THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” SATURDAY NOVEMBER 18, 2023

“THE SCOREBOARD”

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL-SEMI STATE SCORES

CLASS 6A

CROWN POINT 38, WESTFIELD 31, 2OT…Crown Point stopped Westfield on 4th-and-3 in on the last play in overtime. Key player for Crown point was RB Larry Ellison rushed for 165 yards on 37 carries.

INDPLS BEN DAVIS 37, CENTER GROVE 34, OT…The final play of the game was a  10-yard pass from Thomas Gotkowski to Nate Williams in overtime for the win.

CLASS 5A

DECATUR CENTRAL 24, BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 12…Decatur Central punched its ticket to state for the first time since 2018.

FT. WAYNE SNIDER 28, MERRILLVILLE 0

CLASS 4A

E. CENTRAL 49, NEW PALESTINE 0…Trojans led 28-0 at halftime. East Central held New Pal to just 161 yards total offense.

NORTHWOOD 45, LEO 33

CLASS 3A

HERITAGE HILLS 23, GIBSON SOUTHERN 20

INDPLS CHATARD 42, KNOX 14..Chatard RB Daniel Shaw scored 3 TD’s. BC led 35-0 at the half.

CLASS 2A

FT. WAYNE LUERS 28, LAFAYETTE CATHOLIC 7…Luers broke open a tight game with 14 unanswered in the 3^rd quarter.

CLASS 1A

ADAMS CENTRAL 42, N. JUDSON 18

INDPLS LUTHERAN 56, SHERIDAN 14…Lutheran RB Braydon Hall scores six touchdowns.

INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL SCORES

ARGOS 69, S. BEND TRINITY 22

AUSTIN 52, PAOLI 41

BEDFORD N. LAWRENCE 51, INDPLS N. CENTRAL 39

BELLMONT 50, JAY CO. 33

BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 48, IMSA 13

BREMEN 72, S. BEND RILEY 30

BROWNSTOWN 51, MITCHELL 27

CARROLL (FLORA) 57, CLINTON CENTRAL 52

CASS 39, NORTHWESTERN 25

CASTLE 68, EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 48

CENTRAL NOBLE 48, FREMONT 35

CHESTERTON 64, S. CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) 45

CRAWFORD CO. 55, TELL CITY 40

CULVER ACADEMY 46, LAVILLE 30

DANVILLE 60, TRI-WEST 55

DEKALB 45, GARRETT 38

DELPHI 61, CLINTON PRAIRIE 35

EASTSIDE 60, ANGOLA 44

ELKHART 57, S. BEND CLAY 19

EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 68, BOONVILLE 27

EVANSVILLE REITZ 54, EVANSVILLE NORTH 43

FRANKLIN CO. 50, UNION CO. 36

FT. WAYNE DWENGER 53, FT. WAYNE NORTH 32

FT. WAYNE NORTHROP 70, CARROLL (FT. WAYNE) 43

FT. WAYNE WAYNE 51, FT. WAYNE SOUTH 31

HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 78, FRANKLIN CENTRAL 48

HENRYVILLE 42, NEW WASHINGTON 34

INDIANA DEAF 49, COLUMBUS CHRISTIAN 23

INDPLS PARK TUDOR 57, PHALEN 10

JENNINGS CO. 57, INDPLS CATHEDRAL 40

JIMTOWN 35, GLENN 30

KANKAKEE VALLEY 38, HIGHLAND 36

LAKE CENTRAL 79, HAMMOND NOLL 36

LAPEL 50, FRANKTON 44

LAWRENCE CENTRAL 68, UNIVERSITY 18

MISSISSINEWA 66, MANCHESTER 45

MOORESVILLE 52, COLUMBUS EAST 28

MT. VERNON (FORTVILLE) 49, RUSHVILLE 28

MUNSTER 58, ANDREAN 30

N. MIAMI 52, LOGANSPORT 37

N. POSEY 62, MT. VERNON (POSEY) 21

NEW PRAIRIE 56, S. BEND ADAMS 39

NOBLESVILLE 59, BROWNSBURG 54

NORTHEASTERN 62, UNION CITY 25

NORTHVIEW 61, BROWN CO. 49

NORWELL 82, FT. WAYNE BLACKHAWK 32

OAK HILL 27, MADISON-GRANT 11

OREGON-DAVIS 43, KOUTS 41

ORLEANS 49, BLOOMFIELD 25

PENDLETON HTS. 55, GREENFIELD 26

PLAINFIELD 37, INDPLS PERRY MERIDIAN 27

PRAIRIE HEIGHTS 55, LAKELAND 41

ROSSVILLE 39, EASTERN (GREENTOWN) 28

S. ADAMS 57, FT. WAYNE CANTERBURY 54

S. BEND ST. JOSEPH’S 50, MISHAWAKA MARIAN 32

S. BEND WASHINGTON 43, PENN 33

SALEM 31, EASTERN (PEKIN) 30

SEYMOUR 50, BATESVILLE 45

SHELBYVILLE 58, SOUTHWESTERN (SHELBY) 15

SHENANDOAH 55, BLUE RIVER VALLEY 34

SILVER CREEK 53, JEFFERSONVILLE 37

SOUTHWOOD 42, ELWOOD 37

SPEEDWAY 63, INDPLS SCECINA 42

SWITZERLAND CO. 40, RISING SUN 38

TRI-CENTRAL 51, TAYLOR 25

WALDRON 57, HAUSER 41

WAPAHANI 48, DELTA 35

WASHINGTON 55, SULLIVAN 39

WESTERN 75, TIPTON 3

WESTFIELD 52, FISHERS 51

WOOD MEMORIAL 59, PIKE CENTRAL 22

ZIONSVILLE 66, AVON 51

LAFAYETTE TOURNAMENT

CONSOLATION

LAFAYETTE HARRISON 50, LAFAYETTE JEFF 34

SEMIFINAL

RENSSELAER 60, BENTON CENTRAL 56

PUTNAM COUNTY TOURNAMENT

FIRST ROUND

N. PUTNAM 50, CLOVERDALE 36

S. PUTNAM 50, GREENCASTLE 31

SUGAR CREEK TOURNAMENT

CHAMPIONSHIP

N. MONTGOMERY 36, SOUTHMONT 14

THIRD PLACE

WESTERN BOONE 35, CRAWFORDSVILLE 21

POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS

WOODLAN VS. LEO, PPD.

NFL WEEK 11

DALLAS COWBOYS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX

PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS

CHICAGO BEARS AT DETROIT LIONS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS 12:00P (CT) 1:00P FOX

ARIZONA CARDINALS AT HOUSTON TEXANS 12:00P (CT) 1:00P CBS

TENNESSEE TITANS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS

NEW YORK GIANTS AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 1:05P (PT) 4:05P FOX

NEW YORK JETS AT BUFFALO BILLS 4:25P (ET) 4:25P CBS

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS 1:25P (PT) 4:25P CBS

MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT DENVER BRONCOS 6:20P (MT) 8:20P NBC*

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (MON) 7:15P (CT) 8:15P ESPN/ABC

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

FRIDAY

TEXAS SAN ANTONIO 49 SOUTH FLORIDA 21

WASHINGTON STATE 56 COLORADO 14

SATURDAY, NOV. 18

NO. 3 MICHIGAN AT MARYLAND | 12 P.M. | FOX

CHATTANOOGA AT NO. 8ALABAMA | 12 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+

UL MONROE AT NO. 13 OLE MISS | 12 P.M. | SEC NETWORK

RUTGERS AT NO. 12 PENN STATE | 12 P.M. | FS1

NO. 10 LOUISVILLE AT MIAMI (FLA.) | 12 P.M. | ABC

NO. 14 OKLAHOMA AT BYU | 12 P.M. | ESPN

NO. 25 TULANE AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC | 12 P.M. | ESPN+

COASTAL CAROLINA AT ARMY | 12 P.M. | CBSSN

MICHIGAN STATE AT INDIANA | 12 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK

SOUTHERN MISS AT MISSISSIPPI STATE | 12 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+

PURDUE AT NORTHWESTERN | 12 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK

ABILENE CHRISTIAN AT TEXAS A&M | 12 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+

EAST CAROLINA AT NAVY | 12 P.M. | ESPNN/ESPN+

SMU AT MEMPHIS | 12 P.M. | ESPN2

BUCKNELL AT MARIST | 12 P.M. | ESPN+

GEORGETOWN AT HOLY CROSS | 12 P.M. | ESPN+

LAFAYETTE AT LEHIGH | 12 P.M. | ESPN+

DARTMOUTH AT BROWN | 12 P.M. | ESPN+

HARVARD AT YALE | 12 P.M. | ESPN+

EASTERN ILLINOIS AT ROBERT MORRIS | 12 P.M. | ESPN+

FURMAN AT WOFFORD | 12 P.M. | ESPN+

WESTERN CAROLINA AT VMI | 12 P.M. | ESPN+

UMASS AT LIBERTY | 1 P.M. | ESPN+

MORGAN STATE AT HOWARD | 1 P.M. | ESPN+

COLUMBIA AT CORNELL | 1 P.M. | ESPN+

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE AT BRYANT | 1 P.M. | ESPN+

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN AT GARDNER-WEBB | 1 P.M. | ESPN+

UT MARTIN AT SAMFORD | 1 P.M. | ESPN+

MOREHEAD STATE AT PRESBYTERIAN | 1 P.M. | ESPN+

THE CITADEL AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE | 1 P.M. | ESPN+

FORDHAM AT COLGATE | 1 P.M. | ESPN+

PRINCETON AT PENN | 1 P.M. | ESPN+

LOUISIANA TECH AT JACKSONVILLE STATE | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

UTEP AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

RICE AT CHARLOTTE | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

APPALACHIAN STATE AT JAMES MADISON | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

KENT STATE AT BALL STATE | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

DELAWARE STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE AT NORFOLK STATE | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

ILLINOIS STATE AT NORTH DAKOTA | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

CENTRAL ARKANSAS AT AUSTIN PEAY | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN AT EASTERN KENTUCKY | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

MONTANA STATE AT MONTANA | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

PORTLAND STATE AT NORTHERN COLORADO | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

INDIANA STATE AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

YOUNGSTOWN STATE AT MURRAY STATE | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

SOUTH DAKOTA AT WESTERN ILLINOIS | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

NO. 22 UTAH AT NO. 17 ARIZONA | 2:30 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK

CINCINNATI AT WEST VIRGINIA | 2:30 P.M. | ESPN+

DUKE AT VIRGINIA | 3 P.M. | CW NETWORK

NORTH TEXAS AT TULSA | 3 P.M. | ESPN+

TEMPLE AT UAB | 3 P.M. | ESPN+

TEXAS STATE AT ARKANSAS STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+

ALABAMA STATE AT PRAIRIE VIEW A&M | 3 P.M. | ESPN+

ALCORN STATE AT JACKSON STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+

SACRAMENTO STATE AT UC DAVIS | 3 P.M. | ESPN+

MISSOURI STATE AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+

UIW AT HOUSTON CHRISTIAN | 3 P.M. | ESPN+

TENNESSEE TECH AT TENNESSEE STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+

NO. 1 GEORGIA AT TENNESSEE | 3:30 P.M. | CBS

WAKE FOREST AT NO. 19 NOTRE DAME | 3:30 P.M. | NBC

ILLINOIS AT NO. 16 IOWA | 3:30 P.M. | FS1

NO. 20 NORTH CAROLINA AT CLEMSON | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN

SAM HOUSTON AT WESTERN KENTUCKY | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+

UCLA AT USC | 3:30 P.M. | ABC

NC STATE AT VIRGINIA TECH | 3:30 P.M. | ACC NETWORK

BAYLOR AT TCU | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+

LOUISIANA AT TROY | 3:30 P.M. | NFL NETWORK

UNLV AT AIR FORCE | 3:30 P.M. | CBSSN

BETHUNE-COOKMAN VS. FLORIDA A&M (ORLANDO, FLORIDA) | 3:30 P.M. | ESPNU

MINNESOTA AT NO. 2 OHIO STATE | 4 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK

NO. 6 OREGON AT ARIZONA STATE | 4 P.M. | FOX

NO. 23 OKLAHOMA STATE AT HOUSTON | 4 P.M. | ESPN2

NEW MEXICO STATE AT AUBURN | 4 P.M. | SEC NETWORK

NORTHERN ARIZONA AT EASTERN WASHINGTON | 4 P.M. | ESPN+

MCNEESE AT LAMAR | 4 P.M. | ESPN+

UCF AT TEXAS TECH | 5 P.M. | FS2

MARSHALL AT SOUTH ALABAMA | 5 P.M. | ESPN+

NORTH DAKOTA STATE AT UNI | 5 P.M. | ESPN+

OLD DOMINION AT GEORGIA SOUTHERN | 6 P.M. | ESPN+

NORTH ALABAMA AT NO. 3 FLORIDA STATE | 6:30 P.M. | CW NETWORK

CAL AT STANFORD | 6:30 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK

NO. 21 KANSAS STATE AT NO. 25 KANSAS | 7 P.M. | FS1

BOISE STATE AT UTAH STATE | 7 P.M. | CBSSN

SOUTHERN UTAH AT UTAH TECH | 7 P.M. | ESPN+

IDAHO STATE AT IDAHO | 7 P.M. | ESPN+

NO. 5 WASHINGTON AT NO. 11 OREGON STATE | 7:30 P.M. | ABC

FLORIDA AT NO. 9 MISSOURI | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL AT ARKANSAS | 7:30 P.M. | ESPNU

KENTUCKY AT SOUTH CAROLINA | 7:30 P.M. | SEC NETWORK

NEBRASKA AT WISCONSIN | 7:30 P.M. | ABC

NO. 7 TEXAS AT IOWA STATE | 8 P.M. | FOX

GEORGIA STATE AT NO. 15 LSU | 8 P.M. | ESPN2

SYRACUSE AT GEORGIA TECH | 8 P.M. | ACC NETWORK

WEBER STATE AT CAL POLY | 8 P.M. | ESPN+

NEW MEXICO AT FRESNO STATE | 10:30 P.M. | FS1

SAN DIEGO STATE AT SAN JOSE STATE | 10:30 P.M. | CBSSN

MEN’S TOP 25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES

#3 ARIZONA 100 BELMONT 68

#6 HOUSTON 76 UTAH 66

#9 DUKE 90 BUCKNELL 60

#12 MIAMI FLORIDA 79 GEORGIA 68

#13 TEXAS A&M 74 ORAL ROBERTS 66

NORTH CAROLINA GREENSBORO 78 #14 ARKANSAS 72

#17 KENTUCKY 101 STONEHILL 67

#18 MICHIGAN STATE 74 BUTLER 54

#20 NORTH CAROLINA 77 UC RIVERSIDE 52

#21 VILLANOVA 57 MARYLAND 40

#22 ALABAMA 98 MERCER 67

#23 ILLINOIS 87 VALPARAISO 64

#24 JAMES MADISON 76 RADFORD 73

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOP 25 SCOREBOARD

#3 UCLA 77 PRINCETON 74

#7 LSU 73 SE. LOUISIANA 50

#12 FLORIDA STATE 79 LAURA 75

#18 INDIANA 112 MURRAY STATE 79

NBA SCOREBOARD

NEW YORK 120 WASHINGTON 99

MILWAUKEE 130 CHARLOTTE 99

PHILADELPHIA 126 ATLANTA 116

CLEVELAND 108 DETROIT 100

SACRAMENTO 129 SAN ANTONIO 120

BOSTON 108 TORONTO 105

NEW ORLEANS 115 DENVER 110

ORLANDO 103 CHICAGO 97

LA LAKERS 107 PORTLAND 95

PHOENIX 131 UTAH 128

LA CLIPPERS 106 HOUSTON 100

NHL SCOREBOARD

TORONTO 3 DETROIT 2

WINNIPEG 3 BUFFALO 2

FLORIDA 2 ANAHEIM 1

NATIONAL SPORTS RELEASES/HEADLINES

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

TOP 25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEWS

NO. 8 ALABAMA REMAINS IN CFP CHASE, WELCOMES CHATTANOOGA

No. 8 Alabama takes a break from the rigors of the Southeastern Conference when it takes on FCS program Chattanooga on Saturday at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The Crimson Tide clinched a spot in the SEC Championship Game with last weekend’s 49-21 rout of host Kentucky. Alabama (9-1) has reeled off eight straight victories since a Week 2 loss to then-No. 11 Texas.

But Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban is emphasizing to the players that they need to approach the contest against Chattanooga (7-3) in the same serious manner that they would a conference foe.

“This is either a game that you focus on correctly, you go out and practice and prepare correctly, and you build on the momentum that you’ve improved with over the last few weeks and that helps you get better for what’s coming up in the future,” Saban told reporters. “If you don’t do that, you don’t have a good showing, you sort of lose your rhythm — and rhythm is a little bit like momentum. Sometimes, you lose momentum in the game, it’s hard to get it back.”

Alabama has won its past three games by an average of 18.7 points, scoring at least 34 points in each contest. The other two victories were against then-No. 17 Tennessee and then-No. 14 LSU.

Saban doesn’t want there to be a drop-off down the stretch with two regular-season games remaining before the Dec. 2 title matchup against top-ranked Georgia.

“If you’re going to peak at the right time, you can’t have peaks and valleys,” Saban said. “You have to keep going in the right direction, and that’s what we want to get our players to focus on this week in practice in preparation for this game.”

One player excelling at a high level is quarterback Jalen Milroe, who became the first Crimson Tide player to pass for three touchdowns and rush for three scores in the same game during the victory over Kentucky.

The previous week, Milroe became the first Alabama quarterback to rush for four touchdowns in a single game.

Over the past five games, Milroe has passed for 10 touchdowns and rushed for eight.

“I think the team has a lot of confidence in him,” Saban said of Milroe. “He’s become a leader. He’s given us an opportunity to get where we want to go.”

Chattanooga, which is ranked 16th in the FCS Coaches Poll, is coming off a bye. The previous week, it lost 17-14 at home to No. 2 Furman in a setback that put the Mocs on the bubble for an at-large FCS playoff spot.

Chattanooga coach Rusty Wright is confident the game against the Crimson Tide won’t be his team’s final game of the season.

“We still have a lot to play for,” Wright said. “I believe in my heart that we’re going to play again (after Alabama). I don’t have any ideas or clues, but in my heart I know what this team’s been through and we should still be ready to play.”

Chase Artopoeus has passed for 2,672 yards and 20 touchdowns against seven interceptions for the Mocs.

Defensively, preseason All-American cornerback Kameron Brown has three interceptions — including his second career touchdown return — to raise his career total to 11.

Alabama is 13-0 all-time against Chattanooga. The Crimson Tide won the last meeting, 31-3 in 2016.

NO. 14 OKLAHOMA MAKES MAIDEN VOYAGE TO BYU

Oklahoma is looking for consistency and BYU is looking for a win.

The 14th-ranked Sooners take on the Cougars in Provo, Utah, with plenty on the line.

For Oklahoma (8-2, 5-2 Big 12), it’s a chance to at least stay in the race to make the Big 12 Championship Game heading into the season’s final week.

BYU (5-5, 2-5) is looking to snap a three-game losing streak and clinch bowl eligibility for a sixth consecutive season.

The Cougars have struggled to adjust during their first season in the Big 12, especially on the defensive end.

After last week’s 45-13 loss to Iowa State, Cougars coach Kalani Sitake questioned whether his team believed in the defensive system. He backed off that a bit a couple days later.

“We are going against a different beast here,” Sitake said. “These are teams that have been at a Power Five level way longer than we have. I’m not making excuses. I’m just telling you, they are good players.”

Now they’ll face the top offense in the Big 12 in the Sooners, who are averaging 505.4 yards and 41.8 points per game.

BYU’s offense is last in the league in both categories, averaging 300 yards and 21.9 points.

During their current losing streak, the Cougars have been outscored 117-26.

BYU is hoping quarterback Kedon Slovis will be able to return after missing the last two games due to injury.

Junior Jake Retzlaff has started in Slovis’ place in losses to West Virginia and Iowa State.

“He is still banged up, not 100 percent yet,” Sitake said. “Last week, we felt like Jake gave us the better chance. This week, we will kinda see what it looks like.”

Oklahoma is coming off a 59-20 win over West Virginia that snapped a two-game losing streak. Both of the Sooners’ losses came on the road.

Over the last two games, senior receiver Drake Stoops has 22 catches for 298 yards and four touchdowns. He’s topped his career high in receiving yards in each game.

“Just a baller,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said of Stoops. “Just always doing the little things right. … Whether he’s cracking somebody to set up a run or a screen play or making the third-down catch, making the extraordinary catch look ordinary. And then his ability to run after the catch is different. He bounces off of guys.”

Saturday’s meeting is the third between the programs and the first since 2009.

The Cougars have won the only two meetings. They’ve never played in Provo.

While the Sooners haven’t played BYU in a while, several players on Oklahoma’s roster have, including quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

UCF, with Gabriel at quarterback, lost to BYU 49-23 in the 2020 Boca Raton Bowl.

That wasn’t one of Gabriel’s best games.

But he’s coming off his best overall game with the Sooners, with 423 yards and five touchdowns through the air and scoring three rushing touchdowns in the win over West Virginia where Gabriel moved into the top 10 in NCAA career passing yards.

“He’s a tremendous leader and a tremendous quarterback and I’d go to war with him every day,” Stoops said.

FACING FLORIDA ATLANTIC, NO. 24 TULANE EYES 9TH STRAIGHT WIN

Tulane’s season, which includes a current winning streak of eight games, is not for the weak of heart.

In each of its three most recent games, Tulane has won by three points or less.

“We’ll stop scaring our fans one day,” Tulane cornerback Jarius Monroe said after last Saturday’s 24-22 home win over Tulsa. “But these exciting games, that’s what Tulane football is all about.”

Perhaps the No. 24 Green Wave (9-1, 6-0) can play a “scare-free” game Saturday against host Florida Atlantic (4-6, 3-3) in Boca Raton in an American Athletic Conference game.

Tulane, favored by 9 1/2 points, is led by running back Makhi Hughes, who last week became the first freshman in Tulane’s 129-year football history to rush for more than 1,000 yards.

“It feels great,” said Hughes, who has 1,008 yards, six touchdowns and a 5.4 average per rush. “I give all credit to my offensive line. We always talk about getting 100 yards every game, and that’s what we’ve done.”

Indeed, Hughes, who was a three-star recruit out of Birmingham, Ala., per 247Sports, has rushed for more than 100 yards in six straight games.

The 5-foot-11, 205-pounder was rated behind 84 other running backs during his senior year of high school. He then sat out the 2022 season as a redshirt.

Meanwhile, Tulane and quarterback Michael Pratt may have a problem at wide receiver. Lawrence Keys III left the Tulsa game due to a lower-body injury. He leads Tulane receivers in catches (33), yards (599), TDs (seven) and average yards per reception (18.2).

In addition, Jha’Quan Jackson, who is second on the team among receivers in average yards per reception (17.5) and TDs (four), missed the Tulsa game due to an injury.

Pratt, meanwhile, is completing 68 percent of his passes and has 16 TD throws and just four interceptions.

On the other side, the Owls have dropped two straight games. With another defeat on Saturday, they would clinch their third straight losing season.

Tom Herman, who is in his first year at Florida Atlantic, entered this season with a career record of 54-22 while directing Houston (2015-16) and then Texas (2017-20).

“This is unchartered territory for me and most of my staff,” said Herman, who has never had a losing season. “You (reporters) are going to ask me a lot of questions that I don’t have great answers for right now.

“We have to prepare our tails off to beat a Top 25 team and keep ourselves in the running for a bowl game.”

The Owls are led by quarterback Daniel Richardson, who played parts of four seasons at Central Michigan. He is a veteran of 41 games, including 32 over the past three years at Central Michigan.

His best game this season came Oct. 14, when he completed 31 of 38 passes for a career-high 382 yards and three touchdowns in a 56-14 win at South Florida.

However, he has thrown a career-high nine interceptions. In fact, he has been intercepted in every game this season except the opener, when he tossed just two passes in a backup role.

Last week, in a 22-7 loss to East Carolina, Richardson threw for 151 yards and one interception.

Fortunately for the Owls, their defense came up with 15 tackles for losses to keep them in the game. They also held East Carolina to five field goals, and the Pirates’ lone touchdown came on a short field.

“I’m really proud of our defense,” Herman said. “They played well enough to win.”

NO. 3 MICHIGAN VIES FOR WIN NO. 1,000 IN CLASH VS. MARYLAND

Michigan’s football program is making a serious run for a College Football Playoff berth and America’s favorite soap opera at the same time.

The controversy swirling around coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff has taken many twists and turns. The team’s drive for a national championship, however, remains undeterred.

The Wolverines (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten), ranked No. 3 in the latest poll, will play their penultimate regular-season game against Maryland on Saturday at College Park, Md.

A victory would be the 1,000th in the program’s history.

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti suspended Harbaugh for the remainder of the regular season amid an NCAA investigation into an alleged signal-stealing scandal. The school tried to secure a court injunction on Saturday to allow Harbaugh to coach against Penn State, but the hearing was delayed until this Friday.

A defiant Harbaugh said he’s looking forward to his day in court.

“Always kind of felt like it would be cool to get up there and thunder away at a jury like Tom Cruise in ‘A Few Good Men.’ Or be a judge like Judge Judy,” he said. “But alas, I did not go to law school. So this will be the first time I’ve ever really been (in) this situation.”

Harbaugh was suspended for the first three games this season for failure to cooperate with a separate NCAA investigation. If Friday’s hearing doesn’t go Michigan’s way, offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore again will fill in for Harbaugh.

A tearful Moore expressed his love for Harbaugh and the program after a 24-15 win last week at Penn State, Michigan’s first close game all season.

The Wolverines relied heavily on their running game in the second half to wear down the Nittany Lions. Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards combined for 36 carries, 197 yards and three touchdowns.

“I’m feeling a galvanized Michigan. … Everybody fighting like the team we’re supposed to be,” Harbaugh said. “That’s going to be tough to beat.”

With a showdown against No. 2 Ohio State looming on Nov. 25, the Wolverines easily could overlook the Terrapins (6-4, 3-4).

Maryland snapped a four-game losing streak and became bowl eligible on Saturday, but it wasn’t pretty. The Terrapins needed a last-second field goal from Jack Howes to edge Nebraska 13-10.

Maryland coach Mike Locksley is looking to pull off a shocker.

“We need to go into this game with confidence. Any time you win, it helps your confidence,” he said. “I think our team is excited about this opportunity. I mean, very few times in your career do you get to have what I call a breakthrough type of game, and you know, what a breakthrough this would be for our program.”

The Terrapins will need a big performance from quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa to pull off an upset. He’s passed for 2,769 yards and 22 touchdowns while getting picked off eight times.

Michigan has limited opponents to an average of 7.5 points per game.

“They are a well-oiled machine, especially on the defensive side of the ball. They play really sound,” Locksley said. “They don’t make a lot of mistakes, meaning you are going to have to execute at a really high level.”

The Terrapins aren’t focusing on Michigan’s off-field issues.

“What’s going on up in Ann Arbor has nothing to do with us,” Locksley said.

NO. 10 LOUISVILLE LOOKS TO BOOT MIAMI

A year ago, Jeff Brohm was coaching Purdue in the Big Ten title game. Now, he’s one win away from leading Louisville to its first appearance in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

The Cardinals, No. 10 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, will travel to Coral Gables, Fla., on Saturday for a clash against Miami. Should Louisville win, it will face No. 4 Florida State the first weekend of December in Charlotte, N.C. for the ACC crown.

“If we win, then we definitely help our cause. … You need to play your best football at the end of the year,” Brohm said. “We just got to kind of regroup and pick the pieces up and understand that it’s going to take our best performance in order to beat Miami.”

Louisville (9-1, 6-1 ACC) is coming off a 31-24 win at home over Virginia last Thursday. The Cards trailed by seven entering the fourth quarter, but outscored the Cavaliers 17-3 in the final period to take the win. Jack Plummer threw two touchdown passes, while Jawhar Jordan and Isaac Guerendo combined for 189 rushing yards.

The Cardinals’ defense has been impressive too, allowing just 17.1 points per game, which ranks 12th out of 133 FBS programs. This week, Louisville’s Ashton Gillotte was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week after he had seven tackles and 1.5 sacks against Virginia. The junior from Boca Raton, Fla., has 10 sacks on the season and was also named a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award this week.

Miami (6-4, 2-4 ACC) is coming off its second straight loss, falling 27-20 at rival Florida State on Saturday. After recent poor performances from Tyler Van Dyke, the Hurricanes played Emory Williams a significant amount of snaps under center in the loss, but he exited the game with an injured left arm. Miami coach Mario Cristobal confirmed this week that Williams is out for the rest of the season and that Van Dyke will start against Louisville.

“Being a quarterback at Miami, you’ve got to be tough. You’ve got to have thick skin. You’ve got to be a competitor. He’s all that,” Cristobal said of Van Dyke. “He handled last week like a pro, which means disappointed, upset, really fought hard all week — and it was a great week of practice by both guys. In fact, at the end of the week, the staff felt like, man, we’ve made a lot of progress.”

Van Dyke has not thrown a touchdown pass since an Oct. 14 loss to North Carolina. He is completing 66.7 percent of his passes this season for 2,086 yards, 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

While Louisville and Miami have a history of playing each other in football, this is the first time the two sides will play for the Howard Schnellenberger Trophy, which is a bronzed pair of the Louisville native’s boots. The late Schnellenberger coached the Hurricanes to a national championship, their first, in the 1983 season. He later coached the Cardinals from 1985 to 1994, a tenure that included a 10-win season and a Fiesta Bowl victory in 1990.

Louisville has never beaten Miami on the road in seven tries.

A win for the Cardinals would make Brohm the first Louisville coach to notch 10 wins in his first season.

NO. 13 OLE MISS BACK HOME TO FACE ULM WITH ‘A LOT TO PLAY FOR’

Ole Miss lost to Alabama in September to fall behind in the SEC West Division race. The Rebels lost to Georgia last week to snap a five-game winning streak.

Both of those games were on the road.

The No. 13 Rebels (8-2, 5-2) are 6-0 at home as they prepare to host Louisiana-Monroe in a non-conference game to conclude their home schedule Saturday.

“The chance to have an undefeated home season is awesome, so obviously a lot to play for with that,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said. “Senior day for our guys, a number of them to play their last game here, is special. We’re excited to get this opportunity to get to nine wins, and going undefeated at home would be great.”

The Rebels’ hopes of winning the SEC West fizzled with their 24-10 loss at Alabama, and they were still a national player in the top 10 of the CFP rankings before their 52-17 loss at Georgia.

“You are what you put on film that day. We weren’t very good,” Kiffin said. “When you get knocked down, do you get back up or do you stay down?”

Kiffin recognizes that Ole Miss has a quick turnaround after the game against ULM before it faces in-state rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving night in Starkville, Miss.

It would be helpful to the Rebels to take command of Saturday’s game against the Warhawks early and get some starters some rest with a short week looming before such an important game.

“It’s always good for your players to have a lower play count,” Kiffin said. “It would be ideal to have lower snap counts, and it’s always good to get more guys experience.”

ULM is 2-8 overall 0-7 in the Sun Belt Conference after consecutive league losses to Southern Miss and Troy.

Warhawks coach Terry Bowden said his goal is to try to finish this season on a high note while setting a positive tone for next season.

“It’s been a year of perseverance,” Bowden said. “We’ve lost a lot of close games. You’ve got to keep your guys playing as hard as they can because if they’re getting better, you’re going to make the best you can out of this season.”

Bowden said he’s trying to balance being as competitive as possible in the last two games while getting a head start on next season.

He said he won’t play freshman quarterback Blake Murphy, who has played in three games as the backup to starter Jiya Wright, against the Rebels so he can play him in the season finale against in-state and Sun Belt Conference rival Louisiana-Lafayette without losing Murphy’s redshirt.

“We’ve got to think of what we can do to become better right now and then get ready for next season,” Bowden said. “Your first goal is trying to get your guys to get better every game and go into the last two games as good as we possibly can be.

“You don’t bench people and play rookies. Your upperclassmen have a chance to go out there and do the best they can. You want to make sure you honor them and you want to win.”

OFFENSES UNDER SCRUTINY AS RUTGERS VISITS NO. 12 PENN STATE

Besieged this week by questions about the firing of his offensive coordinator, Penn State coach James Franklin implored reporters to address the No. 12 Nittany Lions’ next opponent.

“At some point during this press conference I’d love to get just a few questions about Rutgers,” he said Monday.

Despite Franklin’s efforts, the visiting Scarlet Knights (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten) received little attention from the press corps ahead of the Saturday clash with the Nittany Lions (8-2, 5-2) in University Park, Pa.

Franklin, who is in his 10th season, has been feeling the heat since the Nittany Lions’ 24-15 home loss to Michigan last week. The defeat exposed a sore subject that has been brewing all season: a conservative offensive approach.

On Sunday, Penn State fired Mike Yurcich, who had been the offensive coordinator since 2021.

Sharing the role will be tight ends coach Ty Howle and running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider. During games, both will remain in their usual roles, with Howle in the booth upstairs and Seider on the sideline, Franklin said.

“They both will have a role in play-calling,” Franklin said.

Additionally, graduate assistant Danny O’Brien, who played quarterback at Maryland when Franklin was the Terrapins’ offensive coordinator, will help oversee the QBs. Yurcich also served as the quarterbacks coach.

Franklin added that he hopes to have a new offensive coordinator in place before Penn State’s bowl game.

The Nittany Lions will try to figure out how to add more punch to an offense that includes two of the Big Ten’s top 10 rushers, Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton.

Drew Allar has thrown for 21 touchdowns with just one interception but averages only 6.3 yards per pass. That figure pales in comparison to Big Ten quarterbacks such as Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy (10.3) and Ohio State’s Kyle McCord (9.3).

In the Michigan game, Penn State’s unwillingness to throw downfield was particularly evident. Allar completed 10 of 22 passes for 70 yards and one touchdown, which came with 1:59 left, when the outcome was essentially decided.

On Monday afternoon at Rutgers, coach Greg Schiano also was peppered with questions about the Scarlet Knights’ conservative approach following a 22-0 loss at Iowa.

“The way we’ve played the game has allowed us to be in every single game this year going into the fourth quarter,” Schiano said. “In the past, that wasn’t the case. To me, that’s incremental improvement.”

Rutgers’ offense was able to generate only 127 total yards and seven first downs. The Scarlet Knights never crossed the Hawkeyes’ 40-yard line as nine of their 11 possessions ended with a punt.

Schiano said he has not considered benching quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, who completed 7 of 18 passes for 93 yards with one interception against the Hawkeyes.

The slate in November is tough with Rutgers having to face the defenses of Penn State, Ohio State and Iowa, which are ranked Nos. 2, 4 and 8, respectively, in yards allowed per game in the FBS.

Penn State is 31-2 all-time against Rutgers, including wins in each of the past 16 meetings. The Nittany Lions beat the Scarlet Knights 55-10 last year in Piscataway, N.J.

PENDING BIG 12 BEDFELLOWS NO. 17 ARIZONA, NO. 22 UTAH PUSH FOR WIN NO. 8

No. 17 Arizona has been one of the most surprising teams in the country and will be going for its fifth consecutive victory when it plays its home finale against No. 22 Utah on Saturday in Tucson, Ariz.

The Wildcats (7-3, 5-2 Pac-12) still have an outside shot at playing in the Pac-12 championship game, but that involves beating the Utes (7-3, 4-3) and Arizona State to end the regular season.

Oregon, in turn, must lose one of its final two games to create a tie-breaking scenario behind league-leading Washington.

“Our only focus is beating Utah,” Arizona coach Jedd Fisch said. “This is a great team coming in.”

Arizona hasn’t won five consecutive games since starting the 2014 season with a 5-0 record.

Utah has navigated through myriad injuries all season, going 3-3 in its past six games, with each of the losses to ranked teams – at Oregon State, vs. Oregon and, last week, at Washington 35-28.

The Utes responded with resounding victories — 34-14 over Cal and 55-3 at Arizona State — the first game after their previous two losses.

“You’ve got to rebound; you’ve got to respond,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “Our team has been good at that this year, at least the first couple times. We’ve got to do the same thing this time around. …

“We lean on the leadership of the team a lot and we lean on the coaches to set the tempo, set the mindset and move forward.”

Utah has won five in a row in the series. That includes the 45-20 decision last season in Salt Lake City.

The Utes were the more physical team in recent years and remain strong on both lines, ranking 30th nationally in rushing (184.9 yards per game) and fifth in rushing defense (85.6 yards allowed per game).

Defensive end Jonah Ellis is having an All-American season, with 12 sacks among his 16 tackles for loss.

The game should feature strong matchups in the trenches. Arizona has a potential 2024 first-round left tackle in Jordan Morgan, who is helping running back Jonah Coleman average 7.15 yards per carry. The Wildcats’ defense is 13th nationally against the run, yielding 99.4 yards per game.

But most of the buzz around Arizona is on redshirt freshman quarterback Noah Fifita, who has started the past six games. For the season, he is 165 of 224 for 1,735 yards, with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Fifita struggled some in the first half against Colorado last week but led a second-half comeback as Arizona won 34-31 on a last-play field goal.

“He never flinched,” Fisch said. “What Noah was able to do is what good quarterbacks do. It’s one play at a time, one play at a time.”

Utah running back Ja’Quinden Jackson has rushed for 627 yards on 122 carries and has three 100-yard games this season. Bryson Barnes has settled in at quarterback, completing 103 of 176 passes for 1,197 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

The final matchup between these programs as Pac-12 schools was considered a betting pick-em early in the week. Both teams will be joining the Big 12 next season.

CLEMSON OUT TO SQUASH HOPES OF NO. 20 NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina holds a national ranking and Clemson doesn’t.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way in mid-November. The No. 20 Tar Heels still have aspirations of playing for the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference, which Clemson has dominated over much of the past decade.

This puts the host Tigers, who have shown a recent resurgence, in a spoiler’s role when the teams meet Saturday in Clemson, S.C.

“They’re the old Clemson again,” North Carolina coach Mack Brown said of the Tigers, who won two College Football Playoff titles in the past eight years. “They’re playing like a playoff team. They’re protecting the ball, running the ball so well. … They dominated a Georgia Tech team that beat us.”

Some preseason projections had this game as a potential preview of the ACC title game. That’s not the case, though North Carolina has a slim chance of advancing.

The Tar Heels (8-2, 4-2), who would need to beat Clemson and win next week at North Carolina State to stay in contention for the ACC title, should know more about their status prior to Saturday’s kickoff. By that time, the game between Louisville and Miami should be done, and a Louisville loss would keep UNC in contention for the spot opposite No. 4 Florida State in next month’s title game.

Brown wasn’t thrilled earlier this year when the schedules came out and he saw his team going to Clemson and rival NC State in consecutive weeks to end the regular season. It still looks like a daunting task.

“We’ve got to get up and go,” Brown said. “I’ve always loved to go on the road and play in great places. Not many people have won there (at Clemson). What a great challenge for us.”

Clemson (6-4, 3-4) has toppled then-No. 15 Notre Dame and Georgia Tech in trying to resurrect its season.

“We’re starting to play how we knew we could,” Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said. “Our defense has played well enough to be a playoff team. But we haven’t done our part offensively taking care of the ball.”

The Tigers have a solid running back tandem with Will Shipley back from injury. He and Phil Mafah combined for 173 rushing yards in last week’s 42-21 rout of Georgia Tech. Cade Klubnik threw for four touchdowns.

Clemson has won 23 of its past 26 November games.

“All that gets your players’ attention,” Brown said. “(The Tigers) get everybody’s attention because they are who they are. They’re really, really good at everything they do. They just had a year where it was uncommon for them that they turned the ball over and weren’t forcing turnovers as much as they have in the past, but now they’ve corrected that.”

North Carolina is trying to build on a 47-45 double-overtime victory against Duke. That came with a couple of situations that had to go the Tar Heels’ way to avoid defeat.

“It’s amazing how that one play makes a difference,” Brown said of the mood around his team.

In addition to quarterback Drake Maye, North Carolina has an offensive threat with running back Omarion Hampton. He’s the ACC’s leading rusher with 1,236 yards, including 169 in the Duke game.

North Carolina leads the ACC in scoring at 39.9 points per game.

Among those who’ll try to slow down the Tar Heels is Clemson freshman cornerback Shelton Lewis, who made his first career start last weekend. That resulted in an interception that was returned 46 yards for a touchdown.

Still, the Tar Heels with Maye will try to target the relatively young Clemson defensive backs.

This is a rematch of the 2022 ACC championship game that was won 39-10 by Clemson, which has swept the past five meetings overall with the Tar Heels.

NO. 16 IOWA’S FORMULA: BEAT ILLINI, SEAL BIG TEN TITLE GAME BID

For No. 16 Iowa, a win Saturday means a spot in the Big Ten championship game. For Illinois, a win Saturday at Iowa City would seal bowl eligibility.

The Illini’s late-season charge has been fueled by two quarterbacks, with usual starter Luke Altmyer set to return this week after senior backup John Paddock did stellar work the past two games.

Last week, Paddock threw for a Memorial Stadium-record 507 yards in his first Illinois start and earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors after leading the Illini (5-5, 3-4) to a 48-45 overtime win over visiting Indiana.

The previous week, Altmyer exited late due to a concussion, and Paddock entered and guided the Illini to the game-winning touchdown drive in a 27-26 victory at Minnesota.

Altmyer was cleared to play on Tuesday, and he will be back under center at Iowa.

“He was our starting quarterback before he left (the Minnesota game), and that’s where I see it now,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema said of Altmyer on a SiriusXM radio show on Wednesday. “The best part that we have is if there’s any part of that that gets gray, we have a guy who has proven he can play and do some good things. Super excited about both of those guys.”

Perhaps the Paddock/Altmyer debate doesn’t address the biggest question of all: Will Illinois be able to score a touchdown against Iowa (8-2, 5-2) regardless of who’s running the offense?

Over the last four weeks, the Hawkeyes have surrendered just one touchdown. For the year, Iowa has given up 11 touchdowns in 10 games while building the nation’s third-best scoring defense (12.3 points per game) and fourth-best pass-efficiency defense (100.14 rating).

“We’re clearly a better defense than we were 6-8 weeks ago,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “But that’s what you hope for with all your guys. You hope they’re all improving. The guys have played well. They work hard in practice. They prepare. They study. And then the other component is, you gain some confidence when you do have success.”

“They’re just so, so consistent,” said Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. “They make you earn every, every inch that you get. They make you earn it. And they very rarely make mistakes. That’s probably the unique nature of it is they’re just so rigid and systematic and they’re physical and tough. A lot of good qualities I’m describing. All these adjectives I’m saying would be the earmark of a great defense — and that’s what this is.”

Junior defensive back Cooper DeJean serves as the poster boy for Iowa’s defense, but he sustained a serious leg injury in practice Wednesday and is likely done for the season. He was also named one of the five Nagurski Trophy finalists on Wednesday. One of the others was Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton.

DeJean also was named a Bednarik Award semifinalist this week — keeping him in the running for National Defensive Player of the Year — to go with his semifinalist status for the Jim Thorpe Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy.

On the flip side, Iowa’s offense hasn’t exactly been prolific. Last week’s 22-point outburst against Rutgers represented the Hawkeyes’ second-biggest Big Ten output this season. To put it a different way: Paddock threw for more yards last week (507) than Iowa quarterback Deacon Hill has thrown for in the last four weeks (441).

Ferentz, though, cares about only one number: The one in the win column. The Hawkeyes need just one win in the next two weeks to clinch their second West Division crown in the last three years.

“One thing you try to explain to the players — and I think they’ve figured this out,” Ferentz said. “There’s really no downside to winning and there’s a lot of downside to losing.”

NO. 19 NOTRE DAME LIMPS INTO MEETING WITH WAKE FOREST

While the hopes of playing for a national championship evaporated weeks ago, No. 19 Notre Dame still believes it has plenty to play for on Saturday afternoon against visiting Wake Forest at South Bend, Ind.

“We have a shot to send the seniors out the right way,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said in advance of the final home game of the season. “That’s our motivation. We know Wake Forest will be motivated. This team will be ready to go. They will come in knowing they have to win to become bowl eligible. We know we have a challenge in front of us.”

The challenge not only will come from Wake Forest, but also replacing several key players who are sidelined with injuries.

Notre Dame (7-3) most recently lost players on the offensive line during a 31-23 loss at Clemson on Saturday.

Rocco Spindler went down with a knee injury and the right guard is out for the season. Starting center Zeke Correll is in concussion protocol and his backup, Andrew Kristofic, went down with a high ankle sprain.

Billy Schrauth is expected to start at guard against Wake Forest and Ashton Craig will remain at center after finishing Saturday’s game.

“Ashton Craig did a really good job filling in at the center position,” Freeman said. “I was really impressed with what he did.”

The Fighting Irish lost safety Luke Talich to a broken collarbone during practice last week, while wide receivers Deion Colzie, Jayden Thomas and Matt Salerno remain sidelined.

Complicating things even more for Notre Dame is the slow mesh offensive system that the Demon Deacons run, a complicated system of run-pass options that can leave a defense spinning.

“How do you defend it?” Freeman said. “Linebackers attack and then create open areas behind you. They are really good to answer when you react to their system. It’s not the triple option, but it’s a system and they have answers. We have to be aggressive though and that is important.”

Wake Forest (4-6) got off to a promising 3-0 start but has dropped six of its last seven games. The Demon Deacons most recently fell to visiting North Carolina State, 26-6 on Saturday.

“It was not even a competitive football game,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said. “It’s on me. It’s Game 10 and to show up like that is very disappointing.”

Wake Forest switched quarterbacks in the second quarter last week and Michael Kern led the Demon Deacons to their only touchdown, but he was then picked off on the two-point try and that was returned for two points the other way.

The rushing attack was even more shackled, as Wake Forest combined for seven net yards on 18 carries.

“On offense, right now, we’re broken,” Clawson said. “This isn’t anything like the offense that was put out there the last six years. I should have had us in a better spot with some of the personnel losses we had. We’re not getting the most out of these guys. I think we have good players, but they’re not playing well and it all boils down to coaching.”

HISTORY AT STAKE AS NO. 1 GEORGIA VISITS NO. 18 TENNESSEE

No. 1 Georgia will try to make history when it visits No. 18 Tennessee in a Southeastern Conference showdown on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, Tenn.

Georgia (10-0, 7-0) has won a school-record 27 consecutive games since the end of the 2021 campaign. A win this weekend would move the Bulldogs into a tie for the longest winning streak in SEC history, joining Alabama from 1978-80 and 1991-93.

This week, the Bulldogs also jumped Ohio State for the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings.

“Rare air,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “Those (Alabama teams) are guys I grew up watching as a little kid growing up in Alabama, with my dad being a high school coach.

“A lot of the credit goes to the people that come to this university and play, the players that made those sacrifices, the players who helped win those games. … It’s just all these guys that made sacrifices to do this and make it special.”

Tennessee (7-3, 3-3) would love to spoil the Bulldogs’ dream run. The Volunteers return home to Neyland Stadium, where they have won 14 consecutive games.

The Volunteers fell five spots in the CFP rankings after losing 36-7 to then-No. 14 Missouri on the road last weekend. Tennessee trailed 13-7 at the break and was outscored 23-0 in the second half.

For Volunteers coach Josh Heupel, this week presents an opportunity to erase the ill taste of the loss.

“A lot to learn from,” Heupel said. “At the same time, you’ve got to wash it. Whether you win or lose and you’ve got to move on to the next one. …

“We understand the quality of the opponent that’s coming to town this week. Our guys understand who they are, what they’re about, the way that they’re going to play. It’s going to be a great test for us.”

It has been a one-sided rivalry in recent years. Georgia has won six straight games against Tennessee, which last knocked off the Bulldogs in 2016 in Athens, Ga.

This year’s Georgia squad is led on offense by quarterback Carson Beck, who has passed for 3,022 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. Beck’s top target is tight end Brock Bowers, who returned from injury last week and who leads the team with 44 catches for 601 yards and five touchdowns.

On the ground, Daijun Edwards paces Georgia with 691 rushing yards and 10 scores.

Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III will try to keep pace with Georgia’s high-potent offense. He has passed for 2,283 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions this season.

Volunteers wideout Squirrel White has a team-high 49 catches for 609 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Jaylen Wright has amassed 848 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

On defense, Georgia has the edge.

The Bulldogs have allowed 289.2 yards per game, which ranks ninth in the nation. The Volunteers have given up 340.6 yards per game, which ranks No. 39.

