“THE SCOREBOARD”
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WEEK 3 SCORES
ADAMS CENTRAL 34, MUNCIE CENTRAL 6
ALEXANDRIA 47, ELWOOD 12
ANDREAN 28, KANKAKEE VALLEY 7
ANGOLA 38, FREMONT 6
BATESVILLE 26, SOUTH DEARBORN 21
BEN DAVIS 38, PIKE 14
BISHOP CHATARD 9, RONCALLI 3
BLOOMINGTON NORTH 41, TERRE HAUTE SOUTH 29
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 37, TERRE HAUTE NORTH 20
BLUFFTON 33, SOUTH ADAMS 7
BREBEUF JESUIT 56, HARRISON (W.L.) 28
BREMEN 41, OSCEOLA GRACE 0
BROWNSBURG 40, FRANKLIN CENTRAL 0
BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 62, EASTERN (PEKIN) 0
CALUMET 36, EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL 8
CARMEL 44, CENTERVILLE (OHIO) 23
CARROLL (FLORA) 35, TAYLOR 0
CARROLL (FW) 49, FW SOUTH 9
CASCADE 42, EDGEWOOD 0
CASTLE 53, EVANSVILLE BOSSE 6
CENTER GROVE 24, LOUISVILLE TRINITY (KY.) 10
CENTERVILLE 29, EASTERN HANCOCK 26
CHARLESTOWN 35, CLARKSVILLE 6
CINCINNATI MOELLER (OHIO) 40, EAST CENTRAL 13
CINCINNATI ST. XAVIER (OHIO) 35, CATHEDRAL 31
CLINTON PRAIRIE 28, CLINTON CENTRAL 26
CLOVERDALE 42, BROWN COUNTY 6
COLUMBIA CITY 61, BELLMONT 0
COLUMBUS EAST 30, SEYMOUR 14
COLUMBUS NORTH 45, SOUTHPORT 14
CONCORD 35, MISHAWAKA 34
CONNERSVILLE 47, GREENSBURG 7
CRISPUS ATTUCKS 42, TINDLEY 6
CROWN POINT 46, MERRILLVILLE 13
CULVER ACADEMY 47, KNOX 46
DANVILLE 21, LEBANON 10
DECATUR CENTRAL 43, WHITELAND 29
DEKALB 31, NEW HAVEN 12
DELTA 37, SHELBYVILLE 7
DELPHI 41, EASTERN (GREENTOWN) 34
EAST NOBLE 28, HUNTINGTON NORTH 16
EASTBROOK 41, FRANKTON 33
ELKHART 69, SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON 0
EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 35, EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 6
EVANSVILLE MATER DEI 34, VINCENNES LINCOLN 14
EVANSVILLE NORTH 13, EVANSVILLE HARRISON 3
EVANSVILLE REITZ 28, JASPER 14
FISHERS 17, NOBLESVILLE 14, OT
FLOYD CENTRAL 33, SILVER CREEK 22
FRONTIER 39, NORTH WHITE 0
FW BISHOP DWENGER 14, FW NORTH 6
FW BISHOP LUERS 40, FW NORTHROP 6
FW SNIDER 41, FW CONCORDIA LUTHERAN 6
GARRETT 41, CHURUBUSCO 0
GIBSON SOUTHERN 62, PRINCETON 7
GREENCASTLE 42, WEST VIGO 13
GREENFIELD-CENTRAL 43, MT. VERNON 29
GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN 49, WES-DEL 14
GRIFFITH 28, HAMMOND CENTRAL 14
GUERIN CATHOLIC 53, HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 34
HAGERSTOWN 25, UNION CITY 20
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 28, AVON 10
HANOVER CENTRAL 54, HIGHLAND 0
HERITAGE 28, WOODLAN 6
HERITAGE HILLS 38, BOONVILLE 0
HOBART 38, MUNSTER 0
HOMESTEAD 22, FW WAYNE 8
INDIAN CREEK 42, OWEN VALLEY 0
JAY COUNTY 47, SOUTHERN WELLS 0
JEFFERSONVILLE 33, BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 12
JIMTOWN 35, FAIRFIELD 0
KNIGHTSTOWN 75, UNION COUNTY 0
LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 23, LOGANSPORT 21
LAFAYETTE JEFF 49, ANDERSON 6
LAKE CENTRAL 23, PORTAGE 21
LAKELAND 48, PRAIRIE HEIGHTS 6
LAPEL 41, SHENANDOAH 21
LAVILLE 27, CENTRAL NOBLE 0
LAWRENCE CENTRAL 22, EDWARDSVILLE (ILL.) 21
LAWRENCE NORTH 45, WAYNE (OHIO) 21
LAWRENCEBURG 41, MILAN 7
LEO 55, NORWELL 13
LEWIS CASS 24, PERU 20
LINTON-STOCKTON 26, WESTERN 7
LONDON (OHIO) 58, RICHMOND 8
MACONAQUAH 42, NORTHFIELD 6
MADISON-GRANT 42, BLACKFORD 0
MANCHESTER 42, WABASH 26
MARION 27, KOKOMO 12
MARTINSVILLE 50, GREENWOOD 31
MCCUTCHEON 31, HAMILTON HEIGHTS 2
MICHIGAN CITY 20, CHESTERTON 0
MISHAWAKA MARIAN 41, SOUTH BEND ADAMS 8
MISSISSINEWA 35, OAK HILL 0
MONROVIA 44, CARDINAL RITTER 7
MT. VERNON (POSEY) 56, PIKE CENTRAL 27
NEW ALBANY 33, JENNINGS COUNTY 7
NEW PALESTINE 41, YORKTOWN 13
NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) 55, IRVINGTON PREP 14
NORTH DAVIESS 20, EASTERN GREENE 7
NORTH DECATUR 42, MONROE CENTRAL 6
NORTH HARRISON 48, CORYDON CENTRAL 35
NORTH JUDSON 61, SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) 0
NORTH MIAMI 42, CASTON 14
NORTH MONTGOMERY 28, SOUTHMONT 22, 2OT
NORTH POSEY 28, SOUTH SPENCER 16
NORTH PUTNAM 23, SOUTH PUTNAM 22
NORTH VERMILLION 37, COVINGTON 14
NORTHEASTERN 19, WINCHESTER 15
NORTHRIDGE 13, PLYMOUTH 7
NORTHVIEW 35, SULLIVAN 0
NORTHWESTERN 28, SOUTHWOOD 16
NORTHWOOD 49, WAWASEE 14
PAOLI 41, SPRINGS VALLEY 26
PARK TUDOR 28, SHORTRIDGE 20
PENDLETON HEIGHTS 42, NEW CASTLE 21
PENN 35, SOUTH BEND RILEY 7
PERRY CENTRAL 44, CRAWFORD COUNTY 0
PERRY MERIDIAN 12, FRANKLIN 7
PIONEER 35, WINAMAC 0
PLAINFIELD 42, MOORESVILLE 0
PROVIDENCE 13, MADISON 8
RIVERTON PARKE 46, FOUNTAIN CENTRAL 6
ROCHESTER 49, WHITKO 12
RUSHVILLE 30, FRANKLIN COUNTY 27
SCECINA 34, COVENANT CHRISTIAN 0
SCOTTSBURG 54, SALEM 7
SEEGER 41, ATTICA 0
SHERIDAN 29, TRI-CENTRAL 0
SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH 7, NEW PRAIRIE 0
SOUTH DECATUR 42, EDINBURGH 0
SOUTH NEWTON 40, BENTON CENTRAL 27
SOUTH VERMILLION 45, PARKE HERITAGE 6
SOUTHRIDGE 56, TECUMSEH 0
SPEEDWAY 48, BEECH GROVE 26
SWITZERLAND COUNTY 41, TRIMBLE COUNTY (KY.) 0
TECH 47, PURDUE POLY 14
TELL CITY 41, FOREST PARK 24
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 35, HAMMOND MORTON 23
TRI 62, CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN 7
TRI-WEST 69, FRANKFORT 8
TRITON 49, CULVER 8
TRITON CENTRAL 16, LUTHERAN 13
TWIN LAKES 14, TIPTON 7
VALPARAISO 42, LAPORTE 7
WARREN CENTRAL 30, NORTH CENTRAL 0
WARSAW 56, GOSHEN 7
WASHINGTON 45, NORTH KNOX 6
WASHINGTON (INDIANAPOLIS) 48, CHRISTEL HOUSE 0
WEST CENTRAL 24, TRI-COUNTY 12
WEST LAFAYETTE 34, LOWELL 14
WEST WASHIGNTON 35, MITCHELL 6
WESTERN BOONE 41, CRAWFORDSVILLE 0
WESTFIELD 28, ZIONSVILLE 10
WHEELER 24, RIVER FOREST 6
WHITING 36, HAMMOND NOLL 0
WOODSTOCK (ILL.) 29, RENSSELAER CENTRAL 7
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL REPORTED SCORES
URSULINE 3 AVON 2
SHAKAMAK 3 WHITE RIVER VALLEY 0
WESTVILLE 3 WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP 1
ELKHART CHRISTIAN 3 CLINTON CHRISTIAN 0
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY OF MADISON 3 OAKS CLASSICAL 0
INDIANA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL REPORTED SOCCER SCORES
EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 0 MCCRACKEN COUNTY 0
MARQUETTE CATHOLIC 4 WESTVILLE 1
KOUTS 3 WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP 2
HAMMOND BAPTIST 40 CHICAGO CENTRAL 0
SHOALS 3 LIGHTHOUSE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 2
NORTHEAST DUBOIS 2 BARR REEVE 1
IMSAN 2 MOORESVILLE CHRISTIAN 0
CROSSPOINT CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 2 TABERNACLE CHRISTIAN 0
WESLEYAN CHRISTIAN 6 PHALEN ACADEMY
HERRON 4 SOUTHWESTERN 1
BETHANY CHRISTIAN 5 LAKEWOOD PARK CHRISTIAN 1
SOUTHWESTERN 7 RISING SUN 1
TRINITY 1 LAKE CENTRAL 0
INDIANA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER REPORTED SCORES
VICTORY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 5 KOUTS 0
WARSAW 2 SHERIDAN 0
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 1 PLAINFIELD 0
ROCKY RIVER 6 BREBEUF 0
MISHAWAKA MARIAN 1 CARMEL 1
EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 2 ZIONSVILLE 0
NOBLESVILLE 8 FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY 0
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 2 SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
INDIANA 77 WESTERN ILLINOIS 3
BYU 18 SMU 15
DUKE 26 NORTHWESTERN 20
SATURDAY, SEPT. 7
ARKANSAS AT OKLAHOMA STATE | 12 P.M. | ABC
TEXAS AT MICHIGAN | 12 P.M. | FOX
RHODE ISLAND AT MINNESOTA | 12 P.M. | PEACOCK
BOWLING GREEN AT PENN STATE | 12 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
AKRON AT RUTGERS | 12 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
GEORGIA TECH AT SYRACUSE | 12 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
PITT AT CINCINNATI | 12 P.M. | ESPN/ESPN2
KANSAS STATE AT TULANE | 12 P.M. | ESPN/ESPN2
TROY AT MEMPHIS | 12 P.M. | ESPNU
ARMY AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC | 12 P.M. | CBSSN
MCNEESE AT TEXAS A&M | 12:45 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
TENNESSEE TECH AT GEORGIA | 2 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
MISSOURI STATE AT BALL STATE | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
ST. FRANCIS (PA) AT KENT STATE | 2:30 P.M. | ESPN+
CAL AT AUBURN | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN2
SOUTH CAROLINA AT KENTUCKY | 3:30 P.M. | ABC
IOWA STATE AT IOWA | 3:30 P.M. | CBS
MICHIGAN STATE AT MARYLAND | 3:30 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
EASTERN MICHIGAN AT WASHINGTON | 3:30 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
SOUTH DAKOTA AT WISCONSIN | 3:30 P.M. | FS1
NORTHERN ILLINOIS AT NOTRE DAME | 3:30 P.M. | NBC
UMASS AT TOLEDO | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
DUQUESNE AT BOSTON COLLEGE | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+/ACCNX
JACKSONVILLE STATE AT LOUISVILLE | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+/ACCNX
CHARLOTTE AT NORTH CAROLINA | 3:30 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
BAYLOR AT UTAH | 3:30 P.M. | FOX
TEMPLE AT NAVY | 3:30 P.M. | CBSSN
UTSA AT TEXAS STATE | 4 P.M. | ESPNU
MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT OLE MISS | 4:15 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
MARSHALL AT VIRGINIA TECH | 4:30 P.M. | CW NETWORK
IDAHO AT WYOMING | 4:30 P.M. | TRUTV
UALBANY AT WEST VIRGINIA | 6 P.M. | BIG 12/ESPN+
FLORIDA A&M AT MIAMI (FLA.) | 6 P.M. | ESPN+/ACCNX
CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
GARDNER-WEBB AT JAMES MADISON | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
EAST CAROLINA AT OLD DOMINION | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
SOUTH ALABAMA AT OHIO | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
SAM HOUSTON AT UCF | 6:30 P.M. | BIG 12/ESPN+
SOUTH FLORIDA AT ALABAMA | 7 P.M. | ESPN
SAMFORD AT FLORIDA | 7 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
BUFFALO AT MISSOURI | 7 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
KANSAS AT ILLINOIS | 7 P.M. | FS1
WILLIAM & MARY AT COASTAL CAROLINA | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
EASTERN KENTUCKY AT WESTERN KENTUCKY | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
CHATTANOOGA AT GEORGIA STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
CAL POLY AT STANFORD | 7 P.M. | ESPN+/ACCNX
VIRGINIA AT WAKE FOREST | 7 P.M. | ESPN2
LOUISIANA AT KENNESAW STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
SAN JOSE STATE AT AIR FORCE | 7 P.M. | CBSSN
GEORGIA SOUTHERN AT NEVADA | 7 P.M. | TRUTV
TULSA AT ARKANSAS STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
UAB AT UL MONROE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
SE LOUISIANA AT SOUTHERN MISS | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
TEXAS SOUTHERN AT RICE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
NORTHERN COLORADO AT COLORADO STATE | 7 P.M. | MOUNTAIN WEST NETWORK
NICHOLLS AT LSU | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
TENNESSEE VS. NC STATE (IN CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA) | 7:30 P.M. | ABC
ALCORN STATE AT VANDERBILT | 7:30 P.M. | ESPNU
COLORADO AT NEBRASKA | 7:30 P.M. | NBC
WESTERN MICHIGAN AT OHIO STATE | 7:30 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN AT NORTH TEXAS | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN+
HOUSTON AT OKLAHOMA | 7:45 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
APPALACHIAN STATE AT CLEMSON | 8 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY AT TCU | 8 P.M. | BIG 12/ESPN+
SOUTHERN UTAH AT UTEP | 9 P.M. | ESPN+
BOISE STATE AT OREGON | 10 P.M. | PEACOCK
NORTHERN ARIZONA AT ARIZONA | 10 P.M. | BIG 12/ESPN+
TEXAS TECH AT WASHINGTON STATE | 10 P.M. | FOX
LIBERTY AT NEW MEXICO STATE | 10:15 P.M. | ESPN2
MISSISSIPPI STATE AT ARIZONA STATE | 10:30 P.M. | ESPN
OREGON STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE | 10:30 P.M. | CBSSN
UTAH STATE AT USC | 11 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
INDIANA HOOSIERS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
AUGUST 31 VS. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 3:30
SEPTEMBER 6 VS. WESTERN ILLINOIS 7:00
SEPTEMBER 14 AT UCLA 7:30
SEPTEMBER 21 VS. CHARLOTTE TBA
SEPTEMBER 28 VS. MARYLAND TBA
OCTOBER 5 AT NORTHWESTERN TBA
OCTOBER 19 VS. NEBRASKA TBA
OCTOBER 26 VS. WASHINGTON TBA
NOVEMBER 2 AT MICHIGAN STATE TBA
NOVEMBER 9 VS. MICHIGAN TBA
NOVEMBER 23 AT OHIO STATE TBA
NOVEMBER 30 VS. PURDUE TBA
PURDUE BOILERMAKERS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
PURDUE 49 INDIANA STATE 0
SEPTEMBER 14 VS. NOTRE DAME 3:30
SEPTEMBER 21 AT OREGON STATE 8:30
SEPTEMBER 28 VS. NEBRASKA 12:00
OCTOBER 5 AT WISCONSIN TBA
OCTOBER 12 AT ILLINOIS TBA
OCTOBER 18 VS. OREGON 8:00
NOVEMBER 2 VS. NORTHWESTERN TBA
NOVEMBER 9 AT OHIO STATE TBA
