Sports category, Page 342
Steelers 4 Downs: Sack totals aren’t gaudy, but pressures and QB hits are piling up
1. Sacks lack, but… The Pittsburgh Steelers’ remarkable run of leading the NFL in sacks for five consecutive seasons (2017-21) is long gone. At 16th in the league in sacks through 15 games this season with 36, the Steelers are right about at league average and appear destined to finish...
First Call: Diontae Johnson joins AFC playoff team; Steelers-K.C. injury updates; odds on potential Steelers playoff seeds
Tuesday’s “First Call” has health updates on the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. Diontae Johnson has another new home with a team that is AFC playoff-bound. There is some data to track about the Steelers’ potential playoff seeding. Also, things are looking really bleak for the New York Rangers...
Scouting the Chiefs: Steelers opponent is 20-1 over past calendar year
SCOUTING THE CHIEFS Last meeting Chiefs beat Steelers, 42-21, on Jan. 16, 2022, in a playoff game at Kansas City. Key matchup Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes vs. Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick The Steelers have acknowledged communication problems in their defense during losses the past two weeks, and between veteran Mahomes...
Penguins rout Flyers, reversing fortunes against Metropolitan foes
Playing against Metropolitan Division foes has not been a feat of strength for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2024-25. And given their 1-6-1 record in games against such opponents entering Monday, it is something that could be a legitimate cause to air grievances over. “We understand the importance of it,” Penguins...
George Dimopoulos shines in double OT, Northern Illinois wins Idaho Potato Bowl
BOISE, Idaho — Freshman wide receiver George Dimopoulos threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Dane Pardridge on the first play of double overtime, and Jordan Hansen ended the game on a fourth-down sack to give Northern Illinois a 28-20 victory over Fresno State on Monday in the Idaho Potato Bowl....
District soccer notebook: Pitt’s Sarah Schupansky signs with NWSL’s Gotham
Sarah Schupansky is extending her soccer career as she turns professional. The former standout at North Allegheny and Pitt signed a multi-year contract to play for the NJ/NY Gotham of the National Women’s Soccer League. The deal is through 2026 with a team option for ’27. “I could not be...
No. 1 Oregon, No. 8 Ohio State gear up for rematch of thriller
Oregon and Ohio State already have produced one heck of a game this season. Now, the top-seeded Ducks (13-0) and No. 8 Buckeyes (11-2) are gearing up for a rematch more than 10 weeks later in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day....
Hobbled Texans will try to deal blow to Ravens’ AFC North title hopesVideo
HOUSTON — For a second straight season, the Houston Texans will be without Tank Dell to end the regular season and for the playoffs after the dynamic receiver suffered another major injury. Coach DeMeco Ryans revealed the details of the injury Monday before announcing that Dell (torn ACL, dislocated kneecap)...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Latrobe’s Holler helps Memphis win bowl game, set to turn pro
Trent Holler and Memphis smashed West Virginia. The result on the football field wasn’t terribly one-sided: Memphis 42, WVU 37. The smashing happened after the game. Following the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl, Holler, Memphis’ mammoth redshirt senior center, took a sledge hammer to a block of concrete painted with a...
Pitt lands ex-Charlotte offensive tackle Kendall Stanley from transfer portal
Pitt received a verbal commitment Monday from transfe offensive tackle Kendall Stanley, who will arrive from Charlotte with three seasons of eligibility. Offensive line will be one of coach Pat Narduzzi’s priorities in the transfer portal this offseason after spotty play created problems this season. That, coupled with the losses...
Curiously not targeted often recently, Pat Freiermuth still major part of Steelers offense
Simple intuitiveness would have suggested that in the absence of No. 1 wide receiver George Pickens over the past three games that Pat Freiermuth would have been a much-utilized weapon in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense. That has not materialized. Although Freiermuth does have two touchdown receptions in that time, he...
Masters gets 10 more players from top 50 in the world ranking. Lucas Glover narrowly gets in
Lucas Glover held down the 50th spot in the final world ranking of the year, making him one of 10 players who will be added to the invitation list to play in the Masters. The field has eight more players than it did at this time a year ago. The...
With defense in disarray, Steelers focus on fixing communication concerns against Chiefs
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a defense in disarray, with their depth depleted by injuries, communication issues causing coverage problems and back-to-back losses marred by missed tackles. The timing couldn’t be worse for the Steelers (10-5) to draw the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (14-1), who boast not...
