“THE SCOREBOARD”
****INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WEEK 4 SCHEDULE****
FRIDAY NIGHT
ADAMS CENTRAL (3-0) AT JAY COUNTY (3-0)
ANDERSON (1-2) AT MARION (1-2)
ANDREAN (1-2) AT MUNSTER (1-2)
ANGOLA (0-3) AT WEST NOBLE (3-0)
ATTICA (0-3) AT PARKE HERITAGE (1-1)
BEECH GROVE (1-2) AT INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA (3-0)
BELLMONT (0-3) AT NORWELL (0-3)
BLACKFORD (0-3) AT MADISON-GRANT (2-1)
BLOOMINGTON NORTH (3-0) AT BLOOMINGTON SOUTH (3-0)
BLUFFTON (3-0) AT WOODLAN (1-2)
BOONE GROVE (2-1) AT SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) (1-2)
BOWMAN ACADEMY (0-1) AT EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL (0-3)
BREMEN (2-1) AT TRITON (2-1)
BROWNSBURG (3-0) AT AVON (0-3)
CALUMET CHRISTIAN AT FRONTIER (1-2)
CARMEL (2-1) AT LOUISVILLE TRINITY (KY.)
CARROLL COUNTY (KY.) AT MADISON (0-3)
CENTERVILLE (3-0) AT WINCHESTER (2-1)
CHARLESTOWN (2-1) AT NORTH HARRISON (3-0)
CINCINNATI MOELLER (OHIO) AT CENTER GROVE (2-1)
CLINTON CENTRAL (0-2) AT SHERIDAN (2-1)
CLOVERDALE (2-1) AT CASCADE (2-1)
COLUMBIA CITY (3-0) AT HUNTINGTON NORTH (0-3)
COLUMBUS EAST (0-3) AT JENNINGS COUNTY (2-1)
COLUMBUS NORTH (2-1) AT INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI (1-2)
CONCORD (2-1) AT WARSAW (3-0)
CONNERSVILLE (2-1) AT SOUTH DEARBORN (1-2)
CROWN POINT (3-0) AT LAKE CENTRAL (2-1)
CULVER (0-3) AT WEST CENTRAL (3-0)
DANVILLE (2-1) AT CRAWFORDSVILLE (0-3)
DELPHI (0-3) AT CARROLL (FLORA) (3-0)
EAST CENTRAL (3-0) AT FRANKLIN COUNTY (2-1)
EAST NOBLE (2-1) AT DEKALB (2-1)
EASTBROOK (2-1) AT FRANKTON (2-1)
EASTERN (PEKIN) (1-2) AT SILVER CREEK (1-2)
EASTERN GREENE (1-2) AT MITCHELL (0-3)
EASTSIDE (1-2) AT CHURUBUSCO (0-3)
EDGEWOOD (1-2) AT OWEN VALLEY (1-2)
ELKHART (1-2) AT MASSILLON WASHINGTON (OHIO)
ELWOOD (0-3) AT ALEXANDRIA (3-0)
EVANSVILLE BOSSE (1-2) AT JASPER (1-2)
EVANSVILLE CENTRAL (0-3) AT VINCENNES LINCOLN (2-1)
EVANSVILLE HARRISON (0-3) AT CASTLE (2-1)
EVANSVILLE MATER DEI (1-2) AT EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL (3-0)
EVANSVILLE NORTH (2-1) AT EVANSVILLE REITZ (3-0)
FAIRFIELD (2-1) AT CULVER ACADEMY (2-1)
FOREST PARK (2-1) AT TECUMSEH (0-3)
FORT WAYNE DWENGER (1-2) AT CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) (2-1)
FORT WAYNE LUERS (1-2) AT FORT WAYNE WAYNE (2-1)
FORT WAYNE NORTH (0-3) AT FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA (0-3)
FORT WAYNE NORTHROP (0-3) AT HOMESTEAD (1-2)
FORT WAYNE SOUTH (0-3) AT FORT WAYNE SNIDER (3-0)
FOUNTAIN CENTRAL (2-1) AT COVINGTON (2-0)
FRANKFORT (1-2) AT SOUTHMONT (2-1)
GARRETT (1-2) AT LAKELAND (3-0)
GARY WEST (1-2) AT RIVER FOREST (3-0)
GIBSON SOUTHERN (2-1) AT SOUTH WARREN (KY.)
GOSHEN (0-3) AT MISHAWAKA (2-1)
GREENCASTLE (1-2) AT SOUTH PUTNAM (3-0)
GREENFIELD-CENTRAL (3-0) AT PENDLETON HEIGHTS (3-0)
GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN (1-2) AT EDINBURGH (0-3)
GRIFFITH (0-3) AT WHITING (2-1)
GUERIN CATHOLIC (3-0) AT BREBEUF JESUIT (2-1)
HAGERSTOWN (2-1) AT UNION COUNTY (0-3)
HAMILTON HEIGHTS (3-0) AT NORTHWESTERN (1-2)
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (3-0) AT FISHERS (3-0)
HAMMOND CENTRAL (3-0) AT HIGHLAND (2-1)
HAMMOND MORTON (1-2) AT PENN (2-1)
HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) (2-1) AT MCCUTCHEON (1-2)
HERITAGE (3-0) AT SOUTH ADAMS (2-1)
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (2-1) AT EASTERN HANCOCK (2-1)
HERITAGE HILLS (3-0) AT SOUTH SPENCER (1-2)
HOBART (2-1) AT KANKAKEE VALLEY (1-2)
IMG ACADEMY (FLA.) AT BEN DAVIS (3-0)
INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS (2-1) AT CHRISTEL HOUSE MANUAL (1-2)
INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD (3-0) AT INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (2-1)
INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN (3-0) AT LAPEL (1-2)
INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY (1-2) AT INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE (2-1)
INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON (1-2) AT LAKE STATION (1-2)
IRVINGTON PREP ACADEMY (0-3) AT BROWN COUNTY (0-3)
JEFFERSONVILLE (0-3) AT LOUISVILLE FERN CREEK (KY.)
JOHN GLENN (2-1) AT JIMTOWN (1-2)
LAFAYETTE JEFF (1-2) AT RICHMOND (0-3)
LAPORTE (1-2) AT CHESTERTON (0-3)
LAWRENCE NORTH (3-0) AT NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) (0-3)
LAWRENCEBURG (2-1) AT GREENSBURG (0-3)
LINTON-STOCKTON (2-1) AT SULLIVAN (2-1)
LOGANSPORT (0-3) AT INDIANAPOLIS TECH (0-3)
LOWELL (1-2) AT HANOVER CENTRAL (3-0)
MANCHESTER (2-1) AT ROCHESTER (2-1)
MARTINSVILLE (1-2) AT DECATUR CENTRAL (2-1)
MICHIGAN CITY (2-1) AT VALPARAISO (2-1)
MISHAWAKA MARIAN (1-2) AT NEW PRAIRIE (2-1)
MISSISSINEWA (3-0) AT OAK HILL (3-0)
MONROE CENTRAL (1-2) AT TRI (2-1)
MONROVIA (3-0) AT TRITON CENTRAL (2-1)
MOORESVILLE (1-2) AT GREENWOOD (3-0)
MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE) (1-2) AT NEW PALESTINE (1-2)
MOUNT VERNON (POSEY) (2-1) AT WASHINGTON (1-2)
MUNCIE CENTRAL (0-3) AT KOKOMO (3-0)
NEW ALBANY (1-2) AT BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE (1-2)
NEW HAVEN (3-0) AT LEO (2-1)
NOBLESVILLE (2-1) AT WESTFIELD (3-0)
NORTH DECATUR (2-1) AT SHENANDOAH (1-2)
NORTH JUDSON (2-1) AT KNOX (3-0)
NORTH KNOX (2-1) AT BOONVILLE (1-2)
NORTH MIAMI (0-3) AT LEWIS CASS (1-2)
NORTH MONTGOMERY (2-1) AT LEBANON (0-3)
NORTH NEWTON (0-3) AT SOUTH NEWTON (2-1)
NORTH PUTNAM (0-3) AT COVENANT CHRISTIAN (1-2)
NORTHEASTERN (3-0) AT CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN (1-2)
NORTHFIELD (0-3) AT SOUTHWOOD (1-2)
NORTHRIDGE (2-1) AT NORTHWOOD (3-0)
PAOLI (2-1) AT PERRY CENTRAL (1-2)
PARK TUDOR (3-0) AT FREMONT (1-2)
PERRY MERIDIAN (1-2) AT PLAINFIELD (3-0)
PIKE (0-3) AT SOUTHPORT (0-3)
PIKE CENTRAL (1-2) AT SOUTHRIDGE (2-1)
PIONEER (2-1) AT CASTON (0-3)
PLYMOUTH (1-2) AT WAWASEE (1-2)
PORTAGE (0-3) AT MERRILLVILLE (2-1)
PRAIRIE HEIGHTS (0-3) AT CENTRAL NOBLE (0-3)
PRINCETON (0-3) AT NORTH DAVIESS (2-1)
PROVIDENCE (3-0) AT CLARKSVILLE (0-3)
PURDUE POLYTECHNIC (1-2) AT NOBLESVILLE HOMESCHOOL
RUSHVILLE (0-3) AT BATESVILLE (3-0)
SALEM (0-3) AT BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (3-0)
SCOTTSBURG (2-1) AT CORYDON CENTRAL (0-3)
SEEGER (2-1) AT RIVERTON PARKE (1-2)
SEYMOUR (2-1) AT FLOYD CENTRAL (2-1)
SHELBYVILLE (2-1) AT NEW CASTLE (1-2)
SOUTH BEND RILEY (3-0) AT SOUTH BEND CLAY (0-3)
SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH (2-1) AT SOUTH BEND ADAMS (1-2)
SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON (0-3) AT CALUMET (1-2)
SOUTH DECATUR (2-1) AT CRAWFORD COUNTY (0-3)
SPEEDWAY (1-2) AT INDIANAPOLIS RITTER (1-2)
SPRINGS VALLEY (2-1) AT WEST WASHINGTON (3-0)
SWITZERLAND COUNTY (3-0) AT MILAN (1-2)
TAYLOR (1-2) AT EASTERN (GREENTOWN) (2-1)
TELL CITY (2-1) AT NORTH POSEY (3-0)
TERRE HAUTE SOUTH (0-3) AT TERRE HAUTE NORTH (0-3)
TIPTON (1-2) AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY (3-0)
TRI-CENTRAL (1-2) AT CLINTON PRAIRIE (3-0)
TRI-COUNTY (1-2) AT NORTH WHITE (3-0)
TRI-WEST (2-1) AT WESTERN BOONE (3-0)
TWIN LAKES (2-1) AT RENSSELAER CENTRAL (2-1)
UNION CITY (0-3) AT KNIGHTSTOWN (1-2)
WABASH (0-3) AT PERU (3-0)
WARREN CENTRAL (1-2) AT LAWRENCE CENTRAL (1-2)
WES-DEL (0-3) AT SOUTHERN WELLS (1-2)
WEST LAFAYETTE (2-1) AT LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (1-2)
WEST VIGO (0-3) AT NORTHVIEW (3-0)
WESTERN (1-2) AT BENTON CENTRAL (1-2)
WHEELER (0-3) AT HAMMOND NOLL (1-2)
WHITELAND (2-1) AT FRANKLIN (2-1)
WHITKO (1-2) AT MACONAQUAH (2-1)
WINAMAC (0-3) AT LAVILLE (3-0)
YORKTOWN (2-1) AT DELTA (3-0)
ZIONSVILLE (2-1) AT FRANKLIN CENTRAL (2-1)
SATURDAY
COVINGTON (2-0) AT NORTH VERMILLION (1-1)
PARKE HERITAGE (1-1) AT SOUTH VERMILLION (1-1)
PHALEN ACADEMY (1-1) AT BOWMAN ACADEMY (0-1)
*******INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL REPORTED SCORES******
NORTHFIELD 3 WABASH 0
LAPORTE 3 VALPARAISO 0
SOUTH-CENTRAL 3 W. CENTRAL 0
EAST CENTRAL 3 OLDENBURG ACADEMY 2
GREENSBURG 3 CONNERSVILLE 0
DEMOTTE CHRISTIAN 3 N. NEWTON 0
LOWELL 3 HANOVER CENTRAL 1
LAWRENCEBURG 3 S. RIPLEY 0
FORTUNE ACADEMY 3 GEO NEXT GENERATION 0
WEST LAFAYETTE 3 CRAWFORDSVILLE 0
LAKE CENTRAL 3 MERRILLVILLE 0
BATESVILLE 3 JENNINGS COUNTY 2
HAGERSTOWN 3 WINCHESTER 1
MITCHELL 3 EASTERN 0
SOUTH ADAMS 3 BLUFFTON 0
WHITKO 3 MANCHESTER 0
NORTH MIAMI 3 ARGOS 0
MUNSTER 3 HIGHLAND 0
EASTERN 3 TRI-CENTRAL 0
NORTH CENTRAL 3 DUGGER UNION 0
NEW CASTLE 3 GREENFIELD CENTRAL 2
LOOGOOTEE 3 FOREST PARK 0
EDGEWOOD 3 OWEN VALLEY 0
LINTON STOCKTON 3 S. KNOX 0
DELTA 3 MONROE CENTRAL 0
FLOYD CENTRAL 3 NEW ALBANY 1
ORLEANS 3 MEDORA 0
NEW PRAIRIE 3 SOUTH BEND CLAY 0
HENRYVILLE 3 WASHINGTON 0
TRITON 3 TIPPECANOE VALLEY 1
FRONTIER 3 CLINTON PRAIRIE 1
SHERIDAN 3 CARROLL 0
MACONAQUAH 3 NORTHWESTERN 1
SHAKAMAK 3 NORTH KNOX 0
COVINGTON 3 S. VERMILLION 0
NORTHEASTERN 3 SEEN CATHOLIC 0
SEEGER 3 N. VERMILLION 0
HAMILTON HEIGHTS 3 WESTERN 0
BENTON CENTRAL 3 RENSSELAER CENTRAL 0
NORTHVIEW 3 SULLIVAN 0
DALEVILLE 3 UNION 0
SHOALS 3 W. WASHINGTON 0
SOUTHWOOD 3 ROCHESTER 0
EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 3 N. POSEY 1
DECATUR CENTRAL 3 BEECH GROVE 1
COVENANT CHRISTIAN 3 PARK TUDOR 0
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 3 FISHERS 0
CASCADE 3 MONROVIA 1
NOBLESVILLE 3 WESTFIELD 1
MARQUETTE CATHOLIC 3 WHITING 0
BETHANY CHRISTIAN 3 LAKEWOOD PARK CHRISTIAN 2
ANDREAN 3 ILLIANA CHRISTIAN 2
FRANKLIN 3 BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 0
WESTERN BOONE 3 GUERIN CATHOLIC 0
CENTER GROVE 3 PERRY MERIDIAN 0
RIVERTON PARKE 3 CLAY CITY 0
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 3 RITTER 0
HARRISON 3 S. NEWTON 1
LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 3 TWIN LAKES 0
MOUNT VERNON 3 EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN 2
LAKELAND 3 E. NOBLE 0
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 3 JEFFERSONVILLE 0
KOKOMO 3 LEWIS CASS 0
GOSHEN HOMESCHOOL 3 RANGER CHRISTIAN 0
CASTLE 3 EVANSVILLE BOSSE 0
FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK 3 HUNTINGTON NORTH 0
AVON 3 BROWNSBURG 0
LEO 3 HERITAGE 1
RONCALLI 3 MARTINSVILLE 0
BEN DAVIS 3 INDIANAPOLIS TECH 0
MISHAWAKA MARIAN 3 JIMTOWN 0
HAMMOND NOLL 3 LAKE STATION EDISON 0
YORKTOWN 3 MOUNT VERNON 0
NORTHWOOD 3 PLYMOUTH 0
FORT WAYNE NORTH 3 FORT WAYNE SOUTH 2
ADAMS CENTRAL 3 NEW HAVEN 0
GARRETT 3 W. NOBLE 0
SOUTH DECATUR 3 SOUTHWESTERN 1
FORT WAYNE CAROL 3 FORT WAYNE DWENGER 0
ANGOLA 3 CENTRAL NOBLE 0
NORWELL 3 BLACKFORD 0
SEYMOUR 3 SCOTTSBURG 2
FORT WAYNE LUERS 3 FORT WAYNE WAYNE 0
******INDIANA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER REPORTED SCORES******
MARQUETTE CATHOLIC 3 VICTORY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 2
HERITAGE HILLS 5 WASHINGTON 0
TRI-CENTRAL 3 TAYLOR 0
NEW PRAIRIE 2 MISHAWAKA 0
SCECINA 2 CHRISTEL HOUSE 0
VINCENNES LINCOLN 4 VINCENNES RIVET 1
EAST NOBLE 2 WAWASEE 0
EVANSVILLE MATER DEI 6 EVANSVILLE HARRISON 0
GREENCASTLE 5 SOUTHMONT 0
DANVILLE 6 WESTERN BOONE 0
EVANSVILLE NORTH 4 JASPER 1
NORTH KNOX 2 S. KNOX 0
SHERIDAN 11 DELPHI 0
EVANSVILLE REITZ 4 EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 0
HERITAGE 3 FORT WAYNE NORTH 0
HAMILTON HEIGHTS 5 KOKOMO 1
GIBSON SOUTHERN 4 TELL CITY 0
EDGEWOOD 8 OWEN VALLEY 0
PARK TUDOR 9 GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 0
BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 3 CRAWFORDSVILLE 1
NORTHRIDGE 2 WESTVIEW 1
BEECH GROVE 4 HERRON 0
JENNINGS COUNTY 3 BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 1
NORTH HARRISON 7 AUSTIN 2
FORT WAYNE DWENGER 3 FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY 0
FOREST PARK 4 BOONVILLE 0
MARION 2 ROCHESTER 1
NEW CASTLE 1 CENTERVILLE 1
FAITH CHRISTIAN 5 FRANKFORT 0
PROVIDENCE 3 MADISON 0
BETHANY CHRISTIAN 9 SOUTH BEND RILEY 0
NORTHWESTERN 2 TIPTON 2
SCOTTSBURG 2 SOUTHWESTERN 0
KANKAKEE VALLEY 1 BOONE GROVE 0
EASTBROOK 4 MANCHESTER 3
CROWN POINT 4 MCCUTCHEON 0
HUNTINGTON NORTH 7 FORT WAYNE SOUTH 0
PRINCETON 1 PIKE CENTRAL 0
ANGOLA 2 LAKELAND 2
OLDENBURG ACADEMY 12 RUSHVILLE 0
ANDREAN 9 MERRIVILLE 0
LEO 3 FORT WAYNE SNIDER 0
BATESVILLE 1 COLUMBUS EAST 0
HIGHLAND 6 MICHIGAN CITY 1
MUNSTER 2 VALPARAISO 1
HARRISON 4 LAFAYETTE JEFF 0
GOSHEN 9 PLYMOUTH 0
GUERIN CATHOLIC 4 RONCALLI 1
LAKE CENTRAL 5 HANOVER CENTRAL 1
FLOYD CENTRAL 2 SILVER CREEK 1
WARSAW 5 CONCORD 0
WESTFIELD 2 N. CENTRAL 0
LAWRENCEBURG 7 CINCINNATI LANDMARK 0
NEW PALESTINE 1 MT. VERNON 0
*******INDIANA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL REPORTED SOCCER SCORES*******
INDIANA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 7 TEMPLE BAPTIST 0
MATTHEWS CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 4 INDIANA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 0
MORGAN TWP. 1 DEMOTTE CHRISTIAN 1
BLOOMFIELD 2 WHITE RIVER VALLEY 1
BREMEN 10 LAVILLE 0
SHORTRIDGE 3 INTERNATIONAL 2
WEST NOBLE 2 BETHANY CHRISTIAN 1
SOUTH KNOX 7 SHOALS 0
CONNERSVILLE 7 CENTERVILLE 1
SOUTHSIDE THUNDER 6 HORIZON CHRISTIAN 1
SOUTHWESTERN 4 HAUSER 0
BENTON CENTRAL 2 LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 1
SOUTHRIDGE 5 EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN 1
BREBEUF 2 COVENANT CHRISTIAN 0
TRI-CENTRAL 2 SHERIDAN 1
NEW PRAIRIE 0 VICTORY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 0
SHAW MEMORIAL 3 MILAN 0
SOUTHWESTERN 4 TRITON CENTRAL 0
WESTVIEW 9 PRAIRIE HEIGHTS 0
MORRISTOWN 4 RUSHVILLE 2
MADISON 3 S. DEARBORN 2
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 1 CHICAGO CHRISTIAN 1
OAK HILL 6 EASTERN 0
NORTHEAST DUBOIS 8 VINCENNES RIVET 0
CASCADE 7 TRI-WEST 1
MOUNT VERNON 3 GIBSON SOUTHERN 2
ANDREWS ACADEMY 3 GRANGER CHRISTIAN 1
MARION 3 TIPPECANOE VALLEY 2
FORT WAYNE NORTH 2 HERITAGE 0
JAY COUNTY 3 YORKTOWN 2
MARTINSVILLE 1 DECATUR CENTRAL 0
NEW PALESTINE 8 SHELBYVILLE 1
GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 1 PARK TUDOR 0
LAKEWOOD PARK CHRISTIAN 1 CENTRAL NOBLE 0
LEBANON 7 WESTERN BOONE 0
WEST LAFAYETTE 7 NORTHWESTERN 1
FORT WAYNE WAYNE 2 GARRETT 1
CARROLL 10 TAYLOR 1
PURDUE POLY 3 CHRISTEL HOUSE 3
GLENN 1 LALUMIERE 1
ROCK CREEK ACADEMY 0 HENRYVILLE 0
MANCHESTER 5 EASTBROOK 1
CHARLESTOWN 2 SALEM 1
MISSISSINEWA 4 WABASH 0
KOUTS 9 WINAMAC 0
ILLIANA CHRISTIAN 6 LOWELL 0
LAKELAND CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 12 WESTVILLE 0
LAWRENCE CENTRAL 6 SCECINA 1
FORT WAYNE DWENGER 0 HOMESTEAD 0
SOUTH BEND ADAMS 2 CONCORDE 2
FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK 4 BELLMONT 0
PIKE 7 LAWRENCE NORTH 0
FISHERS 2 PENDLETON HEIGHTS 0
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 1 GUERIN CATHOLIC 0
CENTER GROVE 2 CATHEDRAL 2
WESTERN 6 TIPTON 1
BEN DAVIS 3 SPEEDWAY 2
DELTA 5 NEW CASTLE 0
HUNTINGTON NORTH 1 ANGOLA 1
FRANKLIN 6 WHITELAND 0
JASPER 7 HERITAGE HILLS 0
NORTHRIDGE 9 MISHAWAKA 0
MOUNT VERNON 7 GREENFIELD CENTRAL 0
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 4 RONCALLI 1
HAMILTON HEIGHTS 3 TWIN LAKES 1
GREENWOOD 5 MOORESVILLE 0
PLAINFIELD 1 PERRY MERIDIAN 0
FORT WAYNE LUERS 1 NORWELL 0
RITTER 3 INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN 3
WARSAW 1 PENN 1
BROWNSBURG 9 WARREN CENTRAL 0
EAST CENTRAL 3 LAWRENCEBURG 0
FLOYD CENTRAL 2 JEFFERSONVILLE 0
NOBLESVILLE 3 SOUTHPORT 0
EVANSVILLE REITZ 1 EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 1
BISHOP CHATARD 7 BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 0
GREENCASTLE 3 SOUTHMONT 0
NORTHWOOD 3 ELKHART CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 1
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 2 TERRE HAUTE SOUTH 0
BLOOMINGTON NORTH 4 TERRE HAUTE NORTH 0
FOREST PARK 4 BOONVILLE 2
FORT WAYNE SOUTH 1 NEW HAVEN 0
*******INDIANA BOYS TENNIS REPORTED SCORES*******
BLOOMINGTON NORTH 3 BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 2
ELWOOD 4 MUNCIE BURRIS 1
*******INDIANA GIRLS GOLF REPORTED SCORES*******
SHELBY COUNTY GIRLS GOLF RESULTS: SOUTHWESTERN 225, TRITON CENTRAL 227, MORRISTOWN 239
MT. VERNON 171, LAPEL 185, YORKTOWN 206
*******INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY NEWS*******
READ MORE: https://in.milesplit.com/
*****WEEK 1 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE*****
THURSDAY NIGHT
DETROIT 21 KANSAS CITY 20
CAROLINA PANTHERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
HOUSTON TEXANS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
CINCINNATI BENGALS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS 12:00P (CT) 1:00P CBS
TENNESSEE TITANS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 12:00P (CT) 1:00P CBS
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
ARIZONA CARDINALS AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
GREEN BAY PACKERS AT CHICAGO BEARS 3:25P (CT) 4:25P FOX
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT DENVER BRONCOS 2:25P (MT) 4:25P CBS
MIAMI DOLPHINS AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS 1:25P (PT) 4:25P CBS
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 4:25P (ET) 4:25P CBS
LOS ANGELES RAMS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 1:25P (PT) 4:25P FOX
DALLAS COWBOYS AT NEW YORK GIANTS 8:20P (ET) 8:20P NBC
BUFFALO BILLS AT NEW YORK JETS (MON) 8:15P (ET) 8:15P ESPN/ABC
****MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL****
SEATTLE 1 TAMPA BAY 0
DETROIT 10 NY YANKEES 3
LA ANGELS 3 CLEVELAND 2
LA DODGERS 10 MIAMI 0
ATLANTA 8 ST. LOUIS 5
ARIZONA 6 CHICAGO CUBS 2
****MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL****
INDIANAPOLIS 4 TOLEDO 1
QUAD CITIES 5 SOUTH BEND 4
DAYTON 4 FT. WAYNE 3
****WNBA SCOREBOARD****
NEW YORK 96 LOS ANGELES 89
****MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER****
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
*****COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCORES*****
WEEK 2 SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, SEPT. 7
LOUISVILLE 56 MURRAY STATE 0
FRIDAY, SEPT. 8
INDIANA VS. INDIANA STATE | 7 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
INDIANA COACH TOM ALLEN MONDAY PRESSER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_SyZL3icPM
RHODE ISLAND VS. STONY BROOK | 7 P.M. | FLOSPORTS
KANSAS VS. ILLINOIS | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN2
SATURDAY, SEPT. 9
WAKE FOREST VS. VANDERBILT | 11 A.M. | ACC NETWORK
ARMY VS. DELAWARE STATE | 12 P.M. | CBSSN
COLORADO VS. NEBRASKA | 12 P.M. | FOX
GEORGIA VS. BALL STATE | 12 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
OHIO STATE VS. YOUNGSTOWN STATE | 12 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
PENN STATE VS. DELAWARE | 12 P.M. | PEACOCK
VIRGINIA TECH VS. PURDUE | 12 P.M. | ESPN2
PURDUE COACH RYAN WALTERS MONDAY PRESSER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2hxUlzHUAQ
BAYLOR VS. UTAH | 12 P.M. | ESPN
NC STATE VS. NOTRE DAME | 12 P.M. | ABC
NOTRE DAME COACH MARCUS FREEMAN MONDAY PRESSER: https://fightingirish.com/nc-state-marcus-freeman-weekly-press-conference-9-4-23/
BOSTON COLLEGE VS. HOLY CROSS | 12 P.M. | ESPN+/ACCN+
VIRGINIA VS. JAMES MADISON | 12 P.M. | ESPNU
KANSAS STATE VS. TROY | 12 P.M. | FS1
GEORGETOWN VS. SACRED HEART | 12:30 P.M. | ESPN+
GEORGIA TECH VS. SOUTH CAROLINA STATE | 1 P.M. | ESPN+/ACCNX
PRESBYTERIAN VS. VIRGINIA LYNCHBURG | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
CENTRAL MICHIGAN VS. NEW HAMPSHIRE | 1:30 P.M. | ESPN+
BOWLING GREEN VS. EASTERN ILLINOIS | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
SOUTH DAKOTA VS. ST. THOMAS (MINN.) | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
CLEMSON VS. CHARLESTON SOUTHERN | 2:15 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
WESTERN CAROLINA VS. SAMFORD | 2:30 P.M. | ESPN+
KENTUCKY VS. EASTERN KENTUCKY | 3 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
BYU VS. SOUTHERN UTAH | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
THE CITADEL VS. CAMPBELL | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
IOWA STATE VS. IOWA | 3:30 P.M. | FOX
MIAMI (FLA.) VS. TEXAS A&M | 3:30 P.M. | ABC
MICHIGAN VS. UNLV | 3:30 P.M. | CBS
MICHIGAN STATE VS. RICHMOND | 3:30 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
NORTHWESTERN VS. UTEP | 3:30 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
TULANE VS. OLE MISS | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN2
UMASS VS. MIAMI (OHIO) | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
UTSA VS. TEXAS STATE | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
NAVY VS. WAGNER | 3:30 P.M. | CBSSN
NORTHERN ILLINOIS VS. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
TOLEDO VS. TEXAS SOUTHERN | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
SYRACUSE VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+/ACCNX
NORTH DAKOTA STATE VS. MAINE | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
ARKANSAS VS. KENT STATE | 4 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
EAST CAROLINA VS. MARSHALL | 4 P.M. | ESPNU
WYOMING VS. PORTLAND STATE | 4 P.M. | MOUNTAIN WEST NETWORK
SAN JOSE STATE VS. CAL POLY | 4 P.M. | NBC SPORTS BAY AREA
WESTERN ILLINOIS VS. ILLINOIS STATE | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
NORTH DAKOTA VS. NORTHERN ARIZONA | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
NORTHERN COLORADO VS. UIW | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
WASHINGTON VS. TULSA | 5 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK
SOUTH ALABAMA VS. SE LOUISIANA | 5 P.M. | ESPN+
TENNESSEE VS. AUSTIN PEAY | 5 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
UNI VS. WEBER STATE | 5 P.M. | ESPN+
NORTH CAROLINA VS. APPALACHIAN STATE | 5:15 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
EAST TENNESSEE STATE VS. CARSON-NEWMAN | 5:30 P.M. | ESPN+
LIBERTY VS. NEW MEXICO STATE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
OLD DOMINION VS. LOUISIANA | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
DUKE VS. LAFAYETTE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+/ACCNX
OKLAHOMA VS. SMU | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
WEST VIRGINIA VS. DUQUESNE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
GEORGIA SOUTHERN VS. UAB | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
FLORIDA ATLANTIC VS. OHIO | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
AKRON VS. MORGAN STATE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
BUFFALO VS. FORDHAM | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
BRYANT VS. LONG ISLAND | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
ROBERT MORRIS VS. ST. FRANCIS (PA) | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
BUCKNELL VS. VMI | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
GARDNER-WEBB VS. ELON | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
CHATTANOOGA VS. KENNESAW STATE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL VS. NORTH TEXAS | 6:30 P.M. | ESPN+
PITT VS. CINCINNATI | 6:30 P.M. | CW NETWORK
ALABAMA VS. TEXAS | 7 P.M. | ESPN
COASTAL CAROLINA VS. JACKSONVILLE STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
GEORGIA STATE VS. UCONN | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
LOUISIANA TECH VS. NORTHWESTERN STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
MISSOURI VS. MIDDLE TENNESSEE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
WESTERN KENTUCKY VS. HOUSTON CHRISTIAN | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
TEXAS TECH VS. OREGON | 7 P.M. | FOX
BOISE STATE VS. UCF | 7 P.M. | FS1
RICE VS. HOUSTON | 7 P.M. | NFL NETWORK
SOUTH FLORIDA VS. FLORIDA A&M | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
ARKANSAS STATE VS. MEMPHIS | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
NEVADA VS. IDAHO | 7 P.M. | NSN/MOUNTAIN WEST NETWORK
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN VS. ALCORN STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
SOUTHERN VS. JACKSON STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
CENTRAL ARKANSAS VS. TEXAS COLLEGE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
TARLETON STATE VS. NORTH ALABAMA | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE VS. MONTANA STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
UT MARTIN VS. MISSOURI STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE VS. LINDENWOOD | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
DRAKE VS. NORTHWESTERN (IOWA) | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
MERCER VS. MOREHEAD STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
STETSON VS. WEBBER INTERNATIONAL | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
FLORIDA VS. MCNEESE | 7:30 P.M. | ESPNU
LSU VS. GRAMBLING | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
MARYLAND VS. CHARLOTTE | 7:30 P.M. | NBC
MINNESOTA VS. EASTERN MICHIGAN | 7:30 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
MISSISSIPPI STATE VS. ARIZONA | 7:30 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
RUTGERS VS. TEMPLE | 7:30 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
SOUTH CAROLINA VS. FURMAN | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
WASHINGTON STATE VS. WISCONSIN | 7:30 P.M. | ABC
SAN DIEGO STATE VS. UCLA | 7:30 P.M. | CBS
SAM HOUSTON VS. AIR FORCE (NRG STADIUM IN HOUSTON, TEXAS) | 8 P.M. | CBSSN
TCU VS. NICHOLLS | 8 P.M. | ESPN+
UL MONROE VS. LAMAR | 8 P.M. | ESPN+
NEW MEXICO VS. TENNESSEE TECH | 8 P.M. | MOUNTAIN WEST NETWORK
FLORIDA STATE VS. SOUTHERN MISS | 8:30 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
OREGON STATE VS. UC DAVIS | 9 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK
UTAH TECH VS. MONTANA | 9 P.M. | ESPN+
FRESNO STATE VS. EASTERN WASHINGTON | 9 P.M. | UNIMÁS/MOUNTAIN WEST NETWORK
SACRAMENTO STATE VS. TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE | 10 P.M. | ESPN+
USC VS. STANFORD | 10:30 P.M. | FOX
CAL VS. AUBURN | 10:30 P.M. | ESPN
ARIZONA STATE VS. OKLAHOMA STATE | 10:30 P.M. | FS1
HAWAI’I VS. ALBANY | 12 A.M. | SPECTRUM SPORTS PPV
TOP NATIONAL NEWS HEADLINES/PRESS RELEASES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MLB ROUNDUP: RYAN PEPIOT, DODGERS SALVAGE FINALE AT MIAMI
Ryan Pepiot was perfect through 6 2/3 innings and gave up one hit through seven as the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers avoided a three-game sweep by beating the Miami Marlins 10-0 on Thursday.