NOVEMBER 16 VS. PENN STATE TBA
NOVEMBER 22 AT MICHIGAN STATE 8:00
NOVEMBER 30 AT INDIANA TBA
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
AUGUST 21 AT TEXAS A&M 7:30
SEPTEMBER 7 VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS 3:30
SEPTEMBER 14 AT PURDUE 3:30
SEPTEMBER 21 VS. MIAMI (OH) 3:30
SEPTEMBER 28 VS. LOUISVILLE 3:30
OCTOBER 12 VS. STANFORD 3:30
OCTOBER 19 AT GEORGIA TECH TBA
OCTOBER 26 AT NAVY 12:00
NOVEMBER 9 VS. FLORIDA STATE 7:30
NOVEMBER 16 VS. VIRGINIA 3:30
NOVEMBER 23 AT ARMY 7:00 (YANKEE STADIUM)
NOVEMBER 30 AT USC TBA
BUTLER BULLDOGS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
BUTLER 40 UPPER IOWA 7
SEPTEMBER 7 AT MURRAY STATE 6:00 CT
SEPTEMBER 14 VS. HANOVER 6:00
SEPTEMBER 28 VS. VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY-LYNCHBURG 1:00
OCTOBER 5 VS. MOREHEAD STATE 1:00
OCTOBER 12 AT DRAKE 1:00 CT
OCTOBER 19 VS. DAYTON 1:00
OCTOBER 26 AT DAVIDSON 1:00
NOVEMBER 2 VS. STETSON 1:00
NOVEMBER 9 AT VALPO 1:00 CT
NOVEMBER 16 VS. ST. THOMAS 1:00
NOVEMBER 23 AT PRESBYTERIAN 1:00
BALL STATE CARDINALS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
SEPTEMBER 7 VS. MISSOURI STATE 2:00
SEPTEMBER 14 AT MIAMI FL 3:30
SEPTEMBER 21 AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN TBA
SEPTEMBER 28 AT JAMES MADISON TBA
OCTOBER 5 VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN TBA
OCTOBER 12 AT KENT STATE TBA
OCTOBER 19 AT VANDERBILT TBA
OCTOBER 26 VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS TBA
NOVEMBER 5 VS. MIAMI OH TBA
NOVEMBER 12 AT BUFFALO 7:00
NOVEMBER 23 VS. BOWLING GREEN TBA
NOVEMBER 29 AT OHIO TBA
INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
PURDUE 49 INDIANA STATE 0
SEPTEMBER 7 AT EASTERN ILLINOIS 7:00
SEPTEMBER 14 VS. DAYTON 6:00
SEPTEMBER 28 VS. HOUSTON CHRISTIAN 1:00
OCTOBER 5 AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE 2:00
OCTOBER 12 VS. MURRAY STATE 1:00
OCTOBER 19 AT MISSOURI STATE 3:00
OCTOBER 26 VS. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 1:00
NOVEMBER 2 VS. NORTH DAKOTA 1:00
NOVEMBER 9 AT SOUTH DAKOTA 2:00
COLTS SCHEDULE
SEPT. 8: VS. HOUSTON, 1 P.M., CBS
SEPT. 15: AT GREEN BAY, 1 P.M., FOX
SEPT. 22: VS. CHICAGO, 1 P.M., CBS
SEPT. 29: VS. PITTSBURGH, 1 P.M., CBS
OCT. 6: AT JACKSONVILLE, 1 P.M., CBS
OCT. 13: AT TENNESSEE, 1 P.M., CBS
OCT. 20: VS. MIAMI, 1 P.M., FOX
OCT. 27: AT HOUSTON, 1 P.M., CBS
NOV. 3: AT MINNESOTA, 1 P.M., CBS
NOV. 10: VS. BUFFALO, 1 P.M., CBS
NOV. 17: AT N.Y. JETS, 8:20 P.M., NBC PEACOCK
NOV. 24: VS. DETROIT, 1 P.M., FOX
DEC. 1: AT NEW ENGLAND, 1 P.M., CBS
DEC. 15: AT DENVER, 4:25 P.M., CBS
DEC. 22: VS. TENNESSEE, 1 P.M., CBS
DEC. 29: AT N.Y. GIANTS, TBD
JAN. 5: VS. JACKSONVILLE, TBD
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES
NY YANKEES 3 CHICAGO CUBS 0
COLORADO 3 MILWAUKEE 2
BALTIMORE 2 TAMPA BAY 0
NY METS 6 CINCINNATI 4
BOSTON 3 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 1
PHILADELPHIA 16 MIAMI 2
ATLANTA 3 TORONTO 1
LA ANGELS 5 TEXAS 1
KANSAS CITY 5 MINNESOTA 0
HOUSTON 8 ARIZONA 1
OAKLAND 7 DETROIT 6
CLEVELAND 3 LA DODGERS 1
WASHINGTON AT PITTSBURGH POSTPONED
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES
TOLEDO 13 INDIANAPOLIS 9
FT. WAYNE 4 SOUTH BEND 1
WNBA SCORES
MINNESOTA 99 INDIANA 88
LAS VEGAS 72
CHICAGO 92 LOS ANGELES 78
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
NFL WEEK ONE SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
PHILADELPHIA 34 GREEN BAY 29
SUNDAY, SEPT. 8
- PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS, 1 P.M. ET (FOX)
- ARIZONA CARDINALS AT BUFFALO BILLS, 1 P.M. ET (CBS)
- TENNESSEE TITANS AT CHICAGO BEARS, 1 P.M. ET (FOX)
- NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS, 1 P.M. ET (CBS)
- HOUSTON TEXANS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, 1 P.M. ET (CBS)
- JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS, 1 P.M. ET (CBS)
- CAROLINA PANTHERS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, 1 P.M. ET (FOX)
- MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT NEW YORK GIANTS, 1 P.M. ET (FOX)
- LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS, 4:05 P.M. ET (CBS)
- DENVER BRONCOS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, 4:05 P.M. ET (CBS)
- DALLAS COWBOYS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS, 4:25 P.M. ET (CBS)
- WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, 4:25 P.M. ET (FOX)
- LOS ANGELES RAMS AT DETROIT LIONS, 8:20 P.M. ET (NBC)
MONDAY, SEPT. 9
- NEW YORK JETS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, 8:15 P.M. ET (ESPN/ABC)
WEEK ONE PREVIEWS BY FOOTBALL DATABASE: https://www.footballdb.com/games/previews.html
TOP NATIONAL SPORTS HEADLINES/NEWS RELEASES
NFL NEWS
PACKERS’ LOVE EXITS WITH LEG INJURY LATE IN LOSS TO EAGLES
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love went down with six seconds left in the fourth quarter of a 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday.
Love appeared to sustain a leg injury while trying to lead a miraculous drive, giving way to Malik Willis for the final two plays. The star QB was visibly in pain after going down and was helped off the field.
The slippery field conditions at Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo, which was hosting the NFL’s first-ever game in Brazil, were heavily criticized Friday.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t provide an update regarding Love’s status postgame.
“I don’t know,” LaFleur said, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
Love completed just 17 of 34 pass attempts for 260 yards and two touchdowns against one interception versus the Eagles. Willis threw one pass after coming in for Love. He joined the Packers recently as part of a trade from the Tennessee Titans.
The 25-year-old Love entered the 2024 season as a potential MVP candidate after passing for 32 touchdowns in his first year as Green Bay’s starter in 2023. He signed a four-year, $220-million extension in July.
The Packers won the turnover battle versus the Eagles (1-3), but they committed 10 penalties.
Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley put on a show in his Eagles debut. Barkley, who signed a three-year contract with the club in March, amassed 132 scrimmage yards and scored three touchdowns to help the Eagles overcome their two first-quarter turnovers and claim a narrow victory.
BILLS SIGN RT SPENCER BROWN TO 4-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION
The Buffalo Bills signed right tackle Spencer Brown to a four-year contract extension on Friday through at least the 2028 season, the team announced Friday afternoon.
Financial terms were not disclosed by the Bills on Brown, who was set to play out the final year of his rookie contract going into the season opener Sunday against the visiting Arizona Cardinals.
Buffalo selected Brown in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Northern Iowa.
Brown, 26, has started 41 of 44 regular-season games in which he has played for the Bills, including all 31 the past two seasons. He also started all six playoff games the past three seasons.
The 6-foot-8, 311-pound Brown played on 100 percent of the offensive snaps (1,161) in 2023, when the Bills led the league in fewest sacks allowed (24).
–Field Level Media
BENGALS’ CHASE ‘GAME-TIME’ DECISION AMID CONTRACT TALKS
Bengals star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is labeling himself a “game-time decision” for Cincinnati’s Week 1 contest against the New England Patriots, the wide receiver told reporters Friday, including Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Chase added that he’s “100%” healthy but will “probably” be “limited” if he plays Sunday after missing most of training camp and all of preseason while seeking a new contract.
The Bengals listed Chase as questionable on their final Week 1 injury report, along with wide receiver Tee Higgins, who’s doubtful due to a hamstring injury and didn’t practice Friday.
Despite pointing out that his deadline to ink a new pact was Friday, Chase said a contract is “in reach.” And although his status for Sunday appears questionable, he added that he plans to play this season even if a deal isn’t done.
Chase practiced Friday after being a limited participant Wednesday and Thursday.
“We’ll see,” head coach Zac Taylor said Friday when asked about Chase’s availability, according to Ben Baby of ESPN.
Chase has two years remaining on his rookie deal after the Bengals drafted him No. 5 overall in 2021. A slew of wide receivers signed lucrative deals this offseason, including star Justin Jefferson, who reset the market with a four-year, $140-million extension that included $110 million guaranteed.
“If I want to beat Justin, I’m gonna beat the shit out of Justin. Not by a penny, brother,” Chase said when asked if he wanted a cent more than Jefferson’s contract.
He added: “I know I’m the best wide receiver in the league.”
STEELERS QB RUSSELL WILSON ‘HOPING’ TO PLAY IN OPENER VS. FALCONS
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson remains hopeful that he’ll be under center for Sunday’s season opener against the host Atlanta Falcons.
Wilson has been limited in practice as he deals with tightness in his calf.
“Just felt a little tight. Wanted to be smart about it,” Wilson said on Friday about limiting himself in practice, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Obviously, for the game on Sunday, hoping I get to be in it. Trying to get ready to go. … Doing everything we can.”
Wilson acknowledged he didn’t tax himself too much in Friday’s session.
Fourth-year quarterback Justin Fields would get the nod if Wilson is unable to play against the Falcons.
When asked if he is preparing as if he will start on Sunday, Fields said, “I have the same process every week because I learned my rookie year how fast things can change. I remember my … rookie season, Andy Dalton, he was just running out of bounds. It looked like a normal play but he tweaked his knee. Right then and there I was in (the game). I always prepare like I’m the starter.”
Wilson, 35, was named to the Pro Bowl in nine of his 10 seasons (2012-21) with the Seattle Seahawks. Traded to the Denver Broncos before the 2022 season in a blockbuster deal, Wilson went 11-19 as a starter with Denver and was released earlier this year.
In 188 career starts, Wilson has posted a 115-72-1 record. He’s thrown for 43,653 yards and 334 touchdowns to go with 106 interceptions and has engineered 39 game-winning drives.
He has also rushed for 5,307 yards and added 29 touchdowns.
Fields was the No. 11 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Bears, but Chicago decided to move on from the 25-year-old after three seasons.
He has a 10-28 record in 40 games (38 starts) and has thrown for 6,674 yards with 40 TDs and 30 interceptions. He has rushed for 2,220 yards and 14 scores.
CARDINALS DON’T EXPECT WR XAVIER WEAVER (OBLIQUE) TO PLAY VS. BILLS
Arizona Cardinals rookie receiver and kick returner Xavier Weaver is not expected to play in Sunday’s season opener at Buffalo because of an oblique injury, coach Jonathan Gannon said Friday.
Weaver, 23, did not participate in practices Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
The Cardinals’ depth chart lists Weaver as the backup to starting wide receiver Greg Dortch, with the other starters being Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr., the team’s top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Arizona signed Weaver as an undrafted free agent. He caught 68 passes for 908 yards and four touchdowns, and ran twice for 15 yards and two scores, in 11 games as a senior for Colorado last season.
He played from 2019-22 for South Florida and totaled 116 receptions for 1,735 yards and eight touchowns.
–Field Level Media
TITANS S JAMAL ADAMS (HIP) RULED OUT VS. BEARS
Tennessee Titans safety Jamal Adams will miss Sunday’s opener against the host Chicago Bears with a hip injury, the team confirmed Friday.
The three-time Pro Bowler signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Titans in July after an injury-plagued four-year run with the Seattle Seahawks.
Adams, 28, missed practice for the third straight day Friday. Undrafted rookie Julius Wood could move up the depth chart at strong safety on Sunday.
Drafted sixth overall by the New York Jets in 2017, Adams made three straight Pro Bowls (2018-20) and was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2019 before getting derailed by injuries.
Adams sustained a torn quadriceps in Seattle’s 2022 opener and did not return that season. He missed eight more games last season.