Joey Porter Jr., Ben Skowronek remain out; other injured Steelers full practice participants
In regards to the prospects for returning to game action Wednesday, Monday offered some promising news about the five Pittsburgh Steelers players who missed this past weekend’s loss in Baltimore. The four starters on the active roster who missed that game because of injury all were listed as full practice...
Steelers’ George Pickens ‘feeling good,’ hopes to play on Christmas vs. ChiefsVideo
Though the walkthrough nature of the only practice of the abbreviated work week on Monday did not allow him much of a chance to test his tender hamstring, Pittsburgh Steelers receiver George Pickens expressed hope he will be able to play in the Christmas Day game Wednesday. “Whenever you guys...
James Franklin praises Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty ahead of Penn State’s CFP game
Penn State will reach the College Football Playoff semifinals if it beats Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve. But in order to do that, the Nittany Lions will have to stop — or at least limit — arguably the best player in college football: Ashton Jeanty....
UTSA scores opening 27 points of the Myrtle Beach Bowl to cruise past short-handed Coastal Carolina
CONWAY, S.C. — Owen McCown threw for 254 yards and a touchdown and UTSA scored the opening 27 points of the Myrtle Beach Bowl to cruise past short-handed Coastal Carolina, 44-15, on Monday. UTSA (7-6) broke away in the second quarter by scoring a touchdown on three straight drives for...
Former NFL great Michael Vick introduced as Norfolk State’s football coach
NORFOLK, Va. — To shouts of “Coach” and “Let’s go Spartans,” Michael Vick was introduced Monday as Norfolk State’s football coach, a homecoming for the former NFL star and a splashy, attention-grabbing hire for a program that has struggled in recent years. Vick, who grew up about 30 minutes away...
Tennessee and Auburn remain 1-2 in AP Top 25 poll featuring 10 SEC teams
Tennessee and Auburn remained Nos. 1-2 atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll. It’s a fitting spot for a pair of Southeastern Conference teams considering the league put 10 teams into Monday’s AP Top 25. The Volunteers (11-0) and Tigers (11-1) spent a third straight week in the same...
New Kensington teen boxer earns 3rd USA Boxing championship in 2 years
New Kensington’s Gea Fultz is one step closer to her dream of joining the 2028 Olympic boxing team. The 15-year-old Valley High School sophomore recently earned herself an early Christmas present with a third USA Boxing national championship title in the past three years, and has been invited to join...
Norwin grad Kate Botti making more contributions for Bethany women’s basketball team
When Kate Botti was playing for Norwin’s girls basketball team, she wasn’t called upon to score a lot of points. The Knights had plenty of that with the likes of, among others, Alyssa Laukus, Brianna Zajicek, Kendall Berger, Lauren Palangio, Ava Kobus, Jayla Wehner and Olivia Gribble. All of those...
Georgia Tech defense takes big leap in 1st season under Valley grad Tyler SantucciVideo
After Georgia Tech finished with the ACC’s worst defense in 2023, coach Brent Key decided something needed to be done to improve that unit. Andrew Thacker, who had been Tech’s defensive coordinator since 2019, already had been assigned a new role midway through the 2023 season. Kevin Sherrer, the Yellowjackets’...
All Netflix wants for Christmas is no streaming problems for its 1st NFL games
Netflix is planning to provide plenty of gifts for viewers of its two Christmas Day games, including Mariah Carey kicking it all off with a taped performance of “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Yet, Netflix executive Brandon Riegg realizes it all amounts to a lump of coal if...
Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry scheduled to start against Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry is scheduled to start Monday’s home contest against the Metropolitan Division rival Philadelphia Flyers at PPG Paints Arena. Coach Mike Sullivan announced Jarry’s status following a morning skate in Cranberry. In 15 games this season, Jarry has a 7-5-2 record, a 3.51 goals against average...
Shohei Ohtani wins 3rd AP Male Athlete of the Year award, tying Michael Jordan for 1 shy of record
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani is keeping elite company. The Japanese superstar caps 2024 by winning The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the third time, tying him with basketball great Michael Jordan. He trails only four-time winners Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and LeBron James. “I’m very honored,”...