Pepiot was added to the Dodgers’ roster earlier in the day to fill the rotation spot of left-hander Julio Urias, who is on administrative leave after he was arrested earlier this week on charges of felony domestic violence.
Chris Taylor paced the Dodgers’ offense with a home run and five RBIs, while Amed Rosario drove in two runs. Freddie Freeman tied the Dodgers franchise record with his 52nd double of the season. Taylor, Will Smith and Miguel Rojas each had three hits.
The Marlins saw their first 20 batters retired in succession before Josh Bell ended Pepiot’s bid at perfection with a clean ground-ball single to center field with two outs in the seventh. Pepiot then struck out Jazz Chisholm Jr. as Miami saw its six-game winning streak come to an end.
Mariners 1, Rays 0
Luis Castillo struck out eight in six innings and Mike Ford delivered an RBI single in the second as Seattle beat Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Castillo and relievers Isaiah Campbell, Matt Brash and Andres Munoz combined on a four-hitter. Munoz handled the ninth inning for his 12th save.
Zack Littell (3-5) took a tough-luck loss after yielding one run on five hits in eighth innings. The Rays left nine runners on base while dropping the opener of a four-game series.
Diamondbacks 6, Cubs 2
Tommy Pham homered twice and joined Ketel Marte in collecting three RBIs apiece as visiting Arizona downed Chicago.
Marte belted a two-run homer and added an RBI single for the Diamondbacks, who recorded their third win in four games. Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson (7-7) allowed one run on two hits in 5 2/3 innings. Arizona shortstop Jordan Lawlar, the sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft, went 1-for-4 in his major league debut.
Paul Sewald got the final out for his 31st save. Jeimer Candelario and Dansby Swanson drove in one run apiece for the Cubs, who saw their four-game winning streak end.
Braves 8, Cardinals 5
Matt Olson homered for the fourth straight game and Ronald Acuna Jr. added a pair of solo home runs to help Atlanta beat visiting St. Louis to end a three-game skid and salvage a game from the three-game series.
Michael Harris II and Travis d’Arnaud also went deep for the Braves, who hit 11 homers during the three-game series, 10 of them solo shots. Atlanta starter Max Fried (7-1) went six innings and allowed three runs.
St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright (3-11) pitched 5 2/3 innings and gave up six runs on eight hits. Tommy Edman had two hits and three RBIs for the Cardinals.
Tigers 10, Yankees 3
Spencer Torkelson hit two-run homers in the first inning and fourth innings as visiting Detroit rolled past New York.
Matt Vierling went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and Andy Ibanez hit a two-run homer and added a sacrifice fly as Detroit snapped an eight-game skid in the Bronx that dated to April 3, 2019. Tyler Nevin contributed an RBI double as Detroit reached double-digit runs for the fourth time this season.
The Yankees dropped back to .500 and had their winning streak stopped at five, which matched their longest of the season. Carlos Rodon (2-5) was tagged for seven runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS
DEION SANDERS MAKES HOME DEBUT AS NO. 22 COLORADO HOSTS LONGTIME RIVAL NEBRASKA IN SOLD-OUT GAME
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders has the perfect gift for a stadium celebrating its 100th season — fired-up fans once again packing the place.
The Colorado coach is completely responsible for the frenzy to come inside Folsom Field.
The iconic stadium, which opened in 1924, will be filled to capacity — ticket prices are through the roof — in the home debut for Sanders on Saturday when the 22nd-ranked Buffaloes host longtime rival Nebraska.
Sanders is well on his way to restoring the shine to a downtrodden program that’s coming off a 1-11 season. He teased what his overhauled roster was capable of when the Buffaloes (1-0) beat a nationally ranked TCU squad on the road last week.
The Colorado-Nebraska game remains one of the hottest regular-season tickets in college football history, with a seat going for an average price of more than $400, according to TickPick.
“The light is shining upon us,” Sanders said, “and we’re thankful for that.”
This weekend, there could be celebrities sightings galore around town, along with plenty of former Buffaloes making their way back to Folsom Field. Through it all, Sanders is just trying to keep the focus on the field. Because Nebraska coach Matt Rhule is trying to do the exact same thing — turn around a program that’s fallen on lean times.
Rhule once led Temple to back-to-back bowl appearances, and also turned Baylor from an 11-loss team into an 11-game winner. He’s making his return to the college sideline with Nebraska after being let go by the Carolina Panthers.
“He’s done a phenomenal job with (Nebraska) and trying to get them in the right direction,” Sanders said. “They play hard. They play tough. They’re physical.”
The respect is mutual.
“His poster was on people’s walls when he was a player, because (Sanders) is one of the most hard-working players who played the game,” said Rhule, whose team is coming off a 13-10 season-opening loss at Minnesota. “Why would we think his team would not be the same?”
The Buffaloes boast a trio of players coming off big games against TCU in quarterback Shedeur Sanders, cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter and running back Dylan Edwards. They all picked up Pac-12 awards this week for their performances against TCU.
For Rhule and the Cornhuskers, it’s about stopping them — and not getting caught up in the Deion Sanders Show.
“If we can’t lock in and just play football then nothing I say will matter,” Rhule said. “The pregame pageantry will all be over. It’ll be football once the game kicks off.”
FOLSOM HISTORY
The first game at the stadium now called Folsom Field was on Oct. 11, 1924, when Colorado beat Regis College 39-0. It originally was known as Colorado Stadium until it was changed to Folsom Field in 1944 to honor legendary coach Frederick Folsom. He spent three different stints as the coach of Colorado between 1895 and 1915. He coached a total of 15 years and went 77-23-2.
THE GOAT
Being a defensive back, Nebraska’s Omar Brown can’t help but look up to Deion Sanders, the NFL Hall of Famer who was one of the best DBs ever to roam the field.
“That’s obviously the GOAT,” Brown said. “Him being a coach now it brings in a different perspective and you obviously have to give Coach Sanders his props as well as respect.”
ROAD BLUES
The Huskers have dropped four nonconference road games in a row, including a 34-31 overtime loss in Boulder in 2019. Their last non-conference road win was in 2014, when they beat Fresno State 55-19.
RIVALRY FIGURES
The Cornhuskers lead the all-time series 49-20-2, including 23-11-2 in Boulder. But the Buffaloes have won two in a row and have a chance at their first three-game winning streak in the rivalry since the 1950s.
They were in the same conference from 1948 to 2010 before Nebraska moved to Big Ten and the Buffaloes joined the Pac-12. Colorado will relocate to the Big 12 next season.
ALUMNI, COME ON BACK
Sanders is doing everything he can to make past Buffaloes players feel welcome.
“I wouldn’t be here in this building if it weren’t for them,” Sanders said.
Daniel Graham, a tight end inducted into the school’s hall of fame, appreciates the support.
“It means everything to us,” said Graham, who will be in attendance this weekend.
NO. 11 TEXAS VISITS NO. 3 ALABAMA IN MATCHUP OF FUTURE SEC RIVALS
No. 11 Texas at No. 3 Alabama, Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Line: Alabama by 7, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Texas leads 7-2-1.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Both teams have something to prove. The Longhorns are trying to give further evidence that they’re national contenders again. Alabama, meanwhile, can make an early statement that it’s “back” after a disappointing, two-loss season. And yes, that is a down season for the Crimson Tide these days. Alabama won last year’s game 20-19 on Will Reichard’s field goal in the final seconds. But Longhorn fans can always wonder, what if QB Quinn Ewers hadn’t been hurt early?
KEY MATCHUP
Alabama’s secondary against Ewers, Xavier Worthy and the Texas passing game, which had plenty of early success in last season’s matchup. Tide defensive backs Malachi Moore and Jaylen Key and backup DeVonta Smith are all nursing injuries. Alabama does have a shutdown cornerback in Kool-Aid McKinstry, but wasn’t really tested by Middle Tennessee State.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Texas: Worthy will be one of the better receivers the Tide faces this season. He has 122 catches for 1,741 yards and 21 touchdowns the past two years and had a big game in the last meeting (five catches, 97 yards) and in the opener with Rice (seven catches, 90 yards).
Alabama: QB Jalen Milroe was impressive in his debut as Bryce Young’s successor, but will be judged much more based on how he handles this big of a stage. Against Middle Tennessee State, Milroe became the first Tide quarterback to pass for three touchdowns and run for two in the same game.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Longhorns haven’t played in Tuscaloosa since 1902. They have dominated the series overall but Alabama has won the last two meetings, including in the 2009 national championship game. It’s only the fifth regular-season meeting between the Tide and Longhorns. … Tide coach Nick Saban is 28-2 against former assistants. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian was his offensive coordinator in 2020. … Alabama hasn’t lost a regular season game against a nonconference opponent since 2007, winning 57 in a row. … This is the first Longhorns road game against a Top-5 opponent since facing USC in 2017. They’ve gone 9-12 all-time in those scenarios.
NFL NEWS
LIONS SPOIL CHIEFS’ CELEBRATION OF SUPER BOWL TITLE BY RALLYING FOR A 21-20 WIN IN THE NFL’S OPENER
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The Lions walked into roaring Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night, where the Kansas City Chiefs are nearly unbeatable and were trying to open their latest Super Bowl title defense with a win, and proved what Detroit coach Dan Campbell has come to know in turning around the long downtrodden franchise.
“This is a resilient team,” Campbell said. “We’re built to handle some stuff.”
Now, everyone else knows it too.
Under the bright spotlight of the NFL’s season opener, Jared Goff threw for 253 yards and a touchdown, new Lions running back David Montgomery ran for the go-ahead score late in the game and Detroit held on for a 21-20 victory over the Chiefs.
“We expected to win this game,” said Campbell, who won just three games his first season but led the Lions to eight wins over their final 10 games a year ago, when they went 9-8 and narrowly missed the playoffs. “We came in here, knew what we needed to do, knew it wasn’t going to be easy, and we did that. We won.”
Amon-Ra St. Brown had six catches for 71 yards and a score, and Lions rookie Brian Branch returned Patrick Mahomes’ first pick in an opener 50 yards for another touchdown, helping Detroit snap the Chiefs’ eight-game Week 1 winning streak.
The Lions also snapped their own five-game skid in season openers.
“A lot of work has been put in this offseason,” Goff said, “and you want to start off winning the first one, and we did that today. We didn’t play the best on offense, I thought the defense kept us in the game, but we found a way.”
The Lions were trying to run out the clock when Goff’s fourth-down pass near midfield was batted down with 2:30 left, giving the Chiefs a chance. But they made a mess of it: Kadarius Toney dropped a potential 20-yard gain, a deep completion was called back for holding, Skyy Moore dropped a pass and a false start left Mahomes heaving a fourth-and-25 throw downfield.
When it fell incomplete and Detroit took over, Montgomery ran for a first down and the Lions ran out the clock.
Mahomes finished with 226 yards passing and two touchdowns, despite his receivers dropping a slew of passes. He also was the leading rusher for the Chiefs, whose self-inflicted wounds proved too much to overcome.
“Got to be better,” Mahomes said.
There had been equal parts anticipation and anxiety leading up to the game in Kansas City, where the Chiefs had celebrated their previous Lombardi Trophy in the midst of a pandemic, and only about 18,000 fans were able to join in the revelry.
Hundreds began tailgating outside the Arrowhead Stadium parking lots 14 hours before kickoff Thursday, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell along with about 80,000 more people joined them to see the Chiefs raise their latest championship banner.
That was the anticipation. The anxiety came from the absence of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and fellow All-Pro Chris Jones, who is in the midst of a contract holdout. The defensive tackle was expected to miss the opener, but Kelce had only been questionable since Tuesday, when he hyperextended his knee in the final full practice before game day.
“It wasn’t feeling right,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I wasn’t going to put him out there with that, and he was honest with me.”
Detroit scored first in a showdown of two of the league’s top offenses a year ago. Goff took advantage of a clean pocket, thanks in part to Jones sitting in a stadium suite, to march down field and find St. Brown with a 9-yard touchdown pass.
The Chiefs answered with Mahomes finding five different wide receivers on a long drive, the last of them rookie Rashee Rice, who atoned for an earlier drop by snaring a short touchdown pass to knot the game at 7-apiece.
It remained that way until Campbell made a questionable decision late in the half.
The Chiefs were facing fourth-and-2 near midfield but had been called for holding, and rather than decline it, Campbell chose to push them back. Mahomes responded to third-and-17 by hitting Marquez Valdes-Scantling with a 24-yard strike. He added a 26-yard pass to Justin Watson, then hit Blake Bell with a short TD throw to give the Chiefs a 14-7 halftime lead.
With the Lions’ offense still going nowhere in the second half, the defense stepped up. Branch caught a pass that bounced off Toney’s hands and found nothing but 50 yards of grass separating him from the end zone and a 14-all tie.
Up to that point, Mahomes had thrown 20 touchdown passes without an interception in five-plus season openers.
The Chiefs tacked on two field goals, but the missed chances to get into the end zone proved costly. The Lions followed up Harrison Butker’s second kick by driving 75 yards, twice converting on third down, with Montgomery capping the march with a 9-yard touchdown run that gave Detroit the the lead for good.
“The Lions did a heck of a job. They capitalized on a couple of things and we’ve got to fix it,” Reid said. “I liked the aggressiveness on the defensive side. There were some good things on offense. We just have to be more consistent.”
STREAK ENDS
The Lions’ Marvin Jones fumbled away a good scoring chance in the second quarter, when Trent McDuffie knocked the ball out deep in Kansas City territory. It was the veteran wide receiver’s first fumble in his 12-year career and came on his 563rd touch, the longest active streak in the NFL.
LATEST ON KELCE
Kelce had a bone bruise and some swelling in his knee, though tests taken after the injury in practice showed no ligament damage. He went through a workout early Thursday to see whether he could move well enough to play, but Reid and Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder decided to give Kelce time to recover with their next game 10 days away.
INJURIES
Lions: Branch, the first player with a pick-6 in his Lions debut since 1967, departed with cramps on the final play of the third quarter. … DT Levi Onwuzurike limped off with trainers with about 12 minutes left in the game.
UP NEXT
Lions: Play their home opener on Sept. 17 against Seattle.
Chiefs: Visit Jacksonville on Sept. 17 for a divisional playoff rematch.
PANTHERS ROOKIE QB BRYCE YOUNG TO MAKE FIRST START IN OPENER AGAINST RIVAL FALCONS
CAROLINA (7-10) at ATLANTA (7-10)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, FOX
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NFL LINE: Falcons by 3 1/2.
SERIES RECORD: Falcons lead 35-21.
LAST MEETING: Panthers beat Falcons 25-15 on Nov. 10, 2022, at Charlotte, N.C.
PANTHERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (29), RUSH (10), PASS (29), SCORING (20)
PANTHERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (22), RUSH (18), PASS (22), SCORING (19)
FALCONS OFFENSE: OVERALL (24), RUSH (3), PASS (31), SCORING (T-15)
FALCONS DEFENSE: OVERALL (27), RUSH (23), PASS (25), SCORING (23)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Panthers minus-4; Falcons minus-4.
PANTHERS PLAYER TO WATCH: Panthers QB Bryce Young is expected to become the 18th No. 1 overall pick to start Week 1 since 1970. The bad news for Carolina is the other top picks were a combined 3-13-1 in their debuts as starters. Panthers coach Frank Reich knows there will be some growing pains with throwing Young to the wolves right away but called it an “easy decision.” Reich says Young is “unflappable.” Look for Young to spread the ball around with short catch-and-run type passes to his receivers, many of those coming over the middle.
FALCONS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Desmond Ridder was 2-2 in his audition as a starter to close the 2022 season. That was enough for him to be declared the starter in 2023, but he faces pressure to prove he can handle the job. Unlike Young, who has job security as the No. 1 pick, Ridder was a third-round pick in 2022 and must prove he can add passing balance to an offense that leaned on the running game last season. The Falcons’ streak of five straight losing seasons puts an added burden on the young quarterback. Ridder has shown good poise but he will be judged on his ability to utilize two recent first-round picks — tight end Kyle Pitts and wide receiver Drake London — to boost the passing game. Veteran Taylor Heinicke was signed as Ridder’s backup.
KEY MATCHUP: Falcons RB Bijan Robinson vs. Panthers 3-4 defense: Robinson was the eighth overall pick this year and is expected to take the lead role, even though Tyler Allgeier topped 1,000 yards as a rookie last season and Cordarrelle Patterson also returns. Robinson will face a Carolina defense that switched to a 3-4 scheme under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. Carolina’s run defense struggled at times in the preseason, so Robinson potentially could be in for a big day.
KEY INJURIES: Carolina’s depth at wide receiver could be tested. D.J. Clark (hamstring), Terrace Marshall Jr. (back), Adam Thielen (ankle) and Ihmir Smith-Marsette (ankle) were on the injury report, though Smith-Marsette had full participation on Wednesday. The absence of Chark, the team’s leading deep threat who missed practice on Wednesday, could mean the Panthers may not take many shots down the field. … Panthers LB Sam Franklin Jr. was limited by a knee injury. … The Falcons have not ruled out CB Jeff Okudah returning from a foot injury.
SERIES NOTES: The teams split their two regular-season games last season, each winning at home. It was the third straight year the teams have split their regular-season series.
STATS AND STUFF: Reich started the expansion Panthers’ first regular-season game at quarterback against the Falcons in 1995 in Atlanta. Now, 28 years later, he’s returned to Carolina and will coach his first game for the Panthers in Atlanta. … The Panthers and Falcons have not made the postseason since 2017. … Carolina has essentially revamped all of its offensive skill positions with Young, Miles Sanders (from Philadelphia) at RB, Thielen (Minnesota) and Chark (Detroit) at WR and Hayden Hurst (Cincinnati) at TE. … The Panthers view Sanders as a three-down back, but expect backup Chuba Hubbard to get some work. … Panthers OLB Brian Burns had 12½ sacks last season and was selected to his second Pro Bowl. … Carolina bolstered its pass rush with the addition of OLB Justin Houston as a pass-rush specialist. .. K Eddy Pineiro was the league’s second-most accurate field goal kicker last season making 94.3% (33 of 35) of his attempts. However, he struggled in one early season loss at Atlanta where he missed a go-ahead extra point at the end of regulation and a field goal in overtime. … Atlanta’s new-look defense includes such additions as Okudah, veteran end Calais Campbell, free safety Jessie Bates III, nose tackle David Onyemata and linebackers Bud Dupree and Kaden Elliss. … Campbell leads active players with 165 tackles for loss and is sixth with 99 sacks. … London set Falcons rookie record with 72 catches in 2022. … LT Jake Matthews has 144 consecutive starts and will pass former C Todd McClure (2001-10) for the second-longest streak in team history behind QB Matt Ryan’s 147 from 2009-19.
FANTASY TIP: Pitts had 68 catches for 1,026 yards as a rookie in 2021 before a knee injury limited him to 10 games in a disappointing 2022 season. Pitts should be a natural fit for Ridder, who appears to be more comfortable when throwing shorter passes. Pitts’ quiet 2022 made him an afterthought in some fantasy projections, but he could re-emerge with a big game against a Panthers defense which likely will be looking to stop the run.
WATSON, BURROW SQUARE OFF AS BROWNS HOST BENGALS IN SEASON OPENER, 100TH EDITION OF BATTLE OF OHIO
CINCINNATI (14-5) at CLEVELAND (7-10)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NFL LINE: Bengals by 2 1/2.
SERIES RECORD: Bengals lead 52-47.
LAST MEETING: Bengals beat Browns 23-10 on Dec. 11 in Cincinnati.
BENGALS OFFENSE: OVERALL (8), RUSH (29), PASS (5), SCORING (7).
BENGALS DEFENSE: OVERALL (16), RUSH (7), PASS (23), SCORING (6).
BROWNS OFFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (6), PASS (22), SCORING (18).
BROWNS DEFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (25), PASS (5), SCORING (20).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Bengals plus-6; Browns minus-1.
BENGALS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Joe Burrow missed most of training camp with a strained calf muscle. He was sidelined July 27 and didn’t practice again until Aug. 30. But coach Zac Taylor said Burrow won’t need many reps to get back up to speed. All indications are that the Pro Bowler — still finalizing a new contract that will make him one of the league’s highest-paid players — will be ready to go Sunday.
BROWNS PLAYER TO WATCH: Unlike last season when he was suspended, QB Deshaun Watson begins 2023 on the field. Watson was banned 11 games by the NFL in 2022 for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy after more than two dozen women accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior during massage therapy sessions. Watson looked rusty when he return, going 3-3 in six starts.
KEY MATCHUP: Bengals LT Orlando Brown Jr. vs. Browns All-Pro De Myles Garrett. The Bengals signed the 6-foot-8, 345-pound Brown in the offseason to protect Burrow’s blindside. He’s had previous matchups with Kansas City against Garrett, who has had his most sacks (11) against Cincinnati and gotten to Burrow eight times.
KEY INJURIES: Bengals DE Joseph Ossai (ankle) is out. … Browns CB Denzel Ward (concussion) could be a game-time decision.
SERIES NOTES: The 100th installment of the “Battle of Ohio.” … After losing seven straight games to Cincinnati, Cleveland has won eight of the past 10 meetings. … Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is 5-1 against the Bengals. … The matchup includes a family tie as Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan is the son of Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan. … This is Stefanski’s first season opener at home in four years.
STATS AND STUFF: Throwing to one of the league’s most talented trio of wide receivers, Burrow leads a passing attack that ranked fifth in the NFL in passing yards per game (265.0) in 2022. … Cincinnati’s defense, which ranked sixth in points allowed per game (20.1) returns its core. The most significant departures were starting safeties Jesse Bates III and Vonn Bell who signed with other teams. … Cincinnati brings back its three starting receivers — 2021 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd — for a third season together. They combined for 2,837 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. … In 2022, Burrow finished second in the league in TD passes (35) and completion rate (68.3%), and fifth in passing yards (4,475) and completions (414). … The Bengals are the only team with the same head coach and coordinators in place for each season since 2021. Callahan, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons have been with coach Zac Taylor since he was hired in 2019. … Burrow reached 11,000 passing yards in Week 15 of the 2022 season in his 40th game. That tied him with Matthew Stafford as the fourth-fastest QB in NFL history to reach 11,000 yards. … The Browns are just 2-21-1 in season openers since their 1999 expansion rebirth, and 1-15-1 in Week 1 at home. Cleveland hasn’t won an opener at home since 2004. … Watson completed a career-low 58.2% of his passes in the six games he played in 2022 following the suspension. In his second game back, Watson went 26 of 42 for 276 yards with a TD pass and interception in the loss to the Bengals. … Watson is 3-1 in his career against Cincinnati. … One of the main reasons Cleveland signed Watson was so it could compete against the division’s other star QBs — Burrow and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson. … Browns RB Nick Chubb rushed for a career-high 1,525 yards last season, and the Browns are expected to lean on the Pro Bowler again. … Garrett is coming off his second consecutive 16-sack season. This year, Garrett has quality help up front as Cleveland revamped its line by adding three-time Pro Bowl DE Za’Darius Smith along with DTs Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris. … Watson has also been given more to work with. The Browns added speedy slot WR Elijah Moore and Marquise Goodwin to give him a proven downfield threats. … Browns K Dustin Hopkins will make his debut with the club after being acquired last week in a trade with the Chargers. … Cleveland has 23 new players on its 53-man roster. … The Browns will pay tribute to late Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown at halftime. Brown, the team’s career rushing leader, died in May at age 87.
FANTASY TIP: With his elite speed and route running ability, Moore could be a primary target this season for Watson, especially when the QB improvises out of the pocket. Moore caught 80 passes in his two seasons with the Jets, and as long as he stays healthy, he could come close to that in 2023.
RODGERS’ JETS SQUARE OFF AGAINST ALLEN’S BILLS IN MONDAY NIGHT SHOWDOWN BETWEEN AFC EAST FOES
BUFFALO (14-4) at NEW YORK JETS (7-10)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN
OPENING LINE: Bills by 2 1/2, according to FanDuel SportsBook.
SERIES RECORD: Bills lead 69-57.
LAST MEETING: Bills beat Jets 20-12 on Dec. 11, 2022, in Orchard Park, NY.
BILLS OFFENSE: OVERALL (2), RUSH (7), PASS (7), SCORING (2).
BILLS DEFENSE: OVERALL (6), RUSH (5), PASS (15), SCORING (2).
