“THE SCOREBOARD”
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCORES-WEEK 4
ADAMS CENTRAL 40 JAY COUNTY 0
ANDREAN 30 MUNSTER 7
BATESVILLE 39 RUSHVILLE 28
BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 38 NEW ALBANY 3
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 36 BLOOMINGTON NORTH 7
BLUFFTON 42 WOODLAN 7
BOONVILLE 35 NORTH KNOX 6
BREMEN 7 LAVILLE 6
BROWNSBURG 55 AVON 47
BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 63 SALEM 7
BYRON CENTRAL (MICH.) 34 HAMMOND MORTON 17
CARROLL (FLORA) 45 DELPHI 6
CASCADE 63 NORTH MONTGOMERY 26
CASTLE 43 EVANSVILLE HARRISON 0
CENTER GROVE 63 BEN DAVIS 35
CENTRAL NOBLE 35 PRAIRIE HEIGHTS 26
CHARLESTOWN 29 NORTH HARRISON 22
CHESTERTON 34 LAPORTE 14
CHURUBUSCO 19 EASTSIDE 14
CLOVERDALE 55 NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) 6
COLUMBUS EAST 37 JENNINGS COUNTY 0
CONCORD 21 NORTHRIDGE 14
CONNERSVILLE 28 MADISON 7
CRAWFORD COUNTY 38 SOUTH DECATUR 14
CROWN POINT 42 LAKE CENTRAL 0
DANVILLE 27 HAMILTON HEIGHTS 24
DECATUR CENTRAL 75 MARTINSVILLE 6
EAST CENTRAL 35 FRANKLIN COUNTY 14
EAST NOBLE 21 DEKALB 14
EASTBROOK 34 ALEXANDRIA 24
EASTERN GREENE 14 MITCHELL 0
EDGEWOOD 34 OWEN VALLEY 0
EDINBURGH 18 SOUTHSIDE HOMESCHOOL 16
ELKHART 39 SOUTH BEND RILEY 22
ELWOOD 49 BLACKFORD 8
EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 28 EVANSVILLE MATER DEI 21 OT
EVANSVILLE REITZ 19 EVANSVILLE NORTH 14
FAIRFIELD 28 CULVER ACADEMY 27
FISHERS 28 HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 16
FLOYD CENTRAL 42 SEYMOUR 14
FOREST PARK 35 TECUMSEH 14
FORT WAYNE DWENGER 9 CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) 6
FORT WAYNE LUERS 21 FORT WAYNE SOUTH 12
FORT WAYNE NORTH 49 FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA 14
FORT WAYNE SNIDER 31 FORT WAYNE WAYNE 18
FOUNTAIN CENTRAL 40 COVINGTON 12
FRANKLIN CENTRAL 20 ZIONSVILLE 16
FREMONT 59 OSCEOLA GRACE 7
FRONTIER 64 FAITH CHRISTIAN 0
GARRETT 28 LAKELAND 7
GIBSON SOUTHERN 40 HENDERSON COUNTY (KY.) 14
GRIFFITH 49 BOONE GROVE 0
GUERIN CATHOLIC 36 BREBEUF JESUIT 25
HAGERSTOWN 57 UNION COUNTY 0
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 23 COVENANT CHRISTIAN 13
HERITAGE HILLS 45 SOUTHRIDGE 0
HIGHLAND 31 CALUMET 30
HOBART 40 KANKAKEE VALLEY 7
HOMESTEAD 42 FORT WAYNE NORTHROP 36 OT
HUNTINGTON NORTH 21 COLUMBIA CITY 14
INDIAN CREEK 42 BEECH GROVE 0
INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS 46 CHRISTEL HOUSE 0
INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL 23 INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD 20
INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN 56 INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA 10
INDIANAPOLIS RITTER 33 GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN 29
INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI 41 COLUMBUS NORTH 20
INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE 26 HAMMOND CENTRAL 24
JASPER 63 EVANSVILLE BOSSE 0
JEFFERSONVILLE 24 KOKOMO 14
JOHN GLENN 14 JIMTOWN 10
KNIGHTSTOWN 59 UNION CITY 12
KNOX 36 TIPPECANOE VALLEY 21
LAFAYETTE JEFF 47 HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) 26
LAPEL 42 MUNCIE CENTRAL 14
LAWRENCE NORTH 55 NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) 21
LAWRENCEBURG 62 GREENSBURG 7
LEBANON 42 MARION 14
LEO 49 NEW HAVEN 14
LEWIS CASS 18 MANCHESTER 14
LINTON 42 SULLIVAN 28
LOGANSPORT 61 BENTON CENTRAL 6
LOUISVILLE TRINITY (KY.) 41 CARMEL 28
LOWELL 35 HANOVER CENTRAL 20
MACONAQUAH 62 WHITKO 0
MCCUTCHEON 52 ANDERSON 0
MERRILLVILLE 44 PORTAGE 23
MICHIGAN CITY 27 VALPARAISO 21
MISHAWAKA 26 NORTHWOOD 25
MISSISSINEWA 35 FRANKTON 0
MOORESVILLE 43 GREENWOOD 21
MOUNT VERNON (POSEY) 49 SOUTH SPENCER 7
NEW PALESTINE 71 MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE) 0
NORTH DAVIESS 48 PIKE CENTRAL 0
NORTH DECATUR 66 BROWN COUNTY 0
NORTH JUDSON 24 NORTH MIAMI 16
NORTH NEWTON 14 SOUTH NEWTON 6
NORTH POSEY 38 TELL CITY 21
NORTH PUTNAM 57 CRAWFORDSVILLE 23
NORTH WHITE 28 TRI-COUNTY 0
NORTHEASTERN 89 CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN 6
NORTHVIEW 84 WEST VIGO 0
NORTHWESTERN 39 PERU 30
NORWELL 48 BELLMONT 21
OAK HILL 28 MADISON-GRANT 20
PAOLI 49 PERRY CENTRAL 0
PARKE HERITAGE 27 ATTICA 12
PENDLETON HEIGHTS 43 GREENFIELD-CENTRAL 14
PENN 62 SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON 0
PIKE 48 SOUTHPORT 0
PIONEER 45 CASTON 13
PLAINFIELD 41 PERRY MERIDIAN 6
PLYMOUTH 44 GOSHEN 7
PROVIDENCE 62 CLARKSVILLE 0
RIVER FOREST 37 GARY WEST 20
RIVERTON PARKE 48 SEEGER 12
ROCHESTER 56 WABASH 7
SCOTTSBURG 28 CORYDON CENTRAL 21
SHELBYVILLE 35 NEW CASTLE 21
SHENANDOAH 44 FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK 21
SHERIDAN 40 CLINTON CENTRAL 0
SILVER CREEK 42 EASTERN (PEKIN) 0
SOUTH ADAMS 42 HERITAGE 14
SOUTH BEND ADAMS 35 NEW PRAIRIE 34
SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH 31 MISHAWAKA MARIAN 0
SOUTH DEARBORN 35 RICHMOND 28
SOUTH PUTNAM 33 EASTERN HANCOCK 19
SOUTH VERMILLION 30 NORTH VERMILLION 0
SOUTHMONT 57 FRANKFORT 0
SOUTHWOOD 27 NORTHFIELD 12
SPRINGS VALLEY 38 WEST WASHINGTON 0
SWITZERLAND COUNTY 21 MILAN 14
TAYLOR 21 EASTERN (GREENTOWN) 20
TERRE HAUTE SOUTH 66 TERRE HAUTE NORTH 7
TRI-WEST 63 SPEEDWAY 21
TRI 49 MONROE CENTRAL 0
TRITON CENTRAL 24 MONROVIA 14
TRITON 63 SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) 0
TWIN LAKES 52 LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 3
VINCENNES LINCOLN 46 EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 13
WARREN CENTRAL 31 LAWRENCE CENTRAL 21
WARSAW 41 WAWASEE 7
WASHINGTON 38 PRINCETON 35
WES-DEL 36 SOUTHERN WELLS 14
WEST CENTRAL 54 LAKE STATION 14
WEST LAFAYETTE 35 RENSSELAER CENTRAL 7
WEST NOBLE 28 ANGOLA 14
WESTERN BOONE 76 GREENCASTLE 34
WESTERN 48 TIPTON 7
WESTFIELD 41 NOBLESVILLE 7
WHEELER 52 HAMMOND NOLL 0
WHITELAND 21 FRANKLIN 14
WINAMAC 30 CULVER 22
WINCHESTER 28 CENTERVILLE 19
YORKTOWN 45 DELTA 7
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+++INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL SCORES:+++
Z RATINGS: https://www.zvolleyball.com/ipv/indiana-hs-z-ratings/z-girls-2025
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+++INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS SOCCER SCORES:+++
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+++INDIAN HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS SOCCER SCORES:+++
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+++INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS GOLF SCORES:+++
NO SCORES REPORTED
_____
+++INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY RESULTS:+++
NO RACES SCHEDULED
_____
+++INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS TENNIS SCORES:+++
NO SCORES REPORTED
_____
+++INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL UNITED FLAG FOOTBALL+++
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
_____
+++MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL+++
CHICAGO CUBS 6 TAMPA BAY 4
WASHINGTON 6 PITTSBURGH 5
PHILADELPHIA 8 KANSAS CITY 2
TORONTO 6 BALTIMORE 1
CLEVELAND 4 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 0
TEXAS 8 NY METS 3
MIAMI 8 DETROIT 2
NY YANKEES 4 BOSTON 1
HOUSTON 11 ATLANTA 3
MINNESOTA 9 ARIZONA 8
MILWAUKEE 8 ST. LOUIS 2
COLORADO 4 SAN DIEGO 2
LAS VEGAS 3 CINCINNATI 0
SEATTLE 2 LA ANGELS 1
SAN FRANCISCO 5 LA DODGERS 1 (10)
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+++MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL+++
INDIANAPOLIS 4 IOWA 0
_____
+++COLLEGE FOOTBALL-WEEK 3 TV SCHEDULE+++
FRIDAY, SEPT. 12
INDIANA 73 INDIANA STATE 0
SYRACUSE 66 COLGATE 24
HOUSTON 36 COLORADO 20
ARIZONA 23 KANSAS STATE 17
NEW MEXICO 35 UCLA 10
SATURDAY, SEPT. 13
12 P.M. | NO. 4 OREGON AT NORTHWESTERN | FOX
12 P.M. | NO. 12 CLEMSON AT GEORGIA TECH
12 P.M. | CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT NO. 23 MICHIGAN | BIG TEN NETWORK
12 P.M. | NO. 13 OKLAHOMA AT TEMPLE | ESPN2
12 P.M. | WISCONSIN AT NO. 19 ALABAMA
12 P.M. | LEHIGH AT DUQUESNE | ESPN+
12 P.M. | HOUSTON CHRISTIAN AT NEBRASKA | FS1
12 P.M. | TOWSON AT MARYLAND | PEACOCK
12 P.M. | WILLIAM & MARY AT VIRGINIA | ACC NETWORK
12 P.M. | SAMFORD AT BAYLOR | ESPN+
12 P.M. | MEMPHIS AT TROY | ESPNU
12 P.M. | BUFFALO AT KENT STATE | CBSSN
12:45 P.M. | SOUTH ALABAMA AT NO. 24 AUBURN | SEC NETWORK
1 P.M. | DAVIDSON AT TENNESSEE TECH | ESPN+
1 P.M. | LAFAYETTE AT GEORGETOWN | ESPN+
2 P.M. | NEW HAMPSHIRE AT BALL STATE | ESPN+
2 P.M. | NORTHERN COLORADO AT SOUTH DAKOTA | ESPN+
2 P.M. | RHODE ISLAND AT HOLY CROSS | ESPN+
2:30 P.M. | ELON AT WESTERN CAROLINA | ESPN+
3 P.M. | UCONN AT DELAWARE | ESPN+
3 P.M. | NORTH DAKOTA AT MONTANA | ESPN+
3 P.M. | SAN DIEGO AT MONTANA STATE | ESPN+
3 P.M. | ILLINOIS STATE AT EASTERN ILLINOIS | ESPN+
3 P.M. | BOWIE STATE AT DELAWARE STATE | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | VILLANOVA AT NO. 2 PENN STATE | FS1
3:30 P.M. | NO. 6 GEORGIA AT NO. 15 TENNESSEE | ABC
3:30 P.M. | SMU AT MISSOURI STATE | CBSSN
3:30 P.M. | OREGON STATE AT NO. 21 TEXAS TECH | FOX
3:30 P.M. | USC AT PURDUE | CBS/PARAMOUNT+
3:30 P.M. | NORFOLK STATE AT RUTGERS | BIG TEN NETWORK
3:30 P.M. | YOUNGSTOWN STATE AT MICHIGAN STATE | BIG TEN NETWORK
3:30 P.M. | WASHINGTON STATE AT NORTH TEXAS | ESPNU
3:30 P.M. | PITT AT WEST VIRGINIA | ESPN
3:30 P.M. | RICHMOND AT NORTH CAROLINA | ACC NETWORK
3:30 P.M. | NORTHWESTERN STATE AT CINCINNATI | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | UIW AT UTSA | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | MORGAN STATE AT TOLEDO | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE AT NORTH DAKOTA STATE | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | VMI AT BUCKNELL | ESPN+
4 P.M. | NO. 14 IOWA STATE AT ARKANSAS STATE | ESPN2
4 P.M. | LOUISIANA AT NO. 25 MISSOURI | ESPN+/SECN+
4 P.M. | UTAH TECH AT IDAHO | ESPN+
4 P.M. | LINDENWOOD AT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN | ESPN+
4:15 P.M. | UTEP AT NO. 7 TEXAS | SEC NETWORK
4:30 P.M. | NO. 18 SOUTH FLORIDA AT NO. 5 MIAMI (FLA.) | THE CW NETWORK
4:30 P.M. | ALABAMA A&M AT TENNESSEE STATE | ESPN+
5 P.M. | LIBERTY AT BOWLING GREEN | ESPN+
5 P.M. | MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT NEVADA | MOUNTAIN WEST NETWORK
5 P.M. | EASTERN WASHINGTON AT UNI | ESPN+
6 P.M. | ALCORN STATE AT MISSISSIPPI STATE | ESPN+/SECN+
6 P.M. | FAU AT FIU | ESPN+
6 P.M. | MERRIMACK AT KENNESAW STATE | ESPN+
6 P.M. | EASTERN KENTUCKY AT MARSHALL | ESPN+
6 P.M. | MONMOUTH AT CHARLOTTE | ESPN+
6 P.M. | EAST TENNESSEE STATE AT WEST GEORGIA | ESPN+
6 P.M. | BETHUNE-COOKMAN AT SOUTH CAROLINA STATE | ESPN+
6 P.M. | FAYETTEVILLE STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL | ESPN+
6 P.M. | STETSON AT CHATTANOOGA | ESPN+
6 P.M. | WOFFORD AT MERCER | ESPN+
6 P.M. | WEST LIBERTY AT ROBERT MORRIS | ESPN+
6 P.M. | ARKANSAS AT NO. 17 OLE MISS | ESPN
7 P.M. | OHIO AT NO. 1 OHIO STATE | PEACOCK
7 P.M. | WESTERN MICHIGAN AT NO. 9 ILLINOIS | FS1
7 P.M. | OLD DOMINION AT VIRGINIA TECH | ACC NETWORK
7 P.M. | JACKSONVILLE STATE AT GEORGIA SOUTHERN | ESPN+
7 P.M. | MURRAY STATE AT GEORGIA STATE | ESPN+
7 P.M. | APPALACHIAN STATE AT SOUTHERN MISS | ESPN+
7 P.M. | PRAIRIE VIEW A&M AT RICE | ESPN+
7 P.M. | WEBER STATE AT MCNEESE | ESPN+
7 P.M. | THE CITADEL AT GARDNER-WEBB | ESPN+
7 P.M. | SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT UT MARTIN | ESPN+
7 P.M. | VALPARAISO AT WESTERN ILLINOIS | ESPN+
7 P.M. | MOREHEAD STATE AT AUSTIN PEAY | ESPN+
7 P.M. | NORTHEASTERN STATE AT NORTH ALABAMA | ESPN+
7 P.M. | MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE AT SE LOUISIANA | ESPN+
7 P.M. | DRAKE AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE | ESPN+
7 P.M. | ERSKINE AT PRESBYTERIAN | ESPN+
7 P.M. | SOUTHERN AT FRESNO STATE | MOUNTAIN WEST NETWORK
7:30 P.M. | FLORIDA AT NO. 3 LSU | ABC
7:30 P.M. | NO. 16 TEXAS A&M AT NO. 8 NOTRE DAME | NBC/PEACOCK
7:30 P.M. | EASTERN MICHIGAN AT KENTUCKY | ESPNU
7:30 P.M. | UMASS AT IOWA | BIG TEN NETWORK
7:30 P.M. | NEW MEXICO STATE AT LOUISIANA TECH | ESPN+
7:30 P.M. | EAST CAROLINA AT COASTAL CAROLINA | ESPN+
7:45 P.M. | VANDERBILT AT NO. 11 SOUTH CAROLINA | SEC NETWORK
8 P.M. | NO. 20 UTAH AT WYOMING | CBSSN
8 P.M. | DUKE AT TULANE | ESPN2
8 P.M. | ABILENE CHRISTIAN AT TCU | ESPN+
8 P.M. | NAVY AT TULSA | ESPN+
8 P.M. | WESTERN OREGON AT CAL POLY | ESPN+
8 P.M. | SUL ROSS STATE AT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN | ESPN+
8 P.M. | LANGSTON AT UT RIO GRANDE VALLEY | ESPN+
8:30 P.M. | AKRON AT UAB | ESPN+
8:30 P.M. | NORTHERN ARIZONA AT SOUTHERN UTAH | ESPN+
9:45 P.M. | AIR FORCE AT UTAH STATE | FS1
10:30 P.M. | TEXAS STATE AT ARIZONA STATE | TNT/TRUTV/HBO MAX
10:30 P.M. | MINNESOTA AT CAL | ESPN
10:30 P.M. | BOSTON COLLEGE AT STANFORD | ACC NETWORK
11:59 P.M. | PORTLAND STATE AT HAWAI’I | SPECTRUM SPORT
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+++NFL WEEK 2 SCHEDULE+++
SUNDAY, SEPT. 14
JACKSONVILLE AT CINCINNATI, 1 P.M. (CBS)
BUFFALO AT NY JETS, 1 P.M. (CBS)
NEW ENGLAND AT MIAMI, 1 P.M. (CBS)
LA RAMS AT TENNESSEE CLEVELAND AT BALTIMORE, 1 P.M. (CBS)
SAN FRANCISCO AT NEW ORLEANS, 1 P.M. (FOX)
NY GIANTS AT DALLAS, 1 P.M. (FOX)
SEATTLE AT PITTSBURGH, 1 P.M. (FOX)
CHICAGO AT DETROIT, 1 P.M. (FOX)
DENVER AT INDIANAPOLIS, 4:05 P.M. (CBS)
CAROLINA AT ARIZONA, 4:05 P.M. (CBS)
PHILADELPHIA AT KANSAS CITY, 4:25 P.M. (FOX)
ATLANTA AT MINNESOTA, 8:20 P.M. (NBC)
MONDAY, SEPT. 15
TAMPA BAY AT HOUSTON, 7 P.M. (ESPN/ABC)
LA CHARGERS AT LAS VEGAS, 10 P.M. (ESPN)
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+++WNBA SCORES+++
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
_____
+++MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER+++
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
_____
+++TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES/NEWS RELEASES+++
NFL NEWS
NO PRESEASON WAS NO PROBLEM FOR JOSH ALLEN, LAMAR JACKSON, AARON RODGERS
Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson didn’t play a snap in the preseason.
They didn’t need it.
Allen and Jackson were spectacular in their first game action of the season. Jackson led the Baltimore Ravens to a 15-point, fourth-quarter lead only to watch Allen rally the Buffalo Bills to a 41-40 victory.
So much for rust.
Allen was 33 of 46 for 394 yards with two touchdown passes and two more rushing. Jackson was 14 of 19 for 209 yards and two TDs plus 70 yards rushing and another score.
“It’s trusting, trusting our process, trusting our other 10 guys on the football field, trusting what Joe’s (offensive coordinator Joe Brady) calling, and really sticking to our fundamentals and how we worked during training camp, and really just trying to pick up where we left off from last year,” Allen said on the AP’s “On Football” podcast.
The reigning NFL MVP sat out the entire preseason for the first time in his career. But Allen was sharp against a tough defense. He had 251 of his passing yards in the fourth quarter.
Jackson, a two-time MVP and three-time All-Pro, hasn’t played in the preseason since 2021. He just steps on the field and dazzles whenever he gets an opportunity.
NFL coaches have to make difficult decisions each preseason, choosing whether to rest starters or put quarterbacks in harm’s way in meaningless games.
Green Bay’s Jordan Love injured his hand in an exhibition game but was ready to play in Week 1.
Sitting out doesn’t mean guys will be ineffective. Allen and Jackson demonstrated that. So did Aaron Rodgers.
Playing in preseason games doesn’t guarantee success early in the season, either.
Football is a team sport. There are a lot of factors that determine a quarterback’s performance and whether an offense clicks right from the start.
Rodgers was among the 10 starting quarterbacks who didn’t get any reps in exhibition games. He was outstanding in the opener, tossing four TD passes to lead Pittsburgh to a win.
Some of the others had slower starts.
Baker Mayfield was out of sync early for Tampa Bay but made clutch throws to rally the Buccaneers to victory.
Dak Prescott posted a 76.6 passer rating, though the Cowboys had several dropped passes.
Jared Goff and Detroit’s entire offense had a rough time against Green Bay in John Morton’s first game as offensive coordinator.
Meanwhile, quarterbacks who played in the preseason had mixed results.
Joe Burrow threw for just 113 yards and one TD but Cincinnati still edged Cleveland 17-16.
Patrick Mahomes lost another wide receiver to injury and needed a while to get Kansas City’s offense going in a loss to the Chargers in Brazil.
Tua Tagovailoa had one of his worst games as a pro, tossing two interceptions in Miami’s lopsided loss to Indianapolis.
Bo Nix threw two picks but Denver held on to defeat Tennessee.
“It’s probably the toughest part of our position, in my opinion, is bouncing back from the negative because you work really hard, you get one shot at it, and every once in a while when you miss it, it’s tough because that’s what you just want to think about it, you just want to fix it so bad that that’s what you’re thinking about,” Nix said. “The real advantage, the real edge, is when guys can just go to the next play, move on. … Glad it’s Week 1, not Week 21 and make these mistakes now and learn from them.”
Justin Herbert played in his first career preseason game this season, and came out firing against the Chiefs. He finished with 318 yards passing, three TDs and had a 131.7 rating for the Chargers.
Geno Smith appeared in all three preseason games, and looked like he was in midseason form in Week 1. Smith threw for 362 yards to lead Las Vegas to a win.
“I think it’s all the time we spend together, all the time in the meeting rooms, just hearing his voice and directly from him exactly what he wants to get accomplished with each and every play,” Smith said about building chemistry with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. “When I think about Chip, man, like he’s so cerebral and such a smart coach, and he’s always thinking of the next thing, the next layer to attack the defense. And that’s something that I’m always doing as well.”
Week 2 could bring different results for everyone. But no preseason won’t be an excuse for anyone.
BILLS RULE OUT ED OLIVER AGAINST THE JETS BECAUSE OF AN ANKLE INJURY HE SUFFERED AT PRACTICE
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott said Friday defensive tackle Ed Oliver had his left ankle stepped on at practice and will not play against the New York Jets, leaving the team thin at the position and without a starter who made a game-changing impact in a season-opening win over the Baltimore Ravens.
McDermott said Oliver hurt his ankle on Wednesday. The coach didn’t reveal the nature of the injury or timetable for Oliver’s return. The Bills face a short turnaround next week in hosting the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night following their game at New York on Sunday.
“I think there’s a chance, I don’t know what that chance is,” McDermott said about Oliver’s odds of playing Thursday.
Though acknowledging some soreness, Oliver did not address the injury when speaking with reporters following practice. He did not practice Thursday and was spotted wearing a boot following the team’s walk-through.
The Bills are already thin at tackle behind Oliver and fellow starter DaQuan Jones.
Offseason free-agent addition Larry Ogunjobi is serving a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancers. Buffalo has only two backups on the active roster in rookies T.J. Sanders and Deone Walker.
The Bills have two tackles on their practice squad in Jordan Phillips, who returned last month for a fifth stint with Buffalo, and Zion Logue.
Oliver’s injury follows one of the most impactful performances of the 2019 first-round draft pick’s seven-year career in a 41-40 win over Baltimore in which the Bills overcame a 15-point deficit in the final minutes.
Oliver helped spark the rally by forcing Derrick Henry’s fumble with 3:10 remaining. He finished with six tackles, a sack and three tackles for losses.
PARSONS TIRED OF PLAYING ON SNAP COUNT: ‘IT’S PISSING ME OFF’
Packers pass-rusher Micah Parsons expressed his frustration with being on a snap count after Green Bay’s 27-18 victory over the Washington Commanders on Thursday.
