touchdown passes, including five to Bob Shaw, as the Chicago Cardinals pound the Baltimore Colts 55-13.
1969 — Seattle Pilots’ last game in Seattle; crash to 98th season loss, 3-1 to Oakland in front of just 5,473; move to Milwaukee as the Brewers next season.
1970 — Fourteen members of the Wichita State football team are killed in a plane crash in the Rocky Mountains.
1980 — Larry Holmes registers a technical knockout in the 11th round against Muhammad Ali to win the world heavyweight title in Las Vegas.
1983 — The Green Bay Packers score 49 points in the first half, including 35 in the second quarter, in a 55-14 rout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
1988 — Future world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis, representing Canada, wins super-heavyweight gold medal at the Seoul Olympics; beats American Riddick Bowe by 2nd round TKO.
1991 — Steffi Graf becomes the youngest woman to win 500 matches as a professional when she beats Petra Langrova of Czechoslovakia 6-0, 6-1 in the Leipzig International Tournament.
1993 — In the first all-British world heavyweight title fight, Lennox Lewis retains his WBC heavyweight title with a seven-round knockout of Frank Bruno in Cardiff, Wales.
1993 — California rallies from a 30-0 deficit to beat Oregon 42-41. Dave Barr throws three second-half touchdowns, including a 26-yarder to Iheanyi Uwaezuoke with 1:17 left in the game.
1994 — North Carolina’s 92-game winning streak in women’s soccer ends with a scoreless tie in overtime against Notre Dame.
1994 — Don Shula’s Miami Dolphins beat son Dave’s Cincinnati Bengals 23-7 in the first meeting between father and son coaches in professional sports.
2001 — Sammy Sosa becomes the first player in major league history with three 60-homer seasons, but the Reds hold on for a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Sosa’s solo shot comes in the first inning.
2004 — Rice and San Jose State play in the highest-scoring regulation game in Division I-A history, with the Spartans winning 70-63. The 133 points surpass the total from Middle Tennessee’s 70-58 victory over Idaho on Oct. 6, 2001. The schools combine for 19 touchdowns to break the Division I-A record of 18.
2004 — Jeff Kent becomes all-time home run leader for MLB 2nd basemen when he hits 2 in Astros’ 9-3 win v Rockies; 302 overall HR to break Ryne Sandberg’s major league record established in 1997.
2004 — Montreal Expos earn the last win in the franchise’s MLB history, beating New York Mets, 6 – 3 at Shea Stadium; Brad Wilkerson hits the Expos’ final home run in 9th inning, his 32nd of the year.
2006 — Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is given a five-game suspension — the longest for on-field behavior in NFL history — for stomping on Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode’s head and kicking him in the face.
2009 — Ninth-grader Alexis Thompson shoots a 3-under 69 for a share of the lead with top-ranked Lorena Ochoa and three others after the second round of the Navistar LPGA Classic.
2011 — Dallas has its largest lead blown in a loss in franchise history, frittering away a 24-point third-quarter cushion in a 34-30 loss to Detroit. The Lions turned a 20-point halftime deficit into an overtime win at Minnesota the previous week.
2016 — The United States win the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2008. Ryan Moore two-putts on No. 18 for a 1-up victory over Lee Westwood, giving the Americans a 15-10 lead that seals the win over Europe. The 17-11 victory over Europe is their biggest rout in 35 years at the Ryder Cup.
2016 — Atlanta’s Matt Ryan passes for 503 yards and four touchdowns, while wide receiver Julio Jones has 12 catches for 300 yards and a touchdown in Atlanta’s 48-33 win over Carolina.
2016 — Veteran broadcaster Vin Scully called his final LA Dodgers game after a record 67 MLB Seasons.
_____
+++TV SPORTS+++
(All times Eastern)
Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts
Friday, Sept. 26
AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL (MEN’S)
12:30 a.m. (Saturday)
FS2 — AFL Postseason:: TBD
AUTO RACING
8 p.m.
FS1 — ARCA Menards Series: The Reese’s 150 at Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
1:55 a.m. (Saturday)
FS1 — FIM MotoGP: The Motul Grand Prix of Japan – Sprint Race, Motegi, Japan
COLLEGE FIELD HOCKEY
4 p.m.
BTN — Michigan St. at Penn St.
6 p.m.
ACCN — Duke at Syracuse
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
7 p.m.
ESPN — Florida St. at Virginia
9 p.m.
FOX — TCU at Arizona St.
10:30 p.m.
ESPN — Houston at Oregon St.
COLLEGE SOCCER (MEN’S)
6 p.m.
BTN — Michigan St. at Michigan
ESPNU — Clemson at Wake Forest
7:30 p.m.