A fast start helped Georgia in the team’s most recent meeting last year. The Bulldogs jumped to a 24-6 lead at halftime and held on for a 27-13 victory in Athens.

ARIZONA STATE COACH QUITE FAMILIAR WITH BO NIX, NO. 6 OREGON

No. 6 Oregon travels to Tempe, Ariz., on Saturday trying to stay in the hunt for the College Football Playoff with a victory over an Arizona State team that has the Ducks’ former offensive coordinator as its head coach.

Kenny Dillingham also coached the quarterbacks, including Heisman hopeful Bo Nix, in his one year at Oregon last season before taking the head coaching job at his alma mater.

Dillingham knows all about Nix, who has completed 77.7 percent of his passes (258 of 332) for 3,135 yards with 29 touchdowns and two interceptions for Oregon (9-1, 6-1 Pac-12).

When Dillingham was the Tigers’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, he recruited Nix to Auburn in 2019.

Nix reunited with Dillingham last year at Oregon after three seasons as the Tigers’ starting quarterback.

“He moved to Oregon because of our relationship, essentially,” Dillingham said. “He trusted me. His family trusted me with their son for his second chance at this deal when nobody thought he could throw. Now he’s over there, gonna be a top-10 pick, potentially winning Heismans.”

Oregon’s new offensive coordinator Will Stein was hired by head coach Dan Lanning last December after Dillingham’s departure.

The Ducks are rated No. 2 nationally in total offense at 540 yards per game, trailing only LSU (560.2).

Oregon leads the nation averaging 46.3 points a game.

“They’re probably the best Oregon offense since the Chip Kelly era, since the (Marcus) Mariota era,” Dillingham said. “This is the best Oregon’s been on offense in a long time. That’s including me there last year. They’re better than we were last year.”

The Ducks averaged 500.5 yards per game last year, rating sixth nationally, while scoring 38.8 points a game (tied for ninth in the country).

Arizona State (3-7, 2-5) rates last in the Pac-12 in total offense at 324.5 yards per game, largely because of a depleted offensive line and instability at quarterback because of injuries.

The Sun Devils are coming off a 17-7 win at UCLA after losing 55-3 the previous week at Utah.

Trenton Bourguet, the third-string quarterback coming out of fall camp, did not play in the second half at Utah. He wore a boot on his left foot after suffering an ankle injury.

True freshman Jaden Rashada, the starting quarterback, has not played since the second week of the season because of an undisclosed injury.

His backup, former Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne, has been out for more than a month with a leg injury.

The former walk-on played the entire game at UCLA and completed 19 of 34 pass attempts for 149 yards without a touchdown.

Oregon started the week with the distraction of Lanning’s name mentioned with the coaching vacancy at Texas A&M after the firing of Jimbo Fisher.

“We talk about outside noise a lot in our program,” Lanning said. “I guess the reality here is No. 1, my name and our program would never be a topic of conversation for another school if we didn’t have something here that everybody else wanted.

“The reason we have something here that everybody else wants, that’s because of what our players, our coaches, the support that exist here at Oregon have created. I think I’ve been really, really clear here since Day 1, everything I want exists right here.”

NO. 23 OKLAHOMA STATE FACES HOUSTON AFTER ROUGH DEFEAT

No. 23 Oklahoma State and Houston will meet for the first time as Big 12 Conference members on Saturday in Houston as both try to rebound from disappointing defeats.

Oklahoma State (7-3, 5-2) saw its five-game winning streak come to an end in a humbling 45-3 defeat at UCF last week. The Cowboys remain in the mix for the Big 12 title game but are in search of the proper mindset moving forward.

“We’re still together as family,” Oklahoma State linebacker Zavier Benson said. “We realize there’s not much to be said. It wasn’t acceptable. We have to own up to that, be men and take accountability of actions.

“I like how everyone’s responding in more of a positive manner, realizing we got to start from ground zero again because we got to earn what we lost. It starts with the simple things.”

Houston (4-6, 2-5) must win its remaining two games in order to become bowl eligible following a 24-14 home loss to Cincinnati last week. The Cougars have reached a bowl game in each of the last three seasons under coach Dana Holgorsen.

“It was a disappointing loss,” Holgorsen said. “Kept it a close game. … Offensively (it was) just not good enough.”

Saturday will mark the first meeting between the programs since 2009 when Houston earned a 45-35 victory. It is not the first conference matchup between the programs, though, as both were members of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1951-56.

For Oklahoma State, it’s about getting back on track in its race for the Big 12 title game. The Cowboys were riding high after knocking off rival Oklahoma 27-24 on Nov. 4 before the collapse at UCF.

The Knights held Oklahoma State standout running back Ollie Gordon II to just 25 yards on 12 carries. Gordon is still the nation’s leading rusher with 1,250 yards on the ground, including 17 carries of 20-plus yards.

Quarterback Alan Bowman also had a forgettable game against UCF with three interceptions but played well in previous games against ranked teams such as Oklahoma and Kansas.

“It’s not like that we’re still not a good football team, we just have to rally and understand the mistakes we made,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said.

That’s the mindset Houston has going into the game, too, with Holgorsen dismissing the UCF game.

“This is going to be a heckuva challenge for us,” he said. “Throw that game away last week.”

Cincinnati held the Cougars to 241 yards of total offense with three turnovers.

Houston has been inconsistent on offense for much of the season, averaging the third-fewest points per game (24.1) in the Big 12.

Over his last three games, Cougars quarterback Donovan Smith has thrown more interceptions (six) than touchdowns (four). But Smith is a dual-threat quarterback who can cause problems for defenses.

On the injury front, the Cougars lost receiver Matthew Golden to a season-ending foot injury. Golden has been a dynamic playmaker, scoring two touchdowns on kickoff returns and six more on TD receptions.

On Saturday, Houston will honor the passing of former players D.J. Hayden, Zachary McMillian and Ralph Oragwu, who died in a car accident in the early-morning hours on Nov. 11. The team will wear a commemorative decal for the remainder of the season.

NO. 2 OHIO STATE VOWS NOT TO LOOK PAST MINNESOTA

Ohio State has one more obstacle before its showdown at Michigan — the No. 2 Buckeyes will host banged up Minnesota on Saturday in Columbus.

The Buckeyes (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) fell one spot in the College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday after holding the top spot the first two weeks. Georgia is ranked first, Michigan third.

Ohio State will play at Michigan on Nov. 25, with the winner advancing to the Big Ten championship game.

While the Buckeyes know wins in the next two games should secure one of the four playoff spots even if they were to lose in the conference title game, the Golden Gophers (5-5, 3-4) are vying to become bowl eligible by winning at least one of their final two games. Minnesota will finish the season at home against Wisconsin.

The Gophers are coming off a 49-30 loss to Purdue in which Minnesota starting linebacker Cody Lindenberg did not play because of an injury and backup Maverick Baranowski exited after the first series. Also, safety Aidan Gousby was out with an injury.

“Unfortunately, some of our best players are out, and it seems like every week it’s just the inconsistency of who’s actually out there,” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said Monday. “There’s no excuses. I mean, 100 percent falls on the coaches and what we have to do to get better.”

Ohio State played its most complete game of the season last Saturday, a 38-3 win against Michigan State in which the usually slow-starting Buckeyes scored on five of six drives in the first half.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday he has no concerns that the Buckeyes will look past the Gophers.

“Coming to work every day with these guys, this is a great team to be around,” Day said. “We’re going to do it again this week and keep swinging. … The urgency has to be at an all-time high at this point of the season.

“P.J. does a great job. They’re going to come in here and play hard. We’re going to have to prepare for it like any other game.”

The Buckeyes will look to receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to lead them again. Against Michigan State, he had a 19-yard run for his first career rushing touchdown and caught seven passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns despite being pulled along with several other starters after the first series of the third quarter.

“The Heisman Trophy goes to the most outstanding player in the country. … I get to see him every day,” Day said. “I think he is the most outstanding player in the country.

“He wants to be great. I know that. You can just tell that, and his actions back that up, and his production speaks for itself on the field.”

Harrison is second nationally with 12 receiving TDs and seventh with 1,063 receiving yards.

Fleck knows the Gophers’ defense will have a task trying to contain Harrison.

“I think he has a great knack and feel for how defenses are going to be played and how they are going to stop him and what the route concept is and what the route calls for,” Fleck said.

NO. 21 KANSAS STATE IN BIG 12 TITLE PURSUIT, DRAWS NO. 25 KANSAS

The football rivalry between Kansas State and Kansas is pretty intense when neither team is any good.

When one of the teams is good, it raises the temperature a little.

But when both teams are good, like they are in 2023, the intensity is palpable.

No. 21 Kansas State, still with a decent chance of playing in the Big 12 Championship Game in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 2, will meet No. 25 Kansas — which also has a slight chance to reach the title game — on Saturday evening in Lawrence, Kan.

“It’s light years different,” Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman said of Kansas’ improvement since Lance Liepold took over the Jayhawks. “It’s even light years different from Lance’s first year. They keep improving each year.”

Kansas State has won 14 straight in the rivalry, but those 14 games don’t mean a thing this week.

Kansas State (7-3, 5-2 Big 12) is in a four-way tie for second place in the Big 12. If the Wildcats win their last two games, including at Kansas and at home against Iowa State, there’s a strong possibility that they’ll face Texas in Arlington. But the Wildcats can’t look past the Jayhawks.

“They’re really good at a number of different positions,” Klieman said. “They’re a really sound defense. They don’t give up explosive plays; they tackle really well. We’re gonna have to come up with a really good game plan to win, especially on the road.

“They’re also really good and really creative on offense, no matter who’s behind center. They’re always going to be creative with shifts and motions and misdirection, as well as having the ability to give it to the two running backs and just pound it at you.”

Quarterback Will Howard is playing well of late, even in an overtime loss at Texas two games ago. He threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns. Against Baylor last week, he threw three more touchdowns in a convincing win. He’s had at least three touchdowns in five games this season, tying a Kansas State record, and he’s now the school’s all-time leader in touchdown passes.

While the QB position is an area of strength for the Wildcats, it’s a problem right now for Kansas (7-3, 4-3 Big 12). Starter Jalon Daniels has missed six straight games with injuries. Backup Jason Bean had to leave last Saturday’s game against Texas Tech with a head injury.

Liepold was optimistic Monday that Bean could play Saturday.

“I’m not going to get into the nature of injuries in-depth, but he did not practice last night,” he said. “But my latest (stance) is I’m very optimistic that he’ll be playing on Saturday.”

The third stringer, walk-on freshman Cole Ballard, had to step in against Texas Tech. He performed well, almost leading his first career game-winning drive before making his first career start. But Tech kicked a game-winning field goal to win 16-13.

Ballard, the son of Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard, has the football pedigree. But the questions will remain until he proves he can do it in live action.

“I thought he’d do just about what he did — compete his tail off — and he won’t flinch,” Leipold said. “He will give you everything he has. I don’t think he ever had that deer-in-the-headlights look about him, where the moment was too big.

“That locker room really likes Cole Ballard and they have for a long time. It’s his makeup, it’s in his DNA and he’s going to be a fine player here.”

The biggest question is whether that will happen this Saturday.

NO. 9 MISSOURI LOOKS TO KEEP HOT HAND IN CLASH VS. FLORIDA

No. 9 Missouri will continue its surprising quest for a New Year’s Six bowl berth when it hosts struggling Florida on Saturday in Columbia, Mo.

Coming off their 36-7 victory over Tennessee, the Tigers (8-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) will bring ample momentum to Saturday’s game versus the Gators (5-5, 3-4).

“We can’t rely on last week’s performance,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “We have to stand alone on what we’re going to do this week.”

The Tigers already have earned their most victories since 2018 and they are aiming to reach double-digit victories for the first time since 2014.

“Hopefully it’s a new trajectory of Tiger football,” Drinkwitz said. “We’ve been kind stuck there in that middle. Now obviously this year we’re not. Obviously we’ve got to finish, we’ve got to finish the season. But there’s a new respectability to our program, whether it’s on the recruiting trail or the football field.”

Florida carries a three-game losing streak into this game. Pressure is mounting on second-year coach Billy Napier, who went 6-7 and 3-5 in the SEC during his first season.

“It is what it is. I think we have to continue to be action-oriented, solution-oriented. I do believe in what we do and how we do it,” Napier said. “There’s always adjustments that are required. We have tremendous leadership here top-down. We have great resources. We have a tremendous product to sell. This place has done it before, and I’m firmly confident that we’re capable of doing it again.”

Missouri Brady Cook has completed 201 of 296 passes for 2,746 yards, 17 touchdowns and six interceptions this season. He also has rushed for 228 yards and six scores.

“This guy for sure has the ability on third down to escape and extend and make some plays with his feet,” Napier said. “He’s also playing really efficiently, in my opinion. They do a good job using their skill. They play with balance. They do a good job with the run concepts.”

Luther Burden III has caught 68 passes for 984 yards and eight touchdowns despite battling a nagging ankle injury. Theo Wease Jr. has 43 receptions for 547 yards and five scores.

Running back Cody Schrader has rushed for 1,124 yards and 11 touchdowns with a 5.7-yard average. Against Tennessee, he rushed for 205 yards also caught five passes for 116 yards.

“The guy’s got good instincts and vision,” Napier said. “I think he can get small, plays at pad level with power. Ultimately, I think he’s a guy that’s been productive as a running back for a long time. I think they do a good job conceptually creating running lanes for him, and he’s able to maximize those.”

Florida quarterback Graham Mertz has completed 247 of 337 passes for 2,720 yards, 18 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

Ricky Pearsall has caught 62 passes for 876 yards and four touchdowns. Eugene Wilson III has 51 receptions for 479 yards and five scores.

Trevor Etienne (628 yards, seven touchdowns, 5.9-yard average) and Montrell Johnson Jr. (625 yards, four TDs, 5.1 average) have powered the ground game.

“Coach Napier does a really good job, multiple formations, multiple shifts, motions, multiple personnels,” Drinkwitz said. “A lot of different eye candy as far as moving people around. Then they’ve got dynamic playmakers, they’ve got really good running backs.”

NO. 5 WASHINGTON AIMS TO STAY HOT VS. NO. 11 OREGON STATE

While No. 5 Washington maintains pursuit of a College Football Playoff spot, keeping coach Kalen DeBoer in Seattle has become a hot topic.

The coach who is 21-2 in less than two seasons with the Huskies will try to lead Washington to its 18th consecutive victory when it faces No. 11 Oregon State in Pac-12 play on Saturday night at Corvallis, Ore.

If Washington (10-0, 7-0 Pac-12) defeats the Beavers (8-2, 5-2), it will clinch at spot in next month’s Pac-12 title game.

As for DeBoer, his name is one of the hottest in college football after the quick revival of the Washington program.

He received a $1 million raise to $4.2 million 12 months ago, but his contract that runs through the 2028 season will need massive reworking to lift him into the upper echelon of coaching salaries.

DeBoer insists he wants to stay put and he also offered that new athletic director Troy Dannen has made overtures about sweetening his deal.

“There’s just a lot of things that I love about this place,” DeBoer said. “This is a championship football program. I’ve said it since Day One. It’s got the bones of championships. I love the way we’ve been accepted into this place. It’s a great place to coach.

“Like I said earlier, (Dannen) is doing everything he can to help myself and the staff continue this journey that we’re on.”

The journey currently has Washington on the outside of the playoffs as it enters the 108th meeting with Oregon State.

The schools first met in 1897 and there are no guarantees of the series continuing with Washington leaving for the Big Ten next season and the Beavers hung out to dry on the realignment front.

DeBoer also is aware that Saturday’s game decides whether the Beavers continue to harbor long-shot CFP aspirations.

“Oregon State still has an opportunity, if they win out, to get in the way I see it, knowing that they are going to bring everything they got,” DeBoer said. “They are playing at home and they are playing well and they have good momentum and we are realizing we are going to get their best shot.”

Beavers coach Jonathan Smith stopped short of calling it the biggest game in his six seasons as Oregon State coach. But he knows it is huge.

“Kind of where the records are, that makes it big,” Smith said. “That’s a good program. They win a lot of games. We’re playing late, Game 11. You want to play in the biggest games at the end of the year. This is a big one.”

Washington ranks fifth nationally in scoring offense at 41.0 points per game and sixth in total offense at 503.9 yards per contest. Heisman Trophy candidate Michael Penix Jr. has passed for 3,533 yards, 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions while running back Dillon Johnson (790 yards, 11 touchdowns on the ground) is thriving after back-to-back efforts of 256 yards against Southern California and 104 in last weekend’s 35-28 win over then-No. 16 Utah.

Oregon State is coming off a 62-17 annihilation of visiting Stanford. Damien Martinez tied the school record of four rushing touchdowns in the first half before calling it a day. He has rushed for 1,024 yards while DJ Uiagalelei has thrown for 2,254 yards, 20 touchdowns and four interceptions.

The Beavers also have developed a rabid atmosphere at remodeled Reser Stadium. Oregon State is 16-1 at home since the start of the 2021 season.

“They a good football team and we’re looking forward to the challenge,” Smith said.

NO. 7 TEXAS SEEKS STRONGER FINISH AT IOWA STATE

No. 7 Texas will look to remain atop the Big 12 Conference standings and build on a four-game winning streak when it travels to play talented and dangerous Iowa State on Saturday night in Ames, Iowa.

This will be the Longhorns’ final road game as a member of the Big 12 as Texas (and Oklahoma) move to the Southeastern Conference in 2024. Prior to the season, the Longhorns’ stated goal was to win the league title on their way out, and a win over the Cyclones would get them closer to achieving that goal.

The Longhorns (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) are alone atop the league standings with two regular-season games to play. Texas’ 9-1 start is the best for the program since 2009 and the Longhorns stayed at No. 7 in the CFP rankings for the third straight week.

Texas is back on the road after surviving 29-26 at TCU on Nov. 11. The Longhorns rolled to a 26-6 halftime lead but had to produce a goal-line stand and then convert a final third-and-12 situation to run out the clock.

Quinn Ewers passed for 317 yards and a score and Jonathon Brooks tallied 178 yards from scrimmage (104 on the ground) and two scores before being forced from the game with a right knee injury early in the fourth quarter. The school announced Sunday that Brooks is for the season with an ACL injury.

In the past two games, Texas has been outscored 36-6 in the fourth quarter as Kansas State scored 16 in the final 15 minutes to force overtime and TCU put up 20 points in failing just short.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian called the performance “out of character.”

“We have to do a better job of keeping our mental intensity, our focus, and continuing to play the brand and style of football that got us that lead,” Sarkisian said. “For a team that has been so good in the fourth quarter all year, I would say it is out of character and unacceptable.”

Iowa State heads home after a dominating 45-13 win at BYU on Nov. 11. Rocco Becht passed for 203 yards with two touchdowns to Jaylin Noel (98 yards receiving), and Abu Sama III rushed for 110 yards and two scores as the Cyclones became bowl eligible. Iowa State led 31-7 at halftime, amassed 443 yards of total offense and didn’t turn the ball over.

After a difficult 2-3 start that included a loss to Ohio, Iowa State is 4-1 with a close loss to Kansas as the only blemish. The Cyclones (6-4, 5-2) find themselves in a four-way tie for second place in the league and can take a big step toward playing in the Big 12 championship game with a victory over Texas.

“What a great challenge for our young team to step into an arena with this kind of football team,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. “We’ll have to have a great team game plan in order to win the football game. Our focus has been that we want to play meaningful football in November.”

Iowa State has won three of the past four games with the Longhorns, who have not won in Ames since 2017.

HEISMAN PROSE: NO. 15 LSU RALLIES BEHIND TROPHY QB TO GREET GA. STATE

No. 15 LSU is going to a bowl game but can’t win the Southeastern Conference championship.

Georgia State is bowl eligible but can’t win the Sun Belt championship.

So neither the 7-3 Tigers’ nor the 6-4 Panthers’ primary preseason goals are swinging in the balance of their non-conference game Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.

Even so, the game holds significant importance.

Jayden Daniels and his LSU teammates can strengthen the quarterback’s case for winning the Heisman Trophy.

And the Panthers have an opportunity to experience one of the premiere atmospheres in all of college football.

Daniels enhanced his Heisman candidacy with an historic performance in a 52-35 home victory against Florida last Saturday.

He accumulated an SEC-record 606 yards of total offense while becoming the first player in FBS history to pass for 350 yards and rush for 200 yards in the same game. The showing came seven days after he was forced from a loss at Alabama because of a concussion.

“He’s the best quarterback in the country, best playmaker in the country and he’s the best player,” Tigers coach Brian Kelly said. “What matters is who’s the best player, he’s the best player. His numbers prove to everybody what he’s done over the entire year.”

Panthers coach Shawn Elliott agreed.

“I don’t think there’s any question about it,” Elliott said.

Kelly pointed out that Daniels has had a lot of help. The Tigers have established the most productive offense in college football. The wall of blockers, as well as wide receiver Malik Nabers, who has 1,284 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, are drawing raves as among the best in the nation.

“You just have to look towards some of the key plays in the game (against Florida) and particularly the long runs, you don’t run down the field unless you have others that are committed to making sure that occurs,” Kelly said. “You have to have receivers that are committed to that as well and running backs.

“You’re getting it from a number of different players that are setting up an unselfishness on our football team, in particular on the offensive side of the ball.”

Georgia State has lost three consecutive games, a downer following a 6-1 start that had it in the thick of the race for the Sun Belt title.

“We’ve got to gain back the confidence that we had early in the year,” Elliott said.

The Panthers lost to visiting Appalachian State 42-14 last Saturday afternoon.

“We ran into a buzz saw,” Elliott said.

Then Saturday night Elliott learned of Daniels’ record-setting performance that led to more than 700 yards in total offense for LSU, which the coach said “might be the most potent offensive team I’ve witnessed.”

“I thought, ‘lucky me, lucky Georgia Panthers. We get to go play the LSU Tigers,'” Elliott said with a laugh. “We look forward to it. It’s not all doom and gloom. If you’re you’re going to play LSU you want to play them on Saturday night. That’s a great experience and it’s going to be a great time for us.

“We’re going to go down there and give it everything we’ve got.”

MORE TURMOIL FOR NO. 2 MICHIGAN AS ASSISTANT COACH CHRIS PARTRIDGE FIRED DAY BEFORE MARYLAND GAME

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — No. 2 Michigan fired linebackers coach Chris Partridge on Friday, the latest turmoil for a Wolverines team that is under NCAA investigation for a sign-stealing scheme and will not have head coach Jim Harbaugh on the sideline until after next week’s showdown against rival Ohio State.

Athletic director Warde Manuel did not say why Partridge had been let go, citing employee privacy laws.

“From the outset, our focus has been on seeking due process and allowing the NCAA to conduct a fair and deliberate investigation,” Manuel said, noting the school was continuing to cooperate with the probe. “Consistent with our commitment to integrity, we will continue to take the appropriate actions, including disciplinary measures, based on information we obtain.”

The firing came one day after the school reached an agreement with the Big Ten Conference under which Harbaugh will serve the final two games of his three-game suspension in return for the conference ending its investigation into the sign-stealing allegations. Harbaugh won’t be on the sideline Saturday at Maryland or next week against the third-ranked Buckeyes in the regular-season finale, leaving the coaching to his assistants.

The former staffer at the center of the investigation, Connor Stalions, resigned two weeks ago. He is accused of purchasing tickets to scout future Michigan opponents and sending people to those games to digitally record teams signaling in their plays. In-person scouting is banned by the NCAA, which is trying to determine how organized the scheme was and who knew about it.

Partridge rejoined the program in February after serving as Mississippi’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach for three seasons.

“Chris has been a trusted agent, known friend and ally since we started working together in 2015,” Harbaugh said then.

Partridge previously worked for Harbaugh from 2016 through the 2019 season. He was hired to be the team’s director of player personnel before being promoted to assistant coach for four years during his first stint with the Wolverines.

Harbaugh was suspended last Friday by the Big Ten and missed the victory at Penn State the next day. Michigan sought a court order to get the suspension thrown out but the agreement was reached Thursday, a day before a scheduled court hearing..

Harbaugh, who also served a three-game suspension at the beginning of the season for an unrelated and unresolved NCAA infractions case tied to recruiting, is permitted to coach the team during the week. The Wolverines are among the favorites to win a national title and are looking for their third straight Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff appearance.

Rick Minter had been promoted to lead the linebackers.

NFL NEWS

BROWNS WORKING OUT FORMER SUPER BOWL MVP JOE FLACCO FOLLOWING DESHAUN WATSON INJURY, AP SOURCE SAYS

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco is working out Friday for the Cleveland Browns, who are still sorting through their changing quarterback situation, a person familiar with the visit told The Associated Press.

The 38-year-old Flacco could be an option for the Browns, who lost Deshaun Watson for the season earlier this week with a broken bone in his right shoulder.

Flacco is the only QB being worked out Friday at the team’s facility, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the club never publicly discloses any player workouts.

Flacco rallied the New York Jets to an improbable comeback win over the Browns last season. He hasn’t been on any roster in 2023, but has kept open the possibility of returning and Cleveland has a pressing need.

Watson’s injury has threatened to derail a promising season for the Browns (6-3), who are coming off a last-second win at Baltimore. But Watson won’t be back until 2024 at the earliest, and the Browns need help now.

With Watson sidelined, the Browns are starting rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) with P.J. Walker as his backup. Thompson-Robinson threw three interceptions in his only start against the Ravens on Oct. 1.

Earlier this week, Browns general manager Andrew Berry said the team will add a third QB, but didn’t specify if it would be to the active roster or practice squad.

Flacco was named Super Bowl MVP in 2013 after leading Baltimore to a 34-31 win over San Francisco. He completed 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns.

The 6-foot-6 QB has passed for 42,320 yards and gone 99-81 as a starter in 180 career NFL starts. He played 11 seasons for the Ravens, three with the Jets and one in Denver.

Flacco had some of his best success against the Browns, going 18-3 with 31 TD passes.

K-STATE GIVES AD GENE TAYLOR CONTRACT EXTENSION THROUGH 2029-30 SEASON

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor has agreed to a contract extension through the 2029-30 season that includes a salary of $925,000 and retention bonuses at the end of each contract year.

Taylor will receive $250,000 after each of the next four years and $500,000 at the conclusion of the following three.

Taylor was responsible for hiring Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman, who is coming off a Big 12 championship and has the No. 23 Wildcats heading into Saturday’s game against rival Kansas still in the hunt to defend the title. Taylor also hired basketball coach Jerome Tang, who led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in his debut this past season.

Kansas State has excelled in other marquee sports, too. Its volleyball program has beaten top-10 teams Texas and BYU already this season, while the women’s basketball team is coming off an upset Thursday night of No. 2 Iowa on the road.

Taylor also has spearheaded millions in fundraising, which has resulted in major renovations to Bill Snyder Family Stadium, a new football practice facility, a new stand-alone arena for volleyball and a training center for the school’s Olympic sports programs.

ANALYSIS: NO JOE BURROW MEANS NO CHANCE FOR THE CINCINNATI BENGALS

Joe Burrow shook his head, screamed and jogged to the locker room because the pain in his right wrist wouldn’t allow him to throw a football on the sideline.

Another week in the NFL, another injured quarterback.

Burrow is no ordinary QB, however. He’s the franchise for Cincinnati.

With him, the Bengals were Super Bowl contenders. They’ve won consecutive division titles and an AFC crown. Without him, they have no chance.

Aaron Rodgers. Kirk Cousins. Anthony Richardson. Daniel Jones. Deshaun Watson. Now Burrow.

Burrow exited Thursday night’s game in the second quarter, a devastating blow for the Bengals, who went from leading the Baltimore Ravens 10-7 with their star player to losing 34-20.

The Bengals (5-5) have lost two in a row and are last in the competitive AFC North. Coach Zac Taylor said Burrow has a sprained wrist but the severity of the injury wasn’t immediately known. It’s uncertain when Burrow will return.

Burrow missed training camp with a calf injury that limited him the first month of the season. He was rusty during an 0-2 start. But once Burrow started feeling better, the Bengals got going. They won four in a row, including impressive victories over Seattle, San Francisco and Buffalo before losing to Houston last week.

Jake Browning had thrown one career pass before he replaced Burrow against the Ravens. He’ll face the Steelers (6-3) next week if Burrow can’t play.

No matter how much the NFL tries to protect quarterbacks, they’re going down at an alarming rate.

The New York Jets lost Rodgers in Week 1 when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon on the fourth play of his first game with his new team. The Jets (4-5) haven’t recovered. Their offense has been dismal with Zach Wilson. Rodgers is aiming for a return in mid-December, but New York could be out of the playoff race by then.

The Minnesota Vikings lost Cousins for the rest of the season to a torn Achilles tendon in Week 8. They traded for Joshua Dobbs two days later and he has led the Vikings (6-4) to a pair of victories to extend their winning streak to five games.

Richardson, the No. 4 overall draft pick in April, played in only four games for Indianapolis before having season-ending shoulder surgery. The Colts (5-5) have stayed in the playoff mix with backup Gardner Minshew.

Jones missed three games with a neck injury and then tore his ACL in his first game back with the Giants in Week 9. Backup Tyrod Taylor has missed two straight games with a rib injury, forcing New York (2-8) to turn to undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito.

The Cleveland Browns lost Watson for the remainder of the season to a shoulder injury after he led them to a comeback win over Baltimore last Sunday. The Browns (6-3) now try to make a playoff push with rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Matthew Stafford, Justin Fields, Ryan Tannehill and Jimmy Garopplo have also missed games this season. Tannehill and Garoppolo eventually lost their starting jobs.

The Saints turned to Jamies Winston last Sunday after Derek Carr came out with concussion symptoms. New Orleans (5-5) has a bye this week, giving Carr more time to return.

Jalen Hurts has played through a knee injury over the past three games for the Philadelphia Eagles (8-1). Kyler Murray just returned for Arizona after ACL surgery last year.

Football is the ultimate team sport but quarterbacks are usually the most important player on the field. Too many teams are relying on backups.

NFL WEEK 11 PREVIEWS

DALLAS COWBOYS (6-3) AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (1-8)

DATE: Sunday, November 19, 2023

GAME TIME: 1:00 PM ET

FOX: Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi

SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) DAL: 121 or 384 CAR: 156 or 229

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY

REG. SEASON: DAL leads series, 10-3 (CAR won 2 of past 3)

POSTSEASON: CAR leads series, 2-0

THE LAST TIME …

REG. SEASON: 10/3/21: CAR 28 at DAL 36

POSTSEASON: 1/3/04 NFC-WC: DAL 10 at CAR 29

COWBOYS NOTES:

QB DAK PRESCOTT passed for 404 yards & had 5 TDs (4 pass, 1 rush) vs. INT for 138.3 rating in Week 10, his 10th-career 400-yard game, tied-most by QB in 1st 8 seasons ever. Became 5th player ever with 20+ games (20) with pass TD & rush TD in 1st 8 seasons. Aims for his 4th in row with 300+ pass yards, 3+ TD passes & 100+ rating. Had 4 TD passes vs. 0 INTs for 130.3 rating in last meeting. • RB TONY POLLARD is 1 of 3 RBs (Christian McCaffrey & Bijan Robinson) with 9 games of 50+ scrimmage yards in 2023. Has 50+ scrimmage yards in 15 of his past 16 road games. Aims for his 6th in row on road with 60+ scrimmage yards. • WR CEEDEE LAMB had 11 catches for 151 yards & 2 TDs (1 rec., 1 rush) in Week 10 & became 1st player in NFL history with 10+ catches & 150+ rec. yards in 3 straight games. Can become 1st player ever with 150+ rec. yards in 4 straight games & 2nd player ever with 10+ catches in 4 straight games (HOFer Calvin Johnson – Week 13-16 in 2012). Needs 2 catches to become 4th player ever with 70+ catches in each of 1st 4 career seasons. • WR BRANDIN COOKS had season highs in receptions (9) & rec. yards (173) & had 52nd-career TD catch last week, his 3rdcareer game with 170+ rec. yards. Had 9 catches for 112 yards in his last game vs. Car. (9/23/21 w/ Hou.). • LB MICAH PARSONS aims for his 3rd in row on road with sack. • DE DEMARCUS LAWRENCE had 3rd sack of season last week. • DE DORANCE ARMSTRONG aims for his 4th in row with 0.5+ sacks. • DE SAM WILLIAMS aims for his 3rd in row with sack. • CB DARON BLAND had 5th INT of season last week & became 5th player since 1970 with 10+ INTs (10) & 3+ INT-TDs (3) in 1st 2 career seasons. Aims for his 7th in row with PD. • CB STEPHON GILMORE had 5 PD in his past 5.

PANTHERS NOTES:

QB BRYCE YOUNG (rookie) passed for 185 yards last week. Has 20+ completions in each of his 1st 8 career starts. Has TD pass in 3 of his 4 career home starts. • RB CHUBA HUBBARD has 50+ scrimmage yards in 3 of his past 4 & aims for his 3rd in row at home with 50+ scrimmage yards. Had 71 scrimmage yards in last meeting. Needs 39 scrimmage yards for 2nd-career season with 500+ scrimmage yards (2021). • RB MILES SANDERS has 470 scrimmage yards (78.3 per game) & 3 rush TDs in 6 career games vs. Dal. Aims for his 6th in row vs. Dal. with 50+ scrimmage yards. • WR ADAM THIELEN is 1 of 5 undrafted players in common-draft era with 600+ receptions (602). Aims for his 4th in row vs. Dal. with 6+ catches & 75+ rec. yards. Aims for his 5th in row at home & 8th in row overall with 5+ catches. • LB BRIAN BURNS has 0.5+ sacks in 5 of his past 6. Needs TFL for 3rd-straight 10+ TFL season. • LB FRANKIE LUVU led team with 11 tackles last week. Aims for his 3rd in row at home & 4th in row overall with 11+ tackles. • LB DEION JONES had 2nd TFL & 2nd PD of season in Week 10. • DT DERRICK BROWN had 10 tackles & 2 TFL last week, his 2nd-career game with 10+ tackles & 8th-career game with 2+ TFL. Aims for his 3rd in row at home with PD. • CB DONTE JACKSON had season-high 7 tackles & 1st 2 PD of season last week. Aims for his 4th in row with 5+ tackles. • S XAVIER WOODS has 5+ tackles in 4 of his past 5. Aims for his 4th in row at home & 4th in row overall with 5+ tackles. Had 243 tackles, 18 PD, 5 INTs & 3 FFs in 60 games (2017-20) with Dal. • S VONN BELL has 6+ tackles in 4 of his past 5. Has 2 TFL, 2 FFs & 2 FRs in 4 career games vs. Dal.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Dak Prescott is sizzling, and the Dallas Cowboys are winning the games they should win while eyeing a playoff run.

The Carolina Panthers are heading toward a sixth straight losing season.

The NFC foes are heading in opposite directions and will clash on Sunday in what is expected to feel like a home game for the Cowboys (6-3), even though it will be played at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.

Since Week 8, Prescott leads the NFL with 1,082 passing yards and 11 touchdown passes and ranks second with a 129.4 rating. He has recorded at least 300 yards passing and three touchdown passes in each of Dallas’ last three games, one shy of matching a record shared by Peyton Manning, Steve Young and Patrick Mahomes.

Prescott is coming off a 404-yard, four-TD performance against the Giants.

“They are hot on offense,” Panthers coach Frank Reich said. “Dak is extremely effective in the pocket and out of the pocket. Obviously CeeDee Lamb is a big-time playmaker and they are having success running and throwing it.”

Still, there will always be some doubt about the Cowboys until they’re able to beat the league’s top teams, including NFC East rival Philadelphia, which currently leads the division.

The Cowboys know that, and they’re focused on taking care of winnable games against Carolina, Washington and Seattle before their Dec. 10 rematch with the Eagles at home.

“I feel like we’ve had games where we’ve blown teams out that we should blown out,” said Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse. “When it comes down us doing what we say we want to do, you know it’s going to come down to those big games, those San Fran games, those Philly games, Miami, the Bills and those type of games. To where we put together a complete game, and that shows who you are as a team.”

According to Next Gen Stats, Prescott’s 136.1 passer rating against man-to-man coverage is the league’s best, ahead of Mahomes (121.0).

“He’s all football. This guy, he loves everything about it. The training,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “When you look at this game, Sundays are really for free. What he does Monday through Saturday is so impressive.”

OUT LIKE A TIGER

Lamb leads the NFL with 617 yards receiving over the last four games.

He has recorded at least 10 receptions and 150 receiving yards in each of his last three games, becoming the first player in NFL history to reach those marks. Lamb can become the first player ever to record at least 150 receiving yards in four consecutive games.

He can also become the second player with at least 10 catches in four consecutive games, joining Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson.

ON THE CALL

In hopes of giving his team a spark, Reich is taking back the offensive play-calling duties.

Reich delegated play-calling on Oct. 16 before Carolina’s bye week. The Panthers (1-8) went 1-2 with offensive coordinator Thomas Brown calling plays, but the team scored only two offensive touchdowns during that span.

Reich called plays for the first six games of the season, all Carolina losses.

However, the Panthers went from averaging 294.7 yards, 20.7 first downs and 16.3 points per game in six games with Reich calling plays to 237.3 yards, 16.3 first downs and 11.3 points per game in three games with Brown calling the shots.

BLANKING PARSONS

The Giants held pass rushing star Micah Parsons without a tackle for the first time in his three-year career. He’s slipping on the sacks list, dropping to a tie for 10th with 7 1/2, although Parsons has a sack in each of the past two games.

“Any competitor can get frustrated with that,” defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said. “There will be games like that, and there has been games like that, and there will be more like that.”

Quinn also said those games have been hard on Parsons.

“It’s hard on anybody who would be in that space because what you’re capable of is exceptional,” Quinn said. “When somebody is really saying, ‘You are not going to ruin the game,’ we’ll live with that. There’s I would imagine times it’s easier to deal with it and times it’s not. (The Giants game) was one of those.”

AROUND THE HORN

The Panthers could have their entire starting secondary back this week if cornerback Jaycee Horn is able to play. The unit has been hit hard by injuries, beginning with Horn, who injured his hamstring in Week 1 and hasn’t played since.

If Horn returns alongside cornerback Donte Jackson and safeties Vonn Bell and Xavier Woods, Carolina’s defense could have a fighting chance against the Cowboys’ passing game.

AN ERA OF LOSING

If the Panthers lose, they’ll match a franchise record with their sixth straight non-winning season. The Panthers also failed to post a winning season from 1997-2002. Carolina hasn’t made the playoffs since 2017 and hasn’t won a playoff game since reaching the Super Bowl in 2015.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (6-3) AT CLEVELAND BROWNS (6-3)

DATE: Sunday, November 19, 2023

GAME TIME: 1:00 PM ET

CBS: Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, Evan Washburn

SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) PIT: 138 or 382 CLE: 82 or 228

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY

REG. SEASON: PIT leads series, 79-61-1 (won 4 of past 5)

POSTSEASON: PIT leads series, 2-1

THE LAST TIME …

REG. SEASON: 9/18/23: CLE 22 at PIT 26

POSTSEASON: 1/10/21 AFC-WC: CLE 48 at PIT 37

STEELERS NOTES:

QB KENNY PICKETT aims for his 6th in row with 0 INTs. Has 95+ rating in 2 of 3 road starts this season. Won both games vs. Cle. last season, with TD pass in each game. • RB NAJEE HARRIS had 96 scrimmage yards (season-high 82 rush, 14 rec.) & 3rd rush TD of season last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 75+ scrimmage yards & rush TD. Has 520 scrimmage yards (104 per game) in 5 career games vs. Cle. & has rush TD in 4 of 5 games, incl. each of 2 games at Cle. • RB JAYLEN WARREN rushed for career-high 101 yards & 2nd TD of season in Week 10. Aims for 3rd in row with 110+ scrimmage yards. Had 86 scirmmage yards (career-high 66 rec., 20 rush) in Week 2 meeting. Harris (579) & Warren (582) are only pair of RB teammates each with 575+ scrimmage yards this season. • WR DIONTAE JOHNSON has 5+ catches & 75+ rec. yards in 3 of past 4. Had 8 catches for 84 yards in last road meeting. • WR GEORGE PICKENS has 75+ rec. yards in 2 of 3 road games this season. Had 127 rec. yards & TD catch in Week 2 meeting & aims for his 3rd in row vs. Cle. with 70+ rec. yards & rec. TD. • LB T.J. WATT aims for 4th in row with 0.5+ sacks & 3rd in row with full sack. Had 2 TFL, sack, FR & PD in Week 2 meeting. Has 16 sacks in 11 career games vs. Cle. with 0.5+ sacks in 10 of 11 games. Ranks 3rd in NFL with 10.5 sacks in 2023, 5th-career season with 10+ sacks. Has 88 sacks in 96 career games, 2ndmost by player in 1st 100 games since 1982. • LB ALEX HIGHSMITH had PD last week. Has 0.5+ sacks in 2 of past 3. Had sack & PD in Week 2 meeting & aims for his 5th in row vs. Cle. with sack. • CB PATRICK PETERSON aims for 3rd in row with PD. • S MINKAH FITZPATRICK had 2 PD in Week 2 meeting.

BROWNS NOTES:

BROWNS lead NFL in total defense (242.7 yards allowed per game) & pass defense (151.1 pass yards allowed per game). • QB DESHAUN WATSON totaled 250 yards (213 pass, 37 rush) with TD pass last week & completed all 14 atts. in 2nd half. Has 4 TDs vs. 0 INTs with 117.7 rating in his past 2 home starts. Passed for 235 yards in Week 2 meeting & has 2 TD passes in 2 of 3 career starts vs. Pit. • RB JEROME FORD rushed for career-high 107 yards last week, 2nd-career 100-yard game. Has 75+ scrimmage yards in 4 of past 5, incl. in each of past 2. Had career-high 131 scrimmage yards (106 rush, 25 rec.) & TD catch in Week 2 meeting. • RB KAREEM HUNT has rush TD in 5 straight games, longest streak of career & longest active streak in NFL. • WR AMARI COOPER led team with 6 catches for 98 yards in Week 10, his 3rd-straight game with 5+ catches & 85+ rec. yards. Aims for 3rd in row at home with 100+ rec. yards. Had 7 catches for 90 yards in Week 2 meeting & has 50+ rec. yards in each of 5 career games vs. Pit. • WR ELIJAH MOORE had 1st TD catch of season last week. • TE DAVID NJOKU had 6 catches for 58 yards in Week 10. Has 50+ rec. yards in 3 of past 4 & TD catch in 2 of past 3. Had rec. TD in last home meeting & has rec. TD in 3 of his past 4 vs. Pit. • DE MYLES GARRETT led team with 1.5 sacks last week, his 4thstraight game with sack. Ties for NFL lead with 11 sacks in 2023 & is 4th player since 1982 with 10+ sacks in 6 of 1st 7 seasons. Has 85.5 sacks in 93 games, 4th-most by player in 1st 100 games since 1982. • DE ZA’DARIUS SMITH aims for 3rd in row with 0.5+ sacks. • CB GREG NEWSOME had 34-yard INT-TD in 4th qtr. last week, 1st-career INT & 1st-career TD. Aims for 3rd in row with PD.

CLEVELAND (AP) There’s something notably different, maybe even a little bit odd about Sunday’s matchup between the Steelers and Browns.

While the AFC North rivals have identical 6-3 records, questions at quarterback (a new one for the Browns this week) and two of the NFL’s most rabid fan bases, there may be a slight variation separating the teams.

Hold onto your Terrible Towel.

Cleveland’s defense is superior.

“They’re probably playing better than anyone right now,” said Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin, never one to pass out unwarranted praise. “They’ve got an awesome collection of talent, and then they’ve got an awesome schematic approach to that collection of talent.”

While not to be confused with Pittsburgh’s famed Steel Curtain defense of the 1970s, Cleveland’s no-nickname unit has has been the league’s top-ranked most of this season, and the Browns are about to lean on All-World edge rusher Myles Garrett and Co. more than ever.

With quarterback Deshaun Watson done for the season with a fracture in his right shoulder, the Browns will count on their defense to carry them.

That’s not necessarily new as Cleveland’s defense – ranked No. 1 overall and against the pass – has helped the Browns overcome obstacles all season.

Whether it has been key injuries, uncertainty at quarterback, questionable calls or last week’s 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter at Baltimore, the Browns have found a way.

“The resilience of this team, man,” linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. said. “The guys that we have in this locker room, I believe in everybody. Everybody believes in one another. Shoot, defensively, we’ve got to control what we can control and that’s us going out there, getting stops. How we feel, is if a team doesn’t score, they don’t win.

“So we know we have to play elite defense.”

Elite might not be enough to describe how Garrett’s playing.

He’s got 11 sacks, but those don’t tell the whole story behind his dominance. Teams are game planning around him and Garrett is still wreaking havoc.

“Mr. Garrett,” Tomlin said, “is having a special season.”

In watching film, Tomlin noted how the Cincinnati Bengals used a tackle and running back to block Garrett but still got the sack. Same for Indianapolis, which devoted a tight end to help their tackle – and Garrett abused them as well.

“That’s what guys like him do,” Tomlin said. “But he is not a one-man gang.”

First-year coordinator Jim Schwartz has brought out the best in Garrett and has the defense playing at a historic level. The Browns are allowing 242.7 yards per game, the fewest by a team through 10 games since the 2008 Steelers.

“Can’t say enough about what Jim Schwartz has done and really, he needs no endorsement for me,” Tomlin said. “The tape is his and their storyteller.”

SECOND HELPING

Rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson vowed to make the most of a second chance – whenever it came.

It arrived.

A fifth-round pick from UCLA, Thompson-Robinson will take over for Watson and try to keep the Browns, who are 6-3 for just the third time since 1999, in the playoff hunt.

Thompson-Robinson flopped in his NFL debut, when as a last-minute replacement for an injured Watson on Oct. 1 against Baltimore, he threw three picks in a 28-3 loss.

Coach Kevin Stefanski believes a full week of preparation will make a huge difference for the 24-year-old, who feels more ready.

“You kind of knock all the rust and stuff off after your first go-around,” he said. “It’s going to be night and day. Just my progression, the maturity, how I’ve handled the week this far and all the weeks before. Just being able to learn from that first experience, it’s going to help me a bunch.”

INSIDE JOB

The Steelers have lost veteran inside linebackers Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander to season-ending injuries in consecutive weeks, testing Pittsburgh’s depth and a run defense that has been scattershot.

The Steelers have allowed at least 100 yards rushing in eight of nine games, including a season-high 198 to Cleveland in the teams’ first meeting on Sept. 18 – a 26-22 win by Pittsburgh.

Elandon Roberts will likely see his snap count increase, with second-year pro Mark Robinson and former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Mykal Walker – signed to the practice squad late last month – serving as part of a rotation that could include Pittsburgh dropping a safety in passing situations.

For Walker, who has bounced around since being cut by the Falcons in August, the chance to join a team in playoff contention is a long time coming.

“I’ve never been over .500 during my career,” Walker said. “I didn’t sign here thinking I’d get a chance to contribute immediately, but them knowing my resume and what I can bring, to be given this opportunity means a lot.”

PICKING ON PICKETT

The Steelers are the first team to be outgained in each of their first nine games and post a winning record, a stretch that includes a comeback win over Cleveland in which the offense actually lost yardage in the fourth quarter but won on a scoop-and-score by All-Pro linebacker T.J. Watt.

While Tomlin said second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett will need to take a step forward over the second half of the season, the Steelers seem to be pivoting toward the run-heavy attack that fueled a 7-2 finish a year ago.

Pittsburgh has piled up 371 yards rushing combined over the last two weeks behind Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris and heads to Cleveland with momentum.

“We’re maturing, we’re growing up, trying to get that balance we’re always searching for,” Pickett said. “We’re going to continue to push for that. But right now I think we’re in a much better place with the run game right now than we were Week 2.”