JETS OFFENSE: OVERALL (25), RUSH (25), PASS (15), SCORING (29).
JETS DEFENSE: OVERALL (4), RUSH (16T), PASS (3), SCORING (4).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Bills even; Jets minus-7.
BILLS PLAYER TO WATCH: RB James Cook. The potent Josh Allen-led offense continues to look for ways to get the backfield more involved. Now it’s Cook’s turn to take over in the lead role in a game that features his older brother, Dalvin, on the other sideline. James Cook, a 2022 second-round pick out of Georgia, is regarded as more of a dual-threat running back in filling the starting job following Devin Singletary’s departure in free agency.
JETS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Aaron Rodgers. Acquired from Green Bay in April after 18 seasons with the Packers, the four-time NFL MVP makes his regular-season debut with the Jets. Rodgers raised expectations for the franchise and the fan base when he said he expects to win in New York and pointed out during his introductory news conference that the Jets’ only Super Bowl trophy from the 1968 season looks “lonely.” He gives the Jets their most accomplished quarterback since Brett Favre, who was acquired from Green Bay in 2008 — clearing the way for Rodgers to become the Packers’ signal caller.
KEY MATCHUP: Bills secondary vs. Rodgers. S Micah Hyde is back in his starting role after missing most of last season with a neck injury and CB Tre’Davious White has had an entire offseason to regain his edge as Buffalo’s top pass-defender after being eased back in to close last season after missing nearly a year recovering from knee surgery. Hyde, White and starting safety Jordan Poyer have been together since 2017.
KEY INJURIES: The Bills are relatively healthy entering the season with the exception of top pass rusher Von Miller missing at least the first four games while on the physically unable to perform list after having knee surgery in December. … Hyde’s status bears watching after a back issue flared up this week. … Backup S Damar Hamlin is expected to play for the first time since going into cardiac arrest and needing to be resuscitated on the field on Jan. 2 at Cincinnati. … Jets RBs Breece Hall (knee) and Cook (shoulder) will be worked into the offense early. Hall’s promising rookie season was cut short when he tore the ACL in his left knee in Week 7. Cook had offseason shoulder surgery and just recently started practicing after signing with New York late in training camp. … LT Duane Brown missed almost all of camp while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
SERIES NOTES: The Bills’ .544 regular-season winning percentage against the Jets is their best against any AFC East opponent. … Under Sean McDermott, Buffalo is 8-4 against New York, including winning five of the past six meetings. … The previous time the teams faced each other on a Monday night was in 2014 when they played at Detroit’s Ford Field because of a blizzard in Buffalo. The Bills won 38-3. … The game marks the sixth time the teams play on “Monday Night Football,” with Buffalo holding a 4-1 edge.
STATS AND STUFF: The Bills are 4-2 in season openers under McDermott and 3-0 when opening against the Jets (2017, ’19 and ’20). … The game marks Buffalo’s first season-opening Monday night appearance since a 25-24 loss at New England in 2009. … McDermott enters his seventh season in Buffalo with a 62-35 record. He needs seven wins to move ahead of Lou Saban. Pro Football Hall of Famer Marv Levy holds the team record with 112 . … Through his first five NFL seasons, Allen has combined for 176 passing and rushing touchdowns. That ranks fifth among QBs through their first six seasons, and one short of matching Russell Wilson. … Allen and the Bills’ offense struggled in splitting its two games against the Jets last year. Allen went 34 of 61 for 352 yards with a TD pass, three TD runs and two interceptions. His 147 yards passing in a 20-12 win on Dec. 12 were a season low. … WR Stefon Diggs had 108 catches for 1,429 yards and 11 TDs last season in becoming the NFL’s first player to top 100 catches and 1,200 yards in each of his first three seasons with a team. … Hyde and Poyer have an opportunity to start their seventh season together in Buffalo’s secondary. Since the NFL merger, the only other safety tandem to start seven or more consecutive seasons is the Steelers’ Carnell Lake and Darren Perry (1992-98). Pittsburgh’s Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark played together for eight straight seasons (2006-2013), though Clark missed the the 2012 opener in Denver because he couldn’t play at altitude. … The Jets play their first game on “Monday Night Football” since 2020. They are 23-35 all time in games played on Monday night. … New York is 0-2 in season openers under coach Robert Saleh. … Rodgers played in 20 “Monday Night Football” games with the Packers and was 12-8 — but has won his past nine starts. That’s the third-longest streak in MNF history, behind only Steve Young (10) and Ken Stabler (11). … Rodgers has thrown an interception on just 1.4% of his passes, the lowest rate among any quarterback with at least 500 attempts since 1970 merger. … Rodgers has 77 games with 300 or more yards passing, including 69 in the regular season to rank him sixth all time. But he hasn’t had one since the 2021 season. … WR Garrett Wilson was the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year after setting franchise rookie records with 83 receptions and 1,103 yards receiving. … WR Allen Lazard, who signed with New York in the offseason, set career highs last season in Green Bay with 60 catches and 788 yards receiving. … RT Mekhi Becton is set to play his first regular-season game since the 2021 opener after suffering knee injuries the past two years. He’ll make his regular-season NFL debut at RT after beginning his career at LT. … CB Sauce Gardner was the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year after leading the NFL with 20 passes defensed. … DL Quinnen Williams had a career-high 12 sacks last season and was selected an All-Pro for the first time. He signed a four-year, $96 million contract extension in July.
FANTASY TIP: Wilson should be a plug-in and play receiver every week after developing a quick rapport with Rodgers during the offseason and training camp.
PACKERS’ LOVE, BEARS’ FIELDS COME INTO SEASON WITH SOMETHING TO PROVE AS RIVALS MEET IN OPENER
GREEN BAY (8-9) at CHICAGO (3-14)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, Fox
OPENING LINE: Bears by 2½, according to FanDuel SportsBook.
SERIES RECORD: Packers lead 104-94-6.
LAST MEETING: Packers beat Bears 28-19 on Dec. 4, 2022, in Chicago.
PACKERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (17), RUSH (15), PASS (17), SCORING (14)
PACKERS DEFENSE: OVERALL(17), RUSH (26), PASS (6), SCORING (T-17)
BEARS OFFENSE: OVERALL (28), RUSH (1), PASS (32), SCORING (23).
BEARS DEFENSE: OVERALL (29), RUSH (31), PASS (17), SCORING (32).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Packers plus-2; Bears minus-2.
PACKERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Jordan Love. The 2020 first-round draft pick from Utah State faces the unenviable task of taking over for four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, who was traded to the New York Jets. Love’s only previous career start was a 13-7 loss at Kansas City in 2021. The Packers owned a 25-5 edge over the Bears counting the playoffs in games started by Rodgers. Love played in all three of Green Bay’s exhibition games — the Packers typically had rested their starters in past preseasons — to get as prepared as possible for his first season as a starter.
BEARS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Justin Fields. The former Ohio State star needs to show in his third season that he can become the passer the Bears need him to be. He emerged as one of the league’s most exciting players last season, rushing for 1,143 yards and coming close to Lamar Jackson’s NFL record for a QB of 1,206. But he threw for just 2,242 yards and 17 touchdowns while getting sacked 55 times, tying Denver’s Russell Wilson for the most in the league. Fields’ season high for passing was 254 yards against Green Bay in Week 13 at Soldier Field.
KEY MATCHUP: Bears WR DJ Moore vs. Packers CB Jaire Alexander. Chicago made a big trade for a No. 1 receiver by acquiring Moore from Carolina for the No. 1 overall pick. And he’s facing a big test going against a two-time Pro Bowler. Moore, who had 5,201 yards in five seasons with the Panthers, has done well against Green Bay, with 15 receptions for 251 yards in two games.
KEY INJURIES: Love could be missing his top two options with WRs Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs nursing hamstring injuries. … Bears S Jaquan Brisker (groin) is expected to be ready for the opener after missing the preseason. … S Eddie Jackson (ankle) and DE DeMarcus Walker (calf) were also banged up. … LG Teven Jenkins (leg) is on injured reserve.
SERIES NOTES: The Packers have won eight in a row over the Monsters of the Midway. That represents Green Bay’s second-longest win streak in this series. The Packers beat the Bears 10 straight times from 1994-98. … The Packers have won 12 of the past 13 matchups at Soldier Field. Eight of the past 11 Packers-Bears games at Soldier Field ended up with single-digit margins. … The Packers beat the Bears 27-10 at home and 28-19 in Chicago last season. In the game at Chicago, the Packers trailed 19-10 heading into the fourth quarter before rallying. That game enabled the Packers to overtake the Bears for the NFL lead in all-time regular-season wins.
STATS AND STUFF: These two teams have the most regular-season wins of any NFL franchise. The Packers have 790 regular-season wins. The Bears rank second with 786. … This marks the fifth straight year the Packers have opened the season away from home. That includes a 38-3 road loss to New Orleans in 2021 that was moved to Jacksonville, Florida, after Hurricane Ida struck southeast Louisiana. … After many of their veterans left in the offseason, the Packers have only three players in their 30s. OT David Bakhtiari is 31. LB De’Vondre Campbell and OLB Preston Smith are each 30. … The Packers own a 10-3 September record under coach Matt LaFleur, but have lost soundly in their past two season openers. After their loss to the Saints in 2021, the Packers opened their 2022 season by falling 23-7 at Minnesota. … The Bears set a franchise record for losses last season, surpassing the previous mark of 13. … Chicago was 0-6 against the NFC North last season — the first under GM Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus. … DE Yannick Ngakoue had 65 sacks in his first seven seasons, including 9 1/2 last season with Indianapolis.
FANTASY TIP: Though he had mixed results against Chicago last season, Packers RB Aaron Jones could have the upper hand in this one. After all, the Bears made some big changes on defense and might need time to come together. Jones, who ran for 1,121 yards in 2022, had 132 yards and a touchdown in Week 2. In the second meeting, Jones hurt his shin in the first half and finished with just 26 yards.
SAINTS OPEN DEREK CARR ERA AGAINST TITANS, DERRICK HENRY
TENNESSEE TITANS (7-10) at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (7-10)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
OPENING LINE: Saints by 3, according to FanDuel SportsBook.
SERIES RECORD: Titans lead 9-6-1.
LAST MEETING: Titans beat Saints 23-21 on Nov. 14, 2021, in Nashville, Tennessee.
TITANS OFFENSE: OVERALL (30), RUSH (13), PASS (30), SCORING (28).
TITANS DEFENSE: OVERALL (23), RUSH (1), PASS (32), SCORING (t-13).
SAINTS OFFENSE: OVERALL (19), RUSH (19), PASS (16), SCORING (22).
SAINTS DEFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (24), PASS (2), SCORING (9).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Titans minus-3; Saints minus-11.
TITANS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR DeAndre Hopkins. The three-time All-Pro signed with Tennessee just before training camp after being a salary-cap casualty in Arizona. He’s 31 but should be a big help for an offense that had one of the NFL’s worst passing attacks last season. Even limited to nine games in 2022, Hopkins still would have led Tennessee with 64 catches for 717 yards.
SAINTS PLAYER TO WATCH: Second-year WR Chris Olave is looking to build on a strong rookie campaign in which he caught 72 passes for 1,042 yards and four TDs. The Saints are eager to see how much more room he has to operate with two-time All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas returning from a foot injury that sidelined him for all but the first three games last season.
KEY MATCHUP: The Titans’ revamped offensive line against a Saints defense that was among the NFL’s best with 48 sacks last season. Only Aaron Brewer returns as a Titans’ starter, and he slid from LG to C.
KEY INJURIES: Titans: CB Tre Avery (Hamstring), OLB Harold Landry (abdomen), OL Dillon Radunz (knee). Saints: WR Tre’Quan Smith (groin), DB J.T. Gray (shoulder), RB Kendre Miller (hamstring).
SERIES NOTES: This is the second time these franchises have opened a season against each other and first since 1993. The Saints won 33-21 in New Orleans. … This will be the Titans’ first trip to New Orleans since Nov. 8, 2015. That was the debut of Titans interim coach Mike Mularkey and a 34-28 OT win by Tennessee. These teams have split the past four games with three of those played in Nashville. … The Saints have visited Tennessee only four times since the Titans’ franchise left Houston in 1997. This will be the Titans’ ninth game all time in New Orleans.
STATS AND STUFF: The Titans enter this season on a seven-game skid that cost them a third straight AFC South title last season. … The Titans have a two-game winning streak when opening the season on the road in 2019 and 2020. They’ve won five of six road season openers. … The Titans are 32-31 in season openers. … The Titans are 15-7 against the NFC under coach Mike Vrabel. … The Titans’ roster features 11 rookies, not counting first-year GM Ran Carthon, among 24 new players. … Titans P Ryan Stonehouse set a record with a 53.1-yard gross average as a rookie, topping Sammy Baugh’s mark that stood for 82 years. … QB Derek Carr makes his Saints debut. He passed for 35,222 yards and 217 TDs in nine seasons (142 starts) with the Raiders in Oakland and Las Vegas. Carr is one of three QBs in NFL history with at least 3,000 yards passing in each of his first nine seasons. … Saints RB Alvin Kamara is serving the first of a three-game suspension in connection with an altercation in Las Vegas during Pro Bowl weekend in 2022. … Taysom Hill, a reserve QB who also plays TE and upback on the punt team, had a career-high 575 yards rushing and career-high tying nine TDs from scrimmage (seven rushing, two receiving) to go with two TD passes last season. … RB Jamaal Williams led the NFL with a career-high 17 TDs rushing and had a career-high 1,066 yards rushing in 2022 with Detroit. … WR Chris Olave ranked second among rookies in yards receiving (1,042) and tied for second in receptions (72) last season. … WR Michael Thomas is scheduled to return from a foot injury that sidelined him for the final 14 games last season. He has 526 receptions for 6,121 yards and 35 TDs in 73 games. … TE Juwan Johnson had a career-high seven TDs receiving last season. … DE Cameron Jordan had 8 1/2 sacks in 2022 and has at least seven sacks in 11 straight seasons. He ranks second among active players in sacks (115 1/2). … DT Bryan Bresee makes his NFL debut after being selected 29th overall out of Clemson in last spring’s draft. … S Tyrann Mathieu is one of four players with at least three interceptions in each of the past four seasons.
FANTASY TIP: Derrick Henry. The Titans running back ranked second in the NFL with 1,538 yards rushing last season. He will provide an immediate test of how much the Saints have improved their run defense.
CARDINALS OPEN NEW REGIME UNDER COACH JONATHAN GANNON AT THE COMMANDERS, WHO ARE UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP
ARIZONA CARDINALS (4-13) at WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (8-8-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox
BETTING LINE: Commanders by 7, according to FanDuel Sportsbook
SERIES RECORD: Washington leads 76-47-2
LAST MEETING: Cardinals beat Washington 30-15 on Sept. 20, 2020, in Glendale, Arizona.
CARDINALS OFFENSE: OVERALL (22), RUSH (22), PASS (18), SCORING (21)
CARDINALS DEFENSE: OVERALL (21), RUSH (14), PASS (24), SCORING (31)
COMMANDERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (20), RUSH (12), PASS (21), SCORING (24)
COMMANDERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (3), RUSH (11), PASS (4), SCORING (8)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Cardinals minus-5; Commanders minus-5
CARDINALS PLAYER TO WATCH: DL Zaven Collins has moved to more of a pass-rushing role after spending his first two seasons as a middle linebacker. The 24-year-old had two sacks last season, but the Cardinals hope his production goes up substantially. The 16th pick in 2021 seems to have adapted well to the position change in preseason.
COMMANDERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Sam Howell is the focal point for Washington’s success not just in Week 1 but all season. Howell, a 2022 fifth-round pick out of North Carolina, will be making just his second NFL start after winning his debut in the season finale last season. If he can run new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s offense well, the Commanders should roll Sunday.
KEY MATCHUP: Cardinals mystery QB vs. Commanders defense. New Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon has refused to say who will start at quarterback, citing what he thinks is a competitive advantage. The expectation is it’ll be veteran Josh Dobbs, whom the Cardinals recently acquired from Cleveland, instead of rookie Clayton Tune. Washington’s defense led on the defensive line by tackles Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen and edge rusher Montez Sweat could have a field day regardless.
KEY INJURIES: Cardinals QB Kyler Murray will miss at least the first four games of the season after being put on the physically unable to perform list. Murray is still recovering from tearing the ACL in his right knee in December. … TE Zach Ertz is also recovering from a torn ACL but could play. … Commanders WR Terry McLaurin missed several practices with a sprained toe on his right foot but is tracking toward playing. … EDGE Chase Young got a stinger in the preseason opener Aug. 11, and his status is uncertain.
SERIES NOTES: The Cardinals have won two of the past three meetings. … Washington has won its past eight home games against Arizona going back to 1999. … The Eagles beat Washington three of four times over the past two seasons with Gannon serving as Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator. … Ron Rivera is going into his fourth season as Washington’s coach.
STATS AND STUFF: Ertz, who used to play for the Eagles in the NFC East, has 87 catches for 867 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games against Washington. … Gannon is one of three coaches making his head NFL debut in Week 1, along with Houston’s DeMeco Ryans and Indianapolis’ Shane Steichen. … Arizona has 11 rookies on the active roster, which is just the second time in the past 20 years the team has had that many in Week 1. … Howell threw for two TDs and ran for one in beating Dallas in his NFL debut. … Veteran QB Jacoby Brissett is expected to back up Howell. … RB Brian Robinson Jr. is coming off rushing for 797 yards and two TDs in his rookie season. … McLaurin has gone over 1,000 yards receiving in each of the past three seasons. … Washington DTs Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen combined for 19 sacks and 129 tackles last season.
FANTASY TIP: No matter McLaurin’s status, expect Commanders second-year WR Jahan Dotson to be a big part of Bieniemy’s game plan. Tight ends were a major focus in Kansas City’s offense when he was there, and that’s good news for Logan Thomas, but Washington is far deeper at receiver. Having McLaurin and Curtis Samuel around opens up opportunities for the sure-handed Dotson to get a lot of catches.
TEXANS’ STROUD UNDAUNTED BY IMPENDING NFL DEBUT ON THE ROAD AT BALTIMORE
HOUSTON (AP) — C.J. Stroud lost just one road game in two seasons as a starter at Ohio State.
After thriving in hostile environments in college, he isn’t intimidated to be making his NFL debut for the Houston Texans on Sunday at Baltimore.
“It was something that back in school and took very, very seriously,” he said Wednesday. “We always say we like being the villains. Put on your mask and just ride with the guys that you came in with. It’s only y’all.”
Stroud, who was the second overall pick in this year’s draft, takes over at quarterback for a team that hasn’t had success at the position in the two seasons since Deshaun Watson sat out after requesting a trade before being dealt to Cleveland before last season.
The Texans didn’t just hand the starting job to Stroud. They made him compete throughout camp with Davis Mills, who started most of Houston’s games for the past two seasons. But after the team’s last preseason game against New Orleans, new coach DeMeco Ryans announced what seemed inevitable when he said Stroud was his starting quarterback.
He’ll try and turn around a franchise that has fallen into the NFL’s basement over the past three seasons after winning the AFC South title the two seasons before that.
Ryans is careful not to place undue pressure on the 21-year-old Stroud. Though he knows that all eyes will be on the rookie quarterback, he stresses the importance of everyone pitching in to help him be successful.
“The No. 1 thing for me with a rookie quarterback is to not make it a big deal mentally,” Ryans said. “I think a lot of rookies come in, and you can be consumed and overwhelmed with their job, but I think for any rookie, you have to have good help amongst those other guys who are out there with you. It’s being surrounded with good help, don’t make the game bigger than what it is. Go out and do what got you here.”
What got him to Houston was a stellar career with the Buckeyes where he threw for 8,123 yards with 85 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions as the Buckeyes went 21-4. His 85 touchdowns over two seasons broke a Big Ten record held by Drew Brees.
His only loss on the road as a Buckeye came in a 49-34 loss at Michigan in 2021, his first season as a starter.
He’s already established himself as a leader on this young team and was one of four players — and the only rookie — to be selected team captain this week. Players and coaches have often commented on his focus and work ethic throughout camp and are eager to see how he performs in his first game.
Asked a big picture question about if he’s taken a moment to reflect on the journey that brought him here, he discusses practice before getting to the answer.
“Most importantly, just focusing on practice and getting those game-like reps,” he said. “I definitely think that’s probably more important. But at the same time, you do have to remember the dreams and remember that you put in a lot of work to get to these special moments. Whatever happens I know that I worked really, really hard to get to where I’m at now. Excited to just keep going.”
He’ll have to play Sunday behind a makeshift offensive line after the unit was decimated by injuries this preseason. Star veteran left tackle Laremy Tunsil will be there to protect Stroud’s blind side, but the rest of the group will be new after four starters sustained injuries in camp.
Left guard Kenyon Green, a first-round pick last season, sustained a season-ending shoulder injury in the last preseason game after center Scott Quessenberry tore two knee ligaments early in camp and is also done for the season.
Rookie Juice Scruggs moved into the starting lineup after Quessenberry was injured, but he injured his hamstring against New Orleans and will miss at least the first four games.
The group took another blow Wednesday when the team announced that right tackle Tytus Howard, who signed a $56 million extension before camp, had a broken right hand. He was placed on injured reserve and will also miss at least four games.
The Texans added Josh Jones and Kendrick Green in trades during training camp to help make up for the injuries. Jones is expected to start at right tackle and Green will be the starting center.
Ryans admitted it’s been challenging dealing with so many injuries in one area, but said they have to find a way to move forward.
“Injuries happen all the time in football, so you have to be ready to adjust … it happens every week, and for us, unfortunately it’s happened sooner, before the start of the season,” Ryans said. “But it’s something we have to deal with and we’re not whining about it, we’re not complaining. We’re going to push through. We’re all professionals, and guys have to go play football.”
WITH LAST YEAR’S INJURIES BEHIND HIM, TUA TAGOVAILOA IS READY TO HELP DOLPHINS TAKE NEXT STEP
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — As Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa enters his fourth NFL season, one goal is prominent in his mind: staying healthy.
“I wouldn’t like to. I would love to do that,” Tagovailoa said Wednesday when asked if playing a full 17-game season is a target for him.
Sunday’s season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers will be Tagovailoa’s first regular-season game since he suffered his second concussion of 2022 in a Christmas Day game against Green Bay. He missed Miami’s final three games, including a playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Since then, much of the 25-year-old’s offseason has been geared toward making himself more durable. The Dolphins finished 9-8 last year and have hopes of a deep playoff run.
When Tagovailoa was healthy, the Dolphins had one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL. He led the league in passer rating (105.5) and guided Miami to the sixth-best overall offense, trailing only Kansas City in yards per play.
After briefly considering stepping away from football, Tagovailoa began training this offseason in martial arts, working on ways to land more safely when he takes hits in an effort to avoid head injuries. He’s also wearing a new quarterback-specific helmet designed to help reduce concussions, and has bulked up his frame to better withstand the physical demands of the game.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said a few weeks ago that this is the best version of Tagovailoa “that’s existed.”
“I’m very confident because he hasn’t wasted a day in getting ready for the season,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “That was a huge goal of his. He understands what he means to this football team, and I can tell you honestly that he does not take that for granted at all.”
Tagovailoa appears ready to put last season’s health issues behind him, but he also expressed the gratitude he has for the game.
“I think being appreciative of being able to continue to play is one thing,” Tagovailoa said. “The thing with that is you can never take it for granted regardless of the position you’re in. Some guys have the luxury of finishing whole seasons, and other guys, as myself, I never had that luxury. Definitely cherishing the opportunity to continue to go out there and still lead these guys.”
His teammates have praised his leadership, growth and work ethic.
“I’m extremely proud,” said receiver Jaylen Waddle, who played with Tagovailoa at Alabama. “He’s been a great player since I’ve met him, going to continue to be a great player. I’m just proud of him.”
Added Waddle: “He’s a dog, man. Anybody that transforms his body into what y’all see now. Learns different skills to help his play. That just shows how much he really (wants) it and wants to be out there playing.”
The Chargers are led by the player drafted just one spot after Tagovailoa in Justin Herbert, who became one of the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks when he signed a five-year, $262.5 million extension at the start of training camp.
The Dolphins picked up the fifth-year option on Tagovailoa’s rookie deal in March but have set aside contract talks until the end of the season. He’s under contract through 2024 and will be guaranteed $23.2 million.
As other quarterbacks in his draft class secure mega deals, Tagovailoa knows he must earn his big payday.
“I’m always a person that wants to prove to myself that I deserve whatever I get,” he said during training camp. “So for me, I feel like this is something that I need to work for. It’s as plain and simple as that.”
Tagovailoa will try to lead the Dolphins to consecutive postseason appearances for the first time since 2000-01. Miami has had two straight winning seasons that have included lengthy winning streaks and losing streaks.
With a roster filled with Pro Bowlers, the Dolphins are hoping to take the next step by contending for a Super Bowl.
That starts in Week 1 against a Chargers team that beat them 23-17 in 2022.
“They had a great game plan for us last year,” Tagovailoa said. “It was tough to get things started in the first half and then trying to move on from that and into the game, trying to get a rhythm going offensively. They’re well coached. They took a lot of things away that we would normally run. But really excited. This is going to be a good game.”
SEAN PAYTON IS OUT TO FIX THE BRONCOS’ OFFENSE. THAT STARTS WITH A RUSSELL WILSON REBOUND
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Sean Payton’s quest to restore the Denver Broncos’ long-lost offensive swagger in 2023 starts with resurrecting Russell Wilson’s career.
Denver’s offense and its star quarterback plummeted to new depths last season under Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired after 15 games with the Broncos averaging a league-low 15.8 points per game and Wilson mired in his worst season as a pro.
General manager George Paton insisted the coaching change wasn’t driven by the need “to turn around Russ,” who finished with a career-low 16 touchdown passes and a career-high 55 sacks. “It’s not just one player. It’s not whether Russ is fixable or not, but we do believe he is.”
Payton is just the man to oversee Wilson’s rebound, said NBC “Sunday Night Football” analyst Cris Collinsworth.
“Sean Payton’s one of the greatest coaches of all time,” Collinsworth said. “Of. All. Time. Do I think he’s going to fix Russell Wilson? I don’t think you fix Russell Wilson, I think you find Russell Wilson. You figure out what he wants to do and what he does best, and you make it work.”
Payton appreciated Collinsworth’s assessment when asked about it Wednesday.
“I think that’s a pretty good observation,” Payton said. “We’ve talked about it ad nauseum, you know, the things he does well, putting him in those positions, putting our offense in those positions. And I agree with what he said. That makes a lot of sense to me.
“And our job is to find him.”
While that search begins in earnest Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, the hunt really began when Payton was hired and quickly instructed his quarterback to tone down his public presence.
No more bombarding social media with updates about his workouts and his globetrotting ways. Forget the many merchandise pitches and cheesy catchphrases.
Wilson complied, quietly mapping out his comeback. He changed his diet, dropping 15 pounds. And he found many of the perks he enjoyed last year like his own upstairs office by the coaches, his premium parking spots and his personal QB coach on site, were all gone.
Early returns suggest the changes have paid off.
Wilson performed noticeably better week by week at training camp. Unlike last year, he participated in the preseason, playing in two games and showing improved mobility and decision-making running Payton’s offensive schemes.
“Sean’s been able to cobble together offenses for the variety of quarterbacks and players,” Collinsworth said, noting how he helped resurrect Jameis Winston’s career and went 5-0 with Teddy Bridgewater and 7-2 with Taysom Hill in New Orleans when Drew Brees was sidelined.
“There’s something about Sean Payton, you know, he’s a commanding presence in the room,” Collinsworth said. “I think that Russell was coming in a season ago and had a certain way of doing things and he sort of did them that way. And now, I think he’ll do things the Sean Payton way — and I’m kind of anxious to see what that might mean.”
Wilson was so bad last year many suggested he was done.
“I do not believe Russell Wilson is finished,” Collinsworth said. “And I think that we’ll see a little bit more of what we’ve seen in the past.”
And some of what’s all the rage now, too.
“We’re all trying to copy Patrick Mahomes and what he does, but the ability to take deep drops, and move around, buy time for your receivers to get open — which is exactly what Russell Wilson does — is still very much en vogue,” Collinsworth said.
Mike Tirico concurred with his broadcast partner, suggesting the Wilson-Payton pairing will flourish as will the Hackett-Aaron Rodgers reunion in New York.
“Sometimes, business, society, whatever, you get a fit, and sometimes things don’t fit and for whatever reason, Nathaniel Hackett and Russell Wilson and the whole Denver situation didn’t fit,” Tirico said. “I’m gonna bet on Sean Payton figuring out a way to make this fit.”
Two former NFL general managers, Mike Tannenbaum on ESPN and Mike Lombardi on his podcast, have suggested Payton won’t hesitate to bench Wilson in favor of backup Jarrett Stidham if Wilson fails to find himself this season.
That would put the franchise in a difficult spot because Wilson’s five-year, $245 million contract extension that he signed a year ago kicks in next season when he’ll carry a dead-cap hit of $85 million.
Wilson wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s out to prove naysayers wrong, but he did acknowledge that, like University of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, he “keeps receipts.”
“I think you’ve got them in your back pocket sometimes,” Wilson said. “There’s always going to be some who question whether you can do it or not. And I think I’ve proven throughout my career what I can do. And I’ve got to do it again.”