ACCN — NC State at Pittsburgh
8 p.m.
BTN — UCLA at Indiana
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN’S)
7 p.m.
SECN — Alabama at Auburn
8 p.m.
ESPNU — Arizona St. at Kansas
GOLF
7 a.m.
USA — 2025 Ryder Cup: U.S. vs. Europe – Day 1, Bethpage Black Course, Farmingdale, N.Y.
HORSE RACING
1 p.m.
FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races
MLB BASEBALL
2 p.m.
MLBN — St. Louis at Chicago Cubs (2:20 p.m.)
7 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: Baltimore at N.Y. Yankees (7:05 p.m.) OR Tampa Bay at Toronto (7:05 p.m.)
7:10 p.m.
APPLE TV+ — Detroit at Boston
11 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: L.A. Dodgers at Seattle (9:40 p.m.) OR Arizona at San Diego (9:40 p.m.)
NHL HOCKEY
7 p.m.
NHLN — Preseason: Detroit at Pittsburgh
10 p.m.
NHLN — Preseason: Seattle at Vancouver
RUGBY (MEN’S)
6 a.m.
FS2 — NRL Postseason: TBD
6 a.m. (Sunday)
FS2 — NRL Postseason: TBD
SOCCER (MEN’S)
2 p.m.
ESPN2 — Bundesliga: SV Werder Bremen at Bayern Munich
8:55 p.m.
FS2 — Liga MX: Leon Club Leon at Juarez
TENNIS
6 a.m.
TENNIS — Beijing-ATP 1st Round, WTA 2nd Round
11 p.m.
TENNIS — Beijing-ATP/WTA 2nd Round
6 a.m. (Saturday)
TENNIS — Beijing-ATP/WTA 2nd Round
WNBA BASKETBALL
7:30 p.m.
ESPN2 — Playoffs: TBD, Semifinal – Game 3
9:30 p.m.
ESPN2 — Playoffs: TBD, Semifinal – Game 3
_____
Saturday, Sept. 27
AUTO RACING
1 p.m.
TRUTV — NASCAR Cup Series: Practice, Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
2:10 p.m.
TRUTV — NASCAR Cup Series: Qualifying, Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
4 p.m.
CW — NASCAR Xfinity Series: The Kansas Lottery 300, Playoffs – Round of 12, Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
12:30 a.m. (Sunday)
FS1 — FIM MotoGP: The Motul Grand Prix of Japan, Motegi, Japan
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Noon
ABC — Notre Dame at Arkansas
ACCN — Duke at Syracuse
BTN — Rutgers at Minnesota
CBSSN — Bowling Green at Ohio
ESPN — TBA
ESPN2 — TBA
ESPNU — South Alabama at North Texas
FOX — Southern Cal at Illinois
FS1 — UCF at Kansas St.
TNT — Cincinnati at Kansas
12:45 p.m.
SECN — Utah St. at Vanderbilt
3:30 p.m.
ABC — LSU at Mississippi
ACCN — California at Boston College
BTN — UCLA at Northwestern
CBS — Ohio St. at Washington
CBSSN — Rice at Navy
ESPN — Auburn at Texas A&M
ESPN2 — Baylor at Oklahoma St.
FOX — Utah at West Virginia
4 p.m.
ESPNU — TBA
FS1 — Hawaii at Air Force
4:15 p.m.
SECN — Tennessee at Mississippi St.
7 p.m.
CW — Virginia Tech at NC State
ESPN — Arizona at Iowa St.
ESPN2 — TBA
7:30 p.m.
ABC — Alabama at Georgia
ACCN — San Jose St. at Stanford
CBSSN — Washington St. at Colorado
ESPNU — UMass at Missouri
FS1 — Appalachian St. vs. Boise St.
NBC — Oregon at Penn St.
PEACOCK — Oregon at Penn St.
7:45 p.m.
SECN — Kentucky at South Carolina
10:15 p.m.
ESPN — BYU at Colorado
ESPN2 — Idaho at Montana
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN’S)
8 p.m.
BTN — Michigan at Michigan St.
GOLF
7 a.m.
NBC — 2025 Ryder Cup: U.S. vs. Europe – Day 2, Bethpage Black Course, Farmingdale, N.Y.
HORSE RACING
12:30 p.m.
FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races
MILB BASEBALL
8 p.m.
MLBN — TBA
MLB BASEBALL
1 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: Baltimore at N.Y. Yankees (1:05 p.m.) OR St. Louis at Chicago Cubs (2:20 p.m.)
4 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: Detroit at Boston (4:10 p.m.) OR St. Louis at Chicago Cubs (2:20 p.m.)