CHICAGO BEARS (3-7) AT DETROIT LIONS (7-2)

DATE: Sunday, November 19, 2023

GAME TIME: 1:00 PM ET

FOX: Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth, Kristina Pink

SiriusXM (team name linked to SXM App) CHI: 83 or 380 DET: 85 or 225

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY

REG. SEASON: CHI leads series, 104-77-5 (DET won past 2)

POSTSEASON: —

THE LAST TIME …

REG. SEASON: 1/1/23: CHI 10 at DET 41

POSTSEASON:

BEARS NOTES:

QB JUSTIN FIELDS had 4+ TD passes & 125+ rating in 2 of his past 3 starts. Rushed for 132 yards in last meeting. Passed for 167 yards & 2 TDs & rushed for 147 yards & 2 TDs. In last home meeting (11/13/22). • QB TYSON BAGENT (rookie) completed 20 of 30 atts. (60.6 pct.) for 162 yards in Week 10. Has 20+ completions in 3 of 4 career starts. • RB D’ONTA FOREMAN rushed for 80 yards & had 3rd rush TD of season last week. Has 80+ rush yards in 3 of his past 4. Rushed for career-high 165 yards & TD in his last game vs. Det. (12/24/22 w/ Car.). • RB KHALIL HERBERT has 50+ scrimmage yards in 4 of his 5 games in 2023. Rushed for 57 yards in last home meeting. • WR DJ MOORE has 50+ receptions & 700+ rec. yards in each of his 1st 6 career seasons. Has 50+ rec. yards in 6 of his past 7. Has 19 catches for 367 yards (122.3 per game) & 2 rec. TDs in 3 career games vs. Det., incl. 157 rec. yards in his only career game at Det. (11/18/18 w/ Car.). • TE COLE KMET had 5 receptions in Week 10. Aims for his 4th in row on road & 4th in row overall with 5+ catches. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Det. with TD catch. Is 1 of 2 TEs (Mark Andrews) with 5+ rec. TDs in each of past 2 seasons. • LB T.J. EDWARDS led team with 12 tackles last week. Aims for his 4th in row overall with 12+ tackles & 7th in row on road with 10+ tackles. Leads NFL with 110 tackles, his 3rd-straight 100+ tackle season. • LB YANNICK NGAKOUE had 3rd sack of season last week. • DB JAQUAN BRISKER had 9 tackles & 1st TFL of season last week. Aims for his 3rd in row with PD.

LIONS NOTES:

QB JARED GOFF passed for 333 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 122.4 rating in Week 10, his 34th-career game with 300+ pass yards. Has 43 TDs (41 pass, 2 rush) vs. 7 INTs for 110.4 rating in his past 17 home games. Has 8 TD passes vs. 0 INTs for 118.6 rating in his past 4 vs. Chi. • RB JAHMYR GIBBS (rookie) had 112 scrimmage yards (77 rush, 35 rec.) & 1st-career game with 2 rush TDs last week. Aims for his 4th in row with 100+ scrimmage yards & rush TD. • RB DAVID MONTGOMERY rushed for 116 yards & had 7th rush TD of season last week. Is 1 of 2 RBs (Josh Jacobs) with 5+ rush TDs in each of past 5 seasons. Had 4,849 scrimmage yards (3,609 rush, 1,240 rec.) & 30 TDs (26 rush, 4 rec.) in 4 seasons (2019-22) with Chi., incl. 1,000+ scrimmage yards & 6+ TDs in each season. • WR AMON-RA ST. BROWN had 8 catches for 156 yards & 15thcareer rec. TD last week, his 12th-career game with 100+ rec. yards. Has 6 games with 100+ rec. yards in 2023, tied-most in NFL & aims for his 5th in row with 100+ rec. yards. • TE SAM LAPORTA (rookie) ranks 5th among TEs in rec. yards (474) & is 1st TE ever with 35+ rec. yards in each of his 1st 9 career games. • DL AIDAN HUTCHINSON had INT & FR in last meeting & aims for his 3rd in row vs. Chi. with 0.5+ sacks. • LB ALEX ANZALONE led team with 9 tackles last week & has 5+ tackles in 26 straight games, tied 3rd-longest active streak in NFL. Aims for his 5th in row vs. Chi. with 7+ tackles. • CB JERRY JACOBS is 1 of 3 DBs that entered NFL in 2021 (Paulson Adebo & Pat Surtain II) with 7+ PD in each of past 3 seasons. • S KERBY JOSEPH aims for his 3rd in row with INT. Has 5 PD in his past 4. • S TRACY WALKER aims for his 5th in row with 6+ tackles.

DETROIT (AP) The Detroit Lions are off to a strong start in their quest to end a three-decade drought without a division title.

Detroit (7-2) has its best record through nine games since 2014, giving the revitalized franchise a two-game lead over Minnesota in the NFC North.

The Lions still have a lot of work to do against divisional foes to finish in first place. They’ve played only one NFC North team two-plus months into the season, winning at Green Bay.

Detroit will face five of eight teams within the division to close the regular season, starting with the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Ford Field.

“This is like winning two games a little bit when you play these division games,” coach Dan Campbell said. “So, it’s important.”

Campbell said it’s imperative for the team to stay focused and hungry because the Vikings (6-4) are surging and potentially can make up ground when the teams meet twice over the last three weeks.

“You’ve got to keep winning and then when the time comes and you play that opponent, man, you’ve got to win those games,” he said.

The Bears (3-7) are coming off a win against Carolina that matched their total number of victories from last season, but the bar was low with just three wins and a franchise-record and league-high 14 losses.

“They’re a whole lot better than their record shows,” Detroit quarterback Jared Goff said. “They’ve been banged up a little bit throughout the year and they’re getting their quarterback back now.”

FIELDS RETURNS

Bears quarterback Justin Fields is expected to come back after missing the past four games with a dislocated right thumb.

“I’m really excited to be back this week and be back on the field with the guys,” he said.

The remainder of the season could go a long way toward determining the future of the 2021 No. 11 overall pick because the Bears have to decide whether to pick up their fifth-year option for 2025. They could also use one of their two first-round draft picks on a quarterback.

Though Fields was struggling against Minnesota before getting injured, he had two of his best passing performances in the previous two games. He threw for a career-high 335 yards in a loss to Denver and 282 in a win at Washington. In both games, he had four touchdown passes.

“He’s stretching the ball down the field.,” Campbell said. “They’re asking him to do some things in that pass game that they weren’t necessarily doing before.”

The Bears were 2-2 while starting rookie Tyson Bagent, who was undrafted out of Division II Shepherd University in West Virginia.

FAMILY ACT

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, whose fame has skyrocketed due to his relationship with Taylor Swift, and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce’s have merited a lot of attention as the first pair of siblings to play each other in the Super Bowl.

The Sewell family has a lot to be proud of, too.

Detroit’s Penei Sewell, who has not allowed a sack this season, has become one of the NFL’s best offensive tackles and will face two brothers in the league this season.

He and his younger brother, Noah, will be on the field for the first time since high school. The Bears drafted linebacker Noah Sewell in the fifth round and he has contributed on special teams.

Sewell will play another brother, Nephi, at New Orleans in Week 13. The oldest of the trio also plays mostly on special teams.

LINED UP

The Bears are making some adjustments to their offensive line.

With right guard Nate Davis returning after missing the past four games with an ankle injury, Teven Jenkins is moving back to his starting spot at left guard. Lucas Patrick remains at center. Cody Whitehair, who has started 117 games over eight seasons in Chicago, has been benched.

“That’s just the best operation that we feel for each position experience,” coach Matt Eberflus said.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (4-5) AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (3-6)

DATE: Sunday, November 19, 2023

GAME TIME: 1:00 PM ET

FOX: Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez, Laura Okmin

SiriusXM (team name linked to SXM App) LAC: 158 or 381 GB: 81 or 226

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY

REG. SEASON: LAC leads series, 7-5 (Home team won past 4)

POSTSEASON: –

THE LAST TIME …

REG. SEASON: 9/15/19: LAC 10 at DET 13

POSTSEASON: —

CHARGERS NOTES:

QB JUSTIN HERBERT passed for 323 yards & 4 TDs with 114.9 rating last week, 2nd-career game with 300+ pass yards & 4+ TD passes. Has 3+ TD passes & 110+ rating in 2 of past 3. Has 0 INTs in 3 of 4 road games this season. Aims for his 7th in row vs. NFC with 2+ TD passes. Has 16,438 pass yards & surpassed HOFer Peyton Manning (16,418) for most-ever by player in 1st 4 seasons. • RB AUSTIN EKELER had 115 scrimmage yards (67 rush, 48 rec.) & rush TD last week, his 3rd game this season with 115+ scrimmage yards. Aims for 4th in row with 70+ scrimmage yards & TD. Had 93 scrimmage yards (70 rush, 23 rec.) in last meeting. • WR KEENAN ALLEN led team with 11 catches for 175 yards & 2 TDs last week, his 17th-career game with 10+ catches & 100+ rec. yards, tied 5th-most in NFL history. Aims for 4th in row with 8+ catches & 65+ rec. yards. Has 458 rec. yards (114.5 per game) in 4 road games this season. Had 14 catches for 157 yards in last road meeting. Ties for NFL lead with 73 catches in 2023. • WR QUENTIN JOHNSTON (rookie) had 1st-career rec. TD last week. • WR JALEN GUYTON had 1st TD catch of season in Week 10. • TE GERALD EVERETT had 8 catches for 63 yards in his last game vs. GB (11/14/21 w/ Sea.). • LB JOEY BOSA aims for 4th in row with TFL. Has sack in 2 of past 3. Has 5.5 sacks in 4 road games this season. Had 1.5 sacks in last meeting. • LB KHALIL MACK aims for 4th in row with TFL. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. GB with sack. • LB KENNETH MURRAY aims for 6th in row with 5+ tackles. • S DERWIN JAMES led team with season-high 13 tackles & 2 TFL last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 10+ tackles. Aims for 3rd in row on road with FR.

PACKERS NOTES:

QB JORDAN LOVE had career-high 289 pass yards & 2 TD passes in Week 10, his 4th-career start with 2+ TD passes. Aims for his 5th in row at home with TD pass. • RB AARON JONES had 54 scrimmage yards (35 rush, 19 rec.) last week. Has 50+ scrimmage yards in 3 of his past 4 & aims for his 3rd in row with 50+ scrimmage yards. • RB AJ DILLON had 81 scrimmage yards (70 rush, 11 rec.) in Week 10 & has 50+ scrimmage yards in 4 of his past 5. Needs 10 yards for 3rd-straight season with 500+ scrimmage yards. • WR ROMEO DOUBS had 6th rec. TD of season last week & has TD catch in 3 of his past 4. • WR JAYDEN REED (rookie) led team & set career highs with 5 catches for 84 yards & had 4th rec. TD last week, tied 3rd-most TD catches among rookies. • WR DONTAYVION WICKS (rookie) had 51 rec. yards in Week 10. • TE LUKE MUSGRAVE (rookie) had career-high 64 rec. yards last week & aims for his 3rd in row with 50+ rec. yards. • LB PRESTON SMITH had 5th sack of season last week, his 6thcareer season with 5+ sacks. Has sack in 4 of his past 5. Had sack in last meeting. • LB ISAIAH MCDUFFIE had 10 tackles last week, his 3rd game with 10+ tackles in 2023. Has 6+ tackles in 6 of his past 7. • DL T.J. SLATON has 8+ tackles in 2 of his past 3. • S RUDY FORD had career-high 10 tackles last week & has career high 58 tackles in 2023. Aims for his 8th in row with 6+ tackles. Has 3 PD in 3 home games this season. • S JONATHAN OWENS aims for his 3rd in row with 8+ tackles. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. LAC with PD. • CB COREY BALLENTINE had 6 tackles & career-high 2 PD last week.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James is still feeling the sting that comes from losing a game in which his team’s offense had scored touchdowns on its last five possessions.

James and the rest of the Chargers’ defense head to Lambeau Field wanting to make amends for the way they performed in a 41-38 loss to the Detroit Lions.

“My name is on it,” James said. “Everyone’s name is one it. I don’t like the way it feels. Like I said, we’ll get another opportunity this Sunday to change that. That’s what we’re looking forward to.”

The Chargers (4-5) will be facing a Green Bay team that’s starting to shed its reputation for slow starts. Now the Packers (3-6) need to become better finishers.

After scoring a total of 16 first-half points in a six-game stretch, the Packers reached the end zone on two of their first three drives Sunday while falling 23-19 at Pittsburgh. They lost due in part to their struggles whenever they got near the goal line.

The Packers have scored touchdowns on just two of nine trips to the red zone over their last two games.

Green Bay knows it can’t waste opportunities against the Chargers, who have averaged 31.7 points over their last three games but are ranked 31st in total defense. The Packers haven’t exceeded the 20-point mark since a 25-24 loss in Atlanta way back on Sept. 17.

“Every game, you’ve got to have that mindset that you never know what they’re going to do offensively, but you’ve always got to be able to match them and obviously go one step above,” Packers quarterback Jordan Love said. “And when the defense gets a stop, we’ve got to go capitalize on that, put up points. But that’s kind of the mindset we’re always ready for, is we’ve got to really just going forward, we’ve got to be able to put up points on every drive, just kind of focus on doing us, focus on what we’re doing.”

RUNNING BACK WATCH

Chargers running back Austin Ekeler was sidelined for a month due to ankle injury, but he has started to return to form over the past three games.

He has become more of a receiving threat out of the backfield with 13 of his 22 receptions occurring over that span.

Ekeler, who led the league with 18 scrimmage touchdowns (13 rushing, five receiving) last season, has reached the end zone four times in the last three weeks.

For Green Bay, Aaron Jones is coming off a subpar performance in which he was held to 35 yards on 13 carries. AJ Dillon has come on lately, as he has 110 yards on 18 carries over his last two games.

QUARTERBACK CONNECTIONS

Love and Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert know each other well, at least in part because of their college ties to David Yost.

Yost was Oregon’s quarterbacks coach during Herbert’s freshman year with the Ducks and later was Love’s offensive coordinator at Utah State.

“We train together in the offseason at the same place,” Love said. “We trained together coming out at the combine. He’s a great dude. He’s fantastic. I think he’s balled out.”

SECONDARY WOES

Los Angeles comes in with the league’s worst pass defense, allowing 291.2 yards per game. The Chargers and Washington are the only two teams in the league to have two cornerbacks in the top 10 in most yards allowed as the nearest defender in coverage.

According to the league’s Next Gen Stats, Asante Samuel has allowed 566 yards, which is second most. Michael Davis is seventh at 477 yards. Overall, opposing receivers have been wide open at a 25.8% rate, the sixth-highest percentage in the league.

RISING ROOKIES

The Packers continue to rely heavily on their rookie class, particularly in the passing game.

Jayden Reed, a second-round pick from Michigan State, has a team-high 417 yards receiving. Reed had five catches for 84 yards, tight end and second-round selection Luke Musgrave had two receptions for 64 yards and fifth-round pick Dontayvion Wicks had three catches for 51 yards against the Steelers.

That marked the first time in Packers history that three rookies had at least 50 yards receiving in the same game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

RARE TRIP TO LAMBEAU

This marks the Chargers’ first trip to Lambeau Field since a 27-20 loss to the Packers on 2015. That was a wild game in which the Chargers’ Philip Rivers threw for 503 yards, but the Packers sealed the win with a fourth-and-goal stop from the 3 with 15 seconds left.

The Chargers haven’t won at Lambeau Field since 1984 but have only played here three times since.

ARIZONA CARDINALS (2-8) AT HOUSTON TEXANS (5-4)

DATE: Sunday, November 19, 2023

GAME TIME: 1:00 PM ET

CBS: Tom McCarthy, James Lofton, Jay Feely, Tiffany Blackmon

SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) ARI: 146 or 383 HOU: 137 or 227

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY

REG. SEASON: ARI leads series, 3-2 (won 3 of past 4)

POSTSEASON

THE LAST TIME …

REG. SEASON: 10/24/21: HOU 5 at ARI 31

POSTSEASON: –

CARDS NOTES:

QB KYLER MURRAY passed for 249 yards & had 24th-career rush TD in season debut in Week 10. Completed 20 of 28 atts. (71.4 pct.) for 261 yards & 3 TDs vs. INT for 121.3 rating in last meeting. Has 27 TDs (21 pass, 6 rush) & 98.4 rating in his past 11 road starts. • RB JAMES CONNER rushed for 73 yards last week. Has 50+ scrimmage yards in 30 of 34 games with Ari. since 2021, incl. all 15 road games. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Hou. with rush TD. Needs 63 rush yards for 5th-career season with 500+ rush yards. • TE TREY MCBRIDE led team with 8 catches & 131 rec. yards in Week 10, his 1st-career 100-yard game. Has 8+ catches & 95+ rec. yards in 2 of his past 3. • WR RONDALE MOORE had season-high 5 catches last week. • WR MARQUISE BROWN needs 7 catches for 4th-straight 50-catch season & 32 rec. yards for 5th-straight season with 500+ rec. yards. Had 5 catches in his only career game at Hou. (9/20/20 w/ Bal.). • LB KYZIR WHITE led team with 11 tackles last week, his 3rd game with 10+ tackles in 2023. Is 1 of 2 (Bobby Okereke) with 85+ tackles (87) & 9+ TFL (career-high 9) in 2023. Is 1 of 6 in NFL with 10 games of 5+ tackles this season. • LB ZAVEN COLLINS aims for his 3rd in row on road with TFL. • LB DENNIS GARDECK had 5th sack of season last week, his 2nd-career 5+ sack season (7 in 2020). • LB B.J. OJULARI (rookie) set career highs with 8 tackles & 2 sacks in Week 10, his 1st-career 2-sack game. • S BUDDA BAKER had 10 tackles last week, his 24th-career game with 10+ tackles, most among DBs since 2017. Had 13 tackles, 2 FF, 2 PD & FR in last road meeting (11/19/17).

TEXANS NOTES:

TEXANS last week became 1st team since Ind. in 1998 with 350- yard passer (Stroud), 150-yard rusher (Singletary) & 150-yard receiver (Brown) in single game. • QB C.J. STROUD passed for 356 yards & had 2 TDs (1 pass, 1 rush) last week, his 3rd game with 350+ pass yards this season, tied-most in NFL & is 3rd rookie ever with 350+ pass yards in 3 games (Andrew Luck & Cam Newton). Is 2nd rookie ever with 350+ pass yards in consecutive games (Newton). Ranks 2nd in NFL with 2,626 pass yards, 3rd-most ever by QB in 1st 9 career starts. Can become 1st rookie ever with 350+ pass yards in 3 straight games. • RB DEVIN SINGLETARY rushed for career-high 150 yards last week, 1st 150-yard rusher by Hou. since 2019 (Carlos Hyde). • WR NOAH BROWN set career highs in catches (7) & rec. yards (173) last week, most rec. yards by Hou. player in a game since 2019. Joined DeAndre Hopkins & Andre Johnson as only players in franchise history with 150+ rec. yards in consecutive games. • WR NICO COLLINS has 50+ rec. yards in 2 of his past 3. Has 448 rec. yards (112 per game) & 4 rec. TDs in 4 home games this season. • WR TANK DELL (rookie) aims for 3rd in row with 6+ catches, 55+ rec. yards & rec. TD. Ranks 2nd among rookies with 5 rec. TDs & 5th with 510 rec. yards. • TE DALTON SCHULTZ aims for 3rd in row with 70+ rec. yards. Aims for 4th in row at home with TD catch. • DT SHELDON RANKINS had career-high 3 sacks & 5th-career FF in Week 10. Aims for 3rd in row with 2+ TFL & sack. • LB JONATHAN GREENARD had 7th sack of season last week. Has 2 TFL & sack in 2 of past 3. Had 2 sacks & PD in last meeting. • CB TAVIERRE THOMAS led team with 8 tackles in Week 10. • S DEANDRE HOUSTON-CARSON had 1st INT of season last week.

HOUSTON (AP) The electric play of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and the leadership of first-year coach DeMeco Ryans have made the Houston Texans relevant for the first time in years.

On Sunday, the Texans (5-4) host the Arizona Cardinals (2-8) and will try for their first three-game winning streak since 2018.

“We’re excited about what our guys have done here to create the energy and the buzz around the city,” Ryans said. “I think our fans here in Houston deserve it … and we’re just excited to continue to go out another week and just go play good football. I think if we continue to play good football, the city will continue to be excited.”

The Texans (5-4) have returned to playoff contention after three miserable seasons during which they were among the worst teams in the league. It’s the first time they’ve won five games since going 10-6 in 2019.

Stroud, who was the second overall pick in the draft, became the only rookie quarterback in the past 40 years to lead game-winning drives in the final two minutes in two straight games when Houston beat Cincinnati last week. He orchestrated a six-play, 55-yard drive, capped by a 38-yard field goal that gave the Texans a 30-27 victory over the Bengals.

A week earlier, Stroud needed less than 46 seconds to put together a 75-yard drive that he finished with a 15-yard TD pass in a 39-37 win over Tampa Bay.

“He doesn’t look like a rookie out there, I know that,” Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon said. “His process is extremely fast, very accurate, and a quick release. … He’s doing a really good job, that’s why they’re above .500, right in the playoff hunt. Playing good football right now. Really good football. He jumped off the tape.”

Stroud set a rookie record by throwing for 470 yards with five touchdowns against the Buccaneers before throwing for 356 yards last week to become the second rookie in NFL history with consecutive games with at least 350 yards passing. A 350-yard game Sunday would make him the first rookie to have three in a row.

“I just want more,” Stroud said. “I want to do better. I want to be as complete as I can. This game is a process, and I know every week I have to bring it. And I know I’m not being treated as a rookie anymore, so people are bringing their A-game because they want to knock me off.”

His work has impressed Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray, who helped the Cardinals snap a six-game skid with a 25-23 victory over Atlanta last week in his season debut after recovering from ACL surgery.

“If you love the game, if you really love the art and the detail of the position – he’s playing it the right way,” said Murray, the first overall pick in 2019. “He’s obviously leading those guys. They believe in him, and they trust him so I’m proud of him. I’m excited to see his career.”

FULL-POWER OFFENSE

The Cardinals’ primary playmakers are as healthy as they’ve been all season now that Murray has returned. Running back James Conner (knee) came off injured reserve last week and ran for 73 yards on 16 carries. Rookie Michael Wilson is also back after dealing with a shoulder injury, rejoining a solid group or receivers that includes Marquise Brown, Rondale Moore and tight end Trey McBride.

Murray figures to keep improving as he gets used to coordinator Drew Petzing’s offense. The quarterback played his first four seasons under coach Kliff Kingsbury, who was fired after going 4-13 last season.

“There are definitely some old habits that want to creep back in when you’re out there, but no, it’s good breaking those habits and trusting the process,” Murray said.

TOP-10 SHOWCASE

There will be three top-10 picks from April’s NFL draft on the field Sunday – Stroud, Houston defensive end Will Anderson and Arizona offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr.

Anderson was chosen right after Stroud at No. 3 and Johnson was taken sixth.

Johnson – who protected Stroud in college at Ohio State – has started every game this season at right tackle, settling in as a long-term piece of the Cardinals’ rebuild.

“He’s playing well,” Gannon said. “Started every game and playing a premier position. I think he continues to get better week to week, and that’s not just on game day. That’s looking at the whole scope of practice (with) fundamentals, his process and how he’s going about it, and how he’s studying.”

ON THE GROUND

While Stroud has had Houston’s passing game soaring all season, the team struggled to run the ball effectively until last week.

The Texans ran for a season-high 188 yards against the Bengals behind a career day by Devin Singletary. He had 30 carries for 150 yards and a touchdown in his second start with Dameon Pierce out with an ankle injury. It was the first time Houston has had a 150-yard rusher since 2019.

The Texans are aiming to build on that performance against Arizona.

“When it comes to the run game, you have to be physical up front, starting with the offensive line,” Ryans said. “You have to create displacement and the backs have to be physical, running the ball downhill. That’s what (Singletary) did last week.”

TENNESSEE TITANS (3-6) AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (6-3)

DATE: Sunday, November 19, 2023

GAME TIME: 1:00 PM ET

CBS: Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta, Amanda Renner

SiriusXM (team name linked to SXM App) TEN: 103 or 385 JAX: 99 or 230

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY

REG. SEASON: TEN leads series, 33-23 (JAX won past 2)

POSTSEASON: TEN leads series, 1-0

THE LAST TIME …

REG. SEASON: 1/7/23: TEN 16 at JAX 20

POSTSEASON: 1/23/00 AFC-C: TEN 33 at JAX 14

TITANS NOTES:

QB WILL LEVIS (rookie) has 230+ pass yards in 2 of 1st 3 career starts. Aims for 1st-career road win. • RB DERRICK HENRY has 100+ scrimmage yards in 3 of past 4. Has 635 scrimmage yards (158.8 per game) & 6 rush TDs in his past 4 vs. Jax., with 100+ rush yards in each game. Has 100+ scrimmage yards in 6 of his past 7 vs. division. Is only RB with 750+ scrimmage yards in each of past 7 seasons. • RB TYJAE SPEARS (rookie) had 60 scrimmage yards (42 rec., 18 rush) last week. Has 60+ scrimmage yards in 2 of past 3 on road. Ranks 4th among rookie RBs with 400 scrimmage yards (234 rush, 166 rec.) in 2023. • WR DEANDRE HOPKINS has 60+ rec. yards in 2 of past 3. Has 5+ catches in 3 of his past 4 vs. Jax. Leads team with 591 rec. yards in 2023 & 4th WR since 2000 with 500+ rec. yards in each of 1st 11 seasons. • WR KYLE PHILLIPS led team with 61 rec. yards last week & aims for his 3rd in row with 60+ rec. yards. • TE CHIGOZIEM OKONKWO had TD catch in both games vs. Jax. last season. • DT JEFFERY SIMMONS had 1st PD of season last week. Has 5+ tackles in 2 of past 3. Has PD in 3 of his past 4 vs. Jax. • DE DENICO AUTRY had 6th sack of season last week. Has TFL in 3 of past 4 & sack in 2 of past 3. • DT TEAIR TART had 2 TFL & 1st sack of season last week. • LB HAROLD LANDRY had season-high 9 tackles & 5th sack of season in Week 10. Has sack in 3 of past 4. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Jax. with sack. • CB ROGER MCCREARY had 5 tackles & 1st INT of season last week. Has 5+ tackles in 5 of past 6. Had PD in last meeting.

JAGS NOTES:

QB TREVOR LAWRENCE has 90+ rating in 5 of past 6. Was 2-0 with 4 TDs vs. 0 INTs with 109.1 rating in 2 games vs. Ten. last season. • RB TRAVIS ETIENNE has 75+ scrimmage yards & TD in 4 of past 5. Has 325 scrimmage yards (108.3 per game) & 3 rush TDs in 3 games vs. division this season. Ties-4th in NFL with careerhigh 7 rush TDs this season. Needs 107 scrimmage yards for 2nd-straight 1,000-yard season. • WR CHRISTIAN KIRK had 6 catches for 104 yards last week, his 2nd 100-yard game this season. Has 6 catches & 90+ rec. yards in 2 of past 3. Has rec. TD in 2 of past 3 in Jax. Had 6 catches for 99 yards & TD in last meeting. Aims for 3rd in row vs. division with rec. TD. • WR CALVIN RIDLEY has 80+ rec. yards in 3 games this season. • TE EVAN ENGRAM has 5+ catches in 3 of past 4. Has 6+ catches in 3 of 4 games in Jax. this season. Has 264 rec. yards (88 per game) in 3 career games vs. Ten. Ranks 3rd among TEs with 55 catches in 2023, his 4th-career season with 50+ catches. • LB JOSH ALLEN had sack, FF & FR in last meeting & aims for his 3rd in row vs. Ten. with sack. Has 7 sacks in his past 6 vs. division, with sack of 5 of 6. Ranks tied-5th in NFL with 9 sacks this season, 4th-career season with 7+ sacks. • LB FOYESADE OLUOKUN had 9 tackles, 3 TFL & career-high 2 sacks last week. Aims for 5th in row with 9+ tackles. Aims for 3rd in row in Jax. with TFL. Had 13+ tackles in both games vs. Ten. last season & had sack in last meeting. Ranks 4th in NFL with 101 tackles in 2023, 4th-straight season with 100+ tackles. • LB DEVIN LLOYD led team with 10 tackles in Week 10, his 4thstraight game with 9+ tackles. • S RAYSHAWN JENKINS had 5 tackles & PD last week.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) The Sunshine State was a gloomy spot for Tennessee and Jacksonville last week.

The Titans and Jaguars combined for a measly three field goals in lopsided losses to Tampa Bay and San Francisco, respectively. Tennessee managed 209 yards in a 20-6 loss the Buccaneers and fell to 0-5 on the road this season. Jacksonville finished with a season-low 221 yards in a 34-3 drubbing to the 49ers at home, where the team dropped to 1-3.

Both will be looking for more offensive production – and a much better result – when they meet at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville on Sunday.

“It stings a little bit, but all you can do is just use it as motivation,” Jaguars receiver Christian Kirk said. “We have enough veterans in this locker room to know this league isn’t easy. It should hurt; you should be embarrassed. You just use it as motivation to move on and get one week better.”

The Jaguars (6-3) failed to score a touchdown at home for the second time this season. They committed four turnovers and gave up way too many big plays. Although it came against a 49ers team coming off a bye and desperate to end a three-game skid, the Jags expect it to be just a down week and not a downturn as they chase their second AFC South title in as many years.

“Don’t lose confidence,” Kirk said. “We’re still a good football team. We’re still a team that won five games in a row, and nobody should forget about that because that’s not easy.”

Added fellow receiver Calvin Ridley: “Everyone’s going crazy. We’ve lost three games. That’s it. You know what I’m saying? We’re going to be all right.”

The Titans (3-6) are trying to avoid their first three-game skid in the series since the 2005-06 seasons. More importantly, they’re hoping to stay within striking distance of the division lead.

Tennessee has five AFC South games remaining, providing coaches and players with a clear path to the playoffs. It starts in Jacksonville – and back in Florida seven days after the debacle against the Buccaneers.

“It’s a big one,” rookie quarterback Will Levis said. “As far as we see it, it’s still wide open.”

Maybe so, but the Titans need to play better than they have on the road this season. They haven’t topped 16 points away from home, and turnovers and sacks have been the main culprits.

“There will be mistakes, but we just can’t have the repeated, critical ones,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “So, whether physically or mentally, it all goes into your performance. You have to have an idea of what the play is, what your job is, what your responsibility is, who you need to communicate with, what those details are, and then physically go execute.”

RED ZONE WOES

The Titans are next-to-last scoring touchdowns inside the red zone, and settling for too many field goals on the road has been a big part of that problem. They’ve scored exactly two touchdowns in five road games.

“When you have a defense like we have, we’re in every game,” right guard Daniel Brunskill said. “And so we’ve got to do something on offense to help those guys out and (put) us in a better situation.”

ROOKIE RETURNS

With veteran returner Jamal Agnew (shoulder) sidelined against the Titans and probably longer, the Jaguars will turn to fifth-round draft pick Parker Washington to fill the role.

Washington, a rookie from Penn State, injured a knee on his first and only special teams play of the season. He was on injured reserve the last six weeks, but will be activated in time to play Sunday.

“This is an exciting opportunity,” he said. “To be able to help our team win on Sunday, shoot, I’m ready to attack. Let’s get it. That’s the mindset. Next man up. Got to be ready. I was just down and now I’ve got to step up no matter if I had practice time or not.”

TITANIC ROAD

Tennessee has gone a full year without winning away from Nashville, including a loss in London that was technically a “home game” for the Titans.

They are 0-5 (not counting the loss in to Baltimore in London) and have dropped eight straight dating to Nov. 17, 2022, and a win at Green Bay.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (5-5) AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (6-3)

DATE: Sunday, November 19, 2023

GAME TIME: 1:00 PM ET

CBS: Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, Melanie Collins

SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) LV: 108 or 386 MIA: 111 or 231

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY

REG. SEASON: Series tied, 18-18-1 (MIA won 2 of past 3)

POSTSEASON: LV leads series, 3-1

THE LAST TIME …

REG. SEASON: 9/26/21: MIA 28 at LV 31

POSTSEASON: 1/6/01 AFC-DIV: MIA 0 at OAK 27

RAIDERS NOTES:

QB AIDAN O’CONNELL (rookie) had TD pass last week. Has won 2 of 3 starts this season, incl. each of past 2. • RB JOSH JACOBS led team with 127 scrimmage yards (season high 116 rush, 11 rec.) last week, his 2nd 100-yard game this season. Aims for 4th in row with 85+ scrimmage yards. Has rush TD in 2 of past 3. Rushed for 69 yards in last meeting. Has 5 rush TDs this season & can become 7th player all-time with 7+ rush TDs in each of 1st 5 seasons. • WR DAVANTE ADAMS had 6 catches for 86 yards last week. Has 6+ catches & 55+ rec. yards in 4 of 5 road games this season. Had 2 rec. TDs in his last game vs. Mia. (11/11/18 w/ GB). • WR JAKOBI MEYERS has 50+ rec. yards & TD catch in 2 of 4 road games this season. Had TD catch in his last game vs. Mia. (1/1/23 w/ NE) & has 55+ rec. yards in 2 of his past 3 vs. Mia. • WR HUNTER RENFROW had 77 rec. yards & TD catch in last meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Mia. with 5+ catches. • TE MICHAEL MAYER (rookie) had 1st-career TD catch last week. • DE MAXX CROSBY has 5+ tackles in 6 of past 7 & TFL in 3 of past 4. Has sack in 2 of past 3 on road. Ranks 2nd in NFL with 13 TFL in 2023 & 4th with 9.5 sacks. • LB ROBERT SPILLANE had 7 tackles, sack & INT last week. Is 1 of 6 in NFL with 5+ tackles in 10 games this season. • CB DIVINE DEABLO had 7 tackles & PD in Week 10. Has 7+ tackles in 3 of past 4. • CB MARCUS PETERS has PD in 3 of past 4. Has PD in each of 2 career games vs. Mia. • CB NATE HOBBS has 5+ tackles in each of his 6 games this season & has PD in 4 of his past 5. • S TRE’VON MOEHRIG has 5+ tackles in 3 of past 4.

DOLPHINS NOTES:

DOLPHINS lead NFL in total offense (435.3 yards per game) & scoring offense (31.7 points per game). • QB TUA TAGOVAILOA passed for 193 yards & TD vs. 0 INTs in Week 9. Has 1,203 pass yards (300.8 per game) & 12 TDs vs 3 INTs with 121.5 rating in 4 home games this season, with 2+ TD passes & 100+ rating in each game. Had 99.4 rating in last meeting. Ties for NFL lead with 19 TD passes this season & ranks 2nd with 106.4 rating & 3rd with 2,609 pass yards. • RB RAHEEM MOSTERT rushed for 85 yards & TD in Week 9. Has rush TD in 4 of past 5 & each of past 2. Has 9 TDs (7 rush, 2 rec.) in 4 home games this season, with TD in each game. Rushed for 86 yards & TD in only career game vs. Raiders (11/1/18 w/ SF). Leads NFL with career-high 11 rush TDs in 2023. • RB DE’VON ACHANE has 527 scrimmage yards (131.8 per game) in 4 games this season. Can make 1st appearance since Week 5. • WR TYREEK HILL aims for 6th in row with 6+ catches & 60+ rec. yards. Has rec. TD in 4 of past 5. Has 613 rec. yards (153.3 per game) & 4 rec. TDs in 4 home games this season. Aims for his 5th in row vs. LV with 75+ rec. yards. Leads NFL with 1,076 rec. yards & 8 rec. TDs this season. • WR JAYLEN WADDLE has 5+ catches in 4 of past 5. Has TD catch in each of 3 home games this season. Had 12 catches in last meeting. • WR CEDRICK WILSON aims for 3rd in row with TD catch. • CB JALEN RAMSEY had 4 tackles in Week 9. Had 6 tackles & PD in his last game vs. LV (12/8/22 w/ LAR). • S JEVON HOLLAND led team with 8 tackles in Week 9. • LB BRADLEY CHUBB aims for 5th in row with sack & has sack & FF in 3 of past 4. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. LV with PD. • LB JAELAN PHILLIPS aims for 4th in row with sack.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) Mike McDaniel knows the history: It’s rare for a wild-card team to progress all the way through the playoffs and win the Super Bowl.

So now that his Miami Dolphins have a 1 1/2-game lead over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East, they want to keep it. The Bills have won the division the past three seasons; the Dolphins haven’t won it since 2008.

“The goal is to win the division,” McDaniel said. “That is the only way you ensure that you’re, for one, in the playoffs, you have a home game in the playoffs and you set yourself up for a journey, not a game.”

The Dolphins (6-3) are in position to reach that goal. Their offense leads the league in several statistical categories.

The second half of Miami’s season starts Sunday when it hosts Las Vegas (5-5), a team two games removed from firing its coach.

Antonio Pierce, the Raiders’ interim coach, has appeared to energize the locker room and has Las Vegas on a two-game winning streak with victories over the Giants and Jets.

“The thing that I always notice when it does occur, when you have a coaching change and then have immediate success followed by another game of success, is that the locker room feels some energy,” McDaniel said. “It galvanizes people. It brings people together. No one likes to say bye to people that they know and work with. I don’t care what you say. Even if you’re going through hard times, it’s tough to say goodbye to people.”

The Raiders have a tough task against the Dolphins, who are one of three teams who haven’t lost at home this season (Dallas and Philadelphia are the others).

“You got a little bit more of the burden to make sure you’re handling your business,” said Davante Adams, who leads the Raiders with 659 yards receiving. “What we did last week is not necessarily going to work on paper against these guys. If our defense goes out and handle their business and we keep coming off the field, that doesn’t make it easy.”

A GROWING CONNECTION

When Raiders rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell was first getting to know his teammates, the veteran receiver Adams could sense his timidity.

“It’s always funny coming in and you see the young guys come in and they come and play with me,” Adams said, “whether it’s D-linemen or whatever, they always look a little different at me when they’re walking through the hallways, and he’d been like that for a while.”

The quarterback and receiver are developing a close relationship since O’Connell made his first NFL start over a month ago. Now, O’Connell said he considers Adams someone who is “easy to talk to” and who he enjoys joking around with.

O’Connell and Adams’ connection is also translating on the field. Adams was targeted 13 times against the Jets last week and caught six passes for 86 yards – his highest yardage total since Week 3. Three of O’Connell’s first four passes went to Adams.

“It just allows the number one receiver to feel a little bit more welcomed into it and warm up the hands early,” Adams said. “It’s not easy catching the ball when you haven’t seen one in 30 minutes. So, it’s something that I definitely like and look forward to doing moving forward.”

MAKING PLAYS

Linebacker Robert Spillane leads Las Vegas with three interceptions.

Not bad for someone whose ability to cover receivers was considered a weakness when he played for Pittsburgh.

Pierce, who coached linebackers before being elevated to interim coach, worked with Spillane after the Raiders signed him in the offseason.

“I told him, ‘Hey, that’s the knock, probably why you went a little bit later as far as free agency and getting picked up,’” Pierce said. “But all last offseason and in the spring and OTAs and minicamp, training camp, that’s all we worked on.”

ACHANE’S STATUS UNCERTAIN

Dolphins rookie running back De’Von Achane returned to practice Monday, beginning his 21-day window to return from injured reserve. Achane missed the past four games after injuring his knee in Week 5 against the Giants.

Achane, a third-round draft pick, was leading the NFL with 12.1 yards per carry before the injury. He rushed for 460 yards with seven total touchdowns in four games.

McDaniel said Achane has not “looked like a rookie” in Miami’s locker room and continues to impress his teammates and coaches.

“That’s what the locker room needed from him,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “We don’t have time for rookies anymore. This is pro ball. And he acted like a pro on Monday.”

NEW YORK GIANTS (2-8) AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (4-6)

DATE: Sunday, November 19, 2023

GAME TIME: 1:00 PM ET

FOX: Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, Shannon Spake

SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) NYG: 98 or 387 WAS: 132 or 232

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY

REG. SEASON: NYG leads series, 106-70-5 (won past 2)

POSTSEASON: Series tied, 1-1

THE LAST TIME …

REG. SEASON: 10/22/23: WAS 7 at NYG 14

POSTSEASON: 1/11/87 NFC-C: WAS 0 at NYG 17

GIANTS NOTES:

QB TOMMY DEVITO (rookie) made 1st-career start in Week 10 & had 1st-career game with 2 TD passes. • RB SAQUON BARKLEY rushed for 66 yards last week & has 50+ rush yards in 10 straight games, longest active streak in NFL. Has 90+ scrimmage yards in 5 of his past 6 road games. Had 118 scrimmage yards (77 rush, 41 rec.) & TD catch in Week 7 meeting. Had 120 scrimmage yards (87 rush, 33 rec.) & rush TD in last road meeting & has 665 scrimmage yards (166.3 per game) & 4 TDs (3 rush, 1 rec.) in 4 career games at Was. Aims for his 4th in row vs. Was. with TD. • WR DARIUS SLAYTON has 50+ rec. yards in 2 of his past 3 on road. Has 5+ catches in 2 of his past 3 vs. Was. • WR STERLING SHEPARD had 1st rec. TD of season last week. • LB KAYVON THIBODEAUX has career highs in sacks (8.5) & TFL (8) this season. Has 3.5 sacks, 5 TFL, FF & FR-TD in 3 career games vs. Was. & aims for his 4th in row vs. Was. with sack. • LB BOBBY OKEREKE had 11 tackles last week & has 5+ tackles in 18 straight games. Needs 9 tackles for 3rd-straight 100-tackle season. Has career-high 9 TFL in 2023. Had 11 tackles & PD in Week 7 meeting. • LB MICAH MCFADDEN has career-high 9 TFL in 2023 & aims for his 3rd in row with TFL. Has 5+ tackles in 6 of his past 7. • DL DEXTER LAWRENCE had 2 sacks in Week 7 meeting & aims for his 4th in row vs. Was. with 0.5+ sacks. Has TFL in 3 of his past 4 vs. Was. • S XAVIER MCKINNEY aims for his 3rd in row with 10+ tackles. • S JASON PINNOCK had 2 PD & FF in last road meeting. Had sack in Week 7 meeting. • CB DEONTE BANKS (rookie) aims for his 5th in row with PD.

COMMANDERS NOTES:

QB SAM HOWELL passed for 312 yards & 3 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 109.3 rating in Week 10. Leads NFL with 2,783 pass yards in 2023. Aims for his 3rd in row at home & 4th in row overall with 300+ pass yards. Passed for 249 yards in Week 7 meeting. • RB BRIAN ROBINSON had career-high 6 catches for career best 157 scrimmage yards (career-high 119 rec., 38 rush) & 4th career rec. TD last week & is 1 of 2 RBs (Christian McCaffrey) with 5+ rush TDs (5) & 3+ rec. TDs (3) in 2023. Had rush TD in Week 7 meeting & had 100+ scrimmage yards in 2 of his 3 career games vs. NYG. • RB ANTONIO GIBSON had 2nd rec TD of season last week. • WR TERRY MCLAURIN has 51 receptions in 2023, his 5thstraight 50+ catch season. Has 56 receptions for 740 yards (92.5 per game) & 3 rec. TDs in 8 career games vs. NYG, incl. 70+ rec. yards in each game. Has 100+ rec. yards & TD catch in 2 of his past 3 at home vs. NYG. • WR JAHAN DOTSON had 5 catches in Week 7 meeting & had 105 rec. yards & TD catch in last home meeting. • DT JONATHAN ALLEN had 4th sack of season last week. Has 4 sacks & 7 TFL in his past 7 vs. NYG. Aims for his 4th in row vs. NYG with TFL. • DT DARON PAYNE had FF & FR in Week 7 meeting. • LB JAMIN DAVIS led team with 11 tackles & had 2nd-career game with 2 TFL last week. • S KAMREN CURL had 10 tackles last week, his 4th game this season with 10+ tackles, most among DBs. Ranks 2nd among DBs with 81 tackles in 2023. • CB BENJAMIN ST-JUSTE had 2 PD last week & has 2+ PD in 5 of his past 6. Ranks tied-1st in NFL with 15 PD in 2023.

Trying to reset his team after losing six of eight games, Ron Rivera’s message this week has been about the opportunity in front of the Washington Commanders with the New York Giants coming to town.

“It’s a chance to get ourselves on track and keep going,” Rivera said.

Somewhat incredibly, the Commanders (4-6) are still in the playoff hunt given the underwhelming field of teams competing for the three wild-card spots in the NFC. They’re favored to beat the struggling Giants (2-8), who are on a three-game skid and again are starting undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito at quarterback. But Washington has already lost to New York this season and isn’t taking for granted facing a third-stringer Sunday.

“He’s an NFL, professional quarterback,” Commanders cornerback Kendall Fuller said. “Anybody out there can win a football game. That’s the mentality that we’re going with, and we’re going to need all 11 guys on the field to be able to stop their offense.”

Washington is a 9 1/2-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook – the biggest spread in the team’s favor since 2017. That’s more reflective of the Giants coming off blowout losses of 49-17 at Dallas last week and 30-6 at Las Vegas on Nov. 5 than anything the Commanders have done.

And it’s certainly overlooking the Giants’ 14-7 home win against Washington last month.

“It’s not like Washington’s going to roll over just because we beat them the first time,” Giants right guard Ben Bredeson said. “Obviously, there were some things that worked, and there was definitely things that we need to improve on before going into the second matchup with them.”

The Commanders’ offense is much improved since then, averaging 420 yards and just under 26 points in the past three games. Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has leaned into a pass-heavy approach that showcases Sam Howell, who has thrown more than any QB in the NFL and, as a result, leads the league with 264 completions and 2,783 yards.

“I feel like he’s grown just being able to control this offense, have success in the league and knowing what it takes to be a professional quarterback in this league,” receiver Jahan Dotson said. “He’s trusting in us, trusting in the process, trusting in the offense and he’s leading us to put us in positions to win football games, and that’s really all you want in your quarterback.”

Giants defenders have certainly noticed a difference since the Oct. 22 meeting at the Meadowlands when they held the Commanders to 273 yards and sacked Howell six times. Washington’s past three opponents have combined to sacked Howell just seven times, which is a credit to the second-year pro as much as the revamped offensive line.

“They’re just getting the ball out quick,” Giants inside linebacker Micah McFadden said. “I think that’s the main thing that we’ve noticed is he’s getting the ball out faster depending on the down and distance.”

DeVito got sacked five times by the Cowboys in his first NFL start, going 14 of 27 for 87 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception and running seven times for 41 yards. The 25-year-old who still lives at home with his family in New Jersey is the third QB up for New York after starter Daniel Jones was lost for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee and backup Tyrod Taylor injured his rib cage and landed on injured reserve.

“(I’m) just doing the same thing I’ve done since I was 5-6 years old,” DeVito said. “In the same huddle, acting the same as I was – just having that competitive edge about me.”

SAME GIANTS LINE

For the first time this season, the Giants seemingly are going to start the same offensive line from their previous game. That means Andrew Thomas at left tackle, Justin Pugh at left guard, rookie John Michael Schmitz at center, Ben Bredeson at right guard and Tyre Phillips at right tackle.

Only once this season has the same line combination started two games. That was in Weeks 2 and 4 when Josh Ezeudu was at left tackle, Bredeson at left guard, Schmitz at center, Marcus McKethan at right guard and Evan Neal at right tackle.

The Giants have used nine starting O-line combinations through 10 games.

BIG-PLAY PROBLEMS

Washington’s defense has allowed 44 plays of 20-plus yards, the third most of any team in the NFL. Four of them came in the most recent loss last week at Seattle, including a 64-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Kenneth Walker III.

“I’ve been disappointed,” Rivera said. “It happens, and it’s unfortunate that we’ve given up the amount that we have.”

BANGED-UP SECONDARY

New York’s cornerbacks are dinged up. Adoree’ Jackson missed the Cowboys game with a concussion, and rookie Deon Banks hurt his ankle during the game and sat out the second half. Cor’Dale Flott, who intercepted Dak Prescott, left in the first half with a shoulder injury.

Defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson is going to have to have everyone on standby. New York finished last week with Nick McCloud, Darnay Holmes and rookie Tre Hawkins handling most of the snaps after halftime.

DO-IT-ALL ROBINSON

The Commanders’ passing fancy – 183 throws and 78 rushing attempts over their past four games – hasn’t stopped running back Brian Robinson Jr. from making an impact. He had a career-high six catches and 157 scrimmage yards against the Seahawks, including a 51-yard touchdown reception.

“I just want the ball,” Robinson said. “No matter how you give me the ball, I’m going to do something with it: Kick it to me, punt it to me, throw it to me, hand it to me and I’m going to make a play.”