In 80 career games (all starts) with the Jets (2017-19) and Seahawks, Adams recorded 494 tackles, 21.5 sacks and four interceptions.
Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (knee) has been a limited participant in practice this week and is questionable for Sunday. Linebacker Otis Reese (concussion) has been ruled out.
–Field Level Media
STEELERS TE PAT FREIERMUTH AGREES TO 4-YEAR, $48.4M DEAL
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth agreed to a four-year, $48.4 million contract extension.
Freiermuth’s representation, Athletes First, announced the transaction over Instagram on Friday. The new deal comes two days before the Steelers open the season against the host Atlanta Falcons.
Freiermuth, 25, recorded 32 catches for 308 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games (nine starts) last season.
He has totaled 155 receptions for 1,537 yards and 11 scores in 44 games (26 starts) since Pittsburgh picked him in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Penn State.
–Field Level Media
REPORT: DOLPHINS MAKE JALEN RAMSEY NFL’S HIGHEST-PAID CB
The Miami Dolphins and All-Pro Jalen Ramsey agreed to a three-year, $72.3 million extension making him the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback, NFL Network reported Friday.
The $24.1 million average annual value of the deal would push Ramsey just ahead of the Denver Broncos’ Patrick Surtain II at $24.0 million per season.
Ramsey, who turns 30 next month, had two years and $45.6 million remaining on his previous contract. The latest extension guarantees him an additional $55.3 million, according to Spotrac.
A seven-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time first-team All-Pro, Ramsey opens his ninth NFL season — second with Miami — on Sunday against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars.
Ramsey recorded three interceptions and 22 tackles in 10 starts for the Dolphins in 2023. He missed the first seven games coming off meniscus surgery in the offseason.
Ramsey has 22 interceptions, 97 passes defensed, six forced fumbles and 474 tackles in 118 games (117 starts) with the Jaguars (2016-19), Los Angeles Rams (2019-22) and Dolphins.
–Field Level Media
TITANS LIST WR DEANDRE HOPKINS AS QUESTIONABLE FOR OPENER IN CHICAGO
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will be a game-time decision Sunday for the Tennessee Titans’ season opener in Chicago after returning to practice this week while recovering from a left knee injury he suffered July 31.
Hopkins, who turned 32 in June, says missing essentially the entire preseason is not a problem for him.
“I played a lot of football, so it’s not a challenge,” Hopkins said.
He also dismissed reports he won’t play against the Bears as he recovers from the injury that didn’t require surgery.
“I don’t watch reports,” Hopkins said. “I just go out and practice. So, I guess we’ll see Sunday.”
First-year coach Brian Callahan said after practice Friday that the Titans aren’t worried about Hopkins’ knee being an issue all season or of a worse injury than the receiver initially had. The Titans plan to monitor how much he plays as they would for anyone who has missed a lot of practice.
“To ask a guy to go in there and play an entire game every snap is is a tough ask,” Callahan said. “But, it’s funny what happens on game day sometimes and the adrenaline gets flowing and all of a sudden they say, ‘I’m good, man, let me play.’”
Hopkins, who played all 17 games last year with Tennessee, had a sleeve on his left knee Thursday but not in warmups Friday. He credited the Titans for trusting him with a unique approach to his recovery.
“This organization trusted me to go to California and rehab with some experienced people, with guys who deal with this injury all the time,” Hopkins said Thursday. “So you know, just taking it day by day. But I feel great.”
Callahan said Hopkins came to him with how he wanted to handle his recovery and talked regularly with the Titans, especially vice president of sports medicine Todd Toriscelli.
“We decided that a guy that’s played as long as he’s played knows what he needs, and so we allowed him go get the treatment that he felt like he needed to be ready to play for Week 1,” Callahan said. “So it was pretty straightforward. And he was great just really getting what he needed and what he wanted.”
Hopkins is the top receiver in the NFL’s most accomplished group this season when measured by total receptions (1,908) or receiving yards (24,654). The Titans signed Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd this offseason, adding them to 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
Rookie Jha’Quan Jackson is the sixth receiver as a sixth-round pick out of Tulane whose uncle just happens to be Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed.
The group is led by Hopkins going into his 12th NFL season and second with Tennessee. He leads all active players with 928 receptions and 12,355 yards receiving since entering the league in 2013. Only Davante Adams (95) and Mike Evans (94) have more than Hopkins’ 78 career touchdown catches.
Hopkins currently is tied with Antonio Brown for 21st in NFL history for career receptions.
Chicago’s receiving corps ranks third for combined total catches, fourth in receiving yards and eighth in TD catches.
Hopkins sees great energy with a group that is drastically different from last year’s Titans.
“Everyone has the same goal,” Hopkins said. “You know, people came from different teams, but you can’t tell that we haven’t played together for years and (that’s) signs of a good football team.”
Status update
Callahan said only S Jamal Adams (hip) and LB Otis Reese IV (concussion protocol) will miss the opener.
BUCS SIGN DL BEN STILLE OFF CARDINALS’ PRACTICE SQUAD
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed defensive lineman Ben Stille to their active roster off the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad on Friday.
Stille, 26, appeared in five games for the Cardinals in 2023 and recorded eight tackles and one sack.
Undrafted out of Nebraska in 2022, he also played in one game for the Miami Dolphins and six for the Cleveland Browns (with one start) that season.
The Buccaneers also placed defensive Earnest Brown IV on injured reserve due to a rib injury sustained in practice on Wednesday. He will have to miss a minimum of four games.
Brown, 25, recorded 14 tackles in 12 games (three starts) from 2022-23 with the Los Angeles Rams, who drafted him in the fifth round in 2021 out of Northwestern. He spent 2021 on the practice squad.
–Field Level Media
REPORT: RAVENS LB KYLE VAN NOY BREAKS ORBITAL BONE
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy sustained a fractured orbital bone in Thursday’s season-opening loss at Kansas City, NFL Network reported Friday.
Citing a source with direct knowledge of the injury, the report said the 11-year veteran will undergo more testing to determine how much time he will miss.
Van Noy, 33, also was checked for a concussion during the 27-20 loss to the Chiefs and was cleared, but he did not return to the game.
The injury occurred shortly after halftime when Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes appeared to land on Van Noy’s head after avoiding a sack. Van Noy was able to walk off the field and finished the game with one tackle and one quarterback hit.
Van Noy re-signed with the Ravens on a two-year deal in April after registering a career-high nine sacks in 14 games (three starts) with Baltimore in 2023.
A two-time Super Bowl champion with New England, Van Noy has tallied 42.5 sacks, 501 tackles, 12 forced fumbles and three interceptions in 143 games (90 starts) with the Detroit Lions (2014-16), Patriots (2016-19, 2021), Miami Dolphins (2020), Los Angeles Chargers (2022) and Ravens.
Outside linebackers David Ojabo and Tavius Robinson could be in line for more playing time in Van Noy’s absence. The Ravens host the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2.
–Field Level Media
ANALYSIS: HISTORY SUGGESTS A TEAM WILL MAKE A BIG LEAP TO REACH A CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Some of the 18 NFL teams that missed the playoffs last year have reason to hope for much greater success this season.
Since 2019, seven teams have reached a conference championship game after failing to make the playoffs the previous season. Four of those seven teams won six or fewer games the year before advancing to the NFL’s Final Four.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went from 7-9 in 2019 to Super Bowl champions in 2020. The San Francisco 49ers rebounded from a 4-12 season in 2018 to reach the Super Bowl the following year only to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs. They bounced back from a 6-10 campaign in 2020 and got to the NFC title game the next season.
Here are five potential sleeper teams in 2024:
Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen donned a gladiator-style costume for Pepsi’s short film that also features Travis Kelce, Justin Jefferson, Derrick Henry and Megan Thee Stallion.
The Bills need Allen to play like a gladiator to get to a Super Bowl.
Allen lost top receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis so he’s working with a new pass catching corps. The Bills made the playoffs last year so they wouldn’t be considered sleepers but expectations are much lower for a team that has lost in the divisional round three straight seasons after falling short in the AFC title game against Kansas City four years ago.
“It takes a little bit of luck to bounce your way, too, but ultimately, it comes down to winning your last game and that takes 53 guys on an entire roster, plus the practice squad, plus your training staff, plus your equipment staff, plus your weight-training staff and your strength staff,” Allen said. “It takes everybody in the entire building. So, looking forward to the challenge this year, and we’re going to do everything that we can do to get over that hump.”
Atlanta Falcons
They have a new coach and new quarterback after six straight losing seasons. Raheem Morris replaced Arthur Smith and four-time Pro Bowl QB Kirk Cousins got $100 million guaranteed in free agency to be the solution at the most important position.
Cousins has plenty of playmakers around him, including wide receivers Drake London and Darnell Mooney, tight end Kyle Pitts and running back Bijan Robinson.
The defense got a major boost with the addition of edge rusher Matthew Judon and safety Justin Simmons.
The Falcons are favorites to surpass three-time defending champion Tampa Bay and capture the NFC South, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
“You just try to have the same habits and I think that gives you the best chance for success, but you certainly want to build momentum through the year,” Cousins said. “That certainly can be done when you’re playing well and winning.”
New York Jets
Aaron Rodgers’ return from a torn Achilles tendon and the excitement surrounding the team hardly makes the Jets a sleeper. But they were 7-10 last year because Rodgers only played four snaps.
If Rodgers stays healthy, the Jets will have a dangerous offense with running back Breece Hall and wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams surrounding Rodgers.
Gang Green’s defense led by cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebackers C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams already is fierce. It’ll be even better if edge rusher Haason Reddick shows up.
“I feel like this entire team, this entire organization has a renewed mind set,” coach Robert Saleh said. “We’re just all looking forward to getting to compete on Monday night (against San Francisco).”
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars fell apart after an 8-3 start and missed the playoffs after losing five of their last six. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is healthy now and got paid to deliver.
Coach Doug Pederson already turned the franchise around after inheriting Urban Meyer’s mess and led them to a division title and playoff victory two years ago. Pederson knows what it takes to win. He led the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory with a backup quarterback by beating New England.
A revamped defense led by new coordinator Ryan Nielsen has a pair of star pass rushers in Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. The pieces are in place for the Jaguars to make a deep playoff run.
“Quite honestly, that’s what I was hired to do,” Pederson said about winning. “We just have to go do it. I can appreciate that. It doesn’t add any extra pressure or anything like that. We just have to go to our jobs.”
Chicago Bears
There’s plenty of hype surrounding the Bears because of Caleb Williams.
But the Bears have had only one winning season in the last 11 years and play in the tough NFC North.
Williams, the No. 1 overall pick, should finally answer Chicago’s search for a franchise quarterback. The Bears added wide receivers Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen and running back D’Andre Swift to make sure he has help.
The team might be a year or two from making a Super Bowl run but Williams should make an immediate impact.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME OF THE WEEK: TEXAS VS. MICHIGAN
TEXAS NOTES
THE OPENING KICKOFF • Texas continues its 132nd season of football at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 7, when it faces No. 9/8 Michigan on the road in Ann Arbor, Mich. The game will broadcast on FOX and be part of FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff. • For the sixth time over the last four seasons, the Longhorns will appear on ESPN’s College GameDay as the pregame show airs from Ann Arbor, Mich., this upcoming Saturday. • Texas and Michigan will clash for just the second time in history and the first time since Jan. 1, 2005. In their lone meeting, UT defeated the Wolverines, 38-37, at the 2005 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. • Last week, Texas topped Colorado State at home, 52-0, to open the season. • The showdown in Ann Arbor, Mich., marks the second straight season in which the Longhorns will play a non-conference road game at an AP Top-10 opponent. Last season, Texas trekked to then ranked No. 3/3 Alabama and took down the Crimson Tide, 34-24, at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. • Texas currently boasts 949 all-time wins, tied for fourth-most in college football history. UT holds an all-time record of 949-392-33 (.702). The Longhorns’ 949 wins are the second most by an SEC team following Alabama’s 965 victories. • The game will feature two of last year’s four CFP teams.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MICHIGAN • Texas and Michigan meet for just the second time in history and first, since 2005 when the Longhorns captured a 38-37 victory at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. • The back-and-forth affair ended with a 37-yard game-winning field by Longhorn kicker Dusty Mangum. • The Longhorns will be making their first trip to Ann Arbor, Mich. • It’ll be Texas’ first regular season matchup against a Big Ten team since 2018 when the Longhorns opened the season at Maryland.
TOP 10 ROAD TEST • The road matchup at No. 9/8 Michigan marks the second-straight season in which Texas travels to an AP Top-10 non-conference opponent during the regular season. Last year, Texas traveled to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to face No. 3/3 Alabama. The Longhorns defeated the Crimson Tide, 34-24 – the victory marked Texas’ first-ever non-conference road win against an AP Top-3 opponent. • The Longhorns sport a 139-165-8 (.458) all-time record against ranked foes, including a 36-50-0 (.419) on the road.
A TEXAS WIN WOULD … • Be Texas’ 950th all-time victory, the fourth winningest program in college football history. • Give Steve Sarkisian his 73rd victory as a head coach and 27th at Texas in his 122nd career game as a head coach. • Grant Texas its eighth straight win at home, dating back to the 2022 season. Texas did not drop a home game during the 2023 season. • Mark Texas’ first-ranked road win of the 2024 season and its second AP Top-10 road win over the last two seasons. • Move the Longhorns to 2-0 all-time against the Wolverines. • Give UT its eighth consecutive regular-season road win, dating back to the 2022 season.
BY THE NUMBERS 1 Texas embarks on its first season as a member of the Southeastern Conference in 2024. 2 Last season, Texas ranked second in the nation allowing opponents to convert on just 26.6 percent of their 3rd-down tries. 4 Junior QB Quinn Ewers had the fourth most passing yards in single-season program history after throwing for 3,479 yards in 2023. 9 The Longhorns finished the 2023 season ranked ninth nationally in total offense after averaging 477.5 yards of total offense per game (14 games). 11 The Longhorns dipped into the transfer portal this offseason, welcoming 11 new Longhorns to the Forty Acres. 16 The Longhorns intercepted 16 passes in 2023, tied for 10th-most in the nation and the most for Texas since 2017 (16). 31 31 Longhorns played in their first game for Texas in last Saturday’s win vs. Colorado State. 82.4 Last season, the Texas defense surrendered only 82.4 rushing yards per game, the third-fewest in the nation. 143 Senior PK Bert Auburn scored 143 points in 2023, a record for a UT kicker and the third-most in a season in program history. Auburn’s 143 points also ranked second in the nation, trailing Michigan RB Blake Corum’s 168. 296.2 Junior QB Quinn Ewers averaged 296.2 yards of total offense per game last season, which leads all returning SEC quarterbacks in 2024.