7 p.m.
FOX — TBA
11 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: L.A. Dodgers at Seattle (9:40 p.m.) OR Kansas City at Athletics (10:05 p.m.)
NHL HOCKEY
7 p.m.
NHLN — Preseason: Columbus at Pittsburgh
RUGBY (MEN’S)
6 a.m.
FS2 — NRL Postseason: TBD
RUGBY (WOMEN’S)
7:30 a.m.
CBSSN — 2025 World Cup: TBD, Bronze-Medal Game, Twickenham, England
Midnight
FS2 — NRL: TBA
2 a.m. (Sunday)
FS2 — NRL: TBA
SOCCER (MEN’S)
7:30 a.m.
CBSSN — English League Championship: Norwich City at Stoke City
USA — English Premier League: Manchester United at Brentford
10 a.m.
USA — English Premier League: Burnley at Manchester City
Noon
CBS — Serie A: Atalanta at Juventus
12:30 p.m.
USA — English Premier League: Sunderland at Nottingham Forest
3 p.m.
USA — English Premier League: Wolverhampton at Tottenham Hotspur
6:45 p.m.
FS2 — FIFA U-20 World Cup Group Stage: Chile vs. New Zealand, Group A, Nunoa, Chile
11 p.m.
CBSSN — Liga MX: Pumas UNAM at Club America
SOCCER (WOMEN’S)
7:30 p.m.
ION — NWSL: Angel City at Louisville
10 p.m.
ION — NWSL: Utah at Bay
TENNIS
6 a.m.
TENNIS — Beijing-ATP/WTA 2nd Round
_____
Sunday, Sept. 28
AUTO RACING
1:30 p.m.
FS1 — NHRA: Qualifying, World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, Madison, Ill. (Taped)
3 p.m.
FS1 — NHRA: The NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, Madison, Ill.
USA — NASCAR Cup Series: The Hollywood Casino 400, Playoffs – Round of 12, Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
COLLEGE FIELD HOCKEY
Noon
ACCN — North Carolina at Boston College
COLLEGE SOCCER (WOMEN’S)
4 p.m.
BTN — Rutgers at Southern Cal
6 p.m.
ACCN — Notre Dame at Clemson
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN’S)
11 a.m.
SECN — Alabama at Auburn
Noon
BTN — UCLA at Penn St.
1 p.m.
ESPN — Arizona at Kansas
SECN — Mississippi at Oklahoma
1:30 p.m.
ACCN — California at Virginia
2 p.m.
BTN — Illinois at Purdue
3 p.m.
ESPN — SMU at Pittsburgh
GOLF
Noon
NBC — 2025 Ryder Cup: U.S. vs. Europe – Final Day, Bethpage Black Course, Farmingdale, N.Y.
HORSE RACING
1 p.m.
FS1 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races
2 p.m.
FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races
NFL FOOTBALL
9:30 a.m.
NFLN — Minnesota vs. Pittsburgh, Dublin
1 p.m.
CBS — Regional Coverage: Washington at Atlanta, New Orleans at Buffalo, L.A. Chargers at N.Y. Giants, Tennessee at Houston
FOX — Regional Coverage: Cleveland at Detroit, Carolina at New England, Philadelphia at Tampa Bay
4:05 p.m.
FOX — Regional Coverage: Indianapolis at L.A. Rams OR Jacksonville at San Francisco
4:25 p.m.
CBS — Regional Coverage: Baltimore at Kansas City OR Chicago at Chicago at Las Vegas
8:20 p.m.
NBC — Green Bay at Dallas
NHL HOCKEY
3 p.m.
NHLN — Preseason: Washington at New Jersey
8 p.m.
NHLN — Preseason: Vancouver at Edmonton
RODEO
3 p.m.
CW — PBR: Camping World Team Series, Springfield, Mo.
SOCCER (MEN’S)
9 a.m.
USA — English Premier League: Fulham at Aston Villa
10 a.m.
CBSSN — Scottish Premier League: Rangers at Livingston
11:30 a.m.
USA — English Premier League: Arsenal at Newcastle United
12:30 p.m.
CBSSN — Serie A: TBA
6 p.m.
CBSSN — USL Championship: TBA
6:45 p.m.
FS2 — FIFA U-20 World Cup Group Stage: TBA
6:55 p.m.
FS1 — FIFA U-20 World Cup Group Stage: TBA
WNBA BASKETBALL
3 p.m.
ABC — Playoffs: TBD, Semifinal – Game 4 (If Necessary)
5 p.m.
ESPN — Playoffs: TBD, Semifinal – Game 4 (If Necessary)