“I just hope I’m full go,” Parsons said after the game, according to Grant Gordon of NFL.com. “Honestly, it’s pissing me off. I tell them it does more worse than good. I get tight and stuff. Hopefully they just let me off. Can’t hold a dog back forever.”
Parsons has been limited due to a back injury he’s dealt with since Green Bay acquired him from the Dallas Cowboys prior to the season.
In his Packers debut in Week 1, Parsons only saw the field on 30 defensive snaps. The edge rusher played in 47 snaps versus Washington, which was 68% of the Packers’ defensive plays. He was a force against the Commanders, generating a team-high eight pressures (21.6% pressure rate) and half a sack on 37 pass rush plays, according to Next Gen Stats.
Green Bay’s defense provided a stellar performance in Week 2, allowing 18 points to a Washington offense that ranked fourth in EPA/play in 2024. Washington averaged just 3.5 yards per play Thursday night. Jayden Daniels finished the first half with only 49 passing yards on nine completions, and the Commanders had three points heading into the fourth quarter.
“What I’ve been telling everyone: Defense wins championships,” Parsons said. “(Jordan) Love, you know, you give us 20 points, we should be able to win that game. It’s all about getting stops and getting the ball back to the offense.
“As y’all have seen against Baltimore and Buffalo, you can have a quarterback damn near have a perfect game and still lose because guess what, the defense just gave up, what, 40 points? So, defense wins championships. I think the fans like points and they like to see the big plays, but when you play great defense, it’s just so beautiful to see.”
The Packers are off to a 2-0 start and will face off against the Cleveland Browns in Week 3.
JAYDEN DANIELS AND THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS HAVE NOT LOOKED NEARLY AS GOOD SO FAR THIS SEASON
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s only been two games so far, but Jayden Daniels and the rest of the Washington Commanders have looked more like the oldest team in the NFL and less like the club that went 12-5 and made it all the way to the NFC title game last season.
The offense is nowhere near as explosive or as efficient as it was as Daniels earned AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
And the defense, which was supposedly going to be better after additions such as Von Miller and Javon Kinlaw, was not up to the task in a 27-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night that dropped Washington’s record to 1-1 after a win against the lowly New York Giants in Week 1.
“It is early in the season,” said Daniels, who was 24 of 42 for 200 yards through the air and ran seven times for just 17 yards, while being sacked four times. “I wouldn’t expect anyone in this locker room to hit the panic button.”
His two touchdown passes both came in the fourth quarter, after the game was pretty much out of hand.
“Overall, just a tough night,” coach Dan Quinn said, “in terms of style and attitude of how we want to play, identity. … It just felt like we missed the mark.”
That’s true.
The first quarter was particularly poor for the Commanders: Their 11 total yards were the club’s fewest in that period since 2018, when they had 2 in a Week 17 game.
At one point in the second quarter, Green Bay led 14-0 and had outgained Washington 243 yards to 23, with 12 first downs to one.
“All in all,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said, “I thought we were in control of the football game for a majority of the game.”
What’s working
For this one game? In truth, not much of anything. The offense was stagnant. The offensive line didn’t do Daniels — or the running backs — many favors. The defense looked old, slow and shaky, allowing TD drives of 96 and 92 yards early, and making Packers tight end Tucker Kraft seem like a new version of Rob Gronkowski: six catches, 124 yards, a touchdown. Even special teams was an issue: Matt Gay missed two field-goal attempts.
What needs help
Well, yes, most of everything. The Daniels- Terry McLaurin connection, such a big part of last year’s surge, has been nearly non-existent so far. McLaurin, who only began practicing less than two weeks before the season opener after agreeing to a contract extension, caught five passes for 48 yards against the Packers, and has just seven receptions for 75 yards in the two games, with zero scores.
Stock up
WR-RB-KR-Do-Everything Deebo Samuel. He led the Commanders with seven catches against the Packers, gaining 44 yards on those plus scoring a TD for the second game in a row. He also returned two kickoffs for a 39-yard average, including breaking one for 50.
Stock down
CB Marshon Lattimore. He gave up two catches and was called for pass interference on the very first drive of the game, then in the second quarter got beat on a 37-yard completion.
Injuries
There were several, including to starting running back Austin Ekeler, who injured his right Achilles tendon — which the Commanders believe was torn, although they were awaiting further tests. Others who got hurt Thursday: DE Deatrich Wise Jr., WR Noah Brown, TE John Bates.
Key number
Zero — Number of turnovers by the Commanders so far, the second consecutive season in which Washington did that in Games 1 and 2. You have to go all the way back to the 1968 and 1969 seasons to find a pair of turnover-free games to begin two seasons in a row.
Next steps
Quinn, the rest of this staff and the players now get plenty of time to reset things and prepare to host the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 21. Among other adjustments, Washington will want to figure how to better defend against a tight end, assuming Brock Bowers is healthy by then. The Raiders will have a short week to get ready to face the Commanders after playing the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night.
JETS’ SAUCE GARDNER LIMITED BY GROIN INJURY, BUT AARON GLENN THINKS HE’LL BE OK TO PLAY VS. BILLS
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner has a groin injury that will limit him at practice Friday, but coach Aaron Glenn expects he should be able to play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.
Gardner was injured during practice Thursday, when he was listed on the team’s injury report as a limited participant.
“I think he’ll be OK,” Glenn said Friday before practice.
If Gardner can’t play or is compromised by the injury, it could have a major effect on the defense against Josh Allen and the Bills’ high-scoring offense.
Gardner, the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback after receiving a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension in July, is coming off a strong opening-game performance against Pittsburgh. He was lined up against DK Metcalf on 30 of 34 pass plays by the Steelers and allowed only one 11-yard catch by Pittsburgh’s top receiver.
Gardner, a two-time All-Pro selection, is lining up against teams’ No. 1 receivers and following them in motion — a departure from his first two seasons when he played in mostly a zone scheme under the previous regime.
Against the Bills, Gardner would likely cover Keon Coleman for a good chunk of the game. Coleman had seven catches for 100 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown reception, in the fourth quarter of the Bills’ comeback win against Baltimore last Sunday.
The Jets are dealing with a few other injuries, including hamstring issues for running back/kick returner Kene Nwangwu and wide receiver Josh Reynolds, and an ankle injury for rookie tight end Mason Taylor. Defensive tackle Jay Tufele missed the first two days of practice this week with an illness.
Glenn said all of those players will continue to be evaluated.
If Nwangwu is out, newly acquired Isaiah Williams — signed off Cincinnati’s practice squad — could be in the mix to return kickoffs. Rookie Arian Smith and Isaiah Davis also could be options, as well as current practice squad members Jamaal Pritchett and Keilan Robinson.
Reynolds’ status also bears watching since he’s currently the No. 2 receiver behind Garrett Wilson. Allen Lazard was inactive for the opener because Glenn said he was still catching up after missing some time in training camp.
“I can’t say he’s totally caught up,” Glenn said. “But he’s at a pace where he can go out there and play. We’ll see how this whole thing shakes out.”
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS
GAME OF THE WEEK:
TENNESSEE GAME NOTES
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 15/15 Tennessee opens Southeastern Conference play with the marquee matchup of Week 3 when it hosts No. 6/3 Georgia for a top-15 battle at Neyland Stadium on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.
NEYLAND STADIUM, PRESERVED BY PILOT
Neyland Stadium has been home of the Vols for more than 100 years and that legacy will live on thanks to a transformative partnership with Tennessee Athletics and Knoxville-based Pilot, the largest network of travel centers in North America. In August 2024, Tennessee and Pilot announced the partnership that preserves the iconic venue’s name and enhances the stadium experience for future generations. Under the terms of the agreement, which is slated for up to 20 years and could extend further, the names of Neyland Stadium and Shields-Watkins Field will remain unchanged.
Neyland Stadium. Home of the Vols. Proudly preserved by Pilot.
BROADCAST INFO
TV Info
Chris Fowler (PxP), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) will have the call for Saturday’s nationally televised showdown on ABC. Coverage is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. with kickoff slated for 3:45 p.m. ET.
Radio Info
UT fans can listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast via the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) on 70 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, SiriusXM (Ch. 84) and the SiriusXM app (Ch. 84). A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics App.
New Voice of the Vols Mike Keith will be joined in the booth by VFL Ramon Foster (analyst) while Brent Hubbs will handle sideline duties for the Vol Network radio broadcast.
The Big Orange Countdown pregame show, hosted by Hubbs, begins two and a half hours prior to kickoff at 1 p.m. VFL Jayson Swain also returns as part of the official gameday radio team this season and will be a part of the network’s pregame, halftime and postgame programming.
Tennessee’s official Spanish radio broadcast is available locally on WNML-AM 990 with Carlos Lopez (play-by-play) and J.P. Vasquez (analyst) on the call. That version is also available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics app.
Volunteer Gameday, a live, one-hour television preview show, will originate love from Neyland Stadium beginning at 1:30 p.m. The show will be hosted by Keith, VFL Heath Shuler and WVLT-Knoxville’s Brittany Tarwater. Volunteer Gameday will be available on Knoxville flagship TV station WVLT and across the state on the new Tennessee Valley Sports Network (TVSN).
Westwood One national radio will also be on hand to broadcast Saturday’s game and can be listened to HERE.
GAMEDAY INFO / TIMELINE
For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee’s 2025 gameday policies, please visit the Tennessee Football Gameday Information page on UTSports.com.
The gameday timeline as well as other important information is listed below.
ESPN College GameDay Pit Opens – 6:30 a.m.
ESPN College GameDay Live – 9 a.m.-Noon (Ayres Hall)
Will Call Opens at Gate 21 – 11:30 a.m.
Truly’s Tailgate Opens – 11:30 a.m.
Vol Village Opens – 12 p.m.
Vol Walk – 1:25 p.m.
Gates Open – 1:30 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band March – 2 p.m. (Map of Band March Route)
Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance Begins – 3:31 p.m.
National Anthem – 3:33 p.m.
Flyover – 3:35 p.m. (Two E/18 Growlers from Naval Air Station, Whidbey Island, Wash.)
Vols Run Through the T – 3:42 p.m.
Kickoff – 3:45 p.m.
NEYLAND STADIUM FAN ENHANCEMENTS, UPDATES & INITIATIVES FOR 2025
Fans will notice a number of new features and amenities that have been completed for the 2025 season. Most notably, major updates have been completed in the South End Zone. Entry into Gate 9 has doubled in size while the southwest plaza has expanded to ease congestion. A new elevator has been added to the southeast corner of Neyland Stadium, allowing patrons to access all three levels on the south end of the stadium.
Fans will also notice new restrooms, a new UT Medical first aid station and a significantly wider concourse to help ease navigation around the south end of the stadium. A Vintage Volunteer trailer has been behind section M on the new south concourse of Neyland Stadium. The shop will offer vintage gear and unique items.
Beginning this fall, Neyland Stadium is now a cashless venue. Fans should be prepared as they approach concession stands, Vol Shop or any retail locations inside the stadium. All Tennessee venues will be cashless during the 2025-26 athletic year.
For more information on all updates and new initiatives in place at Neyland Stadium this season, click HERE.
TICKETS AND PARKING
Tickets for Saturday’s game are officially sold out. Tickets and parking passes to all Tennessee Athletics events, including football, are now digital and can be accessed through a mobile device to improve security and reduce the risk of ticket fraud as well as make the process more convenient for fans.
Fans will gain admission into Neyland Stadium via a unique QR code which will be scanned directly from a mobile device. For quick and easy entry into Tennessee Athletics venues, fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics app from the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play (Android). Your mobile device is the ticket on gameday. All valid digital tickets will display a moving barcode or a hold near reader (tap-and-go) icon. PLEASE NOTE: SCREENSHOTS OF TICKETS WILL NOT SCAN AT THE GATE AND WILL NOT ALLOW ENTRY!
Printed PDF tickets will no longer be issued or accepted for entry at any Tennessee Athletics venue. The only authorized sources for tickets to Tennessee Athletics events are the Tennessee Athletics Ticket Office, AllVols.com, the venue box office where the athletic event is taking place and Ticketmaster.
A complete step-by-step guide on how to best access and use your digital tickets and parking passes, including diagrams and FAQ is available here.
TENNESSEE ATHLETICS APP
Fans are encouraged to download the new and improved Tennessee Athletics App, which houses the GBO Zone, allowing fans to play trivia, take part in stadium light shows and much more.
Search Tennessee Athletics in the Apple or Google Play Store or use this LINK to download.
GAMEDAY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
ESPN College GameDay: For the 12th time total and first since 2022, ESPN College GameDay will be in Knoxville to preview Saturday’s slate of games.
College football’s most celebrated pregame show once again originates from the lawn at Ayres Hall from 9 a.m. to noon ET Saturday. This is College GameDay’s fifth time coinciding with a Tennessee-Georgia matchup and the second time with the two sides facing off in Knoxville with 1995 being the other.
Vol Village Presented by Toyota: Vol Village presented by Toyota, serves as the ideal spot to view the Vol Walk and the Pride of Southland Band march. Admission is free to all fans with or without a game ticket. Located across from Circle Park, Vol Village features live music, food trucks and beverage stations, interactive displays and fun activities for all ages.
Vol Village will highlight a new artist or band each home game with a pregame concert series, providing Vol fans with the ultimate pregame atmosphere. This week’s featured artist is the country duo Ferryn & Brinkley. Vol Village opens at noon for Saturday’s game.
Truly’s Tailgate: Located outside Gate 9, fans are encouraged to visit the new and improved Truly’s area for food, drinks and more! Truly’s Tailgate has expanded with Texas Roadhouse and a number of other new food and beverage options for fans to enjoy before and during the game.
Fans may enter Truly’s prior to gates opening without having a ticket scanned. When gates open, fans will need to scan their ticket to enter Truly’s.
For any game starting later than noon ET, Truly’s will open four hours prior to kickoff. For a noon kickoff, the tailgate will open at 9 a.m. Truly’s will stay open throughout the game, giving fans in the south concourse a variety of food, drinks and additional restroom options. Truly’s will close at the end of the third quarter.
For complete gameday information, visit UTsports.com/gameday.
NEED TO KNOW
The Neyland Effect
Neyland Stadium has been a true difference maker and is once again one of the most intimidating environments in all of college football. The Vols have been one of the nation’s best at home under head coach Josh Heupel with a 26-4 record at Neyland Stadium during his tenure. UT is 21-1 on Rocky Top since 2022 and has won nine straight at home entering Saturday’s showdown with the Dawgs. Last Saturday’s victory over ETSU was the 500th on-field victory in the history of Shields-Watkins Field (1921-pres.).
Joey Football Off to Hot Start
Despite arriving after spring ball and having a very condensed timeframe to learn the offense, Joey Aguilar has looked like a multi-year vet in Heupel’s system through two weeks this season. Tennessee’s new QB1 has completed 39 of 59 pass attempts for 535 yards and five touchdowns and has not thrown an interception. Aguilar has spread the ball around to a plethora of weapons as all five of his passing touchdowns have gone to different players.
The California native will be making his 27th career FBS start on Saturday after a record-setting two-year stint at Appalachian State. Aguilar enters the contest as the FBS career leader in total offense per game (288.2) and passing yards per game (270.2).
PB “U”
Tennessee’s defense has made things difficult for opposing quarterbacks and wide receivers so far this season, leading the SEC and ranking tied for second nationally with 14 pass breakups. The Vols recorded an SEC-best 10 pass breakups in Week 1 against Syracuse, which were their most in a game since recording 10 at Georgia on Oct. 9, 2004.
In the absence of preseason All-American corner Jermod McCoy, Colorado transfer Colton Hood has made an immediate impact, ranking tied for second in the FBS and leading the SEC in pass breakups with five.
Fast Starts the Norm in Knoxville
The Big Orange have outscored opponents 584-202 in the first quarter under Heupel: 190-51 in 2021, 141-72 in 2022, 110-46 in 2023, 102-54 in 2024 and 41-0 in 2025. The Vols have scored at least one touchdown in the first quarter in 42 of 54 games under Heupel. In 90 games as a head coach, Heupel’s squads have outscored opponents 1,031-437 in the first quarter (584-202 at UT, 447-214 at UCF).
Since 2018, no active Power 4 head coach scores more points per first quarter in a career than Heupel (11.46). From 2021-present under Heupel, the Vols are first in the nation in first-quarter scoring at 10.81 points per game. Heupel’s teams have scored at least one touchdown in the first quarter in 75 of the 90 games he has coached.
SERIES HISTORY
Georgia leads, 29-23-2
This year marks the 34th consecutive season that Tennessee and Georgia will have faced off on the gridiron dating back to 1992. This Saturday will be the earliest meeting on the calendar (Sept. 13) between the two teams in 30 years since UT won 30-27 in Knoxville on Sept. 9, 1995. The last four games between the two programs have been played in November.
This is the 19th contest between the Vols and Bulldogs where both teams are ranked in the AP Poll with the Vols holding a slight 10-8 advantage in those previous games. It’s the fourth straight year that both teams are ranked at the time of the meeting as UT will be looking to snap an eight-game skid to the Bulldogs.
ABOUT GEORGIA
Georgia enters Saturday’s ranked showdown at 2-0 following home wins over Marshall (45-7) and Austin Peay (28-6). The Bulldogs are led by head coach Kirby Smart, who is in his 10th season in charge and owns a 107-19 career record.
After waiting his turn, redshirt junior Gunner Stockton has assumed the role of starting quarterback for UGA and will provide a stiff challenge for Tennessee’s defense as a passer and a runner. Stockton comes into Saturday having completed 40-of-58 passes for 417 yards and two touchdowns while also having rushed for 86 yards and two scores. The Bulldogs boast a deep and talented group of pass catchers for Stockton to throw to, led by wideouts Colbie Young (9 rec., 106 yds) and Zachariah Branch (6 rec., 112 yds, 1 TD). Veteran tight ends Oscar Delp and Lawson Luckie also pose a threat in the passing game.
Nate Frazier leads the running back group for Georgia with 25 attempts for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Dwight Phillips Jr. has added 115 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries while Chauncey Bowers has also found the end zone twice this season.
The Dawgs once again feature one of the country’s top defensive units, having allowed an SEC-low 6.5 points per game while holding opponents to just 201.5 total yards per game. Junior linebacker Raylen Wilson leads the unit with 14 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack to go along with four quarterback pressures. Sophomore safety KJ Bolden leads the secondary with 10 tackles and a pass breakup.
GEORGIA NOTES:
#6 Georgia (2-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. #15 Tennessee (2-0, 0-0 SEC) Neyland Stadium (101,915), Knoxville, Tenn. Sept. 13, 2025, 3:30 PM ET – ABC (Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit & Holly Rowe) UGA Coach: Kirby Smart (107-19, 10th year); UT: Josh Heupel (67-23, 8th year/5th at UT) Local Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Learfield): Scott Howard (PxP), Josh Brock (Analyst), D.J. Shockley (Sideline); Satellite Radio: SiriusXM TBA, and on the SiriusXM App National Radio: Westwood One SEC Network Re-Air: TBA; Series History: UGA leads 29-23-2 Serious Streak In The Series As SEC Play Opens On The Road *Georgia and Tennessee first met on the gridiron in 1899, and the Bulldogs own a 29-23-2 advantage in the history of the series. Both teams enter the contest 2-0 and ranked in the top 15. *The Bulldogs have won the last eight meetings, which is the longest stretch of success against the Vols in school history. Georgia can match UT’s best streak in the series, which was nine straight that started in 1989 and then continued from 1992-1999. *The Bulldogs are 8-1 against the Vols under Kirby Smart. The lone defeat came in his first season (2016) and featured a Hail Mary for a 34-31 triumph in Athens. It marked the first home loss for Coach Smart who is 52-4 at home in his tenure. *In 2024, No. 12 Georgia erased an early 10-0 deficit to post a 31-17 victory over the No. 7 Vols. At halftime, the game was tied at 17 as the Bulldog defense would post a second half shutout. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs would tally two more score as the Vols yielded more than 18 points in a game for the first time that year. Georgia’s TD drives covered 75, 84, 87 and a season-long 92 yards. UT finished with 313 yards of offense after coming in averaging 472 and 37.6 points per game. Playing With FPE (Fire, Passion & Energy) *One of Georgia’s main themes during the preseason and now in 2025 will be to play with “FPE.” Fifty-four percent of Georgia’s roster is made of players in their first or second seasons in Athens, and they have displayed youthful exuberance throughout spring, fall camp and now in season. *In the opener, the Bulldogs tallied 488 yards of total offense and led 45-0 until the Thundering Herd scored with 10:27 remaining in the contest. Against Austin Peay, Georgia leaned on its ground game for 190 yards on 40 carries with four scores in a 28-6 victory. *Redshirt junior quarterback Gunner Stockton provided four scores, two through the air and two on the ground in the season-opening win over Marshall. Against Austin Peay, he posted career-highs in completions and attempts (26-for-34) but did not have a passing or rushing TD in a 28-6 win. *In the opener, Georgia went 3-for-3 on 4th Down conversion attempts and scored two touchdowns. On Georgia’s first possession of the season, the Bulldogs had a 4th-and-2 from the Marshall 31 when Stockton rushed for 14 yards. Georgia would score one play later for a 7-0 lead. Then on their second possession, the Bulldogs had a 4th-and-1 at the Marshall 13. Stockton scampered in from 13 yards out for a 14-0 lead. The third conversion came with the Bulldogs up 31-0 in the 3rd quarter. On 4th-and-Goal, Stockton completed a two-yard TD strike to London Humphreys. *A total of 22 true freshmen Bulldogs (most in the Smart era) made their debut and two drew a starting assignment, Ethan Barbour (Bar-bore), one of two tight ends, and Juan Gaston Jr., at right guard. Under Smart, only 13 true freshmen have started a season opener. Unfortunately, Gaston injured his ankle late in the first quarter of the opener and did not return and then missed the Austin Peay game while Barbour missed the second half against Austin Peay with an ankle injury. *Against Marshall, the Branch brothers, Zachariah and Zion, made an immediate impact in their Bulldog debut after transferring from USC. Zachariah, a junior wideout/return specialist, had a team-high 95 yards on three catches including a 47-yard touchdown plus had three punt returns for 24 yards. Zion, a junior safety, was the co-leader in tackles with a career-high seven, all solo stops.
SMART Football *Kirby Smart is in his 10th season at the helm of his alma mater with a 107-19 mark. He is one of only two active coaches (Dabo Swinney, Clemson) with multiple national championships. *Georgia is the only team in the CFP-era to win back-to-back national titles, doing it in 2021-2022. *The Bulldogs are 9-0 in their first SEC road game each year of the Smart era, winning at Missouri, Tennessee, South Carolina (twice), Vanderbilt (twice), Arkansas, Auburn and Kentucky. *Georgia is 33-2 in its last 35 SEC regular season games. The 2024 Bulldogs finished 6-2 in the SEC including making road trips to #1 Texas, #4 Alabama and #16 Ole Miss plus a home game against #7 Tennessee. Georgia saw its school and SEC record streak of 28 consecutive regular season wins in league play end last year. *In 2024, the Bulldogs made their fourth straight appearance in the SEC Championship Game (SECCG) and seventh overall trip under Smart. After a 22-19 overtime win over then No. 2 Texas, the Bulldogs claimed their 15th SEC title in school history and the No. 2 seed in the CFP.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME OF THE WEEK:
TEXAS A&M AT NOTRE DAME
NOTRE DAME NOTES:
GAME DAY AT A GLANCE
• Saturday night will mark the seventh meeting between Notre Dame and Texas A&M. The series stands with a
4-2-0 Notre Dame advantage all-time.
• It is the third consecutive year head coaches Marcus Freeman and Mike Elko have met as head coaches as
Elko enters his second season with the Aggies after two seasons at Duke. Coach Freeman holds a 2-0 record
over Coach Elko’s programs (Duke, 2023; Texas A&M, 2024) in the previous meetings.
• The Irish prevailed 23-13 at Kyle Field in the matchup between the two teams last season.
• Notre Dame is 1-0-0 at home against Texas A&M – a 24-10 final on September 2, 2000 in the season opener.
• The two sides have entered the contest both ranked in the Top 25 on four previous occasions as this year’s
meeting will mark the fifth such instance.
• This meeting will be just the fourth time the two teams have faced off on either program’s respective
campus. The first three contests between the Irish and the Aggies took place at the Cotton Bowl (1987, 1992,
1993).
• The Irish are 14-5 in home games after a bye week since 2000.
• Notre Dame is 50-26-0 against SEC teams and has gone 19-10-0 in home games against SEC opponents.
NOTRE DAME STADIUM
• Notre Dame Stadium has been the home of Irish football since 1930.
• The Irish open their 97th season at Notre Dame Stadium in 2025. The facility opened in 1930.
• Notre Dame holds a 530-130-13 record at home all time.
• The Irish are 110-20-4 (.836) in home openers (the team did not have a home opener in 1889 or 1929) with a
mark of 76-17-2 (.811) at Notre Dame Stadium.
• Seating capacity is listed as 77,622 while the playing surface is artificial field turf.