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
LSU, KIM MULKEY AGREE ON 10-YEAR, $32M CONTRACT, AP SOURCE SAYS
(AP) — Kim Mulkey, the coach of defending national champion LSU, has agreed to a 10-year contract worth about $32 million that will set a new mark for the richest coaching contract in women’s college basketball, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because contract details, first reported by The Advocate of Baton Rouge, have not been made public. The deal also still needs approval from the LSU Board of Supervisors, who are scheduled to vote on it Friday.
The Hall of Fame coach has been at LSU for two seasons, during which she has taken a program that missed the NCAA Tournament three seasons ago and elevated it to the pinnacle of its sport.
It was her fourth national title as a head coach – the first three coming at Baylor, where she coached from 2000 to 2021. Her record at LSU in two seasons combined is 50-8, with NCAA Tournament appearances both years.
LSU will return as a national title favorite this coming season, led by power forward Angel Reese and guard Hailey Van Lith, a graduate transfer from Louisville who led the Cardinals in scoring twice in the past three seasons.
Mulkey’s new average annual salary of $3.2 million puts her slightly ahead of the average yearly pay for UConn’s Geno Auriemma, who has won 11 NCAA titles, and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, who has won two NCAA titles.
TENNIS NEWS
COCO GAUFF WINS A US OPEN SEMIFINAL DELAYED BY A CLIMATE PROTEST. WILL FACE SABALENKA IN THE FINAL
NEW YORK (AP) Coco Gauff never wavered one bit Thursday night. Not when match point after match point went by the wayside. Not during a 40-shot exchange that ultimately helped decide the outcome. And not, most distracting of all, when her U.S. Open semifinal against Karolina Muchova was interrupted for 50 minutes by environmental activists – one of whom glued his bare feet to the concrete floor in the stands.
It’s been rather obvious for quite some time that Gauff is no ordinary teenager. Now she is one win away from becoming a Grand Slam champion.
Gauff, a 19-year-old from Florida, reached her first final at Flushing Meadows by defeating Muchova 6-4, 7-5 on what was anything but an ordinary evening.
“I really believe that now I have the maturity and ability to do it,” said Gauff, who came close to a major trophy last year in the French Open but lost the title match. “You know, regardless of what happens on Saturday, I’m really proud of how I have been handling the last few weeks.”
The No. 6-seeded Gauff will meet No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus for the championship Saturday. Sabalenka beat 2017 U.S. Open runner-up Madison Keys 0-6, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (10-5) in a topsy-turvy second semifinal that finished at nearly 1 a.m.
Sabalenka won the Australian Open in January, is 23-2 in Grand Slam matches this season and is guaranteed to move up to No. 1 in the world for the first time next week. She was on the verge of losing to Keys, who was up 5-3 in the second set, but used a 12-point run to get back into the match.
Tiebreakers at 6-all in the third sets of women’s Grand Slam matches now are first-to-10 – unlike the old first-to-seven setup – but Sabalenka clearly forgot that. When she moved out front 7-3, she dropped her racket and put her hands to her face, covering a huge smile. Then Sabalenka quickly realized there was work to be done and finished the job on her third match point.
“I was all over the place,” said Sabalenka, who was able to laugh about her mistake afterward.
The toughest part against Muchova for Gauff might have been closing out the victory: She needed six match points to get it done, raucously supported by a loud, partisan crowd that chair umpire Alison Hughes repeatedly implored to quiet down.
After failing to convert one match point while serving for the win at 5-3, then another four in what turned out to be the last game, Gauff got the last chance she would need when she smacked a forehand winner to cap that 40-swing point that was the longest of the contest.
“I knew I had the legs and the lungs to outlast her in the rally; it was whether I had the mentality and patience to do it,” Gauff said. “After 10 or 15 shots in, I was, like, ‘Well, this is going to change the match.’”
Sure did.
On the next point, Muchova missed a backhand, and it was over. Gauff pumped her fists, waved to the fans and put a finger to her ear, as if to say she wanted to hear even more support.
She is the first American teenager to make it to the title match in New York since Serena Williams, one of her idols, then quoted another, the late NBA star Kobe Bryant, by telling the fans: “Job’s not done.”
Gauff was up by a set and 1-0 in the second when four climate protesters disrupted play from seats in an upper level of the arena. All four were arrested; three were escorted away relatively quickly, but it took more time to remove the person glued to the ground.
“If that’s what they felt they needed to do to get their voices heard,” Gauff said, “I can’t really get upset at it.”
Both women spent time in the locker room during the delay. When action resumed, the play was pretty even for several games, until Gauff surged ahead and got her first match point. Muchova erased that with a volley winner and broke back.
They would play on for nearly a half-hour.
With Gauff leading 6-5 and Muchova serving, the one-point-away count kept climbing. Muchova resisted. Gauff was unable to pull through.
Once. Twice. Three times. Four. The roars from the seats kept coming. Finally, Gauff completed her 11th win a row and the 17th in her past 18 matches, a run that began after a first-round exit at Wimbledon in July. The streak includes the two biggest titles of Gauff’s career – and now she needs one more win to get an even more important championship.
“After Wimbledon, I wasn’t expecting to do well, honestly, in this hard-court season,” Gauff said, “so I’m really proud of the way I have been able to turn this season around for me.”
When Gauff and Muchova got started at 7:15 p.m., it was cloudy and considerably cooler than it’s been this week at Flushing Meadows, dropping from nearly 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius) on Wednesday to the low 80s F (high 20s C).
Gauff was terrific at the outset, racing to leads of 3-0 and 5-1 before No. 10 seed Muchova, a 27-year-old from the Czech Republic, finally got going. By the end, though, Muchova had won the point on just 10 of her 24 trips to the net and she had accumulated 36 unforced errors, 11 more than Gauff.
“Just kind of sad about the performance,” said Muchova, who reached the final at Roland Garros in June.
She was visited by a physiotherapist during the extended break caused by the protest and said her right arm – covered by a black sleeve – bothered her during the tournament.
If she wasn’t at 100% – what player is by this point of the season? – Gauff deserved credit for finding the right times to let Muchova miss as opposed to trying to get too aggressive.
“You have to be focused and finish points,” Muchova said about facing Gauff. “You have to be there on the court and then see where she is running. You have to think where to put the ball to finish it at the net or try to play it earlier.”
What Gauff also displayed was that she was ready for the moment, the sort of success predicted of her since, at age 15 in 2019, she became the youngest qualifier in Wimbledon history and got to the fourth round there.
“I’m having way more fun now,” Gauff said Thursday.
TOP INDIANA PRESS RELEASES
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL’S TOP GAMES TO WATCH
BATTLE OF THE UNBEATENS
ADAMS CENTRAL 3-0 AT JAY COUNTY 3-0
BLOOMINGTON NORTH 3-0 AT BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 3-0
GREENFIELD CENTRAL 3-0 AT PENDLETON HEIGHTS 3-0
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 3-0 AT FISHERS 3-0….WATCH HSE’S RB JALEN ALEXANDER (333 RUSHING YARDS, FOUR TDS) AND WR D.J. HAMILTON (12 CATCHES, 201 YARDS, THREE TDS) QB CHANDLER WESTON (73.7% PASSER, 408 YARDS, SIX TDS)….FISHER’S IS LED BY
IMG ACADEMY 2-0 AT BEN DAVIS 3-0…WATCH FOR IMG RB JERRICK GIBSON (TEXAS) 240 YARDS RUSHING AND DL JAYDEN JACKSON (OKLAHOMA)
MISSISSINEWA 3-0 AT OAK HILL 3-0
THE OTHER BIG GAME OF THE WEEK
CARMEL AT LOUISVILLE TRINITY
CINCINNATI MOELLER AT CENTER GROVE…WATCH FOR CG QB TYLER CHERRY 723 YARDS AND SIX TDS AND 77% COMPLETION RATE.
CROWN POINT AT LAKE CENTRAL
EVANSVILLE NORTH AT EVANSVILLE REITZ
GUERIN CATHOLIC AT BREBEUF…KEPP AN EYE ON GUERIN QB Ryan Zimmerman (505 passing yards, five TDs) and RB Peter Rooney (356 rushing yards, three TDs).
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN AT EASTERN HANCOCK
BISHOP CHATARD AT CATHEDRAL
LINTON STOCKTON AT SULLIVAN
MONROVIA AT TRITON CENTRAL
MOUNT VERNON AT NEW PALESTINE
NEW HAVEN AT LEO
NOBLESVILLE AT WESTFIELD
NORTH JUDSON AT KNOX
NORTHRIDGE AT NORTHWOOD
TELL CITY AT NORTH POSEY
TRI-WEST AT WESTERN BOONE
YORKTOWN AT DELTA
ZIONSVILLE AT FRANKLIN CENTRAL
COLTS FOOTBALL
REPORTS: COLTS’ SHAQUILLE LEONARD CLEARS CONCUSSION PROTOCOL
Indianapolis Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard has cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol, according to multiple reports.
The three-time All-Pro practiced on Wednesday and is on track for Sunday’s home opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Leonard, 28, was injured during a joint practice session with the Chicago Bears on Aug. 16.
He was limited to three games last season due to a back injury, a broken nose and a concussion. He posted 11 tackles and one interception.
Leonard has 549 tackles, 17 forced fumbles, 15 sacks and 12 interceptions in 61 games (59 starts) since the Colts drafted him in the second round in 2018.
GAME PREVIEW
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — New Indianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen was willing to be patient with Anthony Richardson before naming the rookie quarterback his starter.
The wait is almost over.
On Sunday, a little more than four months after Indy selected the former Florida prep star with the draft’s fourth overall pick, Richardson will trot onto the field Sunday against Jacksonville as the face of the Colts’ future — and present.
“I’m just trying to prepare for the game and make sure I’m on point,” he said Wednesday after spending eight hours on an off day preparing. “Running out of the tunnel and all that, that’s going to come, but me being on point and being ready — that’s all I’m focused on right now.”
It’s been a crash course for the 21-year-old rookie who will become the youngest opening day starting quarterback in franchise history and the third-youngest in NFL history.
For the Colts, this is more than just a new season. It’s a new era.
This marks the seventh straight season Indy will use a new starting quarterback in Week 1, a streak they’re hoping Richardson breaks next September. Steichen will be making key decisions for the first time as a head coach. The Colts even added a new, high-priced kicker in Matt Gay.
And it all starts with a home opener against the defending AFC South champion Jaguars, an old nemesis that eliminated Indy from playoff contention in a shocking 2021 season finale.
Even Jags coach Doug Pederson isn’t sure what to expect:
“It’s interesting, because we know (Colts defensive coordinator) Gus Bradley on defense. Second year in that system with those guys and all of that. The offensive side might be a little different or look a little different. Obviously, a young ascending quarterback, that can look a little different. I think you can prepare just by going back and understanding the history of their coaches and where they’ve been and who they’ve coached.”
The Jags are a known quantity, though.
Trevor Lawrence, the top overall pick in the 2021 draft, improved dramatically over the second half of last season and may now be the division’s top quarterback. His budding supporting cast includes veteran receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, 1,000-yard rusher Travis Etienne Jr. and new addition Calvin Ridley, who is expected to appear in his first game since Oct. 24, 2021.
The bigger unknown, however, is the 6-foot-4, 244-pound Richardson, who went 6-7 as a college starter.
“When push comes to shove and somebody has the ball in their hands, you just try to get them down,” Jags linebacker Foye Oluokun said. “I know he’s big, I know he’s fast and explosive, it’s just the mentality. As soon as somebody gets the ball in their hands, you’ve just got to attack them.”
ROOKIE WAVE
This game marks the first of five the Jags are scheduled to play against rookie quarterbacks in 2023 — two against Richardson, two against Houston’s C.J. Stroud and one vs. Carolina’s Bryce Young in December.
“A lot of times you get a rookie guy, he’s (confused by) looks, maybe bringing some pressure from where it looks like it’s coming (elsewhere),” said Oluokun, one of 11 returning defensive starters.
Jacksonville also plays three games against second-year QBs — Desmond Ridder of Atlanta, Kenny Pickett of Pittsburgh and Brock Purdy of San Francisco.
THE OTHER STREAK
Indy also enters this weekend with a nine-game winless streak on opening day. They snapped the eight-game losing streak with last year’s tie at Houston, but the Colts still haven’t won in Week 1 since beating the Oakland Raiders 21-17 in September 2013.
“I think when you win your first home opener or on the road, I think it gives your team confidence,” Steichen said. “Even if you lose the game, it doesn’t mean you lose confidence. But yeah, obviously you want to win every game and obviously, the first one is a big one.”
ROAD WOES
Pederson has made Jacksonville’s struggles in Indy one of his weekly talking points. The Jaguars have lost five straight at Lucas Oil Stadium since 2017.
“We didn’t handle the road great last year and we didn’t handle this opponent great on the road last year,” he said. “Quite frankly, they’ve beaten us nine out of the last 10 (in Indy). We’ve got our work cut out for us. The unknown is just, ‘Hey, how are we going to respond to that?'”
COMMITTEE PLAN
With 2021 NFL rushing champion Jonathan Taylor mired in a contract dispute, still on the physically unable to perform list following offseason ankle surgery, and Taylor’s backup, Zack Moss (broken right arm), returning to practice Wednesday, Steichen plans to take a committee approach.
Veteran Deon Jackson and rookie Evan Hull would be the featured running backs if Moss doesn’t play. Jake Funk and Jason Huntley are the only other backs on the roster. They’re on the practice squad.
“Whoever’s got the hot hand — let them ride a little bit and go with that,” Steichen said. “We’ll rotate those guys in, see where everyone is at and like I said, we’ll ride with the hot hand.”
INDIANS BASEBALL
PRIESTER’S PUNCHOUTS LEAD INDIANS TO 4-1 VICTORY OVER MUD HENS
INDIANAPOLIS – Quinn Priester racked up 10 punchouts for his second double-digit strikeout performance of the season and Chris Owings went yard for the second consecutive game as the Indianapolis Indians defeated the Toledo Mud Hens on Thursday night at Victory Field, 4-1.
Priester (W, 9-4), appearing out of the bullpen for just the second time this season and the third time in his career, struck out the side in his second inning of work and continued rolling through Toledo’s order for 5.2 innings. It was his first game racking up double-digit strikeouts since fanning 11 on June 24 vs. Columbus and set a Victory Field era record for the most strikeouts in an outing by a relief pitcher.
The Indians (61-72, 28-31) got on the board first with a trio of runs in the third inning against Jack O’Loughlin (L, 3-6) and never looked back as Priester worked his magic. Owings opened the contest with a solo shot out to right field, his 13th home run of the season and second in as many nights after going back-to-back with Nick Gonzales on Wednesday. With two runners on and one out, Cal Mitchell then sent a sharp line drive into right field to drive in the pair of eventual game-winning runs.
The Mud Hens (64-70, 31-29) plated their first run in the top of the seventh on a Colt Keith single after Priester exited the game with the bases loaded and two outs. Canaan Smith-Njigba then countered in the bottom half with his second double of the contest to drive in Gonzales.
After Travis MacGregor pitched a scoreless eighth frame, Kyle Nicolas (S, 1) entered for the ninth and stranded the bases loaded with back-to-back strikeouts. It was the first save of his professional career.
Indiana native Matt Gorski made his return to the Indians lineup after making his Triple-A debut last fall and went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles.
Indianapolis will send Pirates No. 3 prospect Jared Jones (3-4, 5.74) to the mound on Friday night at 7:05 PM ET to kick off Prospects Weekend vs. Toledo. Countering for the Mud Hens will be RHP Keider Montero (3-1, 6.48).
FEVER BASKETBALL
GAME PREVIEW: FEVER TRAVEL TO CONNECTICUT FOR FINAL ROAD GAME OF SEASON
SEPTEMBER 7, 2023
Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun
Friday, September 8, 2023
Mohegan Sun Arena | 7 p.m. ET
Broadcast Information
ION
Brendan Glasheen, Ashley Battle, Terrika Foster-Brasby
The Indiana Fever hit the road for the final time this season to take on the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
Indiana will look to earn its first win against Connecticut since 2021 to snap a seven game losing skid against the Sun. In the most recent matchup between the two teams, the Sun defeated Indiana, 88-72, on August 4 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse with the help of six Connecticut players scoring in double figures. After giving up 56 points to the Sun in the first half, Indiana held Connecticut to only 32 points in the final two quarters.
The Fever had four of its own players contribute double figures against Connecticut, highlighted by Aliyah Boston’s 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor to go along with eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Friday’s game will be Boston’s first time taking to the court after being named the WNBA Rookie of the Month for August. After earning the recognition in May, June and August, she became the eighth rookie in league history to win the award at least three times in a season. Throughout the month, Boston averaged 14.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest while shooting 57.7 percent (60-of-104) from the floor.
Kelsey Mitchell is ending the season strong as she has averaged 23.8 points per game through Indiana’s most recent six games, which includes her two 30-point games this season against Seattle and Dallas. The All-Star guard ranks 10th in the league in scoring average (18.1 ppg) and 11th in 3-point field goal percentage averaging 39.9 percent (97-of-243) from beyond the arc this season. Second-year forward NaLyssa Smith is also ending the season on a high note after averaging 18.8 points per contest through the Fever’s most recent six games while ranking fourth in the league in rebounds averaging 9.2 rebounds per game.
With guards Lexie Hull and Kristy Wallace absent for injury, Victoria Vivians and Grace Berger have pitched in averaging 5.3 points and 4.1 points respectively this season. Maya Caldwell has also earned increased minutes off the bench and contributed six points in the Fever’s most recent game on Tuesday against Chicago.
The Sun are led by DeWanna Bonner’s 17.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Alyssa Thomas, who recorded her sixth triple-double of the season on Tuesday with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists, is averaging 15.9 points to go along with a team-leading 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals. Tiffany Hayes joins the three other Connecticut players who average double figures with 12.1 points per contest.
Connecticut ranks second in the league in steals, highlighted by Thomas’ 1.9 steals per game. The Sun also rank third in assists per game averaging 20.7 assists per game with the help of Thomas’ 8.0 assists per contest.
Probable Starters
Indiana Fever (12-26)
Guard – Kelsey Mitchell (18.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 3.2 apg)
Guard – Erica Wheeler (9.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 5.1 apg)
Forward – Victoria Vivians (5.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.2 apg)
Forward – NaLyssa Smith (15.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1.4 apg)
Center – Aliyah Boston (14.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg)
Connecticut Sun (26-12)
Guard – Natisha Hiedeman (8.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.7 apg)
Guard – Tiffany Hayes (12.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.7 apg)
Guard – Rebecca Allen (6.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.3 bpg)
Forward – DeWanna Bonner (17.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.1 apg)
Forward – Alyssa Thomas (15.9 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 8.0 apg)
Game Status Report
Indiana: Lexie Hull – out (right shoulder), Kristy Wallace – out (right knee)
Connecticut: TBA
INDIANA FOOTBALL GAME NOTES VS. INDIANA STATE
INDIANA NOTES
SETTING THE SCENE
• Indiana will host Indiana State for the seventh time in program history on Friday night at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network. All seven
meetings between the two programs have come inside Memorial Stadium (55,250; Field Turf).
• The Hoosiers are 6-0 all-time against the Sycamores, with the last meeting coming in 2014, a 28-10 victory for Indiana. That
game capped a string of three straight seasons the teams played.
• Indiana State head coach Curt Mallory is the son of Indiana’s all-time winningest head coach Bill Mallory, who coached
the Hoosiers from 1984-96. The elder Mallory piled up 69 victories and coached the Hoosiers to six of the program’s 13 bowl
appearances.
• Friday’s game will mark the sixth time in program history that IU has played under Friday night lights. The Hoosiers have played
just two prior Friday contests at Memorial Stadium, the last a thrilling 23-20 victory over Illinois to open the 2022 campaign.
• Since the FCS (former Division I-AA) was formed in 1978, Indiana is 16-1 against opponents from the division. The Hoosiers have
won 13 straight games, including all four games versus FCS teams under head coach Tom Allen.
NEWS & NOTES
• IU opened a season with a Big Ten foe for the fifth time in Tom Allen’s seven campaigns and each of the last fourth seasons.
Allen has faced Ohio State twice (2017 & 2023), Penn State (2020), Iowa (2021) and Illinois (2021) to open the season as the
Hoosiers frontman. Four of those five games have come at home.
• Redshirt senior Aaron Casey tied a career-high 11 tackles on Saturday versus Ohio State in the season opener. It was Casey’s
fifth career double-digit tackle game and equaled his career best total versus Rutgers (10/22) in 2022.
• Sophomore Jaylin Lucas entered the 2023 season at No. 2 on the career kickoff return touchdowns charts at Indiana. The only
true freshman in the FBS with multiple kickoff return touchdowns in 2022, Lucas needs just 149 kickoff return yards to enter the
top-15 all-time at Indiana.
• The Hoosier roster features 24 transfer scholarship student-athletes for the 2023 season and a total of 36 scholarship newcomers,
which is among the most in the FBS. The eight returning starters are among a handful of FBS programs with single-digit returning
starters entering 2023.
• Head coach Tom Allen joined a select group of coaches in IU history with his 30th career victory as the Hoosiers’ head coach. Of
the 30 wins, 12 have come in one possession games, including a 4-1 mark in overtime contests.
• The Indiana special teams units blocked multiple kicks in a year for the second straight season in 2022. Special teams
coordinator Kasey Teegardin’s crew blocked three field goals in 2022 to give his unit nine blocked kicks in the last five seasons.
INDIANA STATE NOTES
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State hits the road for the first time in the 2023 season as the Sycamores make the trip to Bloomington, Ind. on Friday night for a nonconference FBS matchup against Indiana University. Kickoff between the Sycamores and the Hoosiers inside Memorial Stadium is set for 7 p.m. and will be carried live on the Big Ten Network and 105.5 The Legend.
Quick Notes
Scouting Indiana
Indiana is home for the second consecutive week to open the 2023 season after hosting Ohio State this past Saturday on September 2. The Hoosiers have won all six matchups against Indiana State dating back to the 1925 season. IU and ISU last faced off in the 2014 season, a 28-10 Hoosier win at Memorial Stadium. Indiana was selected seventh overall in the Big Ten East Division preseason standings as voted on by the conference media members. IU had multiple players named to the FBS preseason postseason award watch lists. Andre Carter (Bednarik), Jaylin Lucas (Walter Camp & Doak Walker), Aaron Casey (Butkus), and James Evans (Ray Guy) all earned the recognition. Indiana posted a 4-8 overall record in the 2022 season with a 2-7 mark in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers won their lone FCS competition topping Idaho (35-22) last season in Bloomington. Head Coach Tom Allen enters his eighth season on the sidelines with the Hoosiers this year. He’s posted a 30-41 career record at IU.
Blackwell Shines
The Indiana State secondary has another star in the making as redshirt sophomore Maddix Blackwell was the brightest star for the Sycamores this past weekend in the season opener against Eastern Illinois. The Bloomington, Ind. native posted his first collegiate double-digit tackling game (11) and added his second collegiate interception in the fourth quarter to pace an ISU defense that limited the Eastern Illinois offense throughout the contest. With All-American Rylan Cole on the injured list, Blackwell has taken leadership of the group and looks to build off a strong freshman campaign that saw him finish fourth on the team in tackles (51), while adding 4.0 tackles-for-loss, a sack, and six pass breakups. His 11-tackle performance on Thursday night surpassed his previous career-high of seven set at Purdue last season as the safety continues to perform in big games.
IU-Mallory Connection
Sycamore head coach Curt Mallory has a special tie-in to Indiana University courtesy of his father Bill Mallory – the long-time Hoosier head coach from 1984-96. The elder Mallory piled up 69 career wins and coached Indiana to six of the program’s 13 bowl appearances over his time at IU. Friday night’s game marks the first time the Sycamore head coach will take the sidelines against IU at Memorial Stadium. He previously served as the secondary coach for the Hoosiers back from 2002-04. The Mallory coaching tree is extensive with both of Curt’s brothers currently in the coaching profession as well. Both Doug and Mike are members of the University of Michigan coaching staff in the 2023 season.
Mallory against the FBS
The Sycamores have lined up against six FBS opponents in the Curt Mallory coaching era dating to their first matchup in the 2017 season against Tennessee. The Sycamores fell to the Volunteers, 42-7, and enter the Friday night contest with an 0-5 mark against the FBS overall since the 2017 season. Among the defeats have been at Louisville (31-7, 2018), at Kansas (24-17, 2019), at Northwestern (24-6, 2021), and last season’s 52-0 loss at Purdue. The Sycamores are set to face two FBS opponents this season in both Indiana (Sept. 8) and Ball State (Sept. 16) on back-to-back weeks.
Same Season, Same FBS Opponents
Indiana State has two games against FBS opponents for the first time since the 2014 season. Their opponents that year, Indiana and Ball State. The Sycamores will reprise the schedule this season as the Sycamores take on the Hoosiers on Friday night, while traveling to Muncie and Ball State next weekend. In the 2014 season, the Sycamores fell to ISU, 28-10, on August 30 that season, while rebounding for a 27-20 win at Ball State two weeks later. The 2014 season marked the second consecutive year Indiana State faced back-to-back FBS programs within the state as the Sycamores fell to both IU (73-35) and Purdue (20-14) to start the 2013 season. The 2023 season also marks the fifth time ISU has played two FBS opponents in the same season since the 2006 season.
Sycamores starting first of three contests inside the Hoosier State
Indiana State has the rare distinction of playing just one home game in the opening month of the season and not leaving their home state. The Sycamores opened the year on August 31 with a Thursday night contest at home against Eastern Illinois. From there, Indiana State will travel to Bloomington for a September 8 contest at Indiana. ISU will remain within the state the following week on September 16 with a Saturday afternoon game in Muncie against Ball State. The Sycamores will finally leave the state on September 30 to open Missouri Valley Football play at MVFC newcomer Murray State in Murray, Ky.
Career Game for Hauser
Micah Hauser had a game to remember in the Sycamore Blue & White as the redshirt freshman earned his first collegiate start this past Thursday against Eastern Illinois. Drawing the start at safety alongside Maddix Blackwell, Hauser finished with a team-high six solo tackles on his way to finishing behind Blackwell for the team lead in stops in the contest. The sophomore has showcased a nose for the football throughout fall camp and rose quickly through the ranks of the two-deep on his way to paying off with the start. The Westfield, Ind. native surpassed his previous career-high of five tackles set last season against Montana after spending most of the year on the ISU special teams unit in 2022.
Wabash Valley Natives
Head Coach Curt Mallory prides himself on recruiting local talent and the Indiana State roster features that commitment in 2023 as the Sycamores have 18 players from the Wabash Valley on the roster. Among the key players already listed on the two-deep or seeing key playing time from the Valley on the team include Dakota Caton (Sullivan), Korbin Allen (Brazil), Joey Shew (Clinton), Carter Herrin (Terre Haute), Lance Rees (Marshall), and Jack Sherman (Terre Haute). Overall, the Sycamores have 12 athletes from Terre Haute on the team and 58 from the state of Indiana on the team.
INDIANA WOMEN’S SOCCER
FRESHMEN DUO BRITT, COFFIELD SCORE IN 2-0 VICTORY OVER LOUISVILLE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana women’s soccer toppled Louisville, 2-0, with goals from freshmen defender Piper Coffield and midfielder Elle Britt at Bill Armstrong Stadium on Thursday evening.
KEY MOMENTS
• Graduate forward Paige Webber started the attack after she had two shots on goal in the first two minutes of the match.
Indiana (5-0-2) continued the attack as Coffield scored off a corner kick in the ninth minute. Senior midfielder Anna Bennett sent one on target into the goalie box finding Coffield as her header trickled into the back of the net to take the lead.
• Indiana’s defense did not allow Louisville (1-4-2) a single shot in the first half.
• Britt scored the second goal for the Hoosiers in the 47th minute. Bennett found her on the left side of the box about 26-yards out before she fired one into the left side of the goal. Britt hit the right-side cross bar as the Cards goalie dove before it bounced into the net.
• The defense continued to hold strong as they blocked four shots. In the 80th minute, UL earned another attempt, but that would go off target.
HOOSIER POINTS
GOALS: Piper Coffield (9′), Elle Britt (47′)
ASSISTS: Anna Bennett (2)
NOTABLES
• The Hoosiers lead the series 3-2-2 against UL.
• Indiana outshot Louisville 20-5, while IU held the Cardinals to zero shots on goal. This is the second consecutive game that Indiana has not allowed a shot on goal.
• Bennett recorded two assists on the night bringing her season total to five and the 10th of her career.
• Coffield scored her second goal of her career with classmate Elle Britt scored the first of her career.
• Junior goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg earned her fifth shutout this season, the 20th of her career. She is three shutouts from setting the program record of 23 which is held by former teammate Bethany Kopel.
• Gerstenberg’s five victories this season has tied her for eighth most career wins in program history alongside Stacey Van Boxmeer (2003-06) with 15.
• Through six matches the Hoosiers have scored 13 goals with .483 shots on goal percentage.
QUOTABLES
Indiana head coach Erwin van Bennekom
“I think it’s the best performance of the year. It was a complete performance, defensively sound. I think we gave away one chance the whole game and created a ton of chances with some great goals. I have nothing bad to say about it. Overall, we played well against a good team that we didn’t allow to play today. I am very happy and proud of our performance.”