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (4-5) AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (6-3)

DATE: Sunday, November 19, 2023

GAME TIME: 4:05 PM ET

FOX: Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston, Pam Oliver

SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) TB: 83 or 380 SF: 85 or 225

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY

REG. SEASON: SF leads series, 19-6 (won past 2)

POSTSEASON: TB leads series, 1-0

THE LAST TIME …

REG. SEASON: 12/11/22: TB 7 at SF 35

POSTSEASON: 1/12/03 NFC-DIV: SF 6 at TB 31

BUCS NOTES:

QB BAKER MAYFIELD passed for 278 yards & 2 TDs vs. INT for 102.4 rating last week. Aims for his 3rd in row with 100+ rating & 4th in row with 2+ TD passes. Has 9 TD passes vs. INT for 104.2 rating in 4 road starts in 2023. • RB RACHAAD WHITE had 98 scrimmage yards (51 rush, 47 rec.) & 1st rec. TD of season in Week 10. Aims for his 5th in row with 95+ scrimmage yards. Ranks 2nd among RBs in rec. yards (326) & 3rd in receptions (35) this season. Had 5 catches & 77 scrimmage yards (56 rush, 21 rec.) in last meeting. • WR MIKE EVANS had 6 catches for 143 yards & 6th rec. TD of season last week, his 87th-career TD catch. Has rec. TD in 3 of his past 4. Needs 7 catches for 10th-straight 50+ catch season. • WR CHRIS GODWIN had 54 rec. yards last week & has 50+ rec. yards in 5 of his past 6. Has 500+ rec. yards in each of his 1st 7 career seasons. • LB LAVONTE DAVID had 2 TFL & PD last week. Has 11 TFL in 2023, his 10th-career season with 10+ TFL. Aims for his 6th in row overall with TFL. Has 3 TFL, 2 FF & FR in 4 career games vs. SF & aims for his 4th in row vs. SF with TFL. • LB DEVIN WHITE aims for his 3rd in row with sack. Aims for his 5th in row on road with 5+ tackles. • LB SHAQUIL BARRETT had 4th sack of season last week & aims for his 3rd in row with sack. • LB YAYA DIABY (rookie) had sack & career-high 2 TFL last week. • NT VITA VEA had sack last week. Has TFL in 4 of his past 5 & aims for his 3rd in row with TFL. • DL CALIJAH KANCEY (rookie) aims for his 3rd in row with 2+ TFL. • S ANTOINE WINFIELD JR. had 1st INT of season last week. Has career-high 7 PD in 2023, incl. PD in 3 of his 4 road games.

49ERS NOTES:

QB BROCK PURDY completed 19 of 26 atts. (73.1 pct.) for 296 yards & 3 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 148.9 rating in Week 10 & became 2nd QB ever (HOFer Kurt Warner) with 3 games of 3+ TD passes & 140+ rating in 1st 2 career seasons. Leads NFL with 109.9 rating in 2023. Made 1st career start vs. TB in last meeting & had 3 TDs (2 pass, 1 rush) vs. 0 INTs for 134 rating. • RB CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY leads NFL in rush yards (747), ranks tied-1st in scrimmage TDs (13) & 2nd in NFL in scrimmage yards (1,086), his 5th-career 1,000-yard season. Has 480 career catches & can surpass Roger Craig (483) for most catches by RB in 1st 7 career seasons. Has 1,116 scrimmage yards (101.5 per game) & 14 TDs (9 rush, 5 rec.) in 11 home games with SF, incl. 153 scrimmage yards & 2 TDs (1 rec., 1 rush) in last meeting. • TE GEORGE KITTLE had 116 rec. yards & 4th rec. TD of season last week, his 16th-career game with 100+ rec. yards, 2nd-most among TEs since 2017. Has 559 rec. yards in 2023 & is 4th TE ever with 500+ rec. yards in each of his 1st 7 career seasons. • WR BRANDON AIYUK had 3rd rec. TD of season last week. Aims for his 7th in row with 50+ rec. yards. Leads NFL with 17.8 yards per reception (min. 25 catches) in 2023. Had TD catch in last meeting. • WR DEEBO SAMUEL had 16th-career rush TD last week. Had rush TD in last meeting. • DL NICK BOSAhad 1.5 sacks, 1st FF of season & 3rd-career FR last week. Has TFL in 7 of his past 8. Has 26 sacks & 32 TFL in 30 career home games. • DL CHASE YOUNG had half sack in SF debut last week. • DL JAVON HARGRAVE had season-high 1.5 sacks last week. • LB FRED WARNER had career-high 3rd INT of season last week. Aims for his 7th in row with 7+ tackles. • LB DRE GREENLAW has 5+ tackles in 16 straight games. • S TALANOA HUFANGA had 3rd INT of season last week.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) When Brock Purdy took the field for his first career NFL start last season for the San Francisco 49ers against Tampa Bay, there were many questions about whether he could be a viable NFL quarterback.

Purdy overcame a botched audible on his first snap and a heavy dose of blitzing to pick apart the Buccaneers defense in a sign he might be far better than his seventh-round draft pedigree.

“To be under duress like that and his first time really with us in a full game and the way he played and I think it was pretty good foreshadowing on how he’s handled everything for the next 16 games,” coach Kyle Shanahan said this week, recalling that start.

Purdy now gets to face the Bucs (4-5) again Sunday as the firmly established starter for San Francisco (6-3) and one of the NFL’s most efficient passers.

Purdy fared well the first time when he went 16 for 21 for 185 yards and two TDs in 35-7 win.

“I hope the results are different,” Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said. “Obviously, they beat us pretty (bad) last year. There are some things we’ve got to change and we learned from. Hopefully that change is for the better. He’s a good quarterback, he’s a good football player, he’s a smart football player. … He takes care of the ball, he knows where to go with the football and he can use his feet when he needs to.”

He has proven that game was no fluke.

Purdy has made 17 starts in the regular season and playoffs, posting a 112.5 passer rating with 29 TDs and seven INTs.

After a three-game slump before the bye week when he threw five interceptions, Purdy came back last week with perhaps his best game statistically as he went 19 for 26 for 293 yards and three TDs for a career-high 148.9 passer rating against Jacksonville.

“I just feel you’re always getting better or worse,” Shanahan said. “So I’d like him to just continue to get better. I thought what he showed last year in the time he played, he showed he was capable of being our starting quarterback and I don’t think anything’s been different this year so far.”

BALL SECURITY

Baker Mayfield’s ability to protect the football has been one of the keys to Tampa Bay remaining in contention for a third consecutive NFC South title. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2018 draft has thrown for 2,143 yards, 14 touchdowns and five interceptions.

The sixth-year pro has had a passer rating above 90 in six of nine games, tied for the fourth-most in the league. He has thrown nine touchdown passes vs. one interception in leading the Bucs to a 2-2 record on the road.

BAKER VS. BOSA

Niners defensive end Nick Bosa said there’s no ill will between him and Mayfield despite a memorable celebration back in 2019.

Mayfield planted an Oklahoma flag at midfield at Ohio State following a win in college in 2017. Bosa got a bit of payback in his rookie season when he mimicked a flag planting during a big 49ers win over Cleveland.

“It was fun,” Bosa said. “My celebrations as a rookie were pretty good.”

Bosa got to meet Mayfield at a golf tournament in February and said that’s all in the past.

“He’s nice,” Bosa said. “I’ve never had anything against him. Just a joke as a rookie.”

DEFENSIVE REBOUND

Tampa Bay’s defense is coming off limiting Tennessee to a pair of field goals and 209 yards total offense, including 42 rushing, in a 20-6 victory last Sunday. In addition to four sacks and an interception, the Bucs finished with 13 quarterback hits after yielding a season-high 39 points the previous week to C.J. Stroud and Houston.

Stroud threw for five touchdowns and an NFL rookie-record 470 yards, capping the performance with a winning 75-yard drive in the final minute.

“Everybody has got a lot of pride. You don’t want to just have a bad game and not come back from it. … You either attack it head on or you go back in the tank,” Bowles said of the turnaround against the Titans.

“Those guys have a lot of pride. We’ve played a lot of good football in the past,” Bowles added. “Everybody got down, put their nose down to the grindstone and got back to work as a group. We understand what we’re capable of and they came out and played the game.”

POTENT PASS RUSH

The Niners’ pass rush looked rejuvenated last week thanks in part to the addition of Chase Young.

With Young and Bosa on the outside and Javon Hargrave providing a push on the inside, San Francisco had five sacks last week against the Jaguars. The Bucs have allowed only 16 this season – tied for the fourth fewest in the NFL.

NEW YORK JETS (4-5) AT BUFFALO BILLS (5-5)

DATE: Sunday, November 19, 2023

GAME TIME: 4:25 PM ET

CBS: Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson

SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) NYJ: 138 or 382 BUF: 82 or 228

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY

REG. SEASON: BUF leads series, 67-58 (NYJ won 2 of past 3)

POSTSEASON: BUF leads series, 1-0

THE LAST TIME …

REG. SEASON: 9/11/23: BUF 16 at NYJ 22

POSTSEASON: 12/27/81 AFC-WC: BUF 31 at NYJ 27

JETS NOTES:

QB ZACH WILSON totaled season-high 317 yards (263 pass, season-high 54 rush) last week, 2nd-career game with 50+ rush yards. Has passed for 250+ yards in consecutive games for 1st time in career. Has TD pass & 0 INTs in each of 2 career starts vs. Buf. Has 0 INTs in 7 of his past 8 starts vs. division. • RB BREECE HALL had 75 scrimmage yards (47 rec., 28 rush) last week & has 75+ scrimmage yards in 4 of past 5. Has TD in 2 of past 3 on road. Led team with 147 scrimmage yards (127 rush, 20 rec.) in Week 1 meeting. Has 371 scrimmage yards (123.7 per game) in 3 career games vs. division. • RB DALVIN COOK had season-high 59 scrimmage yards (33 rush, 26 rec.) in Week 1 meeting. Had 146 scrimmage yards (119 rush, 27 rec.) & rush TD in only career game at Buf. (11/13/22 w/ Min.). • WR GARRETT WILSON led team with 9 catches for 93 yards in Week 10, his 4th-straight game with 7+ catches & 80+ rec. yards. Had TD catch in Week 1 meeting & has 75+ rec. yards in 2 of 3 career games vs. Buf. Aims for his 5th in row vs. division with 5+ catches. • TE TYLER CONKLIN set season highs in catches (7) & rec. yards (70) last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 6+ catches & 65+ rec. yards. Has 50+ rec. yards in 3 of 4 road games this season. • DL QUINNEN WILLIAMS had half sack & PD in Week 10. Has TFL in 2 of past 3. Had 2 sacks in last road meeting. • DE JOHN FRANKLIN-MYERS aims for 3rd in row with sack. • LB QUINCY WILLIAMS aims for 8th in row with TFL. Has 7+ tackles in 8 of 9 games this season. Had 10 tackles & TFL in Week 1 meeting. • LB C.J. MOSLEY led team with season-high 14 tackles last week. Aims for 9th in row with 9+ tackles. • S JORDAN WHITEHEAD had 9 tackles & INT in Week 10. Aims for 5th in row with PD. Had career-high 3 INTs in Week 1 meeting.

BILLS NOTES:

QB JOSH ALLEN had TD pass & rush TD last week, his 32ndcareer game with both pass & rush TD, 2nd-most by QB in NFL history (Cam Newton – 45 games). Has rush TD in 7 of past 8 & each of past 4 & can become 4th QB in SB era with rush TD in 5 straight games. Has 2+ TD passes in 4 of 5 games in Buf. this season. Has 2+ TD passes & 90+ rating in 4 of his past 5 vs. division. • RB JAMES COOK led team with 120 scrimmage yards (109 rush, 11 rec.) last week, his 4th game with 100+ scrimmage yards this season, tied 3rd-most among RBs. Has 70+ scrimmage yards in 4 of past 5 overall & in all 5 games in Buf this season. • RB LATAVIUS MURRAY rushed for season-high 68 yards & TD last week, 58th-career rush TD, 3rd-most among active players. Has rush TD in 2 of his past 3 vs. NYJ. • WR STEFON DIGGS has 6+ catches & 50+ rec. yards in 9 of 10 games this season. Had 10 catches for 102 yards & TD in Week 1 meeting & has 80+ rec. yards in 4 of his past 5 vs. NYJ. Aims for his 5th in row vs. division with TD catch. Ties for NFL lead with 73 catches in 2023, 4th-straight season with 70+ catches. • WR GABE DAVIS had 56 rec. yards last week & has 50+ rec. yards in 2 of past 3. Has 55+ rec. yards in 4 of 5 games in Buf. this season. • TE DALTON KINCAID (rookie) had 5 catches for 51 yards & TD last week, his 4th-straight game with 5+ catches & 50+ rec. yards. • S JORDAN POYER aims for 5th in row with 8+ tackles. • CB TARON JOHNSON had 7 tackles & 3rd FF of season last week. Aims for 4th in row with 5+ tackles. Has PD in 2 of past 3 vs. NYJ. • LB VON MILLER has 6.5 sacks in 6 career games vs. NYJ. • LB TERREL BERNARD led team with 13 tackles & had 3rd sack of season in Week 10. Has 8+ tackles in 5 of past 6. • DE A.J. EPENESA had 1.5 sacks last week.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) It wasn’t long ago when excitement was building in New York City and across the state in Buffalo over the potential AFC East quarterback rivalry between Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen.

The buzz lasted four offensive snaps for the Jets before Rodgers went down with a torn left Achilles tendon in their season opener against the Bills.

It’s taken a little longer in Buffalo, where these days the “Shout!” song after each Bills scoring play has been replaced by a chorus of boos directed at Allen and a stagnant, turnover-prone offense. Coordinator Ken Dorsey was fired on Tuesday.

Some 11 weeks after the Jets pulled out a 22-16 overtime win over the Bills at the Meadowlands, the teams meet at Orchard Park, New York, on Sunday, voicing similar frustrations.

“We need to stop with the self-inflicted wounds,” Jets quarterback Zach Wilson said. “Obviously, we’ve said that a million times. We just need to be better.”

It’s no different in Buffalo, where Allen on Wednesday said the same thing, before adding: “It’s not like it’s broken. We’re not a broken offense. We’re not a broken team.”

And yet the cracks are showing.

The Bills (5-5) have dropped four of six during which Allen has thrown seven of his NFL-leading 11 interceptions and lost two fumbles. Buffalo hasn’t scored 26 or more points in a game during that stretch, matching the team’s longest such run since Allen’s rookie season in 2018.

The Jets (4-5) are having trouble reaching the end zone. They’ve scored just eight touchdowns and have gone 36 possessions without a TD, a drought spanning 11 quarters and an overtime period.

Another thing the teams have in common: players-only meetings.

The Bills held one last week, though it did them little good before a 24-22 loss to Denver.

It was the Jets’ turn on Tuesday, following a 16-12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

“We definitely needed it,” left tackle Mekhi Becton said. “It was everybody just looking in the mirror and taking accountability instead of finger-pointing. Now we’ve got to figure out what we need to do to keep this thing going.”

The Bills are counting on the change at coordinator to jolt Allen out of his doldrums. Quarterbacks coach Joe Brady has assumed those duties.

“As much as you can sit here and feel sorry for yourself and sulk on what’s going on, we’ve got a game to prepare for,” Allen said.

In New York, the only hope might rest on Rodgers’ ongoing hints of potentially returning to play this season.

“The pressure is to keep it afloat just to keep it afloat,” coach Robert Saleh said. “It’s not for any one individual. It’s not for any possibility. It’s because we’re competitors and we want to win football games. And I think Aaron’s just icing on the cake.”

STILL DIGG-ING IT

Bills receiver Stefon Diggs says he’s not his brother’s keeper in reference to messages his younger brother and sidelined Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs posted on social media following the Bills’ loss to Denver.

“Man 14 Gotta get up outta there,” was one comment from Trevon, in reference to Stefon’s No. 14. “Let’s not forget, he didn’t start going off till bro got there,” he added in a post referring to Allen, whose production rose with Stefon’s arrival by trade in 2020.

The Bills receiver responded by saying he can’t speak for his brother. As for whether he wants out of Buffalo, Diggs said he’s never hinted at that and questioned why it remains an issue after he said he addressed it during training camp.

GROUND AND POUNDED

New York’s defense has been mostly outstanding, but one area where it has struggled is stopping the run.

The Jets enter the game ranked 31st in the NFL, allowing 138.4 yards rushing per game. Only Denver has been worse, giving up an average of 158.3 yards rushing. One of New York’s best performances this season came in Week 1 against the Bills, whom they held to 97 yards rushing – including 46 by James Cook on 12 carries.

PLAYING SHORT-HANDED

The Bills’ defense has dropped from ranking sixth in the NFL in yards allowed entering Week 5 to 17th this week. Buffalo has lost three starters to injury during that span.

But opponents are still having trouble scoring against the Bills, who have dropped from second in points allowed through four games (13.75) to fifth (18.4).

BRADY IN CHARGE

Two days after taking over as coordinator, Brady was short on specifics Thursday and said he hadn’t considered whether he’ll be calling plays from the booth or the sideline.

Without going into detail, Brady said he intends to design game plans that are opponent-specific. He was previously the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator from 2020-21. His starting quarterbacks during that time were Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Darnold and Cam Newton.

Brady is eager to have Allen running his offense.

“Give me Josh Allen all day, every day,” he said. “When I look in his eyes before every game, there’s not a worry in my mind.”

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (6-3) AT LOS ANGELES RAMS (3-6)

DATE: Sunday, November 19, 2023

GAME TIME: 4:25 PM ET

CBS: Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan, AJ Ross

SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) SEA: 158 or 381 LAR: 81 or 226

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY

REG. SEASON: SEA leads series, 27-23 (won 2 of past 3)

POSTSEASON: LAR leads series, 2-0

THE LAST TIME …

REG. SEASON: 9/10/23: LAR 30 at SEA 13

POSTSEASON: 1/9/21 NFC-WC: LAR 30 at SEA 20

SEAHAWKS NOTES:

QB GENO SMITH passed for career-high 369 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 103.9 rating in Week 10, his 10th-career game with 300+ pass yards. Has 2+ TD passes in 3 of his past 4. Passed for 367 yards & 3 TDs vs. INT for 116.1 rating in last road meeting (12/4/22). • RB KENNETH WALKER had 127 scrimmage yards (career-high 64 rec., 63 rush) & 1st-career rec. TD in Week 10. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. LAR with 65+ scrimmage yards. • WR TYLER LOCKETT had 8 catches for 92 yards & 4th rec. TD of season last week. Has rec. TD in 2 of his past 3 vs. LAR. Needs 4 catches for 7th-career 50-catch season & 6 rec. yards for 9th-straight season with 500+ rec. yards. • WR DK METCALF had season-high 7 catches for 98 yards in Week 10. Had TD catch in Week 1 meeting. Has 6+ catches & 50+ rec. yards in 3 of his 4 career games at LAR. • WR JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA (rookie) has 50+ rec. yards in 3 of his past 4 & aims for his 3rd in row with 50+ rec. yards. • LB BOBBY WAGNER led team with 10 tackles & had 2 PD & half sack in Week 10. Needs 5 tackles for 12th-straight 100+ tackle season. Had season-high 18 tackles in Week 1 meeting & has 174 tackles (8.7 per game) in 20 career games vs. LAR. • LB JORDYN BROOK Shad 12 tackles in Week 1 meeting. Aims for his 6th in row vs. LAR with TFL. Has 7+ tackles in 22 straight road games. • LB BOYE MAFE has sack in each of his past 7 games, longest active streak in NFL. Can become 4th player under age 25 since 1982 (Chris Jones, Jevon Kearse & Robert Mathis) with sack in 8 straight games within single season. • DE LEONARD WILLIAMS had 1st sack with Sea. last week. • CB DEVON WITHERSPOON (rookie) had 3 PD & 1st-career FF last week. Leads all rookies with 12 PD.

RAMS NOTES:

QB MATTHEW STAFFORD has 54,152 pass yards in 199 reg. season starts & can surpass Matt Ryan (54,349) for 2nd-most pass yards in 1st 200 games all-time. (Drew Brees – 55,439). Has TD pass in each of 1st 17 home starts with LAR. Has 906 pass yards (302 per game) & 8 TDs (7 pass, 1 rush) vs. 3 INTs for 101.2 rating in 3 Rams starts vs. Sea., incl. 334 pass yards in Week 1 meeting. • RB ROYCE FREEMAN aims for his 3rd in row vs. Sea. with 65+ scrimmage yards. • WR COOPER KUPP had 9 catches for 136 yards & 2 rec. TDs in his last game vs. Sea. (12/21/21). Has 5+ catches & 50+ rec. yards in 7 of his past 8 vs. Sea. Has 7+ catches & 110+ rec. yards in 2 of his 3 home games this season. • WR PUKA NACUA (rookie) had 10 catches for 119 yards in Week 1 meeting. Has 398 rec. yards (99.5 per game) in 4 home games this season. Ranks 1st among rookies in both receptions (64) & rec. yards (827). • WR TUTU ATWELL had 6 catches for 119 yards in Week 1 meeting. Has rec. TD in 2 of his past 3 at home. • DL AARON DONALD has 8 sacks & 16 TFL in 8 career home games vs. Sea., incl. 2+ TFL in 6 of 8 games. Aims for his 5th in row vs. Sea. overall with 0.5+ sacks. Is only player with 10+ TFL in each of past 10 seasons. Aims for his 3rd in row overall with sack. • LB BYRON YOUNG (rookie) had career-high 10 tackles, 1stcareer game with 2 sacks & 2nd-career FF in Week 9. • LB ERNEST JONES had 9 tackles & 3 TFL in Week 1 meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Sea. with TFL & 5th in row vs. Sea. with 5+ tackles. • CB AHKELLO WITHERSPOON has PD in 6 of his past 7.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) The rebuilding Los Angeles Rams’ emphatic road victory over the Seahawks in Week 1 was a shock to a Seattle team that began the season thinking it was good enough to contend for a playoff spot and more.

Two months later, that season opener looks like an anomaly for both NFC West foes. The surging Seahawks (6-3) have the chance to emphasize it in the rematch Sunday.

“That game was so far away,” said Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner, who spent last season with the Rams. “We’re not that team, and we’ll show it.”

The Seahawks and the Rams have both been pretty much what they were expected to be before that season-opening stunner briefly changed the discourse.

Wagner was one of several stars jettisoned by Los Angeles in the offseason for salary cap reasons, and the remnants of the Rams (3-6) have lost six of eight with a three-game skid since that surprise in Seattle. Although Matthew Stafford is expected to return this week from his latest injury absence, Los Angeles has never played as well this season as it did in Week 1.

The Seahawks have won six of eight, with only a blowout loss at Baltimore detracting from their perception as a talented team with a shot to make noise in the NFC playoffs. Seattle’s ineptitude in Week 1 seems a long way away, but a trip to SoFi Stadium is an opportunity to show what Pete Carroll’s club has learned.

“Sometimes that can be a letdown for a team, but it’s just (about) understanding that the season is a very long season,” Wagner said. “We were able to rebound from that and have a really good win over Detroit. You can’t allow the outside expectations to affect.”

Rams coach Sean McVay hasn’t gotten much out of his team lately, scoring only 40 total points during their three-game skid before their bye week.

Unless McVay and his staff can rally their undertalented roster, Los Angeles will miss the playoffs in back-to-back seasons – something that’s never happened to the Seahawks in Carroll’s 14-year tenure.

“What a good job they do of just consistently getting better,” McVay said of the Seahawks. “One of the things I always respect is they consistently take steps. There’s always an identity that they play with.”

PUKA’S HEALTH

Former University of Washington receiver Puka Nacua’s dynamic season for the Rams began with 10 catches for 119 yards in Seattle. But Nacua missed workouts this week while Los Angeles attempted to get the NFL’s top first-year wideout ready for Sunday.

“He’s just banged up,” McVay said. “You could see he was a little bit limited in terms of just some of his overall movement against Green Bay. I’ll be interested to see if he’s ever truly back full speed – not full speed, but feeling like you don’t have to be cognizant of taking care of him to get him to game day feeling as good as possible.”

KEEP UP THE RUSH

It’s not quantity but consistency that’s defining what second-year edge rusher Boye Mafe has accomplished for the Seahawks during his recent run of success. Mafe has had one sack in each of the past seven games going back to Week 3 to set a franchise record. It’s a level of consistency in pressure that the Seahawks have needed.

“He’s still a new guy coming up, but he’s playing with such consistency now that it gives him a chance to be available for those kinds of plays,” Carroll said.

Seattle also received a boost last week from Leonard Williams, who got a sack in his second game. The arrival of the former USC star has allowed Seattle to push Dre’Mont Jones outside on the defensive line to help make up for the loss of LA-area native Uchenna Nwosu to a season-ending pectoral injury.

LOCKETT’S MARK

Receiver Tyler Lockett needs just three catches and 27 yards receiving to move past Brian Blades into second place in both categories in Seahawks history, behind only Hall of Famer Steve Largent. While he sometimes gets forgotten in the broader league-wide discussion of top wideouts, Lockett has been reliable and steady throughout his Seattle career.

“He’s the only person I think that really taught me it’s chess not checkers when you’re going against a defensive back out there, and how one play can set up the next play,” DK Metcalf said.

WITHERSPOON VS KUPP

Seattle rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon and Rams receiver Cooper Kupp both missed the season opener, but they’re ready to face off Sunday. Kupp, the Yakima native and Eastern Washington product, hasn’t faced the Seahawks since the 2021 season because of injuries.

I LOVE LA

While Carroll’s roots and connections to Southern California still run deep, going back to Los Angeles hasn’t been the most joyous of trips since the Rams came home from St. Louis.

Seattle is just 2-5 in the seven games played in LA following the Rams’ return.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (6-4) AT DENVER BRONCOS (4-5)

DATE: Sunday, November 19, 2023 GAME TIME: 8:20 PM ET

NBC: Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark

Westwood One: Ryan Radtke, Mike Golic

SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) MIN: 81 or 226 DEN: 85 or 225 National: 88

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY

REG. SEASON: MIN leads series, 8-7 (DEN won 3 of past 4)

POSTSEASON: —

THE LAST TIME …

REG. SEASON: 11/17/19: DEN 23 at MIN 27

POSTSEASON: –

VIKINGS NOTES:

QB JOSHUA DOBBS completed 23 of 34 atts. (67.6 pct.) for 268 yards & TD pass vs. 0 INTs for 101.1 rating & had 44 rush yards & rush TD in Week 10. In past 2 weeks with Min., became 1st player ever with 400+ pass yards (426), 100+ rush yards (110) & 0 INTs in 1st 2 games with team. Aims for his 3rd in row with 100+ rating & 5th in row with rush TD. • RB TY CHANDLER had 1st-career rush TD last week. • TE T.J. HOCKENSON had 11 receptions for 134 yards & rec. TD in Week 10, his 4th-career game with 10+ catches & 4th-career game with 100+ rec. yards. Has 5+ catches in 9 of 10 games this season & aims for his 4th in row on road with 6+ catches. Leads TEs with 71 receptions & 681 rec. yards in 2023. • WR JORDAN ADDISON (rookie) had 69 rec. yards last week. Aims for his 3rd in row on road with 5+ catches & 50+ rec. yards. Ranks tied-2nd in NFL with 7 rec. TDs in 2023. Ranks 2nd among rookies in rec. yards (603) & tied-4th in receptions (45). • LB DANIELLE HUNTER had sack last week. Leads NFL with 14 TFL & ranks tied-1st with 11 sacks this season. Has 6 sacks & 7 TFL in 5 road games in 2023. • LB D.J. WONNUM had 5th sack of season last week. Has TFL in 4 of his past 5 & has 5+ TFL in each of past 4 seasons. Has sack in 3 of his past 4 on road. • S CAMRYN BYNUM aims for his 3rd in row on road & 5th in row overall with PD. Leads DBs with career-high 83 tackles in 2023. • S JOSH METELLUS has career-high 63 tackles in 2023 & is only DB with 5+ tackles in 10 games this season. • S HARRISON SMITH aims for his 8th in row with 5+ tackles. Had INT in last road meeting (10/4/15). • CB BYRON MURPHY aims for his 3rd in row with INT. Ranks tied-4th in NFL with 12 PD in 2023.

BRONCOS NOTES:

QB RUSSELL WILSON completed 24 of 29 atts. (season-high 82.8 pct.) with 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs & 117.4 rating last week, his 6th game with 100+ rating this season, tied-most in NFL. Has 6 TDs vs. 0 INTs with 115.8 rating in past 3. Has 11 TDs vs. INT with 108.7 rating in 5 home starts this season. Is 6-1 with 110.9 rating in 7 career starts vs. Min. Has 3+ TD passes in 3 of his past 4 starts on SNF. Ties-3rd in NFL with 18 TD passes this season & 4th with 104 rating. • RB JAVONTE WILLIAMS led team with season-high 110 scrimmage yards (79 rush, 31 rec.) & had TD catch last week, 5th-career 100-yard game. Aims for 4th in row with 95+ scrimmage yards & 3rd in row with rec. TD. Has 560 scrimmage yards (93.3 per game) & 3 rec. TDs in 6 career games in primetime. • WR COURTLAND SUTTON has TD catch in 6 of past 7 & in each of past 4 & can become 1st Den. player with rec. TD in 5 straight games since Julius Thomas in 2014. Has 50+ rec. yards in 2 of past 3. Had 5 catches for 113 yards in last meeting. • WR JERRY JEUDY has 50+ rec. yards in 2 of past 3 overall & in each of his past 3 at home. • LB ALEX SINGLETON led team with 11 tackles & had 1st FR of season last week, his 6th game this season with 10+ tackles, tied 3rd-most in NFL. Has TFL in 2 of past 3. • LB JOSEY JEWELL aims for 6th in row with 5+ tackles & has 5+ tackles in each of 5 home games this season. Had FR in last meeting. • CB PAT SURTAIN II has PD in 2 of past 3. Had 6 PD in 5 home games this season, with PD in 4 of 5 games. • CB JA’QUAN MCMILLIAN had 5 tackles & 1st-career FF & FR last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 5+ tackles. • S JUSTIN SIMMONS had 5 tackles, INT & FF in Week 10, 2ndcareer game with both INT & FF. Aims for 3rd in row with INT.

DENVER (AP) Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton already has a career-high seven touchdown catches just halfway through the season, highlighted by his toe-tapping masterpiece at Buffalo, but he’d rather Russell Wilson get his flowers for the bounce-back year he’s having.

Sutton posted a “ Russell Wilson Apology Form ” on social media, inviting everyone who bashed the Broncos QB for his atrocious 2022 season to say they’re sorry.

Not so fast, retorted Mark Schlereth, the television and radio commentator who spent 12 years in the NFL. He said on his morning show on Denver’s KKFN-FM that “Russell Wilson was garbage last year, and anyone who tells you otherwise is baloney.”

Wilson threw for 16 touchdowns with 11 interceptions while going 4-11 last year following the blockbuster trade with Seattle that cost Denver a bevy of players and premium draft picks.

He has 18 TD throws and just four interceptions this season, and the Broncos (4-5) under coach Sean Payton have won an AFC-high three straight games heading into their Sunday night showdown against Joshua Dobbs and the Minnesota Vikings (6-4), who are on a heater of their own.

The Vikings have won five in a row despite Kirk Cousins tearing his right Achilles tendon against the Packers last month and Dobbs getting pressed into duty almost as soon as he arrived from Arizona via a deadline deal.

Wilson, who has six TD throws and no interceptions during Denver’s winning streak, demurred when asked about Sutton’s apology appeal, saying he’s only concerned about winning more games and “playing great football.”

“I know who I am, and I don’t need anybody’s approval,” Wilson said. “It’s my 12th year and … if I can have 20 years and make 19 of them great then I wouldn’t complain.”

Maybe standing up for Wilson will earn Sutton a few more targets, and if that’s the case, perhaps rookie Marvin Mims Jr. should try buttering him up, too.

Mims has been dynamite on special teams, earning the NFL Player of the Week honor for his 75 combined return yards in Denver’s 24-22 win at Buffalo on Monday night. But he’s been a ghost on offense ever since a three-game stretch in September when he tallied 233 yards on just seven receptions, a whopping 33.3 yards per catch.

Just a few weeks ago, this matchup had all the makings of a snoozer.

No more.

“They’re playing good ball. They’re not turning the ball over. That’s kind of both of the stories of our season,” Vikings center Garrett Bradbury said.

Not missing a beat during the quarterback transition “means that Josh is doing a good job and the coaches are doing a good job,” Bradbury said. “Everyone’s just trying to raise their level of play.”

Dobbs credited his quick acclimation to all those around him willing to put in extra work “whether it’s through the communication we have in passing in the locker room, in the film room or getting extra reps on the practice field.”

RISNER HOMECOMING

Guard Dalton Risner joined the Vikings in late September after finding no takers in free agency following four solid seasons with Denver.

“It’s been awesome to have Dalton,” tight end T.J. Hockenson said. “He’s a good personality to have in the locker room. He’s always upbeat. He’s always smiling. He’s always in here joking with guys. You notice it when you’re out there. He’s the first guy picking you up always from the bottom of the pile. He’s always around the ball. Those are big things. It’s just leadership.”

PLAYING THROUGH PAIN

Hockenson leads NFL tight ends with 681 receiving yards, giving Dobbs a vital underneath option with Justin Jefferson sidelined by a hamstring injury. Hockenson also has been hurt, playing through injured ribs the last two weeks.

“You just don’t think about it, I guess,” Hockenson said.

Jefferson is in the second week of a three-week window to return from injured reserve and was a limited participant in practice as the Vikings carefully ramp up the intensity of his work.

“I’m just trying to make sure that it doesn’t come back,” said Jefferson, who has missed every game of the Vikings’ winning streak.

JACKSON BACK IN ACTION

Denver safety Kareem Jackson returned this week from his two-game suspension for violating the league’s unnecessary roughness rules and will return to the starting lineup with P.J. Locke sidelined by a sprained ankle.

“I told him we’re on a little bit of a roll. Don’t mess anything up now,” cracked Payton.

Jackson has been fined for four illegal hits this season totaling $89,670 and his two-game banishment cost him $279,000 in salary.

Jackson said he can’t guarantee he won’t run afoul of the rules again.

“The hits that I have I feel are normal football plays,” he said while promising to lower his target zone from here on out.

He said he’s gotten no clarity from the NFL’s rules enforcers, “so I’m unsure how I play the game going forward. Because I’m going to be in those situations two to three times every week.”

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (8-1) AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (7-2)

DATE: Monday, November 20, 2023 GAME TIME: 8:15 PM ET

ESPN: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters

Westwood One: Kevin Harlan, Kurt Warner

SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) PHI: 81 or 226 KC: 83 or 225 National: 88

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY

REG. SEASON: KC leads series, 5-4 (won past 3)

POSTSEASON: KC leads series, 1-0

THE LAST TIME …

REG. SEASON: 10/3/21: KC 42 at PHI 30

POSTSEASON: 2/12/23 SB LVII: KC 38 vs. PHI 25

EAGLES NOTES:

EAGLES are 1st team since 2005-06 Indianapolis Colts to begin 8-1 or better in consecutive seasons. • QB JALEN HURTShad 3 TDs (2 pass, 1 rush) vs. 0 INTs & 130.2 rating in Week 9, his 6th game this season & 14th-career game with both pass TD & rush TD. Has 33 career rush TDs, tied with Cam Newton for most by QB in 1st 4 career seasons & most by Phi. QB in team history. Has 7 rush TDs in 2023 & is 2nd QB ever (Josh Allen) with 7+ rush TDs in 3 straight seasons. Aims for his 4th in row with 2+ TD passes & 100+ rating. Had 374 yards (304 pass, 70 rush) & 4 TDs (3 rush, 1 pass) vs. 0 INTs for 103.4 rating in SB LVII vs. KC. Passed for 387 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 105.1 rating in last reg. season meeting. • RB D’ANDRE SWIFT aims for his 9th in row with 50+ scrimmage yards. Aims for his 3rd in row on road with TD. Needs 4 rush yards for new career high (617 rush yards w/ Det. in 2021). • WR A.J. BROWN has 1,005 rec. yards in 2023, his 4th-career 1,000-yard season. Has 100+ rec. yards in 6 of his past 7 on road & aims for his 5th in row on road with 125+ rec. yards. Had 6 catches for 96 yards & rec. TD in SB LVII vs. KC. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. KC, incl. postseason, with TD catch. • WR DEVONTA SMITH aims for his 3rd in row vs. KC, incl. playoffs, with 7+ catches & 100+ rec. yards. Aims for his 3rd in row overall with TD catch. • LB HAASON REDDICK is 1 of 5 with 7+ sacks in each of past 4 seasons. Aims for his 3rd in row overall & 4th in row on road with sack. • DE JOSH SWEAT has 4 sacks & 5 TFL in his past 5. • S KEVIN BYARD has 63 tackles in 2023, his 8th-straight 50+ tackle season. Aims for his 3rd in row with Phi. with 7+ tackles. Had 12 tackles in his last game at KC (11/6/22 w/ Ten.). • S REED BLANKENSHIP has career-high 10 PD in 2023.

CHIEFS NOTES:

QB PATRICK MAHOMES passed for 185 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs with 105.6 rating in Week 9, his 64th-career game with 2+ TD passes, tied with HOFer Peyton Manning for 2nd-most ever by player in 1st 7 seasons (HOFer Dan Marino – 65 games). Has 90+ rating in 4 of past 5. Passed for 3 TDs vs. 0 INTs with 131.8 rating & won SB LVIII MVP vs. Phi. Passed for 5 TDs & had 131 rating in last reg. season meeting. Has won 11 of his past 12 starts in primetime & is 6-0 in his past 6 starts on SNF. • RB ISIAH PACHECO rushed for 66 yards in Week 9. Has TD in 2 of his past 3 in KC. Has 417 scrimmage yards (104.3 per game) in his past 4 in primetime. Rushed for 76 yards & TD in SB LVIII. • RB JERICK MCKINNON had 3rd TD catch of season in Week 9. • TE TRAVIS KELCE has 6+ catches & 55+ rec. yards in 6 of past 7. Has 28 catches, 372 rec. yards (124 per game) & 2 rec. TDs in 3 games in KC this season. Had 8 catches for 103 yards & TD in last home meeting. Has 373 rec. yards (93.3 per game) & 4 rec. TDs in his past 4 on SNF. Ranks 2nd among TEs with 597 rec. yards in 2023. • WR RASHEE RICE (rookie) had TD catch in Week 9 & has rec. TD in 2 of past 3. Has 55+ rec. yards in 3 of past 4. Ties-3rd among rookies with 4 rec. TDs this season. • DT CHRIS JONES has sack in 2 of 3 games in KC this season & in 8 of his past 9 in reg. season in KC overall. Had 3 sacks, 2 FFs & INT in last home meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row on SNF with sack. • LB DRUE TRANQUILL aims for 3rd in row with 8+ tackles. Has sack in 3 of past 4. Had 9 tackles in his last game vs. Phi. (11/7/21 w/ LAC). • LB LEO CHENAL aims for 3rd in row with sack. • CB TRENT MCDUFFIE led team with career-high 11 tackles & had 5th-career FF in Week 9. Aims for 4th in row with 5+ tackles. • S BRYAN COOK had 59-yard FR-TD in Week 9, 1st-caeer TD.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The storylines are ripe for the choosing when the Philadelphia Eagles visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night.

Favor some good, old-fashioned revenge? The NFC-leading Eagles (8-1) will try to exact some when they visit Arrowhead Stadium just nine months after the AFC-leading Chiefs (7-2) used a second-half rally to beat them in the Super Bowl.

Love seeing some points? Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Chiefs counterpart Patrick Mahomes, the MVP of that memorable February showdown, have you covered. They’re the triggers behind two of the league’s top 10 offenses.

Hankering for some history? Andy Reid can pass Hank Stram as the winningest Chiefs coach, and become the first to hold that distinction with two different franchises; the other just happens to be Philadelphia.

How about social intrigue, the kind at the intersection of sports and entertainment? Eagles center Jason Kelce and younger brother Travis Kelce will match up one more time. And this time, rumors are flying that pop superstar Taylor Swift, who has been seeing the Chiefs tight end for the past couple of months, could be bringing her parents to meet his for the first time.

“It’s going to be a great game. You’ve got great teams in general,” Mahomes said. “Jalen is a great quarterback but I think just the whole entire team on both sides – two teams that usually find a way to get a win, playing on Monday Night Football in front of the whole world. I think it’s going to be a great game.”

Given the circus surrounding it, the game itself almost seems like an afterthought.

One with important ramifications, though.

The teams are coming off a relatively late bye, which has freshened them up for the back half of the season. And while both currently hold the No. 1 seed in their respective conferences, and the lone playoff bye that comes as the reward, the standings are tight enough that the Eagles and Chiefs need to keep winning if they want to earn a postseason week off.

They know that is the easiest way to get back to the game that matters the most.

“Our job is to get prepared for this game,” said Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, who along with Reid could not help but look at video of their Super Bowl showdown this week, and certainly had a much different experience while doing it.

“What happened in the past, happened in the past,” Sirianni continued. “We’ll learn from our mistakes. We’ll get better from the things we did well. But I would be lying if I didn’t say, ‘Argh, if this would have happened or that would have happened,’ once in a while. But we’re not dwelling on it.”

BIG RED ON A BYE

Reid is so proficient at winning after a week off – he is 31-6 after a bye, including the postseason – that many coaches have tried to get some tips from him. But not even Reid can pinpoint the reasons behind his remarkable record, which includes a 13-1 mark during 14 regular seasons in Philadelphia and a 9-3 record in postseason games.

“I get asked that because we’ve had success,” Reid said, “but we just go play. I don’t know. We’ve had good players.”

INJURY UPDATES

While the Chiefs come into the game healthy, the Eagles have had to adapt to some injuries. Defensive back Bradley Roby could be back after missing time with a shoulder strain, linebacker Nakobe Dean went on injured reserve this week after hurting his foot against Dallas, and star tight end Dallas Goedert is out after breaking his forearm in the same game.

“Anytime you lose a player to Dallas Goedert’s capabilities, you have to compensate,” Sirianni said, “and it’s never just one guy’s responsibility to take all the brunt of that work. It’ll be by committee.”

KINGS OF THE CLOSE GAMES

The Chiefs are 4-1 in games decided by fewer than 10 points, which falls in line with their ability under Reid to win the close ones. Philadelphia is 5-1 in games decided by a touchdown or less. Both are coming off close wins before their bye with Kansas City beating Miami 21-14 in Germany and Philadelphia beating Dallas 28-23.

CONFIDENT CHRIS

Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, who ended his holdout in Week 1 and promptly had at least one sack in each of his first five games, has been held without a sack since. But Reid defended the All-Pro this week, pointing out that the attention Jones demands has allowed others on the defensive line to make plays.

“I’m going to hit my numbers regardless,” Jones added. “I’m not going to trip over my numbers.”

OH, AND ABOUT TAYLOR

Travis Kelce spent part of his week off flying to Buenos Aires to watch Swift resume her Eras Tour, and video of the 12-time Grammy winner embracing the Chiefs tight end at the side of the stage blazed across social media. She was due to perform on Sunday night in Brazil, then does not perform again until Nov. 24, making it possible for her to make kickoff.

Swift is a noted Eagles fan, by the way, which is causing some consternation. The hosts of the “Bex and Buster” show on Q102 in Philadelphia have even “been forced to punt” her from their popular playlist until after the game.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

LOVE SCORES 20 POINTS AS NO. 3 ARIZONA OVERPOWERS BELMONT 100-68

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) Caleb Love had gone with the flow during Arizona’s first three games, even against old rival Duke.

The transfer from North Carolina was much more assertive against Belmont, providing Wildcats fans a glimpse of his game-changing ability.

Love scored 20 points and keyed a massive first-half run, freshman Motiejus Krivas also had 20 and No. 3 Arizona overpowered Belmont in a 100-68 rout Friday night.

“I was a little bit more aggressive coming into this game,” said Love, who shot 8 of 12 and had six assists. “The floor was opened up a little more because our offense is really fast and it opens things up for all of us.”

The Wildcats (4-0) mauled the smaller Bruins (2-2) inside, outscoring them 52-18 in the paint and grabbing 30 more rebounds. Arizona had 15 points off 17 offensive rebounds and shot 54% from the floor for its third blowout victory in four games.

Love got the Wildcats started, scoring 10 points during an 18-0 run and 15 in the first half to help Arizona build a 56-35 lead.

“I was really proud of the effort he was playing with. I felt like he was really establishing a standard of effort for him that was higher than he had done previously,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “I told him if you stay true to that, your moments are going to come and they did tonight.”

Malik Dia led Belmont with 21 points.

Love was one of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal after three seasons at North Carolina.

The springy 6-foot-4 guard took a star turn in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, scoring 30 points against UCLA in the Sweet 16 and 28 against Duke to send the Tar Heels to the national title game.

Love felt a lot less love last season as North Carolina struggled. Trying to play hero ball at times, he had his shot selection questioned as the Tar Heels went from preseason No. 1 to missing March Madness.

Love bought into Lloyd’s team-first system through the first three games, picking his spots when to shine.

He gave the fans at McKale Center their first look at his get-hot-in-a-hurry skill set in the first half against Belmont. Love hit two 3-pointers during Arizona’s big run, adding a difficult reverse layup and another in transition as the Wildcats built a 32-14 lead.

“When my shot is falling and things are going in rhythm, it’s just knowing the right shots to take and the right plays to make,” Love said.

Krivas took over from there, causing all kinds of problems for Belmont with his length. The 7-foot-2 Lithuanian repeatedly got deep post position and scored 10 points while grabbing eight rebounds in the first half.

Love hit a corner 3 and threw down a two-handed dunk on an inbounds play to give Arizona a 73-44 cushion early in the second half. He followed with three assists, including one behind the back and an alley-oop to Keshad Johnson to keep the rout going.

BIG PICTURE

Belmont: The Bruins kept up with Arizona early with 3-point shooting. Once the Wildcats flexed their muscles inside, Belmont had no chance.

Arizona: The Wildcats were hurt last season by not having a go-to player, particularly in a first-round loss to Princeton in the NCAA Tournament. Love has shown he can be that player with his scoring flurry against Belmont and four clutch free throws in a win over No. 9 Duke last week.

UP NEXT

Belmont: Plays Monmouth next Friday in Philadelphia.

Arizona: Hosts Texas-Arlington on Sunday.

LJ CRYER’S CLUTCH 3S KEY NO. 6 HOUSTON’S WIN OVER UTAH IN CHARLESTON CLASSIC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) Houston coach Kelvin Sampson knows there’s plenty of work ahead for his sixth-ranked Cougars, even though they keep winning.

LJ Cryer scored 14 points, including a pair of 3-pointers after Utah had wiped out No. 6 Houston’s 14-point lead, and the Cougars beat the Utes 76-66 on Friday to reach the Charleston Classic championship game.

“My kids found a way to win. We didn’t shoot the ball well tonight. We didn’t make free throws,” Sampson said. “Sometimes the culture of your program, your DNA, knows how to win games like this.”

The Cougars shot 33% on 3s (8 of 24) and made only half of their 24 free throws. Still, they used the late rally to improve to 5-0 for the second straight season and reach the title game against Dayton on Sunday night.

“We’re still finding our way,” Sampson said. “But a game like today is what tournament play is about. You’ve got to get outside the box.”

The Utes trailed 50-36 in the second half before Gabe Madsen hit three of his eight 3-pointers during a 20-6 run to tie it at 56-all with seven minutes left.

Terrance Arceneaux broke the tie with a bucket before Cryer, a Baylor transfer, hit two from beyond the arc to put the Cougars ahead 64-58.

Utah would not rally again.

Madsen finished with a career-high 29 points for Utah (3-1), and Branden Carlson scored 17.

Emanuel Sharp led the Cougars with 15 points, and Jamal Shead had 14. J’Wan Roberts had his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Utah was coming off a 77-70 win over Wake Forest in Thursday’s opening round that included a career-high 31 points from Carlson.

The Utes were ahead 16-15 on Carlson’s basket with 12:14 to go. Houston responded with a 24-14 run the rest of the half to lead 39-30 at the break.

BIG PICTURE

Utah: The Utes’ size will give Pac-12 teams plenty of fits this season. They feature a pair of 7-footers in Carlson and Lawson Lovering and have eight players at 6-foot-7 or taller. Houston’s speed and defense kept Utah from taking full advantage of its size.

Houston: The Cougars are breaking in new players, including Cryer, who helped Baylor to a national title as a freshman. Sampson said he was drawing up plays down the stretch because of all the new faces who are unfamiliar with the Cougar way. Playing three games in four days – the tournament takes Saturday off in deference to college football – should help the bonding process.

ON THE ROAD

Houston’s Sampson quipped that it would be his team’s “first true road game” on Sunday because of the loud, large group of Dayton supporters who filled the College of Charleston’s arena. The Flyers and Cougars are both trying for their first Charleston title. Dayton has finished sixth and fifth in two previous appearances. This is Houston’s first time at the eight-team tournament.

LONG TIME COMING

These teams met only once previously, back in December 1982 at the Suntory Ball Tournament in Tokyo when Houston’s Phi Slama Jama was in full flight. and led by Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. Olajuwon had 30 points and 18 rebounds in the 82-57 victory.

Utah and Houston won’t wait another 41 years before playing again. Both will be Big 12 Conference members next season.