IRISH BY THE NUMBERS
Notre Dame’s 2024 defense was dominant and one of the most complete defenses in the country, ranking among the FBS’ top teams. At the end of the season, Notre Dame was first in pass efficiency defense (104.4), first in turnovers gained (33), first in defensive touchdowns (6), first in blocked kicks (6), second in fumbles recovered (14), second in blocked punts (3), fourth in passing yards allowed (169.4), fourth in scoring defense (15.5), fifth in passes intercepted (19) and 11th in total defense (307.4). 1 With his performance at Miami, CJ Carr became the first Irish QB to have at least one passing TD and one rushing TD in his first start since Brandon Wimbush in 2017. 3 Donovan Hinish was named as a captain for the 2025 season to join his brother Kurt (2021) as a captain. The Hinish brothers are the third pairing of brothers to earn the captain title in the history of Notre Dame football, joining Bob Golic (1978) and Mike Golic (1984) and Zack Martin (2012 & 2013) and Nick Martin (2014 & 2015). 4 Notre Dame is one of just four programs in the Power 4 with eight or more wins over each of the last five seasons (2020-24), joined by Alabama, Clemson and Georgia. 6 Notre Dame is the first team ever to beat an AP-ranked opponent in 6 different months in the same season: No. 20 Texas A&M in August, No. 15 Louisville in September, No. 24 Navy in October, No. 18 Army in November, No. 9 Indiana in December, No. 2 Georgia and No. 5 Penn State in January. 7 The seven victories over ranked teams in the 2024 season was the most in a single season since 1989 (six) and the most ever in a seasn in program history. 11 RB Jeremiyah Love and Riley Leonard each had a rushing TD in the same game 11 times in the 2024 season, becoming the most by any FBS duo in any season in the last 25 years (surpassing Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick and Vai Taua with 10 in 2010). 13 Jeremiyah Love scored a rushing touchdown in 13-straight games in the 2024 season, a Notre Dame record for most-consecutive games with a rushing TD, and a Notre Dame record for most-consecutive games with a rushing TD to start a season. He was the only FBS running back to have scored a rushing touchdown in each regular season game in 2024. 14 The victory over Penn State was the 14th ranked win of the Marcus Freeman era at Notre Dame, more than any other Irish head coach in the first three years of his tenure, and tied for the most of any FBS program over the past three seasons (Georgia, 14). In 2023, the 40-8 Sun Bowl victory over No. 21 Oregon State not only earned Freeman his first campaign with 10 victories, it also was his team’s seventh victory over an Associated Press-ranked team in his first two years leading the program – breaking Terry Brennan’s previous program record of six in 1954 and 55. 14 Notre Dame ended the season with a 14-2 record, marking the most wins in a season in program history. Playing in its 16th game in the National Championship, Notre Dame extended the record for the most games it has played in a season ever. 33 The 33 career wins under Marcus Freeman through his first three seasons as the head coach for the Irish mark the most wins by any head coach in his first three seasons in Notre Dame football history. 1000 RB Jeremiyah Love posted 1,125 rushing yards in 2024, the 21st time an Irish player has broken the 1,000-yard rushing mark in a season. He averaged 6.9 yards per carry, which ranks tied for second among all single-season 1,000-yard rushers in ND records (Reggie Brooks, 1992, 8.0 – 1,343; Josh Adams, 2017, 6.9 – 1,430).
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – OFFENSE • Malachi Fields was named as 2025 Phil Steele Preseason All-America Fourth Team selection and entered the 2024 season 129 career receptions for 1,849 yards and 11 touchdowns after joining the Irish from Virginia. Fields is on the 2025 Biletnikoff Award Watch List and averages 14.3 yards per catch over his career. • Jaden Greathouse became the first Irish player since Javon McKinley in 2020 to have consecutive games with 100+ receiving yards as he posted back-toback 100+ yard efforts in the 2025 Orange Bowl and CFP Championship games. • Will Pauling joins the Irish with 129 receptions and 1,372 yards over his career after competing at both Cincinnati and Wisconsin. A team captain for the Irish in 2025, he averages 10.6 yards per catch for his career. • Jordan Faison had 30 catches for 356 yards a year ago and averages 13.8 yards per catch over two seasons with the Irish. He collected 132 all purpose yards in CFP First Round win over the Hoosiers. • The Notre Dame offensive line brings a wealth of experience from last season to the trenches in 2025. Billy Schrauth, Aamil Wagner and Anthonie Knapp were all key to the Irish run in the 2024 season. Ashton Craig held the starting center job before an injury ended his season. Guerby Lambert played in six games on the offensive line and on special teams last fall. • Craig, Wagner and Schrauth have all drawn attention from national award committees ahead of the 2025 campaign. Craig was named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List while Wagner and Schrauth were both named to the Outland Trophy Watch List. • Eli Raridon competed in all 16 games of the 2024 season for the Irish and pulled in a pair of TD receptions on the season (Stanford, USC). He proved to be a surehanded target on third downs for the Irish a season ago, including a catch to sustain a scoring drive in the CFP First Round win over Indiana. • CJ Carr was named as the starting quarterback for the Irish on August 19. A consensus four star recruit, Carr was named an All-American following his senior year of high school and was an All-American Bowl participant. He became the first Irish QB to have at least one passing TD and one rushing TD in his first start since Brandon Wimbush in 2017. • Jeremiyah Love entered the season as a preseason All-America First Team selection by Walter Camp, Sporting News, the Associated Press, The Athletic, ESPN, CBS Sports, Athlon Sports and Phil Steele. He set a Notre Dame record for most consecutive games with a touchdown to start a season with 13 last fall. • Jadarian Price came into the 2025 season as a Doak Walker Award Preseason candidate after an impactful 2024 season. He had 746 yards on 120 carries to average 6.2 yards per rush with seven TDs. • Love and Price are both experienced on the kick return unit. Love has a careerlong return of 21 yards, which he posted in the 2023 at Duke, while Price rattled off a 99-yard return at home against USC in the 2023 season. • Faison and Pauling are the top two options for the Irish in week one for punt returns. Faison had a career-long 43-yard kick return in the CFP First Round win at home over Indiana. • James Rendell placed 24 punts inside the 20-yard line and posted eight punts of 50+ yards with eight games with zero touchbacks in his first season with the Irish. • Marcello Diomede has made four appearances in an Irish uniform and has a pair of PATs to his name. He added a kickoff a season ago for 55 yards. • Noah Burnette was on the 2024 Lou Groza Award Preseason Watch List while at North Carolina and has connected on 49 field goals and 138 PATs over his career. • Erik Schmidt was ranked as the No. 1 kicker in the nation by 247Sports Composite and was the No. 1 ranked punter in the country by Kohl’s Kicking.
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – DEFENSE • Battle-tested and ready to dig deep in the trenches, the Irish defensive line boasts nine players with experience up front. Seniors Jordan Botelho, Junior Tuihalamaka, Jason Onye, Jared Dawson and Gabriel Rubio along with juniors Joshua Burnham and Donovan Hinish have all competed in at least 19 games over their careers. Sophomores Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young, meanwhile, both made an immediate impact in the 2024 season. • Jordan Botelho ranks in the top 20 all-time in career games played in an Irish uniform with 51 appearances. He leads all active Notre Dame players with 11.5 career sacks and 15.0 TFL. • Junior Tuihalamaka leads the active defensive unit with two fumble recoveries – the second of which set up a late second-quarter touchdown for the Irish in a 23-10 Sugar Bowl win over No. 2 Georgia. The 2024 season saw Tuihalamaka set new single-season highs for tackles (33), TFLs (5.5) and sacks (three). • Jason Onye has competed in 19 games for the Irish ahead of the 2025 season and has 26 career tackles with three blocked kicks and a pair of sacks. • Jared Dawson joins the Irish from Louisville, where he played in 38 games with 51 tackles and 13.5 TFL. Of his nine career sacks, four came in the 2024 season. • Boubacar Traore led all FBS freshman players in sacks prior to a season ending injury in 2024. Traore posted five TFLs in five games with three sacks and a forced fumble last fall. • Donovan Hinish was named as a captain for the 2025 season. Last fall, Hinish tallied 35 tackles with 4.5 TFL, all of which were sacks. • Bryce Young totaled 23 tackles (14 solo) with 3.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks and two QB hurries in his first season with the Irish while also contributing to special teams. He ranked second in the nation (tied) in blocked kicks with three on the year (two blocked field goals and a blocked punt) in 2024. • Jaylen Sneed posted a career-best 51 tackles a season ago with 6.0 TFL and 2.5 sacks. He is fourth among active Irish players in career tackles after his breakout season a year ago. • Drayk Bowen is on the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List and the Butkus Award Watch List heading into the 2025 season. He was third on the team in tackles in 2024 and added 4.0 TFL, a sack and three forced fumbles. • DeVonta Smith joined the Irish after four seasons at Alabama. Smith registered 30 tackles a season ago with a forced fumble and five pass breakups. • Leonard Moore exploded onto the scene a season ago. He was named the 2024 FWAA Freshman Defensive Player of the Year and the College Football Network Freshman Cornerback of the Year. Named to the Preseason All-America First Team lists by Walter Camp, Sporting News, the Associated Press, The Athletic, ESPN, CBS Sports, Athlon Sports and Phil Steele for 2025, he is on the watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award. • Jalen Stroman joined the Irish after four seasons at Virginia Tech. Stroman had 111 career tackles ahead of the 2025 season with 2.0 TFL and four pass breakups. He set a single-game high with 14 tackles in the 2023 season against Purdue. • Adon Shuler started every game for the Irish this season at safety in 2024 and posted three interceptions with 94 yards in returns. He was the only member of the 2024 Irish defense to record an interception, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble during the season. Shuler was also tied for second among Irish players a season ago for interceptions. • Christian Gray started 15 games in 2024, totaling 35 tackles, three interceptions (including a pick-six returned 99 yards), nine pass breakups, 2.5 TFL and a forced fumble.
TEXAS A&M NOTES:
(#16) Texas A&M at (#8) Notre Dame
Saturday, September 13, 2025 • 6:30 PM CT • Notre Dame Stadium
Weather: partly cloudy, upper 60s, slight chance of rain
TV: NBC (Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge, Kathryn Tappen)
AGGIES VS. FIGHTING IRISH
Saturday’s clash between Texas A&M and Notre Dame is the second game of a two-game, home-and-home series between the schools. The Fighting Irish handed the Aggies a 23-13 defeat in last year’s season-opener for both teams at Kyle Field.
The two schools have faced off six times overall with Notre Dame holding a 4-2 advantage. The Aggies and Irish split a home-and-home in 2000 and 2001 with both teams posting home victories. The two programs have also met three times in the Cotton Bowl with the Aggies tallying a 35-10 conquest in the 1988 bowl and the Irish taking 28-3 and 24-21 decisions in 1993 and 1994.
In Texas A&M’s lone visit to South Bend in 2000, the Aggies held a 10-7 lead midway through the third quarter, but the Irish scored the final 17 points of the game for a 24-10 triumph.
NEED-TO-KNOWS
Texas A&M has compiled 23 plays of 20+ yards in two games in 2025 (11.5/G) after averaging just 5.5 “explosives” per game in 2024.
The Aggies under Mike Elko have limited opponents to 125 or fewer rushing yards in nine of 15 contests, including last week when Utah State generated just 78 yards on 35 carries (2.1 average).
After two games, Texas A&M is averaging 305.0 passing yards after throwing for only 148.0 yards per game through week 2 in 2024. The 157.0 yards/G improvement ranks fifth-most among FBS teams.
Mike Elko served as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator in 2017, helping guide the Irish to a 10-3 record with a win over LSU in the Citrus Bowl.
TRENDS & NOTABLES
The Aggies are one of three teams nationally this season that rank in the top 15 in both punt and kick returns. They are joined by Louisville and Pittsburgh.
Similarly, Texas A&M, Louisville and Pittsburgh are the only teams averaging more than 30.0 yards on kick returns (32.2) and 20.0 on punt returns (22.9). Last year the Aggies ranked No. 60 (20.5) in kickoff returns and No. 124 in punt returns (3.9).
Texas A&M ranks in the top 15 nationally in tackles for loss (No. 12) and QB sacks (No. 13). The Aggies have posted 9.0 TFL in both games this season and average 3.5 sacks/G.
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Texas A&M is the only FBS team with two wide receivers with receiving grades above 80.0 among players with at least 10 targets — transfers Mario Craver and KC Concepcion.
Via PFF, Craver ranks No. 4 with a 88.2 grade on 16 targets among WRs with 10+ targets, while Concepcion comes at No. 21 on 13 targets, via PFF.
Craver became the first player to open his Texas A&M career with back-to-back 100-yard receiving games after logging 122 vs. UTSA and 114 vs. Utah State, while Concepcion is the first to open his A&M career with a pair of multiple touchdown games since RB Tra Carson did it in 2013 against Rice and Sam Houston.
Senior RB Le’Veon Moss has just seven carries for negative yardage among his 257 career carries. The hard-running Moss has lost just 16 rushing yards throughout his career.
NCAA RANKINGS DEEP DIVE
Texas A&M is the only school with players ranked in the top 10 in punt and kickoff return average. KC Concepcion ranks No. 5 in punt returns at 28.0, while Terry Bussey comes in at No. 9 in kick returns at 32.8.
Texas A&M and Pittsburgh are the only teams with two players in the top 25 in punt return average. Joining Concepcion in the top 25 is Bussey, who stands at No. 21 at 16.0. Bussey also ranks No. 7 with 179 combined kick return yards (131 KOR/48 PR).
Marcel Reed ranks No. 4 in points responsibility average with 24.0 points per game and No. 7 in passing touchdowns with seven. His pass efficiency stands No. 24 (172.3 rating) and his total offense per outing ranks No. 18 (307.0).
Mario Craver and Concepcion are tied for No. 2 with three receiving touchdowns, while Craver ranks No. 8 in receiving yards average (118.0) and No. 23 in receptions per game (6.5). With two receiving scores and a punt return TD, Concepcion ranks No. 7 in scoring (12.0) among all players and No. 4 in total touchdowns.
On the strength of a three-sacks-on-three-straight-plays effort vs. Utah State, Cashius Howell ranks No. 6 in QB sacks (1.5).
ALSO OF NOTE…
Concepcion’s 80-yard punt return TD vs. UTSA was the first of the Elko era. In fact, it was just the first punt return (without a punt block) of more than 10 yards by the Aggies since the start of 2024.
With a pair of strong passing efforts to start 2025, Reed has now completed over 60% of his attempts in eight-straight games dating back to 2024. Prior to the streak, Reed had competed 54.4% in his first four games of 2024. Reed has completed 65.0% of his passes with a 16-to-6 TD-to-INT ratio while averaging 8.0 yards/attempt in his last eight games.
Craver’s career yards per catch average of 20.1 ranks No. 5 among active FBS players with at least 30 catches.
Tyler White has had 28 punts downed inside the 20 in 15 career games and just four of his 55 career punts have been returned for positive yardage.
PFF NOTABLES VS. UTAH STATE
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), the Aggies’ highest-graded offensive player vs. Utah State was redshirt sophomore C Mark Nabou, who graded at 77.0 while playing 57 snaps. He was the lone Aggie to grade above 70.0 in both run and pass blocking.
On the defensive side, senior LB Scooby Williams led the way among players with 40+ snaps with a 92.3 defensive grade. In just 10 plays, sophomore transfer DE Sam M’Pemba graded at 94.4 while logging his first career sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery.
PFF NOTABLES (SEASON)
Graduate OT Trey Zuhn III has posted a 89.7 pass blocking grade via PFF after two games, which ranks No. 9 among all offensive linemen and No. 3 among tackles. In 53 pass block snaps, Zuhn hasn’t allowed a sack or hurry and hasn’t been flagged for a penalty.
Senior DE Cashius Howell ranks No. 12 among FBS players with 35+ pass rush opportunities with a 87.4 pass rush grade.
True freshman RB Jamarion Morrow ranks No. 27 among all running backs with a 7.3 yards after contact average.
Texas A&M’s offensive line ranks No. 14 (tie) in pass blocking efficiency with a 95.9 grade. The “Maroon Goons” rank No. 1 among teams with more than 80 pass snaps.
HOWELL’S “SACK TRICK”
Senior DE Cashius Howell etched his name into college football lore by posting a “hat-trick” of sorts with three consecutive sacks during a single drive last week against Utah State. Research indicates that Howell is the first FBS player to record three-straight sacks in a single drive since Wisconsin’s Jack Cichy in the 2015 Holiday Bowl.
For his efforts, Howell was named SEC Defensive Line Player of the Week, as well as the East-West Shrine Bowl Breakout Defensive Player of the Week.
GETTING TO THE QB
Texas A&M is one of two FBS schools with two defenders with at least 14 career quarterback sacks on their resumes.
Howell has 18.5 sacks over his career at Texas A&M (7.0) and Bowling Green (11.5), while graduate DE Dayon Hayes has 14.0 after previous stops at Pittsburgh (12.0) and Colorado (2.0).
QUICK HITS
Dual-threat QB Marcel Reed is in his first season as the solidified starter after he tallied 1,864 yards on 147-of-240 pass attempts and 15 touchdowns, while adding 547 rushing yards on 116 carries and seven scores a year ago.
Reed was one of five SEC quarterbacks and one of 16 QBs in the nation to pass for over 1,850 yards and rush for more than 500 yards in 2024.
Le’Veon Moss returns for his senior season after earning All-SEC Second Team honors in 2024 … Moss totaled 121 carries for 765 yards and 10 TDs, while adding 10 catches for 141 yards in the first nine games before suffering a season-ending injury.
Moss ranked second in the SEC and 17th nationally last season with 6.3 yards per carry and his 85.0 rushing yards per game ranked third-best in the league.
The Maroon & White return their entire starting offensive line that cleared the way for the second-best rushing attack in the SEC as their 195.5 ypg were also good for 26th nationally … guards Chase Bisontis and Ar’maj Reed-Adams and tackle Trey Zuhn III each were recognized by league coaches earning spots on the Preseason All-SEC Second Team.
Junior LB Taurean York and Zuhn were named season-long captains for the second straight year, joined by Reed-Adams in his first season as a captain.
York and senior CB Will Lee III anchor an experienced defense that returns eight starters combined with 140 career starts (entering 2025) … in 2024, York led the Aggies with 82 tackles and Lee paced the secondary with 10 pass breakups.
DE Cashius Howell, Lee, S Marcus Ratcliffe and LB Scooby Williams each returned for their senior seasons after making a strong first impression in Aggieland last season … the quartet combined for 28 passes defended a year ago, while the defense ranked fifth nationally with 76 passes defended.
A&M’s offensive line ranked 10th nationally allowing only 51.0 tackles for loss and was fourth in the SEC with 23.0 sacks allowed in 2024 … the Maroon Goons have combined to play 235 career games, the eighth most among an o-line group entering this season.
Texas A&M was one of just three teams in the SEC and one of 18 in the nation to produce over 2,500 rushing and passing yards in 2024.
Last season, the Maroon & White allowed an average of 15.1 points per game in seven matchups at Kyle Field.
REED ALL ABOUT IT
After winning the starting quarterback job mid-way through last season, Marcel Reed is firmly establshed as QB1 in his redshirt sophomore season.
Reed made eight starts under center in 2024, including wins in his first three starts at Florida, against Bowling Green and vs. Arkansas at AT&T Stadium … he was the first freshman QB to win his first three career starts since Kellen Mond in 2017.
The dual-threat QB accounted for 22 touchdowns on the year, the second most in the SEC among freshmen last season and the sixth most in the league among returning players.
In his first career start at Florida, he commanded Texas A&M to its first true SEC road win since 2021 … Reed completed 11-of-17 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 83 yards rushing and one score.
The Nashville, Tennessee, native continued to showcase his dual-threat capabilities in wins over Arkansas and New Mexico State, throwing for a pair of touchdowns and rushing for one in each game … it marked the first time an Aggie quarterback achieved the feat three times in a season since Mond in 2019.
Reed became the undisputed starter after he came off the bench midway through the third quarter to lead the Aggies to a second half comeback win over No. 8 LSU in Week 9 … he sparked the offense by scoring three unanswered rushing touchdowns and putting a dagger in the Tigers with a 54-yard strike to open a fourth quarter scoring drive making it a two possession game with 8:09 left.
He finished the 2024 season with 1,864 passing yards, the second most by an Aggie freshman QB trailing only Johnny Manziel’s 3,706 yards in his Heisman winning campaign in 2012 … Reed led all SEC quarterbacks with 4.7 yards per carry while his 49.4 rushing yards per game and seven rushing scores ranked No. 4 among league signal-callers.
STABLE STALLIONS
Texas A&M returns 87% of its run production from last season, including All-SEC Second Team running back Le’Veon Moss who ranked second in the league and 17th nationally with 6.3 yards per carry … Marcel Reed is one-of-three Aggies returning who rushed over 500 yards, while his 4.7 yards per carry was eighth best in the nation among returning quarterbacks.
Moss’ ability to excel in short-yardage situations and gain yards after contact contributed to his reputation of being a physical downhill runner … the Walker, Louisiana, native lost just 3 yards last season, which led the league and was No. 2 among all FBS players.
Seniors Moss and Amari Daniels are back after the duo combined for 1,426 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns last season … Moss ranked sixth in the SEC with 10 rushing touchdowns and eighth in the league rushing for 765 yards, despite an injury prematurely ended his season at nine games … Daniels was ninth in the SEC in rushing scores (8) and finished 18th in rushing yards (661) after appearing in each regular season game and making three starts.
Daniels came on strong at the end of the season filling in for the injured Moss averaging 5.3 yards per carry in the last five games of the regular season … during the span, he totaled 369 yards on 70 carries and three rushing touchdowns, including a pair of 50-plus yard scores against South Carolina (56 yards) and New Mexico State (71 yards).
Rueben Owens II is back in full swing after a fall camp injury sidelined him for the majority of last season … the redshirt sophomore earned 2023 SEC All-Freshman Team honors after leading the league’s true freshmen in all-purpose yards (743), rushing yards (385) and kick return yards (249).
Reed has supplemented the Aggies’ solid rushing attack ranking third among all SEC QBs with six touchdowns on the season, while his 4.7 yards per carry led league signal callers and his 49.0 yards per game was good for top-20 in the league … Reed came in midway through the third quarter against LSU and sparked the Aggies scoring three unanswered rushing TDs.
Texas A&M rushed for 200-plus yards in six games last season and eclipsed the 300-yard mark in consecutive games at Florida and against McNeese … it marked the first time the Aggies have tallied 300-plus rushing yards in back-to-back games since the 2012 season.
The Aggies’ 90.6% red zone conversion rate was No. 17 in the nation last season … the run game accounted for 62% (23-of-37) of the touchdowns scored in the red zone for the Maroon & White.
YORK AND ORDER
Junior LB Taurean York is in his third season as the starting middle linebacker and was selected as a team captain by his teammates for a second straight year ahead of the 2025 season … since the day the Temple, Texas, native stepped foot on campus in 2023, York has been a student of the game and has set the standard in playing Aggie defense.
York led the Aggies with 82 tackles last season and was top-12 in the SEC in tackles and seventh in the league among linebackers in tackles for loss … the steady linebacker has been recognized on numerous preseason watch lists, including the Butkus Award, Chuck Bednarik Award and he was named to the Walter Camp Preseason All-America First Team and Preseason All-SEC Third Team.
York led the defense in tackles in seven games last season and notched double-digit tackles at Mississippi State (12), at Auburn (10) and against Texas (10) … he led the Aggies with an 85.7 tackling grade according to PFF and missed just six tackles in nearly 700 defensive snaps in 2024 for an impressive 7.4 missed tackle rate.
MAROON GOONS
After ranking second in the SEC averaging 195.5 rushing yards per game, the Aggies return each member of their starting offensive line … the group is one of the most experienced with a combined 161 career starts ranking fifth most in the nation entering 2025.
The line is anchored by season-long team captains Trey Zuhn III and right guard Ar’maj Reed-Adams … Zuhn played a team-high 882 offensive snaps last year and allowed just two sacks in 417 pass plays, while being flagged just twice in 13 games. Reed-Adams posted an 85.9 run block grade by PFF, second-best among returning guards nationally, while he allowed just one sack in more than 200 pass blocks.
Graduate student Dametrious Crownover and junior Chase Bisontis, along with senior Koli Faaiu and redshirt sophomore Mark Nabou Jr. provide necessary support in the trenches … Crownover was one of four Aggies to start each game last season, while Faaiu made 11 starts and Bisontis logged nine starts … Nabou started Week One before suffering an injury that sidelined him the rest of the year.
The Maroon Goons controlled the trenches paving the way for an Aggie offense that ranked 17th in the nation with a 90.6% red zone conversion rate and 23rd in third down conversions at 45.1 percent.
VETERAN SECONDARY
The Maroon & White return an experienced secondary combined with 115 career starts entering 2025, including seven players that made multiple starts in 2024 … senior CB Will Lee III and junior S Marcus Ratcliffe command the secondary after the pair started each game last regular season.