UP NEXT
The Hoosiers will honor the seniors on Sunday against Hanover at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. ET on B1G+.
INDIANA MEN’S SOCCER
NO. 7 INDIANA MEN’S SOCCER VISITS SOUTH FLORIDA
TAMPA, Fla. — No. 7-ranked Indiana men’s soccer (2-1-1) travels to Tampa to face 2022 NCAA Tournament team South Florida (0-3-0) on Friday (Sept. 8).
Fans can stream the match on the ESPN+ digital platform, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET.
SETTING THE SCENE
• Indiana is coming off a three-match homestand in which it won matches against DePaul and now-ranked Seton Hall.
• Junior forward Samuel Sarver has recorded three goal contributions in IU’s first four matches with two assists and the winning goal against Seton Hall.
• After scoring two goals in his first two matches, freshman Collins Oduro continues to wreak havoc on enemy defenses, leading the Big Ten in shots per game (5.50) and shots-on-goal per game (2.00).
• In four matches, Indiana has kept two clean sheets while conceding just two goals.
ABOUT THE BULLS
• Following a run to the NCAA Tournament Second Round last season, South Florida is 0-3-0 to start its 2023 season.
• The Bulls are led by seventh-year head coach Bob Butehorn, who has compiled a 42-44-13 record at USF and a 171-139-41 mark in 21 seasons as a head coach.
SERIES HISTORY
• Friday’s match marks the first meeting between Indiana and South Florida in six years. The Hoosiers lead the series 4-1-1, with their last lost coming from the first-ever matchup in 1984.
• In IU’s undefeated streak since, it has outscored the Bulls 14-1, winning four of five matches. Indiana has traveled to Tampa just once, its first victory in the series in 1993, winning 3-1.
• 1997 marked the lone NCAA Tournament matchup between the programs as Indiana won emphatically 6-0 to advance to the NCAA College Cup.
INDIANA VOLLEYBALL
VOLLEYBALL CENTRAL: STACHEVILLE CHALLENGE
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – An opportunity to bounce back awaits the Indiana Volleyball team (3-3, 0-0) at the Stacheville Challenge on the campus of Austin Peay this weekend.
Three close losses to challenging opponents in (RV) Long Beach State, UCLA and (RV) Washington in California proved the Hoosiers have the ability to compete with some of the nation’s best teams and storied programs.
IU last completed two perfect, 3-0 weekends, during the 2019 preseason slate in weekends at Kentucky and South Florida. 2019 was also the last time IU won at least six matches in its first nine contests.
Only IU’s match with Austin Peay (Saturday at 3:30 PM ET) will be streamed via ESPN+ with the others available to follow along via StatBroadcast or IU’s social media channels.
Match Info
Friday, September 8, 2023 | vs. Valparaiso | 1:00 PM ET
TV: No Stream
Live Stats
Friday, September 8, 2023 | vs. Lindenwood | 5:00 PM ET
TV: No Stream
Live Stats
Saturday, September 9, 2023 | at Austin Peay | 3:30 PM ET
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats
Watch
Hoosier News and Notes
Team Breakdown
• The Hoosiers opened their 2023 campaign at the Indiana Invitational, sweeping New Hampshire, Southern Indiana and Radford in commanding victories.
• IU tested itself early in the season with a trip to the Long Beach Invitational. A tough weekend at The Beach, which featured three defeats and eight of nine set loss by four of fewer points, was a strong litmus test for the Hoosiers in the early going of the season.
• 12 players from last year’s roster return including All-Big Ten junior setter Camryn Haworth, junior outside hitter Mady Saris, senior outside hitter Morgan Geddes and senior middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede.
• IU adds Cincinnati transfer Avry Tatum (OPP) as well as talented freshmen Ramsey Gary (L), Ava Vickers (MB) and Luca Fickell (S) to the roster.
The Hoosiers
• IU will look to get back on track with three matches in Tennessee this weekend including a doubleheader with Valparaiso and Lindenwood on Friday and a contest with the hosts, Austin Peay, on Saturday afternoon.
• The Hoosiers have never met Lindenwood but are 5-1 all-time against Valpo and 1-0 against the Governors of Austin Peay.
• Kjolhede and graduate student middle blocker Kaley Rammelsberg had big weekends out of the middle for IU in Long Beach, combining for 49 kills in three contests. Kjolhede provided a career-best 13 kills in the close defeat to The Beach.
• As a team, the Hoosiers are 2nd in the conference with 2.05 aces per set. Haworth is 7th nationally and 1st in the Big Ten with 15 aces on the campaign. With back-to-back service aces against Long Beach State, Haworth became the 19th player to hit 100 aces in an IU uniform.
• The Hoosiers are 89th in the NCAA and 5th in the Big Ten in total team blocks, racking up 48.0 stuffs across the first six matches of the season.
Building on Momentum
• The Hoosiers took a massive step forward in the 2022 season, playing to 16 total wins including nine in the conference. IU finished eighth in the conference after being picked 13th to begin the season.
• IU won nine conference games in 2022 compared to four in 2021 which marked a five-win increase, tied for the second-biggest jump in program history.
• An overall jump from 10 to 16 wins in 2022 was tied for the third-biggest improvement between seasons in program history.
Returning Numbers
• IU returns a strong core of athletes from its 2022 team including six of seven starters. Coming along with that includes a large majority of team statistics from last year that return for another go-around. The Hoosiers return 98.4% of kills and 96.8% of blocks from last year’s roster.
• Four different players on IU’s roster last year had 200+ kills and all four athletes return including Saris, Geddes, Kjolhede and sophomore outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles.
Player Watch
#10 Haworth, Camryn
• Haworth was 4th in the Big Ten in assists (1,111), 6th in assists per set (9.03) and 1st in aces (49) in 2022
• She became the first IU athlete to earn First Team All-Big Ten honors since 2010 (Ashley Benson) and was named to the 2023 Preseason All-Big Ten team.
• The Fishers, Ind. native is closing in on an elusive club. Only 10 setters in program history have eclipsed 2,000 assists with Haworth (1,805) expected to pass that mark in the non-conference portion of the schedule.
• She is sixth all-time in aces during the rally era (106) and could challenge for the rally-era ace record (130) this season across IU’s 33 matches. She is one of just 19 IU players all-time to have ever recorded 100+ aces. Overall, she is tied for 13th all-time in program history with 106 aces.
• For her career, Haworth has 1,805 assists, 481 digs and 106 aces. Only three Hoosiers have ever eclipsed 2,000+ assists, 500+ digs and 100+ aces in their career. IU’s junior setter will likely hit that mark before Big Ten play.
• She had a season’s best 46 assists against Long Beach State, the 13th time in her career she’s dished out 40+ assists in a single match.
#4 Saris, Mady
• Mady Saris finished 6th in the Big Ten in kills (427) last year, 8th in kills per set (3.47) and 6th in points (489) as the Hoosiers’ top offensive weapon in 2022.
• Saris is in line to become the next member of the 1,000 kill club at IU. She has 753 kills through two seasons and would become the 20th athlete to eclipse the mark in an IU uniform.
• She reached double-digit kills in all three games at the Indiana Invitational including 14 in a victory over Southern Indiana. For her career, she’s reached 10+ kills on 43 occasions across three seasons.
• The junior has started and contested in all 70 matches of her collegiate career.
#15 Kjolhede, Savannah
• The Colleyville, Texas native was one of the Big Ten’s best blockers last year and is 8th among active Big Ten players in blocks (282).
• She is 14th all-time in blocks at IU and is only 18 away from becoming the 14th athlete with 300+ blocks in an IU uniform. It would take 325 total stuffs to crack the top-10 in IU’s all-time ranks.
• The veteran middle has played in 87 games of her college career and has started 85 of those including all 18 during her freshman campaign which was shortened by COVID-19. The only game she missed was the opening against Radford in which she was a healthy, unused sub.
• She and Rammelsberg have combined to play 196 matches, put away 1,276 kills and reject 587 shots during their collegiate careers: making them one of the most veteran duos in college volleyball.
#3 Alonso-Corcelles, Candela
• After not starting in the Long Beach State match, Alonso-Corcelles came off the bench to provide 12 kills and hit .345 in a close contest against The Beach. She had 29 kills on the weekend and 12 digs and four blocks for a solid overall trip to California.
BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL
Hoosiers among middle group of teams.
• IU was picked 8th in the Big Ten Preseason Volleyball poll, its highest mark since the conference begin ranking all 14 teams.
• Camryn Haworth made the Preseason All-Big Ten team, IU’s first such honor since the 2010 season (Ashley Benson).
Opponent Breakdown: Valparaiso
Series History: 5-1 (Indiana leads) | Last Meeting: 9/14/12 (L, 2-3)
• Valpo is 5-2 on the young season including a three-set defeat to Big Ten foe Illinois in Champaign.
• The Crusaders run a 6-2 offense with Addy Kois (127 assists) and Victoria Bulmahn (103 assists) doing the setting.
• Bella Ravotto leads the offensive attack with 57 kills and 2.59 kills per set.
• Emma Hickey has dug 108 balls at a staggering 4.32 per set to lead the back row for Valpo.
Opponent Breakdown: Lindenwood
Series History: N/A | Last Meeting: N/A
• Nyah Wilson and Rebecca Janke lead the offensive attack for Lindenwood with 67 and 64 kills apiece.
• Allie Otten has dished out 173 assists this season in 23 sets.
• Jessie Seidel has 94 digs from the back row with 4.04 digs per set.
• The Lions are 4-2 on the season including a loss to host Austin Peay in straight sets.
Opponent Breakdown: Austin Peay
Series History: 1-0 (Indiana leads) | Last Meeting: 9/20/03 (W, 3-1)
• Austin Peay is 5-1 this season, having reeled off five-straight wins after dropping the season opener to Buffalo.
• The Govs look to Mikayla Powell on offense who leads the team with 97 kills and 3.88 per set. She is hitting .319 this year.
• They are balanced in the back row with five athletes providing 40 or more kills on the season.
• Maggie Keenan has 34 blocks on the year including 12 solo blocks.
PURDUE FOOTBALL
PURDUE VISITS VIRGINIA TECH SEEKING BOUNCE-BACK WIN AGAINST A HOKIES TEAM TRYING TO GO 2-0
Purdue (0-1) at Virginia Tech (1-0), Saturday, noon ET (ESPN2)
Line: Virginia Tech by 3, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Virginia Tech leads 1-0.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Purdue is trying to give new coach Ryan Walters his first win, but also looking to avoid the program’s first 0-2 start since 2018. With another Power Five matchup next week against Syracuse, the Boilermakers can’t afford to be staring at a possible 0-3 mark. Brent Pry is trying to get the Hokies off to a 2-0 start in his second season after they went 3-8 last year.
KEY MATCHUP
Virginia Tech’s passing game against the Boilermakers’ defense. Hokies quarterback Grant Wells has a big arm and threw for three TDs in the opening win against Old Dominion, all to wide receivers from the transfer portal. Transfer Ali Jennings caught two and has the ability to turn short passes into big gains, potentially turning a questionable first-down catch into a back-breaker.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Purdue: WR Deion Brooks. The team’s fastest player had a breakout peformance in Week 1 in the loss to Fresno State, catching four passes for 152 yards and the first two TDs of his career. His previous two-year totals: 16 catches, 175 yards. Could the Big Ten’s early leader in yards receiving emerge as the next in Purdue’s line of NFL receivers following Rondale Moore, David Bell and Charlie Jones?
Virginia Tech: Wells. He threw bad interceptions at times last season when he didn’t have a receiving corps that was equal to his arm strength. Jennings is the most accomplished of the three newbies, but Middle Tennesse State transfer Jaylin Lane also caught a 20-yard TD.
FACTS & FIGURES
Purdue QB Hudson Card was 17 of 30 with 254 yards, two TDs and no interceptions in his first start at Purdue. … Tyrone Tracy Jr returned a kickoff 98 yards for a TD. … Purdue is 15-16-2 all-time against ACC foes and has won four of its last six road openers. … Virginia Tech won the lone previous matchup, 51-24, in West Lafayette, Indiana, in 2015. … Pry faced Purdue twice during his time as defensive coordinator at Penn State, with the Nittany Lions winning both matchups, 62-24 in 2016 and 35-7 in 2019.
PURDUE VOLLEYBALL
STACEY CLARK CLASSIC ON DECK
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, September 8
#19 Kentucky vs. #21 Houston
4 p.m. ET | B1G+
SMU at #20 Purdue
7 p.m. ET | B1G+ | Radio: WSHY 104.3
Saturday, September 9
SMU vs. TBD*
4 p.m. ET | B1G+
#20 Purdue vs. TBD*
7 p.m. ET | B1G+ | WSHY 104.3
*Opponent will be either #19 Kentucky or #21 Houston based on Friday’s results.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After a pair of top-25 victories last week, the No. 20 Purdue volleyball team returns to Holloway Gymnasium for the Stacey Clark Classic this weekend.
Purdue will welcome SMU, No. 19 Kentucky and No. 21 Houston in a true bracket-style tournament, where winners from Friday’s matches will determine opponents for Saturday.
LAST WEEK AT A GLANCE
Within 24 hours, Purdue took down two high-ranked opponents with a pair of five-set victories at #23 Kansas and vs. #19 Marquette at the Kansas Invitational.
Combined, the two matches took five hours and 20 minutes, and saw 56 tied scores during that time.
Eva Hudson went on a scoring tear over the final two sets in both matches, recording 12 kills between Sets 4 and 5 vs. #19 Marquette, including a .500 hitting % in Set 5 (6 kills, 1 error on 9 attacks). Meanwhile, the night before, Hudson posted 10 kills over the final two sets.
Chloe Chicoine led the offense with 41.5 points last week while Hudson recorded 39 points and led the team in attack % (.280).
Graduate transfer Lorrin Poulter started both matches as setter, recording 8.00 assists per set over her six sets played. Meanwhile, freshman setter Taylor Anderson came off the bench in both matches to help put away the victories, averaging 9.80 assists per set in her five total sets played.
Chicoine was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Tuesday after posting a team-leading 41.5 points.
THE DYNAMIC DUO: EVA HUDSON & CHLOE CHICOINE
Together, the underclassmen both rank in the top-10 in the Big Ten in kills (Chicoine: 3.91 per set, Hudson: 3.45 per set).
Chicoine also ranks fifth in the league in points per set (4.34).
The duo was critical in both comeback victories last weekend in Lawrence, Kansas.
Hudson posted back-to-back doubles to guide the team to the two top-25 victories. Against #19 Marquette, Hudson went on a scoring tear over the final two sets, registering 12 kills between Sets 4 and 5. In Set 5, Hudson posted a .533 hitting % (6 kills, 1 error, 9 attacks). At #23 Kansas, Hudson posted 10 kills over the final two sets.
Chicoine’s performance at #23 Kansas included a .400% (5 kills, 1 error, 10 attacks) in Set 4 to help push the match to five, where she then added six digs in the fifth set alone. The next night, Chicoine recorded four kills and hit .500% in Set 5 vs. #19 Marquette.
LIBERO MADDIE SCHERMERHORN
Schermerhorn is coming off a season-high 22 dig performance in the win vs. #19 Marquette last Friday.
She has anchored the Boilermakers as their libero in every match this season.
Schermerhorn led the team in digs over Week 2, averaging 3.70 per set.
Posted a key seven digs in the fourth set alone vs. #19 Marquette to push the match to five.
Totaled 37 digs in under 24 hours as Purdue went 2-0 on the road against top-25 programs last week.
Was named to the Purdue Reamer Club Xtra Special Premier All-Tournament Team in Week 1.
The 2022 Second Team All-Big Ten honoree is averaging 4.09 digs per set this season and is 19 digs away from reaching her 1,000th career dig.
Schermerhorn will become the 21st Boilermaker in program history to join the 1,000 dig club.
Ranks 3rd in program history for most digs per set in a single season, recording 4.62 in 2022.
SCOUTING THE SMU MUSTANGS
SMU is coming off a 3-2 victory vs. #14 Baylor on Wednesday night in the Mustangs’ home opener – the program’s highest ranked win in its history. Other notable wins this season include a sweep of Florida State, which was receiving votes in the poll.
SMU runs a high-powered offensive attack, which saw three different Mustangs record double-digit kills for the third time this season during the victory over Baylor. Natalie Perdue led the team with 16 kills and 13 digs while Emma Clothier added 13 kills alongside a season-high seven blocks and a .550 hitting %.
SCOUTING THE #19 KENTUCKY WILDCATS
Purdue will potentially meet against Kentucky on Saturday for the first time since the Spring 2021 NCAA Tournament, where the Wildcats swept the Boilermakers in the NCAA Regional Finals on their way to winning the National Title.
Kentucky is on a two-match losing streak after facing a pair of losses to #10 Pitt in a home-and-away series.
While Kentucky is producing more kills compared to opponents (13.33 per set vs. 12.80), they are also committing more attack errors (91 vs. 61).
Top players include Reagan Rutherford (3.80 kills per set, 2.60 digs per set), setter Emma Grome (10.60 assists per set), Eleanor Beavin (3.27 digs per set, 4 aces) and Elise Goetzinger (.318 hitting %, 3.44 kills per set).
SCOUTING THE #21 HOUSTON COUGARS
Houston joined the Big 12 on July 1 and entered the AVCA poll for the first time since 1994 and have been ranked as high as #13 this season.
Kellen Morin was Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 29 and currently ranks 14th in the nation with 1.59 blocks per set.
As a team, Houston is the Big 12 leader with 16.17 digs per set, an effort led by Kate Georgiades’ 4.28 digs per set.
The attack is led by Abbie Jackson’s 3.61 kills per set (.243 attack %) and leads the team with 73 points.
Houston as played one ranked team: then-#22 USC in the season-opener, winning 3-1 on its home court.
PURDUE WOMEN’S SOCCER
FIGHT COMES UP JUST SHORT TO NO. 25 TCU
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – In a hard-fought game against another top-25 opponent, the Purdue soccer team was edged by No. 25 TCU, 2-1, on Thursday night at Folk Field in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Playing their third top-25 team in the first four weeks of the season, the Boilermakers (2-5-0) scored the game’s first goal in the 48th minute. However, the Horned Frogs (3-2-1) answered with the tying goal in the 67th minute and the eventual winning score in the 79th.
Purdue’s goal, off the foot of freshman forward Lauren Omholt, is just the fourth given up by TCU this season. It is Omholt’s second goal of her inaugural campaign.
The Horned Frogs held a 12-8 advantage in shots and the Boilermakers had a 3-2 edge in shots on goal. The visitors earned six corner kicks to the home side’s two, and both teams committed eight fouls. TCU was shown the lone card of the match, a yellow in the 78th minute.
Omholt had a game-best two shots on goal, and she and sophomore forward Kayla Budish shared the team lead with a pair of shots in the contest.
There were just three total shots in the opening 21 minutes, two by TCU and one by Budish, all off target. Omholt recorded the first shot on goal, which was saved in the 22nd minute. The Boilermaker defense forced another shot wide in the 30th minute, and Purdue junior midfielder Gracie Dunaway sent a chance wide a minute later.
The Boilermakers had four of the final five chances in the last 15 minutes of the first half, though each went off target. Senior midfielder Emily Mathews had one in the 34th minute, which came just over 30 seconds after a Boilermaker corner kick. Sophomore forward Naomi Splittorff and senior midfielder Nicole Kevdzija had shots wide and blocked, respectively, with under four minutes remaining.
The home side had six shots, one on frame, and the visitors registered four shots, none on target, in the first 45 minutes. Both squads had two corner kicks.
Purdue opened the second half with a quick goal to take a 1-0 lead, as Omholt found the back of the net at 47:13. The play began with a headed clearance by a Purdue defender inside the penalty area. Dunaway then got to the ball first and, after a short run on the right side, sent a pass up to junior forward Megan Hutchinson near midfield. Hutchinson quickly passed the ball back several yards to senior midfielder Emily Mathews, who fired a long pass up field to a sprinting Omholt. Just outside the top of the penalty arc, Omholt got to the ball, dribbled and fired a shot on goal from the edge of the 18. Her right-footed shot bounced past the TCU keeper, who was well off her line on the penalty spot, and into the right corner of the goal.
Mathews collected her 20th career assist on the goal, which moves her up into a tie for No. 4 all-time in school history. She ties Kellie Phillips, a Boilermaker from 2008-11. It also is Mathews’ fourth assist in 2023. Additionally, along with it being Omholt’s second career goal, it is Hutchinson’s second career assist, both coming in 2023.
TCU had a shot go high in the 51st minute, and Budish had a chance that was saved in the 58th.
The Horned Frogs leveled the match at 1-1 on a goal by Gracie Brian at 66:01. Assisted by Olivia Hasler, the shot came from the top of the penalty arc and went into the upper-right corner of the net.
The Boilermaker defense proceeded to force four TCU shots high, and blocked another, in the next ten minutes. However, the visitors then took a 2-1 lead at 78:28. From 25 yards out, AJ Hennessey scored on a shot that deflected off the crossbar and bounced in.
Neither team could get another shot off in the final 11-plus minutes as Purdue tried to find the equalizer.
TCU had eight shots to Purdue’s two in the second half, and both teams had two shots on goal. The visiting side had all four corner kicks.
Up next, Purdue concludes its non-conference slate against Western Kentucky at Folk Field on Sunday, September 10. Kickoff is at 1 p.m., and admission is free for all fans.
REGISTRATION OPEN FOR ALUMNAE REUNION WEEKEND
The annual Alumnae Reunion Weekend is set for September 16-17, and registration is still open. Alumnae and their family members and guests can register for reunion weekend at boile.rs/23SocReunion and find complete details at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
The weekend begins on Saturday, September 16, with the soccer team’s morning training session at Folk Field and lunch with the team and staff. The day will conclude at Ross-Ade Stadium as the Purdue football team hosts Syracuse at 7:30 p.m. ET. On Sunday, September 17, the Boilermaker soccer team hosts Northwestern at 1 p.m. ET at Folk Field. Soccer alumnae in attendance will be recognized on the field at halftime.
BUTLER WOMEN’S SOCCER
BULLDOGS AND BEARCATS BATTLE TO DRAW
INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler women’s soccer team held the lead twice in Thursday night’s match, but Cincinnati countered each time, producing a final draw. The Bulldogs (2-4-1, 0-0-0 BIG EAST) took an early lead in the 17th minute, but it was 1-1 by the half. After a second Butler goal in the 53rd minute, the Bearcats (1-3-2, 0-0-0 Big 12) scored on a late free kick to tie the game at two goals apiece.
Key Moments
16′ | Alana Wood draws a foul just outside the penalty area. Abigail Isger’s free kick hits the left post.
17′ | Ariana Jalics puts her foot on a Cincinnati clearance and pushes the ball toward Norah Jacomen at the arc. Jacomen plays to the side, eludes a defender, and sends a shot just inside the left post, giving the Bulldogs an early, 1-0, lead.
21′ | Cincinnati counters with numbers, and Anna Pierce is forced to dive to her right to save a hard shot from 25 yards out.
23′ | The Bearcats’ offense levels the score, at one, with an arching shot from the right corner of the penalty area that settles into the upper left corner of the net.
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53′ | Talia Sommer carries from the right side toward the arc. She maneuvers through five Bearcats to create a shot, but it is blocked. Isger one-time’s the deflection and slots it under the keeper, putting Butler in the lead, 2-1.
88′ | After a foul about 50 yards out, Cincinnati’s Fran Stables sends a free kick to the six-yard line. Emma Gioffre redirects the long service with her head into the right side of the net, leveling the score at two.
Butler Points Summary
GOALS: Norah Jacomen, Abigail Isger
ASSISTS: Talia Sommer
Bulldog Bits
Norah Jacomen’s goal was her fourth of the season.
Abigail Isger’s goal was her first of the season and the 18th of her career.
Talia Sommer’s assist was her second of the season and the sixth of her career.
IUPUI WOMEN’S SOCCER
KUDLO, CASTILLO KEY SHUTOUT WIN AT DAYTON
DAYTON, Ohio – Ashton Kudlo was masterful, Lindsey Castillo was opportunistic and the IUPUI women’s soccer team was rewarded with an emphatic 1-0 road win over previously unbeaten Dayton on Thursday night (Sept. 7). Kudlo delivered five saves, including stopping a penalty kick early in the second half, and Castillo found the back of the net in the 58th minute to help the Jaguars improve to 5-2 to start the season.
Dayton (5-1-1), ranked No. 4 in the East Region with wins over Cincinnati and Louisville, was unable to crack the IUPUI defense, despite an 18-6 shot advantage and 12-2 margin on corner kicks. Kudlo was the one consistent cog working behind a patchwork defensive line that shuffled bodies throughout the evening.
“It felt really good to knock out an undefeated, ranked team,” Kudlo said. “It was a great effort from every player. Our team is still facing some adversity, but everyone really stepped up today. It was a great feeling all around!”
Both goalkeepers benefited from the woodwork in a scoreless first half as Dayton had a shot rip off the left post and Cassie Rodriguez had a brilliant header tick off the bar in the 17th minute.
Dayton earned a penalty kick in the 48th minute when an attacker snuck in behind the back line and was free and clear against Kudlo before being knocked to the ground. However, Kudlo made it inconsequential with a sprawling save to her right against UD’s Laney Huber.
IUPUI made the most of a rare second half scoring chance in the 58th minute when Caroline Kelley played the speedy Emma Antoine into space on the right side. Antoine put an attempt on target that UD’s Maddie Crosbie cast aside. However, the rebound came free to Castillo, an Ohio-native, who slotted a shot just inside the post of the open net for her second score in as many games.
“It was super exciting to get a game-winning goal in my home state,” Castillo said. “I’m so proud of our team effort tonight to beat a competitive opponent. This was a good win for us to carry into conference play.”
From there, the IUPUI defense had to weather a storm, both literally and figuratively, as hard rains pelted Baujan Field down the stretch. Kudlo repeatedly cut down the Flyers’ angles and patrolled the 18-yard box during tense moments and garnered help from a group of defenders that included Emily Tobin, Kailyn Smith and Sarah Henson.
Tobin and Smith played all 90 minutes while Caroline Kelley split her 85 minutes between a forward and center back spot. Henson also played 85 minutes along the back line.
The Jaguars will return to action on Sunday (Sept. 10) when they host Lindenwood University at Carroll Stadium at 1:00 p.m. That match will be broadcast on ESPN+ and is the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
IUPUI VOLLEYBALL
JAGS FALL IN SOUTH DAKOTA CLASSIC OPENER
VERMILLION, S.D. – The IUPUI volleyball team opened up the South Dakota Classic on Thursday when they fell in three sets against South Florida. Freshman Ava Harris led the Jaguar attack with 11 kills while Grace Purichia collected 24 assists.
The Bulls from South Florida got off to a hot start taking a 21-9 lead in the first set before the Jags went on a 8-3 run. IUPUI couldn’t hold on as South Florida took a 1-0 lead with a first set win.
Down 1-0, the Jags fought to tie the match up in the second set but ultimately fell to 2-0. Harris and Maia Long had back-to-back kills to tie the set at 22-22 but despite Bull errors, the Jags fell, 26-24 in set two. South Florida outhit the Jags in set three, 11-8 to take the match with a third set victory, 25-15.
IUPUI’s serving served up seven aces but attack errors proved costly as the Bulls outhit the Jags, .263 percent to IUPUI’s .000. Harris led with 11 kills while Long added six and Emily Alan provided four. Purichia collected three aces and 24 assists while Briana Brown led the defense with 10 digs.
The Jags will continue the South Dakota Classic tomorrow when they face host South Dakota at 12:00 PM and Drake at 5:00 PM.
NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL
NO. 10 NOTRE DAME AIMS TO EXTEND ITS WIN STREAK AGAINST ACC TEAMS WHEN IT VISITS N.C. STATE
No. 10 Notre Dame (2-0) at North Carolina State (1-0), Saturday, 12 p.m. ET (ABC)
Line: Notre Dame by 7 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: N.C. State leads 2-1.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
The Fighting Irish have started fast with a new quarterback pushing the offense and have the goal of reaching the College Football Playoff. They’ll visit the Wolfpack, who installed a new offense in the offseason for a program with a steady run of success under 11th-year coach Dave Doeren.
KEY MATCHUP
N.C. State QB Brennan Armstrong vs. the Irish’s defense. Armstrong was one of the nation’s top passers in 2021 at Virginia under coordinator Robert Anae. They’re together now at N.C. State, where Armstrong’s ability to move the chains with his legs is vital for a team still trying to develop a go-to receiver. But Notre Dame’s defense has yet to allow an opponent to reach the end zone this season, allowing only a field goal in each of the Navy and Tennessee State wins.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Notre Dame: QB Sam Hartman. The former Wake Forest passer is familiar with the Wolfpack as an every-year opponent in the ACC. Hartman lost in Raleigh with the Demon Deacons last year, taking four sacks in the 30-21 loss.
N.C. State: WR Keyon Lesane. N.C. State needs someone to step up in its receiving corps, and Lesane was the most-possibility to do so during the offseason. He had just two catches for 22 yards in the opener against Connecticut.
