U.S./World Sports category, Page 301

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Record-breaking Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins is leaving school early to enter the NFL Draft. Dobbins’ decision was expected. He announced it in a Twitter post Monday in which he thanked everyone at the university and said “coming to Ohio from Texas has been nothing short...

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Chase Garbers threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score, leading California to a 35-20 win over Illinois on Monday in the Redbox Bowl. Christopher Brown Jr. ran for 120 yards on 20 carries, and Makai Polk caught five passes for a season-high 105 yards...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Micale Cunningham threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 81 yards, and Louisville capped coach Scott Satterfield’s debut season by beating Mississippi State, 38-28, on Monday in the Music City Bowl. The Cardinals (8-5) rallied from a 14-point deficit by scoring 31 straight to...

DALLAS — Freshman Cory Munson kicked a career-long 52-yard field goal with no time left after a rules review to give Western Kentucky a 23-20 victory over Western Michigan in the First Responder Bowl on Monday. The Hilltoppers (9-4) drove 36 yards in 27 seconds before Munson kicked his third...

He left Cleveland for Miami, finally became a champion, went back to his beloved northeast Ohio, delivered on another title promise, then left for the Los Angeles Lakers and the next challenge. He played in eight straight finals. No NBA player won more games or more MVP awards over the...

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The matchup is set for a tantalizing College Football Playoff national championship game. On one side, defending champion Clemson, with its 29-game winning streak. On the other, unbeaten and No. 1 LSU, with its record-setting offense and Heisman Trophy winner. But first, we interrupt this playoff for...

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Blaring from the Clemson locker room after yet another playoff victory was Aretha Franklin’s classic “Respect.” The Tigers have won two of the last three national titles and become college football’s gold standard program, yet still often feel overlooked. Doubted. Disrespected. Sure, Clemson ran roughshod through the...

ATLANTA — Joe Burrow turned in the greatest performance yet in his Heisman Trophy season, throwing for seven touchdowns and 493 yards as No. 1 LSU romped to a breathtaking 63-28 victory over No. 4 Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl semifinal game Saturday. The Tigers (14-0) headed to the national...

Serena Williams dominated the decade, on the court and in conversation. There were, to begin with, the dozen Grand Slam single titles. No other woman had more than three over the past 10 seasons. Pus, she was No. 1 in the WTA rankings 3 1/2 years in a row. And...

ORLANDO, Fla. — Ian Book threw for 247 yards and one touchdown, and Tony Jones Jr. scored on an 84-yard run, helping No. 14 Notre Dame dominate Iowa State, 33-9, on Saturday in the Camping World Bowl. Book completed 20 of 28 passes without an interception, including a 27-yard TD...

HOUSTON — Kellen Mond ran for a career-high 117 yards and threw a touchdown pass as Texas A&M scored 24 straight points to overcome an early deficit and beat Oklahoma State, 24-21, in the Texas Bowl on Friday night. Mond ran 67 yards to give the Aggies (8-5) a 21-14...

NEW YORK — Mike Panasiuk ripped off his Michigan State helmet and hoisted it in the air, unleashing the hidden part of his scruffy beard that’s normally a no-no at Yankee Stadium. Facial hair is banned for all Yankees, and so, for the Spartans, are the kind of acts of...

ATLANTA — Joe Burrow needed a year under his belt, along with a coaching change and a new wide-open offense, to really find his way at LSU. Jalen Hurts didn’t have even that long to adjust, which makes his lone season at Oklahoma even more remarkable. Now, two transfer quarterbacks...

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney grew up an Alabama fan, when crowning a champion in college football was all about polls and bowls, and the best teams often never got a chance to settle it on the field. “It’d be pretty cool to go back in time and...

He was the Fun Guy. The board man who got paid. He overcame injury to reclaim his rightful place as one of the very best basketball players on the planet. He conquered the NBA world for a second time, bringing a championship to Canada. And then he joined the Los...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Freshman Sam Howell threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns in addition to catching a TD pass, and North Carolina blew out Temple, 55-13, in the Military Bowl on Friday to cap a satisfying return season for coach Mack Brown. Howell completed 25 of 34 passes and...

SHREVEPORT, La. — That “bridge to 2020,” to which Miami Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz referred heading into the Independence Bowl, hopefully, for the Hurricanes’ sake, has been obliterated and is under construction. Diaz thought the Hurricanes had “one more really good performance” in them, but reality said the opposite Thursday...

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence went to high school about 20 miles from each other in the suburbs northwest of Atlanta. They have worked out since middle school with the same quarterback trainer, a former Pac-12 QB and full-time firefighter who is more respected than known in...

PHOENIX — Washington State plays an offense known as the Air Raid, designed to spread teams out, get players into space, rack up huge amounts of passing yards. Air Force tends to work in tighter spaces, relying on a triple option that’s difficult to defend and annually is among the...

They’re called “Simone Things,” a catch-all phrase for the casual ease with which Simone Biles seems to soar through her sport and her life. The irony, of course, is there’s nothing casual or easy about it. Any of it. The greatest gymnast of all time and 2019 Associated Press Female...

Miami coach Manny Diaz’s message leading up to the Independence Bowl has been simple: Winning streaks and winning traditions start somewhere. He should know. He was at Louisiana Tech in 2014 when the Bulldogs beat Illinois in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. No one knew at the time, of course,...

Hawaii Bowl: BYU (7-5) vs. Hawaii (9-5), Dec. 24, 8 p.m. (ESPN) Line: BYU by 2. Series record: BYU leads, 23-8. WHAT’S AT STAKE BYU goes for its sixth straight victory over Hawaii. The Warriors have a chance to win 10 or more times in a season for only the...