Ratcliffe recorded an interception in three straight games last season to become the first Aggie to accomplish the feat since Jason Glenn in 2000 … Lee picked off two passes, one of which he returned 93 yards for his first career touchdown in the regular season finale against Texas … his pick six marked the longest by an Aggie since Aaron Glenn returned one for 95 yards against Texas in 1992.
Lee garnered 2024 All-SEC Second Team honors after he ranked fifth in the league with 10 pass breakups and finished top-five on the team with 42 tackles … he posted at least one breakup in six games, highlighted by a career-best four against Arkansas and was only one of two SEC players last year to record four-or-more breakups in a single game.
Redshirt senior CB Tyreek Chappell returns after starting the first two games in 2024 before he suffered a season-ending injury.
WHO’S THAT DUDE
Between the returning players in new jersey numbers and the numerous transfers fresh to Aggieland, the 12th Man will have every good reason to wonder, ‘who’s that dude?’
Notable defensive returners that switched numbers include, CB Dezz Ricks (2), CB Will Lee III (4), DT DJ Hicks (5) and DE Cashius Howell (9), while WR Ashton Bethel-Roman (3) was one of the few offensive returners to make a number change this season.
Transfer WRs Mario Craver (1) from Mississippi State and KC Concepcion (7) from NC State are expected to have an immediate impact on the Aggie offense … Craver was second in the SEC with 21.6 yards per catch among players with at least 15 catches in 2024, while Concepcion totaled 124 catches for 1,299 yards, 16 touchdowns and added 356 rushing yards on 60 carries for two scores in two seasons in the ACC.
The Aggie tight ends beefed their room up physically and in maturity with Texas transfer Amari Niblack (84), Nebraska transfer Nate Boerkircher (87) and Auburn transfer Micah Riley (88) … the trio has combined to play in 101 games, while Boerkircher reunites with tight ends coach Christian Ellsworth and Niblack is back with co-offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins when the pair were at Alabama in 2022 and 2023.
On the defensive front, DT Tyler Onyedim (11) from Iowa State, DE T.J. Searcy (18) from Florida, Colorado transfer DT Dayon Hayes (50) and Georgia transfer DE Sam M’Pemba (92) bring experience and add depth to join key returners DT Albert Regis and DE Cashius Howell.
Georgia transfer CB Julio Humphrey (6) and Washington transfer CB Jordan Shaw (8) join a veteran defensive secondary.
SPECIAL TEAMS SUCCESS
Texas A&M returns each specialist starter from a season ago, including Lou Groza Award Preseason Watch List kicker Randy Bond and Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List punter Tyler White.
Graduate K Randy Bond ranked 15th in the nation and fifth in the SEC with 20 made field goals, while his 83.3 field goal percentage was fourth-best in the SEC with 20-or-more attempts … he enters the season four points shy of 300 for his career … Bond has posted double-digit points in a game 12 times in his career, including five times in 2024.
Redshirt sophomore P Tyler White led the nation last season among freshmen averaging 44.9 yards per punt, while his average ranked fifth in the SEC among punters with at least 45 boots … he boasted a season-long 69-yard boom, which ranked as the second-longest in the nation among freshmen and second-best in the SEC for all punters.
SETTING THE STANDARD
In his first season at the helm in Aggieland, head coach Mike Elko established a culture of grit, relentless effort, integrity and dependability.
Elko led the Maroon & White to their best start in SEC play, going 5-0 against their first league opponents and had the Aggies battling for a spot in the SEC Championship game entering the final week of the regular season … the 5-0 start marked the program’s best record in conference play since the Aggies started their Big 12 slate 7-0 in 1998.
The players embraced the culture on and off the field beating two top-10 opponents at Kyle Field, while posting the program’s best cumulative grade point average and the squad had 100-percent participation in The Big Event, a student-run community service project.
In 2024, Texas A&M ranked 34th in the nation in scoring defense holding opponents to an average of 22.2 points per game … At Kyle Field, the defense was even more stifling allowing only 15.1 points per game
Known as one of the top defensive minds in the country, Elko has consistently produced highly disruptive and productive defenses throughout his career, most recently putting the Texas A&M defense on the map during his time as defensive coordinator and carrying the same standard as the head coach at Duke.
In 2023, Duke led the ACC and ranked 16th nationally in scoring defense (19.0 ppg) while registering a top-five rush defense among league teams and standing in 17th in the country with 67 passes defended … in Elko’s first season as a head coach, the Blue Devils ranked in the top-35 in the nation in scoring defense, rush defense, rushing touchdowns allowed and passes defended.
After not finishing in the top-50 nationally in total defense for more than a decade, Elko’s first stint in Aggieland as defensive coordinator from 2018-21 coincided with consistent top-35 finishes, including a top-10 ranking in the 2020 final FBS total defense standings.
Elko has produced top-50 defenses in 11 of the last 13 years with multiple programs (Duke, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Bowling Green).
COLLEGE FOOTBALL TRADITIONS: ‘HAWKEYE WAVE’ BONDS EVERYONE IN STADIUM WITH KIDS IN ADJACENT HOSPITAL
When Iowa is playing at home and the first quarter comes to an end, the football game suddenly is out of sight and out of mind for a few minutes for everyone inside Kinnick Stadium and the kids watching from the nearby Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City.
The 70,000 fans along with players, coaches and staff for the Hawkeyes and the visiting team turn toward the hospital and wave to the pediatric patients and parents gathered on the top floor that provides a bird’s-eye view of the field. The children wave back and hold up handmade signs.
The tradition, known as the Hawkeye Wave, started with the 2017 opener against Wyoming after it was suggested on an internet message board that fans take a moment each game to acknowledge the kids in the hospital who are watching along with them and often are battling life-threatening diseases.
The Wave has been hailed as one of the most popular traditions in college football by a number of outlets and is deeply moving for the participants.
“It puts things into perspective, even though it’s during the game,” said fifth-year linebacker Jaden Harrell. “That’s an awesome thing to take a break for not only the kids, but those parents who are going through a lot, too. Knowing what’s going on in there, what’s being done by the doctors and the staff and the nurses, it shows appreciation to all those people. They’re doing a great job.”
The Hawkeyes have long had a strong bond with the hospital. Coach Kirk Ferentz and his wife, Mary, have donated more than $1 million to the hospital since 2017 and players regularly visit patients.
“You get to know some of the kids over there, and it just makes it even cooler when you get to that point in the game when you can wave to them,” fifth-year wide receiver Kaden Wetjen said.
In 2009, the football program began the “Kid Captain” program to honor patients and celebrate their stories. A Kid Captain is picked for every home game, and each child selected receives a commemorative jersey, special recognition from the hospital and the football team and other behind-the-scenes activities.
The relationships with the patients, combined with the participation of the fans and visiting team, stirs emotion.
For the first five years, Pat Clark’s country music song “Wave on Wave” played on stadium loudspeakers during the Wave. Since 2022, the Kid Captain picks the song.
“It’s pretty special, man,” Wetjen said. “I mean, to look up, see all the kids there waving back at you, it’s just kind of a cool moment. Each and every game, it always kind of hits you.”
FERNANDO MENDOZA, NO. 22 INDIANA THRASH INDIANA STATE 73-0
Fernando Mendoza and Omar Cooper Jr. celebrated records, and No. 22 Indiana was nearly perfect as it pummeled Indiana State 73-0 Friday night in Bloomington, Ind.
In posting the program’s largest shutout in 124 years, the Hoosiers (3-0) finished with the third-most points and yards (680) in a game in their history. The Hoosiers (3-0) accumulated 301 yards on the ground, the third straight game with 300 or more.
Mendoza played only in the first half and set a record for highest completion percentage by a Hoosier quarterback. The Cal transfer completed 19 of 20 passes for 270 yards and five touchdowns. His 95 percent mark broke Peyton Ramsey’s 92.9 percent rate set against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 7, 2019.
The only blemish occurred when Sycamores defensive back J.T. Anderson got a hand on Mendoza’s passing arm three-plus minutes into the second quarter. That ended Mendoza’s run of 14 completions to start the game.
Cooper caught 10 passes for 207 yards and four touchdowns — all career highs.
Mendoza added a 7-yard rushing touchdown that put the Hoosiers (3-0) up 7-0 with 11:22 to go in the first quarter.
The Hoosiers had eight first-half drives. They scored on their first seven and found the end zone six times. The only possession that did not result in points started with 48 seconds before halftime. By that time, Indiana led 45-0.
Alberto Mendoza, Fernando’s younger brother, took over in the second half. On his fourth play, he found Cooper on a 58-yard scoring catch. That let Cooper match the team record with four touchdown receptions set by James Hardy on Oct. 28, 2006.
The younger Mendoza led the Hoosiers to touchdowns on his first three drives. He completed 6 of 9 passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns before leaving midway through the fourth quarter.
As Indiana’s offense clicked, the defense held the Sycamores (2-1) in check. The FCS school gained just 10 yards in the first half — compared to 383 for the hosts — and did not get a first down until four minutes remained in the first half.
The Hoosiers held their guests to just 77 yards and made 16 tackles for loss, including five sacks.
NEW MEXICO TRAMPLES UCLA FOR FIRST WIN OVER BIG TEN FOE
Damon Bankston’s 43-yard touchdown reception on a screen pass put an exclamation point on New Mexico’s first-ever win over a Big Ten opponent, a 35-10 romp over UCLA in Pasadena, Calif., on Friday.
Bankston’s clinching score came after UCLA coach DeShaun Foster accepted a penalty on New Mexico for illegal motion. Instead of fourth-and-2, the Lobos (2-1) faced a third-and-11 on which quarterback Jack Layne dumped a short pass to Bankston.
The running back proceeded to race through and past would-be tacklers to the end zone, his second scoring trip of the fourth quarter, putting the Lobos up 28-10 with 7:06 remaining.
His 2-yard touchdown run earlier in the period capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive and extended New Mexico’s lead to 21-10.
On the way to their first win over any power-conference opponent since 2008, the Lobos leaned on a wildly productive rushing attack. New Mexico averaged 6.5 yards per carry as a team and finished the night with 298 yards on the ground.
Bankston’s 154 rushing yards led the way, while D.J. McKinney added 89 and ran for the game’s final touchdown. New Mexico used a variety of formations employing more than five offensive linemen, often setting one up in the backfield as a lead blocker.
UCLA (0-3) slowly battled back from a 14-0, second-quarter hole. The Bruins gave up a 1-yard touchdown carry to Scottre Humphrey at the end of a nine-play, 64-yard drive in the first quarter and an 8-yard Simon Mapa scoring reception from Layne in the second quarter.
Titus Mokiao-Atimalala’s 12-yard touchdown catch from Nico Iamaleava put UCLA on the board and within a score by halftime, and Mateen Bhaghani drilled a 51-yard field goal in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 14-10.
The UCLA defense also helped the cause with two fourth-down stops inside the Bruins 5-yard line. However, UCLA could not capitalize on either change of possession.
After the first of those stops in the second quarter, the Bruins broke into New Mexico territory on a 33-yard Anthony Woods rush, but time expired to deny UCLA a scoring opportunity.
Woods’ 64 rushing yards led UCLA, which gained 109 yards on the ground as a team. Iamaleava ran for 33 yards and connected on 22 of 34 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown. He was intercepted during UCLA’s disastrous fourth quarter.
DOMINANT FIRST HALF CARRIES ARIZONA TO VICTORY OVER KANSAS STATE
Noah Fifita ran for two first-half touchdowns and Arizona held on to defeat Kansas State 23-17 in a nonconference game between Big 12 teams in Tucson, Ariz.
Arizona improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2015.
Fifita completed 16 of 33 passes for 178 yards. He also gained for 48 yards on 15 carries. Teammate Ismail Mahdi ran for 189 yards on 22 attempts, an 8.6 yards-per-carry clip.
Avery Johnson finished 13 of 29 for just 88 yards for Kansas State (1-3), which gained only 193 total yards.
Following a disastrous first half (44 total yards), Kansas State nearly tripled its total offense on the first play of the second half when Jayce Brown raced 75 yards untouched to trim the visitors’ deficit to 17-10.
Kansas State blocked a punt on Arizona’s next possession, and Johnson subsequently punched it in from the 1-yard line to tie the score.
Arizona retook the lead on a 31-yard Michael Salgado-Medina field goal with 2:40 left in the third quarter. The hosts reached the red zone again in the fourth quarter but settled for another Salgado-Medina field goal, this one from 41 yards with 4:25 to play.
Following a missed 46-yard field-goal attempt by Salgado-Medina just inside the two-minute timeout, Kansas State had one last chance, but the visitors couldn’t advance the ball past midfield.
The first half was total domination by Arizona, which outgained Kansas State 257-44.
After recovering a botched punt at the Arizona 23-yard line, Kansas State lost 10 yards on the next three plays, but Luis Rodriguez nailed a 51-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
It didn’t take long for Arizona to take over. A 60-yard run on the first play by Mahdi put Arizona in the red zone. Fifita ran it in from the 15 to give the hosts a 7-3 lead.
Arizona got into the red zone on its next possession but settled for a 31-yard Salgado-Medina field goal. Fifita then punched it in from the 2-yard line with 3:42 left in the half to put Arizona up 17-3.
HOUSTON OPENS BIG 12 SLATE WITH HOME WIN OVER COLORADO
Conner Weigman was 15-for-24 passing for 222 yards and had 17 carries for 83 yards and two touchdowns to lead Houston to a 36-20 home win over Colorado in the Big 12 opener for both teams on Friday night.
Dean Connors had 22 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown, while Stephon Johnson had five receptions for 117 yards. Blake Thompson and Wrook Brown each had an interception. Ethan Sanchez connected on field goals from 52, 43, 47, 35 and 49 yards for Houston (3-0, 1-0 Big 12).
Ryan Staub completed 19 of 35 passes for 204 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Simeon Price rushed for a touchdown, Joseph Williams had a touchdown catch and Zach Atkins scored a touchdown after recovering Staub’s fumble in the end zone for the Buffaloes (1-2, 0-1).
It was a decisive third quarter for the Houston offense, which outgained Colorado 123-0 and held a 12:49-2:11 edge in time of possession. The Buffaloes ran just five plays as Houston chewed up the third-quarter clock with two scoring drives that totaled 25 plays.
The Cougars’ first drive of the second half lasted 8:35 and ended with the fourth Sanchez field goal for a 19-14 lead.
After a Colorado three-and-out, Weigman punctuated a 76-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown on a quarterback sneak that gave Houston a 26-14 lead. Weigman juked his way into the end zone on a 7-yard touchdown run and Houston took a 33-14 lead with 11:39 to play.
A 4-yard touchdown run by Connors gave Houston a 10-0 lead at the 3:52 mark of the first quarter. After Colorado punted on its first four possessions and gained just 42 yards, it engineered back-to-back scoring drives in the second quarter.
The first drive featured Price bursting between the tackles for a 38-yard touchdown run that cut Houston’s lead to 13-7. On Colorado’s next possession, Staub was hit as he dove for the goal line and fumbled, which Atkins recovered in the end zone with 26 seconds left in the second quarter. Colorado trailed 16-14 at halftime.
Staub connected with Williams for a 37-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
STEVE ANGELI TOSSES 5 TDS AS SYRACUSE THRASHES COLGATE
Steve Angeli threw five touchdown passes and ran for another as Syracuse trounced visiting Colgate 66-24 on Friday evening.
Following last week’s overtime win against UConn, Orange coach Fran Brown made his team run postgame sprints on the field as a sign of his displeasure with his players’ effort during the contest. Syracuse (2-1) put forth a much crisper effort in this one, scoring 38 first-half points and finishing with 620 yards of total offense.
Darrell Gill Jr. racked up six catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns for the Orange, while Will Nixon contributed 66 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Angeli finished 24 of 32 for 417 yards for Syracuse.
Zach Osborne was 13 of 28 for 135 yards with two interceptions before Jake Stearney came on and went 14-for-20 for 148 yards and two scores. Reed Swanson was a popular target for the Raiders (0-3), totaling 110 yards and two touchdowns on seven receptions.
Syracuse scored on its first possession as Angeli found Justus Ross-Simmons for a 26-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Colgate responded with a field goal before the Orange found the end zone again on Gill’s leaping catch near the goal line — a 43-yard score that made it 14-3.
Early in the second quarter, Syracuse jumped ahead 21-3 on Nixon’s 2-yard TD plunge.
Angeli threw a pair of touchdowns later in the quarter. He hooked up with Gill for a 35-yard score and then found Jaylan Hornsby for a 25-yard TD to make it 38-3 with less than two minutes until intermission.
On Colgate’s first possession of the second half, Syracuse held firm on fourth down at the Raiders’ 41. Three plays later, Angeli and Darrell Williams connected on a 26-yard TD catch.
Stearney and Swanson hooked up for two touchdowns in the final five minutes of the third quarter to make the score more respectable. However, the hosts tacked on three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to win going away.
REPORT: LONGTIME ACC REF QUITS DUE TO REPLAY FRUSTRATION
Upset over how a replay review was handled in last Saturday’s UConn-Syracuse game, Atlantic Coast Conference referee Gary Patterson resigned, ESPN reported on Friday.
An ACC official since 2002, Patterson quit after he served as the head referee of the matchup, a 27-20 overtime win for host Syracuse.
Patterson was slated to referee the Pitt-West Virginia matchup this Saturday, but the ACC said on Friday that Patterson’s crew has been adjusted after his departure.
Late in the first half with UConn ahead 14-3, Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli had his arm hit as he threw the ball on a first-down play at the Huskes’ 25-yard line. The ball went forward and landed on the turf, and the officiating crew ruled an incomplete pass.
On second down, Angeli’s throw was nearly intercepted, leading to a third-and-10 with 53 seconds left in the half. But Patterson got on the head set after a flag was thrown, announcing that “replay had buzzed in prior to the previous play” after communicating with the ACC command center.
Per the report, several camera angles showed no indication that any on-field official had been buzzed by the replay before the second-down play. A spokesperson for the conference said officials were buzzed from the booth to start a review and added that the ACC internally addressed the situation.
The first-down play was then reviewed to see if Angeli fumbled, but the call of an incomplete pass was upheld.
Per ESPN, officials for UConn and Syracuse were informed that the referee had “not heard” the initial request from the booth before the ball was snapped on second down.
According to the report, the directive to initiate a review came from the ACC command center.
Patterson, who did not respond to ESPN’s requests for comment, was apparently bothered by the ACC forcing a replay after the next play of the drive.
Syracuse recovered to kick a field goal as time expired, going 61 yards on its next seven plays before rallying in the second half.
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MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL NEWS
MLB ROUNDUP: AARON JUDGE’S LATEST MILESTONE LIFTS YANKS PAST RED SOX
Aaron Judge took sole possession of fourth place on the New York Yankees’ all-time home run list and Luis Gil pitched six no-hit innings in a 4-1 win over the host Boston Red Sox on Friday.
Judge crushed his 362nd career homer 468 feet out to deep center with one out in the top of the first, giving the Yankees a lead that they would never relinquish. He passed Joe DiMaggio and trails only Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig on the franchise list.
Nate Eaton lined a two-out solo shot — his first of the season — to left in the seventh for the first of just two hits for the Red Sox.
New York remains three games back of the American League East-leading Toronto Blue Jays and leads Boston by 1 1/2 games for the top AL wild-card spot.
Giants 5, Dodgers 1 (10 innings)
Patrick Bailey hit a game-ending grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning and San Francisco beat visiting Los Angeles to move within a half-game of a National League wild-card spot.
The Giants pulled off the victory despite making 23 consecutive outs between the first and ninth innings. Justin Verlander allowed one run on four hits over seven innings, and Joel Peguero (2-0) pitched a scoreless 10th.
Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up one run on one hit over seven innings with 10 strikeouts. Blake Treinen (1-4) took the loss when Tanner Scott served up Bailey’s homer. Michael Conforto homered for Los Angeles.
Rangers 8, Mets 3
Jacob deGrom tossed seven strong innings in his first matchup with his former team and benefited from some early run support as visiting Texas beat free-falling New York.
The Rangers, who scored six runs with two outs in the first, have won five straight to stay two games back of Houston and Seattle in the American League West. deGrom (12-7) allowed three runs on four hits.
Texas’ Dylan Moore and New York’s Francisco Alvarez homered. Mets starter Jonah Tong (1-2) yielded six runs and got just two outs.
Blue Jays 6, Orioles 1
Myles Straw drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and Toronto defeated visiting Baltimore.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was on base five times for the Blue Jays with three hits and two walks (one intentional) and had an RBI. Braydon Fisher (5-0) earned the win with two outs of scoreless relief.
The Orioles were limited to three hits by six Toronto pitchers and also committed two errors. Reliever Dietrich Enns (3-3) yielded two runs in 1 1/3 innings.
Brewers 8, Cardinals 2
Christian Yelich hit a two-run homer and Quinn Priester pitched 5 1/3 effective innings as Milwaukee snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory over visiting St. Louis.
Priester (13-2) allowed two runs on five hits to extend his franchise record for winning decisions to 12 games. Yelich’s 28th homer, a two-run shot in the seventh, put the Brewers up 7-2.
Milwaukee, which owns the best record in the majors, maintained its 5 1/2 game lead in the National League Central over the Chicago Cubs. St. Louis, which has lost four straight, dropped four games back of the final NL wild-card spot.
Astros 11, Braves 3
Zach Cole homered on the first pitch he saw in his major league debut and finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs to help visiting Houston post a victory over Atlanta.
Christian Walker went 3-for-5 and drove in two runs for the Astros, who maintained a first-place tie with Seattle atop the American League West. Jose Altuve also homered for Houston.
After opener Jayden Murray threw three scoreless innings, AJ Blubaugh (3-1) pitched a scoreless fourth as four Astros combined to limit the Braves to five hits. Ronald Acuna Jr. and Eli White homered for Atlanta.
Rockies 4, Padres 2
Blaine Crim belted a three-run homer for his first major league hit and Tanner Gordon pitched into the seventh inning as visiting Colorado played the spoiler’s role with a win over San Diego.
Gordon (6-6), who was rocked for six runs on Sunday in an 8-1 loss to San Diego, mowed down 16 straight batters after allowing Manny Machado’s 24th homer of the year in the bottom of the first. He had nine strikeouts.
San Diego starter JP Sears (8-11) yielded four runs in 4 1/3 innings. The loss kept the Padres 2 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West.
Twins 9, Diamondbacks 8
Kody Clemens belted three home runs, Luke Keaschall drove a fly ball to center field for a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth, and Minnesota rallied for a win over Arizona in Minneapolis.
Clemens finished 4-for-4 with a double, five RBIs and three runs. Gabriel Moreno went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs for Arizona, which has lost four of its last five. Geraldo Perdomo went 1-for-2 with a homer and two RBIs.
Twins reliever Cole Sands (4-4) got the victory despite allowing four runs in his lone inning. Diamondbacks reliever Jake Woodford (0-4) allowed three runs without recording an out.
Athletics 3, Reds 0
Rookie Carlos Cortes hit two homers and Lawrence Butler also went deep to help the Athletics record a victory over Cincinnati in West Sacramento, Calif.
Five pitchers combined on a six-hit shutout for the Athletics, who won their second straight game. The A’s had six hits.
Cincinnati remained 1 1/2 games behind the Mets in the battle for the National League’s third wild-card spot. TJ Friedl reached base four times on one hit, two walks and a hit by pitch for the Reds, who had won four of their previous five games.
Mariners 2, Angels 1
Mitch Garver hit a tiebreaking solo homer with one out in the seventh inning as Seattle defeated visiting Los Angeles to remain tied for first place in the American League West.
Cal Raleigh had two doubles for the Mariners, who won their seventh game in a row to keep pace with Houston atop the division and maintain their two-game lead over Texas for the league’s third and final wild-card berth.
The Angels took their second straight loss and sixth in their past nine games. Seattle’s Luis Castillo and Los Angeles’ Yusei Kikuchi each delivered strong starts, combining to allow two runs in 12-plus innings.
Guardians 4, White Sox 0
Tanner Bibee pitched a two-hitter for his first career shutout and David Fry and Angel Martinez hit solo homers, lifting surging Cleveland to a victory over visiting Chicago.
The Guardians won for the seventh time in eight games and they sit 3 1/2 games behind the Astros and Mariners, who are tied for the American League West lead and the final wild-card position. Bibee (10-11) matched his season high with 10 strikeouts.
Chicago’s only hits off Bibee were third-inning singles by rookies Chase Meidroth and Will Robertson.
Phillies 8, Royals 2
Walker Buehler allowed one run in five innings in his debut for Philadelphia, which stayed hot with a victory over visiting Kansas City.
Buehler (8-7) gave up five hits — all singles — and one walk while striking out three in a 90-pitch performance. Bryce Harper and Bryson Stott each homered and were among six Philadelphia starters to record multiple hits.
Michael Lorenzen (5-11) allowed six runs and 10 hits in three-plus frames for Kansas City, which has dropped five of six. Maikel Garcia chipped in two hits for the Royals.
Marlins 8, Tigers 2
Sandy Alcantara pitched seven strong innings to lead host Miami to a win over Detroit, which saw ace left-hander Tarik Skubal exit early due to tightness in his left side.