FACTS & FIGURES
Notre Dame has won 28 straight regular-season games against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents. … The Fighting Irish moved up three spots in the AP Top 25 poll. … N.C. State has won 16 of 17 home games dating to 2020 and hasn’t lost a home game in the month of September since 2014. … The Wolfpack took the first two meetings in the series, first with Philip Rivers leading a Gator Bowl win to end the 2002 season. N.C. State also beat the Fighting Irish in Raleigh in 2016 in a game played during monsoon-like conditions due to Hurricane Matthew. … The Fighting Irish have given up 110 yards passing through two games. This also marks the first time since 1975 that the Fighting Irish haven’t surrendered a touchdown through two games.
NOTRE DAME NOTES:
NOTRE DAME – NC STATE SERIES HISTORY • Notre Dame and NC State will be meeting for just the fourth time on Saturday afternoon. The Wolfpack lead the all-time series 2-1. • The Irish will be making their second trip to Raleigh this weekend. In 2016, Notre Dame and NC State played a water-logged game as Hurricane Matthew worked its way through North Carolina. The Wolfpack earned a 10-3 victory in a game that included a 30-minute weather delay at the start of the second half. • Sullivan Absher (Belmont), Sam Hartman (Charlotte), Bryce McFerson (Indian Trail), Sam Pendleton (Lawsonville) and Davis Sherwood (Greensboro) will all be returning to their home state of North Carolina for this weekend’s game. • See page 9 for a look at Notre Dame’s last meeting against NC State and a full series breakdown.
IRISH ITEMS – BY THE NUMBERS
0
Notre Dame has started the season 2-0 without allowing a touchdown
to Navy or Tennessee State. It marks the first time the program has
not given up a touchdown in the season’s first two games since 1975
(Boston College 17-3, Purdue 17-0).
2
Notre Dame and UCLA are the only two teams in the country with two
different running backs notching touchdown receptions. The Irish
are the only team in the country with two different running backs
with touchdown receptions over 40 yards (Jadarian Price 40 yards,
Gi’Bran Payne 41 yards both vs. Tennessee State).
3rd
Is Gi’Bran Payne turning into a third-down specialist? After two
games, the sophomore running back leads the team with four third
down conversions. See page 16 for a full break down of Irish performances on 3rd and 4th down.
4
In Marcus Freeman’s debut season in 2022, Notre Dame defeated
four Associated Press ranked teams: No. 5 Clemson, No. 16 BYU, No.
16 Syracuse and No. 20 South Carolina, which matched Terry Brennan
(1954) for the most ranked wins in a coaching debut season at Notre
Dame and was most in one single season for the program since 2018.
7
Sam Hartman has thrown just seven incomplete passes over two
games (33-40) and is responsible for seven touchdowns (6 passing,
1 rushing).
10 Howard Cross III joins Jack Kiser and Marist Liufau as Notre Dame’s
leading tacklers with 10 each through two games.
28
Notre Dame hopes to extend its regular-season winning streak
against Atlantic Coast Conference teams to 29 this weekend. The Irish
have not lost a regular-season game to an ACC school since a 41-8
loss at Miami in 2017. See page 10 for more.
31
Notre Dame has seen 31 different student-athletes make their college
football debuts through two games this season – that group includes
13 true freshman that have seen their first action.
36
With two passing touchdowns and his first rushing score in an Irish
uniform, Sam Hartman extended his FBS-leading streak of games
being responsible for at least one touchdown to 36 contests.
83 Irish quarterback Sam Hartman has thrown 83 touchdown passes
since 2021 – the most of any Power 5 quarterback.
92
Notre Dame has outscored its first two opponents in 2023 by 92
points. That is the biggest point differential in the first two games of
the season since 1932 when Notre Dame defeated Haskell 73-0 and
Drake 62-0 (135 points).
100
When an Irish running back reaches the 100-yard plateau, that typically coincides with a Notre Dame victory. Since 2021, the Irish are
17-2 (.895) when at least one ND player reaches 100 rushing yards.
110
The Irish defense has held its first two opponents to just 110 passing
yards (43 vs. Navy, 67 vs. Tennessse State) which is the first time
since 2016 the Irish have back-to-back games giving up less than 70
yards passing.
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – OFFENSE Jayden Thomas, the leading returning receiver from 2022, has proved that role accurate in ‘23. Thomas leads the team with 8 catches for 125 yards, which includes three third-down catches. Deion Colzie continued his penchant for key third down conversions against Navy and also turned a short pass to the outside into a 25-yard touchdown reception. Chris Tyree has shifted to wide receiver after three years as a running back with the Irish. He caught three passes for 36 yards against Navy and a 24-yard touchdown vs. TSU. True freshman Jaden Greathouse nabbed a 35-yard touchdown pass on his first career touch against Navy. He followed up with a 20-yard scoring catch later in the game. Joe Alt, the son of former NFL All-Pro John Alt, is one of four team captains for the Irish this season, has been selected as a consensus preseason All-American and is on the Outland, Lombardi and Walter Camp Award watch lists. See page 7 for more on Alt. Pat Coogan made his first career start in just his second game played against Navy. He has helped the Irish average 206.0 rushing yards per game. Zeke Correll has played guard and center during his career and now enters the season as one of the top snappers in the nation. He will make his 24th-career start on the Irish offensive line at NC State and is on the Rimington Award watch list. Rocco Spindler joined Coogan to make his first career start at guard for the Irish against Navy and helped pave the way for 221 rushing yards against Tennesee State. Blake Fisher combines with Joe Alt to give the Irish offensive line two of the top tackles in the nation. See page 7 for more on Alt and Fisher. Mitchell Evans caught a career-high four passes for 61 yards against TSU. Evans also plays a key role in some of Notre Dame’s short yardage packages by taking direct snaps. He rushed for five first downs and a touchdown from under center last season. Holden Staes capped Notre Dame’s scoring drive before halftime against TSU with a leaping four-yard touchdown catch for his first career scoring reception. Rico Flores Jr. has shown a penchant for getting open in the preseason and posted the first reception of the game against Tennessee State, finishing the game with two catches for 31 yards. Sam Hartman is 1-2 against NC State in his career and 0-2 in Carter-Finley Stadium. Against the Wolfpack Hartman is 72-131 passing for 923 yards (308/game) with six touchdowns and six interceptions. Audric Estimé rushed for 95 yards in the opener against Navy, then followed up with his fourth career 100-yard rushing performance against TSU with 13 carries for 116 yards and one touchdown. Gi’Bran Payne has converted four third-down attempts in 16 touches. Jadarian Price has scored two touchdowns this season on eight touches (six carries, two receptions). His first career carry against Navy was a 19-yard touchdown. His second career catch was a 40-yard touchdown reception. Jeremiyah Love is averaging 9.6 yards per rush and owns a 36-yard rushing touchdown (vs. TSU). Spencer Shrader decided to play his final year at Notre Dame, claimed the starting kicker duties and has not looked back. A former professional soccer player, Shrader has rushed twice in his career (once for a 22-yard touchdown), caught a pass for seven yards, made two tackles on kick offs, punted once for 36 yards and has converted 28 career field goals. Bryce McFerson has a booming leg and was slated to be the Irish kickoff specialist last season as a true freshman, before an injury kept him off the field. His first career punt for Notre Dame against Tennessee State ended up as a 54-yard boot. Michael Vinson is in his sixth year at Notre Dame and is one of the top long snappers in the nation. He has developed into a clear leader not only for the Irish special teams, but the entire roster.
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – DEFENSE Jordan Botelho has been active through two games from his defensive end position with five tackles, one sack and a quarterback hurry. Joshua Burnham leads the team in tackles-for-loss with two, while also posting a sack and two quarterback hurries. Rylie Mills is No. 10 on The Athletic’s Freak List for his work in the weight room and has been distruptive on the defensive line so far in 2023. Mills’ timely sack against Navy in the fourth quarter pushed the Midshipmen back from the four-yard line that eventually led to a field goal. Jason Onye is coming off an early-career-best game with five tackles against Tennesee State. He also blocked his first career field goal, preventing TSU points after the Irish fumbled a kick return and gifted the Tigers the ball at the ND 12-yard line. Howard Cross III joins Jack Kiser and Marist Liufau as the team leaders with 10 tackles each, with Cross III playing on the interior of Notre Dame’s defensive line. Javontae Jean-Baptiste single handedly ended a Navy drive with back-to-back tackles at the line in the second quarter. He followed up his ND debut against the Midshipmen with three tackles and a quarterback hurry against TSU. Nana Osafo-Mensah is a leader in the defensive line group and a steady force against the run. Marist Liufau enters his second full season as a starter in 2023 and has been all over the field through the first two games of the year. He is tied for the team lead with 10 tackles. JD Bertrand is the defacto leader of the Irish defense, and is one of the most prolific tackling linebackers of the last 20 years. See page 7 for more on Bertrand. Jack Kiser does a little bit of everything for the Irish defense, and can appear on the line or even as a spot safety if necessary. He led the team with eight tackles against Navy. Cam Hart was voted a captain by his teammates this season, and looks poised for a highly productive final season with the Irish. Among the most veteran defenders on the team (37 games played) Hart has 73 career tackles, 14 PBUs and two interceptions. DJ Brown returned for a fifth year and is the ‘quarterback’ of the back seven for Notre Dame’s defense. A solid and sure tackler, Brown has 109 career stops and three interceptions in his career. Xavier Watts has grown from a rookie wide receiver into one of Notre Dame’s starting safeties. He has appeared in 28 games and has 60 career tackles to his credit. Benjamin Morrison was a Freshman All-American last season, and is focused on taking his game to an even higher level in 2023. See page 7 for more on Morrison. The Irish defense is filled with talented younger players eager to make their mark with increased playing time in 2023. Jaylen Sneed loves to pressure the quarterback and get downhill on running situations. Christian Gray, a true freshman, has earned the trust of position coach Mike Mickens to be listed as a back up to Benjamin Morrison. While those talented younger players are ready for their moment, there are three key veterans in the back seven of the defense who will play key roles. Clarence Lewis has played in 39 games at Notre Dame and scored his first career touchdown on a 33-yard interception return against Tennessee State. Thomas Harper, a transfer from Oklahoma State, made his first start in an Irish uniform against TSU. Antonio Carter II jumps up a level from Rhode Island and will provide the Irish safeties depth and contribute across the Irish special teams. Dylan Devezin, a sophomore walk-on quarterback, has seized the team’s holder role and has earned Spencer Shrader’s – and special teams coordinator Marty Biagi’s –trust.
NC STATE NOTES:
THE GAME • Saturday’s game will mark the fourth time that NC State and Notre Dame have met on the gridiron and the third regular season meeting between the two teams. • The teams faced off following the 2002 campaign in the Toyota Gator Bowl, when the Wolfpack capped off the winningest season in school history (11-3) with a 28-6 victory over the 11th-ranked Irish. That was the only time NC State has won a game involving two teams that had 10 wins entering the game. • On the day that NC State celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first game in Carter-Finley Stadium, the two teams slugged it out in the torrential rain caused by the outer bands of Hurricane Matthew. A blocked punt return by FS Dexter Wright early in the fourth quarter was the game’s lone touchdown and gave the Pack a 10-3 victory. • The No. 14 Pack traveled to South Bend to take on the ninth ranked Irish on Oct. 28, 2017. Notre Dame won that contest handily: 35-14. • Wolfpack quarterback Brennan Armstrong has never faced Notre Dame. When his former team, Virginia, played the Irish in 2021, he was sitting out with broken ribs. • NC State has faced Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman three times at his previous school: Wake Forest. Hartman was 1-2 vs. the Pack, losing both games in Carter-Finley. He put up big numbers, though – throwing for 823 yards on 72-131 passing. Although he threw six touchdowns in those three games, he also threw six interceptions and was sacked 13 times. • This will mark the first time since 2005 that the Wolfpack faces a ranked opponent in its home opener. NC State dropped that contest, 16-20, to No. 8 Virginia Tech. • The Wolfpack has blocked a punt that for a touchdown in each of the past two games against the Fighting Irish. In 2016, Pharoah McKever blocked a punt that was returned by Dexter Wright for the game’s only TD by either team, while in 2017, James Smith-Williams (Washington Commanders) blocked a punt that was recovered by Germaine Pratt (Cincinnati Bengals) in the endzone.
HOME vs. NON-CON NC State has won its last 24 home games against non-conference opponents, dating back to a 2013 loss to East Carolina. In other words, Dave Doeren (now in his 11th year as head coach of the Wolfpack), has not lost a home game to a non-con opponent since year 1. The Wolfpack has won 23 straight home games vs. non-ACC teams, with the last loss coming on Nov. 23, 2013 to ECU (28-42). SEPTEMBER SUCCESS The Wolfpack hasn’t lost a home game in the month of September since 2014. Since that 41-56 loss to No. 1 Florida State on 9/27/14 has won 19 straight home games in the month of September plus one late August win. PACK-ED HOUSE Before the Wolfpack even kicked off in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30, 2022, NC State had sold more than 31,000 season tickets for 2023. Wolfpack Nation has continued to show its anticipation with 35,000 season tickets sold (and that number doesn’t include the sold out suites and club level in Towne Bank Center). It marks just the fourth time in school history the Pack has surpassed the 35k mark and marks the most season ticket revenue in program history. Last season, the Wolfpack sold out six of its seven home games. That was the highest number of sold out games for NC State Football since 2003, when then-QB Philip Rivers had just one kid (his 10th is on the way!). As of Aug. 15, 2023, the Pack has already repeated the feat for 2023 with six games completely sold out and as of Sept. 4 had just 350 tickets remaining to the VMI game. SIZE MATTERS NC State’s home field advantage will get even more advantageous in 2023 with the addition of the new videoboard on the north end of Carter-Finley Stadium. The 7,121 square foot board, which is the 11th largest single-display board in college football, boasts 6.6+ million pixels. The concert-grade sound system will be one of the loudest and clearest in the country, with 75 Audio Speakers covering the entire stadium. For perspective, the board is 50’ wider than the height of the Memorial Belltower.
NOTRE DAME VOLLEYBALL
IRISH SWEEP ILLINOIS IN HOME OPENER
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish took down the Illinois Fighting Illini in an impressive three set victory in the home opener at Purcell Pavilion on Thursday, September 7. After starting the Irish Invitational 1-0, Notre Dame is now 3-2 on the season.
It was a great team win for the Irish as Sydney Palazzolo and Ava Lange led the way offensively with 15 kills and 12 kills, respectively. Phyona Schrader played a well rounded match as she recorded seven kills, five digs, and five blocks for the Irish. Finishing with three kills, a .429 hitting percentage and a team-best six blocks, Lauren Tarnoff was a big factor in tonight’s victory as well. Nicole Drewnick dished out 36 assists, averaging 12 per set, and Hattie Monson recorded a team-high 17 digs for the Irish.
While the Irish started off slow in set one, it didn’t take long for the team to get going. Despite Illinois claiming the 5-1 advantage to start, the Notre Dame offense came alive and took the lead 14-9 after a kill from Charity McDowell. The Illini made it an even set at 17-17, 18-19, and 19-19. The Irish looked to terminate as they outscored Illinois 6-2 to close the set with kills from Palazzolo, Lange, Drewnick, and Schrader to take home set one 25-21.
Notre Dame’s momentum carried into set two as they posted an early 13-6 lead over the Illini. A late run from Illinois closed that gap as they were able to get within two at 17-15, but Notre Dame pulled away yet again. The Irish closed out the set 25-19, with five of the Irish’s final 10 points coming off of Palazzolo kills.
Set three was a close one through the entirety of the set. With 17 ties over the course of set three, neither squad could pull away from the other. After continuously swapping points, it was an even set at 21-21. After an attacking error followed by a block from Tarnoff and Drewnick, the Irish took the advantage 23-21. The Illini brought it within one again at 23-22, but another block from Lange and Tarnoff coupled with a Lange kill completed the sweep for the Irish as they won set three 25-22.
The Irish will take on Oklahoma on Saturday, September 9 at 2 p.m. at Purcell Pavilion in their final match of the Irish Invitational.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S SOCCER
#11 IRISH SUFFER FIRST LOSS IN 1-0 DEFEAT TO MICHIGAN
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 11 Notre Dame women’s soccer team looked great in stretches, held most of the possession, fired off a total of seven shots on goal to Michigan’s three; yet, the final score read 1-0 in the Wolverines (3-1-2) favor. The Irish (3-1-2) suffered their first loss of the 2023 season and its first shutout defeat at home in a regular-season game since October of 2020.
In total, the Irish fired off 27 shots to Michigan’s eight. The standout of the game for the Irish was freshman Morgan Roy, who led the team with six of those shots.
She diced through several Michigan defenders throughout the night and in the second half she had a shot that went off the crossbar, and later, a free kick that was nearly perfectly placed. It took an exceptional dive from the keeper to save it.
Speaking of great second-half chances, Leah Klenke nearly registered a goal off of a corner kick. Charlie Codd one-timed a shot that was deflected right to Klenke’s feet. With her back to the goal, Klenke heel-shot the ball and it was kick-saved by the keeper.
Maddie Mercado nearly had two goals in the match. Minutes into the second half, Mercado got the ball after a corner kick and fired off a shot to the near post. Michigan’s goalie made a quick one-handed save to deflect it out-of-bounds. In the first half, Mercado collected the ball after a deflected shot and rifled a shot to the right post. Yet, the unluck of the Irish struck again as a Michigan defender just happened to be standing in the trajectory of the shot of an open net.
Michigan’s goal came in the 58th minute. The Irish outnumbered the Wolverines in their own box but didn’t get matched up as Gabrielle Prych one-timed the cross into the goal.
The Irish will conclude the non-conference portion of their schedule with a trip to Bowling Green on Sunday, Sept. 10. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.
BALL STATE WOMEN’S SOCCER
SOCCER BATTLES HARD IN 1-0 LOSS AT VANDERBILT
NASHVILLE – – The Ball State soccer defense limited Vanderbilt to its second-lowest shot total of the season, but an 88th-minute goal gave the hosts a 1-0 victory Thursday evening at the Vanderbilt Soccer Complex.
“I was impressed by our discipline tonight,” head coach Josh Rife said. “We played with more belief than the previous few games and gave a very talented Vanderbilt team a tough match.”
Leading the way for the Cardinals’ (1-4-0) defense was redshirt junior keeper Bethany Moser who made some spectacular saves early to keep the game scoreless over the first 87 minutes of play.
Unfortunately, a cross in the 88th-minute would sail just out of Moser’s leaping reach and find the foot of the Commodores’ (4-0-3) Mia Castillo for the lone goal of the match. It was the third match-tying or match-winning goal scored by Vanderbilt, which picked up a vote in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, in the 85th minute or later this season.
Up until that point, it was a 70th-minute shot from Ball State senior defender Ryann Locante which was the most threatening play of the contest as it went off the fingertips of the diving Vanderbilt goalie.
Overall, the Cardinals registered eight total shots, with two on goal. On the opposite end, Ball State limited the Commodores to 13 total shots with only five on net. The five shots on goal tied as Vanderbilt’s lowest total of the season, while the 13 total shots tied as the second lowest.
Junior forward Lexi Fraley provided the Cardinals’ other shot on goal late in the opening half, striking it about 30 yards out and forcing a diving save.
Up next, Ball State returns to the Briner Sports Complex for just the second time this season when it hosts Austin Peay Sunday at 1 p.m. for Senior Day.
Prior to the start of the game, the Cardinals will honor seniors Maria Broering, Abby Elgert, Avery Fenchel, Jordyn Jeffers, Locante, Moser and Paige Munar.
BALL STATE VOLLEYBALL
THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE VOLLEYBALL: The Ball State women’s volleyball team returns to the road this weekend for another challenging slate of matches at the Dayton Invitational … Friday, the Cardinals will square off against Wright State at 5 p.m. in a meeting of programs which played opposite matches in the first round of last season’s NCAA Milwaukee Regional … Saturday, Ball State will battle UIC at 11 a.m. and host Dayton at 7 p.m.
FOLLOW THE ACTION: Fans unable to make their way to the Frericks Center in Dayton, Ohio, can follow the action with live stats for all three matches courtesy of the host Flyers … In addition, Ball State’s Saturday night match at Dayton will be broadcast live on ESPN+ … Updates from the matches will also be provided on the team’s X feed: @BallStateWVB.
MAC PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATION: For the second straight season, the Ball State women’s volleyball program was selected to repeat at the Mid-American Conference West Division champion in the league’s annual preseason poll … The Cardinals received 61 points and 11 of the 12 first-place votes to win the division … Western Michigan was second with one first place vote and 43 points … In addition, the Cardinals received five votes to win the MAC Tournament which will be hosted by the league’s top seed … Bowling Green was selected to win the MAC East Division and earned six votes to win the tournament.
PRESEASON HONORS: In addition to the team being picked to win the MAC West Division, fifth-year middle Marie Plitt and junior setter Megan Wielonski have been named to the preseason All-MAC team … Both were first team all-conference selections in each of the past two seasons, with Wielonski earning 2021 MAC Freshman of the Year honors and 2022 MAC Setter of the Year accolades.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: The Cardinals are 24-26 all-time versus teams in this weekend’s Dayton Invitational field.
– Ball State holds a 14-8 lead in the all-time series versus Wright State, including a 3-1 (25-21, 25-20, 26-24, 25-20) road victory Sept. 3, 2021, in the last meeting between the two programs.
– Ball State is 3-9 all-time versus UIC, winning the last three meetings in the series … The last time the programs met was a 3-0 (25-14, 25-11, 25-14) Cardinals victory Sept. 14, 2013, at the Hawkeye Challenge hosted by Iowa.
– Ball State is 7-9 all-time versus Dayton, with the Flyers winning the last four meetings … Last season, Dayton earned a 3-2 (17-25, 25-21, 25-17, 23-25, 15-12) victory in Worthen Arena on Sept. 13.
SCOUTING BALL STATE:
• Despite a strong effort, including taking No. 20 Creighton to five sets, Ball State lost all three matches it played at last weekend’s Bluejay Invitational … BSU also suffered a 3-0 setback to UNI, while falling in four to LSU.
• In her first collegiate weekend in the starting rotation, redshirt freshman Aniya Kennedy shined, earning all-tournament honors after leading the Ball State offense with a 3.50 kills-per-set average … She smashed double-digit kills in all three matches, including a career-high 16 versus UNI.
• Fifth-year libero Havyn Gates leads the Ball State backcourt with a 4.32 digs-per-set average, while senior middle Lauren Gilliland has tallied 0.95 block per set.
SCOUTING WRIGHT STATE:
• While the Raiders are 2-4 on the year, the effort includes a four-set loss at No. 4 Louisville and a 3-0 setback to No. 21 Washington State … Last weekend, the Raiders swept a Loyola squad which was receiving votes in the AVCA/Taraflex Coaches Poll, while falling in five to Texas A&M and in four at Bowling Green.
• Megan Alders leads a balanced Wright State attack with a 3.32 kills-per-set average, while seven players are averaging at least 1.00 kills per set.
• In the backcourt, the Raiders average 14.00 digs per set, paced by Jenny Wessling at 4.05 … WSU is also averaging 1.77 blocks per set.
SCOUTING UIC:
• The Flames enter the weekend with a 5-2 mark, with its two losses coming in its last two matches … The first was a 3-1 setback to an undefeated Western Michigan last Saturday, followed by a 3-1 loss to perennial Big Ten power Illinois Tuesday.
• Ayat Amin leads the UIC attack with a 3.48 kills-per-set average, while Martina Delucchi is right behind at 3.00 … As a team, the Flames are hitting .266 which ranks 46th nationally.
• UIC is also a solid blocking team, ranking 67th among all NCAA Division I teams with a 2.40 blocks-per-set average … Zahria Woodard leads the squad in that category at 1.48 blocks per set … In the backcourt, Jaclyn Oblena has a team-best 3.60 digs-per-set average.
SCOUTING DAYTON:
• The Flyers, who received votes in the latest AVCA/Taraflex Coaches Poll, are 5-2 on the year and coming off a 3-2 setback at No. 2 Louisville on Wednesday … UD’s other loss was another 3-2 setback to No. 12 Marquette.
• Dayton is another strong attacking team, ranking 62nd nationally with a .253 hitting percentage … Lexie Almodovar leads the squad with a 4.03 kills-per-set average.
• Karissa Kaminski has a team-best 4.40 digs-per-set average, while Amelia Moore leads the team at the net with a 1.10 blocks-per-set average.
BALL STATE QUICK HITS:
• In its 52nd season of play, Ball State boasts a 997-637-2 (.610) all-time record in women’s volleyball … The Cardinals have captured 12 MAC West Division Championships, 10 MAC Regular Season Championships and eight MAC Volleyball Championship titles … Ball State has made 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including three of the last four seasons … BSU has also earned one bid into the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
• Ball State concluded the 2022 regular season as the winningest program in league play with a 433-215 (.668) all-time Mid-American Conference record … Western Michigan is second on the list, seven matches behind the Cardinals at 426-222 (.657).
• The Cardinals own an even better record when playing at home, boasting a 309-96 (.763) mark inside Worthen Arena after the Ball State Invitational … Looking at just opponents from the MAC, Ball State is 226-58 (.796) when battling in “The Nest” … Overall, no MAC opponent owns a winning record inside Worthen Arena, as the Cardinals have at least a .632 winning percentage against all league schools on its current home floor.
• Marie Plitt has picked up right where she left off last season, leading the squad with a .366 (48-7-112) attack percentage so far this season … Her best effort came in the win over Purdue Fort Wayne (Aug. 26) when she smashed 10 kills on 12 swings with one error for a .750 attacking mark … Plitt also hit .500 in the season opener versus Gonzaga (Aug. 25) and has hit .500-or-better in 29 career matches.
• Thanks to her solid start to the year, Marie Plitt enters the Dayton Invitational ranked third on Ball State’s all-time list with a .353 career hitting percentage … Plitt has steadily improved each year, hitting .295 as a freshman, .316 as a sophomore, .360 as a junior and a Ball State single season record .404 last year … She is the first player in program history to hit .400-or-above in a single season.
• In addition, Marie Plitt became just the 13th player in program history to reach 1,000 career kills with her first of 10 markers in last season’s NCAA Tournament opening round match at No. 16 Marquette … With 1057 career kills, Plitt needs 78 more kills to break into the top 10 in program history, with Mindy Stanley (1993-96) currently ranking 10th at 1,135.
• Fifth-year defensive specialist Havyn Gates served as Ball State’s starting libero in all six matches so far this season, and has now donned the off-colored jersey 11 times in her Ball State career … She was credited with a season-high 26 digs in the near upset at No. 20 Creighton (Sept. 1) and followed with 22 versus UNI (Sept. 2), giving her 26 career matches with 20-or-more digs … Gates’ Ball State career-high is 33 digs in the five-set thriller at Central Michigan (Sept. 24, 2022) … Gates, who registered 42 digs in a match as a freshman at Indiana Wesleyan in 2019, has 1,840 career digs including 716 at BSU and 1,124 at IWU.
• Megan Wielonski, who currently ranks seventh in program history with 2,966 career assists, has proven to be one of the nation’s elite setters … In fact, her 2,966 career assists currently rank 21st among all active NCAA Division I players … As a freshman, she finished the 2021 season ranked second nationally with 1,394 total assists … Her sophomore campaign saw her ranked fourth nationally with 1,358 total assists in 2022 … Six matches into the 2023 season and Wielonski is 59th nationally with 213 total assists.
• In addition to being one of the nation’s top setters, Megan Wielonski is one of the country’s top servers with 112 career aces … As a freshman, she ranked eighth among all NCAA Division I players with 58 aces, including a career-high seven vs. Ohio (Sept. 30, 2021) … Her 58 aces in 2021 tied as the sixth-most in a single season in Ball State history and were a single season record for a BSU setter, topping Amber Seaman’s total of 51 in 2018 … Last season, she ranked 55th nationally with 46 service aces, while she has a team-leading eight aces so far this season.
• Sophomore opposite Madison Buckley has made a big impact so far this season, ranking second on the squad with a 2.41 kills-per-set average … Her biggest match so far came at No. 20 Creighton (Sept. 1) when she smashed a career-high 14 kills … She started the year with 10 kills in the win over Gonzaga (Aug. 25), her first career match in double figures.
• In addition to leading the squad with a 3.44 kills-per-set average, Aniya Kennedy has been one of Ball State’s most efficient attackers, ranking second on the team and sixth in the MAC with a .302 hitting percentage … Last time out, she led Ball State with a .375 (13-4-24) rate of success versus LSU (Sept. 3) … Her career-best was .467 (9-2-15 in the win over Purdue Fort Wayne (Aug. 26).
• Lauren Gilliland has been a force at the net so far this season, leading the squad with 21 total blocks, including six solo stuffs … She is second among active Cardinals with 316 career blocks, trailing only Marie Plitt’s 351 … Plitt’s total is 11th in program history, while Gilliland ranks 15th.
INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S SOCCER
WOLFE CONNECTS ON FIRST GOAL TO GUIDE SYCAMORES TO 1-1 DRAW WITH UT MARTIN
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Adelaide Wolfe scored her first collegiate goal to highlight the Indiana State offense on Thursday afternoon as the Sycamores battled UT Martin to a 1-1 draw at Memorial Stadium to start the two-match home stand.
Wolfe scored in the 48th minute of the match off a deflection in the box as the sophomore defender collected the ball in the box near the Indiana State (0-2-5) bench. She lofted a shot toward the upper left back corner of the net over the UTM (2-3-1) goalkeeper and the ball bounced in to even the match up at 1-1.