UP NEXT

Utah will take on St. John’s in the third-place game Sunday.

Houston faces the Flyers, who defeated St. John’s 88-81 earlier Friday to advance.

NO. 12 MIAMI STAYS UNBEATEN AT 4-0, TOPS GEORGIA IN BAHA MAR BAHAMAS TOURNAMENT

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) Miami coach Jim Larrañaga and his staff noticed the trend during the preseason. Whenever a scrimmage would take place, there was always one side that would string a bunch of baskets consecutively together.

“Spurtability,” Larrañaga calls it.

It has carried over to the regular season – and the Hurricanes brought it to the Bahamas, too.

Matthew Cleveland scored 18 points, Nijel Pack added 16 and No. 12 Miami topped Georgia 79-68 on Friday in the opening round of the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship. A 12-0 run in the first half – Miami’s sixth double-digit unanswered scoring burst so far this season – helped put the Hurricanes in control.

“At any time throughout the game, this Miami team is capable of reeling off a bunch of points in a hurry,” Georgia coach Mike White said. “And you know, you watch it on TV last spring, you watch it on film here over these past few days, now seeing it live, it really hits home how good these guys are offensively.”

Wooga Poplar finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Hurricanes (4-0), who are coming off a Final Four run last season. Bensley Joseph also scored 13 for Miami, and Norchad Omier battled through foul trouble to score 11.

Blue Cain scored 18 for Georgia (2-2), and Noah Thomasson added 14 and Jabri Abdur-Rahim finished with 13 for the Bulldogs. Georgia fell to 5-22 over the last five years against opponents ranked in the AP Top 25.

But for the first 10 minutes, it sure looked like the Bulldogs had a chance to change that.

Cain had seven points in a 10-0 run that put Georgia up 19-11 midway through the first half, and after Miami rallied, he hit a 3-pointer with 5:25 left before intermission to put the Bulldogs up 26-24.

By then, though, Miami had hit its best stride. And Georgia wouldn’t lead again.

“I thought we did a decent job playing with a ton of energy defensively,” White said. “I thought we played really, really hard. Obviously, we’ve got to be better offensively.”

Miami will play Kansas State on Sunday for the tournament title, while Georgia will meet Providence in the consolation game. Kansas State beat Providence 73-70 in the other game at Baha Mar on Friday.

The Hurricanes outscored Georgia 21-6 in the final 7:25 of the half to take a 39-29 lead into the break, the 12-0 run coming as part of that stretch. The lead eventually reached 20 on two occasions in the second half, and Miami’s margin was double figures for the final 18:23.

In the opener against NJIT, Miami had scoring runs of 21-0 and 10-0. Against UCF, the big run was 11-0. In the comeback win over crosstown rival FIU earlier this week, Miami needed runs of 14-0 and 19-0 to pull out a six-point win. And the 12-0 run on Friday now gets added to that list.

“Overall, a great, great team effort,” Larrañaga said.

BIG PICTURE

Georgia: The Bulldogs are going to be battle-tested when they get into their Southeastern Conference slate of games that start Jan. 6. Georgia is opening the season with four of its first five games against Power 5 schools; four of its first nine games are against ACC schools.

Miami: It’s a 4-0 start for the second consecutive season for the Hurricanes. The last time that happened was 2017-18 (10-0) and 2018-19 (5-0), when Miami finished off a run of five consecutive seasons starting at least 4-0. The Hurricanes have led for 139 of a possible 160 minutes so far this season, while trailing for only 15 of those minutes.

UP NEXT

Georgia: Faces Providence on Sunday.

Miami: Faces Kansas State on Sunday.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

BETTS AND OSBORNE LEAD NO. 3 UCLA PAST PRINCETON 77-74 TO HELP BRUINS AVOID UPSET BUG IN AP TOP 10

LOS ANGELES (AP) For three quarters, Lauren Betts couldn’t miss. Then senior Charisma Osborne stepped up in the fourth to hold off upset-minded Princeton.

Betts scored a career-high 22 points on 9 of 9 shooting from the field and made all four of her free-throw attempts and No. 3 UCLA held off the Tigers 77-74 on Friday to avoid the upset bug among the top 10 teams in the AP women’s poll.

Only No. 1 South Carolina and the Bruins haven’t lost yet.

“It shows you about the growth of our game,” UCLA coach Cori Close said of this week’s string of upsets. “There are so many more good players and good teams. How awesome is that? You’ve been seeing that on the men’s side for a long time.”

The Bruins (4-0) got their toughest test after opening the season with three blowouts in which their average margin of victory was 43 points.

“This game forces us to a new level of toughness. I don’t think we’ve been tough enough with our attention to detail,” Close said. “It lulls you to sleep when you score 90 points a game and you have these blowout games that offense can cover you.”

Osborne scored 13 of her 21 points in the fourth for UCLA. Kiki Rice added 13 points and Gabriela Jaquez had 11 points.

“We did a great job but UCLA had a couple more things in their bag and made some big shots,” Princeton coach Carla Berube said. “I knew Charisma would make some big plays.”

Betts didn’t take a shot in the fourth quarter. The Stanford transfer had 10 rebounds to help UCLA control the boards, 38-27.

“I’m just really proud of how our team came out today,” Betts said. “I wouldn’t be scoring if they weren’t finding me.”

The Tigers (2-1) were led by Kaitlyn Chen with 24 points and Skye Belker with 20 points. Chen is a senior from nearby San Marino and Belker is a freshman from Los Angeles. Madison St. Rose added 15 points and freshman Mari Bickley had 10.

“There’s no hanging our heads,” Berube said. “I thought we really competed for 40 minutes and had an opportunity to win a game against a very, very good team. We have a very good team so there was never a doubt that we’d be in this game and fighting to the end.”

The Tigers fell to 3-31 all-time against nationally ranked teams, but they didn’t go away easily.

Chen and Bickley combined to score six in a row for a 66-64 lead in the fourth, when it was a two-point game most of the way.

Osborne made a 3-pointer and the Bruins made 9 of 10 free throws for a 76-72 lead.

“In that moment Riz was on fire so we had to keep giving her the ball,” Betts said.

The Tigers closed to 76-74. Chen missed a jumper and Osborne picked up her fourth foul on St. Rose, who made both free throws. The Tigers fouled Rice, who made the first and missed the second with 5 seconds left. Chen wasn’t close on a potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.

BIG PICTURE

Princeton: The Tigers are looking to make back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and they withstood the pressure down the stretch on the road. Chen, the Ivy League player of the year last season, enjoyed rare support on an opposing court playing in front of her hometown fans.

UCLA: The Bruins kept their cool when it came down to the finish after their veteran leader Osborne wasn’t much of a factor early. They’ll need to cut down on turnovers (16) with No. 8 UConn looming.

UP NEXT

Princeton: Visits San Diego on Sunday in the third of five straight away games.

UCLA: Plays No. 8 UConn on Nov. 24 in the first of two games in the Cayman Islands.

FLAU’JAE JOHNSON SCORES 17 TO LEAD NO. 7 LSU OVER SE LOUISIANA 73-50

HAMMOND, La. (AP) Sophomore Flau’jae Johnson scored 17 points and 11 rebounds and junior Annesah Morrow added 10 points and 11 rebounds as No. 7 LSU raced past SE Louisiana 73-50 on Friday night in their first game of the season without All-America forward Angel Reese.

Kennedy Paul and Hailey Giaratano led SE Louisiana with 12 points each.

Reese, who had an NCAA record 34 double-doubles and led LSU to its first national championship, was not with the Tigers for their 47-mile road trip. She had started 40 straight games for LSU since transferring from Maryland after the 2021-22 season.

“Angel (Reese) was not in uniform tonight,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “Angel is a part of our basketball team and we hope to see her sooner than later.”

Mulkey offered no further explanation and didn’t take any additional questions about Reese. No LSU players were made available for postgame interviews.

Though Reese averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds in LSU’s first four games this season, she played lethargically.

Reese was yanked from the floor after the first three minutes of LSU’s 109-79 win over Kent State on Tuesday after shooting an ill-advised 3-pointer. She didn’t play in the second half and finished with 11 points and 5 rebounds, playing just over 13 minutes.

Even without Reese, LSU (4-1) had enough firepower to handle the Lady Lions (2-2) in Mulkey’s homecoming game in SE Louisiana’s sold-out 7,500-seat arena.

The 61-year-old Mulkey, who was raised 10 minutes from the SE Louisiana arena and led Hammond High to four straight titles as an all-state point guard from 1977-80, anticipated Friday’s rematch of LSU’s 63-55 win last season in Baton Rouge over the Lady Lions would be a challenge.

But thanks to Johnson, normally a starter who has come off the bench the last two games after missing a game with the flu, the Tigers never trailed SE Louisiana.

“She’s come off the bench like a superstar,” Mulkey said of Johnson, who also had four steals and three assists. “She was the spark against Kent State and she was our spark tonight.”

BIG PICTURE

LSU: Friday was the third time Mulkey walked out of SE Louisiana’s University Center a winner. As a Louisiana Tech senior point guard, she led the Lady Techsters to an 88-45 victory in January 1984. Then, Mulkey was in her third season as Baylor’s head coach in 2002-2003 when her Lady Bears beat the Lady Lions 70-55 in a November 2002 matchup.

SE Louisiana: The Lady Lions are without senior guard Alexis Horne until Southland Conference play starts in January. Horne, a Baton Rouge native who scored a career-high 28 points in last year’s loss at LSU, is still recovering from a torn ACL she sustained in the SLC tournament in March.

UP NEXT

LSU: The Tigers host Texas Southern on Monday.

SE Louisiana: The Lady Lions host Jackson State on Monday.

LATSON SCORES CAREER-HIGH 35 POINTS TO RALLY NO. 12 FLORIDA STATE WOMEN OVER FLORIDA 79-75

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) Ta’Niya Latson scored a career-high 35 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, to rally No. 12 Florida State over Florida 79-75 on Friday.

The sophomore was 11-of-20 shooting and made all 12 of her free throws in posting her eighth career 30-point game. She made all five of her field-goal attempts and seven free throws in final quarter when the Seminoles outscored the Gators 30-19. Makayla Timpson added 13 points and 12 rebounds. O’Mariah Gordon and Sara Bejedi scored 10 points each.

Ra Shaya Kyle and Leilani Correa scored 16 points each, Aliyah Matharu added 15 and Alberte Rimdal 13 for the Gators, who had a 25-game home nonconference win streak snapped. Their previous home nonleague loss also came against the Seminoles, in 2019.

The Gators had led the entire second half until Gordon tied the game with a 3-pointer with 2:14 left and Latson added a bucket seconds later to go in front. Florida State clung to the lead with the outcome not settled until Latson made her final two free throws for a five-point lead with 6.4 seconds remaining.

Correa’s two free throws to open the fourth quarter extended a Gators lead to nine points before the Seminoles went on an 11-3 run with seven points from Latson to get within a point with seven minutes left.

Matharu ended the first half with a 3-pointer to cap a 9-0 run and give the Gators their first lead at 36-35.

Florida State is host to South Alabama on Sunday. Florida plays Purdue on Monday in the Pink Flamingo Championships in the Bahamas.

NBA NEWS

NBA ROUNDUP: DE’AARON FOX (43 POINTS) PUSHES KINGS PAST SPURS

De’Aaron Fox scored a season-high 43 points to help the visiting Sacramento Kings do just enough to outlast the struggling San Antonio Spurs 129-120 in on Friday.

All of the night’s action was part of the NBA in-season tournament.

Fox put up 14 of his points in the final quarter and Domantas Sabonis scored eight points in the final period as the Kings improved to 2-0 in the tournament and eliminated the Spurs, who have dropped all three of their tourney games. The Kings have won five straight while San Antonio has dropped seven in row.

Sabonis finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds and Malik Monk added 20 points off the bench for the Kings. Zach Collins scored a season-high 28 points for the Spurs, with Victor Wembanyama adding 27.

Celtics 108, Raptors 105

Derrick White hit a 3-pointer with 26.8 seconds to play and Boston edged host Toronto for its fifth straight win.

White finished with 13 points and Jaylen Brown had 23 for the Celtics, who have won both of their NBA in-season tournament games. The Raptors were playing their first tournament game.

Pascal Siakam and Dennis Schroder each scored 23 points for the Raptors, who are 1-2 on their four-game homestand. Scottie Barnes and Gary Trent Jr. each added 14 points.

Magic 103, Bulls 97

Franz Wagner scored 21 points and Jonathan Isaac had 18 points and nine rebounds to lead visiting Orlando over Chicago.

Gary Harris (15 points), Paolo Banchero (13), Cole Anthony (11) and Mo Wagner (10) also finished in double figures for the Magic.

Chicago’s Zach LaVine scored 25 of his 34 points after halftime. Back after missing a loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday while tending to a personal issue, DeMar DeRozan had 23 points.

76ers 126, Hawks 116

Joel Embiid had 32 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to lift Philadelphia past host Atlanta.

Embiid went 11-for-11 free-throw attempts. Tobias Harris added 29 points and 10 rebounds and Tyrese Maxey scored 19 as the 76ers ended a two-game skid.

Trae Young led the Hawks with 22 points and 13 assists while Jalen Johnson added 18 points and 10 rebounds. Atlanta lost for the third time in four games.

Knicks 120, Wizards 99

Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 32 points for visiting New York, which never trailed in a win over Washington.

Brunson added seven rebounds and seven assists as the Knicks won for the fifth time in their past six games dating back to Nov. 6. Immanuel Quickley came off the bench to score 27 points, including 17 in a fourth quarter.

Kyle Kuzma scored 19 points for the Wizards, who have dropped five straight overall. Deni Avdija had 18 points.

Bucks 130, Hornets 99

Damian Lillard scored 27 points for visiting Milwaukee, which spoiled the return to action of Charlotte forward Miles Bridges.

The Bucks also received 20 points from Malik Beasley. Lillard and Beasley combined to make 11 of 20 shots from 3-point range as part of Milwaukee’s 22-for-45 (48.9 percent) shooting from deep.

Bridges, who was suspended for the season’s first 10 games, was back after a 583-day gap between games related to a domestic violence case. He scored 17 points in 33 minutes off the bench. LaMelo Ball scored 37 points for the Hornets.

Cavaliers 108, Pistons 100

Darius Garland’s 28 points led six Cleveland scorers in double figures to overcome the absence of Donovan Mitchell, who was out with a hamstring injury, and beat visiting Detroit, which has lost 10 in a row.

Evan Mobley contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, and Max Strus also scored 18 points.

Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 20 points and a game-high eight assists, while Isaiah Stewart and Kevin Knox each recorded double-doubles of 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Pelicans 115, Nuggets 110

Zion Williamson scored 26 points, Jonas Valanciunas added 22 and host New Orleans defeated Denver for its second consecutive victory after a five-game losing streak.

Brandon Ingram scored 21 points, Naji Marshall had 12 and Dyson Daniels 10 for the Pelicans.

Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 18 assists and 16 rebounds, Christian Braun scored 25 points and Michael Porter Jr. had 18 points with 11 rebounds for the Nuggets, who lost for the second time in three games.

NHL NEWS

NHL ROUNDUP: LEAFS RALLY PAST WINGS IN SWEDEN

John Tavares scored with 5:33 remaining to complete a Toronto comeback as the Maple Leafs downed the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in the NHL Global Series Sweden on Friday in Stockholm.

William Nylander, one of five Swedes on the Leafs’ roster, had the tying goal and assisted on two others as Toronto erased a 2-0, third-period deficit. Ex-Red Wing Tyler Bertuzzi had the other Toronto goal.

Tavares’ game-winner was set up by Bertuzzi. He won a puck battle behind the Wings’ net and backhanded a pass to Tavares. Nylander had the other assist.

Ilya Samsonov made 27 saves for Toronto. Alex Lyon, in his first start of the season, stopped 26 shots for the Red Wings, who got goals from Daniel Sprong (on a penalty shot) and Lucas Raymond.

Jets 3, Sabres 2

Connor Hellebuyck made 26 saves and climbed into a tie for eighth place on the win list among U.S.-born goaltenders as Winnipeg defeated visiting Buffalo.

Hellebuyck’s 246th victory evened him with Jimmy Howard. Cole Perfetti scored for his fifth straight game, Mason Appleton and Nikolaj Ehlers added goals, and Nino Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov each had two assists for the Jets.

Alex Tuch and JJ Peterka scored, and Eric Comrie made 15 saves for the Sabres, who have lost three in a row for the first time this season.

Panthers 2, Ducks 1

Anthony Stolarz made 34 saves and Anton Lundell had two assists to lead Florida to a victory at Anaheim.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Eetu Luostarinen each scored goals for the Panthers, who won for the sixth time in the past seven games and completed a 2-1-0 road trip through California.

Frank Vatrano scored his team-high 12th goal of the season and John Gibson finished with 33 saves for the Ducks, who lost their second straight game.

BASEBALL NEWS

BREWERS NON-TENDER REHABBING RHP BRANDON WOODRUFF

Right-hander Brandon Woodruff, a two-time All-Star who might miss the full 2024 season due to injury, was non-tendered by the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, making him a free agent.

Woodruff made $10.8 million this year, when he was limited to 11 starts due to health issues, and he would have been in line for a higher salary in 2024 via arbitration.

The right shoulder injury that kept him out of most of the 2023 season recurred before the playoffs, and he underwent surgery to repair the anterior capsule on Oct. 13. It’s questionable if he could return before the end of the 2024 season, which prompted the Brewers to make the cost-cutting move on Friday.

Milwaukee general manager

Milwaukee general manager Matt Arnold said of telling Woodruff the news, “Man, that was a tough phone call. It was tough, it was emotional. But he’s been awesome for us in so many ways, and I still think there’s a chance he could be part of our team in the future. But yeah, it’s certainly a tough day any time you have to deliver news to somebody who means that much to your franchise.”

The Brewers also non-tendered reliever J.C. Mejia, who is in the middle of a 162-game suspension for violating baseball’s ban on performance-enhancing substances, and slugging first baseman Rowdy Tellez.

Woodruff, 30, went 5-1 with a 2.28 ERA this year, raising his career mark to 46-26 with a 3.10 ERA in 130 games (115 starts).

Tellez, 28, hit 35 homers in 2022 but had just 13 in 2023, when he batted .215 with a .291 on-base percentage and a .376 slugging percentage. In six major league seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays (2018-21) and Milwaukee (2021-23), he has a .233/.304/.446 batting line with 92 homers and 263 RBIs in 533 games.

Mejia, 27, went 1-0 with a 5.56 ERA in nine relief outings for Milwaukee this year. He has a 2-7 record with an 8.32 ERA in 28 games (11 starts) for the Cleveland Guardians in 2021 and the Brewers the past three seasons.

TIGERS NON-TENDER RHP SPENCER TURNBULL, OF AUSTIN MEADOWS

The Detroit Tigers non-tendered right-hander Spencer Turnbull and outfielder Austin Meadows prior to Friday’s deadline to offer contracts for arbitration-eligible players.

Turnbull and Meadows are now free agents.

Turnbull, 31, threw a no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners in 2021, marking the first time (and only time) he pitched more than seven innings in a major league game. He went 12-29 overall with a 4.55 ERA in 61 appearances (60 starts) for the Tigers in parts of five seasons.

Last season, he was 1-4 with a 7.26 ERA in seven starts while missing time with neck and toe injuries. He missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Meadows, 28, played in six games at the outset of the 2023 season for Detroit before missing the rest of the campaign due to mental health reasons. He also dealt with anxiety issues in 2022.

Meadows batted just .248 with no homers and 13 RBIs in 42 games with Detroit over two seasons after being acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays for Isaac Paredes in April 2022. Paredes has hit 51 homers since the trade.

While with Tampa Bay, Meadows hit a career-high 33 homers in 2019 when he was an All-Star. He drove in a career-best 106 runs in 2021, when he smacked 27 homers.

Overall, Meadows has a .259 career average with 70 homers and 238 RBIs in 417 major league games with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2018), Tampa Bay (2019-21) and Detroit.

The Tigers also announced that they didn’t tender contracts to right-handers Brenan Hanifee, Garrett Hill and Freddy Pacheco.

RAYS SEND VIDAL BRUJAN TO MARLINS IN 4-PLAYER DEAL

The Tampa Bay Rays traded utility man Vidal Brujan and relief pitcher Calvin Faucher to the Miami Marlins on Friday.

The Rays received infielder Erick Lara, 17; right-hander Andrew Lindsey, 24; and a player to be named.

“Players that have some good ingredients,” Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said of the newcomers, according to MLB.com. “Excited to bring them in and see what happens.”

Brujan, 25, was among the leading prospects in the game early in his professional career but has been a disappointment since then. He has hit just .157 with a .218 on-base percentage and a .221 slugging percentage in 272 major league plate appearances over the past three years.

Faucher, 28, made a combined 39 appearances (four starts) for the Rays over the past two seasons. In 2023, he went 1-1 with a 7.01 ERA in 17 outings, including the four starts. He has a career mark of 3-4 with a 6.32 ERA.

Lara, whom the Marlins signed out of the Dominican Republic in January, played for Miami’s Dominican Summer League team and had a slash line of .305/.416/.445. He drove in 32 runs in 34 games.

Lindsey was selected by Miami in the fifth round of this year’s draft out of the University of Tennessee. He made two minor league starts in 2023, going 0-1 with an 8.31 ERA at the rookie level.

REDS NON-TENDER FORMER NO. 2 OVERALL PICK NICK SENZEL

Former No. 2 overall pick Nick Senzel wasn’t tendered a 2024 contract by the Cincinnati Reds prior to Friday’s deadline for arbitration-eligible players and is now a free agent.

Before the Reds officially announced the move, Senzel had already posted a picture of his family on Instagram with a heart emoji and said, “It was an honor, excited for the future.”

Senzel, 28, batted .239 with 33 homers and 125 RBIs in 377 games over five seasons for Cincinnati. He was primarily an outfielder but also played 62 games at third base.

He reached the majors in 2019 amid high expectations and batted .256 with 12 homers and 42 RBIs in 104 games.

But he batted just .186 in 70 at-bats during the pandemic-shortended 2020 campaign and never reached his potential in ensuing seasons.

Last season, Senzel batted .236 with a career-best 13 homers in 104 games. He matched his career-high of 42 RBIs but slugged just .399.

Senzel was briefly demoted to Triple-A Louisville in August before returning to the Reds.

Senzel was drafted by the Reds in 2016 just behind the Philadelphia Phillies, who used the top selection on outfielder Mickey Moniak.

Among the notable players picked after Senzel were right-handers Ian Anderson (No. 3 overall, Atlanta Braves) and Cal Quantrill (No. 8, San Diego Padres), outfielder Kyle Lewis (No. 11, Seattle Mariners) and catcher Will Smith (No. 32, Los Angeles Dodgers).

The Reds also non-tendered right-hander Derek Law and left-hander Reiver Sanmartin.

PADRES DEAL VETERAN RELIEVER SCOTT BARLOW TO GUARDIANS

The San Diego Padres traded reliever Scott Barlow to the Cleveland Guardians for fellow right-hander Enyel De Los Santos on Friday.

Barlow, 30, went 2-6 with a 4.37 ERA and 13 saves in 63 appearances last season, split between the Kansas City Royals and Padres. With San Diego, he was 0-2 with a 3.07 ERA in 25 appearances. All of his saves came with the Royals.

Overall, Barlow is 20-18 with a 3.36 ERA and 56 saves in 302 career relief appearances since reached the majors in 2018. He spent his entire big league career with Kansas City until last July’s trade to the Padres for two minor leaguers.

De Los Santos, 27, went 5-2 with a 3.29 ERA in 70 appearances for Cleveland last season. He was 10-2 with a 3.18 ERA in two seasons with the Guardians.

Overall, De Los Santos is 13-4 with a 4.20 ERA in 165 appearances (three starts) with the Philadelphia Phillies (2018-19, 2021), Pittsburgh Pirates (2021) and Guardians.

Cleveland also agreed to a one-year deal with outfielder Ramon Laureano to avoid arbitration. He batted .243 with three homers and 14 RBIs in 41 games after being claimed off waivers from the Oakland Athletics in early August.

Overall, Laureano batted .224 with nine homers and 35 RBIs in 105 games last season. In six major league seasons, he has a .245 average with 71 homers and 219 RBIs in 512 games with Oakland and Cleveland.

Earlier Friday, the Guardians traded right-hander Cal Quantrill to the Colorado Rockies for minor league catcher Kody Huff.

REPORTS: MARINERS ACQUIRE INF LUIS URIAS FROM RED SOX

The Seattle Mariners acquired infielder Luis Urias from the Boston Red Sox on Friday in exchange for right-hander Isaiah Campbell, multiple outlets reported.

Urias, 26, batted .194 with three home runs and 18 RBIs in 52 combined games with the Milwaukee Brewers and Boston Red Sox last season. He was traded by the Brewers on Aug. 1.

In 445 career games over six seasons, Urias is a .234 hitter with 48 home runs and 180 RBIs for the San Diego Padres (2018-19), Brewers (2020-23) and Red Sox.

Campbell, 26, made his major league debut this past season and went 4-1 with a 2.83 ERA in 27 relief appearances for the Mariners.

YANKEES SHIP OF/1B JAKE BAUERS TO BREWERS

The Milwaukee Brewers acquired outfielder/first baseman Jake Bauers from the New York Yankees on Friday for two minor leaguers.

New York received outfielders Jace Avina and Brian Sanchez from the Brewers.

Bauers, 28, batted just .202 with 12 homers and 30 RBIs in 84 games for the Yankees last season.

Bauers has a .211 career average with 39 homers and 140 RBIs in 412 games with the Tampa Bay Rays (2018), Cleveland (2019, 2021), Seattle Mariners (2021) and Yankees.

The trade was consummated shortly before Friday’s non-tender deadline. If New York had offered Bauers a 2024 contract, he would have been on the 40-man roster.

Avina, 20, batted .233 with 14 homers and 50 RBIs in 99 games for Single-A Carolina last season. He was a 14th-round pick in 2021.

Sanchez, 19, batted .297 with no homers and 19 RBIs in 33 games in the Dominican Summer League.

ROCKIES ACQUIRE RHP CAL QUANTRILL FROM GUARDIANS

The Colorado Rockies acquired right-hander Cal Quantrill from the Cleveland Guardians on Friday.

The Guardians received minor league catcher Kody Huff in exchange.

The Rockies designated right-hander Tommy Doyle for assignment to clear room for Quantrill on the 40-man roster.

Quantrill, 28, was a 15-game winner for Cleveland in 2022 but slumped to 4-7 with a 5.24 ERA in 19 starts in 2023.

He is 35-23 with a 3.83 ERA in 132 games (94 starts) with the San Diego Padres (2019-20) and Cleveland (2020-23).

Huff, 22, batted .262 with five homers and 36 RBIs in 86 games last season at Class A Fresno.

Doyle, 27, was 0-1 with a 6.85 ERA in 15 appearances out of the Colorado bullpen in 2023.

BRAVES ACQUIRE LHP AARON BUMMER FROM WHITE SOX

The Atlanta Braves acquired left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer from the Chicago White Sox to mark the first significant trade of the offseason.

The White Sox, in turn, received right-handers Michael Soroka and Riley Gowens, left-hander Jared Shuster, shortstop Braden Shewmake and infielder Nicky Lopez in the return of Thursday’s deal.

Bummer, 30, posted a 5-5 record with a 6.79 ERA in 61 relief appearances last season. He struck out 78 batters in 58 1/3 innings.

Bummer owns a 14-15 mark with a 3.84 ERA in 289 career appearances with the White Sox.

Soroka, 26, went 2-2 with a 6.40 ERA in seven appearances (six starts) last season. He enjoyed a stellar campaign in 2019, going 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA while also making the National League All-Star team.

Shuster, 25, posted a 4-3 record with a 5.81 ERA in 11 starts this season.

Shewmake, who turns 26 on Sunday, went 0-for-4 in a brief appearance in the majors last season. The 2019 first-round pick batted .234 with 16 homers and 69 RBIs with Triple-A Gwinnett.

Lopez, 28, initially was acquired by the Braves from the Kansas City Royals at this past trade deadline. He hit .277 with one homer and 12 RBIs in 22 games with Atlanta.

Gowens, 24, went 1-0 with a 1.15 ERA in five appearances (three starts) between rookie and Low-A ball.

GOLF NEWS

ALISON LEE TIES NASA HATAOKA ATOP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD

Alison Lee birdied four of her final five holes to shoot an 8-under 64 Friday and tie Japan’s Nasa Hataoka for the 36-hole lead at the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Fla.

Lee and Hataoka are at 14-under 130, with Ruoning Yin of China, Minjee Lee of Australia and Amy Yang of South Korea one shot off the pace at Tiburon Golf Club.

Alison Lee, 28, has never broken through on the LPGA Tour. But she placed second at the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea last month, then won the Aramco Team Series event in Riyadh on the Ladies European Tour and tied for second last week at The Annika.

A victory in the season finale for the $2 million first prize would be one memorable breakthrough.

“This is my 27th week on the road now playing in tournaments,” Lee said. “That doesn’t include visiting my parents or a few weeks where I kind of go visit friends or play in pro-ams, stuff like that. It’s a tough life. It’s a grind. I’ve been doing this since I was basically 7 years old.”

Lee collected five birdies and her only bogey of the day over her first seven holes. After six straight par saves, she began her closing run of birdies at the par-5 14th.

“Over the last few weeks, putting myself in contention, playing four rounds of really good golf and almost winning a few times, it’s definitely ignited a fire in me,” Lee said. “Definitely given me a lot more motivation to work hard, and it’s shown me that I do still have what it takes to win out here. That’s definitely the goal for this week.

“Still a lot of golf left. Hopefully, I can keep my head down and keep grinding through to the weekend.”

Hataoka shared the first-round lead with Yin after they shot 9-under 63s. Hataoka carded a 67 on Friday and Yin followed with a 68.

“Today was a different wind direction, so it was a little bit tougher for me,” said Hataoka, who made two of her seven birdies at Nos. 17 and 18.

“Eighteenth hole, I hit OK, but my putting was really good, about like 30 feet.”

Minjee Lee posted a 67 to stay one shot back of the leaders, while Yang fired a bogey-free 63 with six birdies on the back nine to catapult into contention.

“It was just one of those days that I hit it really solid out there, gave myself lots of chances. My putting was really on top of it,” Yang said.

Tied for sixth at 11 under are Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul and China’s Xiyu Lin, each of whom posted a second-round 66.

Lilia Vu shot a 66 Friday to move to 8 under, part of a star-studded tie with Nelly Korda (68), Gaby Lopez of Mexico (65), Canada’s Brooke Henderson (67), South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim (67), and Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist (71).

Vu, who won last week at The Annika and captured two major championships, is battling France’s Celine Boutier for Rolex Player of the Year honors. Boutier (70 Friday) is nine back at 5 under.

LUDVIG ABERG GRABS 36-HOLE LEAD AT RSM CLASSIC

Ludvig Aberg fired a 6-under 64 in his second round Friday to take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, Ga.

The Swedish up-and-comer

The Swedish up-and-comer is at 11-under 131 for a narrow edge over Denny McCarthy, Sam Ryder and Eric Cole. Aberg, who received his card this summer through the PGA Tour University program and played well at the Ryder Cup, is seeking his first win on tour.

Aberg has remained bogey-free through two rounds, one played at Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside course and one at its Plantation course. Aberg’s 64 came at Seaside, where he birdied three holes on each side, finishing off with a birdie putt at the par-4 18th hole.

Cole and McCarthy played Seaside on Friday and shot 66 and 67, respectively. Ryder rocketed into the tie for second with a 7-under 65 at Plantation.

Ryder entered the week No. 60 in the FedEx Cup Fall series with only one tournament to go. Finishing in the top 60 would give Ryder and others a berth into two signature events this winter, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational.

Austin Eckroat (68 at Seaside), Peter Kuest (66 at Seaside), Tyler Duncan (65 at Plantation), Matt Kuchar (68 at Plantation) and Ben Kohles (67 at Plantation) are tied at 9 under.

TOP INDIANA RELEASES/NEWS

INDY FUEL

FUEL VOTE NAILERS OFF THE ISLAND WITH 4-1 WIN ON SURVIVOR NIGHT

INDIANAPOLIS- The Fuel hosted the Wheeling Nailers for the first time this season on Friday night to kick off a three-in-three weekend. On Survivor Night, Indy snuffed Wheeling’s torch by defeating them 4-1 in regulation to start their weekend.

1ST PERIOD

The Nailers got on the score sheet first with a penalty to Jarrett Lee for tripping at 5:30. Cam Hillis took a penalty for the Fuel less than a minute later, for interference to force 4-on-4 play.

Andrew Bellant utilized the open space on the ice to score first, making it 1-0 Fuel. Seamus Malone and Ryan Gagnier both collected assists on that goal.

At 11:59 in the first period, Anthony Firriolo added to the Fuel’s lead with his first professional goal to make it 2-0. Andrew Bellant collected his second point of the game with an assist as well as Bryan Lemos, who nabbed an assist in his first game back with the Fuel this season.

At the end of the first frame, shots were tied 7-7 but the Fuel were ahead 2-0 in scoring.

2ND PERIOD

Zach Jordan started the second period quickly with a goal to make it 3-0 for the Fuel. Ryan Gagnier claimed his second assist of the night with one on that goal. Peters also grabbed his first assist with the Fuel on this goal.

The fists and penalties started flying as Dilan Peters and Matthew Quercia each took four minutes for roughing after a small scuffle at 4:35. At 7:10, Chris Cameron and Raivis Ansons dropped the gloves and each took five minutes for fighting. Ansons took an additional game misconduct penalty after his jersey was removed during the fight.

50 seconds later, Kyle Maksimovich took a slashing penalty that the Fuel were able to kill off.

At 11:26, more penalties were handed out after Peter Laviolette got two minutes for slashing and a ten minute misconduct while Quercia and Indy’s Jon Martin got two minutes for roughing. Justin Lee took two minutes for slashing at 13:12 on top of that list too. Forty seconds later, Cedric Desruisseaux scored a shorthanded goal to make it 3-1.

Chris Cameron took an additional two minutes for holding at 17:28 to round out the second period.

3RD PERIOD

At 5:09 of the third, Trevor Zins sat for interference but the Fuel were able to kill off the penalty. Just twenty seconds after that penalty ended, Cameron and Laviolette took another two minutes each for roughing.

Firriolo took a tripping penalty at 9:04 but again, the Fuel killed the penalty.

With about three minutes left in the period, Wheeling pulled their goalie in favor of the extra skater but Seamus Malone was able to score on the empty net to make it 4-1 and put the game away for Indy.

The Indy Fuel are back in action at Indiana Farmers Coliseum tomorrow on November 18, 2023 for Hawkins, IN Night against the Kalamazoo Wings.

INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

NO. 18 HOOSIERS RUNS PAST RACERS, 112-79

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Senior guard Sara Scalia and graduate forward Mackenzie Holmes combined for 42 points as they outpaced Murray State, 112-79, in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Friday evening.

KEY MOMENTS

The Hoosiers (2-1) started out with a pair of buckets before going on a 10-0 run to force a Racer’s timeout with 6:12 left to play. Senior guard Sydney Parrish and Scalia led the run with five points each.

IU continued the run out of timeout with Holmes and Scalia each knocking down a pair of free throws and another bucket from Holmes. Indiana would hold a 27-12 lead heading into the second quarter shooting 50 percent from the field.

Murray State (1-2 got hot as they cut the lead with an 8-0 run to start the second, but Scalia and senior Chloe Moore-McNeil would connect on back-to-back three pointers for a quick 6-0 run to expand the lead, 37-23.

The Hoosiers continued to push the pace shooting 50 percent from the arc and from the field and 80 percent from the line as they closed out the half with a 52-35 lead.

Scalia led all scorers with 20 points after knocking down two buckets to start the third. Indiana continued to outwork the Racers taking full advantage at the charity line making 12-of-13 attempts (92.3 percent) as they outscored Murray State 33-28 in the third, 85-63.

IU went on a 15-2 run with 2:56 left in the game. They would lead as much as 36 in the 112-79 win over Murray State.

NOTABLE

First 100+ game since it scored 115 vs. Gardner Webb in Teri Moren’s debut on Nov. 15, 2014. It was the first 100 points scored in a game since it hit the century mark (100) against Eastern Kentucky in 2021-22.

Five players scored in double figures behind Scalia’s 22 points. Holmes (20), Moore-McNeil and Garzon (14 each) and Bargesser (12) all had double digits.

The Hoosiers shot 53.8 percent in the win,

Holmes recorded her 21st career double-double and the first for an IU player this season as she scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Indiana improved to 3-0 in the series with Murray State.

Freshman guard Julianna LaMendola scored her first points as a Hoosier in the win.

The Hoosiers dished out 24 assists on 42 made shots led by five dimes from Moore-McNeil.

IU also outrebounded the Racers, 49-34, including a 13-7 edge on the offensive glass.

QUOTABLE

Indiana head coach Teri Moren

UP NEXT

Indiana hosts Lipscomb on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET.

INDIANA MEN’S SOCCER

INDIANA, NO. 10 WAKE FOREST MEET IN NCAA TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — It’s a matchup between two men’s soccer programs that have attended every NCAA Tournament together since 2010. The red-hot Indiana Hoosiers (13-4-4, 4-2-2 B1G) will visit the No. 10 national seed Wake Forest in the second round of the tournament on Sunday (Nov. 19).

The match will stream live on the ESPN+ digital platform. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. ET.

KICKING OFF

• Indiana comes into the match having won six straight and 10 of its last 11 matches. The Hoosiers took care of Lipscomb 2-1 in the opening round on Thursday with a complete performance.

• Meanwhile, the Demon Deacons have not played since Nov. 5 – a 1-0 loss to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals and just their second defeat of the season. Wake Forest was the ACC Atlantic Division Champion and is one of six teams representing the conference as a national seed in the NCAA Tournament.

• Senior forward Maouloune Goumballe has five goals and one assist ­­in his last six matches and four goals in four matches.

ABOUT THE DEMON DEACONS

• Lipscomb owns an 11-2-5 record, was 4-1-3 in ACC regular season play and has an 8-1-3 mark in home matches. 

• The Demon Deacons are led by ninth-year head coach Bobby Muuss, who owns a 140-34-17 record during his time in Winston-Salem and a 214-90-42 career mark in 17 seasons as a head coach.

• Wake Forest is making its 14th consecutive appearance in the tournament. The Demon Deacons fell to Ohio State 3-0 in the first round of the 2022 tournament.

• The Demon Deacons average two goals per game (36 total), allow 0.78 (14 total) per game and have posted seven shutouts but none since October 14.

• Junior forward Roald Mitchell leads Wake Forest in scoring with nine goals on the year and 21 points. Senior midfielder Jahlane Forbes has the team’s second-highest points total, with 15, while leading the Deacs with seven assists.

SERIES HISTORY

• Sunday’s match is the sixth between Indiana and Wake Forest, the second in the NCAA Tournament and the first since 2018.

• IU has fallen in the last three matches against the Demon Deacons, all three decided by one goal. In the most recent meeting, the teams opened their 2018 seasons against each other. The highly competitive match was decided by a 107th-minute golden goal. The Hoosiers would end the season with a 20-3-1 record and an appearance in the NCAA College Cup.

• Three years prior, the programs met in the 2015 NCAA Tournament Third Round. Indiana saw three shots hit the post, and an 88th-minute goal was enough for No. 1-seeded Wake Forest to get past the No. 16 Hoosiers.

• Both programs are regulars in the tournament. The Demon Deacons have not missed out on postseason play since 2010, while the Hoosiers have the nation’s longest active streak – 37 straight seasons.

INDIANA VOLLEYBALL

ALONSO-CORCELLES GOES FOR 22 KILLS TO BEAT MARYLAND

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Sophomore outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles continued her strong run of form, supplying a match-high 22 kills to help lead the Indiana volleyball team (19-11, 9-8) to a 3-1 win (25-21, 24-26, 25-23, 25-14) on Friday night at Wilkinson Hall.

Despite relinquishing a massive lead and dropping the second set, the Hoosiers buckled down in the final two sets, hitting .324 (16-5-34) in game four to polish off the season sweep of Maryland.

IU’s primary pin hitters combined for 48 of IU’s 59 kills with junior setter Camryn Haworth supplying 53 assists in just four sets, the most in a four-set match in her career.

The Hoosiers improve to 19-11 (9-8) on the season, awaiting a massive test against No. 3 Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon at Wilkinson Hall. IU will honor five seniors following the match.

Stats and Notes

Team

• The Hoosiers have completed season sweeps of both Maryland and Rutgers following a four-set victory over the Terrapins on Friday.

• IU has now got 19 wins on the season, moving the program just one away from its first 20-win season since 2010. IU is also one game away from 10 conference wins, something it hasn’t accomplished in 21 years.

• The 19 wins this season are the most for Steve Aird in a single season in his head-coaching career. IU now has 10 home wins in a single campaign for the first time since 2010.

• Led by Alonso-Corcelles, the Hoosiers won the offensive battle with 59 kills to Maryland’s 46 while outhitting the visitors .238-.147.

#10 Haworth, Camryn

• Haworth ran an efficient offense, dishing out 53 assists in just four sets as the Hoosiers hit .238 on the match. This was the fifth 50-assist match of the season for the junior and the seventh of her career.

• Her 111 assists in the last two matches are the most in back-to-back games by a Hoosier setter during the current scoring system (in place since 2008).

• With 53 assists on the night, Haworth moves to 9th in program history with 2,745 helpers. She is the first setter with back-to-back seasons of 1,100 assists since 2002-03.

#3 Alonso-Corcelles, Candela

• After going for 24 kills on Sunday, Alonso-Corcelles followed up her career effort with an additional 22 kills on Friday vs. Maryland.

• She is the first IU player with back-to-back 20-kill matches since Amelia Anderson in 2015. Her 46 kills in back-to-back games are the most in consecutive matches since Breana Edwards went for 51 in a pair of matches in 2019.

#32 Gary, Ramsey

• After a slow start on Friday, Gary was instrumental in a defensive turnaround, supplying 22 digs in just four sets. Her 497 digs this season are fourth most in a single season in program history.

• She now has 10 matches with 20+ digs, the most such occurrences in a single season in program history. With three matches to go, Gary is just 32 digs from breaking IU’s single-season program record (525).

Scoring Recap

Set 1: Indiana 25, Maryland 21

• The Hoosiers pulled away late in the first set, thanks in part to the prolific offensive play of Alonso-Corcelles, sophomore opposite hitter Avry Tatum and senior outside hitter Morgan Geddes.

• With the match tied at 13-all, IU went on a 5-0 run to take an 18-13 advantage late in the frame. Freshman libero Ramsey Gary went on a tremendous run of serve, including a service ace, to blow the set open.

• IU called timeout late in the set up three points and Geddes responded by putting away the final point of the set on a massive crosscourt swing.

Set 2: Maryland 26, Indiana 24

• IU started the second set offensively efficient but struggled down the stretch as Maryland turned around an eight-point deficit to tie the match.

• Alonso-Corcelles terminated on an attack to take a 20-12 lead but it was all Maryland from there. After Maryland sided out on a kill from Sydney Dowler, the visitors scored an additional five points to bring the match within two points.

• The Hoosiers had set point at 24-23 but a service errors and three-consecutive points from Maryland handed the Terrapins the 26-24 victory.

Set 3: Indiana 25, Maryland 23

• Alonso-Corcelles got a heavy load in the third set, converting seven kills on 20 swings with just one error, Haworth had 15 assists while Gary dug nine balls.

• The Hoosiers went down 4-10 but responded on a 12-5 run to take a 16-15 lead midway through game three. An IU attacking error out of a timeout tied things at 23-all but Alonso-Corcelles and Rammelsberg put away back-to-back kills to take the third set.

Set 4: Indiana 25, Maryland 14

• IU’s most efficient set of the night saw the hosts hit .324 (16-5-34) with Geddes supplying six kills on nine errorless swings.

• After Maryland closed within three at 9-12, IU blew the doors open with a 13-5 run to close the match. Alonso-Corcelles supplied a service ace on the second match point.

INDIANA SWIMMING

NO. 6/9 INDIANA WINS NINE EVENTS IN SECOND NIGHT OF MIDSEASON

BLOOMINGTON – Indiana swimming and diving completed the second day of the Ohio State Invitational on Friday (Nov. 17) as the men’s team extended its lead, and the women remained steady in second. IU won nine events Friday night inside the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.

The IU women opened the night with an NCAA A cut in the 200 medley relay, going 1:36.20. Indiana finished fourth but swam faster than the previous meet record (1:36.42) set in 2013. Indiana’s quartet was junior Kacey McKenna (24.41), junior Brearna Crawford (27.33) and sophomores Chiok Sze Yeo (23.44) and Kristina Paegle (21.02).

The Hoosier men had the two best 200 medley relays as a Louisville and Ohio State each had their ‘A’ relays disqualified for false starts. Indiana’s ‘A’ group of senior Brendan Burns (21.40), junior Josh Matheny (23.39) and seniors Tomer Frankel (19.83) and Gavin Wight (19.22) finished in 1:23.84, just .13 seconds short of the NCAA A standard.

In the very next event, Frankel and Burns were part of a top-three sweep of the men’s 100-yard butterfly. Frankel, the bronze medalist at last year’s NCAA Championships, finished first in 45.26, followed by junior Finn Brooks (45.99) and Burns (45.97). The trio smashed the previous pool record of 47.98.

Freshman Toby Barnett was the runner-up in the 400 IM, recording a 3:42.54 as four Hoosiers finished in the top 10. Junior Ching Hwee Gan was the top Hoosier in the women’s race, placing third in 4:12.21. Senior Anna Freed (4:12.94) took fifth and freshman Reese Tiltmann (4:13.21) was sixth.

After taking the 500 free on Thursday, junior Anna Peplowski captured her second individual win of the week in the 200-yard race in 1:42.97. She led a 1-3-4 finish for the Hoosiers, as Paegle went 1:45.43 and senior Ella Ristic got in at 1:45.91.

Competitors at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, Notre Dame’s Chris Guiliano and IU junior Rafael Miroslaw battled it out in the men’s 200 free. Miroslaw led through 150 yards, but Guiliano pulled in front on the final leg to win in 1:32.14. The Hoosier came in at 1:32.52 as both swimmers finished under the pool and meet record times.

The Hoosier men swept again in the 100-yard breaststroke. The trio of senior Jassen Yep (51.49), junior Josh Matheny (51.81) and Maxwell Reich (51.87) all swam under the meet record time (51.88) and were the only three under 52 seconds. It was also the first time either Yep or Reich had ever swum under 52 seconds.

Junior Kacey McKenna and sophomore Mya DeWitt shared a special moment in the 100-yard backstroke, tying for first in 52.47. The two Hoosiers were never separated by more than .18 seconds. On the men’s side, senior and reigning NCAA Champion Brendan Burns flexed his muscles by dropping a 45.29 and setting a meet record. He was half a second faster than the field.

Junior Skyler Liu was stellar on the boards again, taking her first win of the week on the 3-meter springboard with a 297.25 – 13.8 points better than second place. Liu was second in the 1-meter competition Thursday. Sophomore Morgan Casey was third with an NCAA Zone Qualifying mark of 275.70.

Both winning teams in the 800 freestyle relay won by over four seconds. All four women’s splits were under 1:46.20, and Peplowski (1:43.52 split) was the only woman under 1:44. Ristic, Gan, Peplowski and Paegle recorded a 7:01.08, enough for an NCAA ‘B’ cut. For the men, Miroslaw (1:32.53), sophomore Kai Van Westering (1:34.41), Frankel (1:33.98) and Burns (1:34.63) captured a meet record and ‘A’ cut in 6:15.55. Miroslaw’s opening split was one of two under 1:33 and just one hundredth of a second short of his 200 free earlier in the evening.