The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, Skubal (13-5) lasted just 3 1/3 innings — his shortest start since September 2021. He exited after manager A.J. Hinch and a trainer went to the mound to examine the lefty. Skubal will undergo testing to determine the extent of the injury.
Miami hit three homers, including a three-run shot from Joey Wiemer. Nine-hole hitter Javier Sanoja also drove in three runs. Detroit’s offense was led by Riley Greene, who hit his team-leading 34th homer and also doubled.
Cubs 6, Rays 4
Ian Happ singled, doubled and homered to help Chicago rally against visiting Tampa Bay in the opener of a three-game series.
Nico Hoerner singled, tripled and scored twice and Moises Ballesteros had two hits, an RBI and run scored for the Cubs, who have won three in a row following a three-game skid.
Christopher Morel hit a three-run homer in the first inning and Jake Mangum had two hits and scored a run for the Rays, who have dropped six of seven following a seven-game winning streak.
Nationals 6, Pirates 5
Dylan Crews hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning and Washington rallied for a win against visiting Pittsburgh.
Nationals left fielder James Wood threw out the potential tying run in the ninth to preserve the win. Brady House also homered for Washington, which had lost two in a row after winning four straight. Wood had two doubles.
Spencer Horwitz had a homer and a single for the Pirates, who have lost seven straight, and Jared Triolo had a double, a single and two runs.
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WNBA NEWS
A’JA WILSON’S INCREDIBLE SEASON EARNS HER A SECOND STRAIGHT AP PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD
A’ja Wilson followed up a historic season with another incredible one to earn AP Player of the Year for the second straight time.
The Las Vegas Aces star topped Napheesa Collier of Minnesota and Alyssa Thomas of Phoenix, who both had terrific seasons.
“She’s put in the work and she passes all the tests — the math tests, the optics tests — she’s the most exciting player in the W,” Aces coach Becky Hammon told The Associated Press. “And here’s the thing, she’s also the most exciting player on the defensive end. She will do something once a game defensively that’s going to get you out of your seat. She’s the only player in this league that I’ve seen that has defensive highlights on a consistent basis.”
Wilson was also honored as the AP Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in four seasons.
“Considering coach (Dawn) Staley was so hard on me about my defense in college, I’m glad I can have some success at the pro level multiple times,” Wilson told the AP.
The WNBA will announce its postseason awards over the course of the playoffs, which begin Sunday. Wilson is a huge favorite to win the WNBA MVP for the second straight season. Her odds at BetMGM Sportsbook to repeat dropped over the last week with her going from +650 to -350 on Thursday.
The AP voting is done by a 14-member national media panel that votes on the power poll each week. It’s the 10th year of the awards.
Wilson once again led the league in scoring (23.4) as well as blocked shots (2.3).
Paige Bueckers was honored as the AP Rookie of the Year. The Dallas Wings’ No. 1 pick averaged 19.2 points and 5.4 assists in her first season. She also had a 44-point effort — the highest scoring game of anyone in the WNBA this season. The former UConn star finished with the third most points ever by a rookie and second most assists.
“I am very grateful for everyone who voted and saw me fit for Rookie of the Year,” Bueckers said. “I have always felt like individual awards are a way to acknowledge the team around you and that is exactly what this award means to me. My teammates, coaches, support staff and everyone from top to bottom in the entire Dallas Wings organization played a huge part in this.”
Bueckers was joined on the AP All-Rookie team by Washington’s Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, Connecticut’s Leila Lacan, Golden State’s Janelle Salaun and Seattle’s Dominique Malonga.
“Shoutout to this amazing rookie class,” Bueckers said. “There were a lot of unique journeys and a whole lot of hooping so we definitely put on for the class.”
Wilson, Collier and Thomas headlined the AP All-WNBA first team. The trio were unanimous picks. They were joined by Atlanta’s Allisha Gray and Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell.
New York’s Sabrina Ionescu, Bueckers, Seattle’s Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles’ Kelsey Plum and Las Vegas’ Jackie Young were on the second team.
Other AP winners included:
— Coach of the Year: Natalie Nakase. She led Golden State to a playoff berth in the expansion team’s inaugural season. It’s the first time that a first-year team made the postseason.
— Comeback Player of the Year: Shakira Austin. The Washington Mystics forward missed most of last season with a hip injury and subsequent ankle sprain. Austin averaged 12.7 points and 6.4 rebounds this season.
— Most Improved Player: Veronica Burton. The Golden State Valkyries guard made the most of her opportunity with the expansion franchise. Burton averaged career highs in points (11.9), assists (6.0), rebounds (4.4) and minutes (29.4).
— Sixth Woman of the Year: Naz Hillmon. The Atlanta Dream forward had a career season, averaging 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds to help the Dream secure the third seed in the postseason. She came off the bench in 27 of the team’s 44 games and has played in 151 consecutive contests overall.
AP WNBA Power Poll
Las Vegas, riding a 16-game winning streak, finished atop the power poll, with Minnesota second. Atlanta and New York were third and fourth, respectively. They were followed by Phoenix, Indiana, Seattle, Golden State and Los Angeles. Connecticut, Washington, Dallas and Chicago finished off the poll.
WNBA PLAYOFFS: NEW YORK AIMS TO REPEAT, MINNESOTA SEEKS REDEMPTION, CLARK SIDELINED
The WNBA playoffs are set to begin Sunday with New York looking to become the fourth team to repeat as champions and Minnesota trying to avenge last season’s heartbreaking loss in the Finals.
Indiana is back in the playoffs, but missing star guard Caitlin Clark, who has been sidelined for the last two months with a groin injury and will miss the postseason.
The Liberty will have a difficult road as they are the No. 5 seed and open up at Phoenix on Sunday. After starting out 9-0, injuries decimated New York and left the Liberty in the difficult position of having to win at least one game on the road in each series to win a second straight title.
The Fever finished the season over .500 for the first time since 2015 and did it without Clark playing for the last two months. The Fever lost five players to season-ending injuries over the last two months and will have to figure a way to advance out of the first round for the first time in a decade They’ll open up against the third-seeded Atlanta Dream.
Minnesota, which lost in overtime in a decisive Game 5 to New York last year, is the No. 1 seed and has looked like the best team for much of the season. The Lynx have made it their mission to win the franchise’s first championship since 2017. The team has been led by Napheesa Collier, who became the second player in WNBA history to record a season where she shot over 50% from the fiield, 40% from behind the 3-point line and 90% from the free throw line.
She’s one of the top candidates to win the league’s Most Valuable Player award. Minnesota will face expansion Golden State in the opening round.
Standing in the Lynx’s way of a title could be the Las Vegas Aces — the last team to repeat as champions in 2022 and 2023. Las Vegas is the hottest team heading into the postseason with a 16-game winning streak. That’s tied for the second longest winning streak in the league’s history. Both Los Angeles (18 games) and Phoenix (16 games) went on to win the championship in those years. The Aces will play Seattle in the opening round.
Here are a few other tidbits from the playoffs:
Format change
The WNBA changed its format this season with the first round best-of-3 series playing the first two games on each team’s homecourt with a decisive third game at the better-seeded team if necessary. The WNBA Finals will now be a best-of-7, up from the best-of-5 it’s been for the last two decades.
Familiar place
Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner are no stranger to the postseason, guiding Connecticut to at least the semifinals the past six seasons. Both left the franchise this offseason and reunited in Phoenix with Bonner having a brief time in Indiana. Now they’ll try and get the Mercury back to the championship round for the first time since 2021.
Thomas had an incredible season, retaking the single-season assist mark from Clark. She finished with 357.
Welcome newcomers
Golden State became the first expansion team to make the postseason in its inaugural year. The Valkyries were a surprise all season led by Veronica Burton, a leading candidate for the league’s Most Improved Player Award. The Valkyries went 23-21.
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GOLF NEWS
BEN GRIFFIN, PREPPING FOR RYDER CUP, LEADS PROCORE BY THREE
Tuning up for the Ryder Cup may net Ben Griffin a nice extra payday, as he leads the Procore Championship after the second round on Friday in Napa, Calif.
Griffin shot a 6-under-par 66 to climb to 14-under 130 for the tournament at the North Course at Silverado Resort.
The 29-year-old earned his first two PGA Tour victories this spring and was one of six captain’s picks for the United States team that will face Team Europe at Bethpage Black later this month. Ten of the 12 American team members entered the Procore Championship to fill an otherwise long layoff with competitive reps.
Griffin has played bogey-free golf for two rounds. He reached 16 of 18 greens in regulation on Friday and made a 21 1/2-foot birdie putt at No. 17, a par-3.
Ryder Cup teammate Russell Henley carded a 68 to get to 11 under, where he is tied for second with amateur Jackson Koivun. The No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Koivun is in contention after a 66 on Friday that included six birdies, an eagle and two bogeys.
Another U.S. Ryder Cup team member, J.J. Spaun, is at 9 under after shooting a 68 on Friday. He is tied for fourth with Lanto Griffin (second-round 70). Rico Hoey of the Philippines is alone in sixth at 8 under after his second straight 68.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the next-best Ryder Cup player on the leaderboard, his round of 68 lifting him to 6 under for the week, tied for 13th place.
Cameron Young (67) is at 5 under, Collin Morikawa (68) is at 4 under, Harris English (70) and Justin Thomas (70) are at 2 under, and Sam Burns (72) and Patrick Cantlay (71) made the cut on the number at 1 under.
CHANETTEE WANNASAEN HOLDS 2-SHOT KROGER QUEEN CITY LEAD
Chanettee Wannasaen maintained her lead at the Kroger Queen City Championship by shooting a 4-under-par 68 on Friday in Hamilton, Ohio.
The 21-year-old from Thailand built on a first-round 63 to get to 13-under 131 at the tournament’s halfway point. She has a two-shot lead over countrywoman and World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul, Englishwoman Charley Hull and Germany’s Olivia Cowan.
Thitikul shot a 64 at TPC River’s Bend, while Hull and Cowan posted 65s.
Behind them at 10 under are Sweden’s Maja Stark (66), Sei Young Kim of South Korea (68) and Gigi Stoll (69).
For the second straight day, Wannasaen eagled a par-4 hole. On Thursday, it was a hole-out at the 10th; on Friday, the magic happened at the 13th, which was early in her round after she started on the back nine.
“Yeah, I did it again,” Wannasaen quipped. “Yeah, exactly like the same, but I didn’t see the ball like get in the hole. But I have a guy, like he scream. He was like, and he points like it’s in the hole.”
Wannasaen is seeking her third win on the LPGA Tour and her first of 2025 after she tied for second at the Women’s PGA Championship back in the spring.
“I just want me to play like this. I not think about the score,” she said. “I just want hit driver like this, hit iron like this. I just want to enjoy with the golf again.”
Thitikul posted the round of the day by rolling in six of her eight birdies on the back nine, including four straight at Nos. 13-16.
“I just surprised. I was so surprised to be honest,” said Thitikul, who was critical of her driving. “But maybe because, you know, when you’re not like that much confident you’re not expecting things to be, you know, that good, which mean (you are) kind of free.”
Hull hasn’t won a tournament in 2025 and hasn’t won stateside since 2022, something she’d like to rectify.
“Yeah, I can’t wait. Just like to hunt someone down,” Hull said.
Among those tied at 9 under par are World No. 2 Nelly Korda (68) and English phenom Lottie Woad, who posted 67 to draw into contention.
After winning the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur and contending at the Evian Championship, Woad, 21, won the Women’s Scottish Open in her first tournament as a professional.
“Yeah, it’s been really cool,” Woad said. “Yeah, only a few events but been really fun and just learning the whole way. I’ve been given some really good playing partners as well, so get to learn from them a bit as well.”
Notable names to miss the cut of 2 under par included Australia’s Hannah Green (1 under), South Korea’s Jin Young Ko (1 under), Megan Khan (1 under), South Korea’s Amy Yang (even), Rose Zhang (even) and Lilia Vu (1 over).
ANGEL CABRERA OUT IN FRONT AT SANFORD INTERNATIONAL
Angel Cabrera posted a bogey-free, 6-under 64 to set the early pace Friday at the Sanford International in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The Argentine birdied three holes on each nine at Minnehaha Country Club, including Nos. 16 and 18, to card his low number — on his 56th birthday, no less.
“A good gift,” Cabrera said with a laugh. “Today, I play good, I’m very happy.”
Cabrera, a two-time major winner on the PGA Tour Champions this season, could jump into the top five in the Charles Schwab Cup points race with a win or a strong finish this week. He entered seventh in the standings.
“I feel very good,” Cabrera said. “My putter is better now. I got two more rounds, but I feel very good.”
He’s one stroke ahead of South Africa’s Retief Goosen, who birdied Nos. 10, 12, 14 and 16 for a late surge in his round of 65.
“With the wind, it was tricky, some of these fairways to hit,” Goosen said. “I’ve hit some good ones down the middle that didn’t stay in the fairway, but I’ve hit some really wild ones too. So hopefully tomorrow, I can get it going. My putter seemed to be behaving a little bit better today compared to last week when I couldn’t make a thing.”
Tied for third are Bo Van Pelt, New Zealand’s Steven Alker and South Africa’s Retief Goosen at 66. Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez, the Schwab Cup leader, is among five players tied at 67.
John Daly signed for an 18-over-par 88 after scoring a 19 at the par-5 12th hole. He took seven penalty strokes in completing the hole.
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AUTO RACING NEWS
AJ ALLMENDINGER EARNS SURPRISING POLE POSITION FOR BRISTOL PLAYOFF RACE
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Qualifying in the first half of a 39-driver field, AJ Allmendinger stole the spotlight from theE NASCAR Cup Series Playoff contenders who followed him around Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday afternoon.
Allmendinger toured the 0.533-mile concrete short track in 15.117 seconds (126.930 mph) to earn the top starting spot for Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race, the Round of 16 elimination event.
The lap held up against an onslaught of Playoff drivers. Ryan Blaney (126.905 mph) came closest with a lap just 0.003 seconds slower than Allmendinger’s. Austin Cindric, just 11 points above the current elimination line for the Round of 12, will start third after a lap at 126.804 mph, far better than his average Bristol starting spot of 21.4.
The Busch Light Pole Award was Allmendinger’s first of the season, first at Bristol and fifth of his career.
“We just had a really good practice,” said Allmendinger, driver of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. “We had a solid race in the spring, so good notes to go off of, for sure. You never know. They were saying the (softer right-side) tires were going to be a little different, but our practice was really good.
“I was pretty happy with that lap… The tire doesn’t feel a ton different. You can feel the softness–the car kind of moves around on it–but it’s not a massive difference to me. We’ll see how it races (on Saturday), once you get 125 laps on it.”
Non-Playoff driver Ty Gibbs (126.720 mph) qualified fourth in the fastest Toyota, with six Playoff drivers behind him. Kyle Larson (126.670 mph), winner of the last two Cup Series races at Bristol was fifth, with Last week’s Gateway winner Denny Hamlin (126.312 mph) sixth fastest.
William Byron, Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell and Josh Berry will start sixth through 10th on the grid, respectively.
Berry is 16th in the Playoff standings, 45 points below the cut line for the Round of 12 and needing a victory to advance past the Round of 16. But Berry was fastest among the four drivers below the elimination line.
Alex Bowman, 35 points in arrears, qualified 15th. Austin Dillon, 11 points behind Cindric, will start 23rd. And Shane van Gisbergen, 15 points below the cut line, will start 28th.
Other Playoff drivers qualified as follows: Ross Chastain 13th, Tyler Reddick 14th, Chase Elliott 16th, Joey Logano 22nd and Chase Briscoe 31st.
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying — Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol, Tennessee
Friday, September 12, 2025
1. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 126.930 mph.
2. (12) Ryan Blaney (P) @, Ford, 126.905 mph.
3. (2) Austin Cindric (P) @, Ford, 126.804 mph.
4. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 126.720 mph.
5. (5) Kyle Larson (P) @, Chevrolet, 126.670 mph.
6. (11) Denny Hamlin (P) @, Toyota, 126.312 mph.
7. (24) William Byron (P) @, Chevrolet, 126.187 mph.
8. (23) Bubba Wallace (P) @, Toyota, 126.170 mph.
9. (20) Christopher Bell (P) @, Toyota, 126.121 mph.
10. (21) Josh Berry (P) @, Ford, 126.121 mph.
11. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 126.071 mph.
12. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 126.054 mph.
13. (1) Ross Chastain (P) @, Chevrolet, 125.914 mph.
14. (45) Tyler Reddick (P) @, Toyota, 125.856 mph.
15. (48) Alex Bowman (P) @, Chevrolet, 125.757 mph.
16. (9) Chase Elliott (P) @, Chevrolet, 125.650 mph.
17. (7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 125.642 mph.
18. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 125.633 mph.
19. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 125.633 mph.
20. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford, 125.568 mph.
21. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford, 125.494 mph.
22. (22) Joey Logano (P) @, Ford, 125.428 mph.
23. (3) Austin Dillon (P) @, Chevrolet, 125.150 mph.
24. (38) Zane Smith, Ford, 125.052 mph.
25. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 124.914 mph.
26. (41) Cole Custer, Ford, 124.800 mph.
27. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota, 124.695 mph.
28. (88) Shane Van Gisbergen # (P) @, Chevrolet, 124.630 mph.
29. (35) Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 124.622 mph.
30. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford, 124.581 mph.
31. (19) Chase Briscoe (P) @, Toyota, 124.347 mph.
32. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 124.339 mph.
33. (33) Austin Hill(i), Chevrolet, 123.953 mph.
34. (51) Cody Ware, Ford, 123.000 mph.
35. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 122.905 mph.
36. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 122.756 mph.
37. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 122.552 mph.
38. (67) Corey Heim(i), Toyota, 122.427 mph.
39. (66) Chad Finchum, Ford, 119.522 mph.
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+++TOP INDIANA HEADLINES/NEWS RELEASES+++
INDY ELEVEN
MATCH PREVIEW
- Indy Eleven at Rhode Island FC
Sat., Sept. 13, 2025 – 7:00 p.m. - Centreville Bank Stadium – Pawtucket, R.I.
- Follow Live
- Stream: ESPN+, Sean Saint Jacques & Gary Bailey
- In-game updates: IndyEleven
Stats: #RIvIND MatchCenter at USLChampionship.com
2025 USL Championship Records
Indy Eleven: 7-11-5 (-6), 26 pts; #8 in Eastern Conference
Rhode Island FC: 6-11-6 (-8), 24 pts; #9 in Eastern Conference
Setting the Scene
Indy Eleven concludes its season-long three-game USL Championship road trip at Eastern Conference opponent Rhode Island FC on Saturday at 7:00 pm on ESPN+.
| IND | RI | |
| 23 | Games | 23 |
| 36 | Goals | 16 |
| 86 | SOT | 84 |
| 25 | Assists | 10 |
| 42 | Goals Conceded | 24 |
| 107 | Shots Faced | 73 |
| 5 | Clean Sheets | 8 |
Series
Saturday is the fifth all-time meeting between the two clubs.
Indy Eleven leads 2-1-1 | GF 7, GA 6
Meetings
July 12, 2025 | W, 1-0 | Home
Nov. 3, 2024 | L, 3-2 | Home
Aug. 7, 2024 | W, 1-0 | Home
July 5, 2024 | D, 3-3 | Away
Last Meeting (7/12/25)
Two of the top scorers in USLC history combined for a goal and the Indy Eleven defense recorded its fourth clean sheet in six matches as the Boys in Blue defeated Rhode Island FC 1-0 at Carroll Stadium on July 12.
Indy Eleven moved up to sixth in the USLC Eastern Conference, finishing the first half of the season with four wins in six matches.
Cam Lindley started the scoring sequence in the 55th minute with a one-touch pass from just across midfield to Jack Blake. Blake settled it quickly and delivered a pass wide to captain Aodhan Quinn. From just outside the area on the left side, Quinn centered it to the penalty spot where Romario Williams finished it inside the left post for his fourth goal of the season and the 64th in his USLC career.
Williams has scored in three consecutive USLC matches (May 28, July 5, July 12) around his time with the Jamaican National Team in World Cup Qualifying and the Gold Cup. His longest USLC scoring streak is five from Sept. 23, 2023-March 9, 2024.
Williams is tied for the team lead in goals this season and he moved up into a tie for 14th on the USL All-Time list.
Quinn recorded his team-best sixth assist of the campaign and he moved into sole possession of third place all-time in the USLC with 56 career assists.
Quinn’s six assists place are one behind the current lead for the USL Championship’s Golden Playmaker award, trailing Charleston Battery’s Juan David Torres with seven.
The 33-year-old has twice previously recorded double-digit assists in a season, logging 14 in the 2018 campaign for Orange County SC and 11 in 2021 for Phoenix Rising FC. He is 10 assists from Kenardo Forbes’ 66 assists for the all-time regular season mark in the Championship.
Goalkeeper Hunter Sulte recorded his second consecutive clean sheet and his fourth this season. It marks the fourth time in his two-year career with the Boys in Blue that he has recorded consecutive shutouts in USLC play. He now has 13 clean sheets in 40 matches for Indy Eleven.
- USL Championship
- Indy Eleven 1:0 Rhode Island FC
- Sat., July 12, 2025 – 7:00 p.m.
- Carroll Stadium | Indianapolis
- Weather: Cloudy, 79 degrees
- Attendance: 9,039
- Scoring Summary
- IND – Romario Williams (Aodhan Quinn) 55’
- Discipline Summary
- RI – Amos Shapiro-Thompson (caution) 24’
- RI – Karifa Yao (caution) 51’
- IND – Hayden White (caution) 75’
- IND – Elliot Collier (caution) 88’
- RI – JJ Williams (caution) 90’
- IND – Hunter Sulte (caution) 90’+5
Indy Eleven Line-Up: Hunter Sulte, James Musa, Josh O’Brien, Hayden White (Pat Hogan 87’), Aodhan Quinn (captain), James Murphy, Cam Lindley, Bruno Rendón (Logan Neidlinger 64’), Jack Blake (Finn McRobb 87’), Elvis Amoh (Edward Kizza 71’), Romario Williams (Elliot Collier 71’).
Indy Eleven Subs Not Used: Oliver Brynéus, Reice Charles Cook.
Rhode Island FC Line-Up: Jackson Lee, Aimé Mabika (Aldair Sanchez 71’), Frank Nodarse, Karifa Yao, Rio Hope-Gund (Hugo Bacharach 77’), Maxi Rodriguez, Clay Holstad, Jojea Kwizera (Dani Rovira 71’), Noah Fuson, Marc Ybarra (JJ Williams 71’), Amos Shapiro-Thompson (Albert Dikwa 55’).
Rhode Island FC Subs Not Used: Will Meyer, Joe Brito.
Blake & Sulte “Team of the Week”
Midfielder Jack Blake and goalkeeper Hunter Sulte have earned USL Championship “Team of the Week” honors after helping the Boys in Blue to a key road victory at Hartford Athletic last week.
For Blake, it is the fourth time in 2025 and the 12th time in the past two seasons that he has gotten this recognition. Sulte is a two-time “Team of the Week” selection this year and a four-time pick in his two-year Indy Eleven career. The Boys in Blue have had nine different players named to the Team of the Week/Team of the Round this season.
Blake scored goals in road matches at Hartford Athletic and Charleston Battery last week, giving him scores in three of the team’s last four USLC games. At Hartford on Wednesday in the third minute, Blake played a ball from the air down in the left side of the area and uncorked a left-footed strike into the bottom right corner of the net for the game-winning goal. That score is a nominee for the “Goal of the Week”, his second nomination for that award in the past three weeks.
At Charleston on Saturday, defender Ben Ofeimu headed a ball to Blake, who then volleyed it into the right corner of the net for his second highlight-reel goal of the week. It is Blake’s team-high ninth goal this season, one shy of his career-best 10 for the Boys in Blue in 2024. The goal is Blake’s 24th in three years playing for Indy Eleven, tying the franchise mark for most goals in the USL Championship era (2018-) with Tyler Pasher (2018-20). The Nottingham, England, native has 41 career goals in USLC regular-season play.
In 2025, Blake leads the Boys in Blue in goals (9), shots (37), shots on target (19), and fouls won (35). In this week’s USLC stats, Blake is tied for eighth in shots, tied for 10th in goals, and tied for 16th in assists (4).
The 30-year-old Blake was named to the Team of the Week after recording his sixth career brace vs. Miami FC on August 23. He was the USLC “Player of the Week” on July 8 after recording a goal and an assist vs. Monterey Bay FC. He started the 2025 campaign with USLC “Team of the Week” honors after a goal and an assist at Miami FC on March 15. Blake earned USL Jägermeister Cup “Team of the Round” recognition after scoring an impressive goal at Forward Madison FC on April 26.
The versatile Blake is ranked among Indy Eleven career leaders in the USLC era (2018-) in all eight categories. He leads in PKs made (10) and attempted (10) and is second in goals (22) and points (53), fourth in assists (9), and fifth in games played (80), starts (72), and minutes played (6,043).
Blake is the 19th player to record at least 40 goals and 25 assists in the Championship’s regular season history.