SHUT ‘EM OUT • With Texas’ 52-0 win over Colorado State, it marked the first time the Longhorns have shutout an opponent to begin the season since Sept. 4, 2004, when UT beat North Texas, 65-0. • Courtesy of its defensive effort, Texas recorded its first shutout since Oct. 8, 2022, when the Longhorns knocked off Oklahoma, 49-0, in Dallas. • The 52-point margin of victory marked the highest by the Longhorns since beating Rice, 58- 0, on Sept. 18, 2021. LEADING THE WAY • Texas’ 31-point halftime lead against the Colorado State Rams was the largest for the Longhorns since having a 31-0 lead over Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas on Nov. 19, 2022. • Per research gathered by Danny Davis of the Austin American-Statesman, sophomore RB Quintrevion Wisner’s 3-yard rushing touchdown to cap the Longhorns’ second drive of the afternoon was the first rushing touchdown by Texas to open a new season since the 2014 campaign. • Malcolm Brown scored the first touchdown of the 2014 season with a 1-yard touchdown run during the first quarter of Texas’ 38-7 victory over North Texas on Aug. 30, 2014. • Wisner’s first-quarter rushing touchdown was the first of the season for the Glenn Heights, Texas native and second in his last four games after scoring on a 10-yard run with 38 seconds left in the Longhorns’ 57-7 win over Texas Tech on Nov. 24, 2023. SPREADING THE LOVE • 77 Texas players (51 in the first half) saw the field against the Colorado Rams last Saturday. • Five players scored their first touchdowns at Texas. • Eight players recorded rushing attempts. • 12 players caught passes (10 in the first half). • 28 players logged at least one tackle. • 31 players played in their first game as a Longhorn (13 true freshmen, three redshirt freshmen, 11 transfers and four walk-ons). QUARTERBACK MAGIC • Saturday afternoon’s game marked the first time two Longhorn football student-athletes have tossed at least one touchdown in the same game since Oct. 1, 2022, when Hudson Card (3) and Xavier Worthy (1) combined for four passing touchdowns. • It was also the first time two UT quarterbacks have each thrown a touchdown in the same game since Nov. 13, 2021, when Casey Thompson (6) and Hudson Card (1) totaled seven passing touchdowns against Kansas.
MICHIGAN NOTES
What You Need to Know
• This will be the second meeting between Michigan and Texas.
• The Wolverines have scored 30+ points in 16 of their last 19 contests.
• U-M has won 41 of its last 44 games and has a 23-game winning streak at Michigan Stadium.
• The Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week, Dominic Zvada kicked three field goals from 45+ yards in his U-M debut (45, 53, 55).
• Will Johnson matched the school record with his second career interception for a TD against Fresno State (86 yards).
Michigan vs. SEC Schools
• Michigan is no stranger to the Southeastern Conference and will face an SEC school for the 40th time in school history.
• The Wolverines have a 26-12-1 all-time record against schools from the SEC.
• This will be the 18th time that Michigan faces a Southeastern Conference school in a bowl game.
• The Wolverines have a 9-9 mark against the SEC in bowl games.
• The most recent bowl match-up with the SEC came in the 2023 CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl, a 27-20 overtime victory over Alabama on New Year’s Day.
• The Wolverines have yet to face Louisiana State in a cross-conference match-up; U-M has played both Missouri (2-2) and Texas A&M (2-1) in the past but those games were prior to their inclusion in the SEC.
• The match-up with Texas takes place prior to their first official conference game as a member of the SEC.
Wolverines and Longhorns
• This will be the second meeting between the Wolverines and Longhorns.
• It will be the first-ever matchup during the regular season; the two programs are scheduled to play in Austin on Sept. 11, 2027.
• Texas won the only previous meeting, a 38-37 affair on a last-second field goal in the 91st Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 1, 2006.
• Michigan linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary spent two seasons as the linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator at Texas (2015-16) under Charlie Strong.
• The Wolverines have seven players that hail from the state ofTexas: RB Tavierre Dunlap (Del Valle), DL Enow Etta (Keller), OL Blake Frazier (Austin), DL Ike lwunnah (Garland), DB Ricky Johnson (Houston), QB Alex Orji (Sachse) and DB Max Reyes (Southlake).
• Saturday’s game is also a matchup between two of the nation’s top five winningest teams: Michigan (1st, 1005 wins) and Texas (4th, 949).
The TEAM
• Michigan has the nation’s longest winning streak at 16 games; won a school record 15 contests in 2023 en route to the national championship and posted a 30-10 win over Fresno State in the 2024 season opener.
• U-M has won 41 of its last 44 football games dating back to the start of the 2021 season.
• The Wolverines have won a record 29 consecutive regular-season games; surpassing the 28-game streaks held by Michigan (1901-03) and Ohio State (2005-07) for the longest winning streaks in Big Ten history.
• The Maize and Blue are in the midst of a school record 25-game winning streak against conference teams, which includes the past three Big Ten Championship Games; surpassing the 19-game mark set from 1990-92 under coach Gary Moeller.
• The Wolverines have been victorious in 11 straight road league games (dating to Penn State, 2021 ), the longest streak for the program since Michigan won 17 games from 1988-92; tied for the fifth-longest streak in Big Ten history.
Game Notes Nuggets
• U-M’s 2024 schedule includes four foes ranked in the preseason AP Top 25. The Wolverines will face the first of those four opponents this weekend against Texas (No. 4 in preseason poll). The other three opponents are No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Oregon, and No. 23 USC.
• Michigan has won 29 straight regular season games (dating to 2021), the most by any Big Ten team in conference history (previous: 28; 1901-03 Michigan, 2005-07 Ohio State).
• U-M has 23 straight wins at Michigan Stadium, the third-longest stretch in program history and longest since 1969-73 under Bo Schembechler.
• The following players were named to 2024 Preseason Award Watch Lists: Donovan Edwards, Colston Loveland, Semaj Morgan, Alex Orji, Davis Warren on offense; Jaishawn Barham, Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Will Johnson on defense; William Wagner and Dominic Zvada as specialists.
• Graham, Loveland, and Johnson each earned preseason All-America honors (first team) from at least two outlets.
• Running back Donovan Edwards caught two passes last weekend including a touchdown, bumping him to 70 career receptions, fourth-most all-time among running backs. With 13 more catches, he’ll tie B.J. Askew (1999-2002) for third-most all-time; Jamie Morris has the record with 99 career catches (1984-86).
• Edwards is also 96 yards from the career receiving yards record by a back (810; held by Anthony Thomas, 1997-2000).
• Running back Kalel Mullings set new career-highs in carries (15) and rushing yards (92) against the Bulldogs.
• Signal caller Davis Warren made his first start at quarterback and connected with Colston Loveland for his first career touchdown pass. Alex Orji also threw his first career touchdown, the first score of the game to Edwards.
• When he caught his career-high eighth reception against Fresno State, Colston Loveland became the first tight end with eight-plus catches in a game since Erick All (2021, 10 catches vs. Michigan State).
• Loveland is 29 receiving yards shy of 1,000 for his career. He would be the sixth tight end in program history to reach 1,000 receiving yards.
• Michigan’s defense received top marks from Pro Football Focus (PFF). The unit is tied-20th in overall defense (83.8), 17th in pass rush (74.9), and ninth in run defense (90.8).
• Fresno State was limited to nine total rushing yards, including -16 in the second half. That figure (nine rushing yards allowed) was the third-lowest across the FBS in week one. U-M did not allow a 100-yard rusher across all of the 2023 season.
• Edge rusher Josaiah Stewart enjoyed his second multi-sack game as a Wolverine (2.0) with 3.0 tackles for loss in total. He was one of 21 players across the FBS with two or more sacks last weekend.
• Defensive lineman Rayshaun Benny recorded the second sack of his career last weekend, and tied for the team lead with five total tackles.
• Defensive linemen accounted for 16 of the team’s 69 pass breakups last year, led by Kenneth Grant‘s five, plus two of the team’s 18 interceptions (26.1 percent of all breakups/interceptions). Grant got right back in the PBU column again to start the 2024 season with a pass breakup in the fourth quarter.
• Defensive back Will Johnson recorded an 86-yard interception returned for a touchdown in the game’s final minutes, marking the second of his career (at Minnesota, 2023). One more pick-six would give Johnson the career record at Michigan.
• Kicker Dominic Zvada converted field goal tries of 45, 53, and 55 yards in his Wolverine debut. He became the second-ever U-M kicker with two makes from 50-plus yards in the same game (Quinn Nordin vs. Florida, 2017), and his 55-yarder is the sixth-longest in program history.
• The only made field goal longer than Zvada’s 55-yarder across week one in the FBS was the 59-yarder made Georgia Tech’s Ryan Fitzgerald.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MLB ROUNDUP: MANNY MACHADO TIES PADRES’ CAREER HR MARK IN WIN
Manny Machado went deep twice and tied the Padres’ record for career homers as San Diego beat the visiting San Francisco Giants 5-1 on Friday.
Machado’s second homer of the night, his 25th of the year, soared into the second deck in left field to start the bottom of the eighth inning. It was his 163rd homer with San Diego, tying Nate Colbert’s 50-year old record.
Michael King (12-8) fanned eight in six innings and limited San Francisco to one run on six hits and a walk. Three relievers threw hitless ball over the last three innings. San Diego (81-62) gained ground in the National League playoff race, going up by 1 1/2 games over Arizona for the top wild-card spot as the Diamondbacks lost 8-0 at Houston.
Rookie Mason Black (0-3) was tagged with the loss after permitting six hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out six as the Giants (69-73) lost for the fifth time in six games.
Yankees 3, Cubs 0
Luis Gil and three relievers combined on a one-hitter as visiting New York opened a three-game series against Chicago with a shutout victory.
Austin Wells singled in two runs and Aaron Judge had an RBI double for the Yankees, which snapped a two-game losing skid. Gil (13-6) allowed one hit with seven strikeouts over six innings. He walked two while throwing 89 pitches in his first game since coming off the injured list.
Cody Bellinger’s one-out double in the fourth inning was the lone hit registered by the Cubs (72-69), who lost for the third time in its last four games. Chicago starter Jordan Wicks (2-3) allowed three runs on five hits with four walks and four strikeouts over five innings.
Orioles 2, Rays 0
Dean Kremer pitched six no-hit innings, Gunnar Henderson homered again and Baltimore defeated visiting Tampa Bay in the opener of a three-game series.
Kremer (7-9) struck out seven and walked three in his sterling effort before needing help. The Orioles have won three of four games in the homestand. Henderson’s 36th homer of the season was a solo shot in the sixth. He had two of Baltimore’s four hits.
Shane Baz (2-3) gave the Rays a strong effort from the mound, lasting six innings and allowing two runs, one earned. He gave up two hits and issued three walks while striking out three.
Athletics 7, Tigers 6 (13 innings)
Seth Brown’s second hit of extra innings, a one-out double in the bottom of the 13th, gave Oakland a walk-off win over visiting Detroit in the longest game of the season for each team.
Brown finished with three RBIs for the A’s, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Brent Rooker collected three hits and two RBIs, Lawrence Butler also had three hits, JJ Bleday scored twice and Jacob Wilson joined Brown with a pair of hits.
Riley Greene went 4-for-6 with two RBIs for the Tigers, who have lost three of four. Parker Meadows, Jace Jung and Zach McKinstry had two hits apiece, while Ryan Kreidler scored twice.
Guardians 3, Dodgers 1
Matthew Boyd delivered another strong outing and Andres Gimenez hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning as visiting Cleveland earned a victory over Los Angeles in the opener of a three-game series between division leaders.
In his fifth start since returning from Tommy John surgery, Boyd (2-1) held the Dodgers to one run on three hits over six innings with no walks and six strikeouts. Brayan Rocchio added a home run in the eighth for Cleveland.
Shohei Ohtani hit a home run for the Dodgers, his 45th to go along with 46 steals. Rookie right-hander Landon Knack (2-3) gave up two runs on three hits over six innings with one walk and eight strikeouts.
Red Sox 3, White Sox 1
Ceddanne Rafaela hit a two-run homer in the seventh to lift Boston past visiting Chicago.
Rafael Devers went 2-for-4 and Triston Casas also had an RBI for the Red Sox, who snapped a five-game losing streak.
Chicago wasted starter’s Davis Martin six innings of one-run ball.
Rockies 3, Brewers 2
Michael Toglia belted a three-run homer in the sixth inning and Ryan Feltner recorded his first win in nearly five months, lifting visiting Colorado over Milwaukee.
Ezequiel Tovar ripped a one-out double in the sixth inning for the Rockies to spoil Frankie Montas’ no-hit bid. Montas (6-10) then walked Ryan McMahon and Toglia stepped up two batters later and deposited a first-pitch sinker over the wall in center field, his team-leading 23rd of the season.
Feltner (2-10) allowed one run on two hits and three walks while striking out six batters in six innings. He snapped a stretch of five straight no-decisions and captured his first win since April 12. The Brewers’ Joey Ortiz had two hits, including an RBI single.
Mets 6, Reds 4 (10 innings)
Mark Vientos hit a pair of two-run homers, including the walk-off blast in the 10th inning at Citi Field.
It was the Mets’ eighth straight win.
Vientos battled Justin Wilson (1-5) for seven pitches before homering well into the first deck in left. He also homered to left in the first and finished with three hits.
Braves 3, Blue Jays 1
Max Fried allowed one unearned run on five hits over seven innings to help lead Atlanta past visiting Toronto in the opener of a three-game series.
It was just the second win in his past 10 starts for Fried (9-8), who struck out eight and walked one. The Braves remained tied with the Mets for the final wild-card spot in the National League. Raisel Iglesias pitched around a two-out double and single to extend his scoreless innings streak to 24 1/3 innings en route to his 31st save.
Kevin Gausman (12-11) took the loss for the Blue Jays, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five. Gausman bounced back from a three-run, 40-pitch second inning to go six innings for Toronto (67-75), which suffered its seventh loss in the past nine games.
Phillies 16, Marlins 2
Zack Wheeler pitched six strong innings and Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber each homered and drove in three runs as Philadelphia routed host Miami.
Wheeler (14-6) allowed just one run on two hits and one walk for the Phillies. He struck out seven and lowered his ERA to 2.59. Philadelphia won its sixth game in a row. The Phillies set season highs in hits (22), extra-base hits (10) and runs. However, they lost catcher J.T. Realmuto to a left knee contusion. He fouled a pitch off his knee in the second exit, then exited for a pinch hitter in the fourth.
Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera was scratched due to migraine symptoms, so right-hander Austin Kitchen, 27, made his first MLB start after three relief appearances. Kitchen (0-1) gave up seven runs, six earned, on nine hits in two innings.
Angels 5, Rangers 1
Logan O’Hoppe drilled a three-run homer and Samuel Aldegheri recorded his first MLB victory as Los Angeles topped Texas.