TEAM SCORES

Men

1. Indiana – 1,903

2. Ohio State – 1,655

3. Louisville – 1,354.5

4. Notre Dame – 1,222.5

5. Cincinnati – 808

6. Pittsburgh – 238

7. Cal – 131

Women

1. Ohio State – 1,830

2. Indiana – 1,693.5

3. Louisville – 1,421

4. Notre Dame – 966

5. Cincinnati – 866.5

6. Ohio – 199

7. Pittsburgh – 197

8. Cal – 116

HOOSIER WINNERS

Men

Brendan Burns – 200 Medley Relay (1:23.84), 800 Freestyle Relay (6:15.55), 100 Backstroke (45.29)

Tomer Frankel – 200 Medley Relay (1:23.84), 100 Butterfly (45.26), 800 Freestyle Relay (6:15.55)

Josh Matheny – 200 Medley Relay (1:23.84)

Rafael Miroslaw – 800 Freestyle Relay (6:15.55)

Kai Van Westering – 800 Freestyle Relay (6:15.55)

Gavin Wight – 200 Medley Relay (1:23.84)

Jassen Yep – 100 Breaststroke (51.49)

Women

Mya DeWitt – 100 Backstroke (52.47)

Ching Hwee Gan – 800 Freestyle Relay (7:01.08)

Skyler Liu – 1-Meter (297.25)

Kacey McKenna – 100 backstroke (52.47)

Kristina Paegle – 800 Freestyle Relay (7:01.08)

Anna Peplowski – 200 Freestyle (1:42.97), 800 Freestyle Relay (7:01.08)

Ella Ristic – 800 Freestyle Relay (7:01.08)

NCAA CUTS

A: Women’s 200 medley relay (1:36.20), men’s 800 freestyle relay (6:15.55).

B: Men’s 200 medley relay (1:23.84); women’s 800 freestyle relay (7:01.08); Toby Barnett – 400 IM (3:42.54); Luke Barr – 100 back (46.04); Finn Brooks – 100 fly (45.88); Brendan Burns – 100 fly (45.97), 100 back (45.29); Kabria Chapman – 100 breast (1:01.11); Brearna Crawford – 100 breast (1:00.04); Mya DeWitt – 100 back (52.47); Tristan DeWitt – 400 IM (3:47.86); Tomer Frankel – 100 fly (45.26), 100 back (47.37); Anna Freed – 400 IM (4:12.94); Ching Hwee Gan – 400 IM (4:12.21); Josh Matheny – 100 breast (51.81); Kacey McKenna – 100 back (52.47); Rafael Miroslaw – 200 free (1:32.52); Kristina Paegle – 200 free (1:45.43); Anna Peplowski – 200 free (1:42.97); Lucas Piunti – 400 IM (3:49.50); Maxwell Reich – 100 breast (51.87); Drew Reiter – 400 IM (3:47.22); Ella Ristic – 200 free (1:45.91); Reese Tiltmann – 400 IM (4:13.21); Kai Van Westering – 100 back (46.72); Gavin Wight – 100 back (47.02); Chiok Sze Yeo – 100 fly (52.81); Jassen Yep – 100 breast (51.49).

NCAA ZONE QUALIFYING SCORES (FINALS)

1-meter: Maxwell Weinrich (333.10).

3-meter: Morgan Casey (275.70), Skyler Liu (297.25).

UP NEXT

The OSU Invitational enters its final day Saturday (Nov. 18). Prelims will kick off at 9:30 a.m. ET, and finals are slated to begin at 6 p.m.

INDIANA FOOTBALL

GAME NOTES VS. MICHIGAN STATE

SETTING THE SCENE

• The 66th Battle for the Brass Spittoon will take place at Memorial Stadium on Saturday between Indiana and Michigan State on

Big Ten Network at noon. The all-time series sits at 49-18-2 in favor of MSU, with a 49-15-1 edge for the Spartans for the spittoon.

• After a 2022 double-overtime victory at Spartan Stadium, Indiana will look to retain the brass spittoon for back-to-back seasons for

the first time since it won three straight between 1967-69.

• The Battle for the Brass Spittoon began with the 1950 meeting and the two schools have met in 66 of the last 74 seasons, which

includes 13 straight seasons. During that stretch, the two teams did not meet in 1971-72, 1979-80, 1999-2000 and 2009-10.

• The road team has won each of the last three meetings with Indiana winning in East Lansing during the 2020 and 2022

campaigns and Michigan State winning at Memorial Stadium in 2021.

NEWS & NOTES

• Redshirt senior Aaron Casey has at least one tackle for loss in seven of the last eight weeks and has produced five straight games

with at least eight tackles. He’s on pace to post the first 100-tackle season since Tegray Scales in 2016 with 86 stops entering Week 12.

• Casey piled up 4.0 tackles for loss with 2.0 sacks as part of a nine-tackle effort in the win over Wisconsin in Week 10 to earn Big

Ten Defensive Player of the Week. His 4.0 TFLs are the most by a Hoosier since 2016 and rank tied for No. 9 in a single game in 2023.

• His 86 tackles rank No. 5 in the Big Ten entering Week 12 and he leads the Big Ten with 14.5 tackles for loss, which ranks No. 9 in

the FBS. Casey’s 16 tackles for loss or no gain lead the Big Ten and the Power 5 per Pro Football Focus.

• Redshirt freshman Brendan Sorsby has accounted for 12 touchdowns over the last four weeks – all starts – with eight passing and

four rushing scores. Over the last three weeks, Sorsby has rushed and threw for a score in each game.

• Sorsby became the first Indiana quarterback since at least 1996 with multiple passing touchdowns of 60-plus yards in a single with

two scoring strikes over 60 yards at No. 10/10 Penn State as part of a three-touchdown day from the pocket.

• Per Pro Football Focus, redshirt senior Andre Carter ranks No. 11 in the Big Ten with 26 total pressures (sacks, QB hits or hurries).

• With 2.0 tackles for loss in each of the first two games of the season, Carter’s 4.0 TFLs were the most by a Hoosier in the first

two games of a season since 2004 when Kyle Killion posted 5.5 tackles for loss.

• Redshirt senior Josh Sanguinetti pulled in his third career interception in the fourth quarter at No. 10/10 Penn State to set up the

game tying score and end Drew Allar’s FBS record for attempts to start a career without an interception (311 attempts).

• Senior Louis Moore grabbed his first career interception in the second quarter versus Akron and followed that with his first

defensive touchdown in the third quarter versus the Zips. He added his first Big Ten interception at Illinois in Week 11.

• The first career 100-yard receiving game for junior Donaven McCulley came at Illinois, as he piled up 11 catches (17 targets)

and 137 yards with two touchdowns. He has 30 catches for 300 yards over the last three weeks.

MICHIGAN STATE NOTES:

FIRST-AND-10 • Michigan State will be looking for its third straight win at Memorial Stadium when the Spartans travel to Bloomington to face Indiana on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 12 p.m. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network and streamed live on the FOX Sports app with Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst) and Meghan McKeown (sidelines) on the call. • The Spartans (3-7, 1-6 Big Ten) fell at No. 1 Ohio State last Saturday night in Columbus, 38-3, while the Hoosiers (3-7, 1-6 Big Ten) lost in overtime at Illinois, 48-45. • Saturday’s game marks the 70th meeting between Michigan State and Indiana. The Spartans lead the all-time series against the Hoosiers, 49-18-2, including a 23-10-1 record in Bloomington. MSU has won five out of the last six matchups at Memorial Stadium. • Since 1950, the winner of the Michigan State-Indiana game has been presented the Old Brass Spittoon. The brass spittoon came from one of Michigan’s earliest trading posts and is widely believed to be more than 200 years old. Legend has it that the spittoon was around when both institutions were founded – Indiana in 1820 and MAC in 1855. The trophy was initiated by the junior and senior classes and student council at Michigan State, and soon accepted by the Indiana Student Senate. Since 1950, Michigan State leads the series, 49-15-1. • Michigan State’s schedule currently ranks the most difficult in the FBS, according to the NCAA (opponents with a .722 winning percentage; 65-25 record). The Spartans have played three AP Top-10 teams (No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 5 Washington) and all 10 opponents are either .500 (Central Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska) or have winning records (Richmond, Washington, Maryland, Iowa, Rutgers, Michigan, Ohio State). • Secondary coach Harlon Barnett, who is in his 15th year overall on the Spartan coaching staff, was named acting head coach by MSU Vice President/Director of Athletics Alan Haller on Sunday, Sept. 10 and has since been appointed interim head coach. Barnett came back to East Lansing in 2020 after spending two seasons (2018-19) as the defensive coordinator at Florida State. He previously spent 11 seasons (2007-17) as the secondary coach at Michigan State, including three seasons as the co-defensive coordinator (2015- 17) and one as the associate head coach (2017), before departing for FSU. Barnett has coached in four New Year’s Six/BCS bowl games with the Spartans (2014 Rose, 2014 Cotton, 2015 CFP Semifinal, 2021 Peach) and has been on staff for three Big Ten Championship teams (2010, 2013, 2015). Barnett recorded his first victory as head coach of the Spartans with a 20-17 win over Nebraska on Nov. 4 in East Lansing.

PURDUE VOLLEYBALL

#16 PURDUE UPSETS #3 WISCONSIN

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Another thrilling five-setter for the No. 16 Purdue Boilermakers ended with the highest ranked win of the season, upsetting No. 3 Wisconsin 3-2 (22-25, 25-19, 25-20, 12-25, 16-14) in Holloway Gymnasium.

The victory was Purdue’s sixth win vs. a top-25 opponent (6-3 record) and 11th vs. opponents ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA/Taraflex poll this season (11-4 record).

In the fifth set, Purdue erased Wisconsin’s match point on a kill by Raven Colvin, then stormed back to take the final two points to win the match.

The Boilermakers, who had career-best performances across the board, were led by Eva Hudson, who posted a double-double, including a career-high 30 kills and 11 digs to join Purdue’s elite 30-kill club. The sophomore was just the 12th Boilermaker in program history, including the first since 2018 (Sherridan Atkinson, 32 kills vs. Penn State, 10/27/18) to accomplish the feat.

Meanwhile, setter Taylor Anderson dished out a double-double of her own with a career-high 57 assists, the most by a Boilermaker in five years (60 by Hayley Bush as a redshirt freshman at Penn State, 10/27/18). It was the seventh double-double of the season and the third 50-plus assist match in the last four outings for the freshman. Meanwhile, Anderson totaled seven blocks (1-6), to match her career-best, set last Sunday vs. Michigan State.

Purdue enters the final three regular-season matches with an 18-8 (12-5 Big Ten) record and remain third in the Big Ten standings, while Wisconsin remains in second with a 14-3 (23-3 Big Ten) record.

Purdue’s weekend continues tomorrow with Senior Night. The team will take on Maryland at 7 p.m. ET on B1G+ in Purdue’s final home match of the regular-season.

Quick Hits: Team

It was Purdue’s first top-3 win since taking down No. 3 Wisconsin on 10/31/2021 in Holloway Gymnasium.

Holloway Gymnasium has seen three top-25 takedowns this season, all of which have come in five-set fashion.

Since 2011, Purdue has beaten six top-5 teams in Holloway over the last eight years.

Purdue generated 64 assists, the most by a team since 2018 (65 vs. Iowa, 11/17/18).

Purdue totaled 86 digs in the match, the most since 2021 (89 vs. Illinois, 10/1/21). Moreover, it is the fourth consecutive match the team has registered 70 or more digs, the most digs in back-to-back-to-back matches in more than five seasons.

Purdue’s four block solos, which came over the first two sets, are a season-high.

Five Boilermakers reached double-digit digs in the effort.

The win marks a key bullet for the resume for when the NCAA Selection Committee decides the top-16 seeds to host the NCAA First & Second Rounds (Nov. 30-Dec. 1).

Purdue’s record in five-set matches: 5-3

Purdue record when dropping Set 1: 7-4

Quick Hits: Individual

Hudson’s 30-kill performance was just the fourth time a Big Ten player has reached 30 kills in a match this season. Meanwhile, Hudson also set career-highs in attempts (69) and block solos (2).

The Big Ten’s digs leader Maddie Schermerhorn posted a team-leading 24 dig performance, committing zero reception errors on the night. It was the fourth straight match the graduate student has recorded 20 more digs.

Chloe Chicoine secured a double-double, posting 23 digs and 11 kills on the night, smashing her previous record of 14 digs.

Raven Colvin matched a career-high 14 kills on her final kill of the night, which erased match point for Wisconsin. The junior hit .345% in the match, the third straight match she’s hit as efficiently.

Kenna Wollard ended the night with a key four kills, three of which came in Purdue’s final four points of Set 2 (25-19).

PURDUE SWIMMING

MORE MEMORABLE MOMENTS ON FRIDAY AT THE PURDUE INVITE

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Ten times that went into the team record books and 15 medalist finishes as top-three showings in championship finals headlined Friday at the Purdue Invitational for the Boilermakers’ swimming & diving teams.

MOVED UP PURDUE’S ALL-TIME LEADERBOARDS

• Idris Muhammad – 46.88, 3rd in 100 Back

• Kate Mouser – 4:15.52, 4th in 400 IM

• Men’s 200 Medley Relay (Samuels, Witty, King, Muhammad), 1:24.72

• Abbie Kehmeier – 54.26, 7th in 100 Back

• Charlie King – 47.14, 9th in 100 Fly

• Brinly Hardy – 54.27, 12th in 100 Fly

• Maxwell Blume – 53.92, 13th in 100 Breast

• Mahala Erlandson – 1:02.19, 13th in 100 Breast

• Ava Fasano – 54.73, 13th in 100 Back

• Keira Kask – 54.30, 14th in 100 Fly

FRIDAY MEDALISTS

• Brady Samuels – Event Winner on 100 Back (Meet Record)

• Sophie McAfee – Event Winner on 1-Meter

• Jordan Rzepka – Event Winner on 3-Meter

• Kate Mouser – Event Winner in 400 IM

• Men’s 200 Medley Relay (Samuels, Witty, King, Muhammad) – Event Winner

• Coleman Modglin – 2nd Place in 100 Breast

• Brinly Hardy – 2nd Place in 100 Fly

• Daryn Wright – 2nd Place on 1-Meter

• Holden Higbie – 2nd Place on 3-Meter

• Women’s 800 Free Relay (Hurley, Bowen, Beavon, Mattice) – 2nd Place

• Caitlin Hurley – 3rd in 200 Free

• Ethan Shaw – 3rd in 400 IM

• Jenna Sonnenberg – 3rd Place on 1-Meter

• Max Miller – 3rd Place on 3-Meter

• Men’s 800 Free Relay (Cole, Shaw, McCarthy, Kelly) – 3rd Place

PURDUE FOOTBALL

GAME NOTES VS. NORTHWESTERN

PURDUE NOTES:

STORY LINES • After getting back on track with a 49-30 victory over Minnesota, Purdue hits the road for the final time in 2023. The Boilermakers make the quick trip north to face Northwestern at Ryan Field. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT) on BTN. • Purdue has won the past two meetings, a 17-9 win at Ross-Ade Stadium last season and 32-14 victory at Wrigley Field in 2021. • The Boilermakers will play at Ryan Field for the first time since 2019, a 24-22 victory led by walk-on quarterback Aidan O’Connell making his first start. Cam Allen hauled in his first career interception in that game. • In last week’s win over Minnesota, Purdue racked up 604 yards of total offense that included 353 yards on the ground for the most rushing yards in a game since 2012. • Purdue scored touchdowns on each of their first four drives, accomplishing the feat for the first time since 2004. The 49 points against the Golden Gophers were the most by Purdue in a conference contest since the 49-20 victory over No. 2 Ohio State in 2018. • The Boilermakers won three of their four November games in each of the past two seasons. That includes closing out the 2022 regular season with three straight victories to win the Big Ten West outright and advance to the B1G Championship for the first time in school history. • Dillon Thieneman, a consensus Midseason Freshman All-American and Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award semifinalist, is the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Thieneman earned the weekly accolade for the fourth time this season. • Thieneman is the nation’s leading freshman in tackles (88), solo tackles (60), interceptions (3) and forced fumbles (2) As Purdue’s leading tackler, Thieneman ranks fourth nationally with 6.0 solo tackles per game. • Outside linebackers Kydran Jenkins and Nic Scourton have more sacks and TFLs than any other duo in the Big Ten. Scourton leads the conference with 8.0 sacks, while Jenkins ranks second with 7.0. Jenkins is second in TFLs (13.5), and Scourton is fourth (13.0). • Devin Mockobee (715 yards) and Tyrone Tracy Jr. (508 yards) are the first Purdue duo with 500 rushing yards in a season since Markell Jones and D.J. Knox in 2018. • Cole Brevard, Kydran Jenkins and Antonio Stevens have recovered two fumbles apiece this season, leading the conference and ranking 12th nationally. • Deion Burks leads Purdue in receptions (36), receiving yards (529) and receiving touchdowns (7). • This weekend’s matchup marks the third straight season Purdue faces Northwestern the week before the Old Oaken Bucket Game.

NORTHWESTERN NOTES:

After a 24-10 road win at Wisconsin last week, Northwestern is in search of back-to-back victories for the first time this season as it hosts Purdue at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Nov. 18 at Ryan Field. The Wildcats will look to win five home games in a year (4-2) for the first time since the 2017 team went 6-1 at home. The game will air on Big Ten Network with Connor Onion (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst) and Elise Menaker (sideline) on the call, and on ESPN 1000 WMVP with the Voice of the ‘Cats, Dave Eanet (play-by-play), Ted Albrecht (analyst) and Lauren Withrow (sideline). LAST TIME OUT • Northwestern scored on its first four possessions and its defense surrendered its only touchdown allowed inside the game’s last 30 seconds as the Wildcats defeated Wisconsin 24-10 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison last week. It was NU’s largest margin of victory at Wisconsin since winning 21-0 on Nov. 5, 1960. With last Saturday’s win, the Wildcats snapped a 14-game road losing streak, their first road win since a 27-20 win at Purdue on Nov. 14, 2020. • Northwestern held Wisconsin to a season-low 86 rushing yards and just 14 rushing yards in the first half. The Wildcats did not allow the Badgers to take a snap in the red area until 9:13 of the third quarter. • Northwestern won the turnover battle, marking the fourth straight game and fifth time this season it won the battle. • The Wildcats converted their first 10 first downs of the game, becoming the first Big Ten team to do so in any game since 2015. • QB Ben Bryant completed 18-of-26 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, and also ran for a score. He is the first NU QB to post two or more passing touchdowns and a rushing score in a conference game since Clayton Thorson in 2018 against Illinois. • WR A.J. Henning posted a career-high 70 receiving yards, recording a spectacular one-handed grab for a 41- yard gain. • LB Bryce Gallagher and DB Devin Turner tied for the team-lead with 10 tackles each. DB Rod Heard contributed seven tackles and a forced fumble. • DL Aidan Hubbard recorded 1.0 sack at Wisconsin, his third straight game with a sack. He has recorded 5.0 total sacks over the last three weeks. YEAR-TO-YEAR IMPROVEMENTS • Under the direction of first year interim head coach and defensive coordinator David Braun, Northwestern is allowing an average of 332.1 yards per game this season, which ranks 29th in FBS and seventh in the Big Ten, an improvement 58.5 yards per game over the first 10 games of 2022 (390.6). • The Wildcats are allowing an average of 181.7 passing yards per game, which ranks 15th nationally and sixth in the Big Ten. • Northwestern is converting 42.3% of its third downs on offense, which ranks fifth in the Big Ten Conference. • Inside the red area, Northwestern is converting 90.0% of its trips for points (27-of-30). Last year NU converted 77.9% (21-of-27) of its red zone attempts. • NU has lost just one fumble this year, tied for second nationally and tied for the lead in the Big Ten Conference. Last year through nine games, the Wildcats lost 10 fumbles.

BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL

BUTLER FALLS AT NO. 18/19 MICHIGAN STATE AS PART OF GAVITT GAMES

No. 18/19 Michigan State used a strong defensive performance to top Butler 74-54 Friday night at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich.

The contest was played as part of the annual Gavitt Games between the BIG EAST and Big Ten Conferences.

After scoring 80 or more in each of its three season-opening wins, Butler shot only 29 percent from the field Friday night.

With the win, the Spartans level their record at 2-2. Butler falls to 3-1.

COACH THAD MATTA: “Playing like they did tonight, Michigan State can beat anybody in the country. They’ve got all the pieces. I thought we competed well. We had opportunities, but we really struggled to put the ball in the basket. They had a lot to do with that. This is an experience we needed and we’ll grow from it. We have another big test coming up Thursday.”

OF NOTE:

Michigan State shot 48 percent from the field and had 40 points in the paint.

Tyson Walker led all scorers with 21 points for Michigan State; 16 of those points came in the first half.

Michigan State’s 37-25 halftime lead was the largest of the first half as Butler shot only 7-for-27 in the opening 20 minutes.

Jahmyl Telfort led Butler with 15 points and six rebounds.

Pierre Brooks II, returning to Michigan State where he began his collegiate career, had 14 points.

Michigan State had a 42-32 rebounding advantage.

The game served as the 26th meeting between Butler and Michigan State; MSU now holds a 15-11 advantage in the series.

Butler is now 2-4 in the Gavitt Tip-Off Games.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs travel to Orlando for the ESPN Events Invitational. Another ranked opponent looms for Butler in No. 10 Florida Atlantic, which made a run to the 2023 NCAA Final Four. The tip is set for Thanksgiving Day at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2. Butler will also play games in the event on Friday and Sunday.

BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BUTLER PREPS FOR TWO HOME GAMES BEFORE THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT

INDIANAPOLIS – The Bulldogs are 1-1 at the start of the 2023-24 campaign and will move forward with a pair of home games in the coming days. Austin Peay will play inside Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon at 5 PM and the Bulldogs will host Roosevelt for an 11 AM tip on Monday, Nov. 20. Admission is free to all fans for the game against the Lakers. The contest will double as Butler’s Kid’s Day game!

GameDay vs. Austin Peay (1-2)

Date: Saturday, Nov. 18

Time: 5:00 PM

Location: Hinkle Fieldhouse

Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com

Watch: FloHoops.com

GameDay vs. Roosevelt (1-4)

Date: Monday, Nov. 20

Time: 11:00 AM

Location: Hinkle Fieldhouse

Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com

Watch: YouTube.com

Bulldog Bits

– Butler opened the Detroit game on an 11-0 scoring run and would lead the Titans by 11 at the half

– Kendall Wingler scored 11 of her game-high 18 points in the second quarter vs. Detroit

– Wingler topped 500 career points with her performance against Detroit (510)

– Butler had four players score in double figures Sunday (Wingler, Wiggins, Strande, Jaynes)

– Ari Wiggins scored a career-high 15 points vs. Detroit on 7-of-11 shooting

– Wiggins tied her career-high steal total with three against the Titans

– Caroline Strande has led Butler in rebounding in each game this season

– Half of Strande’s rebounds this season have been offensive (7)

– Rachel Kent leads BU with five assists this season and only has one turnover in 63 minutes

– Cristen Carter has recorded seven rebounds in just 13 minutes of playing time for BU

– Bulldog opponents are shooting 47 percent from three-point range this season, making eight per game

– Butler is 7-9 at home under the direction of HC Austin Parkinson

– The Bulldogs are 2-0 in home openers with Parkinson on the sideline

BIG EAST Standings

Marquette, 3-0

Creighton, 2-0

Providence, 2-0

Seton Hall, 3-1

DePaul, 2-1

Georgetown, 2-1

Butler, 1-1

St. John’s, 1-1

UConn, 1-1

Villanova, 1-1

Xavier, 0-3

Scouting Austin Peay                                

The Governors are 1-2 at the start of the season with a recent win over Kentucky (68-63). Anala Nelson scored a career-high 21 points against the Wildcats to help Austin Peay claim their first victory over an SEC opponent since 1997! The road win followed two setbacks at home. Austin Peay lost their opener to Trevecca (75-59) and were edged by Chattanooga four days later 57-52. Head Coach Brittany Young is in her second season at the helm of the program. She guided the Govs to 20-13 overall record last year becoming the fourth coach in program history to reach 20 wins at Austin Peay.

All-Time Series vs. Austin Peay                                                          

Butler leads the all-time series against Austin Peay 3-2. The Govs won the first meeting on their home court in 1997 (71-70) and came up with a 68-65 win in the last meeting at Hinkle Fieldhouse (2021). Two of Butler’s three wins over Austin Peay were played at Hinkle Fieldhouse. They won 97-68 in 1997 and 75-54 in the season opener in 2017. These two programs also faced off in the first game of the Billiken Classic in St. Louis back in 2004. Butler won that matchup 69-52.

Last Game vs. Austin Peay                                                                                

Austin Peay outscored Butler 18-7 in the third quarter to earn a three-point win over Butler on Nov. 20, 2021. Kendall Wingler started in that game and hit three 3-pointers to end the game with nine points. She added three rebounds and two assists. Turnovers were the difference in the outcome as 22 BU miscues led to 20 Austin Peay points.

Scouting Roosevelt                                                                               

The Lakers are 1-4 after the first five games of the 2023-24 season. The team most recently took a home loss to Northern Michigan on Wednesday (75-61). Kencia Levasseur came off the bench to lead the Lakers with 12 points and six rebounds. Brilan McCory joined her in double figures with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting. A NAIA program out of Chicago, Roosevelt competes in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

All-Time Series vs. Roosevelt                                                             

Monday’s game will go down as the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

Elementary School Kids Day                                                               

Monday’s game against Roosevelt on Nov. 20 will feature an 11 AM tip time to accommodate the team’s Elementary School Kids Game. Butler partnered with the NCAA’s Readers Become Leaders Program to promote the importance of reading. Over 1,000 local students will be in attendance.

Strande’s Strong Start                                                                         

Caroline Strande has scored in double figures in each game this season for the Bulldogs. She hit six shots at Iowa State to net a team-high 17 points and made five shots in the home opener vs. Detroit to end that game with 11. Strande had a similar start to her BU career a year ago, scoring 12 points in the first two games of the 2022-23 campaign. Over 32 games at BU, Strande has scored in double figures 12 times.

Career Milestones                                                                                              

Sydney Jaynes needs five more assists to reach 100 in her career. Kendall Wingler is three 3-pointers shy of 100 and six rebounds shy of 200.

Sharpshooter                                                                                        

Jordan Meulemans has made 46 shots during her BU career with 37 of those makes coming from 3-point range. She leads the team with five made 3-pointers over the team’s first two games and has made a 3-pointer in five-straight games dating back to last season.

Behind The Arc                                                                                      

The Bulldogs have made at least six 3-point field goals in each game this season. A year ago, BU made six or more triples 22 times in the span of 30 games. The team caught fire seven times in 2022-23, hitting 10 or more 3-pointers in a single game. The ‘Dawgs went 5-2 in those matchups.

Kent Keeps Her Streak Alive                                                               

Graduate transfer Rachel Kent has started in every game of her collegiate career (112). Kent started in 51 games over two seasons at Saint Louis and 59 games at IUPUI before arriving at Butler. She is a 40 percent career 3-point shooter and needs just six points vs. Austin Peay to reach 1,300.

3-Point Threat                                                                                       

The Bulldogs led the BIG EAST Conference and ranked eighth in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage during the 2022-23 season by making 37.6 percent of their shots from distance. Butler made 227 3-pointers, the fourth-most in the league. They averaged 7.6 made 3-pointers per game, tying DePaul for the second-best mark in the conference.

Indiana All-Stars                                                                                                  

The Bulldogs have six Indiana All-Stars on the 2023-24 roster. All three incoming freshmen (Norman, Makalusky, Carter) earned the recognition in 2023 and Lilly Stoddard was honored in 2022. Sydney Jaynes and Ari Wiggins round out the group from the 2021 class.

Up Next                                                                                                                 

Butler will spend their Thanksgiving Weekend in Stockton, California playing in the Tiger Turkey Tip-Off hosted by Pacific. Two games will take place for the ‘Dawgs on the West Coast trip with BU playing Pacific on Friday at 6:30. The following day they will take on St. Thomas at 4 PM.

BUTLER FOOTBALL

BATTLE OF THE BULLDOGS SET FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON

INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will host Drake Saturday at 12 PM to close out the 2023 regular season. Senior Day will take place before kick-off as Butler attempts to hand Drake their first PFL loss of the season. BU has not followed their bye week with a win since 2018 but a victory in the finale will give Butler eight wins, their highest total since 2013.

GameDay

Date: Saturday, November 18

Time: 12:00 PM

Location: Indianapolis, Ind. / Sellick Bowl

Live Stats: ButlerSports.com (Statbroadcast)

Watch: FloFootball.com

Bulldog Bits

– Bret Bushka was named PFL Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 5.

– Bushka tied the Butler single-game record at Morehead State by tossing five touchdown passes.

– Butler scored 35 first half points at MSU helping them score a season-high 49 points on Nov. 4.

– BU recorded a season-high 482 yards of total offense, averaging 7.3 yards per play.

– Jyran Mitchell is one of three FCS players with 1,200 rushing yards this season.

– Mitchell ranks third in the FCS in rushing yards (1,213) and fourth in yards per game (121.3).

– Mitchell leads the PFL in all-purpose yards, rushing yards, total touchdowns, and scoring.

– Luke Wooten needs 44 yards to reach 1,000 in his BU career.

– Butler leads the nation in Red Zone Defense.

– George Dristiliaris recorded two sacks and three tackles for loss against the Eagles.

– Patrick Coury picked off a pass at Morehead State and returned it 18 yards for a Bulldog TD.

– Lucas Kozlowski heads into Saturday with 95 career tackles (54 solo).

– BU only allowed nine first downs in their win at Morehead State.

– The Bulldogs lead the PFL in scoring defense, allowing just 18.0 points per game.

PFL Standings

Drake 7-0, 7-3

Davidson 6-1, 7-3

St. Thomas 6-1, 7-3

Butler 5-2, 7-3

Marist 4-4, 4-6

Morehead State 3-4, 4-6

San Diego 3-4, 3-7

Valparaiso 2-5, 3-7

Dayton 1-6, 3-7

Presbyterian 1-6, 3-7

Stetson 1-6, 3-7

PFL Schedule – Week 12

Drake at Butler 12:00 p.m.

Bucknell at Marist 12:00 p.m.

San Diego at Stetson 12:00 p.m.

Morehead State at Presbyterian 1:00 p.m.

Valparaiso at St. Thomas 2:00 p.m.

Dayton at Davidson 7:00 p.m.

SCOUTING DRAKE: The Bulldogs are having a great season and head to Indianapolis with a 7-3 overall record. They defeated Presbyterian last weekend (16-14) to remain undefeated in PFL play (7-0). That victory paired with a Davidson loss at Morehead State (47-17) put Drake on top of the league standings and allowed the Bulldogs to clinch a share of the 2023 PFL Championship. Head Coach Todd Stepsis has PFL Player of the Year Candidates on each side of the football. Defensively, Finn Claypool leads the PFL in sacks (10.5), tackles for loss (16), and forced fumbles (5). In the other huddle, QB Luke Bailey leads the PFL in passing yards (2,326) and completions (183). He ranks second in TD passes (15).

Drake leads the PFL in passing offense (242.5), turnover margin, tackles for loss allowed and fewest sacks allowed.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Drake holds the upper hand in the all-time series vs. Butler 23-8-1. The annual “Battle of the Bulldogs” game has ended with a Drake victory in seven-straight seasons.

Butler hasn’t beat Drake since 2015. The first-ever meeting was played in 1932 and went down as the lone tie in the series (0-0).

LAST MEETING: Drake snapped a Butler five-game winning streak last year on Nov. 12 to knock BU out of contention for the league title. The game in Des Moines featured the home team opening up a 17-7 lead after the first quarter and Drake would hang on for a 27-24 victory.

Butler tied the game at 24-24 with just under five minutes to play in the fourth with a 33-yard Luka Zurak field goal. A late BU interception gave the ball back to Drake with 43 seconds left in the game. Four plays later, Drake hit a 22-yard game-winning field goal.

EYEING EIGHT WINS: Head Coach Mike Uremovich has guided the Bulldogs to seven wins in back-to-back seasons.

Butler had not won seven games in back-to-back seasons since 2012-13. They went 8-3 in 2012 and 9-4 in 2013.

BUSHKA NAMED PFL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Nov. 5): Bushka was responsible for six touchdowns as Butler downed Morehead State 49-7 in Saturday’s PFL action. He completed 16-of-17 passes for 281 yards and five first-half touchdowns before adding a second half rushing touchdown. Bushka pushed the Bulldogs to a 21-0 lead with three touchdown throws in the first quarter alone, connecting on pass plays of 25, 28, and 61 yards. He closed the half with two more touchdown tosses of 21 and two yards to build a 35-7 halftime advantage. Bushka added a 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. It was the third five-touchdown day by a PFL quarterback this season.

Bushka earned the honor for the first time this season and for the third time in his career. Jyran Mitchell has been named Offensive Player of the Week twice this season and Devaon Holman and Nick Bafia have each been named Defensive Player of the Week in 2023.

MITCHELL ON A MISSION: Jyran Mitchell has rushed for 100+ yards in six of Butler’s seven conference games this season. He also has a rush of 30 or more yards in five of those seven contests (four-straight).

Mitchell has put together the ninth-best single-season rushing performance in program history. He needs 72 yards in the finale to pass Naim Sanders for eighth place and 163 to pass Trae Heeter for seventh.

TOUCHDOWN MACHINE: Jyran Mitchell has scored a touchdown in every game this season. He scored at least one rushing TD in every game from Sept. 9 to Oct. 28 and added receiving touchdowns at Montana, at Dayton and at Morehead State.

Mitchell got involved in the passing game at Morehead State and caught a 61-yard TD pass from Bushka in the first quarter. That TD gave him 15 total on the year, making him accountable for 90 points. Mitchell is now tied for eighth on Butler’s single-season scoring list alongside Scott Gray (2007).

BUSHKA IN BULLDOG HISTORY: Bret Bushka topped 5,000 career passing yards at St. Thomas on Oct. 7 to become one of just six quarterbacks in program history to reach the milestone.

Bushka has passed for 1,649 yards in 2023 moving his career total to 5,784. He recently passed Will Marty in career passing yards and needs just 126 more yards to move into third place all-time. Bushka has also rushed for 1,386 yards in his BU career. Altogether, Bushka has accounted for 7,179 yards of offense and 59 touchdowns over his four-year career.

UP NEXT: The NCAA FCS Playoffs begin on Saturday, Nov. 25. PFL Major Award Winners will be announced on Monday, Nov. 27. All-PFL Teams will follow on Tuesday, Nov. 28 and Academic All-PFL honorees will be released on Nov. 29.

IUPUI SWIMMING

JYAWOOK AND ZIETLOW COLLECT WINS ON DAY TWO OF HOUSE

INDIANAPOLIS – Spencer Jyawook and Emmaleigh Zietlow each collected first-place finishes on day two of the House of Champions invitational. The men’s team also collected a win in the 200 medley relay adding points to the Jaguar’s lead. The women’s team currently sits in sixth.

In the morning prelims session, the Jaguars had athletes qualify in several events with 37 finals spots secured.

Starting off the finals session was the 200 medley relay. The women’s team of Malayna Mancinelli, Victoria Surdyka, Lillian Brandt and Tori Barnet finished ninth with a time of 1:44.56. The men’s team earned their first win of the night with the relay team of Jack Gallob, Logan Kelly, Kevin Burke and Jyawook earning the win with a time of 1:26.62.

Next up was the 100 butterfly. Brandt was the top finisher for the Jags in third place with a time of 55.67. For the men’s team, Jyawook defended his title with a top time of 47.13. Burke took third with a time of 48.53.

Tessa Jones led the Jaguars in the 400 IM with an 11th place finish at 4:32.71. IUPUI placed two in the men’s 400 IM A final with Turner Long finishing in fifth at a time of 3:58.83 while Luke Dibley earned eighth at 4:04.32.

Zietlow then collected her second first-place win of the week, this time in the 200 free with a time of 1:48.10. The Jags had two in the A final for the mens 200 free with Nathan Rariden earning fourth and Youssef Magdy following in fifth.

In the 100 breast, Kelly and Ball State’s Joey Garberick raced it out with Garberick just barely out touching Kelly. Kelly took second with a time of 52.94. Freshman Gallob then earned second in the men’s 100 back with a time of 48.62.

The Jags wrapped up the swimming portion of the night with the 800 free relay. The women’s relay team of Zietlow, Kate Larsen, Maddy Weber and Hanna Barton finished in fifth with a time of 7:35.64. The men’s team of Rariden, Gallob, Magdy and Luke Dibley took third with a time of 6:44.54.

Alaina Heyde was the top scorers for the Jags on the boards. Heyde finished in second with a score of 265.40 while Sadie Smith earned seventh. For the men’s team, Sebastian Otero finished in fourth with a score of 358.65 while Adam Schmehl took seventh.

The men’s team currently holds the top spot with 944 points while the women sit in sixth with 497.5. They conclude competition tomorrow with prelims at 10:00 AM.   

IUPUI MEN’S BASKETBALL

JAGUARS DROP OPENER OF ROCK HILL CLASSIC TO ELON, 86-72

ROCK HILL, S.C. – The IUPUI basketball team dropped its opening game of the 2023 Rock Hill Classic on Friday night (Nov. 17) to Elon, 86-72 inside the Rock Hill Sports & Events Center. Jlynn Counter scored a team-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting and Bryce Monroe and John Egbuta finished with 10 points apiece. However, Elon buried the Jaguars in an avalanche of threes, connecting on 14-of-28 attempts from beyond the arc.

IUPUI shot 50 percent from the floor and outscored Elon 40-16 in the paint, but saw that margin easily offset by Elon’s 14-4 margin in made threes. Nick Dorn and TK Simpkins scored 19 each for Elon and LA Pratt added 16 for the victors.

IUPUI (2-2) trailed by as many as 12 in the opening half as Elon came out scorching, particularly from behind the arc. Pratt capped a quick 7-0 run with a transition layup to boost Elon’s lead to 25-13 at the 10:51 mark. Counter shouldered the load for the IUPUI offense early, scoring his 500th career point on the game’s first possession to initiate his 16-point first half.

He stroked a step back three with the shot clock expiring to cut Elon’s lead to six with just under seven minutes before intermission and then hit a midrange jumper on IUPUI’s next trip. IUPUI finally pulled even on a DJ Jackson putback with 37 seconds left in the half as the first half ended at 36 all.

IUPUI took a brief 40-39 lead after Yves Nkomba flushed an ally-oop with 18:45 remaining, but Dorn put Elon back in front by scoring the game’s next four points. The Jaguars stayed in contact, despite Elon repeatedly knocking down triples, including a stretch of three consecutive Pratt makes on three trips midway through the second half.

The Jaguars trailed by just five with 4:03 left when Vincent Brady II splashed a wing three, but Elon responded with a decisive 14-2 run that included three made threes and three free throws after Counter was whistled for a technical foul.

IUPUI was strong offensively, finishing at a season-high 50 percent from the floor and getting 33 bench points from the group of Egbuta (10), Brady (9), Jackson (8) and Abdou Samb (6). However, Elon hit 9-of-13 (69.2 percent) from three in the second half alone to run away from the Jaguars. Dorn made 4-of-6 from deep in the second half and Pratt hit the three in succession to go 3-for-4 after intermission.

Rob Higgins piloted the Elon offense with seven points and 10 assists with no turnovers.

IUPUI will continue the Rock Hill Classic on Saturday (Nov. 18) when the Jaguars face host Winthrop at 5:00 p.m. inside the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center on ESPN+.

NOTRE DAME VOLLEYBALL

IRISH DEFEAT WAKE FOREST IN FINAL HOME MATCH OF THE SEASON

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-14, 5-12 ACC) closed it out in a five set thriller inside of Purcell Pavilion as they claimed the win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (17-10, 8-8 ACC) in their last home match of the season. Despite falling 28-30 in set one and 17-25 in set two, the Irish rallied as they took home the final three sets (25-21, 25-15, 15-11) to clinch the win.

Phyona Schrader recorded a triple-double with 14 kills, 13 digs, 22 assists, and a .367 attack percentage. Sydney Palazzolo finished the night with 20 kills, 10 digs, and a .294 hitting percentage, followed by Ava Lange and Lucy Trump who tallied 12 kills and 10 kills, respectively. Lauren Tarnoff finished with a team-best six blocks, while Charity McDowell and Schrader each chipped in five blocks a piece for the Irish.

Set One

Wake Forest claimed an early 12-7 lead over the Irish, but Notre Dame continued to chip away as they tied it up at 16-all and forced a Demon Deacon timeout. The Demon Deacons claimed the advantage again with a three point lead at 20-17, but kills from Phyona Schrader and Sydney Palazzolo closed the gap to make it 20-19. A Lucy Trump ace made it 23-all and forced a Wake Forest timeout, but with the Irish up 28-27, the Demon Deacons sent home the final three points to win it 30-28.

Set Two

The Demon Deacons came out swinging in set two as they were able to take a 14-8 advantage over the Irish. The Irish closed the gap as an ace from Trump brought the Irish within three at 17-14, but another run from Wake Forest extended their lead to 21-14. The Demon Deacons took the 2-0 advantage heading into set three as they won the second 25-17.

Set Three

It was back and forth to start the third as it was tied at 9-all before a 4-0 run from the Irish forced a Wake Forest timeout as Notre Dame took the lead 13-9. The Demon Deacons responded with a run of their own as it was 17-all before they took the lead at 19-17. A kill from Palazzolo sparked the Irish offense as they outscored the Demon Deacons 8-2 to win set three 25-21.

Set Four

The Irish carried their momentum into the next set as they posted an 11-7 advantage in the fourth. Notre Dame continued to dominate as a 5-0 run extended the lead to 16-7. While the Demon Deacons looked to close the gap, the Irish won set four with authority as they took it home 25-15. Notre Dame sent home 18 kills in set four to Wake Forest’s nine.

Set Five

It was back and forth in set five as both squads were hungry to take home the win. There were nine ties and six lead changes in the race to 15. While the Demon Deacons had a 9-8 advantage, a 3-0 run from the Irish put Notre Dame in front at 11-9. Wake Forest battled to hold on, but kills from Schrader and Lange sealed the deal as the Irish won set five 15-11.

Up Next

The Irish will close out the 2023 season in Tallahassee as they face the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday, November 25.

NOTRE DAME HOCKEY

#17/18 IRISH DEFEAT #6/6 GOPHERS ON THE ROAD

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Irish hockey program took game one in Minneapolis Friday night, topping Big Ten rival Minnesota 4-2 behind goals from Grant Silianoff, Patrick Moynihan, Drew Bavaro and Landon Slaggert.

The Irish found themselves down a man early after a high-stick call was whistled at 2:28 of the opening period behind the Gopher net. Cole Knuble won the draw and raced up the ice for a shorthanded opportunity but was denied and and Minnesota regained possession. A trip was called against the Irish as they receded onto the defensive side of the puck and were faced with 1:39 of a two-man disadvantage when play resumed.

Despite controlling play much of the opening minutes, the Irish found themselves down a goal after the gophers capitalized on a rebound given up at 10:10 of the opening stanza. It did not take long for the Irish to answer as Grant Silianoff intercepted a pass in the defensive end and used the boards to send a pass up ice to Brennan Ali who set up the equalizer less than two minutes later.

The two teams remained deadlocked at 1-1 as they headed to the first intermission of the night.

Patrick Moynihan put the Irish out in front just 47 seconds into the second period with a wraparound goal to give the visitors the 2-1 lead.

The Irish recorded a big penalty kill halfway through the contest following a cross checking call against at 8:21 of the second period.

The Gophers evened the score with 1:21 to play in the second period, scoring on the powerplay to snap the Irish penalty kill unit’s streak of 15-straight kills dating back to game one at Penn State (Nov. 4).

Neither team could break the netminding on either end of the ice in the final seconds of the middle frame and at the second intermission the score remained tied, 2-2.

Drew Bavaro scored the go ahead goal just 3:30 into the final period of regulation to regain the lead, 3-2. The eventual game-winner was his second of the season and lifted the Irish to victory Friday evening.

Landon Slaggert would score his team-best ninth goal of the season on the empty net to ice the win and clinch game one of the series for the Irish.

Ryan Bischel finished the night with 32 saves on 34 shots faced.

GOALS

Back in his home state, Grant Silianoff got the Irish on the board at 12:08 of the opening period to even the score up, 1-1. The senior from Edina, Minnesota, batted the puck out of mid-air on a Gopher pass before finding Brennan Ali rushing up ice where the rookie backhanded a pass back to Silianoff who tipped it over the stick of Justen Close in the Gopher net.

Patrick Moynihan kept his scoring streak alive when he stole the puck from a Gopher defender behind their net and wrapped it around, beating Close in goal for the 2-1 tally.

The Irish veteran core put the team back on top at 3:30 of the third period behind a goal from Drew Bavaro. Moynihan poked the puck off the stick of a Gopher skater in the defensive end and chipped it over to Landon Slaggert who created the odd-man rush. The captain fed the puck back to Moynihan at the blue line who found Bavaro closing in on net. The senior defenseman caught the pass on his boot before firing a shot into the back of the net for his fourth of the season.

Landon gave the Irish the 4-2 lead with less than a minute to play in regulation, finding the back of the empty net for his team-best ninth goal of the year. With two points on the evening the senior now boasts 13 (9-4-13) through 12 games played.

KEY STATS

Four Irish skaters scored in the team’s 4-2 win over Minnesota Friday night, including Grant Silianoff with the opening goal in his homecoming. Justin Janicke and Danny Nelson also highlighted the box score, picking up assists in their return to their home state.

The Irish blocked 24 shots in the contest with Danny, Paul Fischer and Zach Plucinski each eating three pucks to finish the game on top against Minnesota.

With four shots on goal, Danny led the team in the category. The rookie forward’s assist on the fourth goal of the game extended his point streak to seven games (0-7-7).

After stopping 32 of 34 shots faced, Ryan Bischel improved to 7-3-2 on the season and boasts a .941 save percentage. His 1.91 season goals against average ranks seventh nationally while his save percentage leads all NCAA DI netminders.

At the faceoff circle, the Irish were successful on 54.2-percent of chances with all five individuals taking draws finishing at, or above, .500.

UP NEXT

The Irish and Gophers return to 3M Arena at Mariucci Saturday night for the series finale before Notre Dame hosts longtime rival Boston College for a Black Friday matchup November 24 at 4 p.m.

NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL

IRISH DIG DEEP FOR 66-64 OT WIN OVER OKLAHOMA STATE

BROOKLYN – In the third-place game of the Legends Classic on Friday, it was another first-time matchup as Notre Dame men’s basketball clashed with Oklahoma State. Speaking of firsts, it was the first overtime match of the Coach Shrewsberry era. With the game tied 55-all at the end of regulation, the Fighting Irish (2-2) got it done on both ends of the court to secure the 66-64 victory.

Notre Dame led 63-62 with 20 seconds left and turned to its defense, forcing a tough three which led to a defensive board. Markus Burton and J.R. Konieczny later hit critical free throws to give the Irish the OT victory over the Cowboys (1-3). 

Burton lifted the Irish with a team high 20 points – 10 of which came in the second half and another six in the overtime period. Then how about Konieczny, who recorded a double-double for the second consecutive game, netting 11 points and 10 rebounds. Thus, over the two Legends Classic games, Konieczny totaled 29 points and 21 boards.

Julian Roper II tied his career high of 12 points and tied his season high of eight rebounds. Furthermore, all eight Irish who saw time on the court today registered points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Konieczny was rewarded with his first career start after producing a double-double off the bench yesterday. He responded by getting the offense going with the team’s first five points. Moments later, Carey Booth hit back-to-back three-pointers, followed by a Braeden Shrewsberry pull-up jumper and the Irish grabbed its first lead of the game at 13-11.

Fast forward to the 6:20 mark in the first half and Roper II took over for a 90-second stretch, scoring seven straight points. Soon after, Tae Davis threw down a thunderous dunk followed by a corner three from Logan Imes, and next thing you know, Notre Dame was on a 12-0 scoring run spanning four minutes.

All-in-all, the Irish recorded a stretch in the waning minutes in which they hit 7-of-10 from the field. Said stretch was capped by a Shrewsberry three-pointer which brought us to our halftime score of 33-25.

Roper II and Burton combined to score 10 of the team’s first 13 points in the second half. Then the Irish suffered from a five minute and twenty second drought that was eventually ended by Matt Zona. Moments later, Oklahoma State would cut Notre Dame’s lead to just three points at 50-47. Yet, Konieczny answered with a big three to make it 53-47 at 6:33.

Turnovers plagued the Irish late – seven in fact over a 5:36 stretch that bled into the final minute. Oklahoma State took advantage with a three with 58 seconds remaining that cut it to one point at 55-54.

On the ensuing possession, Roper II’s shot was blocked, but he collected the rebound as Coach Shrewsberry called timeout with 31.1 seconds left. Out of the timeout, Notre Dame’s three was off-target as the Cowboys collected the board and called their final timeout. OK State’s Dailey went to the line with 9.3 seconds on the clock and made just 1-of-2 to tie the game. Burton got the in-bounds and took it the length of the court where he had a pull-up jumper near the baseline on the right side. His shot hit iron and bounced out, sending the game to overtime.