- Indy Eleven USL Championship Goals (All Competitions)
- 1. Jack Blake 24 2023-
- Tyler Pasher 24 2018-20
- 3. Sebastian Guenzatti 16 2023-24
- 4. Manuel Arteaga 15 2021-22
- 5. Aodhan Quinn 13 2023-
- Stéfano Pinho 13 2022-23
- Ayoze 13 2018-22
Sulte and starter Reice Charles-Cook combined for the team’s fifth clean sheet of the season at Hartford Athletic on Wednesday. The 23-year-old Sulte came on in the second half for his first action since the USL Jägermeister Cup quarter-final on August 20. He was tested immediately, stopping forward Michee Ngalina in the 48th and again with a diving save to his left in the 51st. In the 55th minute, Sulte made a reaction save on Samuel Careaga’s close-range effort, with the rebound attempt by Careaga just missing wide. Sulte made his five saves in the first 22 minutes of the second half to record his most stops in a match since July 18 at North Carolina FC.
At Charleston on Saturday, Sulte made five saves to improve his season total to 58, good for fifth in the USLC. Sulte’s back-to-back stops in the 74th minute were nominated for the “Save of the Week”. He is tied for 12th in clean sheets with four in 2025.
In his two-year Indy Eleven career, the Anchorage, Alaska, native has 131 saves for the most in the team’s USL Championship era (2018-). The 6’7 Sulte also tops the franchise USLC list in career shutouts with 13.
- Indy Eleven USLC Championship Saves
- 1. Hunter Sulte 131 2024-
- 2. Evan Newton 115 2019-20
- 3. Jordan Farr 101 2018-21
- 4. Owain Fon Williams 97 2018
- 5. Tim Trilk 87 2022-23
- Indy Eleven USLC Championship Clean Sheets
- 1. Hunter Sulte 13 2024-
- 2. Evan Newton 12 2019-20
- 3. Owain Fon Williams 11 2018
- 4. Jordan Farr 10 2018-21
- 5. Tim Trilk 9 2022-23
Pruter acquired on loan from Columbus Crew 2
Indy Eleven acquired Columbus Crew 2 goalkeeper Luke Pruter on loan for the remainder of the season. The transaction was completed prior to the USLC Roster Freeze on Monday.
The 24-year-old Pruter started 13 matches for Columbus Crew 2 in MLS NEXT Pro this season. He recorded 54 saves, 16 interceptions, five clearances, and 21 long balls in 2025. The 6’5 Pruter made three saves to earn a clean sheet vs. Carolina Core FC on June 28. He recorded a season-best seven stops against Chicago Fire FC II on Aug. 3.
Pruter joined Crew 2 after his selection in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft as the 87th overall pick.
The Redondo Beach, California, native appeared in 53 matches (51 starts) during his four-year career at UC Irvine. He recorded 4,667 minutes, 166 saves and 14 shutouts for the Anteaters.
Pruter finished his collegiate career on UCI’s goalkeeper top-10 all-time list with 19 wins (6th), 14 shutouts (T 3rd), 166 saves (8th) and a 1.35 goals against average (9th) in 53 matches (T5th).
As a junior in 2023, Pruter earned All-Far West Region and All-Big West Conference second-team honors, recording eight shutouts and making 51 saves with a 1.04 goals against average.
He made a career-high 13 saves at Stanford as a freshman, tied for the second-most in a game in program history.
Pruter played club soccer for L.A. Galaxy Academy, LA Galaxy II, and Barca Academy.
Zalinsky acquired on loan from MLS St. Louis CITY
Indy Eleven acquired St. Louis CITY SC defender Joey Zalinsky on loan for the remainder of the season on Monday.
The 22-year-old Zalinsky made nine appearances in the MLS in 2025, including his debut against Sporting Kansas City on May 14. The 2025 MLS SuperDraft pick made his first MLS start against San Jose Earthquakes in CITY SC’s 2-1 win on May 31.
Zalinsky scored a goal in his professional debut in St. Louis’ 2-0 U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 win over Union Omaha on May 7. Zalinsky rocketed a spectacular volley from outside the box to the bottom left corner of the goal to put St. Louis on top, scoring the game-winning goal.
Zalinsky has also made 11 appearances for the club’s MLS NEXT Pro affiliate CITY2.
The Brick Township, New Jersey, native was selected in the second round of the MLS SuperDraft (37 overall) after his collegiate career at Rutgers. A two-year captain, Zalinsky led the Scarlet Knights back line throughout his four-year career (2021-24). In 59 appearances, he scored two goals and added two assists, consistently shutting down the opposition’s biggest threats as one of the top defenders in the Big Ten.
The 5’10 Zalinsky came up through the New York Red Bulls Academy pipeline. A member of the Red Bulls from 2016-21, Zalinsky debuted for the Red Bulls II squad in the USL Championship in September 2020, making 17 appearances with the team as a 17-year-old.
Zalinsky played 20 USLC games for Red Bulls II, starting 19 and logging 1,714 minutes. He recorded 73 clearances, 51 interceptions, 11 blocks, 36 tackles won, 33 fouls won, 128 duels won, 37 aerial duels won.
- Indy Eleven Appearances (All Competitions)
- 1. Ayoze 126 2018-22
- 2. Brad Ring 115 2014-18
- 3. Karl Ouimette 108 2018-22
- 4. Cam Lindley 107 2020, 2023-
- USL Championship Career Regular-Season Goals
- 11. Wilson Harris 68
- 12. Chandler Hoffman 67
- 13. Russell Cicerone (SAC) 66
- 14. Romario Williams 65
- USLC 50+ Regular Season Goals Best Strike Rate
- 3. Romario Williams – 65 goals, 165 app., 159.3 mins/goal
- Aodhan Quinn USLC All-Time Rankings
- Games Started | 270 | 1st
- Minutes | 23,687 | 1st
- Assists | 57 | 3rd
- Appearances | 284 | 3rd
- USL Championship Regular Season Goal Contributions
- 2. Dane Kelly 127 (106 goals, 21 assists)
- 3. Aodhan Quinn (IND) 114 (57 goals & 57 assists)*
- USL Championship Regular Season 50 Goals & 50 Assists
- 1.Enzo Martinez (BHM) – 78 goals, 53 assists
- 2. Aodhan Quinn (IND) – 57 goals, 57 assists
- 3.Solomon Asante – 52 goals, 58 assists
- USL Championship Assists in Consecutive Games Streaks
- 2. Aodhan Quinn (PHX) 5 2021
- 4. Aodhan Quinn (OC) 4 2018
- Aodhan Quinn (IND) 4 May 3-28, 2025
- Indy Eleven Goals in a 5-Game Stretch
- Elvis Amoh 7 Apr. 19-May 10, 2025
- Tyler Pasher 6 Nov. 2, 2019-July 22, 2020
- Augi Williams 5 May 8-22, 2024
- Manuel Arteaga 5 June 4-18, 2022
- Eamon Zayed 5 July 13-Aug. 3, 2016
- Eamon Zayed 5 May 21-June 11, 2016
- Blake Smith 5 May 28-June 17, 2014
- Indy Eleven Goals in Consecutive Games Streaks
- Tyler Pasher 6 Nov. 2, 2019-July 22, 2020
- Elvis Amoh 5 Apr. 19-May 10, 2025
- Augi Williams 4 May 8-22, 2024
- Sebastian Guenzatti 3 Aug. 26-Sept. 15, 2023
- Stefano Pinho 3 May 28-June 8, 2022
- Tyler Pasher 3 June 1-15, 2019
- Dane Kelly 3 Apr. 15-28, 2019
- Dane Richards 3 Aug. 19-29, 2015
- Kleberson 3 July 19-Aug. 2, 2014
- Indy Eleven Saves, Game
- 11, Yannik Oettl at Chicago Fire FC II, 4/17/24, USOC 3rd Round
10, Sean Lewis at Birmingham Legion FC, 10/12/22
10, Reice Charles-Cook at Philadelphia Union, 5/7/25, USOC Rd. of 32
9, Jon Busch at Minnesota United, 7/16/16
8, Owain Fon Williams at Louisville City, 10/13/18
8, Bobby Edwards at Sporting KC II, 6/20/21 - 8, Kristian Nicht vs. San Antonio Scorpions, 5/30/14
- 8, Kristian Nicht vs. Minnesota United, 10/11/14
USL Championship Stats
- Individual
- Category Player Rank Total
- Clearances James Musa 5 134
- Pat Hogan 7 124
- Ben Ofeimu T9 114
- Saves Hunter Sulte 5 58
- Assists Aodhan Quinn T6 7
- Jack Blake T16 4
- Shots Jack Blake T8 37
- Blocks Ben Ofeimu T8 16
- Goals Jack Blake T10 9
- Crosses Aodhan Quinn T10 94
- Interceptions James Musa T12 26
- Clean Sheets Hunter Sulte T12 4
- Chances Created Aodhan Quinn T19 28
- Team
- Category Rank Total
- First-Half Goals 3 19
- Conversion Rate T5 18%
- Goals 7 36
- Shots T12 248
- Clean Sheets T13 5
USL Career Regular Season Rankings
Individual Rankings
- Goals
- 14. Romario Williams – 65
- T22. Aodhan Quinn – 57
- Assists
- 2. Solomon Asante – 58
- 3. Aodhan Quinn – 57
- T23. Cam Lindley – 30
- Games Started
- 1. Aodhan Quinn – 270
- 2. Sean Totsch (LOU) – 261
- 21. James Musa – 211
- Minutes
- 1.Aodhan Quinn – 23,687
- 2. Sean Totsch (LOU) – 23,520
- 23. James Musa – 18,599
- Appearances
- 3. Aodhan Quinn (IND) – 284
- Team Leaders
- Stat Player #
- Goals Jack Blake 9
- Assists Aodhan Quinn 7
- Shots Jack Blake 37
- Shots on Target Jack Blake 19
- Chances Created Aodhan Quinn 28
- Crosses Aodhan Quinn 94
- Fouls Won Jack Blake 35
- Duels Won James Musa 100
- Aerial Duels Won James Musa 50
- Clearances James Musa 134
- Blocks Ben Ofeimu 16
- Interceptions James Musa 26
- Tackles Won James Murphy 24
- Passes James Murphy 892
- Minutes James Musa 1,969
USL CHAMPIONSHIP HONORS
- Elvis Amoh
- Jägermeister Cup Team of the Round-Bench (4/29)
- Team of the Week (Week 8/9 – 5/6)
- Jack Blake
- Team of the Week (Week 2 – 3/18)
- Jägermeister Cup Team of the Round (4/29)
- Player of the Week (Week 17/18 – 7/7)
- Team of the Week (Week 17/18 – 7/7)
- Goal of the Week nominee (Week 25 – 8/25)
- Team of the Week (Week 25 – 8/26)
- Goal of the Week nominee (Week 27 – 9/9)
- Team of the Week (Week 27 – 9/9)
- Maalique Foster
- Team of the Week – Bench (Week 4 – 4/1)
- Team of the Week (Week 5 – 4/8)
- Goal of the Week nominee (Week 17/18 – 7/7)
- Pat Hogan
- Team of the Week (Week 2 – 3/18)
- Ben Ofeimu
- Team of the Week (Week 15 – 6/17)
- Aodhan Quinn
- Goal of the Week nominee (Week 4 – 4/1)
- Team of the Week – Bench (Week 17/18 – 7/7)
- Bruno Rendon
- Team of the Week (Week 3 – 3/25)
- Hunter Sulte
- Team of the Week (Weeks 13/14 – 6/10)
- Jägermeister Cup Team of the Round (7/1)
- Jägermeister Cup “Save of the Round” (7/1)
- “Save of the Week” (Week 23 – 8/12)
- Team of the Week – Bench (Week 27 – 9/9)
- “Save of the Week” Nominee (Week 27 – 9/9)
- Romario Williams
- Team of the Week (Weeks 13/14 – 6/10)
COACH SEAN McAULEY
Head coach Sean McAuley earned the USLC “Coach of the Month” last May and he was a nominee for USLC Midseason “Coach of the Year” after leading his team to a 12-match unbeaten streak in a two-month span from April 17 through June 15.
The Sheffield, England, native led Indy Eleven to the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals with four straight wins, including a 2-1 victory at MLS-side Atlanta United.
McAuley is in his second season in Indy after previously serving as interim head coach/assistant at MLS-side Minnesota United FC. McAuley helped Minnesota to playoff appearances in his first three seasons, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2020.
In 2015, he hoisted the MLS Cup with the Portland Timbers. McAuley began his playing career with Manchester United and played for Portland Timbers and the Scottish U-21 National Team.
ALL: 29-24-17 (.536) | USOC: 5-1-1 | JC: 3-0-2 | USLC: 21-22-14
TEAM HIGH/LOWS
- Single-Match Highs
- Shots: 17 | May 28 vs HFD
- SOT: 8 | Mar. 15 at MIA
- Possession: 58.4% | May 28 vs HFD
- Corners: 11 | Mar. 29 vs COS
- Single-Match Lows
- Shots: 4 | June 4 at BHM
- SOT: 1 | June 4 at BHM, Aug. 9 at DET
- Possession: 22.4% | Sept. 6 at CHS
- Corners: 1 | Mar. 22 at LEX, May 10 at SAC, June 4 at BHM
- Opponent Highs
- Shots: 26 | Aug. 16 at LDN
- SOT: 9 | July 18 at NC
- Possession: 77.6% | Sept. 6 at CHS
- Corners: 12 | Sept. 3 at HFD
- Opponent Lows
- Shots: 4 | June 14 vs PIT
- SOT: 0 | June 14 vs PIT, July 12 vs. RI
- Possession: 41.6% | May 28 vs HFD
- Corners: 2 | May 16 at ELP, Aug. 20 vs. GVL (Jägermeister Cup)
USL Championship Regular-Season Player Milestones
- 60 Goals
- Romario Williams – 65
- 50 Goals
- Aodhan Quinn – 57
- 40 Goals
- Elvis Amoh – 45
Jack Blake – 41
- 20 Goals
- Maalique Foster – 22
- Edward Kizza – (19)
- Elliot Collier – (18)
- 50 Assists
- Aodhan Quinn – 57
- 30 Assists
- Cam Lindley – 30
- 20 Assists
- Jack Blake – 25
- 15 Assists
- James Murphy – 18
- Maalique Foster – 17
- Aedan Stanley – 15
- 110 Goals+Assists
- Aodhan Quinn – 114 (57 goals, 57 assists)
- 70 Goals+Assists
- Romario Williams – 77 (65 goals, 12 assists)
- 60 Goals+Assists
- Jack Blake – 66 (41 goals, 25 assists)
- 50 Goals+Assists
- Elvis Amoh – 54 (45 goals, 9 assists)
- 30 Goals+Assists
- Maalique Foster – 39 (22 goals, 17 assists)
- Cam Lindley – 35 (5 goals, 30 assists)
- 20 Goals+Assists
- Elliot Collier – 25 (18 goals, 7 assists)
- Edward Kizza – 21 (19 goals, 2 assists)
- 10 Penalties Converted (attempted)
- Aodhan Quinn – 25 (28)
- Jack Blake – 14 (16)
- Romario Williams – 8 (10)
- 250 Appearances
- Aodhan Quinn – 284
- 200 Appearances
- James Musa – 224
- 150 Appearances
Jack Blake – 192
Cam Lindley – 181 - Romario Williams – 165
- James Murphy – 155
- Elvis Amoh – 151
- 100 Appearances
- Ben Ofeimu – 147
Aedan Stanley – 138 - Elliot Collier – 128
- Pat Hogan – 107
- Edward Kizza – 102
- 250 Games Started
- Aodhan Quinn – 270
- 200 Games Started
- James Musa – 211
- 150 Games Started
- Jack Blake – 162
- Cam Lindley – 155
- 100 Games Started
- Aedan Stanley – 134
- James Murphy – 129
- Romario Williams – 122
- 20,000 Minutes
- Aodhan Quinn – 23,687
- 15,000 Minutes
- James Musa – 18,599
- 10,000 Minutes
- Jack Blake – 13,851
Cam Lindley – 13,512 - Aedan Stanley – 12,025
- James Murphy – 11,586
- Ben Ofeimu – 11,115
- Romario Williams – 10,352
- ROSTER BREAKDOWN (9/8/25)
- Goalkeepers (4): Reice Charles-Cook, ^Ryan Hunsucker, *Luke Pruter, *Hunter Sulte
- Defenders (11): Pat Hogan, ^Maverick McCoy, Finn McRobb, James Musa, Josh O’Brien, Ben Ofeimu, Bruno Rendon, *Brian Schaefer, Aedan Stanley, Hayden White, *Joey Zalinsky
- Midfielders (7): Jack Blake, Oliver Brynéus, Cam Lindley, James Murphy, Logan Neidlinger, Aodhan Quinn, Brem Soumaoro
- Forwards (5): Elvis Amoh, Elliot Collier, Maalique Foster, Edward Kizza, Romario Williams
- *On loan. ^USL Academy Contract.
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INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
DOMBKOWSKI DOMINATES AS INDIANS BLANK I-CUBS
INDIANAPOLIS – Nick Dombkowski powered through the Iowa Cubs offense with just one hit allowed and a career-high 11 strikeouts over 6.1 innings as the Indianapolis Indians brought home a 4-0 victory on Friday night at Victory Field.
Following Dombkowski’s staggering performance in which he struck out seven of his first nine batters faced and he took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, Valentin Linraez (W, 1-0) and Wilkin Ramos continued the shutout bid through the end of the game. It was the Indians (38-29, 79-61) second two-hit shutout of the season, following May 2 at Omaha.
While the pitching staff worked its magic against Iowa (34-32, 73-67), the Indians offense got on the board with four runs in the seventh. Five consecutive batters reached base safely, a stretch capped by RBI singles from Shawn Ross and Tsung-Che Cheng against Caleb Kilian (L, 1-1). Mike Jarvis capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly.
Dombkowski’s 11 strikeouts were the most by an Indians pitcher since Mike Burrows (11) on May 11 vs. Columbus.
The Indians and I-Cubs will face off again on Saturday night at 6:35 PM. RHP Jaxon Wiggins (0-0, 3.00) will take the mound for Iowa while Indy has yet to name a starter.
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INDIANA FEVER
GAME PREVIEW: FEVER TIP OFF 2025 WNBA PLAYOFFS ON SUNDAY IN ATLANTA
Indiana Fever at Atlanta Dream (Game 1)
Sunday, September 14
Gateway Center Arena | 3:00 p.m. ET
Broadcast Information
TV: ABC – Ryan Ruocco (play-by-play), Rebecca Lobo (analyst), Holly Rowe (sideline reporter)
Radio: 93.1 WIBC – John Nolan (play-by-play), Bria Goss (analyst)
Probable Starters
Indiana Fever (24-20)
Guard – Odyssey Sims
Guard – Kelsey Mitchell
Forward – Lexie Hull
Forward – Natasha Howard
Center – Aliyah Boston
Atlanta Dream (30-14)
Guard – Te-Hina Paopao
Guard – Allisha Gray
Forward – Rhyne Howard
Forward – Naz Hillmon
Center – Brionna Jones
GAME PREVIEW:
The Indiana Fever tip off their first round playoff series on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta. The sixth-seeded Fever will face the third-seeded Dream in a best-of-three series. Indiana will host Game 2 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday. If necessary, Game 3 would be on Thursday in Atlanta.
Despite losing five players to season ending injuries, the Fever reached the playoffs for the second straight season. All-Stars Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston played in all 44 regular season games and both had career years to help lead Indiana to the postseason. Mitchell, who was named to the Associated Press All-WNBA first team on Friday, ranked third in the league in scoring at 20.2 points per game. Boston added 15 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per contest.
The Dream finished tied with Las Vegas for the second-best record in the WNBA and boast three All-Stars. Guard Allisha Gray averaged a team-high 18.4 points to go along with 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in the regular season. 2022 Rookie of the Year Rhyne Howard averaged 17.5 points per game while attempting nearly 10 3-pointers a night. Center Brionna Jones contributed 12.8 points and 7.3 boards per night on 52.7 percent shooting.
The Fever and Dream split four games in the regular season, but have not played in over two months. The Dream won 91-90 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 20 in the second regular season game for both teams. Indiana avenged that loss with an 81-76 victory in Atlanta two nights later. The home team won the final two meetings, with the Dream prevailing 77-58 on June 10 in Atlanta and the Fever winning 99-82 on July 11 in Indianapolis.
This is the fourth postseason meeting between Indiana and Atlanta. The Fever and Dream met three straight years in the playoffs from 2011 to 2013. The Dream beat the Fever in the conference finals in both 2011 and 2013, but the Fever knocked off Atlanta in the first round in 2012 en route to the franchise’s first WNBA title.
The first round of the playoffs has a new format this year. The WNBA had deployed a 2-1 format in the first round where the better seed hosted the first two games, but moved to a 1-1-1 format where the host alternates each game this year. Last year, the Fever were swept by Connecticut in a series where the Sun hosted both playoff games, but this year Gainbridge Fieldhouse is guaranteed to host a playoff game for the first time since 2016.
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INDIANA FOOTBALL
HOOSIERS DOMINANT IN RECORD-SETTING WIN OVER INDIANA STATE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -Fernando Mendoza wasn’t perfect against Indiana State, but at least according to the Friday night numbers at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium, the veteran quarterback was close.
Omar Cooper Jr. wasn’t superman, but if you look at his production, the veteran receiver wasn’t far off.
They were the catalysts, along with a suffocating defense, in a 73-0 victory over the Sycamores (1-2) that wrapped up No. 22/19 Indiana’s 3-0 non-conference run and set up a Saturday night Big Ten-opening showdown with No. 9/9 Illinois (2-0), also at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium.
The Hoosiers outscored Old Dominion, Kennesaw State and Indiana State, 156-23.
“We’re taking the steps we need to take,” head coach Curt Cignetti said. “We have a lot of guys who have played a lot of football.
“We’ve been able to build on success and create positive intangibles. We did what we wanted to do. I was pleased to see that. I didn’t see anyone relaxing, coaches or players.”
Mendoza completed his first 14 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns. He finished 19-for-20 for 270 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, all in the first half. He also ran for a touchdown.
And yet, he wanted more. Cignetti wanted more.
“There’s a lot of stuff I have to improve on,” Mendoza said. “Although the score might not look like it and the stat line might not look like it, there are a lot of things I have to clean up. I need to have better footwork. I need to be smarter in my decision making.”
One area is on the run-pass option. Rather than letting the running backs run, Mendoza kept the ball and ran himself a few too many times, causing Cignetti to call a timeout.
“He had made a couple of poor decisions consecutively,” Cignetti said. “He should have handed the ball off. He was getting out of rhythm. I was trying to get him back on track.”
Added Mendoza: “There were some plays I pulled when I should have given it to the running backs. Let them have their shine and eat. That’s on me. I have to get better at that.”
Still, it was dominating quarterback play. Alberto Mendoza and Grant Wilson were the second-half quarterbacks. Alberto Mendoza was 6-for-9 for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson was 1-for-1 for five yards. Overall, the Hoosiers were a combined 26-for-30 for 379 yards, seven touchdowns, and no interceptions.
“All those guys put in so much work behind the scenes,” Fernado Mendoza said. “It was great to see them get in there and lead successful drives.”
Cooper Jr. was targeted six times in the first quarter and caught all six for 69 yards and two TDs. By halftime, it was nine targets, nine catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns. He finished with 10 catches for 207 yards and a career-best four touchdowns.
“You look at his production, that’s a pretty good day’s work,” Cignetti said. “They had a hard time with him. We got him the ball in open space and he took advantage.”
Cooper said the last time he had a four-touchdown game was in high school. That he had 136 yards after the catch reflected practice preparation.
“We work on making a man miss after catching the ball in practice, fall camp, throughout the year,” he said. “It’s taking what we do in practice into the game.”
The defense was just as dominant, holding the Sycamores to 77 total yards, including just 10 yards with one first down in the first half. The Hoosiers had five sacks and 16 tackles for loss.
“It was domination,” defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker said. “We were attacking the line of scrimmage. We have to keep attacking it, attack it like we do everything else.
“Be disciplined, stay poised, never get too high or too low and keep working.”
Cignetti said if the coaches hadn’t pulled the starters early in the second half, Indiana State might have only gotten 30 yards. IU has had 30 tackles for loss in its last two games.
“We pride ourselves on making those explosive plays,” linebacker Kellan Wyatt said. “It’s the way we run our defense and the players we have. It’s a mixture of both.
“When you have personnel like we do, you can do a lot of different things. Teams don’t know how to game plan us. It’s about outsmarting the opponent. I think we do a good job with that.”
Running back Khobie Martin entered the game in the second half and finished with 109 yards and two touchdowns as the Hoosiers topped 300 rushing yards for the third-straight game, finishing with 301.
After Roman Hemby took the opening kickoff 34 yards, Mendoza connected on passes of 14 yards to Cooper Jr., 18 to Elijah Sarratt, and 15 to E.J. Williams to get into the red zone. Mendoza ended the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 lead. Center Pat Coogan kept the drive alive by recovering a fumble.