Nolan Schanuel added a run-scoring single for the Angels (59-82), who won for the fourth time in the past six games. Aldegheri (1-1) gave up one run and three hits over six innings to become the first Italian-born pitcher to win a major league game since 1949. He struck out seven and walked three. Jose Quijada walked one in the ninth to wrap up the four-hitter for Los Angeles.
The setback was just the third in the past 11 games for the Rangers (68-74), who continue to languish well outside the American League playoff picture. Adolis Garcia drove in the lone run for Texas.
Royals 5, Twins 0
Cole Ragans struck out seven in six shutout innings as Kansas City beat visiting Minnesota.
Ragans (11-9) has 204 strikeouts, the most whiffs by a left-handed pitcher in a single season in Royals history and fifth most in a season all-time for the Royals, who moved into second place in the American League Central. He allowed four hits and walked one, winning for the first time since also beating the Twins on Aug. 14.
The Twins were held to four hits, and only two runners advanced beyond first base.
Mariners 6, Cardinals 1
Dylan Moore hit a two-run homer and Cal Raleigh hit a two-run double as visiting Seattle defeated St. Louis.
Julio Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with a run for the Mariners, who have won their past three games by the combined score of 28-8.
Jordan Walker hit a homer for the Cardinals, who suffered just their third loss in their past nine games.
Astros 8, Diamondbacks 0
Yordan Alvarez slugged a pair of three-run home runs while Framber Valdez tossed seven shutout innings as Houston claimed the opener of a three-game interleague series vs. Arizona.
Alvarez finished 2-for-4 with six RBIs while raising his season home run total to 32. It was Alvarez’s seventh multi-homer game this season, matching the franchise mark set by Chris Carter in 2014, when he clubbed 37 home runs. Valdez (14-6) continued his recent run of mastery with his third scoreless start in his past four outings, permitting two hits and three walks while striking out seven.
Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt (9-8) allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks with five strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
WNBA NEWS
ANGEL REESE, SKY TOP SPARKS, END SEVEN-GAME SKID
Angel Reese produced 24 points and 12 rebounds and Chennedy Carter added 15 points, nine boards and seven assists as the host Chicago Sky defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 92-78 on Friday to stop a seven-game losing streak.
Reese paced the Sky with her WNBA-best 26th double-double of the season while extending her all-time league single-season rebounding record.
Chicago (12-22) remained tied with the Atlanta Dream for the league’s eighth and final playoff spot with six regular-season games remaining.
The Dream defeated visiting Dallas earlier Friday. Atlanta is set to host Chicago on Sept. 17.
Los Angeles (7-27) fell for the 10th time in 11 games. Dearica Hamby led the Sparks with 21 points while Rickea Jackson had 17.
Azura Stevens contributed nine points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles. Odyssey Sims dished six assists.
Back in the lineup after missing the past four games while in the league’s health and safety protocol, Carter helped facilitate a balanced attack that set fell one point short of the Sky’s season high for points.
Kamilla Cardoso (12 points), Diamond DeShields (10) and Michaela Onyenwere (10) also finished in double figures for Chicago, which led by as many as 18 points. Cardoso added nine rebounds as the Sky enjoyed a 35-26 edge on the glass.
Chicago trailed by one point after a sluggish first quarter but built momentum in the second, outscoring Los Angeles 29-22 on the way to a 48-42 halftime lead.
Jackson led all scorers with 15 points at the break while Carter and Rachel Banham paced the Sky with nine apiece.
The Sky shot 54.3 percent in the first half compared to 43.8 percent for the Sparks, who went just 2-for-9 from long range in the first 20 minutes.
Overall, Chicago outshot Los Angeles 51.4 percent to 43.9 percent from the field. The Sparks hit 5 of 20 from beyond the arc, and the Sky went 7 of 16.
Chicago swept the season series from Los Angeles 3-0, winning by 10, four and 14 points.
–Field Level Media
RHYNE HOWARD, DREAM DOWN WINGS IN OVERTIME
Rhyne Howard scored a game-high 33 points while leading the Atlanta Dream to a 107-96 overtime win over the Dallas Wings on Friday in College Park, Ga.
Tina Charles added 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Dream (12-22), who rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit. Atlanta’s Allisha Gray tallied 19 points and Naz Hillmon had 18. Jordin Canada amassed 15 points and 10 assists for the Dream, who have won two of three.
Natasha Howard led Dallas (9-25) with 24 points, while Arike Ogunbowale chipped in 22 points and eight assists. Satou Sabally and Teaira McCowan each had 18 points for the Wings, who dropped their third straight. McCowan grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
In the extra period, Rhyne Howard’s step-back 3-pointer followed by Charles’ hook shot gave Atlanta a 104-96 lead with 1:02 remaining. The Dream outscored Dallas 15-4 in overtime.
With Dallas up by 14 late in the third quarter, a jumper from Rhyne Howard followed by back-to-back layups from Gray were part of an 8-0 run that cut deficit to 75-69 entering the final quarter.
From there, Charles’ 10-foot jumper trimmed Atlanta’s deficit to 79-74 with 6:19 left, but 3-pointers from Ogunbowale and Sabally pushed Dallas’ lead back to 11 points, forcing a Dream timeout at the 5:39 mark.
Atlanta answered with an 11-0 spurt capped by Rhyne Howard’s 3-pointer that tied the game at 85 with 3:28 remaining.
Another Charles bucket evened the score at 89 at the 1:25 mark. After a Dallas turnover, Charles’ hook shot put Atlanta ahead with 1:00 left — the Dream’s first lead since the first quarter.
After Sabally and Rhyne Howard each hit one of two free throws, Natasha Howard’s jumper with two seconds left tied the game at 92. Charles missed a potential game-winning shot on the other end, sending the game to overtime.
Dallas finished the first half on an 11-5 spurt, capped with Ogunbowale’s 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left, giving the Wings a 56-42 lead.
–Field Level Media
TENNIS NEWS
JESSICA PEGULA WILL MEET ARYNA SABALENKA IN THE US OPEN WOMEN’S FINAL SATURDAY
NEW YORK (AP) — Back in January, when Aryna Sabalenka was winning a second consecutive Australian Open title, Jessica Pegula was bowing out in the second round with a straight-set loss against someone ranked 51st.
It wasn’t the first setback for Pegula, of course. There have been many of those through the years, from assorted injuries to difficult-to-digest defeats. Look at her now, though: On Saturday, the No. 6-seeded Pegula will face No. 2 Sabalenka for the championship at the U.S. Open.
“If you would have told me at the beginning of the year I’d be in the finals of the U.S. Open, I would have laughed so hard, because that just was where my head was — not thinking that I would be here,” Pegula, a 30-year-old American, said Thursday night after coming back to earn her first shot at a Grand Slam trophy with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Karolina Muchova in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows.
“So to be able to overcome all those challenges, and say that I get a chance at the title Saturday, is what we play for as players — let alone being able to do that in my home country here, in my home Slam,” Pegula said. “It’s perfect, really.”
Pegula’s first Grand Slam final comes at age 30
It hasn’t exactly always been a smooth ride for Pegula, the oldest U.S. woman in the Open era, which began in 1968, to reach her first major singles final.
There was, for example, a 2013 knee problem that required surgery. And a hip operation that sidelined Pegula for more than half of 2017, leaving her ranking outside the top 850 and forcing her to work her way back up via lower-tour events. This season, a rib injury kept her out of action for two months, sidelining her for the French Open.
On the court, there was a seven-match Grand Slam losing streak that ended in New York in 2020. And an 0-6 record in major quarterfinals until this week, when she outplayed No. 1 Iga Swiatek, a five-time Slam champion, at that stage.
Pegula figured she would get this far eventually
Surely, at some point along the journey, Pegula lost hope of ever fulfilling her childhood goal of winning one of her sport’s four most prestigious tournaments, right?
No, not really.
Yes, she acknowledged, there were “those type of low moments,” as she put it, where there was some doubt whether she “wanted to do it anymore.”
“But, I think, in the end, I always would kind of snap back and be, like, ‘OK, what am I talking about?’ I would always kind of flip the script a little bit, and I have always been good at doing that. That’s why I’ve always been able to come back from different challenges even better than before,” explained Pegula, who was born in New York and whose parents own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres.
“Honestly, I’ve always felt, like, not that it was never going to happen — I almost think the opposite,” she continued. “I always felt like: ‘You know what? You’ll figure it out eventually.’”
“Eventually” sure seems to be right now.
Pegula’s only loss over the past month came against Sabalenka
Since moving to hard courts after the Paris Olympics on clay, Pegula has gone 15-1, with a title at Toronto and a runner-up finish at the Cincinnati Open before the success over the past two weeks.
The lone loss in that stretch came against — yes, you guessed it — Sabalenka, the dominant player on the surface over the last two seasons. Saturday’s match will be Sabalenka’s fourth final in a row at a hard-court major, including the last two championships at Melbourne Park and a loss to Coco Gauff for the title at Flushing Meadows 12 months ago.
The American crowd did its best to boost Gauff that day, rattling Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus who is 45-11 in 2024.
“Tough losses never — how to say? — make me feel depressed, like, not thinking of not coming back to the tournament. It only motivates me to come back and to try one more time, try harder and, maybe, work harder on some things which maybe didn’t work in the past,” Sabalenka said after eliminating Emma Navarro of the U.S. in straight sets in the semifinals. “I’m still hoping to hold that beautiful trophy.”
JANNIK SINNER SWEEPS JACK DRAPER TO REACH FIRST U.S. OPEN FINAL
Top-seeded Jannik Sinner has reached the first U.S. Open final of his career after delivering a 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over 25th-seeded Jack Draper in their semifinal match on Friday in New York.
Sinner had a 43-29 edge in winners while sweeping the Brit on a hot and humid afternoon. Draper vomited multiple times during the match.
Sinner, from Italy, had his left wrist examined late in the second set but looked sharp in the third while finishing off the match.
“Me and Jack know each other very well. We are friends off the court,” Sinner said on-court at Arthur Ashe Stadium. “It was a very physical match as we see and I just tried to stay there mentally. He is so tough to beat and it is a very special occasion. I am happy to be in the final here.”
Sinner is looking to become the first Italian man to win the U.S. Open. He will face an American in Sunday’s final as No. 12 seed Taylor Fritz and No. 20 Frances Tiafoe meet in Friday night’s other semifinal.
An American hasn’t won the U.S. Open since Andy Roddick in 2003, and the pro-American crowd figures to be rooting against Sinner on Sunday.
“I am just happy to be in the final,” Sinner said. “Whoever it is, it is going to be a very tough challenge for me.
“I am looking forward to it. Finals are very special days. Every Sunday you play shows you are doing an amazing job, so I will try to keep pushing and I will see what I can do.”
Draper held 5-4 leads in both the first and second sets, but Sinner rallied both times. He won the final three games of the first set and forced a tiebreaker in the second that he won to take a commanding lead.
Draper was the first Brit to reach the U.S. Open semifinals since Andy Murray won the tournament in 2012. He was hurt by 10 double faults and 43 unforced errors on Friday. Sinner committed two and 34, respectively.
Sinner has been playing under a cloud of controversy. He twice tested positive for a banned substance in March but he wasn’t suspended because the International Tennis Integrity Agency determined he was not at fault.
–Field Level Media
NASCAR NEWS
ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY READY FOR NASCAR PLAYOFFS OPENER
After two spectacular finishes to end the NASCAR Cup Series’ regular season, the real fun is set to start at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Sunday’s Quaker State 400 in Hampton, Ga.
But first, a larger look at the first three races that will eliminate four drivers and advance a dozen into the Round of 12 that begins Sept. 29 at Kansas Speedway.
NASCAR will kick it off in Atlanta, which was the site of the closest three-wide finish in the sport’s history on Feb. 25, arguably the most exciting side-by-side-by-side race to the checkers that fans have seen.
Daniel Suarez claimed victory that day, edging reigning Cup champion Ryan Blaney by 0.003 seconds and non-playoff driver Kyle Busch (0.007 seconds) in 2024’s first real thriller.
Suarez, the driver of the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, set a high bar that day, joining William Byron as the only winners just two races into the campaign.
That dazzling triumph vaulted Suarez, of Mexico, into the postseason championship hunt, but it didn’t foreshadow any future success. He posted just one more top-five finish — at Texas in April — and was remembered more down the stretch for an awful fire that forced his Camaro out of the race at Daytona two weeks ago.
The second race on the three-stop circuit is at Watkins Glen, where the track will make its first appearance in the playoffs.
Having a road course right away is intriguing, though there are some concerns about the tire that NASCAR will take there — the same issues that arose in Bristol’s spring race that Denny Hamlin captured.
The famed Bristol night race also just happens to be the cutoff race after the snaking Watkins Glen layout in upstate New York, so watch for that tire degradation again.
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell, a three-time winner thus far in 2024, said the three races are a crapshoot.
“With the expected tire degradation with the tire change that we’ve had, it could be a Bristol-style race where people are wearing tires out really early and struggling to make laps and having to pit all of the time. So, that could be another wild-card race,” said Bell, who was victorious at Phoenix, Charlotte’s 600-miler and New Hampshire in the first 26 events.
“And, then Bristol, I think everybody is expecting it to be more of the same as what we had in the spring,” added the No. 20 Toyota driver, who has nine top-five finishes. “So, the first round could be very different than what we’ve seen in the past.”
Added Team 23XI driver Tyler Reddick, the regular-season champ in his No. 45: “It is probably the most chaotic — that first round. … The nice thing is there are 16 of us in this first round, so even if you have a bad day, you have a good buffer.”
Ford leads the way with a series-best six entries among the 16 title-seeking competitors.
“We’ll go to Atlanta and try to steal another one,” said No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford driver Chase Briscoe, who broke a 93-race winless streak and joined Harrison Burton as surprise winners of the past two stunning races.
It would also be shocking if the super-fast, narrow Atlanta loop was anything other than exciting on Sunday.
–Field Level Media
TOP INDIANA SPORTS HEADLINES/NEWS RELEASES
COLTS FOOTBALL
PREVIEW (COLTS.COM)
Plenty has changed for the Houston Texans since they departed Lucas Oil Stadium as soon-to-be AFC South champions just after midnight on Jan. 7, 2024.
The Texans’ offseason was defined by big-name acquisitions. There were the trades to land running back Joe Mixon from the Cincinnati Bengals and wide receiver Stefon Diggs from the Buffalo Bills. There was the splash move in free agency to bring in defensive end Danielle Hunter, who totaled double-digit sacks in four of the last five seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
For the Colts, the last eight months were defined by continuity. No team will return more of its active roster from the 2023 season than this year’s Colts.
But on Sunday, the biggest difference between 2023’s season ender and 2024’s season opener won’t be a player on the Texans.
He’ll be behind center for the Colts, wearing a blue No. 5 jersey and that timeless white helmet with a blue horseshoe on the side.
Anthony Richardson.