The Skyhawks took the 1-0 lead in the 40th minute as Caroline Moore connected on a ball at the top of the box. The shot deflected off an ISU defender and the redirection crossed the line in the box before Maddie Alexander was able to recover to give UT Martin the one-goal advantage heading into the half.
Indiana State was consistently on the attack throughout the contest as the Sycamores jumped out to an aggressive start. Maddie Helling had the first attempt of the game off an ISU corner kick in the 10th minute, but her header was saved by UTM’s Poppy Bastock. Mackenzie Kent’s offering in the 11th minute was also corralled by the Skyhawk keeper to keep the Sycamores off the board early.
UTM challenged late in the first half with Rachel Okoro connecting on a shot that Alexander rose to collect prior to Moore’s goal.
The second half started off strong for ISU again with Alexa Mackey’s deflected shot in the box dropping to the feet of Wolfe and the sophomore cashed in to make it a 1-1 game. Kent and Chloe Tesny nearly put ISU in the lead with strong challenged in the 51st and 52nd minutes, but Bastock was able to recover possession to prevent the ISU shots on goal.
Alexa Seiler, pressed into action due to a second-half injury sustained by Alexander, made a key save in the 66th minute for the Sycamores to keep the 1-1 tie intact. Neither team was able to mount a sustained attack the remainder of the way in settling for the draw.
UTM out-shot the Sycamores 10-8 in the contest and had the 7-5 edge in corner kicks. Skyhawk keeper Bastock had five saves in the match, while Alexander and Seiler combined for three for ISU.
News & Notes
Adelaide Wolfe’s goal in the 48th minute of the match was the first of her collegiate career.
The sophomore attempted five shots with three on goal in the 2022 season. Entering Thursday, she had previously only attempted a shot on goal this past Sunday at Youngstown State.
Wolfe becomes the second Sycamore to post their first collegiate goal in the 2023 season. Maddie Helling scored at both Eastern Illinois and Robert Morris earlier this season for her first career marks in the statistical category.
Mackenzie Kent continues to pressure the net as the junior forward attempted a team-high three shots with two on goal giving her a team-high 15 shots and six on goal in 2023.
Alexa Mackey went the full 90 minutes for the seventh time in the 2023 season as the junior midfielder is the lone Sycamore to play every minute to date on the year.
ISU’s three-match double-digit shot streak came to an end on Thursday afternoon as the Sycamores were limited to eight attempts in the match.
ISU’s five draws on the year leave the Sycamores tied for the national lead with Western Kentucky (1-1-5).
Indiana State’s five draws in the same season sets a new school record as the Sycamores surpassed the previous high of four set in the 2021 fall season (6-7-4).
INDIANA STATE VOLLEYBALL
SYCAMORES SET FOR COMFORT INN-VITATIONAL
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State takes part in its final non-conference tournament of the 2023 season when it plays in the Comfort Inn-vitational Friday and Saturday at Morehead State.
The Sycamores open play with a pair of matches Friday, facing off against Morehead State and Butler. Indiana State closes the weekend Saturday against Northern Kentucky.
Last Time Out
The Sycamores went 1-2 for a second consecutive weekend in their last tournament, defeating UL-Monroe in four sets while losing to Austin Peay in five sets and Lindenwood in four sets at the Lindenwood Invitational.
Ella Scott was named to the Lindenwood Invitational All-Tournament Team after recording 37 kills on a .492 hitting percentage. Scott hit over .600 in two of the Sycamores’ three matches last weekend.
The Kids Are Alright
A new wave of talent is coming through the Indiana State volleyball program, as evidenced by the Sycamores’ play at the Lindenwood Invitational.
Indiana State’s kills leader was a freshman in two of the Sycamores’ three matches last weekend (Ella Scott vs. Austin Peay, Kira Holland vs. Lindenwood), while freshman libero Macy Lengacher registered 30 digs against Lindenwood, the most in a four-set match for any MVC athlete this season.
Four of Indiana State’s six freshmen on the roster have seen playing time through the first two weekends, with three of those (Kira Holland, Macy Lengacher and Ella Scott) seeing significant playing time in the Sycamore rotation.
Heavy Hitter
Indiana State freshman middle blocker Ella Scott made her presence felt in a major way at last weekend’s Lindenwood Invitational. Scott had double-digit kills in each of the Sycamores’ three matches, hitting .492 for the weekend on her way to earning All-Tournament Team honors.
Included in Scott’s strong showing in St. Charles were a pair of matches where she hit over .600. Scott had 13 kills on 19 attempts in Indiana State’s four-set win over UL-Monroe and also had 10 kills on 16 attempts in the Sycamores’ tournament finale against Lindenwood. She also had three service aces in the win over UL-Monroe and four blocks against Lindenwood, establishing career highs in both statistics.
Can You Dig It?
Sycamore libero Macy Lengacher had a match to remember in the Sycamores’ weekend finale against Lindenwood. Lengacher led all players in the match with 30 digs, the most by a Sycamore since Melina Tedrow had 44 against Evansville on Oct. 11, 2019.
In addition, Lengacher became the first player in the MVC this season with 30 or more digs in a match that did not go five sets, with her 7.50 digs per set against Lindenwood being the second-highest per-set average in a single match this season by an MVC athlete.
Lengacher leads the Trees with 103 digs this season, averaging 4.29 per set. She ranks in the top 10 of the MVC in both total digs (seventh) and digs per set (eighth).
Hammer Down
Indiana State outside hitter Kaitlyn Hamilton has had a productive start to the 2023 season after leading the Sycamores in kills in 2022. Hamilton has notched double-digit kills in four of Indiana State’s first six matches, including tying her career high of 17 in the Sycamores’ most recent match against Lindenwood.
Hamilton picked up right where she left off to start the 2023 season. She leads the Sycamores with 74 kills and 3.08 kills per set while hitting .288 through the first two weekends of play. Hamilton ranks inside the top 20 in the conference for kills (10th), kills per set (12th) and hitting percentage (17th).
Opponents At A Glance
Morehead State comes into Friday’s match at 4-2 overall. The Eagles opened the season with four straight wins before dropping their last two. M.E. Hargan leads a balanced attack with 52 kills, while Peighton Isley averages 4.74 digs per set.
Butler enters the weekend at 3-3 overall. The Bulldogs went 3-0 at home on the opening weekend before going 0-3 last weekend. Georgia transfer Abby Maesch leads Butler with 79 kills, while Cora Taylor averages nearly 10 assists per set.
Northern Kentucky sits at 2-4 overall following a second straight 1-2 weekend for the Norse. Two of NKU’s four losses have come to top-25 opponents in Ohio State and Louisville. Abby Kanakry leads the Norse with 61 kills, while Anna Burke averages 3.76 digs per set. Skyy Smith averages more than one block per set for NKU.
Series History
Friday’s meeting between Indiana State and Morehead State is the first between the programs since 2016 a three-set win for the Sycamores in a neutral-site match in Charleston, West Virginia. Indiana State leads the all-time series 4-3-1, though Morehead State has a 2-1 advantage in matches played in the Bluegrass State.
Indiana State and Butler last met in the 2020-21 season, a five-set win for the Bulldogs in Indianapolis. Butler leads the all-time series, 17-8, though the Bulldogs and Sycamores have split the previous four neutral-site contests.
Indiana State has not faced Northern Kentucky since a neutral-site contest in 1983 that was won by the Norse. The Sycamores are 1-1-1 all-time against the Norse, with all three matches between the programs coming at neutral sites.
Up Next
Indiana State’s final non-conference contest is September 15 against IUPUI at 6 p.m. inside ISU Arena. The match is the Sycamores’ home opener and is also Student Organization Night with the Sycamores. The student organization with the highest percentage of its members in attendance will receive a Sycamore Prize Pack.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S SOCCER
‘DONS TIE MAC FOE EASTERN MICHIGAN 2-2
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Both Reitano sisters found the back of the net in Purdue Fort Wayne’s 2-2 tie with Eastern Michigan on Thursday (Sept. 7) evening at the Hefner Soccer Complex.
The Mastodons went up in the 20th minute when Morgan Reitano scored her third goal of the season. The goal was assisted by Bella Reitano and Lizzie Haub.
It didn’t stay a 1-0 game for long. EMU responded with a goal in the 20th minute. Olivia Sipsock broke through the Mastodon defense to score. The tally was assisted by Kate Robinson. It ended the Mastodon defense’s scoreless streak at a school-record 369 minutes.
Bella Reitano put the ‘Dons up 2-1 with a goal in the 59th minute. It capped a flurry of Mastodon shots to start the second half. She ripped a shot from well over 20 yards out to put the ‘Dons up. It was her first goal of the season.
EMU tied it in the 72nd minute when Maddie O’Farrell scored off a Kate Robinson corner kick.
It stayed tied the rest of the way. The Mastodons out-shot the Eagles 17-15.
The result extends Purdue Fort Wayne’s undefeated streak at home to 13 matches.
Purdue Fort Wayne is now 3-2-2. EMU is 0-4-3.
The ‘Dons head to Mount Pleasant, Michigan to face another MAC foe on Sunday in a 1 p.m. kick against Central Michigan.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE VOLLEYBALL
‘DONS TRAVEL TO WESTERN NEW YORK FOR WEEKEND MATCHES
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne women’s volleyball team travels to Buffalo, New York this weekend for three matches at the Ellicott Hotels Western New York Invitational. The Mastodons face off with Kent State, Niagara, and Canisuis.
Game Day Information (Friday 1)
Who: Kent State Golden Flashes
When: Friday, September 8 | 12 PM
Where: Buffalo, New York | Koessler Athletic Center
Live Stats:Link
Watch:Link
Match Notes:Purdue Fort Wayne | Kent State
Game Day Information (Friday 2)
Who: Niagara Purple Eagles
When: Friday, September 8 | 6 PM
Where: Niagara University, New York | Gallagher Center
Live Stats:Link
Watch:Link
Match Notes:Purdue Fort Wayne | Niagara
Game Day Information (Saturday)
Who: Canisius Golden Griffins
When: Saturday, September 9 | 12 PM
Where: Buffalo, New York | Koessler Athletic Center
Live Stats:Link
Watch:Link
Match Notes:Purdue Fort Wayne | Canisius
Know Your Foes
• Kent State picked up their first win of the season last weekend against South Dakota State. They hold a 1-5 record on the season through the first two weekends.
• Niagara is still searching for their first win in the 2023 season. They’ve played three matches at two different tournaments so far.
• Canisius won two of their first three matches at the Youngstown State Invitational, but weren’t able to win any of their last three games at the Duquesne/RMU Invitational.
Series Histories
• Purdue Fort Wayne and Kent State are an even 4-4 in their eight meetings. Kent State won the most recent meeting back in 2021.
• The Mastodons won the only matchup with Niagara back in 2018 in four sets.
• Canisius won the first meeting with Purdue Fort Wayne last season.
Panna’s Performance
Panna Ratkai of the Purdue Fort Wayne women’s volleyball team was named one of the Horizon League’s Players of the Week after being named the Red Flash Classic MVP last weekend. The redshirt-freshman averaged 4.69 kills per set with a .397 hitting percentage over 13 sets of play. Ratkai is the first Mastodon to win a Player of the Week award as a freshman since Rachael Crucis in 2019.
Seeing Double
Panna Ratkai posted double-doubles in back-to-back games last weekend. In the Mastodons’ match against Stony Brook, she had a double-double with 18 kills and 16 digs while hitting .400. In the following match against Saint Francis (Pa.), Ratkai managed a season-high 22 kills with 10 digs and still hit .364.
High Hitting Percentage
Through the first two weekends of play, the Mastodons boast the Horizon League’s best hitting percentage of .259. Three players (Castleman, McCants, Riegel) are hitting over .300 so far in the season while three more (Ratkai, Stratford, Larsen) are hitting over .250.
Set Up For Success
Taya Haffner ranks third in the conference with an average of 8.48 assists per set through the season’s first six matches. She’s had three matches of 30 or more assists including her season high of 53 against Stony Brook.
Textbook Teamwork
In last weekend’s win over Stony Brook, three Mastodons finished with double-digit kills. Maggie Castleman led the team with 24, Panna Ratkai added 18, while Iris Riegel finished with 17.
Early Season Tournaments
The Mastodons will start the season with four weekend tournaments. Last weekend, Purdue Fort Wayne faced Oklahoma, Gonzaga and Ball State at the Ball State Invitational. Last weekend, the Mastodons matched up with Stony Brook, Saint Francis (Pa.) and Manhattan at the Red Flash Classic. This weekend (September 8 and 9), the ‘Dons square off with Kent State, Niagara and Canisius at the Ellicott Hotels Western New York Invitational. Finally, The ‘Dons return home to host the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational Presented by Hyatt Place for matches against Miami (OH), SIUE and Valparaiso.
Gates Glory
The Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational Presented by Hyatt Place will be the first of 12 home matches at Gates Sports Center. The Mastodons saw more than half of their wins last season come at home.
She Digs It
LonDynn Betts totaled more than 20 digs for the first time this season in last weekend’s win over Saint Francis (Pa.) Betts had 21 digs to help the ‘Dons capture a five set win.
Block Party
The Mastodons had a season high 10 blocks in the win over Saint Francis (Pa.). Abby Stratford led the team with five, Jena Medearis had four blocks, and Iris Riegel also had three.
Horizon Leaders
Panna Ratkai currently leads the conference with 3.91 kills per set, a number that also ranks 61st in the nation. Iris Riegel is also 15th in the conference with 2.64.
1000 Program Wins
The Mastodons enter this weekend with 998 wins in program history. Two wins in the next three games would give the program 1000 wins in Purdue Fort Wayne’s 47 year history.
Last Time Out
Purdue Fort Wayne swept last weekend’s matches at the Red Flash Classic. The Mastodons won four set matches against Stony Brook and Manhattan and also grounded out a five set win over St. Francis.
Coming Up
Purdue Fort Wayne returns home next week to host the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational Presented by Hyatt Place for matches against Miami (OH), SIUE and Valparaiso.
EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S SOCCER
WOMEN’S SOCCER POSTS ANOTHER SHUTOUT IN DRAW WITH WKU
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s soccer team recorded its third shutout of the non-conference season on Thursday night, as the Purple Aces played to a 0-0 draw against visiting Western Kentucky University at Arad McCutchan Stadium in Evansville.
UE senior goalkeeper Myia Danek (Laingsburg, Mich./Laingsburg) posted her third clean sheet of the 2023 season, recording three saves on the night. UE also used a team save to turn away a fourth WKU shot on goal in the first half to withstand an early barrage by WKU’s Kayla Martin.
Martin fired five shots in the first half, including one knocked away by UE as the Hilltoppers opened the match with an 8-2 edge in shots in the first half. Evansville was able to find its footing after halftime though, and using a deep bench rotation of players, the Purple Aces posted a 4-3 edge in shots in the second half.
“Overall, I was pleased with how we battled tonight,” said UE head coach Chris Pfau. “I felt like we hit a little rut after the Indiana match, but, tonight, we battled hard and were able to finish off the shutout, which was big for us.
“We still need to shore up things in the final third of the field on the attacking end, but I think we are getting closer, and I think that once we get one goal, more will come for this group.”
Sixth-year midfielder Nicole Benati (London, Ontario) fired a pair of shots, including one on target in the second half to lead the UE attack. Martin finished the night with six shots to lead WKU.
With the draw, Evansville finished the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 0-3-3 overall record. The Purple Aces will next enter Missouri Valley Conference play on Friday, September 15, when UE travels to Normal, Illinois to battle Illinois State. Kick-off is set for 6 p.m. and the UE-Illinois State match can be seen live on ESPN+.
EVANSVILLE VOLLEYBALL
UE VOLLEYBALL TRAVELS TO DEPAUL INVITATIONAL
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Three matches are on tap this weekend when the University of Evansville volleyball team travels to Chicago for the DePaul Invitational. Evansville squares off against St. Thomas and Northern Illinois on Friday before facing DePaul in Saturday’s finale.
Last Time Out
– Winning their third in a row, the Purple Aces completed the Samford Invite with a 3-1 win over North Alabama last Saturday
– Giulia Cardona posted a new career high with 32 kills while hitting an unbelievable .459 in the effort
– Friday’s win over defending Southern Conference champion Samford saw Ainoah Cruz tally her career mark with 27 digs
Freshman of the Week
– Ainoah Cruz earned MVC Freshman of the Week honors on Tuesday in a week that saw her record a career-best 27 digs
– Her career effort came in Friday’s road win at Samford
– Cruz added 14 digs in the win over North Alabama and has registered at least 11 digs in all five matches of the season
– Prior to her 27 digs against the Bulldogs, Cruz finished the home opener against USI with 20
– Her season average of 4.35 digs per set is 6th in the MVC
Another Career Best
– Giulia Cardona put together one of the most efficient performances you will ever see in Saturday’s win over North Alabama
– The junior finished with a career-high 32 kills while hitting 459 in the victory…she added 12 digs and 6 block assists
– Her numbers are among the best in the nation as she ranks second in the NCAA in kills (5.55/set), points (6.58/set) and attacks (14.10/set)
– She paces the MVC in all three categories and is also the league leader with 0.65 service aces per set
Career High
– Emilee Scheumann recorded 12 kills in Friday’s win over Samford; it marked the top effort of her career, surpassing a pair of 11-kill contests from last season
– Scheumann hit .312 in the win over the Bulldogs and added four digs
– In the home opener against USI, Scheumann hit .421 with 10 kills as she helped the Aces finish with the 3-1 win
Scouting the Opposition
– Friday’s opening match will see UE take on St. Thomas, who is 1-5 in their third season at the Division I level
– Lauren Galvin leads the way with 2.83 kills per set while Ella Voegele is averaging 4.17 digs
– Northern Illinois will be the second opponent on Friday; the Huskies are 1-5 and face DePaul on Thursday evening
– They are led by Nikolette Nedic’s 3.56 kills per frame
– With wins over Binghamton and Montana last weekend, DePaul is opens the weekend with a 2-3 mark
– Averaging 4.29 kills per set, Jill Pressly leads the way for the Blue Demons.
SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S SOCCER
WOMEN’S SOCCER REWARDED WITH SEASON’S FIRST WIN ON THURSDAY
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer put together another strong performance at home on Thursday night, as the Screaming Eagles were rewarded with a 2-0 victory against Austin Peay State University.
In capturing their first win of the 2023 season, the Screaming Eagles improved to 1-5-1 this season. Austin Peay dropped to 2-4-1 on the campaign.
The match began with a nice pace and flow as both sides battled to control possession. Austin Peay had a few solid attacks into USI’s defensive box, but the Screaming Eagles’ defense halted the Governors.
Midway in the first half after a USI corner kick, Southern Indiana generated a pair of shooting opportunities that Austin Peay turned away. Right before the 28-minute mark, sophomore midfielder Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana) and freshman forward Pilar Torres (Chula Vista, California) each had shot attempts stopped by the Governors. Torres had three shots in the first 45 minutes.
In the 39th minute, freshman midfielder Grace Bamber (Chesterton, Indiana) and freshman midfielder Kerigan Kivisto (Collierville, Tennessee) connected on a well-executed give-and-go play that Bamber put away into the net for her first career goal. USI took the 1-0 lead into halftime.
After some back-and-forth play to begin the second stanza, Austin Peay looked to tie the match. Just over 10 minutes into the second half, the Governors had back-to-back shot attempts. USI’s defense stepped up to block one while sophomore keeper Anna Markland (Hoover, Alabama) saved the other. In the 74th minute, Markland picked up another save, and the defense blocked another shot on a pair of attempts by Austin Peay.
Southern Indiana doubled its lead to 2-0 in the 81st minute when Torres took a defender one-on-one and finished inside the near post for her second goal of the season. USI maintained control the rest of the way for the win.
USI tallied 11 shots with five on goal, while the Governors totaled five shots with two on target. Besides the goal scored, Torres led Southern Indiana with four shots and two on goal. Senior midfielders Paige Vanek (St. Charles, Missouri) and Avery Schone (Galena, Ohio) also posted a shot on goal. Markland finished with the two saves.
Southern Indiana concludes its homestand with Youth Soccer Day at Strassweg Field on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Northern Illinois University. Sunday’s match can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+.
MARIAN WOMEN’S TENNIS
NO. 23 MARIAN COMES UP SHORT AGAINST NO. 19 INDIANA WESLEYAN
INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 23 Marian women’s team fell just short of the upset against No. 19 Indiana Wesleyan Thursday afternoon, as the Knights fell 4-3 and move to 0-2 to start the season.
Indiana Wesleyan worked through doubles quickly, grabbing the 6-2 win at the No. 2 spot with Breann Barger and Katie Parr defeating Gabriela Irigoyen Palacios and Ana Barbosa Fernandez. The doubles points was clinched by the Wildcats after Katharina Bopst and Yasmin Imamniyazova fell 6-3 to France Antezana and Sofia Loren Munoz. Paloma Caceres Villalba and Isadora Muller were trailing 5-3 before their match went unfinished.
Barbosa Fernandez got the Knights back on track as she picked up the first singles point, winning her match 6-2, 6-4 against Antezana at the No. 2 spot. Indiana Wesleyan responded with a win at No. 1 singles as Imamniyazova fell 6-3, 6-2 to Munoz. Irigoyen Palacios tied things up again with her 6-1, 7-5 victory over Ellie Snider at the No. 3 spot, while Emma Chrome helped garner the 3-2 lead after she took down Way 7-5, 6-3 at No. 4 singles. The final matches of the day had to be moved to Indy Healthplex due to rain, as Corrio Alemany and Bopst had to wrap things up indoor. The Wildcats managed to win the match after Barger defeated Bopst 7-5, 7-5 at No. 6 singles and Parr won 6-1, 7-6 (7-2) over Sara at the No. 5 spot.
SINGLES RECAP
#1 Munoz (IWU) def. Imamniyazova (MU) 6-3, 6-2
#2 Barbosa Fernandez (MU) def. Antezana (IWU) 6-2, 6-4
#3 Irigoyen Palacios (MU) def. Snider (IWU) 6-1, 7-5
#4 Chrome (MU) def. Way (IWU) 7-5, 6-3
#5 Parr (IWU) def. Corrio Alemany (MU) 6-1, 7-6
#6 Barger (IWU) def. Bopst (MU) 7-5, 7-5
DOUBLES RECAP
#1 Antezana/Munoz (IWU) def. Bopst/Imamniyazova (MU) 6-3
#2 Barger/Parr (IWU) def. Irigoyen Palacios/Barbosa Fernandez (MU) 6-2
#3 Way/Snider (IWU) def. Caceres Villalba/Muller (MU) 5-3
MARIAN MEN’S TENNIS
KNIGHTS CRUISE TO WIN AGAINST (RV) INDIANA WESLEYAN
INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian men’s tennis team dominated the courts Thursday afternoon with a huge 6-1 win over (RV) Indiana Wesleyan. With the win the Knights start the year off 2-0.
Marian made the attack first with Ashwin Bhat and Jones McNamar picking up the quick 6-1 over Ethan Gray and Fischer at the No. 3 spot, but it was Indiana Wesleyan on the match with Lennart Bengtsson and Edvin Jonnson defeating James Ashworth and Luis Sobanski 6-4 at No. 2 doubles. The Wildcats captured the doubles point after a battle at the No. 1 doubles spot, with Borja Delgado and Andrew Ilett falling to Steiner and Trey Thixton 7-6 (7-2).
Trailing 1-0, the Knights kicked it in gear in the singles action as they rolled through the Wildcats lineup. At the No. 3 spot, Sobanski made quick work of Fischer with a 6-2, 6-0 victory. Delgado was next for Marian with his 6-3, 6-4 win against Steiner at No. 1 singles. Jan Bartolome defeated Bengtsson at No. 4 singles 6-3, 6-2, while Ashworth took down Jonnson in three sets 0-6, 6-3, 7-5 to clinch the match for the Knights. Rounding out Marian’s lineup was Bhat winning 7-5, 6-3 against Gray at No. 6 singles, before Jona Henze finished off the Wildcats with his 6-7 (7-2), 6-2, 1-0 (10-2) win over Thixton in the No. 5 spot.
SINGLES RECAP
#1 Delgado (MU) def. Steiner (IWU) 6-3, 6-4
#2 Ashworth (MU) def. Jonnson (IWU) 0-6, 6-3, 7-5
#3 Sobanski (MU) def. Fischer (IWU) 6-2, 6-0
#4 Bartolome (MU) def. Bengtsson (IWU) 6-3, 6-2
#5 Henze (MU) def. Thixton (IWU) 6-7 (7-2), 6-2, 1-0 (7-2)
#6 Bhat (MU) def. Gray (IWU) 7-5, 6-3
DOUBLES RECAP
#1 Steiner/Thixton (IWU) def. Delgado/Ilett (MU) 7-6 (7-2)
#2 Bengtsson/Jonnson (IWU) def. Ashworth/Sobanski (MU) 6-4
#3 Bhat/McNamar (MU) def. Gray/Fischer (IWU) 6-1
MARIAN FOOTBALL
GAMEDAY GUIDE: NO. 6 MARIAN OPENS HOME SCHEDULE SATURDAY NIGHT AGAINST NO. 13 ST. XAVIER
INDIANAPOLIS – Coming off of their season opening win on Saturday at Judson, the Knights are back in Indianapolis for their 2023 home opener, welcoming in MSFA Midwest rival St. Xavier to the West Side. The thirteenth-ranked Cougars enter the game with a similar 1-0 record, as both teams enter ranked in the top-15 for the third consecutive matchup in the series history.
THE GAME AND THE SERIES
The series between the Knights and Cougars has largely favored St. Xavier, as Marian has just five wins in the 15-game series. After being dominated by the Cougars early in the series, Marian has turned back and won four of the last six matchups against the Cougars. Head coach Ted Karras Jr. will be going up against his former colleague Mike Feminis in the matchup, as Karras previously coached at St. Xavier before beginning his head coaching career.
In last year’s win in the NAIA FCS First Round, Marian quarterback Zach Bundalo connected with Ben Stevens four times for touchdowns, while Logan Blake and Peyton Trexler each had a pick-six in the win for the Knights. Marian held St. Xavier under 50 yards rushing in the win last season, while Stevens four-touchdown game tied the program record for most receiving touchdowns in a single game.
WATCH AND FOLLOW ALONG
Those fans unable to attend Saturday night’s game can watch live on the ISC Sports Network. This season, all Marian home games on the ISC Sports Network will be pay per view, and single game and season passes can be purchased now. The pay per view cost for Saturday’s game on the ISC Sports Network is $9.99. Fans can also find live statistics at marianstats.com. Live updates of the game will be posted on the official Marian Athletics Twitter and Instagram pages @MUKnights.
EARLY POSTSEASON IMPLICATIONS
Although early in the season, the winner of Marian and St. Xavier on Saturday night will be in a great spot in the NAIA National Rankings, and have an upper hand for the stretch run of the season when it comes to the NAIA postseason. With 12 teams earning a bye in week one of the 2023 NAIA Playoffs with the expansion of the field to 20 teams, the winner between Marian and St. Xavier could benefit handsomely from an early season win against a top-15 opponent.
TICKETS
Tickets for Saturday’s home-opening game are on sale now, with general admission ticket pricing starting at $10. Parking for Saturday’s game starts at $10 and is cash only. Parking for Saturday’s game against St. Xavier will not be available online and can only be purchased day-of on campus.
TAILGATING
Tailgate spots are filling fast for this weekend. For more information on tailgating, rules, and policies, click here. Tailgate lots will open at 10 a.m.
T-SHIRT GIVEAWAY
The Marian maniacs will be giving away t-shirts to Marian students and fans throughout the game, with the student section receiving shirts at the end of the first quarter.
RING CEREMONY
At the end of the first quarter, the Marian women’s soccer team will receive their NAIA National Runner-Up rings for their accomplishments in 2022. The Knights were the NAIA National Runner-Up, winning both the Crossroads League Regular Season and Tournament Championships. The ceremony will take place on the 10-yard lin in the north end zone following the end of the quarter.
PREGAME ATHLETIC EVENTS ON-CAMPUS
The Marian women’s soccer team plays a matinee contest at St. Vincent Field to warm up the crowd, as the Knights take on Missouri Baptist at 12 p.m. The match begins at 12 p.m., and will be aired on the ISC Sports Network with Greg Rakestraw and Mark Newman on the call.
POSTGAME FIREWORKS
Following the game, Marian will host the city’s best fireworks display. Stick around after the game to enjoy an annual fireworks display.