Mendoza ended the first quarter with a pair of 13-yard touchdown passes to Cooper Jr. for a 21-0 score. IU added a Nico Radicic field goal, Mendoza’s 18-yard TD pass to tight end Holden Staes, a 4-yard TD pass to receiver Jonathan Brady, and a 31-yard scoring throw to Cooper Jr. for a 45-0 halftime lead.
Alberto Mendoza hit Cooper Jr. with a 58-yard touchdown pass for a 52-0 lead three minutes into the second half. IU added Mendoza’s 12-yard TD pass to Brady, and Martin’s 20- and 1-yard touchdown runs for the final 73-0 score.
Now, the Hoosiers can focus on Illinois — with an extra day of preparation.
“We want to keep this momentum going that we’ve been building,” Tucker said. “Week by week, if we keep taking that step forward, we should be good.”
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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. 13
1925 — Brooklyn’s Dazzy Vance threw a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first game of a doubleheader to give the Dodgers a 10-1 win.
1932 — The New York Yankees beat Cleveland 9-3 and clinched the American League pennant. Joe McCarthy became the first manager to win flags in both leagues.
1936 — Bob Feller, 17, beat the Philadelphia A’s 5-2 on two hits. The Cleveland youngster fanned 17 batters for an American League record.
1958 — The Milwaukee Braves’ Warren Spahn became the first left-hander to win 20 or more games nine times, as he beat St. Louis 8-2. Eddie Plank and Lefty Grove each won 20 games eight times.
1965 — Willie Mays hit his 500th career home run off Houston’s Don Nottebart in a 5-1 San Francisco victory.
1971 — Frank Robinson hit his 500th career home run off Detroit’s Fred Scherman. The ninth-inning shot gave the Baltimore Orioles a split in a doubleheader against the Tigers.
1978 — The New York Yankees beat the Tigers 7-3 at Detroit to move into sole possession of first place for the first time after being 14 games out on July 19.
1982 — Steve Carlton (20-9) shut out St. Louis with a 2-0 three-hitter and hit a solo home run to become the major league’s first 20-game winner this season.
1995 — Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker, the middle infield of the Detroit Tigers, set an American League record when they played in their 1,915th game together.
2006 — Gary Matthews Jr. hit for the cycle to lead the Texas Rangers an 11-3 victory at Detroit.
2008 — Francisco Rodriguez set the major league record with his 58th save this season, closing out the Los Angeles Angels’ 5-2 win over Seattle. Rodriguez broke the mark of 57 set by Bobby Thigpen with the Chicago White Sox in 1990.
2009 — Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki became the first player in major league history with at least 200 hits in nine straight seasons. In the nightcap of doubleheader against the Texas, Suzuki beat out a slow roller to shortstop Elvis Andrus to break a tie with Willie Keeler. Keeler did it for eight consecutive seasons (1894-1901).
2011 — Mariano Rivera earned his 600th save, moving within one of Trevor Hoffman’s major league record, by closing out the New York Yankees’ 3-2 win over the Seattle Mariners.
2013 — Chris Davis hit his major league-leading 50th home run, a tie-breaking solo shot in the eighth inning, and Baltimore erased a 3-0 deficit to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3. Davis became the 27th major leaguer to join the 50-homer club, and the first since Jose Bautista in 2010, when he connected on a 2-2 pitch off All-Star reliever Steve Delabar. Davis also became the third player in major league history with 50 homers and 40 doubles in the same season. The others were Babe Ruth (1921) and Albert Belle (1995).
2017 — The Cleveland Indians won their 21st straight game, 5-3 over the Detroit Tigers, to set a AL winning-streak record and join only two other teams in the past 101 years to win that many consecutive games. Jay Bruce hit a three-run homer off Buck Farmer and Mike Clevinger won his fourth straight start as the Indians matched the 1935 Chicago Cubs for the second-longest streak since 1900. The run has put Cleveland within five wins of catching the 1916 New York Giants, who won 26 straight without a loss but whose century-old mark includes a tie.
2017 — Philadelphia rookie Rhys Hoskins kept up his record home run pace, connecting for his 17th in 33 major league games as the Phillies beat Miami 8-1 behind Aaron Nola. Hoskins, called up from the minors Aug. 10, became the fastest player in big league history to get to 17 career homers. The record was 42 games by Wally Berger, an outfielder for the Boston Braves in 1930.
2020 — Alec Mills of the Chicago Cubs threw a no-hitter in a 12-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
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Sept. 14
1903 — Red Ames’ debut with the New York Giants was a five-inning, 5-0, no-hit victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. The game was called in mid-afternoon because of unusual darkness.
1923 — Red Sox first baseman George Burns pulled off an unassisted triple play against the Cleveland Indians.
1951 — Bob Nieman of the St. Louis Browns hit home runs in his first two at-bats in the majors. Both came off Boston Red Sox pitcher Maury McDermott. The Red Sox won 9-6.
1968 — Denny McLain of the Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland A’s 5-4 to become the first pitcher since Dizzy Dean in 1934 to win 30 games.
1986 — Bob Brenly of San Francisco tied a major league record with four errors in one inning, but atoned with two homers, including the game-winner, to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the Atlanta Braves. Brenly, a catcher, was playing third base.
1987 — Ernie Whitt hit three of Toronto’s major league record 10 home runs as the Blue Jays rolled to an 18-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore shortstop Cal Ripken had his consecutive-inning streak stopped at 8,243 when he was replaced at shortstop by Ron Washington in the eighth inning.
1990 — Ken Griffey and his son hit back-to-back homers in the first inning of the Seattle Mariners’ 7-5 loss to the California Angels. The unprecedented father-and-son homers came off Kirk McCaskill.
1994 — The baseball season, already shut down by a month long strike, was canceled along with the World Series in a vote by 26 of the 28 teams.
1998 — The Atlanta Braves clinched their seventh straight division crown, winning the NL East with a victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Among the major pro sports leagues — baseball, NFL, NBA and NHL — only seven franchises had finished first during the regular season at least seven times in a row.
2002 — Tampa Bay’s 8-4 loss at Toronto was the Devil Rays’ 100th of the season. The Devil Rays (48-100) became the quickest AL team to lose 100 games since the 1949 Washington Senators lost 100 in their 147th game. They also became the first team to lose 100 in consecutive seasons since Toronto did it from 1977-79.
2003 — The Detroit Tigers lost to the Royals 7-2 to become the first team in 34 years to lose 110 games in one season. Detroit (38-110) has the most losses since the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres went 52-110 in 1969, their first seasons in the major leagues.
2008 — Carlos Zambrano pitched the first no-hitter for the Chicago Cubs in 36 years, striking out 10 in a 5-0 win over Houston in a game relocated to Milwaukee because of Hurricane Ike.
2011 — Colorado catcher Eliezer Alfonzo became the first player suspended twice under the Major League Baseball drug program. Alfonzo, will serve a 100-game suspension, was suspended for 50 games in April 2008 while a member of the San Francisco Giants.
2011 — Pittsburgh clinched its 19th consecutive losing season, a record for a major league franchise in North America, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2. The Pirates, who were 51-44 and led the NL Central by a half-game before play on July 20, dropped to 67-82.
2017 — Jay Bruce hit an RBI double in the 10th inning as the Cleveland Indians rallied for their 22nd straight win to extend their AL record, beating the Kansas City Royals 3-2. After blowouts, shutouts and easy wins, the Indians went into extras for the first time to keep the longest streak in 101 years intact. The Indians were down to their last strike in the ninth before Francisco Lindor hit a tying double. Jose Ramirez led off the 10th with a hard hit into right-center off Brandon Maurer that he turned into a double with a head-first slide. After Edwin Encarnacion walked, Bruce, ripped a 2-0 pitch into the right-field corner.
2017 — Rhys Hoskins homered again, Freddy Galvis and Jorge Alfaro also went deep in a seven-run second inning, and Philadelphia routed slumping Miami 10-0. Hoskins’ two-run shot gave him 18 home runs in 34 games since his call-up from Triple-A on Aug. 10. The Yankees’ Gary Sanchez previously held the record for fastest to 18 homers. Sanchez needed 45 games.
2022 — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hits the 100th homer of his career off Drew Rasmussen in the 1st inning to put the Blue Jays ahead and they never look back, defeating the Rays, 5 – 1, behind Ross Stripling. The Jays now lead the Mariners by half a game and the Rays by a game and a half in the wild card standings. For Guerrero, who also hit his 100th career double earlier this week, it is his first long ball of the month as he has been in a slump of late.
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Sept. 15
1902 — Chicago Cubs infielders Tinker, Evers & Chance turn their first double play together.
1912 — Joe Wood of the Boston Red Sox pitched his 16th consecutive victory to tie Walter Johnson’s record as he beat the St. Louis Browns 2-1.
1938 — Brothers Lloyd and Paul Waner hit back-to-back homers for the Pittsburgh Pirates off Cliff Melton of the New York Giants. This was the only time brothers hit successive home runs in a major league game. It was Lloyd’s last homer.
1946 — The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0 in five innings when the game was called because of gnats. The insects became such a problem for the players, umpires and fans that the game had to be stopped.
1963 — All three Alou brothers — Felipe, Matty and Jesus — played in the outfield at the same time for the San Francisco Giants in a 13-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1969 — St. Louis left-hander Steve Carlton struck out 19 Mets for a nine-inning game record. New York won the game 4-3 on two, two-run homers by Ron Swoboda.
1979 — Bob Watson of the Red Sox became the first player to hit for the cycle in both leagues as he led Boston to a 10-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. He hit for the cycle with the Houston Astros against San Francisco on June 24, 1977.
1990 — Bobby Thigpen pitched one inning and became the first relief pitcher with 50 saves in a season as the Chicago White Sox beat the Red Sox 7-4.
1996 — The Baltimore Orioles set baseball’s season home run record with five against Detroit, including Mark Parent’s record breaking shot in the third inning and Brady Anderson’s 10th leadoff homer of the year. The homers gave the Orioles 243, three more than the 1961 New York Yankees.
1997 — Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 51st and 52nd homers in Seattle’s win over Toronto to become the sixth major league player to hit 100 or more home runs over two consecutive seasons. Griffey hit 49 homers last season.
1998 — Ken Griffey Jr. hit his AL-leading 52nd homer and drove in five runs to become the fourth-youngest player to reach 1,000 RBIs, leading the Seattle Mariners over the Minnesota Twins 12-7.
2002 — Arizona’s Curt Schilling struck out eight to reach 300 for the season, joining Randy Johnson as the first teammates in baseball history to each strike out 300 in the same season. The Diamondbacks beat Milwaukee 6-5 in 13 innings.
2008 — In an unprecedented move, the Milwaukee Brewers fired manager Ned Yost. It marked the first time in major league history — except the strike-split 1981 season — that a manager was fired in August or later with his team in playoff position. The Brewers, 83-67, lost seven of eight and fallen into a tie with Philadelphia for the NL wild-card lead.
2009 — David Ortiz hit his record-breaking 270th homer as a designated hitter and had an RBI single in Boston’s 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. Frank Thomas had held the mark with 269.
2011 — Pablo Sandoval tripled in the sixth inning to complete the first cycle of his career and San Francisco beat Colorado 8-5. 2017 — The Cleveland had its AL record run stopped at 22 straight games as the Indians were beaten 4-3 by the Kansas City Royals, who became the first team to conquer the defending league champions since Aug. 23.. The Indians came within four of matching the overall record held by the 1916 New York Giants.
2014 — The Mets’Jacob deGrom ties a major league record when he strikes out the first eight batters he faces before his opponent on the mound for the Marlins, Jarred Cosart, singles to right. DeGrom ties the record set by Jim Deshaies in 1986. He strikes out 13 in 7 innings but ends up with a no-decision as the Marlins win, 6 – 5.
2022 — On Roberto Clemente Day, the Rays make history by fielding an all-Latino line-up (excluding starting pitcher Shane McClanahan). It consists of C René Pinto, 1B Harold Ramirez, 2B Isaac Paredes, SS Wander Franco, 3B Yandy Díaz, LF David Peralta, CF José Siri, RF Randy Arozarena and DH Manuel Margot, with five different countries being represented. All wear Roberto Clemente’s iconic uniform number, 21, as they go on to defeat the Blue Jays, 11 – 0.
Sept. 16
1914 — Roger Peckinpaugh, at 23, was hired to finish the season as manager of the New York Yankees.
1924 — Jim Bottomley went 6-for-6 and batted in a record 12 runs as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 17-3. His hits included two home runs.
1926 — The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 23-3 at the Baker Bowl. The Cardinals scored 12 runs in the third inning to set a franchise record.
1939 — The New York Yankees clinched their fourth successive pennant with a win over Detroit. It was the 11th pennant overall.
1957 — The Los Angeles City Council approved a 300-acre site in Chavez Ravine for a ballpark for the Dodgers. The club’s obligation was to finance a public recreation area.
1960 — Warren Spahn, 39, pitched a no-hitter and set an all-time Braves record with 15 strikeouts. Milwaukee beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-0.
1965 — Dave Morehead of the Boston Red Sox pitched a 2-0 no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park. Morehead walked one batter and struck out.
1975 — The Pittsburgh Pirates routed the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field 22-0. It was the most one-sided shutout since 1900. Rennie Stennett had seven hits, including two two-hit innings. Pittsburgh’s Rennie Stennett tied a major league mark established in 1892 going 7-for-7 in a nine-inning game. The Pirates’ second baseman got two hits in one inning twice (in the first and fifth innings.
1988 — Cincinnati’s Tom Browning pitched a perfect game as the Reds beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0. Browning struck out eight and allowed eight balls to be hit out of the infield.
1993 — Dave Winfield of the Minnesota Twins became the 19th player in major league history to get 3,000 hits. Winfield singled off Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley in a 5-1 win at home.
1996 — Minnesota’s Paul Molitor got his 3,000th career hit, becoming the 21st major leaguer to reach the mark, in a 6-5 loss to the Kansas City Royals.
1997 — Philadelphia’s Curt Schilling struck out nine in the Phillies win over the New York Mets to become the 13th pitcher since 1900 with 300 strikeouts in a season.
2000 — Chicago’s Sammy Sosa became the third player to hit 50 home runs in three different seasons, joining Babe Ruth and Mark McGwire. Sosa homered in the Cubs’ 7-6 loss to St. Louis, joining McGwire as the only players to hit 50 in three straight years.
2006 — Washington’s Alfonso Soriano became the fourth player in major league history to record 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a single season in an 8-4 win over Milwaukee. Soriano when he swiped second base, his 40th stolen base, to go along with 45 home runs.
2006 — Chone Figgins hit for the cycle in the Los Angeles Angels’ 12-6 loss to the Texas Rangers.
2007 — Jim Thome became the 23rd player — and third this season — to reach 500 home runs. The slugger hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth inning off reliever Dustin Moseley to give the Chicago White Sox a 9-7 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
2014 — Jake Arrieta took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning before giving up Brandon Phillips’ one-out double, the only blemish for the Chicago Cubs pitcher in a 7-0 win over Cincinnati. Arrieta struck out 13 and walked one in his first career complete game.
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Sept. 17
1912 — Brooklyn’s Casey Stengel makes his major league debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates, finishing with four singles, two RBIs and two steals in a 7-3 win.
1920 — Bobby Veach of the Detroit Tigers hit for the cycle in a 14-13 12-inning win over the Boston Red Sox at Navin Field. Veach had six hits, achieving the cycle with a double in the ninth.
1930 — Cleveland’s Earl Averill drove in eight runs with three consecutive home runs to lead the Indians to a 13-7 victory over the Washington Senators in a doubleheader opener. Averill added another homer in the nightcap, setting an American League record with 11 RBIs in a doubleheader.
1941 — Stan Musial makes his major league debut.
1947 — Jackie Robinson named Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News.
1968 — Gaylord Perry of the San Francisco Giants pitched a no-hitter, a 1-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals and Bob Gibson. Ron Hunt homered for the only run.
1984 — Reggie Jackson became the 13th player to hit 500 home runs. The milestone shot came off Kansas City pitcher Bud Black. His homer came exactly 17 years after his first career hit.
1984 — Rookie pitcher Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets struck out 16 Phillies in a 2-1 loss at Philadelphia. Five days earlier, Gooden fanned 16 Pittsburgh Pirates tying a major league record for 32 strikeouts in two consecutive games.
1988 — Jeff Reardon became the first pitcher to save 40 games in both leagues as the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 3-1. Reardon, who saved 42 games for the Montreal Expos in 1985, pitched the ninth inning for his 40th save in 47 opportunities.
1996 — Hideo Nomo pitched a no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 9-0 victory. Nomo walked four batters and stuck out eight.
2004 — San Francisco’s Barry Bonds hit the 700th home run of his career, joining Babe Ruth (714) and Hank Aaron (755) as the only players to reach the milestone. Bonds connected in the third inning at home, a 392-foot solo shot to left-center. San Francisco beat San Diego 4-1.
2004 — Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki broke Lloyd Waner’s season record for singles with his 199th in a 6-3 win over Oakland. Suzuki’s two hits gave him 235 for the season, 22 shy of the major league record set by George Sisler of the St. Louis Browns in 1920.
2008 — Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki matched Willie Keeler’s major league record of eight straight 200-hit seasons, beating out an infield single in the eighth inning for his third hit against Kansas City.
2018 — Christian Yelich became the first major leaguer to hit for the cycle twice in one season against the same team, driving in four runs to lead the Milwaukee Brewers over the Cincinnati Reds 8-0.
2024 — With a stolen base in the 1st inning, Bobby Witt Jr. becomes the first shortstop to have more than one 30-30 season, as he now has 30 steals and 32 homers; he also just the 8th player to accomplish the feat in consecutive seasons.
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Sept. 18
1903 — Philadelphia’s Chick Fraser pitched a 10-0 no-hitter against the Chicago Cubs in the second game of a doubleheader. The Cubs won the opener 6-5. Fraser struck out five and walked four. Peaches Graham, normally a catcher, was the loser in his only major league decision.
1908 — Bob Rhoads of the Indians pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox for a 2-1 victory in Cleveland.
1930 — New York pitcher Red Ruffing hit two home runs as the Yankees edged the St. Louis Browns 7-6 in 10 innings.
1954 — The Cleveland Indians clinched the American League pennant with a 3-2 triumph over the Detroit Tigers.
1963 — The New York Mets lost their last game at the Polo Grounds — 5-1 to the Philadelphia Phillies before a crowd of 1,752.
1968 — Ray Washburn threw a 2-0 no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park, one day after the Giants’ Gaylord Perry tossed a no-hitter against Washburn’s St. Louis Cardinals.
1980 — Minnesota’s Gary Ward hit for the cycle in a 9-8 loss at Milwaukee. It was Ward’s 14th career game and the home run was his first in the major leagues. The Brewers won the game in the bottom of the ninth on Gorman Thomas’ two-out two-run homer.
1984 — The Detroit Tigers clinched the American League East Division with a 3-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, making the Tigers the fourth team in major league history to lead from start to finish. The other three teams were the 1923 New York Giants, 1927 New York Yankees and the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers.
1984 — Montreal’s Tim Raines became the first player in major league history with four consecutive seasons of 70 or more stolen bases by swiping four in the Expos’ 7-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
1985 — Boston catcher Rich Gedman hit for the cycle and drove in seven runs as the Red Sox rout the Toronto Blue Jays, 13-1.
1987 — Detroit’s Darrell Evans became the first 40-year-old player in major league history to hit 30 home runs in a season as the Tigers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6.
1996 — Roger Clemens equaled his own major league record, fanning 20 batters and pitching a four-hitter to lead Boston over the Detroit Tigers 4-0.
2003 — Atlanta clinched its 12th straight division title when second-place Florida was mathematically eliminated from the NL East race after a 5-4 loss to Philadelphia. The record title streak started in 1991, when the Braves won the NL West. They moved to the East Division in 1994 and trailed Montreal by six games when the strike stopped the season in August.
2006 — The Los Angeles Dodgers hit four consecutive homers in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game and Nomar Garciaparra’s two-run homer in the 10th lifted Los Angeles to an 11-10 victory over the San Diego Padres.
2011 — Erick Aybar went 4 for 4, with four extra-base hits and tied a franchise record by scoring five runs, leading the Los Angeles Angels to an 11-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
2012 — Dusty Baker managed his 3,000th game, guiding the Cincinnati Reds against one of his former teams, the Chicago Cubs.
2020 — Garrett Crochet becomes the first player in over a decade to go straight to the majors when the #11 pick from the 2020 amateur draft makes his maiden appearance pitching in relief for the White Sox against the Reds. After working out at the Sox’s alternate training site in Schaumburg, IL since being signed, he impresses by striking two of three batter he faces and regularly hitting 100 mph on the radar gun with his fastball.
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+++TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY+++
Sept. 13
1930 — Tommy Armour beats Gene Sarazen 1 up to win the PGA Championship.
1964 — Roy Emerson beats fellow Australian Fred Stolle to win the men’s title in the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championships. Brazil’s Maria Bueno wins the women’s title. Emerson wins in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 and Bueno easily wins 6-1, 6-0.
1970 — Only 55 of 126 finish the first New York City Marathon, with Gary Muhrcke winning in 2 hours, 31 minutes, 38.2 seconds. The race is run counterclockwise on a 26.22-mile course in Central Park.
1981 — The Atlanta Falcons, trailing 17-0 with 13 minutes remaining in the game, score 31 points to beat the Green Bay Packers 31-17. The Falcons score touchdowns on a punt return, two by passes, an interception return and a fumble return.
1981 — John McEnroe defeats Bjorn Borg to win his third straight men’s singles title in the U.S. Open.
1989 — Pat Day breaks the record for most winners in one day when he scored with eight of his nine mounts at Arlington Racecourse in Illinois. It was the best day for one program in North American thoroughbred racing history. In his only loss, Day finishes second.
1991 — Joe Carter 1st baseball player with 3 consecutive 100 RBI seasons with 3 different teams (Indians, Padres, Blue Jays).
1992 — Buffalo’s Jim Kelly and San Francisco’s Steve Young throw for more than 400 yards and neither team punts, the first time in NFL history, as the Bills beat the 49ers 34-31.
1997 — Cade McNown throws a school-record five touchdown passes as UCLA routs No. 11 Texas 66-3. It’s the second-worst loss for Texas, which lost 68-0 to Chicago in 1904, and the biggest defeat of a ranked team in The Associated Press college football poll.
1999 — John Elway’s #7 jersey is retired by the Denver Broncos.
2003 — Tonya Butler makes a field goal and three extra points for Division II West Alabama. Butler, a 5-foot-5, 140-pound senior, kicks a 27-yarder in the first quarter to help the Tigers beat Stillman College 24-17. It could not be confirmed whether Butler was the first woman to kick a field goal because NCAA statistics do not differentiate between sexes.
2008 — Brigham Young quarterback Max Hall ties a school record with seven touchdown passes as the 18th-ranked Cougars hands UCLA its worst loss in nearly 80 years, 59-0.
2009 — Brandon Stokley only catches one pass — but it is a big one. He grabs a deflection and runs 87 yards with 11 seconds left to give Denver a 12-7 win over Cincinnati. Stokley even burns a few extra seconds by taking his time going into the end zone.
2010 — Rafael Nadal wins his first U.S. Open title to complete a career Grand Slam, beating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.
2013 — Jim Furyk becomes the sixth player in PGA Tour history to shoot a 59 to give him a share of the lead at the BMW Championship.
2015 — Lydia Ko becomes the youngest major champion in LPGA Tour history winning the Evian Championship. The South Korean-born New Zealander closes with an 8-under 63 for a six-stroke victory over Lexi Thompson. Ko, at 18 years, 4 months and 20 days old, eclipses the previous record of American Morgan Pressel, who was 18 years, 10 months and nine days old when she won the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship.
2020 — Alec Mills of the Chicago Cubs no-hit the Milwaukee Brewers 12-0 at Miller Park, Milwaukee.
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Sept. 14
1923 — Jack Dempsey knocks out Luis Firpo in the second round for his last successful defense of his world heavyweight title, at Madison Square Garden in New York.
1947 — Jack Kramer beats Frank Parket to win the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championship. Kramer wins 4-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-0, 6-3.
1959 — The new $32 million Aqueduct, operated by the New York Racing Association, opens.
1968 — Jimmy Ellis wins the WBA heavyweight title by beating Floyd Patterson in the 15th round in Stockholm, Sweden.
1986 — Chicago’s Walter Payton rushes for 177 yards, to reach the 15,000-yard plateau and scores his 100th career rushing touchdown as the Bears beat the Philadelphia Eagles 13-10.
1987 — Cal Ripken Jr.’s record streak of 8,243 consecutive innings (908 games) is finally broken.
1991 — Freshman Marshall Faulk of San Diego State rushes for an NCAA record 386 yards and scores seven touchdowns in his second collegiate game. Faulk sets an NCAA record for most rushing touchdowns in a game by a freshman as the Aztecs beat Pacific 55-34.
1991 — Texas A&M freshman Greg Hill has the greatest debut by a freshman running back in college football history as the Aggies rout LSU 45-7. Hill sets a major college record with 212 yards rushing in his first game and scores twice on 30 carries.