When the Colts lost, 23-19, to the Texans to end last season, Richardson was relegated to wearing a gray hoodie on the sideline. He watched as Gardner Minshew II battled and Jonathan Taylor lit a spark. He saw a defense get torched by C.J. Stroud’s 75-yard touchdown to Nico Collins on Houston’s first play from scrimmage, then clamp down to limit the Texans to just 4.2 yards per play the rest of the game.
And he, like the rest of the team, was gutted when Minshew’s pass tipped off the hands of running back Tyler Goodson on fourth down, knowing a conversion late in the fourth quarter would’ve given the Colts a fresh set of downs with a little over 10 yards separating them from a playoff-clinching touchdown.
A few days after that loss, Richardson was asked if he was bummed out to not have been on the field for that do-or-die game. His answer came with both perspective and confidence.
“Not really,” Richardson said, “because I know my career is going to be long, I know these seasons are definitely long and I know for a fact we are going to have battles with C.J. (Stroud) for a long time.
“… I know our team and what we are capable of, I knew we should have had that (playoff) spot but they played, they executed the way that they should have and we didn’t. It did hurt a little bit but I’m not really too concerned about it because I know we got a lot of stuff to handle in the future and we are going to make those runs.”
Sunday will be Act II in what could blossom into one of the NFL’s best intra-division quarterback battles. (Other battles in the AFC South will also involve the Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, and could involve the Titans’ Will Levis as well. This division is loaded with young, talented quarterbacks.) The Colts won the first meeting back in Week 2 of the 2023 season, with Richardson ripping off a pair of early touchdown runs before exiting with a concussion.
The Texans won the second matchup, but it wasn’t with Richardson on the field.
Neither were Mixon, Diggs and Hunter, of course. Same with Texans wide receiver Tank Dell, who missed that Week 18 game with an injury. Houston’s roster undoubtedly improved with the moves they made in the offseason.
But the Colts feel like their roster is better, too, even if their offseason flew under the radar outside of Indianapolis. They feel like the continuity they bring into 2024 from a team that barely missed the playoffs in 2023 is a good thing. And it’s not like the Colts didn’t do anything in the offseason. They selected the first defensive player in the 2024 NFL Draft – and defensive end Laiatu Latu had an awfully impressive training camp leading up to his NFL debut this weekend.
More than anything, though, the Colts believe their collective team is right where it needs to be heading into 2024, even if that didn’t involve a bunch of flashy offseason moves.
“(Houston’s) roster got better for sure,” defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. “But at the end of the day, you can talk about rosters and how rosters look — I mean, I’ve been in this game for almost a decade, and I’ve seen some great rosters. Super Bowl rosters. It doesn’t mean anything until you go out there and play. Back in ’22, everybody was talking about our roster, how we had a complete roster, this and that, and you saw how that happened. At the end of the day, you gotta go out there each and every week and compete and play.”
“It’s not like oh, you made a bunch of big splays kind of decisions in the offseason, but what we did was we brought our guys back,” Taylor said. “That continuity, sometimes it’s not always the best talent, it’s the best team. And now when you have talent and you have a great team with continuity, that’s when you can do some special things.”
The Colts came close to doing some special things in 2023. They’ll aim to do special things with largely the same group that shuffled home from Lucas Oil Stadium on a cold January night, disappointed in how they fell just short against the Texans.
And they’ll begin their push to reach their goals, 11 months to the date of his season-ending injury, with Richardson back behind center on Sunday afternoon.
COLTS RULE OUT WR JOSH DOWNS FOR WEEK 1 GAME VS. HOUSTON TEXANS
The Colts on Friday ruled out wide receiver Josh Downs (ankle) for their Week 1 game against the Houston Texans on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Downs, who sustained an ankle injury during an Aug. 7 training camp practice, did not participate in practice this week. Head coach Shane Steichen said Downs is progressing well and added the team hopes to have him back sooner rather than later.
With Downs out, the Colts will look to a deep group of wide receivers to fill in for him in the slot. Rookie Adonai Mitchell was an option there during training camp and preseason games, while Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Ashton Dulin and Anthony Gould all have the ability to step in for Downs as well.
Kicker Matt Gay, who underwent hernia surgery in late August, was not ruled out on Friday. Undrafted rookie Spencer Shrader would be the Colts’ kicker if Gay is unavailable. Steichen said Gay did kick on Friday and the Colts will evaluate his status in the next 48 hours before deciding on his status Sunday.
INDIANA FEVER
FEVER HOPE TO TAKE LEARNINGS FROM FRIDAY’S LOSS INTO PLAYOFFS
By Madie Chandler | FeverBasketball.com
The Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Lynx – the only two remaining WNBA teams entering Friday with just a single loss since the Olympic break, each 7-1 – met in what may have been a foreshadow of playoff competition in Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday evening. The Lynx would leave with the win as they triumphed over the Fever, breaking Indiana’s five-game win streak, 99-88.
The Lynx have handed the Fever their only two losses in the last nine games, each behind a tsunami of points from Most Valuable Player contender Napheesa Collier. Collier’s 31 points sealed the deal on August 24th, and her 26 points overwhelmed Indiana on Friday.
“Honestly, I think they’re the hardest team to guard,” Caitlin Clark began. “I think their movement is incredible. The way they play is incredible. It’s how basketball should be played. I think our matchup is just great for basketball too. If you want to watch two teams that play basketball the right way, it’s this.”
Despite the loss, Kelsey Mitchell remained positive in the moments after the result became final.
“I think that we can get better, from what you saw today, based on those down the stretch, getting those stops and getting those next rebounds, we got to be better,” Mitchell said. “And I think that’s our next maturation defensively.”
Indiana trailed by as many as 13 in the third quarter, but battled back to within just one point during the fourth. Mitchell, a seven-year veteran of the WNBA, dug in her heels. Her 23 points were just part of her contribution to that comeback despite the Fever ultimately falling to the Lynx.
Mitchell has been a member of several Fever teams that fell short of a winning season, and her experience in playing games from behind gives her team a veteran perspective that plays into the poise needed to claw through tough comebacks against the league’s top teams.
Regardless of the result, Indiana proved that it belongs in the playoffs and can compete with a team as strong as Minnesota. The experience gleaned from these losses builds a team with a grit like the Fever.
“We’re not trying to prove anymore,” coach Christie Sides said. “We just have to keep improving.”
Improved, the Fever are. Indiana now sits at sixth in the playoff race and is poised to play its way into a desired seeding position for the postseason as its young core continues to gel.
Indiana’s trio of stars combined for 68 of its 88 total points on Friday, and Caitlin Clark came just shy of a second consecutive triple-double. Her 25 points led the Fever, and she added eight assists and eight rebounds to her totals. Her five made 3-pointers brought her season total to 107, a new Indiana Fever franchise record.
And Friday night was a sellout – Gainbridge Fieldhouse’s 12th of the season.
“It’s a really amazing feeling when you’re a competitor,” Mitchell said. “You have the city at your hands and feet, and they’re supporting us. You know, win, lose or draw. It just makes you go harder. It makes you appreciate the moments a little bit more.”
Indiana is growing – its fanbase and its young core – through its gritty competition and inspiring play. Results aside, the Fever stand to build from this competitive loss by learning from it and improving, all behind veteran players whose composure is contagious.
The Fever have many more moments for Indianapolis as they host four more regular season home games before shifting their focus to the WNBA Playoffs. They host the Atlanta Dream on Sunday, and will look for a bounceback win to build momentum for the final stretch of the season.
INDY ELEVEN
#HFDVIND PREVIEW
Indy Eleven at Hartford Athletic
Saturday, September 7, 2024 – 7:00 p.m. ET
Trinity Health Stadium – Hartford, Connecticut
Follow Live
Stream: ESPN+ (click to subscribe)
In-game updates: IndyElevenLive
Stats: #HFDvIND MatchCenter at USLChampionship.com
2024 Records
Indy Eleven: 10-9-6 (-4), 36 pts; 6th in Eastern Conference
Hartford Athletic: 8-12-5 (-17), 29 pts; 11th in Eastern Conference
| IND | HFD | |
| 25 | Games | 25 |
| 36 | Goals | 24 |
| 40 | Goals Conceded | 41 |
| 23 | Assists | 20 |
| 110 | SOT | 103 |
| 111 | Shots Faced | 141 |
| 5 | Clean Sheets | 5 |
SERIES VS. HARTFORD
Saturday marks the ninth meeting all-time between the sides, with Indy leading the series 5-2-1.
The Boys in Blue recorded a 4-1 victory over Hartford at Carroll Stadium on May 18. Midfielder Jack Blake converted a penalty in the third minute to put his team on top. Defender Ben Ofeimu scored in stoppage time in the first half to give Indy a 2-0 edge at the break. Forward Douglas Martinez made it 3-0 in the 54th minute on an assist from Aedan Stanley, before forward Augi Williams scored four minutes later to make it 4-0.
Indy leads 5-2-1 | GF 15, GA 7
Recent Meetings
May 18, 2024 W, 4-1 Home
June 24, 2023 W, 2-0 Away
June 10, 2023 D, 1-1 Home
Aug. 13, 2022 L, 2-1 Away
April 30, 2022 W, 1-0 Home
July 29, 2020 W, 4-1 Home
MARTINEZ GETS ANOTHER CALL-UP TO NATIONAL TEAM
Indy Eleven forward Douglas Martinez has been called up by the Honduras Football Federation for the FIFA International window that runs September 2-10.
Martinez will be available for the Senior National Team in the 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League A Group B home matches vs. Trinidad and Tobago on Friday at 10 pm ET and against Jamaica on Tuesday at 10 pm ET. The top two teams from each six-team group will advance to the quarterfinal round, where they will join the top-ranked League A teams: Mexico, United States, Panama, and Canada.
SEPTEMBER STRETCH RUN
Indy Eleven finishes the regular season with eight of its nine matches against Eastern Conference opponents. Just nine points separate teams in fourth through 11th place in the conference. The top eight teams will make the playoffs, with the top four hosting first-round games the first weekend in November.
ROAD RED
Indy is 5-4-3 (7-5-3 overall) away from Carroll Stadium in 2024, becoming the first USL Championship team to earn five road wins this season with their June 9 victory at Birmingham.
The Eleven finished the 2023 regular season 8-5-4 on the road, the most regular season wins away from home in the club’s USLC history (previously 6 in 2019).
#GOALS
The Boys in Blue scored in 15 straight USLC matches to open the 2024 campaign. The streak, which ended on June 22 against Orange County, is the longest to open a USLC campaign and is the longest run overall within the same season for the club. In total, Indy scored in 18 straight regular season matches dating back to Sept. 30, 2023.
They have 36 goals this season (T9th USL), with at least one tally in 21 of their 25 matches.
The Boys in Blue have scored 22 first half goals this season, the third-most of any USLC team behind Eastern Conference leaders Louisville City (26) and Charleston (24).
Defensively, Indy has held opponents scoreless in the first half in 16 of 25 matches in 2024.
VIVA ROMARIO
Forward Romario Williams recorded his first goal for the Boys in Blue in dramatic fashion in the final minute of second-half stoppage time to give the hosts a 1-1 draw against Pittsburgh at Carroll Stadium on Saturday.
The Eleven earned a free kick from a central position, 25 yards from goal, with Williams and Aodhan Quinn lined up on each side of the ball. The Jamaican international took a quick two-step run-up and delivered a laser into the top-right corner of the net. Williams’ effort was nominated for the USLC Goal of the Week.
Williams and Hartford Athletic defender Younes Boudadi were on opposite sides when Indy Eleven faced Hartford on May 18 at Carroll Stadium. On June 14, the two teams transferred the pair.
BIG BEN
Defender Ben Ofeimu earned USL Championship Team of the Week recognition for the fourth time this season with his performance vs. Pittsburgh and at Sporting Kansas City last week. The 6’3 Ofeimu earned Team of the Week honors for Week 13, and he was voted to the Team of the Week-Bench in weeks 11, 19, and 26.
At Sporting Kansas City on August 27, the 23-year-old Ofeimu tied for the team lead with two tackles won, adding a shot and three recoveries.
The seven-year USLC veteran leads Indy with 95 clearances (ninth in the league) and 21 blocks this season.
The West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, native has started 15 of the last 17 games for the Indy Eleven since being acquired from Miami on April 11.
MUSA MAINSTAY
Defender James Musa has started the last two USLC matches for the Eleven. The Plymouth, England native has 198 career appearances and 186 career starts in the USLC. The 32-year-old Musa missed six matches after suffering a foot injury during the first half of his Boys in Blue debut on July 5 at Rhode Island after joining the team on June 28.
NEWCOMERS DEBUT IN STARTING XI
Forward Maalique Foster and defender Hayden White both made their Indy Eleven starting debuts vs. Pittsburgh on Saturday.
The speedy Foster was acquired from Colorado Springs on August 23. On Saturday, Foster was tied for second on the team in shots (2) and shots on target (1) while playing the full 90.
White, signed on August 29 after playing professionally for more than a decade in England, made an immediate impact in his debut for the Boys in Blue with a team-high three tackles won.
SOUMAORO SIGNS
On Tuesday, Indy Eleven added midfielder Abrahim “Brem” Soumaoro, who joins the Boys in Blue with more than a decade of professional experience in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Canada. Soumaoro is the third new player acquired by Indy in a 12-day stretch from August 23-September 3.
The 6’2 Soumaoro played the last two seasons for York United FC in the Canadian Premier League, serving as a captain. The 28-year-old defender played 39 total matches for York as a center back and a defensive midfielder, recording two goals and two assists. He helped the Nine Stripes reach the quarterfinals of the Canadian Championship in 2023. This season, Soumaoro played in 11 matches, notching one assist.
Prior to York, Soumaoro played for Cypriot second division side PAEEK. He began his career in the Netherlands with Jong FC Twente and the Go Ahead Eagles, with the defender then signing with Serie B side Livorno. A short return to Jong FC Twente followed before a switch to Den Boscha, after which his Dutch movement continued with MVV Maastricht.
Soumaoro has played in 10 matches for the Liberian national team, including two World Cup qualifiers in 2021.
LAST TIME OUT
Indianapolis – Indy Eleven forward Romario Williams recorded his first goal for the Boys in Blue in dramatic fashion in the final minute of second-half stoppage time to give the hosts a 1-1 draw against Eastern Conference rival Pittsburgh in front of 10,319 fans at Carroll Stadium.
The Eleven earned a free kick outside the area with Williams and Aodhan Quinn lined up on each side of the ball. Romario took a quick two-step run-up and delivered a laser into the top right corner of the goal to give his team a key point in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Indy remained four points ahead of Pittsburgh in the standings with the draw.
The Boys in Blue had the better of play in the first half. Forward Sebastian Guenzatti had a great opportunity in the third minute off a pass from Maalique Foster, by Pittsburgh goalie Eric Dick made the stop. Indy outshot Pittsburgh in the first half, 3-2, with Guenzatti having two shots and Romario Williams one.