In overtime, it was all grit on both ends. Offensively, Burton had six, Davis had two before fouling out and Konieczny had three. And when Notre Dame needed stops the most in the final two minutes, they got it, securing the 66-64 OT win.

UP NEXT

Next – a return to the friendly confines of Purcell Pavilion where the Irish will host Maryland Eastern Shore on Wednesday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m. ET.

NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S SOCCER

IRISH FALL TO TIGERS IN NCAA TOURNEY SECOND ROUND

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish women’s soccer season came to a close on Friday with a heartbreaking 3-2 loss against Memphis in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Razorback Field.

Meg Mrowicki and Maddie Mercado each found the back of the net in the match for Notre Dame but the two goals were not enough.

The Fighting Irish end the 2023 campaign with a record of 12-4-4.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Notre Dame put a couple of efforts on frame in the opening stages of play from the edge of the area but the Memphis keeper was up to the task making the saves.

However in the 16th minute the Tigers managed to strike first. Memphis whipped a cross into the box and Finley Lavin collected the loose ball and scored the opener in a scramble to put Memphis on top 1-0.

The Irish continued to pressure the Memphis defensive back line, forcing the Tigers goalkeeper to make two impressive saves off shots from Maddie Mercado and Logan Roy.

The pressure paid off right before the half, as Notre Dame forced a turnover in the attacking third and Kristina Lynch’s cross connected with Mrowicki, who settled the ball and clinically finished to level the score at 1-1 in the 44th minute.

The two teams traded half chances over the opening 30 minutes of the second half before the Tigers earned a free kick in a dangerous area. Memphis’ Saorla Miller struck her free kick off the post and in to retake the lead at 2-1.

Less than two minutes later the Tigers struck again to double their lead at 3-1 in the 77th minute off a strike from Ashley Henderson.

Notre Dame refused to go quietly, as it cut the lead to one just two minutes after allowing the third goal. Mercado put her left foot through the ball on a one-time effort from outside the box to rocket the ball into the top corner, making the score 3-2 in the 79th minute.

The Irish were inches away from once again leveling the match in the 81st minute, as Mercado created space inside the box and fired a shot off the crossbar. Unfortunately for Notre Dame, that was as close as it came to tying the contest, as Memphis managed to hold on to the 3-2 win to advance to the NCAA Tournament Third Round.

NOTRE DAME MEN’S SOCCER

NCAA SECOND ROUND PREVIEW: KENTUCKY

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 2 overall seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish open up NCAA Championship play with a matchup against Kentucky in the second round at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 19 at Alumni Stadium. The match will air on ESPN+.

No. 2 NOTRE DAME vs. KENTUCKY

Location: South Bend, Indiana | Alumni Stadium

Live Stream: ESPN+

Live Stats: Click Here

Twitter Updates: @NDMenSoccer

Game Notes: vs. Kentucky

Tickets: Click Here

THE IRISH IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

• Notre Dame is playing in its 24th NCAA Championship in 2023 and have played in the tourney in 20 of the last 23 seasons.

• Notre Dame is 15-8-4 when playing at home in NCAA Tournament play in program history and has advanced to the next round 18 times.

• The Irish are 12-8-2 in their opening NCAA Tournament matches in program history and have advanced to the next round 14 times.

• Notre Dame’s No. 2 national seed is the highest the program has earned since being the top-seed during the 2014 season.

• The Irish have an overall record of 21-20-5 in the NCAA Championships.

• The Irish have advanced to the round of 16 on 11 occasions and have made five quarterfinals.

• The last time the Irish were in the NCAA Tournament they advanced to the College Cup for the second time in program history, coming in the 2021 season.

• Notre Dame won the College Cup in 2013, defeating Maryland by a score of 2-1 to capture the title. It was the program’s only trip to the College Cup.

THE KENTUCKY SERIES

• The Irish and Wildcats will meet on the pitch for the eighth time on Sunday evening.

• The Irish lead the Wildcats in the all-time series at 5-2-0.

• Notre Dame defeated Kentucky the last time the two sides met in South Bend. Notre Dame got the victory in the 2020 season opener at Alumni Stadium, winning by a score of 1-0. Daniel Russo scored the winner in his Fighting Irish debut.

•The Irish fell to the Wildcats in the most recent matchup, losing by a score of 1-0 in Lexington on Sept. 3, 2021.

• Sunday will mark the first time the two teams meet in an NCAA Championship match.

LAST TIME OUT

• Notre Dame fell to Louisville in a wild ACC Tournament match by a score of 4-3 in the quarterfinal round.

• The Irish trailed 3-0 with less than 30 minutes remaining in the match and staged an incredible comeback to level the contest at 3-3 late.

• However, the Cardinals scored in the 89th minute to escape Alumni Stadium with the win.

• Bryce Boneau scored the first brace of his career and added an assist to highlight an impressive attacking night for the junior midfielder.

•The Irish outshot the Cardinals 17-8 on the evening.

NTO’S HISTORIC NIGHT

• Eno Nto scored a career-high four goals in the 6-0 victory over No. 20 Pitt in the season finale.

• The four-goal performance represented the most goals from an Irish player in a match since Joseph Lapira scored four against Indiana on Sept. 3, 2006.

• Nto’s four goals are the most any player in the ACC has scored in a match this season and the forward is one of three players at the men’s DI level to score four goals in a game this season.

• Nto was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week, College Soccer News National Player of the Week and Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week after the performance.

• The junior is now tied for the team lead for goals on the season with 10 and has 17 goals in his Notre Dame career.

DOWD DELIVERS

• Bryan Dowd has been masterful in goal this season for the Irish, making a claim as one of the top goalies in the country despite playing some of the best attacking units in the nation.

• The senior ranks sixth in the country in shutouts (8) and ninth in save percentage (.812).

• The shot stopper has 57 career starts while appearing in 58 matches over his previous three seasons in South Bend.

• Dowd has amassed 152 career saves and has recorded 21 clean sheets over his time in South Bend.

•The senior produced his best performance of his career in the 0-0 draw at Akron, making a career-high 12 saves to keep the clean sheet intact.

• The 12 saves are the most by an ACC goalkeeper in the regular season and the third most of any goalie at the DI level.

TOP OF THE TABLE

• The Irish captured their second ACC Coastal Division title in program history after the draw against No. 3 Wake Forest. The program now has three ACC regular season titles, also winning in 2014 and 2013.

• Notre Dame is coming off its best regular season in ACC play, finishing with its first undefeated year in league action with a record of 6-0-2.

• This marked Notre Dame’s first undefeated regular-season conference record since going 7-0-4 in the Big East in 2011.

• Notre Dame scored 19 goals in regular season ACC play, which were the most of any team in the ACC over the eight matches.

• The Irish posted a +13 goal differential over the eight ACC matches, which ranked first in the conference.

ROOU’S RUN OF FORM

• Junior Matthew Roou is a prominent force in the Irish attack through this season, producing 23 points off 10 goals and three assists.

• The junior ranks  second in the ACC in goals (10) and goals per match (0.67).

• Roou’s hat trick in the win over IUPUI was the first of his career and the first of the season for the Irish.

• The junior forward finished with seven points off three goals and an assist, becoming the first Notre Dame player to record seven or more points in a match since Dave Donohue also had seven points against Marquette on Sept. 11, 2008.

• Roou currently has 21 career goals to go along with 10 career assists, totaling 52 career points for the forward.

STRONG STARTS

• Notre Dame has made it a habit of jumping out to an early lead this season, as the Irish have scored the opening goal in 11 of 17 matches in 2023.

• Ten of the 11 opening goals have come in the first 45 minutes of play.

•The quickest goal to start a match came from Matthew Roou in the 4th minute in the win over Clemson.

• The Fighting Irish are unbeaten when scoring the opening goal over the last 31 occurrences, posting a record of 30-0-1 spanning back to the early stages of the 2021 season.

FIGHT TO THE FINISH

• As good as the Irish have been at the beginning of matches, they have been even better in the final 45 minutes of play.

• Notre Dame has outscored its opponents by a combined score of 23-5 in second halves this season.

•The Irish have allowed second half goals in just three matches this season while having scored in the final 45 minutes of play in 11 outings.

SET-PIECE SUCCESS

• ND has excelled on both ends of the field on set pieces during the 2023 season.

•The Irish defense has allowed four goals off set pieces all season while in attack 15 of the team’s 39 goals have come via a set piece.

• Notre Dame has scored off five free kicks, five corners, three penalty kicks and two from throw-ins.

DOMINATING DEFENSE

• The Fighting Irish have allowed just 12 goals through 17 matches during the 2023 campaign.

• The 0.706 goals against average ranks second in the ACC and seventh in the country.

• With nine shutouts over 17 matches, the Irish are fifth in the country in shutout percentage with a mark 52.9.

• Notre Dame has given up just one or no goals in 15 of 17 matches this season.

•The nine shutouts are the most the Irish have recorded in a regular season since posting nine during the 2007 season.

• Notre Dame’s eight goals allowed in the regular season are the fewest the Irish have given up since the 2004 season in which they allowed seven goals.

NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

IRISH, ILLINI MEET IN NATION’S CAPITAL FOR CITI SHAMROCK CLASSIC

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last year, the Irish women’s team made history as the first women’s basketball team to play on NBC. This year, Notre Dame is running it back.

The 16th-ranked Irish (2-1) will face Illinois (2-1) on Saturday in the second rendition of the Citi Shamrock Classic. It will once again be televised on NBC (1 p.m.), and it will lead into Notre Dame football’s game against Wake Forest.

The 2022 Citi Shamrock Classic was played in St. Louis between Notre Dame and California. Both head coaches — Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey and Cal head coach Charmin Smith — had St. Louis roots. While there isn’t a personal tie to the nation’s capital for Ivey or Illinois head coach Shauna Green, Washington has obviously been the site of endless historic moments for the nation.

In keeping with the theme that this game is “bigger than basketball,” the Irish will once again have multiple events not directly tied to Saturday’s battle on the court. After practice on Friday, Notre Dame and Illinois will head to a leadership luncheon at Nationals Park. In addition to Ivey and Green, there will be four other speakers: Sheila Johnson (CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts & Co-Founder of BET), Erika Irish Brown (Citi Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer and Global Head of Talent), Kimberly Bolt (Chief Marketing Officer of the Washington Nationals) and Candy Cage (Associate Commissioner for Women’s Basketball, Atlantic 10 Conference).

After the lunch, the team will embark on a tour of various monuments around the National Mall. The group will reunite with Illinois for a tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Children from youth groups in the D.C. area will join them for the tour, giving the women the opportunity to be mentors as they visit the museum.

Once Saturday hits, it will be all basketball. Notre Dame and Illinois have not seen each other since 1999, and the Illini hold the series advantage, 4-1. Illinois has beaten Morehead State and St. Peter’s this year, but Marquette handed them a loss.

A pair of NC State transfers have played a massive role for them this year. Genesis Bryant is pacing the team with 16.3 points per game, and Camille Hobby is third at 10.3. As a team, Illinois shoots the 3 and keeps opponents from shooting the 3. The Illini are third in the Big Ten with a 44.4 percent success rate from deep, and they led the conference with an opponent 3-point field goal percentage of just 20.6.

NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL

GAME NOTES VS. WAKE FOREST

IRISH ITEMS – BY THE NUMBERS 1st Junior safety Xavier Watts leads the nation in interceptions this season with seven and that includes five in the last three games (two vs. Southern Cal, two vs. Pittsburgh, one at Clemson). He is the first Notre Dame player to post multiple interceptions in consecutive games, the first FBS player to do it since 2020 and just the fifth FBS player to accomplish the feat since 2017. Watts seven interceptions have set the Irish offense up in position to score 41 points. See page 9 for more on Watts. 2 Quarterback Sam Hartman will be the second member of Notre Dame’s 2023 roster to compete against his former team this weekend. Javontae Jean-Baptiste had eight tackles in the battle with No. 6 Ohio State on September 9. Hartman and Jean-Baptiste join Amir Carlisle (vs. Southern Cal in 2013, ‘14, ‘15) and Alohi Gilman (vs. Navy in 2018, ‘19) as transfers who competed against their former teams at Notre Dame. 5 Notre Dame has shut out an opponent 11 times since 1996. Five of those defensive gems have occurred on a Senior Day: 2022, 2021, 2012 (vs. Wake Forest), 2002 and 1996. 6 Senior quarterback Sam Hartman is the sixth FBS player to throw for over 15,000 yards in a career. Hartman passed Ty Detmer on the all-time passing yardage list against Pittsburgh and his current career total stands at 15,239 yards. 13 With 988 rushing yards this season, junior Audric Estimé has his sights set on becoming the 13th Notre Dame player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Estimé needs 32 more yards to become the 19th Notre Dame player to rush for 2,000 yards in a career. See page 7 & 8 for much more on Estimé. 22 Senior linebacker JD Bertrand, a Cambell Award Finalist and Wuerffel Trophy semifinalist, became the 22nd Notre Dame player to surpass 250 career tackles with six stops at Clemson. See page 11 and 12 for more on Bertrand, including details of his Cambell Award Finalist accomplishment. 54 Senior Howard Cross III leads all Power 5 defensive linemen in tackles this season with 54, which also ranks fourth among all FBS defensive line players. See page 9 for more on Cross III. 99 Notre Dame has earned back-to-back shutouts in the past two senior days and have outscored its opponents 99-0 (55-0 vs. Georgia Tech in 2021, 44-0 vs. Boston College in ‘22). 101 Notre Dame is 101-25-5 all-time on Senior Day – the last home game of the season. The Irish did not have a final home game in 1889 or 1929 and the 1963 home finale was cancelled due to the assasination of President John F. Kennedy. The Irish have won six straight Senior Day games, which is the longest streak for the program since it posted 13 consecutive final home game victories from 1966-1978. 500 Notre Dame is competing in the 500th game in Notre Dame Stadium this weekend. The Irish are 376-118-5 (.758) all-time in ‘The House That Rockne Built.’

NOTRE DAME – WAKE FOREST SERIES HISTORY • Notre Dame and Wake Forest will be meeting for the sixth time. The Irish lead the all-time series 5-0. • Notre Dame is 3-0 against Wake Forest in Notre Dame Stadium and 2-0 versus the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem (2011, 2018). • The most recent meeting between the two teams occurred in 2018, a 56-27 victory for No. 8 Notre Dame in Winston-Salem. GAME FACTS • Notre Dame is 16-0-2 (.944) on November 18 all-time and will be playing on the date for the first time since 2017 (a 24-17 victory over Navy at home). • Notre Dame is 348-136-27 (.707) all-time in the month of November and 4-2 in the month under the direction of Marcus Freeman. Since 2010, the Irish are 38-15 (.716) in the month of November. • Notre Dame is 58-14-1 coming off a bye week since 1950, including the victory over Pittsburgh on October 28. The Irish have won six in a row off a bye dating back to 2019 and 14 of their last 15 games after an off week going back to 2012.

TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – OFFENSE Jayden Thomas is the leading returning receiver for the Irish in 2023. Thomas has been affected over the past five by a hamstring injury. He returned to action against Pittsburgh with two catches for 23 yards and hopes to see his snap count rise over the final two weeks of the season. Chris Tyree has shifted to wide receiver after three years as a running back with the Irish. Tyree has made a key play in each of Notre Dame’s seven victories this season, none bigger than his 82-yard punt return to start the scoring in the 58-7 victory over Pittsburgh. He ranks 13th in the country in yards-per-reception with a 19.39 average. See page 12 for more on Tyree. 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. Greathouse returned to the starting lineup against Southern Cal after missing portions of the Duke and Louisville games with a hamstring injury. 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 10 for more on Alt. Pat Coogan made his first career start in just his second game played against Navy. He has started all 10 games for the Irish at left guard this season. 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 33rd-career start on the Irish offensive line against Wake Forest and is on the Rimington Award watch list. Billy Schrauth will make his first career start on Saturday against Wake Forest at right guard, replacing nine-game starter Rocco Spindler who will miss the rest of the season win an injury suffered at Clemson. Schrauth will join Spindler and Coogan in making their first career starts this season. Blake Fisher is one of the more athletic right tackles in the nation, Fisher combines with Joe Alt to provide Notre Dame one of the best offensive tackle bookends in the nation. Mitchell Evans led the team in receptions this season before suffering an ACL injury in the victory over Pittsburgh and is out for the remainder of the season. Holden Staes capped the scoring against Central Michigan with a four-yard catch which followed up his career-best game at NC State which included four catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Both of those touchdowns came from more than 30 yards (30, 45). Rico Flores Jr. earned his first career start against Central Michigan and responded with early career-highs of three catches and 60 receiving yards. His first career touchdown reception against Ohio State provided the Irish their first lead of the game. Flores also nabbed a crucial two-point conversion in the game’s final minutes at No. 17 Duke. Flores has posted at least one reception in the last seven games. Sam Hartman continues his ascent up the FBS career passing touchdown and yardage lists this season. See page 6 for much more on Hartman. Audric Estimé owns four 100-yard performances this season as he closes in on 1,000 yards rushing in 2023 and 2,000 yards rushing in his career. See page 7 and 8 for more on Estimé. . Jadarian Price’s first career carry against Navy was a 19-yard touchdown. His second career catch was a 40-yard touchdown reception vs. Tennessee State. His fifth career kick off return was a 99-yard scoring effort against Southern Cal. Spencer Shrader has quickly established himself as the best long-distance kicker in Notre Dame history. The USF transfer has kicked a school-record 54-yard field goal twice this season –at NC State and at Louisville. He shares the Notre Dame record for career kicks of 50 yards or more (four) with Kyle Brindza and Jonathan Doerer. Bryce McFerson has a booming leg showed that off against NC State. He punted six times in the game, averaging 50.7 yards per attempt. He also posted a career-best 59- yard punt against the Wolfpack. He also uncorked a 57-yard effort at Duke. 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 missed the first half of the Louisville game after being called for targeting late in the game at Duke. The starting ‘vyper’ end for the Irish this season, Botelho has three sacks this season along with 24 tackles. Joshua Burnham posted his first career start in place of Botelho at Louisville and finished the game with two tackles. Overall, Burnham has been distruptive in limited snaps, with 2.5 tackles-for-loss, a sack and two quarterback hurries. Rylie Mills is No. 10 on The Athletics Freak List for his work in the weight room and has been distruptive on the defensive line so far in 2023. Mills posted a career-best seven tackles in the victory at No. 17 Duke and has piled up 39 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 2 quarterback hurries this season. Howard Cross III is the only Power 5 defensive lineman with double-digit tackles in a game this season after his dominating 13-tackle, two-forced fumble performance at Duke. He leads all Power 5 defensive linemen in tackles this season with 54. Javontae Jean-Baptiste played perhaps the best game of his career against Ohio State, posting a career-high eight tackles. JJB has been consistent across the Irish defensive line all season and is sixth on the team in tackles (39) and leads the Irish with nine quarterback hurries. Nana Osafo-Mensah is a leader in the defensive line group and a steady force against the run. He made two key plays against Louisville, which included a tackle-for-loss followed up by his first sack of the season. Osafo-Mensah followed up with a career best four tackles against Southern Cal which included a sack. Marist Liufau enters his second full season as a starter in 2023 and has been all over the field through the first eight games of the year. He has 38 tackles on the season, two quarterback hurries, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. JD Bertrand missed the CMU game in concussion protocol and has returned to the line up in top form. He has 50 tackles in the last six outings, which includes 11 at No. 17 Duke, nine tackles, one sack and a shared tackle-for-loss at No. 25 Louisville and 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and .5 sacks against No. 10 Southern Cal. 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 is third on the team with 52 tackles after piling up a career-best 10 while starting at Mike linebacker for JD Bertrand against Central Michigan and leading the team with nine stops at Clemson. Cam Hart was voted a captain by his teammates this season and is in the midst of a highly productive final season with the Irish. Hart began the second half at No. 25 Louisville with a forced fumble and recovery, then forced another fumble that led to a touchdown return against Southern Cal. DJ Brown returned for a fifth year and is the ‘quarterback’ of the back seven for Notre Dame’s defense. Brown picked off his fourth career pass against NC State, missed the CMU game with a leg injury but returned against Ohio State to finish with three tackles and two PBUs. He also finished with a career-high matching nine tackles at No. 25 Louisville. Xavier Watts has grown from a rookie wide receiver into one of Notre Dame’s starting safeties and is the first Notre Dame player to intercept multiple passes in back-to-back games AND the first Irish player to intercept a pass in three straight games. See page 9 for more on Watts. Benjamin Morrison was a Freshman All-American last season, and is focused on taking his game to an even higher level in 2023. He intercepted his first pass of the season at NC State and added an interception against No. 10 Southern Cal. See page 9 for more on Morrison. Clarence Lewis has played in 47 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 and followed up with a team-high seven tackles at NC State. He continued his playmaking moments with his first career sack against Central Michigan. Harper missed the game at Louisville but returned to the starting lineup at nickle for the Irish against Southern Cal. He has 34 tackles, two sacks, five tackles for loss and a forced fumble this season.

BALL STATE FOOTBALL

CARDINALS SEEK MOMENTUM AND SECOND STRAIGHT WIN WHILE HOSTING KENT STATE SATURDAY

MUNCIE, Ind. – Winners of two of their last three games, the Ball State Cardinals welcome Kent State to Scheumann Stadium for the first of two straight home games to close the 2023 regular season. Hoping to ride the momentum of a last-second win at Northern Illinois to close #MAC-tion midweek play, Ball State has sights set on consecutive wins for the first time this season. Saturday’s home game is sponsored by American Pest Professionals.

** The Battle for the Bronze Stalk may be the youngest rivalry game in the Mid-American Conference, but it has hit full stride the past two seasons with Ball State winning a double-overtime thriller over Northern Illinois in 2022, 44-38, and a walk-off winner on 36-yard field goal as time expired last week, 20-17.

** The Cardinals enter Week 7 of their MAC schedule this week and seek their third win against MAC competition. Since Kiael Kelly was inserted as the starting quarterback for Week 3 of the MAC season against Toledo, Ball State is 2-2 while falling to only Toledo and Bowling Green by a combined 10 points.

** Redshirt sophomore Kelly expects to make his fifth straight start at QB this week. He rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown last week at NIU, while completing 15 of 25 passes for 115 yards. All three figures were career highs.

** The Cardinals’ defensive unit once again put Ball State in position to earn its victory last week — this time by winning the valued turnover battle 3-0 and putting Ball State in position for a tying touchdown and go-ahead field goal late in the fourth quarter. It was Ball State’s biggest fourth-quarter margin since beating Indiana State and it was the Cardinals’ bigges turnover margin of the season.

WHAT A WIN MEANS:

** The Cardinals will rise to 4-7 overall, 3-2 at Scheumann Stadium and 3-4 in the MAC.

** Mike Neu will capture his 38th victory as head coach of his alma mater, tying Ray Louthen (1962-67) and Bill Lynch (1995-02) who are tied with the fifth-most career coaching wins at Ball State. Neu was Lynch’s QB during the 1990-92 seasons as QB coach and offensive coordinator.

BY THE NUMBERS:

** +3: Mikhari Sibblis (2) and Jordan Riley helped BSU claim a season-high three fumble recoveries at NIU, with win the turnover margin by their largest margin since the final regular season game of 2021 vs. Buffalo (+4 on four INTs).

** 4-of-5: Ball State scoring in the Red Zone last week marked the second time in three weeks to score on four RZ tries.

** 41: Rushing yards needed by Kiael Kelly in order to pass Riley Neal with the most rush yards by a Ball State QB since 2000. Kelly enters the game with 500 rush yards on the season, Neal had 540 in 2016.

** 233: Rushing yards needed by Marquez Cooper in order to reach his third straight season with 1,000 rush yards. Ironically, his last two 1,000-yard campaigns came while playing for the Golden Flashes. He enters Saturday’s game with 767 yards on the ground this year.

BALL STATE VOLLEYBALL

VOLLEYBALL TRAVELS TO KALAMAZOO FOR MAC CHAMPIONSHIP

THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE VOLLEYBALL: The postseason begins Saturday, when the No. 3 seed Ball State women’s volleyball team opens MAC Women’s Volleyball Championship play with a 6:30 p.m. first serve versus No. 6 seed Bowling Green … It is the second quarterfinal of the day, with the winner advancing to face No. 2 seed Buffalo Saturday at 6:30 p.m. … The entire tournament will be hosted by No. 1 seed Western Michigan and will be played at University Arena in Kalamazoo.

FOLLOW THE ACTION: All five MAC Women’s Volleyball Championship matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+ … In addition, live stats will be provided by Western Michigan Athletics … Links to follow the #MACtion can be found on the league’s tournament central page linked above.

IN THE MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS: Ball State will be making its 34th all-time appearance in the MAC Volleyball Championships in 2023, owning a 37-25 (.597) overall record and eight tournament titles (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2002, 2019, and 2021) … The Cardinals’ 37 tournament wins are the most in MAC Championship history, while its eight titles are second, trailing only Ohio’s nine … Overall, the Cardinals own a 5-2 (.714) record in first round matches, a 12-9 (.650) mark in quarterfinal play, an 12-10 (.545) ledger in semifinal action, and an 8-4 (.667) record in the championship match … Ball State has advanced to the championship match in three of the last four tournaments.

ON THE ALL-TOURNAMENT SQUAD: With a pair of  MAC All-Tournament selections last season, Ball State moved into a tie for first in conference history with 34 MAC All-Tournament selections … The Cardinals are also second all-time with eight MAC Tournament Most Valuable Player award winners … Only Ohio has more MVPs at nine … For their part in guiding the Cardinals to last season’s championship match, Marie Plitt and Maggie Huber earned all-tournament honors … It was the second straight season Plitt was named to the squad.

BALL STATE ALL-TIME: The Ball State enters the MAC Championship with a 1,011-646-2 (.610) all-time record in women’s volleyball … Thanks to its 3-0 sweep of Central Michigan on Sept. 22, Ball State became just the 44th program in NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball history to reach 1,000 wins … All-time, 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).

IN #MACTION: Ball State finished the 2023 regular season with a 13-5 MAC record to maintains its status as the winningest program in league play with a 446-220 (.670) all-time Mid-American Conference mark … Western Michigan is second on the list, two matches behind the Cardinals at 444-222 (.667).

THE WORTHEN FACTOR: The Cardinals own an even better record when playing at home, boasting a 318-96 (.768) all-time mark inside Worthen Arena … Looking at just opponents from the MAC, Ball State is 235-58 (.802) when battling in Worthen Arena … Overall, no MAC opponent owns a winning record inside Worthen Arena, as the Cardinals have at least a .650 winning percentage against all league schools on its current home floor.

MORE FROM THE HOME FRONT: After picking up a pair of home wins over Northern Illinois last weekend, Ball State improved to 37-3 in Worthen Arena over the past three seasons (Fall 2021-2023) … BSU has won its last 27 MAC regular season home matches, with its last regular season MAC home loss coming to Central Michigan on March 20, 2021.

THE ALL-TIME VS. THE TOURNAMENT FIELD: Ball State enters the MAC Volleyball Championship with a 3-5 record versus the tournament field this season … In MAC Championship play, the Cardinals are 16-13 versus the field, while they are 247-107-1 all-time against opponents it could face, staring with a 47-21-1 mark against Saturday’s quarterfinal opponent No. 6 seed Bowling Green.

BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL TO PLAY AT EVANSVILLE SATURDAY IN INTRASTATE SHOWDOWN

The Ball State men’s basketball team hits the road for a game at Evansville on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT) in its first away contest of the regular season.

The Cardinals (3-0) and Purple Aces (3-0) both enter the in-state matchup undefeated. Ball State’s trifecta of wins to begin the schedule mark the program’s best start since 1997.

Jalin Anderson tallied 20 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in Tuesday night’s 92-51 triumph over Oakland City to up his scoring average to 19.7 points per game. After opening the season with two contests against National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) opponents, the Cardinals will play NCAA Division I exclusively from here on out.

Evansville beat Mid-American Conference foe Miami (Ohio) 72-64 in their season opener on Nov. 6 before toppling the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis 116-46 on Nov. 9 and most recently beating Southeast Missouri St. 76-57 last Wednesday on the road.

Ball State recorded a 20-12 record (11-7 Mid-American Conference) in 2022-23 to earn the No. 4 seed in the MAC Tournament. Head coach Michael Lewis enters his second season leading the Cardinals after recent stops as an assistant at UCLA, Nebraska and Butler.

Juniors Mickey Pearson Jr. and Basheer Jihad headline the returners, as they averaged 7.7 points and 5.5 rebounds and 7.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, respectively, in 2022-23. Three transfers and five true freshmen bolster Ball State’s 2023-24 team.

SCOUTING EVANSVILLE: The Purple Aces went 5-27 (1-19 Missouri Valley Conference) last season in head coach David Ragland’s first leading the program. Ragland headed south from Butler where he was an assistant coach under LaVall Jordan.

Senior Ben Humrichous leads the Aces in scoring (15.7 points per game), rebounding (5.7) and 3-point shooting (50 percent), while senior forward Yacine Toumi (14.3) and freshman guard Braylon Jackson (14.0) also average in double figures scoring. Guard Kenny Strawbridge Jr., who was voted to the Preseason All-MVC Second Team, adds 8.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest.

CARDINAL DIRECTIONS

Anderson leads the Cardinals in scoring (19.7 points per game), rebounding (5.7), assists (2.3), field goal shooting (64.7 percent) and 3-point shooting (50 percent) among those putting up at least three shots per game. His field goals made (22) ranks No. 51 and scoring average ranks No. 72 in Division I so far this year, and both marks are second in the MAC.

The Cardinals lead the MAC and rank in the Top 10 nationally in turnover margin (+12.3, fourth), turnovers forced per game (21.0, eighth) and scoring defense (53.0 points per game, 10th).

Ball State’s 20 wins last year were its most since 2016-17 when that team won 21. This season’s Cardinals will look for back-to-back 20-win schedules for the first time since that 2016-17 season.

The Cardinals are a young group, as the roster includes only one senior or graduate student (Ethan Brittain-Watts). Ball State returns only 21.5 percent of minutes played and 19.6 percent of points scored from last year’s team.

Brittain-Watts (Boston University), Jalin Anderson (Loyola Marymount) and Davion Bailey (Southeastern CC) form Ball State’s trio of transfers.

Joey Brown (Indianapolis), Zane Doughty (Indianapolis), Mason Jones (Valparaiso, Ind.), Trent Middleton Jr. (Philadelphia) and Jurica Zagorsak (Zadar, Croatia) are the Cardinals’ quintet of true freshmen.

Ball State recently signed forward Jai Anthoni Bearden (Phoenix, Ariz.) and guard Jermarhi “Fatt” Hill (Bessemer, Ala.) to national letters of intent to form the Cardinals’ 2024 recruiting class.

Up Next

Ball State returns to Worthen Arena to host USC Upstate at 7 p.m. on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WELCOMES NORTHERN IOWA TO WORTHEN ARENA SATURDAY

Opening Tip:

– The Cardinals are looking to start the 2023-24 season with a 4-0 mark Saturday against the Panthers for the first time since the 2017 season. That year Ball State made history under head coach Brady Sallee, finishing the non-conference season with an 11-0 mark.

– Ball State is coming off a road win at Chicago State Tuesday, 85-56. For the third straight game five Cardinals reach double-digit scoring — Annie Rauch (18), Ally Becki (14), Madelyn Bischoff (14), Estel Puiggros (12) and Hana Mühl (10). The Cardinals bench also played another huge part in Ball State’s success with 43 points.

– The Panthers come to Muncie with a 1-1 record after openinng the season with a 78-67 victory over Green Bay and then recently fell to No. 3 Iowa  94-53.

– This will be the second-ever meeting between the Cardinals and the Panthers with Ball State winning the lone contest in Worthen Arena in 2012-13 in the second round of the postseason WNIT by a score of 53-48.

– Next week Ball State faces back-to-back in-state rivals when it plays at IUPUI (Nov. 22) and then will host No. 14/16 Notre Dame (Nov. 24) for a Blackout Black Friday event the day after Thanksgiving.

– Marie Kiefer earned her 100th career block against Chicago State Tuesday night. The junior currently sits in third with 100 career blocks and needs only five more to take sole possession over secnd all-time which is currently held by former Cardinal Rennee Bennett (2013-17). The top stop is held by Tama Bowie (2000-03) with 152 blocks.

– Next Friday’s game will mark the first double-header with the Ball State men’s basketball team. Both squads have started the season 3-0 for the first time since the 1975-76 season.

Fourth Game of the Season:

– The Cardinals have shot over 50 percent from the field in all three of their games this season.

– Ball State continues to dominate offensively on all areas of the court which includes 55 percent from the field (102-186) and 42 percent from behind the arc (27-64).

– In her first three contests as a Cardinal, Nyla Hampton has stolen the ball 14 times and has dished out 17 assists. Hampton is seventh in the nation currently in steals (14) and eighth in steals per game (4.6).

 – After three games the Cardinals rank third nationally in field goal percentage (54.7), ninth in steals per game (16.0), 15th in bench points (39.5), 16th in assists per game (21.5), 19th in turnover margin (11.0) 21st in three-point percentage (43.2) and 21st in scoring offense (91.5).

– The Cardinals have outscored their opponents in every quarter but one so far this season.

Scouting Northern Iowa:

– Northern Iowa is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC).

– Off the bench, the Panthers are averaging 30 points per game, the second-best mark in the MVC.

– UNI averages only 12 turnovers per game, which ranks the lowest in the MVC.

– Norther Iowa is coached by Tanya Warren who is in her 17th season at the helm of the Panthers.

– For the first time in program history, UNI women’s basketball was selected as the Missouri Valley Conference preseason favorite for the 2023-24 season. In the Tanya Warren era, the Panthers have been in the top two six times including this year’s No. 1 projection.

– Forward Grace Boffeli was named the MVC Preseason Player of the Year. She is the first Panther to earn that recognition.

Next Game:

The Cardinals will play at IUPUI on Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 2 pm ET. Ball State and IUPUI have met nine times, with the Cardinals leading the all-time series, 7-2. Ball State and IUPUI’s last meeting was in 2022 in Muncie. The Cardinals won that contest, 61-54. Ball State also won its last contest at IUPUI on Dec. 8, 2021 by a score of 73-67.

INDIANA STATE FOOTBALL

SYCAMORES CLOSE OUT 2023 SEASON WITH ROAD CONTEST AT NO. 20/16 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State hits the road for the final time in 2023 as the Sycamores wrap up the regular season this weekend at No. 20/16 Southern Illinois on Saturday afternoon inside Saluki Stadium. Kickoff between the Sycamores and SIU is set for 2 p.m. ET and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.

Weekly Notes

Quick Hits

Indiana State closes out the 2023 season on the road this weekend as the Sycamores make the trip to Saluki Stadium. The Sycamores boast one of the nation’s toughest schedules in the 2023 season, even without playing either of the Dakota States. Seven teams on the schedule have either been ranked or are currently ranked, while ISU also took on two FBS programs.

Indiana State snapped their 10-game losing streak this past weekend as the Sycamores topped Western Illinois on Saturday afternoon. ISU’s last three conference-opening wins have come against the Leathernecks. ISU makes its first trip to Carbondale since 2018 when the Sycamores topped the Salukis, 24-21. Indiana State has won each of its last four games at SIU dating back to the 2012 season.

Linebacker Garret Ollendieck is the reigning MVFC Defensive Player of the Week following an 11-tackle, 3.0 sack game against WIU. Both Ollendieck (87) and Maddix Blackwell (95) are within striking distance of 100 tackles in the 2023 season, becoming the first ISU players to achieve the mark since Jonas Griffith (106) in 2019.

Southern Illinois At A Glance

Southern Illinois enters the weekend with a 6-4 overall record, 3-4 in Missouri Valley play. The Salukis enter the game sitting eighth in the MVFC heading into the final weekend with conference wins against Western Illinois, Murray State, and Missouri State. SIU’s four conference losses have come at the hands of Youngstown State, South Dakota State, South Dakota, and North Dakota State. SIU was picked fifth in the conference’s preseason poll after receiving 337 points as voted on by the league’s head coaches, SIDs, and media members.

The Salukis feature a balanced offensive attack with 119.2 rushing yards and 223.4 passing yards per game. Quarterback Nic Baker leads the offense passing at least 200 yards in five of the 10 games played on the year, including a 462-yard, 3-touchdown game earlier this season against SEMO. Safety PJ Jules is among the conference leaders with 88 tackles, while adding 11.5 tackles-for-loss and nine pass breakups on the year. SIU is top-10 in the NCAA in TFL (8th) and sacks (8th).

On This Date

Indiana State has played five games all-time on November 18 dating back to their first contest vs. Butler back in 1950. The Sycamores are 2-3 overall on the date according to current records on hand with their wins coming in 1972 and 1978.

ISU has lined up once against Southern Illinois on the date, winning on the road in 1972. The Sycamores have lined up against one ranked team on the date in the 2017 season falling to No. 24 Northern Iowa

1950 – vs. Butler – L, 32-0

1972 – at Southern Illinois – W, 31-3

1978 – vs. Wichita State – W, 42-18

1995 – vs. Eastern Illinois – L, 27-6

2017 – at #24 Northern Iowa – L, 41-3

Last Time Against Southern Illinois

Indiana State was unable to slow down a high-powered Southern Illinois offensive attack as the Sycamores fell to the visiting #16/15 Salukis in Memorial Stadium, 47-21. Southern Illinois scored on each of their first three offensive possessions and added four touchdown drives midway through the game in securing the conference win. The Sycamores battled through 12 penalties in the contest as Indiana State was unable to sustain momentum through the contest despite another standout performance from Dante Hendrix in the loss.

Hendrix continued to pace the Indiana State offensive efforts with his second double-digit catch performance of the season. The redshirt junior wide receiver hauled in 10 catches for 83 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Indiana State’s final home game of the 2021 season. Anthony Thompson went 21-of-33 through the air for 192 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Kurtis Wilderman added a fourth-quarter touchdown pass late in the contest. Phazione McClurge added six catches for 51 yards, while Rontrez Morgan added a three-catch, 32-yard game with his first touchdown catch of the season. Peterson Kerlegrand paced the ISU rushing efforts with 56 yards on 18 carries.

Geoffrey Brown led the Sycamores defense with a team-high nine tackles, while Mekhi Ware and JJ Henderson combined for four pass breakups on the defensive side. Brown also paced the Sycamores efforts with 1.5 tackles for loss, while Rylan Cole and Ethan Hoover added seven tackles apiece.

Trends in ISU’s Road Wins At Southern Illinois

Indiana State has won four consecutive road games at Southern Illinois dating back to the 2012 season. Key to the Sycamores’ success during the stretch against the Salukis includes a standout offensive performance, as well as defensive pressure along the line.

Sept. 29, 2012 – W, 24-3

Shakir Bell – 160 yards, 2 TD; Calvin Burnett – 2 INTs

Oct. 25, 2014 – W, 41-26

Mike Perish – 353 yards, 4 TD; Connor Underwood – 2.5 sacks

Oct. 22, 2016 – W, 22-14

Isaac Harker – 336 yards, 3 TD; Justin Hornsby – 4.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks

Oct. 20, 2018 – W, 24-21

Ja’Quan Keys – 156 yards, 2 TDs; Katrell Moss – 16 tackles

Reigning MVFC Defensive Player of the Week

Garret Ollendieck had another monster game on the defensive side of the ball for Indiana State as the Sycamore junior linebacker posted his first career 3.0-sack game. The Cresco, Iowa native finished the contest with 11 tackles including three sacks against Western Illinois. He also added two quarterback hurries as ISU consistently harried the Leathernecks’ passing game on Saturday afternoon.

Ollendieck was disruptive early with his first sack of the game ending Western Illinois’ second drive in the first quarter. He added four tackles on a drive in the second quarter that led to an ISU interception to end another WIU drive inside Sycamore territory.

The junior linebacker came up big in the fourth quarter with his sack setting up a 4th-and-14 inside Western territory. The next play, he went back through the middle for a quarterback hurry on a play that resulted in an incompletion and turnover on downs. Justin Dinka scored three plays later for the game-clinching touchdown.

INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

SYCAMORES CLOSE OPENING HOMESTAND AGAINST WRIGHT STATE

Indiana State closes an early-season two-game homestand Saturday afternoon when it faces Wright State inside Hulman Center.

Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. with the game being carried on ESPN+.

Gameday Promotions

Saturday’s game has been designated as Local Heroes Day, with discounted tickets available at the Hulman Center box office to active and retired military, first responders and healthcare workers.

Mace Ford is Saturday’s game sponsor. For more information on our game sponsor, visit HERE.

Last Time Out

Chelsea Cain led all players with 20 points and nine rebounds Wednesday, but visiting Illinois-Springfield defeated Indiana State 71-69 inside Hulman Center.

Kiley Bess and Mya Glanton added 11 points apiece, with Glanton also finishing one rebound shy of a double-double. Chloe Williams had seven rebounds and five points off the bench.

Indiana State led by as many as eight in the second quarter, thanks in large part to 20 combined points in the first half from Cain, Bess and Ella Sawyer. Cain added six points in the third to keep the Sycamores on top for most of the period, but a UIS run saw the teams tied heading into the fourth. Back-to-back baskets late from Glanton gave Indiana State a four-point lead with less than three minutes remaining, but Illinois-Springfield closed on an 8-2 run to upend the Sycamores in their home opener.

Get To The Line

Indiana State has found its way to the free throw line frequently in its first three games, and the Sycamores have converted their opportunities from the charity stripe.

ISU leads the MVC with 19.3 free throws made per game and is shooting 73.4 percent from the line. The Sycamores rank in the top 20 nationally in both free throw attempts (20th, 26.0 per game) and made free throws per game (16th, 19.3 per game).

Crashing The Glass

Indiana State is among the best in the Missouri Valley Conference on the glass, as the Sycamores are second in the conference with 43.3 rebounds per game.

The Trees are averaging 15.7 offensive rebounds per game and have a rebound margin of plus-8.0 per game, both marks which rank third in the conference and in the top 100 nationally. Indiana State has won the rebounding margin by double-digits in two of its first three games this season.

Magic Numbers

Indiana State has been tough to beat when scoring 70 or more points under Chad Killinger. The Sycamores have scored 70-plus points 17 times under Killinger and are 14-3 in those games.

Included in that mark is a perfect 8-0 record when scoring 80 or more points. Indiana State has won those seven games by an average of 19 points, which includes the Sycamores’ season-opening win at Northern Kentucky.

Conversely, the Sycamores have also been hard to beat when their opponents fail to put up high point totals. Indiana State is 12-4 over the last two seasons when allowing fewer than 60 points, including a 4-0 mark in games where the Trees allowed less than 50 points. All of Indiana State’s wins when allowing less than 50 points have come by double-digits.

Championship Pedigree

Indiana State’s additions for the 2023-24 season, be it coaching staff or student-athlete, add much-needed championship experience to a Sycamore team in search of its first conference regular season title since 2013-14 and its first-ever conference tournament title.

First-year assistant coach Kelby Fritz joined the Sycamore coaching staff from Missouri Southern, where she helped lead the Lions to their best season in program history, a MIAA regular season and tournament title, and an NCAA Division II Regional Final.

On the player side, Kiley Bess comes to Terre Haute after being a part of Saint Louis’ 2022-23 A-10 Tournament-winning team. Bess also comes from a decorated family, as her grandfather is Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Gene Bess, the all-time winningest college basketball coach, and her father is the head men’s basketball coach and athletic director at Three Rivers College.

Indiana State’s freshman class also brings championship experience to Terre Haute. Jailah Pelly was a part of O’Fallon Township’s 2023 Illinois Class 4A state title-winning team, while Keslyn Secrist led Pulaski County to the Virginia Class 4 State Championship game.

Coming Full Circle

Indiana State assistant coach Alexis Newbolt is in the midst of a full-circle moment in her first season on the sidelines in Terre Haute.

Newbolt played two seasons at Indiana State (2014-16), earning MVC Newcomer Week honors once during her playing career with the Blue and White. Her playing career coincided with the last time the Sycamores earned votes in the AP Top 25, which came during the 2014-15 season.

In addition to her playing career as a Sycamore, Newbolt also has a prior connection to head coach Chad Killinger. Newbolt played for two seasons under Killinger at Moberly Area CC (2012-14), earning NJCAA All-America honors during her time as a Greyhound.

Wright State at a Glance

Wright State enters the weekend at 1-2 and is coming off its first win of the 2023-24 season, an 88-64 victory over Mount Vernon Nazarene.

Alexis Hutchison leads the Raiders in scoring at 13.0 points per game, while Kacee Baumhower averages 12.0 points per game for the Raiders. Rachel Loobie has a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game, while both Baumhower and Makiya Miller average more than three assists per game.

Wright State is looking to improve off its 2022-23 record of 8-24. The Raiders’ eight wins marked a four-win improvement from the previous season.

Head coach Kari Hoffman is in her third season at the helm and has a 13-45 record at Wright State. Hoffman was previously the head coach at Cedarville, going 106-38 in five seasons.

Series History Against Wright State

Wright State has a 4-3 lead in the all-time series, though Saturday’s matchup is the first between the Sycamores and Raiders since the 2004-05 season. Indiana State and Wright State have split the four previous meetings played in Terre Haute.

Last Game Against Wright State (Dec. 11, 2004)

Anne Thatcher, Ashley Clark and Rachel Maenpaa all scored in double-figures for Indiana State, but Wright State used a strong second half to defeat the Sycamores 60-52.

Indiana State led during most of the first half, including as much as nine twice, and still was up 36-29 after a Nikki Hall layup with 15:34 to play. The Raiders, however, answered with a 13-0 run over the next three-plus minutes, five each by Brittney Whiteside and Tyanda Hammock, to go ahead 42-36.

The Raider advantage was as much as nine twice before an ISU 7-1 run cut the margin to 52-49 with 3:51 remaining. It stayed that way until a 5-0 WSU run with just over a minute to go made it 56-49. Melanie Boeglin answered with a three for the Sycamores, but Indiana State could get no closer than two.

Up Next

Indiana State heads to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to compete in the Puerto Rico Clasico over Thanksgiving. The Sycamores will face Radford on Thanksgiving Day and Northern Illinois on November 25, with both games slated for an 11 a.m. ET tip.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S BASKETBALL

‘DONS FINISH GAME ON 16-2 RUN TO DEFEAT NORTHERN ARIZONA 77-67

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Purdue Fort Wayne allowed just two field goals over the game’s final six minutes to take down the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 77-67 in the first game of the Arizona Tip-off on Friday (Nov. 17).

The win advances the ‘Dons to the championship game of the Arizona Tip-off Desert Division on Saturday (Nov. 18) against South Dakota. It will be a 4:30 p.m. ET tip against the former Summit League rival at Desert Diamond Arena. The only way to follow the game tomorrow is via the online audio stream at this link with Brett Rump on the call.

The Mastodons benefited from a career-high 27 points from Quinton Morton-Robertson who went 8-of-11 from the floor and 5-of-8 from three. He scored 14 points in the second half including 11 in the final 4:21.

Northern Arizona was down 10 at 57-47 when they went on a 15-0 run to take a 62-57 lead with 6:19 left. The Lumberjacks would only record two more field goals the rest of the way. An Anthony Roberts layup tied the game at 2:42. Morton-Robertson added a fast break layup on the next possession to put the ‘Dons up for good at 67-65 with 2:09 left. All told it was a 20-5 run to close the game. The ‘Dons forced four turnovers in the stretch and made 9-of-10 free throws to clinch it.

Roberts added his second double-double of the young season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Rasheed Bello had 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. The vast majority of his line came in the second half as he earned two fouls in six minutes in the first.

The ‘Dons forced 22 Lumberjack turnovers and turned them into 27 points. Purdue Fort Wayne led for better than 23 minutes in the contest which featured nine ties and eight lead changes.

The teams shot nearly identical. The Lumberjacks finished 27-of-59. The ‘Dons were 27-of-58.

Purdue Fort Wayne was cheered on by nearly 20 members of The Herd, the school’s official student section that made the trip to Arizona.

The ‘Dons continue their best start as a Division I program by improving to 4-0. Northern Arizona is now 1-3.

EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL HOSTS BALL STATE ON SATURDAY

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Riding the first 3-0 start since the 2019-20 season, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team is back at the Ford Center on Saturday to welcome an undefeated Ball State squad.  Tip is set for 1 p.m. with ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network covering the action.