1994 — The baseball season, already shut down by a monthlong strike, is canceled along with the World Series in a vote by 26 of the 28 teams.
2002 — Tim Montgomery of the United States sets a world record in the 100 meters, clocking 9.78 seconds at the IAAF Grand Prix Final in Paris. The previous world record of 9.79 was set by fellow American Maurice Greene in 1999.
2003 — Jamal Lewis rushes for an NFL-record 295 yards on 30 carries in Baltimore’s 33-13 victory over Cleveland.
2006 — Tiger Woods’ five-tournament winning streak finally ends when Shaun Micheel knocks him out in the first round of the World Match Play Championship. The score was 4 and 3, matching Woods’ worst loss in match play.
2010 — Reggie Bush announces he is forfeiting his Heisman Trophy. The running back releases a statement saying he would give back the award that he won in 2005 while he was at Southern California. It’s the first time college football’s top award is returned by a recipient.
2011 — The Pittsburgh pirates clinches its 19th consecutive losing season, a record for a major league franchise in North America, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2.
2014 — Mirjana Lucic-Baroni beats Venus Williams 6-4, 6-3 to win the Coupe Banque Nationale and set the record for the biggest gap between WTA titles. Lucic-Baroni wins her third WTA title and first in 16 years and four months.
2014 — New England’s Bill Belichick becomes the sixth head coach in NFL history to reach 200 regular-season wins with a 30-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Belichick has a 200-106 (.654) record in the regular season.
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Sept. 15
1899 — Willie Smith wins the U.S. Open golf title, beating George low, Val Fitzjohn and W.H. Way.
1923 — Bill Tilden wins the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championship, beating William Johnston in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.
1962 — Frank Tripucka of the Denver Broncos passes for 447 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-20 win over the Buffalo Bills.
1971 — Stan Smith wins the U.S. Open title over Jan Khodes and Billie Jean King beats Rosemary Casals for the women’s title. It’s the first time in 16 years both titles were won by U.S. players.
1973 — Three-year-old Secretariat wins the Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap in the then-world record time of 1:45 2-5 for 11/8 miles.
1973 — Archie Griffin of Ohio State starts his NCAA record string of 31 games of rushing for at least 100 yards, leading the Buckeyes to a 56-7 rout of Minnesota in Columbus.
1978 — Muhammad Ali becomes the first three-time heavyweight champion with a unanimous 15-round decision over Leon Spinks at the Superdome in New Orleans.
1991 — The United States women’s gymnastics team makes history with its first team medal — a silver — at the World Championships in Indianapolis.
1995 — Cards shortstop Ozzie Smith sets record of 1,554 double plays.
2002 — Sam Hornish Jr. wins another incredible race at Texas Motor Speedway, and his second straight IRL title. Hornish side-by-side with Helio Castroneves for many of the last 25 laps in the season-ending Chevy 500, crosses the finish line 0.0096 seconds — only a few inches — ahead of the other driver in contention for the season championship. Hornish wins his IRL-record fifth race of the season and becomes the first driver to win two IRL championships.
2002 — Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon begins NFL record-tying (Kurt Warner, Steve Young) streak of 6 consecutive 300-yard passing games, throwing for 403 yards in Raiders’ 30-17 victory at Pittsburgh.
2004 — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announces a lockout of the players union and cessation of operations by the NHL head office.
2012 — LSU beats Idaho 63-14 to give the Tigers an NCAA FBS record 40th-straight non-conference regular season victory. LSU also set a Tiger Stadium mark with 20 straight home wins. Kansas State had 39 straight non-conference regular-season wins from 1993-2003.
2013 — Philip Rivers is 36 of 47 for 419 yards and three touchdown passes to Eddie Royal to lead San Diego to a 33-30 victory at Philadelphia. Michael Vick of the Eagles passes for a career-best 428 yards and two touchdowns and runs for a score.
2017 — The Cleveland has its AL record run stopped at 22 straight games as the Indians are beaten 4-3 by the Kansas City Royals.
2018 — Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores his 500th worldwide goal in the Los Angeles Galaxy’s 5-3 loss to Toronto FC. The 36-year-old Swede joins Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the only active players with 500 goals for in club and international play.
2021 — US gymnasts, including Simone Biles, testify against former team doctor Larry Nassar at a Senate Committee hearing, criticizing a system that allowed it to happen.
2022 — Tennis great Roger Federer announces his retirement from professional tennis at 41 with 20 grand slam wins and 103 ATP titles.
Sept. 16
1885 — The America’s Cup is successfully defended by U.S. yacht Puritan as it beats Britain’s Genesta in two heats.
1926 — Henri Cochet ends Bill Tilden’s six-year reign as the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association champion as he beats Tilden in the quarterfinals.
1927 — Rene Lacoste wins the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championship, beating Bill Tilden in three sets.
1951 — Betsy Rawls wins the U.S. Women’s Open golf title by edging Louise Suggs.
1955 — The formation of the United States Auto Club is completed and will oversee four major categories of auto races.
1973 — O.J. Simpson rushes for 250 yards to lead the Buffalo Bills to a 31-13 victory over the New England Patriots.
1989 — No. 1 Notre Dame beats No. 2 Michigan 24-19 in Ann Arbor, Mich. Fighting Irish wide receiver Raghib Ismail steals the show by returning kickoffs 88 and 92 yards for touchdowns. It’s the second time Ismail has two kickoff returns for touchdowns in the same game, accomplishing the feat against Rice in 1988.
1993 — Dave Winfield of the Minnesota Twins becomes the 19th player in major league history to get 3,000 hits, with a single off Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley.
1996 — Paul Molitor gets his 3,000th career hit, becoming the 21st major leaguer to reach the mark and the first to do it with a triple.
2000 — Zippy Chippy, a 9-year-old gelding, finishes third in the eighth race at the Three-County Fair in Northampton, Mass., extending his record as the losingest horse in American thoroughbred history to 88 races.
2000 — Sammy Sosa becomes the second player to hit 50 or more home runs in three consecutive years, joining Mark McGwire.
2001 — Jason Bohn shoots a 13-under 58 at Huron Oaks Country Club to win the Canadian Tour’s Bayer Championship by two strokes and go one below the best round ever shot in PGA Tour-sanctioned competition.
2007 — Jim Thome is the 23rd player — and third this season — to reach 500 home runs. The slugger hits a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth inning off reliever Dustin Moseley to give the Chicago White Sox a 9-7 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
2007 — Bengals QB Carson Palmer passes for six TDs and the Browns’ Derek Anderson has five in Cleveland’s 51-45 win over Cincinnati, making it just the third time in NFL history that two QBs threw five TD passes apiece in the same game.
2010 — The Seattle Storm complete their undefeated march through the postseason, beating the Atlanta Dream 87-84 for a three-game sweep in the WNBA finals.
2012 — Eli Manning hits 31 of 51 passes for 510 yards — the second-best passing day in team history — with three touchdown passes and three interceptions as the New York Giants rally for a 41-34 win over Tampa Bay.
2012 — NHL locks out its players after the expiry of the collective bargaining agreement.
2017 — In front of the largest crowd to attend a stand-alone MLS match, Josef Martinez gets his second hat trick in a row and his third of the season to help Atlanta United hold on for a 3-3 draw against Orlando City. Atlanta United sets the record with 70,425 on hand at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
2018 — Scott Dixon has a steady drive to win his fifth IndyCar championship with ease. Dixon, needing an uneventful finale at Sonoma Raceway, finishes second behind winner Ryan Hunter-Reay. His fifth title moves him into second in IndyCar history, two behind A.J. Foyt.
2018 — Patrick Mahomes is 23 for 28 for 326 yards and six touchdown passes in Kansas City’s 42-37 win over Pittsburgh. His 10 touchdown passes through two weeks are the most by a quarterback through two games in NFL history.
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Sept. 17
1897 — England’s Joe Lloyd beats Scotland’s Willie Anderson by one stroke to win the U.S. Open in Wheaton, Ill.
1917 — Honus Wagner, retires at 43, Pirates retire his #33.
1920 — The forerunner of the NFL, the American Professional Football Association, is founded in an automobile showroom in Canton, Ohio. Twelve teams pay a $100 fee to obtain a franchise.
1938 — Don Budge completes the Grand Slam with a four-set victory over Gene Mako in the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championships.
1947 — Jackie Robinson named Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News.
1953 — Ernie Banks becomes Chicago Cubs 1st black player.
1954 — Rocky Marciano knocks out Ezzard Charles in the eighth round at Yankee Stadium in New York to retain his world heavyweight title.
1955 — In the first color telecast of a football game by NBC, No. 10 Georgia Tech defeats No. 9 Miami 14-6 in Atlanta. The winning score comes in the final minute when linebacker Jimmy Morris returns an interception 25 yards for a touchdown.
1961 — The Minnesota Vikings, the newest NFL franchise, beats the league’s oldest franchise, the Chicago Bears, 37-13 win in the season opener. Minnesota’s Fran Tarkenton, playing his first NFL game, comes off the bench to become the only quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in his first game.
1964 — Mickey Mantle gets career hits #1,999, #2,000, and #2,001 and his 450th home run in a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
1966 — In his head coaching debut, coach Joe Paterno leads Penn State past Maryland 15-7.
1967 — Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore Colts passes for 401 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-31 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
1977 — The U.S. wins the Ryder Cup 12½-7½ at Royal Lytham & St Annes England. It’s the last time that a Britain and Ireland team competes for the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup expands the GB&I to include golfers from all of continental Europe in 1979.
1984 — Reggie Jackson is the 13th player to hit 500 home runs.
1994 — UNLV receiver Randy Gatewood catches 23 passes for 363 yards and a touchdown in a 48-38 loss to Idaho.
2000 — Dan Marino’s #13 jersey is retired by the Miami Dolphins.
2002 — Suzy Whaley becomes the first woman to qualify for a PGA Tour event, earning an exemption to the 2003 Greater Hartford Open by winning a PGA Section Championship. Whaley is also is the first woman to win a Section Championship.
2004 — San Francisco’s Barry Bonds hits his 700th home run, joining Babe Ruth (714) and Hank Aaron (755) as the only players to reach the milestone.
2016 — Cam Pedersen kicks a 37-yard field as time expired and North Dakota State of the FC, rallies to beat No. 13 Iowa 23-21 for its sixth straight win over an FBS opponent.
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Sept. 18
1899 — The Cincinnati Open begins. It is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States still played in its original city and is now known as the Cincinnati Masters & Women’s Open.
1938 — The Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers 2-0. Left end Dick Plasman tackles Arnie Herber in the end zone in the fourth quarter for the win.
1946 — Joe Louis knocks out Tami Mauriello in the first round at Yankee Stadium in New York to retain the world heavyweight title.
1960 — Goose Gonsoulin intercepts four passes to lead the Denver Broncos to a 27-21 win over the Buffalo Bills.
1965 — In his first collegiate game, quarterback Billy Stevens of Texas-El Paso gains 483 total yards in a 61-15 rout of North Texas State. Receiver Chuck Hughes has 349 of those yards.
1966 — Baltimore quarterback Johnny Unitas throws 4 touchdown passes in 38-23 win at Minnesota to surpass Y.A. Tittle as NFL’s career leader with 212; finishes career with 290 TD passes.
1967 — U.S. yacht Intrepid beats the Australian yacht Dame Pattie in four straight races to defend the America’s Cup.
1977 — U.S. yacht Courageous beats the challenger Australia in four straight races to defend the America’s Cup.
1982 — In a rare father-son matchup, coach Jack Elway leads San Jose State to its second consecutive upset of quarterback John Elway and Stanford 35-31 in Palo Alto, Calif. John Elway completes 24-of-36 passes for 382 yards and three touchdowns. Spartans quarterback Steve Clarkson, throws for 285 yards, three touchdowns and scores on a three-yard keeper for the win after a Cardinal fumble. Stanford reaches the Spartans’ 26-yard line, but Elway gets sacked on four consecutive plays to end the game.
1996 — Roger Clemens equals his own major league record, fanning 20 batters and pitching a four-hitter to lead Boston over the Detroit Tigers 4-0.
2003 — Atlanta clinches its 12th straight division title when second-place Florida is mathematically eliminated from the NL East race. The record title streak started in 1991, when the Braves won the NL West. They moved to the East Division in 1994 and trailed Montreal by six games when the strike stopped the season in August.
2005 — Green Bay’s Brett Favre joins Dan Marino and John Elway with 50,000 yards passing and also breaks Elway’s single-stadium NFL touchdown record of 180 with a 4-yard toss to Tony Fisher with 4 seconds left of a 26-24 loss to Cleveland at Lambeau Field.
2011 — At 16, Lexi Thompson becomes the youngest player to win an LPGA Tour event. The 16-year-old Floridian closes with a 2-under 70 to win by five strokes over Tiffany Joh at the Navistar LPGA Classic in Prattville, Ala. Thompson shatters the age record for winning a multiple-round tournament held by Paula Creamer, who won in 2005 at 18.
2011 — Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton sets an NFL rookie record by throwing for 432 yards against the Green Bay Packers. Newton, who tied the record by throwing for 422 yards in last week’s loss at Arizona, completes 28 of 46 passes with one touchdown in the 30-23 loss to the Packers. Newton’s 854 yards passing is also the most yards for a player in his first two games.
2013 — American Jordan Burroughs earns another wrestling world title. Burroughs, a gold medalist at the 2012 Olympics, extends his undefeated streak to 65 matches with a 4-0 victory over Iran’s Ezzatollah Akbarizarinkolaei in the 163-pound category at the Laszlo Papp Sports Arena in Budapest, Hungary.
2016 — Detroit’s Anquan Boldin has a touchdown catch in the Lions’ 16-15 loss to Tennessee, to join Terrell Owens as the only players in NFL history to have at least 1,000 career receptions and a touchdown catch with four teams.
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+++TV SPORTS+++
Saturday, Sept. 13
AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL (MEN’S)
5:30 a.m.
FS1 — AFL Playoffs: Gold Coast at Brisbane, Semifinal
AUTO RACING
8:55 a.m.
FS1 — FIM MotoGP: The San Marino Grand Prix – Sprint Race, Rimini, Italy
7:30 p.m.
USA — NASCAR Cup Series: The Bass Pro Shops Night Race, Playoffs – Round of 16, Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Noon
ABC — Wisconsin at Alabama
ACCN — William & Mary at Virginia
BTN — Cent. Michigan at Michigan
CBSSN — Buffalo at Kent St.
ESPN — Clemson at Georgia Tech
ESPN2 — Oklahoma at Temple
ESPNU — Memphis at Troy
FOX — Oregon at Northwestern
FS1 — Houston Christian at Nebraska
PEACOCK — Towson at Maryland
12:45 p.m.
SECN — S. Alabama at Auburn
3:30 p.m.
ABC — Georgia at Tennessee
ACCN — Richmond at North Carolina
BTN — Regional Coverage: Norfolk St. at Rutgers OR Youngstown St. at Michigan St.
CBS — Southern Cal at Purdue
CBSSN — SMU at Missouri St.
ESPN — Pittsburgh at West Virginia
ESPNU — Washington St. at North Texas
FOX — Oregon St. at Texas Tech
FS1 — Villanova at Penn St.
4 p.m.
ESPN2 — Iowa St. at Arkansas St.
4:15 p.m.
SECN — UTEP at Texas
4:30 p.m.
CW — South Florida at Miami
7 p.m.
ACCN — Old Dominion at Virginia Tech
ESPN — Arkansas at Mississippi
FS1 — W. Michigan at Illinois
PEACOCK — Ohio at Ohio St.
7:30 p.m.
ABC — Florida at LSU
BTN — UMass at Iowa
ESPNU — E. Michigan at Kentucky
NBC — Texas A&M at Notre Dame
PEACOCK — Texas A&M at Notre Dame
7:45 p.m.
SECN — Vanderbilt at South Carolina
8 p.m.
CBSSN — Utah at Wyoming
ESPN2 — Duke at Tulane
9:45 p.m.
FS1 — Air Force at Utah St.
10:30 p.m.
ACCN — Boston College at Stanford
ESPN — Minnesota at California
TNT — Texas St. at Arizona St.
TRUTV — Texas St. at Arizona St.
CYCLING
10 a.m.
CNBC — UCI: Vuelta a Espana 2025, Stage 20, 102.8 miles, Robledo de Chavela to Bola del Mundo, Spain (Taped)
GOLF
7 a.m.
GOLF — DP World Tour: The BMW PGA Championship, Third Round, Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, United Kingdom
1 p.m.
GOLF — LPGA Tour: The Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, Third Round, TPC River’s Bend, Cincinnati
4 p.m.
GOLF — Korn Ferry Tour: The Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation, Third Round, Vanderbilt Legends Club, North Course, Franklin, Tenn.
6 p.m.
GOLF — PGA Tour: The Procore Championship, Third Round, Silverado Country Club North, Napa, Calif.
9:30 p.m.
GOLF — PGA Tour Champions: The Sanford Invitational, Second Round, Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Taped)
HORSE RACING
9 a.m.
FS2 — The Irish Champion Stakes: From Leopardstown Racecourse, Dublin
12:30 p.m.
FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races
MLB BASEBALL
4 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: N.Y. Yankees at Boston (4:10 p.m.) OR Detroit at Miami (4:10 p.m.)
8 p.m.
FOX — St. Louis at Milwaukee
10 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: L.A. Angels at Seattle (9:40 p.m.) OR Cincinnati at Athletics (10:05 p.m.)
RODEO
8 p.m.
CW — PBR: Camping World Team Series – Day 2, Greensboro, N.C.
RUGBY (MEN’S)
5:45 a.m.
FS2 — NRL Postseason: Sydney at Cronulla-Sutherland, Elimination Final
2 a.m. (Sunday)
FS2 — NRL Postseason: Brisbane at Canberra, Qualifying Final
RUGBY (WOMEN’S)
8 a.m.
CBSSN — 2025 World Cup: South Africa vs. New Zealand, Quarterfinal, Exeter, England
9:55 p.m.
FS2 — NRL: New Zealand at Wests
11:40 p.m.
FS2 — NRL: St. George Illawarra at Newcastle
SAILING
10:30 a.m.
CBSSN — SailGP: Event 9 – Day 2, Saint-Tropez, France
SOCCER (MEN’S)
7:30 a.m.
USA — English Premier League: Nottingham Forest at Arsenal
10 a.m.
USA — English Premier League: Leeds United at Fulham
12:30 p.m.
NBC — English Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur at West Ham United
3 p.m.
USA — English Premier League: Chelsea at Brentford
7 p.m.
FS2 — Canadian Premier League: Vancouver FC at Pacific FC
SOCCER (WOMEN’S)
12:30 p.m.
CBS — NWSL: Angel City at North Carolina
5 p.m.
ION — NWSL: Bay at Orlando
7:30 p.m.
ION — NWSL: Washington at Kansas City
TENNIS
6:30 a.m.
TENNIS — Davis Cup Qualifiers 2nd Round FRA v. CRO & NED v. ARG Rubbers 3, 4 & 5, ESP v. DEN Rubbers 1 & 2
2 p.m.
TENNIS —Davis Cup Qualifiers 2nd Round USA v. CZE & AUS v. BEL Rubbers 3, 4 & 5; Guadalajara-WTA Semifinals
10 p.m.
TENNIS — Davis Cup Qualifiers 2nd Round USA v. CZE & AUS v. BEL Rubbers 3, 4 & 5; Guadalajara-WTA Semifinals
5:30 a.m. (Sunday)
TENNIS — Davis Cup Qualifiers Round 2 ESP v. DEN Rubber 3, 4 & 5
TRACK AND FIELD
5 a.m.
CNBC — 2025 World Athletics Championships: Day 1, Tokyo
3 p.m.
NBC — 2025 World Athletics Championships: Day 1, Tokyo
5:30 a.m. (Sunday)
CNBC — 2025 World Athletics Championships: Day 2, Tokyo
_____
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive TV listings provided by LiveSportsOnTV.
(All times Eastern)
Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts
Sunday, Sept. 14
AUTO RACING
7:30 a.m.
FS1 — FIM MotoGP: The San Marino Grand Prix, Rimini, Italy
Noon
FS1 — NHRA: Qualifying, Maple Grove Raceway, Mohnton, Pa. (Taped)
NBC — Pro Motocross Championship: Playoffs – Round 2, The Dome at America’s Center, St. Louis (Taped)
2 p.m.
FS1 — NHRA: The 40th NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish, Maple Grove Raceway, Mohnton, Pa.
7 p.m.
CBSSN — FIM Motocross World Championship: The MX2, Shanghai (Taped)
8 p.m.
CBSSN — FIM Motocross World Championship: The MXGP, Shanghai (Taped)
COLLEGE SOCCER (WOMEN’S)
1 p.m.
ACCN — California at Clemson
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN’S)
1 p.m.
ESPN2 — Baylor at Florida
3 p.m.
ESPN2 — Arizona St. at Texas
CYCLING
12:30 p.m.
CNBC — UCI: Vuelta a Espana 2025, Final Stage, 69.3 miles, Valdeolmos-Alalpardo to Madrid, Spain (Taped)
GOLF
7 a.m.
GOLF — DP World Tour: The BMW PGA Championship, Final Round, Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, United Kingdom
1 p.m.
GOLF — LPGA Tour: The Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, Final Round, TPC River’s Bend, Cincinnati
4 p.m.
GOLF — Korn Ferry Tour: The Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation, Final Round, Vanderbilt Legends Club, North Course, Franklin, Tenn.
6 p.m.
GOLF — PGA Tour: The Procore Championship, Final Round, Silverado Country Club North, Napa, Calif.
9:30 p.m.
GOLF — PGA Tour Champions: The Sanford Invitational, Final Round, Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Taped)
HORSE RACING
12:30 p.m.
FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races
LACROSSE (MEN’S)
12:30 p.m.
ABC — PLL Playoffs: New York vs. Denver, Championship, Harrison, N.J.
MLB BASEBALL
1:30 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: Texas at N.Y. Mets (1:40 p.m.) OR Kansas City at Philadelphia (1:35 p.m.)
4:30 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: L.A. Dodgers at San Francisco (4:05 p.m.) OR Colorado at San Diego (4:10 p.m.)
7 p.m.
ESPN — N.Y. Yankees at Boston
NFL FOOTBALL
1 p.m.
CBS — Regional Coverage: Jacksonville at Cincinnati, L.A. Rams at Tennessee, New England at Miami, Buffalo at N.Y. Jets, Cleveland at Baltimore
FOX — Regional Coverage: N.Y. Giants at Dallas, Chicago at Detroit, San Francisco at New Orleans, Seattle at Pittsburgh
4:05 p.m.
CBS — Regional Coverage: Denver at Indianapolis OR Carolina at Arizona
4:25 p.m.
FOX — Philadelphia at Kansas City
8:20 p.m.
NBC — Atlanta at Minnesota
RODEO
12:30 p.m.
CW — PBR: Camping World Team Series – Day 3, Greensboro, N.C.
5 p.m.
CBS — Regional Coverage: PBR: Camping World Team Series – Day 3, Greensboro, N.C. (Taped)
RUGBY (WOMEN’S)
11 a.m.
CBSSN — 2025 World Cup: Scotland vs. England, Quarterfinal, Bristol, England
SOCCER (MEN’S)
6:55 a.m.
CBSSN — English League Championship: Portsmouth at Southampton
9 a.m.
CBSSN — Serie A: Lecce at Atalanta
USA — English Premier League: Liverpool at Burnley
3 p.m.
ESPN — LaLiga: Valencia at Barcelona
6 p.m.
FS2 — Saudi Pro League: Al Kholood at Al Nassr (Taped)
SOCCER (WOMEN’S)
1 p.m.
CBSSN — Serie A Cup Group Stage: Inter vs. Como Women, Group B, Sesto San Giovanni, Italy
TENNIS
5:30 a.m.
TENNIS — Davis Cup Qualifiers Round 2 ESP v. DEN Rubber 3, 4 & 5
6 p.m.
TENNIS — Sao-Paulo-WTA Singles Final (Taped)
8 p.m.
TENNIS — Guadalajara-WTA Singles Final
1 a.m. (Monday)
TENNIS — Seoul-WTA Early Rounds
6 a.m. (Monday)
TENNIS — Seoul -WTA Early Rounds
TRACK AND FIELD
5:30 a.m.
CNBC — 2025 World Athletics Championships: Day 2, Tokyo
3 p.m.
NBC — 2025 World Athletics Championships: Day 2, Tokyo
7 p.m.
CNBC — 2025 World Athletics Championships: Day 2, Tokyo
6:30 a.m. (Monday)
USA — 2025 World Athletics Championships: Day 3, Tokyo
WNBA BASKETBALL
1 p.m.
ESPN — Playoffs: Golden State at Minnesota, First Round – Game 1
3 p.m.
ABC — Playoffs: Indiana at Atlanta, First Round – Game 1
5 p.m.
ESPN — Playoffs: New York at Phoenix, First Round – Game 1
10 p.m.
ESPN — Playoffs: Seattle at Las Vegas, First Round – Game 1