Pittsburgh took the lead in the 73rd minute. Defender Logan Neidlinger entered just after the goal in the 74th minute and he had a good scoring opportunity in the 92nd minute with a shot from outside the box off a pass from Ben Ofeimu saved in the bottom right corner.
That set the stage for Romario’s heroics.
Indy Eleven 1:1 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Saturday, August 31, 2024 – 7:00 p.m. ET
Carroll Stadium | Indianapolis
2024 USL Championship Records
Indy Eleven: 10-9-6 (-4), 36 pts, 6th in Eastern Conference
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: 7-9-11 (+2), 32 pts, 9th in Eastern Conference
Attendance: 10,319
Weather: Sunny, 81 degrees
| Score | 1 | 2 | F |
| Indy Eleven | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Scoring Summary
PIT – Danny Griffin (Illal Osumanu) 73’
IND – Romario Williams 90+7’
Discipline Summary
PIT – Pat Hogan (ejection) 4’
IND – Douglas Martinez (caution) 34’
PIT – Robbie Mertz (caution) 66’
IND – Cam Lindley (caution) 71’
IND – Romario Williams (caution) 72’
Indy Eleven line-up: Hunter Sulte, Aedan Stanley, James Musa (Logan Neidlinger 74’), Benjamin Ofeimu, Hayden White (Josh O’Brien 62’), Aodhan Quinn (captain), Laurence Wootton (Cam Lindley 62’), Sebastian Guenzatti (Augi Williams 62’), Maalique Foster, Douglas Martinez (Elliot Collier 82’), Romario Williams.
Indy Eleven Subs Not Used: Yannik Oettl, Tyler Gibson, Ben Mines.
Match Statistics
| Stat | IND | PIT |
| Shots | 12 | 6 |
| Shots on Target | 4 | 2 |
| Saves | 1 | 3 |
| Fouls | 15 | 13 |
| Offsides | 3 | 0 |
| Corner Kicks | 11 | 3 |
INDIANA FOOTBALL
HOOSIERS SHATTER SCHOOL RECORDS IN 77-3 WIN
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – What were you doing in 1901?
It was a big year for a lot of reasons, from the first trans-Atlantic radio signal from England to Canada to Australia becoming a nation to the first Nobel Prizes being awarded.
There was one other thing. It was the year Indiana set the football program record for most points scored in a game, when it beat Franklin College 76-0.
That record was broken Friday night at Memorial Stadium when the Hoosiers (2-0) beat Western Illinois 77-3.
“It was one of the most fun games I’ve been part of,” said receiver Elijah Sarratt, who had his own fun with team-leading totals of six catches for 137 yards, including a 71-yard touchdown. “Hopefully, we keep it rolling.”
IU’s roll includes outscoring its first two opponents 108-10. It opens Big Ten play next Saturday at UCLA.
“These games give us confidence,” Sarratt said. “It lets us work out the little knickknacks we had. Get the details down and keep stacking up good days going into Week Three.”
The point total wasn’t the only Hoosier record on Friday night. Kicker Nicolas Radicic set a school mark with 11 extra points.
“It was a good night,” head coach Curt Cignetti said. “We played with an edge, an attitude, and a high standard. We didn’t play down to the competition.
“We emptied the bench. We got a lot of people on the field. We created turnovers. It was good to see some young guys make plays.”
IU reached the 70-point mark for the fifth time in program history and the first since 2013, when it beat Indiana State 73-35. It scored at least 14 points in every quarter. It also had 701 total yards, 378 by pass, 323 by run.
“I’m excited,” defensive lineman Mikail Kamara said about the offense. “They would get the ball, and in three plays, four plays, they’d score, and we’re right back out there on defense. I’m cool with it.”
The Hoosiers dominated in all phases, even getting a defensive touchdown when linebacker Rolijah Hardy scored on a 12-yard fourth-quarter interception return. The Hoosiers also forced (by Hardy) and recovered a fumble (by defensive lineman Robby Harrison) that led to receiver Charlie Becker’s three-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run.
The Hoosiers, who held Western Illinois to just 121 total yards, put the game away early, bolting to a 42-0 lead before halftime.
The strong performance came after a sluggish Tuesday practice caused Cignetti to address his team.
“Tuesday wasn’t a great day. I had some things to say. I had a captive audience. We came back and had a good day [on Wednesday].
“They were charged up in the locker room. They played well.”
The poor Tuesday practice, Kamara added, came because players relaxed.
“We turned that around. Sometimes, Coach talks it through. Sometimes, he raises his voice. It depends. When he wants to send a message, it always hits.”
Four Hoosier quarterbacks played and missed just two passes in 21 attempts.
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke played two and a half quarters and finished 15-for-17 for 268 yards and two touchdowns.
“It’s always fun playing with him,” Sarratt said. “He was clicking on all cylinders. He has to keep that up.”
Tayven Jackson replaced Rourke and was 3-for-3 for 104 yards and a touchdown, plus ran twice for 19 yards and a touchdown, before he was replaced by Alberto Mendoza and then Tyler Cherry.
Running back Justice Ellison rushed for 117 yards on nine carries. Receiver Omar Cooper Jr. had four catches for 131 yards and a 69-yard touchdown. Eight players caught at least one pass.
Western Illinois got a late first-half field goal, a defensive lapse that was similar to the end of the first half the previous week, when FIU scored a touchdown.
Cignetti noticed.
“I was not pleased with the end of the half,” he said. “We let them get a field goal. We had a couple of mistakes. We subbed in some positions.
“We’ve got to finish the half well and start the second half well. We haven’t finished the half well. There were more positives, but we have a couple of things to work on.”
Added Kamara: “That was bad. The same thing happened last week. We have to end the half better. We will be focusing on that.
“Maybe it was complacency. Guys settling down rather than putting the foot on the pedal.
“That should humble us. We have to keep our foot on the pedal. That’s what good teams do.”
IU opened the scoring just over two minutes into the game with Rourke’s 38-yard touchdown pass to Andison Coby. Ellison’s 2-yard TD run made it a 14-0 score three minutes later. Two minutes after that, Rourke connected with Sarratt on a 71-yard touchdown pass for a 21-0 lead. Running back Ty Son Lawton’s 19-yard TD run made it 28-0 with 2:04 left in the first quarter.
Elijah Green’s 11-yard touchdown run, the final six coming after contact, made it a 35-0 score with 9:40 left in the first half. Rourke scored on a quarterback sneak before Western Illinois got a 31-yard field goal for a 42-3 halftime score.
In the third quarter, Ellison had a 47-yard touchdown run and Jackson followed with a 13-yard TD run.
Jackson connected on a 69-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Jr. early in the fourth quarter for a 63-3 score.
Defensive lineman Ta’Derius Collins and Hardy added fourth-quarter interceptions. Hardy ran his back 12 yards for a touchdown to get IU to 70 points. Becker added a 3-yard touchdown run to break the program scoring record.
Kamara said IU is poised to keep its strong play going.
“As long as we use this as a confidence boost and keep an even keel,” he said, “we will keep this thing rolling.”
NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL GAME NOTES VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
NOTRE DAME – NORTHERN ILLINOIS • Saturday will mark the first-ever meeting between Notre Dame and Northern Illinois. • Notre Dame is 10-0 historically against Mid-American Conference teams • The Irish last took on a MAC team in 2023 when Central Michigan visited Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 41-17. • Notre Dame will also play Miami (OH) later this season to make two MAC teams on the 2024 Irish schedule. NOTRE DAME HOME OPENERS • Notre Dame opens its 96th season at Notre Dame Stadium in 2024. The facility opened in 1930 and the Irish own an all-time record of 377-118-5 (.759) in “The House That Rockne Built.” • The Irish are 110-19-4 (.842) in home openers (the team did not have a home opener in 1889 or 1929) with a mark of 76-16-2 (.819) at Notre Dame Stadium. SEASON-OPENER RECAP • With the season-opening 23-13 win at No. 20 Texas A&M, Notre Dame is 111-18-5 (.847) all-time in season openers. Notre Dame has won seven of its last eight season openers. • In the 110 previous seasons Notre Dame has won its opener, the Irish have gone on to post a winning record 93.6 percent of those campaigns (103 of 110). • With the No.7 vs. No. 20 matchup at Texas A&M, Notre Dame has played a season-opening matchup in which both teams are ranked in two of the past three seasons. Overall, Notre Dame’s record in season openers when both teams are ranked is now 15-3-1. Notre Dame’s record in those games when playing as the visitor is 5-2-1.
IRISH ITEMS – BY THE NUMBERS 2nd Leading the nation in interceptions with seven in 2023 and earning national defensive player of the week honors twice, Xavier Watts became the second Notre Dame player to win the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s best defensive player (Manti Te’o won the award in 2012). 2 Notre Dame is one of just two FBS programs (Auburn) that have three or more receivers who were the leading receiver (either in yards or receptions) on an FBS roster in 2023: Tight end Mitchell Evans (led Notre Dame with 29 receptions); wide receiver Jayden Harrison (led Marshall with 410 receiving yards); and wide receiver Kris Mitchell (led FIU in both receptions and yards – 64 receptions for 1,118 yards). 3rd Xavier Watts became just the third Notre Dame player to lead the nation in interceptions in 2023, picking off seven passes. He is the first Irish player to pace the country since Mike Townsend intercepted 10 passes in 1972. Tony Carey (eight) also led the country in interceptions in 1964. Watts added another interception in the win over No. 20 Texas A&M to make eight on his career. 5 Notre Dame is one of just five programs in the Power 4 with eight or more wins over each of the last four seasons, joined by Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, and NC State. 5th Notre Dame finished the 2023 season ranked fifth in FBS for total defense (276.3), the program’s best effort since 1980 (4th). The Irish also led the nation in pass-efficiency defense (97.09). 8 The 23-13 win at No. 20 Texas A&M was Dick Corbett Head Football Coach Marcus Freeman’s eighth victory over a ranked opponent. In 2023, the 40-8 Sun Bowl victory over No. 21 Oregon State not only earned Freeman his first campaign with 10 victories, it also was his team’s seventh victory over an Associated Press-ranked team in his first two years leading the program – breaking Terry Brennan’s previous program record of six in 1954 and 55. 8 The Irish gave up just eight touchdowns to visiting teams in Notre Dame Stadium in 2023, the least amount since the 2012 team held their opponents to six touchdowns. 8.2 The 23-13 win at No. 20 Texas A&M was the most-watched Saturday night football game in two years with 8.2 million viewers (the most since Notre Dame vs. Ohio State in 2022 with 10.5 million), and ABC’s most-streamed regular season college football game ever. 10 Notre Dame finished the 2023 season ranked seventh in both scoring defense (15.9 ppg) and offense (39.2) – joining Georgia (5th, 5th) and Oregon (9th, 2nd) as the only FBS programs to rank among the top 10 in both statistical categories. The joint top-10 finishes in both statistics mark the first time Notre Dame has achieved that feat since 1973 when the Irish were eighth in scoring offense (35.8) and third in scoring defense (6.6). 10 Including 2024, Notre Dame has started the season ranked in the Top 10 of the AP poll 27 times. Of the 26 prior seasons that began in the Top 10, the Irish have also completed the season still ranked in the Top 10 18 times. 14th The Irish finished the 2023 season ranked 14th in the Associated Press poll, marking the seventh-straight campaign and 10 of the last 12 Notre Dame has appeared in the final AP ranking. That seven-season final AP ranking streak is the best run for the Notre Dame program since the Irish finished in the AP Top 25 11 consecutive seasons from 1964-74.
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – OFFENSE • Jayden Thomas entered 2023 season as Notre Dame’s leading returning receiver and served in that role in the first four games of the year, catching 12 passes for over 180 yards and a touchdown. • Beaux Collins led the Irish receivers at Texas A&M and snagged a ppivotal 20-yard contested catch to keep the game-winning drive alive. He recorded 91 receptions for 1,290 yards and 11 touchdowns in 1,578 offensive snaps over 32 games (27 starts) at Clemson from 2021-23. He broke out late in his true freshman season with 31 catches for 407 yards and three touchdowns • Jaden Greathouse was the first Irish true freshman wideout to catch two touchdown passes in his first-career game (against Navy). His five touchdown catches during a rookie campaign are the most for a Notre Dame true freshman since 2016 • Jayden Harrison was a first-team All-American as a kick returner at Marshall last season, tying for the FBS lead with two kick return touchdowns in 2023. In 2023, Harrison played in all 13 games for Marshall (started four), totaling 28 receptions for 410 yards (14.6 yards per reception) and a touchdown. • Kris Mitchell, a transfer from FIU, led CUSA and ranked in the Top 20 nationally in receiving yards in 2023 (1,118 – 18th nationally) and receiving yards per game (93.2 – 13th nationally). Mitchell owns 100 career receptions for 1,663 yards and 11 touchdowns. • KK Smith – Smith began his time at Notre Dame recovering from an injury. His hard work over 2023 Fall allowed Smith to return to practice during bowl prep and make his Notre Dame debut in the Sun Bowl victory over Oregon State. • Jordan Faison joined the Notre Dame football team as a walk on and made his collegiate athletics debut at No. 25 Louisville in 2023, and was put on football scholarship. He would end the season with 19 catches for 322 yards and four touchdowns, capping the year by earning Sun Bowl MVP honors with five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. • Notre Dame’s offensive line presents some new faces in 2024 with the departures of NFL Draftees Joe Alt and Blake Fisher. Pat Coogan, Ashton Craig, Billy Schrauth, Tosh Baker, Rocco Spindler, and Charles Jagusah own starting experience. Jagusah will miss 2024 with a torn right pectoralis muscle. Irish linemen Aamil Wagner, Sam Pendleton and Anthonie Knapp all made their first-career starts at No. 20 Texas A&M. • Mitchell Evans had a breakout season in 2023 before being sidelined with an injury. He played in eight games as a junior, starting seven, and ended the season as the team’s top receiving target, averaging 52.8 yards per game. Through those eight games, Evans totaled 29 receptions for 422 yards and a touchdown during the season, averaging 14.6 yards per catch. With Evans’ injury, Cooper Flanagan and Eli Raridon saw action in 2023, each scoring a touchdown, and will look to have an increased role in 2024. • Riley Leonard won his first game in an Irish uniform at No. 20 Texas A&M, leading a game-winning fourth-quarter drive. He enters his senior season and first with Notre Dame coming off a Duke career as one of the ACC’s premier quarterbacks. In 2023, Leonard started all seven games in which he played for Duke, going 95-for-165 and 1,102 yards (57.5 percent completion rate) and three touchdowns. He rushed 58 times for 352 yards (44-yard long) and four touchdowns on the season. See page 15 for more on Leonard • Steve Angeli made the most of his first-career start in the 2023 Sun Bowl completing 15 of 19 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns. Prior to that game, he went 19-for-25 passing with four touchdowns in seven relief appearances. • With the departure of NFL Draft pick Audric Estimé, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price are poised to lead the Irish running backs in 2024. See page 16 for more on the Irish running backs.