Last Time Out

– For the second game in a row, Evansville never trailed while improving to 3-0 with a 76-57 road win at SEMO

– Yacine Toumi tied his career scoring mark with 20 tallies while Ben Humrichous posted his second 18-point game of the season

– Cam Haffner recorded his first double figure outing with the Aces, scoring 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting

– The win was the largest road margin for the program since defeating Miami Ohio by a 69-50 margin in 2014

Another 18-Point Effort

– Ben Humrichous posted his second 18-point game of the season in the win at SEMO on Wednesday, hitting 7 of his 10 attempts

Tying His Mark

– Converting 10 of his 13 field goal tries, Yacine Toumi tied his career scoring mark with 20 points

– Toumi scored 20 last season against UIC

– He remains second on the squad with 14.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game

– Through three games, Toumi has shot 72.4%, which is second in the MVC

– Over the last two games, he has shot 80% (16-for-20)

Back in the MVC

– Scoring eight points in each of the last two games, Antonio Thomas is settling into his role at UE

– Thomas leads the Aces with 8 assists, 6 steals and an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.67

– He ranks in a tie for 7th in the Valley with his average of 2.00 steals per game

– Thomas, who is in his fifth collegiate season, opened his career at Bradley where he was part of the 2020 MVC Championship team as a freshman

Scouting the Opponent

– Ball State takes to the road for the first time this season after opening with three home games

– The Cardinals come into Saturday’s game with a 3-0 mark with wins over Goshen, Old Dominion and Oakland City

– Three players average double figures with Jalin Anderson leading the way with 19.7 points per game

– He is a 64.7% shooter and has added 5.0 rebounds

– Basheer Jihad is second on the team with 15.0 PPG while Mickey Pearson Jr. checks in with 11.3

– Jihad is tied with Anderson for the team lead in rebounds with 5.0 per contest

MEN’S BASKETBALL ANNOUNCES THE SIGNING OF BATTLE AND BERRIDGE

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Continuing an impressive recruiting trend since he first stepped foot on the University of Evansville campus, men’s basketball coach David Ragland has announced the signing of Kaia Berridge and Ramondo Battle.  Both will join the Purple Aces in 2024.

“We are extremely excited to add two skilled and talented players to our roster for the 2024-25 season.  Adding both Berridge and Battle will add to our roster size, skill and shooting ability,” Ragland stated.  “Both young men come from wonderful families who have instilled great qualities into each of these young men. Recruiting quality people from quality families and basketball programs continues to be a huge focus of our coaching staff as we continue to build a culture for long-term success on and off the floor.”

KAIA BERRIDGE

Kaia Berridge is a 6-foot-4 guard who is entering his final high school season at Archbishop Riordan in San Francisco.  As a junior Berridge helped his team to a 23-7 mark, including a 12-2 record in league competition.

“Arriving in Evansville reminded me so much of New Zealand. The weather, the landscape. And then arriving on campus, and meeting the staff, the people reminded me of home too,” Berridge said.  “Everyone is super friendly and embracing. I immediately felt comfortable. The facilities at Evansville are amazing for a student-athlete.”

Berridge represented New Zealand U17 World Cup Team in 2022.  During the event, he played in six contests for an average of 17.7 minutes per game.  He posted 4.3 points, 2.8 assists and 2.2 rebounds per contest.

“The ability to have everything at your fingertips, living quarters, training facilities, classes and the home court arena- made the decision of attending this school so much easier,” he added. “With peace of my mind for my family back in New Zealand, too.”

Coach Ragland on Berridge:

“We had an opportunity to follow Kaia as he was playing last summer in the NBA Academy.

Kaia’s ability to run a team as a lead guard was the first thing that jumped out to us as a staff.

He plays with very good offensive pace and rarely gets sped up or makes an incorrect read.

Kaia is a very good athlete with an ability to play above the rim.  He always can shoot from behind the 3-point line while also being a willing passer.  We have been focused on adding positional size and Kaia embodies that with his 6’4 height as a lead guard.”

RAMONDO BATTLE

Ramondo Battle is set to join the Purple Aces from Walters State Community College in Tennessee.  The 6-foot-8 forward played at Weatherford College last season where he saw action in 30 games and chipped in an average of 11.7 points.  Battle was a 45.1% shooter from the field and knocked down 74.3% of his free throw tries.  He put up solid numbers on the glass, recording 6.1 rebounds per contest.

“Evansville is a perfect fit for so many reasons.  I had a great campus visit and really enjoyed the opportunity to speak with Prez. P. (UE President Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz) and the AD (Director of Athletics Ziggy Siegfried),” Battle exclaimed.  “Evansville is the perfect size for me and seeing the support the program receives from the community was impressive. I was also a big fan of the Ford Center!”

The McKinney, Texas native earned North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Honorable Mention accolades to wrap up his freshman campaign.  Prior to his college career, Battle completed high school at United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School.

“After seeing the system that Evansville runs, I knew that it was a situation where I could be successful,” Battle continued.  “They run a very similar system to what I am accustomed to and that will allow me to make a more immediate impact on the court.”

With three games in the books this season, Battle ranks second on the team with 13.7 points per game.  He has also registered 8.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per contest.

Coach Ragland on Battle:

“We have been focused on size, skill and shooting as a staff since we arrived at UE. Ramondo embodies all those characteristics.  He is 6’8 and shoots the ball with ease from beyond the 3-point line.  He also plays high above the rim and has the ability to drive to a shot or pass to a teammate.  Ramondo will also add collegiate level experience as he has played the last 2 years at the junior college level.”

VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL

VALPO PUTS NO. 23 ILLINOIS ON UPSET WATCH WITH SUPERB FIRST HALF, ILLINI FLIP SCRIPT AFTER HALFTIME

A night that started with a focus on the past ended with an emphasis on the future for the Valparaiso University men’s basketball program.

Roger Powell Jr. took a moment to reflect on the past during the national anthem at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill. The first year Valpo head coach’s first road game at the helm of a program happened to come at Illinois against a Fighting Illini team that he helped take to the 2005 national championship game during his career as a player.

But once the ball was tipped, it was all about the present, and when the game was all said and done, the prevailing storyline was about the future. Valpo gave No. 23 Illinois a scare, leading 45-38 after holding the lead for the entirety of the first 20 minutes. The Fighting Illini turned it around after halftime and pulled away to win 87-64, but the final score didn’t diminish the opening half, which showcased where this program – currently featuring youth and inexperience – is headed in the future.

How It Happened

The Valpo lead was 5-4 three minutes into the game, then the Beacons reeled off eight straight points with a made 3-pointer by Isaiah Stafford (Bolingbrook, Ill. / Crispus Attucks [John A. Logan / Southern Indiana) following an offensive rebound extending the possession, and eventually extending the lead to 13-4.

The Illini closed to within three on a triple by Luke Goode at the 13:45 mark, but the game’s next basket was another Stafford trey to double the lead back to six at 18-12.

Illinois clawed to within three, but Jerome Palm (Almere, Netherlands / Echnaton [Hillsborough CC]) and Cooper Schwieger (Overland Park, Kan. / Blue Valley Southwest [Link Year]) had buckets to up the gap to seven.

The Illini had closed to within two at 24-22 by the 7:18 mark, but then Jahari Williamson (Pickering, Ontario, Canada / Royal Crown Academy) nailed back-to-back contested 3s to boost the lead back to eight. Stafford corralled a rebound and notched a fastbreak layup to bolster the lead to 10, forcing an Illinois timeout. 

Stafford drilled another big 3 with 1:06 left in the half to make it 43-36, then added another hoop with 35 ticks on the clock to make it 45-36. Valpo went into the break leading by seven at 45-38.

Schwieger had a big 3-point play early in the second half to help Valpo stem the tide and build the lead back to six at 51-45, but Illinois scored the next seven points to take the lead at 52-51.

A dunk by Palm seesawed the lead back in Valpo’s favor, but then Luke Goode made consecutive 3s to help Illinois pad the lead to five. The Illini would not look back, leading the rest of the way and in total outscoring Valpo 49-19 after halftime. Illinois went on a 10-0 run at the midway mark of the half.

Inside the Game

Stafford scored 30 points to lead all scorers, finishing one point shy of a career high that he achieved on Feb. 26, 2022 while playing at Southern Illinois vs. Lindenwood. This was the most points scored by a Beacon since Ben Krikke had 34 at UIC on Feb. 19 of last season.

Stafford joins Krikke (3x), Javon Freeman-Liberty (twice), Bakari Evelyn, Alec Peters (10x) and LaVonte Dority (twice) as the only Valpo players in the last decade with a 30-point game.

Stafford had the most points scored by a non-power conference opponent against Illinois since Ohio’s Jason Preston in 2020.

Edwards pulled down 15 rebounds, the most by a Valpo player since Ben Krikke on Jan. 24, 2021 at Illinois State. Edwards tied with Krikke and Javon Freeman-Liberty for the most rebounds by a Valpo player since Alec Peters had 16 on Jan. 16, 2017 vs. Green Bay.

Palm posted a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, establishing a new personal best in the scoring column. His previous career high was 11 set last season at Belmont and matched this year vs. Trinity Christian. This was Valpo’s first double-double since Krikke at UIC on Feb. 19 of last season.

Valpo turned the ball over just seven times, the team’s second straight game with seven or fewer.

Valpo blocked seven shots and has blocked at least six in every game this season.

Valpo was seeking its first-ever true road win against an AP Top-25 opponent and led by seven at halftime. The program fell to 0-43 all-time on the road against nationally-ranked foes, with three of the program’s four ranked wins coming at home and one on a neutral floor.

Thoughts from Head Coach Roger Powell

“Credit those guys; they made a run in the second half. When you’re playing a Big Ten team in the State Farm Center, those runs are hard to overcome. Illini fans are special. They gave them that extra boost. One thing that we proved is that we can be a pretty good team. We have a lack of experience and some of these guys have never been through it before. I’m excited to continue to grow with this team. I love them. I’m proud of them. I told them to walk out of the locker room with their head up and chest out. We’re going to get there. I’m excited; we’re building something special.”

Up Next

The Beacons (2-2) will return home on Tuesday night to host Western Illinois at 7 p.m. at the Athletics-Recreation Center. For ticket information, visit valpoathletics.com/tickets.

VALPO VOLLEYBALL

VOLLEYBALL OPENS MVC TOURNAMENT SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Valparaiso (18-13, 10-8 MVC)

at MVC Tournament (Springfield, Mo.)

Sunday, Nov. 19 – vs. Belmont (13-19, 7-11 MVC) – 3 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 20 – vs. Southern Illinois (19-10, 11-7 MVC) – 3 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 21 – vs. UNI (24-6, 18-0 MVC) – 3 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 22 – Title match – 4 p.m.

Next Up For Valpo Volleyball: The Valpo volleyball team heads to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in Springfield, Mo. early next week as the fifth seed in the eight-team field. The Beacons, who open tournament play against eighth-seeded Belmont, will have to win four matches in four days to claim the tournament title.

Previously: Valpo closed the regular season on Wednesday at UIC, falling in straight sets to the Flames.

Looking Ahead: The winner of the tournament earns the MVC’s automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The NIVC is also a potential postseason landing spot for Valley teams.

Following the Beacons: Every tournament match will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Links for the live video and stats are available via ValpoAthletics.com.

Head Coach Carin Avery: In her 22nd season as head coach at Valparaiso, Carin Avery is the all-time winningest head coach across all sports in the history of Valpo Athletics. She has won 489 matches (489-241, .670) at the helm of the program and has led Valpo to three league regular season and tournament titles. The program has made six postseason appearances under Avery, including three NCAA Tournament appearances, and advanced to the championship match of the 2021 NIVC. Avery has coached 60 All-League recipients over her tenure at Valpo, which has spanned three different conferences. She is Valpo’s all-time leader in both victories and winning percentage, and owns a 544-265 (.672) record overall as a head coach.

Series History: Belmont – 4-0 overall; 4-0 under Coach Avery; 3-0 in MVC

10/27 – W 3-0 at Valpo – Elise Swistek 13 kills, .333; Miranda Strongman 10 kills, .471; Addy Kois 22 assists on 42 set attempts

Southern Illinois – 11-5 overall (6 straight wins); 11-4 under Coach Avery; 11-2 since joining MVC

9/23 – W 3-0 at Valpo – Mallory Januski 15 kills, .522; Miranda Strongman 11 kills, .556

10/20 – W 3-1 at SIU – Miranda Strongman 13 kills, .407, 6 blocks; Mallory Januski 12 kills, 6 blocks; Elise Swistek 28 digs

UNI – 4-18 overall; 4-12 under Coach Avery; 4-12 since joining MVC

9/29 – L 3-0 at UNI – Mallory Januski 12 kills, .435; Miranda Strongman 9 kills, .471; Emma Hickey 22 digs

11/11 – L 3-1 at Valpo (only MVC team to win first set from UNI this season) – Bella Ravotto 12 kills, .333, 12 digs; Elise Swistek 12 kills, 17 digs; Emma Hickey 20 digs

Tournament History: The Beacons enter the 2023 MVC Tournament with a 4-5 record since joining the Valley in conference tournament play. Valpo has won its opening-round matchup in each of its last four appearances at the tournament before dropping its second tournament match, including three defeats against the tournament’s top seed. Valpo has qualified for the MVC Tournament in each of its seven seasons in the Valley, but did not compete at the spring 2021 tournament after qualifying as the fifth seed, as it was forced to withdraw due to COVID-19 issues.

Winning Tradition Continues: Valpo secured a winning 2023 season when it defeated Bradley on the road earlier this month, securing the 20th winning season in 22 years under head coach Carin Avery. The Beacons are also just two wins shy of the 20-win milestone, which would be the 18th 20-win campaign in Avery’s 22 seasons.

Top Half Finishes: The Beacons the regular season in a tie for fifth-place finish in the final MVC regular season standings. Valpo has now finished in the top-half of the Valley standings in each of its seven years in the conference, the only MVC program to accomplish that feat. Going back further, Valpo has posted top-half conference finishes in 21 of Avery’s 22 seasons – as well as qualifying for the conference tournament in each of her 22 seasons – and 30 of the last 31 years overall.

Top of the Charts: With Valpo’s win over Purdue Fort Wayne to close out nonconference action, head coach Carin Avery surpassed Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame member Emory Bauer for the most wins by a Valpo head coach across all sports in department history.

Bauer amassed his victories over three different sports, collecting 361 wins in 28 seasons as head coach of the baseball program, 109 victories in 22 years guiding the football team and eight wins in one season as men’s basketball head coach.

Avery’s record total, meanwhile, has obviously come all at the helm of the Valpo volleyball program. In her 22nd season as head coach, Avery’s teams have averaged better than 22 wins per year in her first 21 years guiding the program. Under Avery, Valpo has posted the six winningest seasons in program history, including a program-best 29 wins in 2004.

Road Warriors: Being away from home has been kind to Valpo since the start of October. The loss at UIC in the regular season finale snapped a six-match road winning streak for the Beacons, as they had reeled off consecutive road victories over Indiana State, Evansville, Southern Illinois, Missouri State, Bradley and Illinois State. It was the program’s first time winning any six true road matches in a row since the 2014 season. It was also the first time Valpo has won six consecutive conference road matches since the 2004 team went a perfect 7-0 away from home in Mid-Continent Conference play.

Digging Deep: Valpo continued its long tradition of strong back row play last fall, finishing 10th nationally and leading the MVC with 17.27 digs/set. The program has ranked among the top-30 nationally in digs/set in each of the last 12 seasons, highlighted by the 2017 campaign in which it led the nation with 20.03 digs/set. Other top finishes include third nationally in the spring 2021 season (20.37/set), a fourth-place rank in 2010 and a sixth-place finish in 2015. Since the move to 25-point scoring, only seven teams have averaged more than 20 digs/set over the course of a season, and Valpo is the only program to have done it twice. 2018 saw Valpo lead the nation with 2,613 total digs – a mark which set a program single-season record and a Division I record in the 25-point era. This year’s team has again done well to keep rallies alive, entering the tournament atop the MVC and ranked ninth nationally with 17.30 digs/set, while individually, Emma Hickey sits 14th nationally with 5.25 digs/set.

Another Milestone Hit: Junior outside Elise Swistek entered last weekend just 23 digs shy of 1,000 for her career and picked up 22 on Friday versus Drake, setting herself up to reach the milestone with her very first dig on Saturday against UNI. Remarkably, Swistek is the third Beacon this season to hit the 1,000-dig milestone, joining Emma Hickey and Victoria Bulmahn. Valpo now has 26 players all-time with 1,000 or more digs, four of whom are currently active – Swistek and Bella Ravotto are two of 13 outside hitters in program history to reach the mark, Hickey is one of six liberos and Bulmahn is one of seven setters.

Climbing the Digs Chart: Both fifth-year outside Bella Ravotto and sophomore libero Emma Hickey continue to climb the program’s career digs chart. Ravotto, who moved into the top-10 in program history for career digs last month, enters the tournament with 1,629 career digs – just 24 shy of Sarah Dooms in seventh position. Meanwhile, Hickey – who became the fastest player in program history and MVC history to 1,000 career digs earlier this season, and is the only current D-I sophomore already over 1,000 digs – now owns 1,333 career digs, already up to 14th in program history.

Closing Strong: Fifth-year outside Bella Ravotto is putting together a strong stretch of matches to close her collegiate career, as she has been in double figures in kills five out of the last six matches – a stretch prior to which she had only been in double figures in kills six times all season. Ravotto has paced Valpo in kills in each of its last three matches, posting 12 kills apiece against Drake and UNI before a 13-dig effort last time out at UIC. Her match against the regular season champion Panthers might have been her best all-around effort of the year, as she hit .333 with 12 kills and 12 digs, while also handling 34 serve receptions without an error.

Efficient Middles: Valpo’s middle duo of Mallory Januski and Miranda Strongman both cracked the program’s single-season top-10 in hitting percentage last season (Januski .353, 1st; Strongman .308, 4th), and both are poised to do so again this season, as Januski enters the MVC Tournament hitting .312 and Strongman .301. Prior to last season, there were just four seasons in program history where an individual had hit at better than a .300 clip.

All-Tournament Team Honorees: Six different Valpo players made nine All-Tournament Teams in the season’s first four weekends:

Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational – Emma Hickey, Mallory Januski

Stacheville Challenge – Januski, Miranda Strongman

Popcorn Classic – Bella Ravotto (MVP), Olivia Blackketter, Januski

EIU Volleyball Invitational – Strongman, Sam Warren

Three Times the Fun: Parse the previous list and you’ll see senior middle Mallory Januski picking up a trio of All-Tournament Team honors this season. It is the first time a Valpo player has earned spots on three All-Tournament teams in the same season since Allison Ketcham did so in 2018. But, one of Ketcham’s honors came in the postseason at the MVC Tournament – Januski is the first Valpo player in the Carin Avery era to receive three All-Tournament Team spots from solely early-season, preconference tournaments.

A Balanced Attack: Last year’s Valpo team was notable for its balance on the attack, and this year’s squad has been no different. Elise Swistek’s 2.45 kills/set leads the Beacons, but ranks just 23rd overall among Valley players. Five regulars are averaging between 1.79 and 2.45 kills/set.

Capturing Crowns: The Beacons’ triumph in the Popcorn Classic added yet another crown to the program’s trophy case. Valpo has now won 34 in-season tournament titles in head coach Carin Avery’s time at the helm of the program. The team has won at least one tournament in 17 of her seasons, and multiple tournaments 11 times. Those tournament titles have come in 14 different states.

Valpo Picked Sixth in Preseason Poll: Valpo was picked to finish in sixth place in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2023, according to preseason polling of the conference’s head coaches. For the sixth time in Valpo’s seven seasons in the Valley, the program met or exceeded the preseason prognostication.

UINDY VOLLEYBALL

HOUNDS FALL TO #13 LEWIS IN GLVC QUARTERFINAL

WILLIAMSVILLE, Ill. – The UIndy volleyball saw its season come to an end on Friday in the GLVC quarterfinals against No. 13 and second-seeded Lewis in straight sets.

The Greyhounds finished 18-11, tallying their most wins since the 2019 season.

“It’s always tough to end the season,” said head coach Jason Reed. We had a solid season and continued to improve. I loved our fight down the stretch.”

Grace Hegwood led the team with eight kills, while libero Ellie Spang scooped up 22 digs. Setter Claire Morris, who was named to the All-GLVC Second Team on Thursday evening, recorded her seventh double-double of the season, and third of the month, with 26 assists and 12 digs.

Spang finishes her rookie campaign with 440 digs, fifth-most by a freshman in program history.

Despite the sweep result, the match witnessed 17 ties and 10 lead changes, including nine and six, respectively, in the third set.

All-GLVC First Team middle Hannah Sabotin finished with seven kills and two blocks, while second-teamer Sophia Parlanti added with seven kills and four digs on the outside.

Reed now has 182 career wins during his 11-year tenure at UIndy, sitting just 18 victories from joining Jody Rogers (406) and Sue Willey (227) in the 200-club.

The senior class, consisting of Lauren Cullison, Elizabeth Eads, Hegwood, Ashlyn Meyer, and Sabotin led the program through the pandemic to wrap their careers with a turnaround season. Eads and Hegwood were freshmen in 2019 when UIndy earned a berth to the NCAA DII Midwest Regional for the first time since 2014.

“We wish our seniors the best and know they’ll have success in their future endeavors,” concluded Reed.

UINDY MEN’S SOCCER

MEN’S SOCCER PREPARES FOR NCAA TOURNAMENT ON SUNDAY

INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy men’s soccer team prepares for their first match of the 2023 NCAA Championship Tournament as the No. 3 seed. The Greyhounds will face seventh-seeded Lake Erie College in Key Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 19th at 2:30.

The Hounds are 11-1-7 after winning the GLVC Tournament Championship on Nov. 12th. The Storm are currently 11-6-4 and most recently fell to first-seeded Tiffin in the G-MAC Tournament Championship.

UIndy and Lake Erie met earlier in the season on Sept. 2nd. The Greyhounds took home the win with a final score of 3-1.

MARIAN MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

HIPKISS EARNS TOP-100 FINISH AT 2023 NAIA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Vancouver, Wash. – The 2023 NAIA Cross Country season came to its conclusion on Friday afternoon in Vancouver, Washington, as the NAIA Championships were held in the northwest region of the country. Blake Hipkiss represented the Knights well at the championship to finish the men’s cross country season, as he finished 83rd overall in the field of 199 student-athletes.

Hipkiss started the race strong with an opening split time of 2:57.6 to the first kilometer, running in 22nd place overall. Hipkiss dropped two spots over the next kilometer as his split time increased six second, still holding strong in the top-25.

The senior’s third kilometer dropped him below the All-American threshold, as his 3:23.2 split time pushed him to 50th overall. Hipkiss continued to fight despite dropping in the field to as far back as 98th overall. After a 3:30 split on the seventh kilometer, the senior attacked the final leg of the race, gutting a 3:08.1 time to gain 15 spots and finish 83rd overall, clocking a final time of 26:08.4.

Hipkiss’ finish ends the men’s cross country season, as the Knights can now turn their full attention to indoor track and field. The first indoor meet of the season will be held on December 2 at UIndy with the Knights sending their developmental team athletes to the southside, while the first varsity meet of the season will take place on Friday, December 8, as Marian races at the annual John Gartland Invite hosted by Indiana State.

SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETICS

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

NBA STANDINGS

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Last 10	Streak
Boston	10	2	.833	—	5-0	5-2	7-1	10-1	8-2	5 W
Philadelphia	9	3	.750	1.0	6-2	3-1	3-1	7-3	8-2	1 W
New York	7	5	.583	3.0	3-2	4-3	0-2	5-4	6-4	2 W
Brooklyn	6	6	.500	4.0	3-3	3-3	0-2	5-5	6-4	1 L
Toronto	5	7	.417	5.0	3-4	2-3	0-4	2-6	4-6	2 L
Central Divison
	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Last 10	Streak
Milwaukee	8	4	.667	—	5-1	3-3	2-1	8-4	7-3	3 W
Indiana	7	4	.636	0.5	5-2	2-2	3-1	5-4	6-4	1 W
Cleveland	6	6	.500	2.0	2-3	4-3	1-2	3-3	5-5	2 W
Chicago	4	9	.308	4.5	3-5	1-4	2-2	3-5	3-7	3 L
Detroit	2	11	.154	6.5	1-5	1-6	1-3	2-6	0-10	10 L
Southeast Division
	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Last 10	Streak
Miami	8	4	.667	—	4-1	4-3	3-0	5-3	7-3	7 W
Orlando	7	5	.583	1.0	3-1	4-3	0-1	3-2	5-5	2 W
Atlanta	6	6	.500	2.0	2-4	3-2	2-2	4-5	6-4	2 L
Charlotte	3	8	.273	4.5	1-5	2-3	2-2	3-6	2-8	3 L
Washington	2	10	.167	6.0	1-4	1-6	1-3	1-9	1-9	5 L
Western Conference
Northwest Division
	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Last 10	Streak
Denver	9	3	.750	—	7-0	2-3	2-1	8-3	7-3	1 L
Minnesota	8	3	.727	0.5	5-0	3-3	2-0	6-1	8-2	1 L
Oklahoma City	8	4	.667	1.0	4-3	4-1	0-1	3-4	6-4	3 W
Utah	4	8	.333	5.0	3-3	1-5	1-2	4-5	3-7	1 L
Portland	3	9	.250	6.0	1-4	2-5	0-1	1-6	3-7	6 L
Pacific Division
	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Last 10	Streak
Sacramento	7	4	.636	—	4-1	3-3	2-2	6-4	6-4	5 W
LA Lakers	7	6	.538	1.0	5-1	2-5	3-2	6-4	6-4	1 W
Phoenix	6	6	.500	1.5	2-4	4-2	1-2	4-5	5-5	2 W
Golden State	6	7	.462	2.0	1-5	5-2	2-1	5-5	4-6	5 L
LA Clippers	4	7	.364	3.0	4-1	0-6	0-1	3-5	3-7	1 W
Southwest Division
	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Last 10	Streak
Dallas	9	3	.750	—	4-1	5-2	3-1	4-2	7-3	1 W
Houston	6	4	.600	2.0	6-1	0-3	1-1	5-3	6-4	1 L
New Orleans	6	6	.500	3.0	4-3	2-3	2-2	4-5	4-6	2 W
San Antonio	3	9	.250	6.0	1-5	2-4	1-1	3-5	2-8	7 L
Memphis	2	9	.182	6.5	0-5	2-4	0-2	2-7	2-8	1 L

NFL STANDINGS

American Football Conference
East Division
	W	L	T	Pct	GB	PF	PA	Home	Road	vs. Conf	vs. Div	Streak
Miami Dolphins	6	3	0	.667	0.0	285	225	4-0-0	2-3-0	4-2-0	2-1-0	1 L
Buffalo Bills	5	5	0	.500	1.5	262	184	4-2-0	1-3-0	2-5-0	1-2-0	2 L
New York Jets	4	5	0	.444	2.0	144	172	2-3-0	2-2-0	2-4-0	1-1-0	2 L
New England Patriots	2	8	0	.200	4.5	141	238	1-5-0	1-3-0	2-4-0	2-2-0	3 L
West Division
	W	L	T	Pct	GB	PF	PA	Home	Road	vs. Conf	vs. Div	Streak
Kansas City Chiefs	7	2	0	.778	0.0	208	143	4-1-0	3-1-0	5-1-0	2-1-0	1 W
Las Vegas Raiders	5	5	0	.500	2.5	172	205	4-1-0	1-4-0	3-3-0	1-1-0	2 W
Los Angeles Chargers	4	5	0	.444	3.0	239	215	2-3-0	2-2-0	2-3-0	1-1-0	1 L
Denver Broncos	4	5	0	.444	3.0	196	248	2-3-0	2-2-0	2-4-0	1-2-0	3 W
North Division
	W	L	T	Pct	GB	PF	PA	Home	Road	vs. Conf	vs. Div	Streak
Baltimore Ravens	8	3	0	.727	0.0	304	177	4-2-0	4-1-0	5-3-0	3-2-0	1 W
Pittsburgh Steelers	6	3	0	.667	1.0	156	182	4-2-0	2-1-0	4-2-0	2-0-0	2 W
Cleveland Browns	6	3	0	.667	1.0	214	170	4-1-0	2-2-0	4-2-0	2-2-0	2 W
Cincinnati Bengals	5	5	0	.500	2.5	202	226	3-2-0	2-3-0	1-5-0	0-3-0	2 L
South Division
	W	L	T	Pct	GB	PF	PA	Home	Road	vs. Conf	vs. Div	Streak
Jacksonville Jaguars	6	3	0	.667	0.0	196	190	2-3-0	4-0-0	4-2-0	2-1-0	1 L
Houston Texans	5	4	0	.556	1.0	217	192	3-1-0	2-3-0	3-2-0	1-1-0	2 W
Indianapolis Colts	5	5	0	.500	1.5	242	248	1-4-0	4-1-0	4-3-0	2-2-0	2 W
Tennessee Titans	3	6	0	.333	3.0	154	180	3-1-0	0-5-0	2-4-0	0-1-0	2 L
National Football Conference
East Division
	W	L	T	Pct	GB	PF	PA	Home	Road	vs. Conf	vs. Div	Streak
Philadelphia Eagles	8	1	0	.889	0.0	252	195	4-0-0	4-1-0	6-0-0	3-0-0	3 W
Dallas Cowboys	6	3	0	.667	2.0	269	165	4-0-0	2-3-0	3-3-0	2-1-0	1 W
Washington Commanders	4	6	0	.400	4.5	217	274	1-3-0	3-3-0	2-5-0	0-3-0	1 L
New York Giants	2	8	0	.200	6.5	118	266	1-3-0	1-5-0	2-4-0	1-2-0	3 L
West Division
	W	L	T	Pct	GB	PF	PA	Home	Road	vs. Conf	vs. Div	Streak
San Francisco 49ers	6	3	0	.667	0.0	252	143	3-1-0	3-2-0	4-1-0	2-0-0	1 W
Seattle Seahawks	6	3	0	.667	0.0	200	201	4-1-0	2-2-0	5-1-0	1-1-0	1 W
Los Angeles Rams	3	6	0	.333	3.0	178	204	1-3-0	2-3-0	2-4-0	2-1-0	3 L
Arizona Cardinals	2	8	0	.200	4.5	176	263	2-3-0	0-5-0	2-5-0	0-3-0	1 W
North Division
	W	L	T	Pct	GB	PF	PA	Home	Road	vs. Conf	vs. Div	Streak
Detroit Lions	7	2	0	.778	0.0	241	203	3-1-0	4-1-0	4-1-0	1-0-0	2 W
Minnesota Vikings	6	4	0	.600	1.5	233	209	2-3-0	4-1-0	6-2-0	2-0-0	5 W
Green Bay Packers	3	6	0	.333	4.0	179	182	2-2-0	1-4-0	3-3-0	1-2-0	1 L
Chicago Bears	3	7	0	.300	4.5	204	255	2-3-0	1-4-0	2-4-0	0-2-0	1 W
South Division
	W	L	T	Pct	GB	PF	PA	Home	Road	vs. Conf	vs. Div	Streak
New Orleans Saints	5	5	0	.500	0.0	214	198	2-2-0	3-3-0	2-3-0	1-1-0	1 L
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4	5	0	.444	0.5	178	173	2-3-0	2-2-0	3-3-0	1-1-0	1 W
Atlanta Falcons	4	6	0	.400	1.0	189	217	3-2-0	1-4-0	3-4-0	2-0-0	3 L
Carolina Panthers	1	8	0	.111	3.5	153	242	1-3-0	0-5-0	0-6-0	0-2-0	2 L

NHL STANDINGS

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	ROW	GF	GA	Home	Road	L10
Boston Bruins	15	12	1	2	26	11	51	30	6-0-1	6-1-1	7-1-2
Florida Panthers	17	11	5	1	23	11	52	46	6-1-0	5-4-1	7-2-1
Toronto Maple Leafs	16	9	5	2	20	7	58	56	5-4-0	4-1-2	5-3-2
Detroit Red Wings	17	8	6	3	19	8	61	57	5-3-2	3-3-1	3-5-2
Tampa Bay Lightning	17	7	6	4	18	7	57	61	4-2-2	3-4-2	4-4-2
Montreal Canadiens	17	7	8	2	16	6	50	61	5-6-0	2-2-2	3-6-1
Buffalo Sabres	17	7	9	1	15	7	48	55	4-5-0	3-4-1	4-5-1
Ottawa Senators	14	7	7	0	14	7	55	48	5-5-0	2-2-0	4-6-0
Metropolitan Division
	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	ROW	GF	GA	Home	Road	L10
New York Rangers	14	11	2	1	23	10	47	31	5-1-0	6-1-1	9-0-1
Washington Capitals	14	8	4	2	18	6	35	37	5-3-1	3-1-1	7-2-1
Carolina Hurricanes	16	9	7	0	18	8	52	52	4-1-0	5-6-0	6-4-0
New Jersey Devils	15	8	6	1	17	8	56	57	3-3-1	5-3-0	5-5-0
Philadelphia Flyers	16	8	7	1	17	8	51	47	3-4-0	5-3-1	5-5-0
Pittsburgh Penguins	15	8	7	0	16	8	53	42	3-5-0	5-2-0	6-4-0
New York Islanders	16	5	6	5	15	5	39	52	3-3-3	2-3-2	2-4-4
Columbus Blue Jackets	17	4	9	4	12	4	46	61	3-6-1	1-3-3	1-7-2
Western Conference
Central Division
	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	ROW	GF	GA	Home	Road	L10
Dallas Stars	15	11	3	1	23	10	52	39	4-2-0	7-1-1	7-3-0
Colorado Avalanche	15	10	5	0	20	9	56	46	5-2-0	5-3-0	5-5-0
Winnipeg Jets	16	9	5	2	20	9	58	52	5-3-1	4-2-1	6-2-2
Arizona Coyotes	16	8	6	2	18	6	55	48	4-2-0	4-4-2	5-3-2
St. Louis Blues	15	8	6	1	17	7	43	41	6-2-0	2-4-1	6-4-0
Minnesota Wild	15	5	8	2	12	4	50	64	3-3-1	2-5-1	3-6-1
Chicago Blackhawks	14	5	9	0	10	5	36	49	1-4-0	4-5-0	3-7-0
Nashville Predators	15	5	10	0	10	5	44	52	3-4-0	2-6-0	3-7-0
Pacific Division
	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	ROW	GF	GA	Home	Road	L10
Vegas Golden Knights	17	13	3	1	27	10	64	40	8-1-1	5-2-0	6-3-1
Vancouver Canucks	17	12	4	1	25	12	72	41	6-0-1	6-4-0	7-2-1
Los Angeles Kings	15	9	3	3	21	9	58	43	2-3-3	7-0-0	7-1-2
Anaheim Ducks	17	9	8	0	18	9	50	53	4-5-0	5-3-0	6-4-0
Seattle Kraken	18	6	8	4	16	5	47	65	3-5-0	3-3-4	4-4-2
Calgary Flames	16	6	8	2	14	6	44	55	3-3-0	3-5-2	4-5-1
Edmonton Oilers	15	5	9	1	11	5	43	55	3-4-1	2-5-0	4-6-0
San Jose Sharks	17	3	13	1	7	3	26	73	3-6-1	0-7-0	3-7-0

TV SATURDAY

NBA REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
New York at Charlotte	6:00pm	MSG Bally Sports
Minnesota at New Orleans	7:00pm	Bally Sports
Dallas at Milwaukee	8:00pm	NBATV Bally Sports
Miami at Chicago	8:00pm	Bally Sports
Memphis at San Antonio	8:00pm	Bally Sports
Oklahoma City at Golden State	8:30pm	Bally Sports NBCS-BAY
NHL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Minnesota at Ottawa	11:00am	NHLN Bally Sports Sportsnet
Vegas at Philadelphia	1:00pm	NBCS-PHI Scripps
Edmonton at Tampa Bay	4:00pm	Bally Sports Sportsnet
NY Islanders at Calgary	7:00pm	NHLN MSGSN Sportsnet
Montreal at Boston	7:00pm	NESN Sportsnet
New York at New Jersey	7:00pm	MSG MSGSN
Columbus at Washington	7:00pm	Bally Sports MNMT
Pittsburgh at Carolina	7:00pm	Bally Sports ATTSN-PIT
Arizona at Winnipeg	7:00pm	Bally Sports Sportsnet
Chicago at Nashville	8:00pm	Bally Sports NBCS-CHI
Colorado at Dallas	9:00pm	Bally Sports ALT
Seattle at Vancouver	10:00pm	Root Sports Sportsnet
St. Louis at Los Angeles	10:30pm	Bally Sports
COLLEGE FOOTBALL	TIME ET	TV
Michigan at Maryland	12:00pm	FOX
Michigan State at Indiana	12:00pm	BTN
Purdue at Northwestern	12:00pm	BTN
Abilene Christian at Texas A&M	12:00pm	ESPN+
Chattanooga at Alabama	12:00pm	ESPN+
Coastal Carolina at Army	12:00pm	CBSSN
East Carolina at Navy	12:00pm	ESPNews
Louisville at Miami (FL)	12:00pm	ABC
Rutgers at Penn State	12:00pm	FS1
Sacred Heart at UConn	12:00pm	WFSB
SMU at Memphis	12:00pm	ESPN2
Southern Miss at Mississippi State	12:00pm	ESPN+
Tulane at Florida Atlantic	12:00pm	ESPN+
ULM at Ole Miss	12:00pm	SECN
Oklahoma at BYU	12:00pm	ESPN
UMass at Liberty	1:00pm	ESPN+
Appalachian State at James Madison	2:00pm	ESPN+
Hawaii at Wyoming	2:00pm	Spectrum
Kent State at Ball State	2:00pm	ESPN+
Louisiana Tech at Jacksonville State	2:00pm	ESPN+
Rice at Charlotte	2:00pm	ESPN+
UTEP at Middle Tennessee	2:00pm	ESPN+
Utah at Arizona	2:00pm	PAC12N
Cincinnati at West Virginia	2:30pm	ESPN+
Duke at Virginia	3:00pm	CW
Nevada at Colorado State	3:00pm	MWN
North Texas at Tulsa	3:00pm	ESPN+
Temple at UAB	3:00pm	ESPN+
Texas State at Arkansas State	3:00pm	ESPN+
Illinois at Iowa	3:30pm	FS1
Georgia at Tennessee	3:30pm	CBS
Louisiana at Troy	3:30pm	NFLN
NC State at Virginia Tech	3:30pm	ACCN
North Carolina at Clemson	3:30pm	ESPN
Sam Houston at WKU	3:30pm	ESPN+
UNLV at Air Force	3:30pm	CBSSN
Wake Forest at Notre Dame	3:30pm	NBC
Baylor at TCU	3:30pm	ESPN+
UCLA at USC	3:30pm	ABC
Minnesota at Ohio State	4:00pm	BTN
New Mexico State at Auburn	4:00pm	SECN
Oklahoma State at Houston	4:00pm	ESPN2
Oregon at Arizona State	4:00pm	FOX
Marshall at South Alabama	5:00pm	ESPN+
UCF at Texas Tech	5:00pm	FS2
Old Dominion at Georgia Southern	6:00pm	ESPN+
California at Stanford	6:30pm	PAC12N
North Alabama at Florida State	6:30pm	CW
Boise State at Utah State	7:00pm	CBSSN
Kansas State at Kansas	7:00pm	FS1
FIU at Arkansas	7:30pm	ESPNU
Florida at Missouri	7:30pm	ESPN
Kentucky at South Carolina	7:30pm	SECN
Nebraska at Wisconsin	7:30pm	NBC
Washington at Oregon State	7:30pm	ABC
Georgia State at LSU	8:00pm	ESPN2
Syracuse at Georgia Tech	8:00pm	ACCN
Texas at Iowa State	8:00pm	FOX
New Mexico at Fresno State	10:30pm	FS1
San Diego State at San Jose State	10:30pm	CBSSN
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
Mount St. Mary’s at Georgetown	12:00pm	WDCA
Wagner at Seton Hall	12:00pm	WWOR
Mississippi State vs. Washington State	12:00pm	ESPN+
PSU Schuylkill at Fairleigh Dickinson	1:00pm	NEC Front Row
Ball State at Evansville	1:00pm	ESPN+
Cleveland State at Eastern Michigan	1:00pm	ESPN+
New Hampshire at George Washington	1:00pm	ESPN+
Seattle U at VCU	2:00pm	MASN
Princeton at Monmouth	2:00pm	SNY
Harvard at Boston College	2:00pm	ACCNX
USC Upstate at Minnesota	2:00pm	Peacock
Southern Indiana at La Salle	2:00pm	ESPN+
Detroit Mercy at Ohio	2:00pm	ESPN+
Virginia U. of Lynchburg at UNC Asheville	2:00pm	ESPN+
Maine at North Florida	2:00pm	ESPN+
Northwestern State vs. Presbyterian	2:00pm	ESPN+
Columbia at Temple	2:00pm	ESPN+
Northwestern vs. Rhode Island	2:30pm	ESPN+
North Carolina Central at Longwood	3:00pm	ESPN+
Paradise Jam	3:15pm	ESPN+
Marist at Binghamton	3:30pm	ESPN+
New Orleans at Loyola Chicago	4:00pm	NBCS-CHI+
Oregon State vs. Nebraska	4:00pm	Peacock
Gardner-Webb vs. Colgate	4:00pm	ESPN+
McNeese at Western Carolina	4:00pm	ESPN+
IUPUI vs. Winthrop	5:00pm	ESPN+
Lamar at Pacific	5:00pm	ESPN+
Alabama A&M at Lipscomb	5:00pm	ESPN+
Paradise Jam	5:45pm	ESPN+
Bryant at Florida Atlantic	6:00pm	ESPN+
Weber State vs. Yale	6:00pm	ESPN+
Milligan at Middle Tennessee	6:00pm	ESPN+
Howard at Rutgers	6:00pm	BTN+
Navy at UC San Diego	7:00pm	ESPN+
Elon vs. Holy Cross	7:30pm	ESPN+
St. Thomas at California Baptist	8:00pm	ESPN+
Southeastern Louisiana at Santa Clara	8:00pm	ESPN+
Kentucky State at WKU	8:00pm	ESPN+
Jacksonville State at North Alabama	8:15pm	ESPN+
Texas Southern at Creighton	8:30pm	FS2
UIW at UAPB	8:30pm	YouTube
Northern Colorado at NM State	9:00pm	ESPN+
Portland at Nevada	10:00pm	KNSN
COLLEGE HOCKEY	TIME ET	TV
Providence vs UMass	4:00pm	ESPN+
Maine vs Boston University	6:00pm	ESPN+
Merrimack vs UMass Lowell	6:00pm	ESPN+
Boston College vs UConn	7:00pm	ESPN+
Clarkson vs Yale	7:00pm	ESPN+
St. Lawrence vs Brown	7:00pm	ESPN+
Cornell vs Princeton	7:00pm	ESPN+
Northeastern vs New Hampshire	7:00pm	ESPN+
Maine vs Boston Univesity	7:00pm	ESPN+
RODEO	TIME ET	TV
WCRA Rodeo Carolina	2:00pm	CBS
GOLF	TIME ET	TV
PGA Tour: The RSM Classic	1:00pm	GOLF
LPGA Tour:CME Group Tour Championship	4:00pm	GOLF
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
UEFA Euro Qualifying: Armenia vs Wales	9:00am	FS1
UEFA Euro Qualifying: Latvia vs Croatia	12:00pm	FS2
UEFA Euro Qualifying: Netherlands vs Ireland Republic	2:45pm	FS2
CONCACAF Nations League: Bermuda vs Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	5:30pm	Paramount+
CONCACAF Nations League: Barbados vs Nicaragua	6:00pm	Paramount+
CONCACAF Nations League: Jamaica vs Canada	7:00pm	Paramount+
CONCACAF Nations League: Belize vs French Guiana	9:00pm	Paramount+
CONCACAF Nations League: Honduras vs Mexico	9:00pm	Paramount+
TENNIS	TIME ET	TV
ATP Finals Doubles Semifinals	6:00am	TENNIS
ATP Finals Singles Semifinals	8:30am	TENNIS
ATP Finals Doubles Semifinals	12:30pm	TENNIS
ATP Finals Singles Semifinals	3:00pm	TENNIS
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
St. Bonaventure vs Binghamton	12:00pm	ESPN+
Detroit vs Dayton	12:00pm	ESPN+
Saint Francis vs Rutgers	12:00pm	B1G+
Northern Iowa vs Ball State	12:05pm	ESPN+
Wright State vs Indiana State	1:00pm	ESPN+
Coppin State vs FIU	1:00pm	ESPN+
Illinois vs Notre Dame	1:00pm	NBC
Le Moyne vs UMass Lowell	1:00pm	ESPN+
Wagner vs NJIT	1:00pm	ESPN+
Western Kentucky vs Miami (OH)	1:00pm	ESPN+
UTEP vs California Baptist	2:00pm	ESPN+
Marshall vs Northern Kentucky	2:00pm	ESPN+
Western Carolina vs Campbell	2:00pm	FloSports
Midway vs Morehead State	2:00pm	ESPN+
Boston University vs Rider	2:00pm	ESPN+
Northwestern State vs Central Arkansas	2:00pm	ESPN+
Bowling Green vs Xavier	2:00pm	FloSports
Western Illinois vs Valparaiso	2:00pm	ESPN+
Pittsburgh vs Duquesne	2:00pm	ESPN+
Central Michigan vs Cleveland State	2:00pm	ESPN+
South Dakota State vs UT Martin	2:00pm	ESPN+
Coastal Carolina vs Furman	2:00pm	ESPN+
UNC Greensboro vs Radford	2:00pm	ESPN+
Lafayette vs LIU	2:00pm	NEC Front Row
Memphis vs Arizona	2:30pm	FloHoops
Nicholls vs Louisiana	3:00pm	ESPN+
Robert Morris vs George Mason	3:00pm	ESPN+
UTSA vs UT Arlington	3:00pm	ESPN+
Virginia-Wise vs Chattanooga	3:00pm	ESPN+
Elon vs North Carolina	3:00pm	ESPN+
Hope International University vs Cal State Northridge	3:00pm	ESPN+
Utah Valley vs St. Thomas	3:30pm	Midco Sports+
SIU Edwardsville vs Eastern Michigan	3:30pm	ESPN+
Portland State vs New Mexico State	4:00pm	ESPN+
Kansas vs Kansas City	4:15pm	–
Wyoming vs Gonzaga	5:00pm	ESPN+
Austin Peay vs Butler	5:00pm	FloSports
Cornell vs Mount St. Mary’s	5:00pm	ESPN+
Michigan vs Middle Tennessee	5:00pm	FloHoops
San Diego State vs Sacramento State	5:00pm	ESPN+
Alabama State vs Samford	6:00pm	ESPN+
American University vs Richmond	6:00pm	ESPN+
Southern Miss vs North Alabama	6:00pm	ESPN+
DePaul vs South Dakota	7:30pm	FloHoops
South Dakota vs DePaul	7:30pm	FloHoops
Tulsa vs Oral Roberts	8:00pm	–
Antelope Valley vs UC Riverside	9:00pm	ESPN+
Colorado vs SMU	9:00pm	ESPN+
Fresno State vs Cal State Bakersfield	10:00pm	ESPN+
Wake Forest vs BYU	10:30pm	BYUtv
WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL	TIME ET	TV
Louisville vs Pittsburgh	12:00pm	ACCNX
Idaho State vs Northern Arizona	2:00pm	ESPN+
Texas vs UCF	2:00pm	ESPN+
Charlotte vs East Carolina	2:00pm	ESPN+
West Virginia vs Baylor	3:00pm	ESPN+
Temple vs Memphis	3:00pm	ESPN+
Wichita State vs Rice	3:00pm	ESPN+
Gonzaga vs San Diego	3:00pm	ESPN+
North Texas vs SMU	4:00pm	ESPN+
Pepperdine vs San Francisco	4:00pm	ESPN+
Pacific vs St. Mary’s	4:00pm	ESPN+
Loyola Marymount vs Santa Clara	4:00pm	ESPN+
Georgetown vs Providence	4:00pm	FloSports
UC Irvine vs Cal State Bakersfield	5:00pm	ESPN+
Texas Tech vs Kansas State	5:30pm	ESPN+
Villanova vs UConn	6:00pm	FloSports
Oklahoma vs Cincinnati	6:00pm	ESPN+
Cal State Fullerton vs CSU Northridge	7:00pm	ESPN+
St. John’s vs DePaul	7:00pm	FloSports
Seton Hall vs Marquette	8:00pm	FloSports
Ohio State vs Minnesota	8:00pm	BTN
Weber State vs Northern Colorado	8:00pm	ESPN+
Sacramento State vs Montana	9:00pm	ESPN+
Portland State vs Montana State	9:00pm	ESPN+
UC Riverside vs UC Santa Barbara	10:00pm	ESPN+
Long Beach State vs Hawai’i	11:59pm	ESPN+