Marian and St. Xavier kick off the Knights 2023 home slate on Saturday night at 6:05 p.m.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC SITES:
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
*****MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STANDINGS*****
| American League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Baltimore | 88 | 51 | .633 | – | 42 – 26 | 46 – 25 | 26 – 15 | 20 – 8 | 19 – 10 | 7 – 3 | W 5 |
| Tampa Bay | 85 | 56 | .603 | 4 | 47 – 25 | 38 – 31 | 24 – 16 | 21 – 8 | 13 – 13 | 6 – 4 | L 1 |
| Toronto | 77 | 63 | .550 | 11.5 | 35 – 30 | 42 – 33 | 12 – 25 | 19 – 10 | 16 – 12 | 6 – 4 | L 1 |
| Boston | 72 | 68 | .514 | 16.5 | 36 – 33 | 36 – 35 | 20 – 16 | 18 – 11 | 14 – 15 | 3 – 7 | L 2 |
| NY Yankees | 70 | 70 | .500 | 18.5 | 38 – 34 | 32 – 36 | 16 – 26 | 17 – 12 | 19 – 13 | 8 – 2 | L 1 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Minnesota | 73 | 67 | .521 | – | 40 – 29 | 33 – 38 | 12 – 17 | 26 – 22 | 16 – 10 | 6 – 4 | L 1 |
| Cleveland | 67 | 74 | .475 | 6.5 | 36 – 36 | 31 – 38 | 14 – 14 | 22 – 24 | 13 – 13 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Detroit | 64 | 76 | .457 | 9 | 29 – 40 | 35 – 36 | 7 – 25 | 28 – 15 | 10 – 15 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| Chi White Sox | 54 | 86 | .386 | 19 | 28 – 40 | 26 – 46 | 9 – 19 | 20 – 22 | 12 – 21 | 3 – 7 | W 1 |
| Kansas City | 44 | 97 | .312 | 29.5 | 26 – 46 | 18 – 51 | 7 – 20 | 15 – 28 | 6 – 19 | 3 – 7 | L 1 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Houston | 80 | 61 | .567 | – | 35 – 34 | 45 – 27 | 15 – 15 | 13 – 12 | 29 – 17 | 7 – 3 | W 3 |
| Seattle | 79 | 61 | .564 | 0.5 | 39 – 29 | 40 – 32 | 13 – 15 | 20 – 13 | 24 – 12 | 5 – 5 | W 2 |
| Texas | 76 | 63 | .547 | 3 | 43 – 29 | 33 – 34 | 14 – 11 | 19 – 10 | 21 – 18 | 3 – 7 | L 3 |
| LA Angels | 65 | 76 | .461 | 15 | 33 – 36 | 32 – 40 | 13 – 16 | 15 – 8 | 18 – 25 | 2 – 8 | W 1 |
| Oakland | 43 | 97 | .307 | 36.5 | 24 – 47 | 19 – 50 | 8 – 24 | 11 – 14 | 10 – 30 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| National League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Atlanta | 91 | 48 | .655 | – | 45 – 24 | 46 – 24 | 27 – 8 | 17 – 8 | 21 – 12 | 7 – 3 | W 1 |
| Philadelphia | 77 | 62 | .554 | 14 | 41 – 26 | 36 – 36 | 16 – 19 | 15 – 10 | 18 – 15 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| Miami | 72 | 68 | .514 | 19.5 | 40 – 32 | 32 – 36 | 19 – 21 | 13 – 10 | 14 – 17 | 7 – 3 | L 1 |
| NY Mets | 64 | 75 | .460 | 27 | 35 – 33 | 29 – 42 | 19 – 20 | 12 – 17 | 15 – 13 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Washington | 63 | 77 | .450 | 28.5 | 30 – 41 | 33 – 36 | 16 – 29 | 12 – 14 | 14 – 14 | 2 – 8 | W 1 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Milwaukee | 77 | 62 | .554 | – | 40 – 28 | 37 – 34 | 12 – 10 | 26 – 16 | 13 – 19 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Chi Cubs | 76 | 65 | .539 | 2 | 40 – 32 | 36 – 33 | 11 – 17 | 28 – 18 | 12 – 9 | 7 – 3 | L 1 |
| Cincinnati | 73 | 69 | .514 | 5.5 | 35 – 37 | 38 – 32 | 13 – 16 | 18 – 25 | 18 – 14 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Pittsburgh | 65 | 75 | .464 | 12.5 | 34 – 37 | 31 – 38 | 10 – 10 | 21 – 25 | 16 – 15 | 7 – 3 | W 1 |
| St. Louis | 61 | 79 | .436 | 16.5 | 31 – 40 | 30 – 39 | 13 – 16 | 15 – 24 | 12 – 17 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| LA Dodgers | 85 | 54 | .612 | – | 47 – 24 | 38 – 30 | 15 – 13 | 19 – 14 | 26 – 12 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| Arizona | 73 | 68 | .518 | 13 | 38 – 35 | 35 – 33 | 13 – 15 | 15 – 11 | 27 – 23 | 4 – 6 | W 2 |
| San Francisco | 70 | 70 | .500 | 15.5 | 38 – 31 | 32 – 39 | 13 – 18 | 20 – 13 | 19 – 14 | 3 – 7 | L 6 |
| San Diego | 66 | 75 | .468 | 20 | 39 – 36 | 27 – 39 | 16 – 16 | 9 – 20 | 20 – 23 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Colorado | 51 | 88 | .367 | 34 | 29 – 38 | 22 – 50 | 14 – 20 | 11 – 13 | 9 – 29 | 3 – 7 | L 1 |
*****TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY*****
1885 George H. Rawlings patents a close-fitting baseball glove that features padding made of felt and rubber in the fingers, thumb, and palm. The owner of a St. Louis sporting goods store invented the padded piece of equipment to prevent players from bruising their hands when catching a ball.
1896 Baltimore sweeps a twin bill from 12th-place Louisville, beating their National League opponents at Oriole Park, 10-9 and 3-1. The Birds, who won all three games against the Colonels in yesterday’s tripleheader, establish the mark for the most victories in two consecutive days with their five wins.
1916 Twenty-three fans attending the game against the Yankees at soaked Shibe Park, the smallest crowd in American League history, witness A’s switch-hitter Wally Schang become the first player in major league history to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game. The feat, not well-publicized because reporters thought the heavy rain would postpone the game and did not attend the contest, will not be accomplished again in the Junior Circuit until 1940.
1925 In the seventh inning of the nightcap of a doubleheader sweep, Babe Ruth belts his 300th career home run, the Sultan of Swat’s 16th of the season. Southpaw Buster Ross allows the milestone solo blast in the Yankees’ 7-4 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
1933 🇲🇽 In the second game of a doubleheader against Detroit, Red Sox outfielder Mel Almada makes his major league debut at Fenway Park. The 20-year-old Huatabampo native becomes the first Mexican to play in the major leagues.
1939 Bob Feller, with his 12-1 victory over the Browns in St. Louis, becomes the youngest modern-era player to win 20 games. The 20-year-old Indians’ fireballer finishes the season 24-9 while posting a 2.85 ERA.
1940 Johnny Mize hits homers #’s 38, 39, and 40 in the first game of a doubleheader, becoming the first player to hit three homers in one game four times in his career. Despite the Big Cat’s heroics, the Cardinals drop a pair to the Pirates, 16-14 and 9-4.
1942 The first exhibition game between two Negro League teams is finally played in Boston when the Philadelphia Stars edge the Baltimore Elite Giants in a rain-shortened seven-inning game at Fenway Park, 8-7. Unlike many metropolitan areas in the East and South, the Cradle of Liberty did not have a Black team represent the city, nor did the community embrace the concept of hosting Negro League contests.
1945 Receiving an enthusiastic ovation from the near-capacity crowd, President Harry Truman, sworn in after FDR’s death in April, becomes the first left-hander and oldest president to throw the ceremonial major league first pitch. The Missourian shows no signs of favoritism when the St. Louis Browns, a team from his home state, drops a 4-1 decision to the Senators.
1949 Red Schoendienst steals the team’s last stolen base of the season when he takes second base in the Cardinals’ 8-0 victory over the Cubs at Sportsman’s Park. The Redbird third baseman will lead the club with eight pilfered bags, accounting for more than half of the all-time National League low of 17 the entire club will swipe this season.
1954 “It’s not a record, but being traded four times when there are only eight teams in the league tells you something. I thought I was modeling uniforms for the National League.” – JOE GARAGIOLA, former major leaguer and television personality reflecting on his nine-year baseball career.
The pennant-bound Giants select catcher Joe Garagiola, known more for his glove than his bat, off waivers from the second-division Cubs. The 28-year-old backstop plays only five games for New York before retiring at the end of the season, becoming a baseball broadcaster and colorful television personality that includes stints on The Today Show, Saturday Game of the Week for NBC, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
1955 The Dodgers clinch their eighth National League pennant with a 10-2 victory over the Braves at Milwaukee’s County Stadium. Brooklyn’s 17-game lead marks the earliest date a team has captured a flag in baseball history.
1957 Before their departure to play on the West Coast for next season, the Dodgers and Giants face one another for the final time in New York. The Jints beat the Bums at the Polo Grounds, 3-2, to finish the intense 68-year-old storied rivalry with a 656-606 advantage over Brooklyn in the battle between the boroughs.
1958 At spacious Forbes Field, Roberto Clemente blasts three triples in the Pirates’ 4-1 victory over the Redlegs. The ‘Great One’ becomes the first Pittsburgh player to accomplish the feat since 1952 when center fielder Carlos Bernier, batting leadoff, collected a trio of three-baggers in the same Cincinnati ballpark.
1963 At Connie Mack Stadium, Braves left-hander Warren Spahn tosses a complete game, edging Philadelphia, 3-2. The triumph is the southpaw’s 20th victory and ties Christy Mathewson’s record of thirteen seasons of twenty or more wins.
1964 The Mets announce the signing of 18-year-old right-hander Bill Denehy. The recent high school graduate, who struck out 151 batters in 81 innings, posted a 10-1 record for Woodrow Wilson High School in Middletown (CT) and won three tournament games en route to leading his team to the state championship.
1965 In a promotion to increase Kansas City’s low attendance, Bert Campaneris becomes the first major leaguer to play all nine positions in a single game. After being involved in a collision at home plate in the ninth inning, Rene Lachemann replaces Campy as the team’s catcher in the A’s eventual 5-3, 13-inning victory over California.
1967 At the urging of their fans, the Mets honor former Dodger pitcher Sandy Koufax, who retired last season when arthritis prematurely ended his career. The 31-year-old Brooklyn-born southpaw, who threw a no-hitter against New York in 1962, started twenty times against the Amazins, compiling a 17-2 record with 14 complete games and five shutouts.
1968 Ralph Garr steals the first of his 172 stolen bases, swiping home as a pinch-runner for Joe Torre in the Braves’ 4-1 victory over Houston. In 1973, the ‘Road Runner’ will break Atlanta’s record for stolen bases with 35, surpassing the mark of 30 he established in 1971 during his sophomore season.
1973 Billy Martin, dismissed six days ago by the Tigers, signs a multi-year contract to manage the last-place Rangers. The fiery 45-year-old skipper, who was at the helm when Detroit won the American League East title last season, replaces Whitey Herzog, who was fired yesterday after compiling a 47-91 (.341) record in the first season of his Hall of Fame managerial career.
1977 Cubs’ relief pitcher Bruce Sutter strikes out the first six batters he faces, including three men in the ninth on nine pitches. The future Hall of Famer will earn his sixth victory in seven decisions when the Cubs beat Montreal in 10 innings at Wrigley Field, 3-2.
1980 Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspends Ferguson Jenkins indefinitely due to the drug arrest in Toronto last month. The suspension will last only two weeks before independent arbiter Raymond Goetz surprisingly reinstates the Cubs right-hander.
1985 At Wrigley Field, Pete Rose gets two hits off Chicago hurler Reggie Patterson, including his historic single that ties Ty Cobb’s career record of 4,191 hits. The game will be suspended due to darkness, enabling the Reds’ player-manager to break the Georgia Peach’s record at home.
1993 Retiring the final 17 batters in a row, 24-year-old right-hander Darryl Kile no-hits the Mets in a 7-1 Houston victory at the Astrodome. Jeff McKnight, who had walked, scores New York’s lone run on a wild pitch after advancing to third base on an error.
1995 With a 3-2 victory over the Orioles at Jacobs Field, the Indians clinch the American League Central Division, reaching the postseason for the first time since 1954. Mike Hargrove’s Tribe, which posts a 100-44 record, will win the division with the largest margin in baseball history, finishing 30 games ahead of the Royals.
1996 Mets catcher Todd Hundley joins Mickey Mantle as the only other switch hitter to hit 40 home runs in a season when he goes deep off Joe Borowski in the seventh inning of the team’s 6-2 victory at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The 27-year-old backstop’s round-tripper also breaks the club record for most homers in a single year, established in 1988 by Darryl Strawberry.
1996 A Gary Sheffield fifth-inning round-tripper against the Expos’ Pedro Martinez breaks the major league home run record for a season. In 1987, major leaguers went deep 4,458 times to establish the previous mark.
1998 Cardinal first baseman Mark McGwire connects off of Cub hurler Steve Trachsel and sends a 341-foot line-drive over the left-field fence for his historic 62nd home run, breaking the single-season home run record set in 1961 by Roger Maris. Big Mac’s historic homer comes in the fourth inning of a nationally televised game.
2002 Rafael Palmeiro’s sixth-inning homer against Tampa Bay establishes a new major league record with a Ranger player hitting a home run in 26 consecutive games. The 1941 Yankees, the 1994 Tigers, and the 1998 Braves shared the previous mark.
2003 At Camden Yards, 64-year-old Steve Dalkowski throws the ceremonial first pitch to relief pitcher Buddy Groom before an Orioles game against Seattle. The Baltimore fireballing farmhand hurt his arm pitching in a 1963 exhibition game on the same day the team fitted him for a big-league uniform and never appeared in the major leagues.
2005 At Troy’s Bruno Stadium, the Vermont Expos end the season by winning their seventh straight game, beating the Tri-City ValleyCats, 15-9. With the NY-Penn team changing its name next season, the game marks the last time the word Expos will appear on a uniform.
2007 Alex Rodriguez, hitting his 50th and 51st home runs, joins Babe Ruth (1920-54, 1921-59, 1927-60, 1928-54), Roger Maris (1961-61), and Mickey Mantle (1956-52, 1961-54) to become only the fourth player in Yankee history to hit 50 or more homers in a single season. The Yankee infielder’s second homer breaks the major league mark of 49 homers hit by a third baseman, shared with Mike Schmidt (Phillies-1980) and Adrian Beltre (Dodgers-2004).
2008 The Red Sox break the Cleveland Indians’ attendance record with their 456th consecutive regular-season sellout at Fenway Park. To commemorate the streak, which began on May 15, 2003, team owners, current players, and club icon Johnny Pesky greet and thank fans entering the ballpark before the game against the Rays.
2008 Mark Saccomanno, a life-long fan of the team just called up a few hours before the start of the game, hits a home run on the first pitch he sees as a major leaguer, contributing to the Astros’ 3-2 victory over the Pirates at Minute Maid Park. The 28-year-old Houston native, who will not connect for another round-tripper in his career, is the first to accomplish the feat as a pinch-hitter, becoming the fourth player in franchise history to homer in his initial big-league at-bat.
2008 Gary Sheffield’s second home run of the game is the 250,000th round-tripper in major league history. The Tigers slugger, who needs only four more to reach a personal milestone of 500 homers, hit the round-tripper that set the record for the number of home runs in the major league in a season, bringing the total to 4,458 blasts.
2010 At Fenway Park, 44-year-old starter Tim Wakefield becomes the oldest player to win a game for the Red Sox since 1920 when he goes five innings in Boston’s 11-5 victory over Tampa Bay. In 1998, Dennis Eckersley, at the age of 43 years and 349 days old, was credited with the win after getting two outs in relief in a game against Baltimore.
2012 A healthy Stephen Strasburg makes his last 2012 appearance four days sooner than his much-debated scheduled season shut down set by the Nationals. Washington put the 24-year-old power right-hander, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2010, on a strict innings limit, who will lose the NLDS to St. Louis after compiling the best record in major league baseball.
2012 Darwin Barney sets the National League record for consecutive errorless games by a second baseman with 124, surpassing Ryne Sandberg, another Cub infielder, who played his consecutive errorless streak at second between the 1989 and 1990 seasons. The major league mark for straight errorless games at second base is 186, established by Tiger infielder Placido Polanco from 2006-08.
2018 Ryne Stanek, facing one batter in the fifth inning of the Rays’ 10-5 victory over the Orioles, becomes the first pitcher to start 25 games and make 25 relief appearances in the same season since Hugh Mulchy accomplished the feat in 1937 with the Phillies. The Tampa Bay right-hander, used as one of the team’s “opening” starters, finishes the year compiling 66.1 innings, making 59 total appearances, including 29 starts.
*****BASEBALL HALL OF FAME******
JIM RICE
When Jim Rice took over as Boston’s everyday left fielder in 1975, the Red Sox already had a proud tradition of outfielders patrolling the Green Monster in Fenway Park. Ted Williams spent two decades establishing himself as one of the greatest hitters of all-time before giving way to Carl Yastrzemski, who had a Hall of Fame career himself over 23 seasons with the Red Sox.
When Jim Rice retired following the 1989 season, the Red Sox had played more than half a century with a future Hall of Famer in left field.
With Yastrzemski at first base and designated hitter in 1975, Rice took over in left field at age 22 and led the Red Sox in home runs with 22, finishing third in the American League MVP voting and second in Rookie of the Year voting to teammate Fred Lynn, who also took home the MVP award.
Like Yastrzemski, Rice spent his entire career in Boston, where he proved himself to be one of the most dangerous power hitters of his generation. Over a 12-year period from 1975-86, Rice hit 350 home runs. During that period, only Mike Schmidt and Dave Kingman hit more homers. No one during that stretch had more RBI than Rice’s 1,276.
Rice led the American League in home runs three times, total bases four times and slugging percentage and RBI twice during that span.
Rice helped lead Boston to two World Series appearances – and although he didn’t play in the ’75 World Series due to injury, he hit .333 in seven games against the Mets in 1986.
Rice’s best season came in 1978 when he was named the AL’s Most Valuable Player. Rice led the major leagues with 46 home runs, becoming the first Red Sox to hit that many home runs in a single season since Jimmie Foxx hit 50 in 1938. Rice also led the AL that year in hits (213), triples (15), RBI (139), slugging percentage (.600) and OPS (.970). His 406 total bases not only topped the majors but made him the first AL player to reach the 400 total bases mark since Joe DiMaggio in 1937.
“He had tremendous power, but yet he was an excellent hitter who could hit to the opposite field or go up the middle,” Hall of Fame reliever Goose Gossage said. “Most power hitters have holes (in their swing). Jim Rice had no big holes.”
Rice hit over .300 seven times and ranked among the Top 10 in the AL in average six times. An eight-time all-star, Rice finished among the Top 5 in AL MVP voting in six seasons and won two AL Silver Slugger Awards. Defensively, Rice ranked in the Top 5 among AL left fielders in assists 11 times and putouts seven times.
Rice was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009.
*******FOOTBALL HISTORY********
September 8, 1946 – The San Francisco 49ers make their debut in regular season professional football as they played the New York Yankees in an AAFC tilt. The Yanks won 21-7.
September 8, 2002 – The Houston Texans play their first game in the NFL. The club becomes only the second expansion team in history to win their first regular season game in the league, the other was the Minnesota Vikings in 1961. In the game Rookie QB David Carr lights up the Dallas Cowboy defense for two scores to put the Texans over the Cowboys 19-10 in this battle for Texas pride.
Hall of Fame Birthdays for September 8
September 8, 1904 – Mortimer “Bud” Sprague was a former tackle from the University of Texas in 1922 through 1924 and later transferred to the United States Military Academy to play out the rest of his college eligibility for the Black Knights of Army. With some help of college eligibility rules of the era, Bud lettered in the sport of football an amazing 6 times, twice at Texas and 4 times with Army. He was an All-American in the 1926 and 1927 seasons and became the captain of the Army team in 1928. Bud Sprague was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1970.
September 8, 1912 – Bob “Bones” Hamilton was a former Stanford halfback that the College Football Hall of Fame placed in their rooms of honor in 1972 according to the National Football Foundation. After college Hamilton entered Major League Baseball as he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers never entering football professional ranks.
September 8, 1945 – Lem Barney was a cornerback out of Jackson State University. The six foot 188 pound defensive back was a 3-time All-Conference player in the Southwestern Conference during college but was still relatively unknown when the Detroit Lions drafted him in the second round of the 1967 NFL Draft. Lem started off his professional career in spectacular style. In a quote from the Barney on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s website the defender described his first play in the NFL as,” I dove and intercepted it and did a forward shoulder roll got up and ran into the endzone, I think 24 yard. And I said man this is going to be easy.” He sure made it look easy as he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Not only did the speedster play the corner but he was also an excellent kick returner and his team’s emergency punter. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Lem Barney in the class of 1992.
September 8, 1952 – Anthony Davis was an amazing running back that played ball for Southern California and the College Football Hall of Fame enshrined Davis in the 2005 induction class. During his years at USC he also was a standout baseball player per the National Football Foundation. In fact as a Trojan, Davis won 5 National Championships! 2 in football and 3 with baseball! Davis led the USC team in rushing scoring and kick returns in 3 consecutive seasons. Anthony was also scored 11 touchdowns in his college career against rival Notre Dame. In fact in the game between the two schools played on December 2, 1972 Davis scored six times to lead the Trojans to a 45-23 thumping of the Irish. His professional career has a long resume as Davis played in the World Football League, the CFL, the NFL and later the USFL.
******FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME******
ALBERT BENBROOK
Position: Guard
Years: 1908-1910
Place of Birth: Dallas, TX
Date of Birth: Aug 24, 1887
Place of Death: Dallas, TX
Date of Death: Aug 16, 1943
Height: 6-2
Weight: 240
High School: Chicago, IL (Morgan Park HS)
All-America teams at the turn of the century had a decided eastern bias. It was a rare occurrence when any player from the midwest was chosen on an All-America team. A testament to the ability of Albert Benbrook was that he was the first western linemen to become a two-time All-American. Weighing over 200 pounds he was considered huge for his time. What made Benbrook such a dominating force was his exceptional quickness. During his first two seasons at Michigan, the Wolverines won 11 games, lost three and tied one. The 1909 team was 6-1 losing only to Notre Dame. In his 1910 senior season he led a Michigan defense that allowed only nine points. As captain of the team he played in a memorable contest against Minnesota in his final collegiate game. Michigan made use of the liberalized forward passing rules implemented in 1906 to defeat the Gophers. A forward pass took Michigan to the Minnesota three-yard line in the late stages of a scoreless contest. After two unsuccessful runs into the line, Benbrook ordered that the next play be run over his side. Pushing Minnesota tacklers aside he opened a hole that led to a touchdown and a 6-0 victory.
*****INDIANA FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME*****
JIM ANDREWS
Northwood
Coach
Northwood, Nappanee
1965
Team captain 1963, 1964; All-Conference 1963, 1964; Outstanding Senior Athlete 1965.
Manchester College
1968
Honored by Hoosier College Conference 1966 and 1968; NAIA All-District 21 Player 1966, 1967, 1968; named one of the Outstanding College Athletes of America 1968.
Co-founded NHS Fellowship of Christian Athletes; served as a Sunday school teacher and Little League coach; Manchester Alumni Coach of the Year 1987; Northwood football field renamed Andrews Field after his death; Nappanee Chamber of Commerce honors an annual recipient with the Jim Andrews “Educator of the Year” Award; Elkhart Truth awards an annual achievement award in his honor; Bremen High School established the Coach Jim Andrews Memorial Plaque traveling trophy given to winner of Northwood-Bremen game each year.
Wife, Sheri; children, Trevor, Nate, and Kelli.
Coaching Experience: Coached one year at Elkhart, IN, at Pierre Morgan Jr. HS; assistant coach at Nappanee Northwood HS two years, then head coach 1972-1992, with a record of 150-67; also served as head track coach 1971-1981.
Coach Honors: Won 6 Sectionals, 3 Regionals, 2 Semi-States, and had 2 runner-up titles; 5-time Northern Lakes Conference Champions; 7-time District 2 Coach of the Year; served on Indiana North All-Stars coaching staff 1981 and 1987.
Outstanding Players Coached: Phil Eskew Award winners – Phil Wilson, 1986, and Kevin Mullet, 1980; All-Stars Todd Sheets 1976, Mark Alfano 1981, Tim Weaver 1982, Scott Crist 1986, Ken Helmuth 1987, Chon Schrock 1988, and Mike Conrad 1992.
******NUMBERS IN SPORTS******
19 – 27 – 1 – 21 – 31 – 44 – 14 – 5 – 12 – 45 –
September 8, 1939 – Indians Bob Feller, wearing Number 19, at 20 years old, became youngest pitcher to win 20 games
September 8, 1943 – NY Giants’ pitcher Ace Adams, Number 27 set a record by working in his 62nd game of the season
September 8, 1954 – Talk about working a pitcher! With a 3-2 count, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Richie Ashburn, Number 1 fouled off the next 14 pitches, then eventually walked to get on base.
September 8, 1958 – Pittsburgh Pirate Roberto Clemente, Number 21 tied a modern day record when he recorded 3 triples in a single game
September 8, 1963 – Milwaukee Braves future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn (Number 21) tied Christy Mathewson with 13 seasons of at least 20-wins
September 8, 1965 – This man knows how to play the field! The very talented Kansas City A’s Bert Campaneris, Number 19 showed off his versatility when heplayed all 9 positions in a game
September 8, 1972 – Chicago Cubs pitcher Ferguson Jenkins, Number 31 won his 20th game for 6th straight year. Ironically 8 years to the day in 1980, that Commissioner Bowie Kuhn would be suspending Jenkins indefinitely due to drug arrest.
September 8, 1973 – Hank Aaron, Number 44 set a record of most home runs in 1 league (709)
September 8, 1985 – Pete Rose, Number 14 tied Ty Cobb‘s record with 4,191 hits
September 8, 1989 – George Brett, Number 5 reached a career milestone when he achieved his 2,500th hit
September 8, 1991 – NFL Buffalo Bill QB Jim Kelly, Number 12 passes for 6 touchdowns vs Pittsburgh Steelers (52-34)
September 8, 1992 – Danny Tartabull, Number 45 had 9 RBIs as Yanks beat Orioles 16-4
September 8, 1993 – Houston Astro’s Darryl Kile, Number 57 threw a 3rd no-hitter of season in Astros’ 7-1 win over NY Mets
September 8, 2002 – Rookie quarterback David Carr, wearing Number 8 throws for 2 TDs as the Houston Texans beat Dallas Cowboys 19-10 to become only the 2nd expansion team (1961 Minnesota Vikings) to win their inaugural game
******TV ******
AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL (MEN’S)
5:30 a.m.
FS2 — AFL: Sydney at Carlton
1 a.m. (Saturday)
FS2 — AFL: Greater Western Sydney at St. Kilda
5 a.m. (Saturday)
FS2 — AFL: Port Adelaide at Brisbane
AUTO RACING
4:30 p.m.
FS2 — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Practice and Qualifying, Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
6 p.m.
FS1 — NASCAR ARCA Menards Series: The Sioux Chief Fast Track 150, Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
9 p.m.
FS1 — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: The Kansas Lottery 200, Playoffs – Round of 10, Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
CFL FOOTBALL
7 p.m.
CBSSN — Hamilton at Ottawa
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
7 p.m.
BTN — Indiana St. at Indiana
7:30 p.m.
ESPN2 — Illinois at Kansas
COLLEGE SOCCER (MEN’S)
6 p.m.
ACCN — Boston College at NC State
8 p.m.
ACCN — Louisville at Syracuse
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN’S)
7 p.m.
SECN — Clemson at Florida
7:30 p.m.
PAC-12 — Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge: Minnesota vs. Oregon, Stanford, Calif.
10 p.m.
PAC-12 — Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge: Ohio St. at Stanford
FIBA BASKETBALL (MEN’S)
8:30 a.m.
ESPN2 — FIBA World Cup: U.S. vs. Germany, Semifinal, Manila, Philippines
GOLF
8 a.m.
GOLF — DP World Tour: The Horizon Irish Open, Second Round, The K Club – Ryder Course, Kildare, Ireland
1 p.m.
GOLF — PGA Tour Champions: The Ascension Charity Classic, First Round, Norwood Hill Golf Club, St. Louis
4 p.m.
GOLF — LPGA Tour: The Kroger Queen City Championship, Second Round, Kenwood Country Club – Kendale Course, Cincinnati
11 p.m.
GOLF — Asian Tour: The Shinhan Donghae Open, Third Round, Ocean Course at Club72, Incheon, South Korea
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
10 p.m.
ESPNU — Centennial (Calif.) at Bishop Gorman (Nev.)
HORSE RACING
9 p.m.
FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races
MLB BASEBALL
2 p.m.
MLBN — Arizona at Chicago Cubs
6:40 p.m.
APPLETV+ — St. Louis at Cincinnati
7 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: Milwaukee at NY Yankees OR Kansas City at Toronto
8:10 p.m.
APPLETV+ — San Diego at Houston
NBA G-LEAGUE BASKETBALL
9 p.m.
NBATV — Exhibition: Perth at Team Ignite
SOCCER (MEN’S)
11:50 a.m.
FS2 — UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifying Group Stage: Georgia vs. Spain, Group A, Tbilisi, Georgia
2:30 p.m.
FS2 — UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifying Group Stage: Turkey vs. Armenia, Group D, Eskisehir, Turkey
7 p.m.
FS2 — CPL: Valour FC at York United FC
RUGBY (WOMEN’S)
11:25 p.m.
FS2 — NRL: Sydney at Newcastle
TENNIS
12 p.m.
ESPN2 — ATP: The U.S. Open, Doubles Championship, Flushing, N.Y.
3 p.m.
ESPN — ATP: The U.S. Open, Semifinal, Flushing, N.Y.
7 p.m.
ESPN — ATP: The U.S. Open, Semifinal, Flushing, N.Y.
WNBA BASKETBALL
8 p.m.
ION — Seattle at Dallas
10 p.m. ION — Las Vegas at Phoenix