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – DEFENSE • Jordan Botelho recorded 32 tackles and four sacks in his first full season as Notre Dame’s starting Vyper defensive end, He was named the Sun Bowl Lineman of the Game. Boubacar Traore posted his first career sack in the victory over No. 10 Southern Cal in 2023. Junior Tuihalamaka appeared in all 13 games in 2023 while posting 10 tackles. • Rylie Mills was named a 2024 team captain and was a disruptive force on the Irish defensive line in 2023. See page 15 for more information on Mills. Jason Onye emerged as a dependable reserve defensive lineman for the Irish in 2023. He also blocked two field goal attempts during the season, one of which came during his five-tackle performance against Tennessee State. • Howard Cross III established himself as one of the top playmaking interior defensive lineman in the country during the 2023 season. See page 14 for more information on Cross. Donovan Hinish appeared in nine games in 2023 and posted a career-best four stops in the win over Central Michigan. • RJ Oben transferred from Duke in the offseason with 34 career starts and 50 games played. He has posted 67 tackles in his career, with 14.5 sacks (loss of 91 yards), five forced fumbles, two passes defended, and an interception. Joshua Burnham finished the 2023 season with 18 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, and a sack. Bryce Young is a four-star true freshman and was an Adidas All-American as a high school senior. • Jack Kiser leads a linebacker room with young talent. A team captain, Kiser will make a run for the Notre Dame career games played record. See page 15 for more information on Kiser. Jaiden Ausberry appeared in four regular-season games in 2023, preserving his eligibility. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is a highly touted five-star linebacker who was a finalist for the high school Butkus Award in 2023. Drayk Bowen appeared in 12 games in 2023 (missing one contest with an injury) and recorded 14 stops and a forced fumble. Jaylen Sneed appeared in all 13 games in 2023, totaling 14 tackles, five QB hurries and two PBU • Jordan Clark joins the Irish from Arizona State with 22 career starts and 39 games played. Throughout his college career, he has snagged three interceptions (one for a touchdown) and 139 tackles (101 solo) with 6.5 TFL and 20 passes defended. • Benjamin Morrison followed up his freshman All-America campaign in 2022 with an impressive 2023, intercepting three passes while making 31 tackles and breaking up 10 passes. See page 14 for more on Morrison. • Adon Shuler notched his first-career interception in the 23-13 victory at No. 20 Texas A&M. He showed his playmaking ability late in the 2023 season, posting all six career tackles in the final three games of the year. A preferred walk-on, Luke Talich quickly established himself as a special teams mainstay during his freshman season in 2023. • True freshmen Karson Hobbs, Leonard Moore, and Kennedy Urlacher have impressed in preseason camp. Moore and Urlacher both garnered one four-star ranking through recruitment. Moore made his college football debut at No. 20 Texas A&M. • Christian Gray started his first career game in the 23-13 win at No. 20 Texas A&M. He saw action in 12 games and made 11 tackles in 2023. He intercepted his first career pass against Pittsburgh and finished the year with a career-best three tackles in the Sun Bowl victory over Oregon State. Jaden Mickey saw action in all 13 games in 2023 and started in the Sun Bowl. His season highlight was a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown against Pittsburgh. • Xavier Watts started the year strong with an interception in the 23-13 victory at No. 20 Texas A&M. He was the first Notre Dame player to intercept multiple passes in back-to-back games in 2023. Watts won the Bednarik Award and was a unanimous All-American. See page 13 for more on Watts. Rod Heard II spent his prior career at Northwestern, where he amassed 31 starts and 46 games played with 182 tackles, 11 for loss, two sacks and two interceptions, as well as 10 passes defended, five forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS NOTES
DOG TREATS • After opening the season with a 54-15 win over Western Illinois, the NIU Huskies make the 160-mile trip to South Bend, Indiana to take on Notre Dame for the first time in school history. The Fighting Irish are ranked fifth (AP) and seventh (AFCA) in this week’s polls. • The Notre Dame game is the first of two “Boneyard” games on the Huskies’ 2024 non-conference schedule. Since 1983, NIU wins over teams from the “Power 5” conferences have been celebrated as Boneyard Wins. The Huskies have 18 Boneyard Wins all-time, including last year’s season-opening overtime victory over Boston College. • NIU plays a ranked team for the 41st time in school history and for the first time since a 31-23 loss to No. 8 Kentucky in 2022. The Huskies’ last win over a nonconference ranked opponent was its historic 19-16 at No. 21 Alabama in 2003. • The Huskies will have a game broadcast nationally on network television (not cable) for the first time in school history. NIU has appeared on an ABC split broadcast three times. • In his fifth career start, redshirt junior Ethan Hampton recorded the first 300- yard passing game for NIU in its last 30 games while completing 18-of-20 passes, including five for touchdowns. Hampton was named the Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Week. • Senior wide receiver Trayvon Rudolph totaled 171 all-purpose yards last week as he scored on a 60-yard rush and a 43-yard reception. Rudolph posted the fifth 100-yard receiving game of his career with 104 yards on four catches. • Including Western Illinois, NIU has held 10 of its last 14 opponents to 24 points or less. The Huskies had 10 games allowing 24 points or less in the previous four seasons combined. Head coach Thomas Hammock, the 23rd head coach in NIU’s 123-year football history, tied Bill Mallory and Jerry Ippoliti for seventh place on the Huskies’ career wins chart with last week’s win over Western Illinois. • Backing up Thomas Hammock’s characterization of NIU as a “developmental program” which sees players improve throughout their careers is the fact that, of the 32 seniors on the Huskies’ 2024 roster (tied for 6th-most in FBS), 26 are listed on the NIU depth chart for the Notre Dame game. • In addition to the 18 returning starters on offense and defense, the 2024 roster includes 11 players who have played in 40 or more games at NIU. • Seventy-three Huskies saw action in NIU’s win over Western Illinois. Eleven players caught passes, five gained at least 40 yards rushing and 28 recorded tackles.
NOTING NIU FIRST TIME FOE: After opening their 123rd season of college football – and 56th as a Football Bowl Subdivision program – with a win over in-state foe Western Illinois last Saturday in Huskie Stadium, the NIU Huskies travel to South Bend, Indiana on September 7 where NIU will face Notre Dame for the first time in school history. At just 159 miles away, Notre Dame is closer to NIU than any of its MAC opponents.
BONE SEEKERS: The game at Notre Dame is NIU’s first “Boneyard” game of the year. Since 1983, NIU has collected “Boneyard Wins” defined as wins over teams from leagues now designated as “Power 5,” along with independents like Notre Dame and (formerly) BYU. NIU has 18 Boneyard wins all-time, including 10 in the last 15 years and two in the last three seasons under Thomas Hammock. RANKED RECORD: NIU has won six of its previous 40 meetings versus teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, dating back to its first game against a “major college” ranked opponent on Nov. 23, 1968. The Huskies last faced a Top 25 team on September 24, 2022, a 31-23 loss at No. 8 Kentucky. NIU’s last win over a ranked team was on Nov. 3, 2015, a 32-27 win over No. 20 Toledo. The Huskies’ last win over a ranked nonconference foe was a 19-16 win over No. 21 Alabama on Sept. 20, 2003. NOTABLE RANKED GAMES: The highest-ranked opponent NIU has ever defeated was No. 15 Maryland, a 20-13 overtime win over the Terrapins in Huskie Stadium on August 28, 2003. NIU has twice taken on the No. 1 team in the country – most recently on Sept. 19, 2015 when the Huskies forced five turnovers and held No. 1 Ohio State to 136 passing yards and a 2-of-13 day on third downs. NIU led 7-0 after Shawun Lurry’s interception on OSU’s first drive and played the Buckeyes to a 10-10 tie at halftime before falling 20-13 on a third-quarter interception return touchdown. NIU also lost at No. 1 Ohio State 35-12 in the 2006 season opener in a game that featured a Buckeye linebacker named Marcus Freeman. A FIRST: The Notre Dame game on NBC marks the first time NIU will appear on a nationwide network television broadcast. The Huskies three previous network television appearances – all on ABC – were split regional broadcasts in 2005 versus Michigan, 2006 at No. 1 Ohio State, and 2015 at No. 1 Ohio State. MOVING ON UP: Thomas Hammock’s 58 games coached over the last five seasons rank seventh all-time at NIU. With his next win, he will surpass Bill Mallory and Jerry Ippoliti for seventh place on the Huskies’ all-time coaching wins chart. He is the 23rd head coach in NIU’s 123-year college football history. CROSSING PATHS: Thomas Hammock and Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph were on the same offensive staff at Wisconsin in 2011. The team finished 11-3, won the Big Ten title, and played in the Rose Bowl. Hammock and ND head coach Marcus Freeman also “kind of” crossed paths in the Huskies’ 2006 season opener at No. 1 Ohio State. Hammock, NIU’s running backs coach, was on the sidelines while Freeman made nine tackles at linebacker for the Buckeyes. WITH THE HUSKIES: Former Wisconsin and NFL running back James White, who played eight seasons and won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, is with the Huskies this season in a player personnel and student-athlete development role. NIU head coach Thomas Hammock was White’s position coach for three seasons at Wisconsin.
BY THE NUMBERS: 3 FBS programs (NIU, Ole Miss, Tennessee) to have over 700 yards of total offense last week 4 Consecutive games the NIU offensive line has not allowed a quarterback sack 4.46 NIU penalties per game in 2023, fewest in the MAC 5 Consecutive games in which the Huskies have committed three penalties or less, dating back to last season 5 Season-opening wins (in six seasons) by NIU under Thomas Hammock 6 Rank in passing defense for NIU last season, allowing 171.2 yards per game 6 NIU first time opponents under head coach Thomas Hammock 7 NIU quarterbacks who have thrown five touchdown passes in a single game after Ethan Hampton’s five TD passes versus Western Illinois 11 Receivers who caught a pass last week versus Western Illinois 15 Wins (out of 25 total) by eight points or less under head coach Thomas Hammock 18.5 Career yards per reception for tight end Grayson Barnes in 14 games 21 NIU seniors who have spent their entire career in DeKalb 30 Games between 300-yard passing efforts for NIU – Rocky Lombardi’s 532 yards at Kent State on Nov. 3, 2021 to Ethan Hampton’s 328 last week vs. Western Illinois 45 Huskies from the state of Illinois on the 2023 roster +52 The Huskies’ point differential in the second half of games in 2023 159 Miles between DeKalb and South Bend 177 Combined number of games played by NIU’s starting offensive linemen 310.3 Ethan Hampton’s passing efficiency rating in last week’s win over Western Illinois to break the NIU single-game record 706 Yards of total offense for the Huskies’ in last week’s win vs. Western Illinois, the third-highest total in school history 2,102 Career points by Notre Dame women’s basketball associate head coach Carol Owens as a student-athlete at NIU (1985-90) 2,432 Career rushing yards at NIU for Thomas Hammock, 14th all-time 2,592 Career rushing yards at NIU for Antario Brown, 13th all-time 3,523 Career all-purpose yards for Trayvon Rudolph
BALL STATE FOOTBALL NOTES VS. MISSOURI STATE
CARDINALS NOTES
8 The Ball State football program opens its 100th season while hosting Missouri State at Scheumann Stadium in a home-opening game sponsored by the Army ROTC. The first 1,000 fans receive free t-shirts to celebrate the Cardinals’ 100th season. 8 The 100th anniversary of Ball State’s first season in 1924 coincides with the 100th season on the field, given that the Cardinals didn’t field a team in 1943 due to World War II. Season long celebrations of the 100th season will be displayed at Scheumann Stadium this season. 8 While the 2023 Cardinals had a revolving QB rotation and a midseason shift in schemes, the 2024 Cardinals look to be more explosive behind redshirt freshman QB Kadin Semonza and a deep receiving unit behind standouts Justin Bowick, Qian Magwood and Ty Robinson; and tight end Tanner Koziol. Added to the mix behind new offensive coordinator Jared Elliott are FCS All-America running back Braedon Sloan, returning RB Vaughn Pemberton, and the most experienced offensive line in the Mid-American Conference. The offense hopes to sustain drives and score points under the leadership of coordinator and tight ends coach Jared Elliott, who was elevated from co-offensive coordinator last season. 8 Ball State’s calling card while splitting its last six games last year was its defense, allowing just 15.2 points per game down the stretch. Top tackler Keionte Newson returns to lead the charge, though he is joined by a host of new faces under coordinator Jeff Knowles. 8 Special teams units are led by sophomore placekicker Jackson Courville, whose consistency won him the job as a true freshman last season. Experienced long-snapper Tucker Dunn also returns and grad transfer Brian Cooey Jr., is expected to handle punt duties. WHAT A WIN MEANS: 8 The Cardinals will begin the season 1-0, while winning their home opener for the 14th time in the past 15 tries. The only blemish in that stretch was a 2022 loss to Western Michigan. 8 Ball State will have defeated a team from the Missouri Valley Football Conference in each of the past four seasons. 8 Mike Neu will capture his 38th victory as head coach of his alma mater to move past Ray Louthen (1962-67) and Bill Lynch (1995-02) 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.
INSIDE THE SERIES: MISSOURI STATE 8 The Cardinals and Bears have never faced one another. Ball State is just the third MAC opponent the Bears have ever played. Missouri State is 1-4 against MAC schools: 1-1 vs. Akron, 0-3 vs. Northern Illinois. VS. MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL CONFERENCE 8 Against teams currently in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the Cardinals are 59-37-2 (20-13-1 against foes other than Indiana State). 8 Ball State’s biggest win in each of the past two seasons has been against MVFC competition – last year in a 45-7 win over Indiana State, and in a 31-0 shutout of Murray State in 2022. 8 The shutout over Murray State was BSU’s first shutout victory since 2008 vs. Toledo. It was the Cards’ biggest shutout win since a 34-0 blanking of Kent State in 1994. 8 Since 2000, the Cardinals are 6-3 against the MVFC: beat Western Illinois in 2000; lost to Northern Iowa in 2001; beat Indiana State in 2002 & 2003; lost to North Dakota State in 2006; beat Illinois State in 2013; lost to Indiana State in 2014; beat Murray State in 2022, and Indiana State again last year. TWO NEW OPPONENTS TO START THE SEASON 8 For the first time since 2018 when the Cardinals opened against Central Connecticut and at Notre Dame, Ball State faces brand new opponents in each of its first two games. GEOGRAPHICALLY SPEAKING 8 Missouri State (formerly known as Southwest Missouri State) is the Cardinals’ first home opening opponent from west of the Mississippi River since 2010. In 2010, ironically, Ball State opened against Southeast Missouri.
REDSHIRT FRESHMAN QB 8 A true freshman last year out of Huntington Beach, Calif., QB Kadin Semonza started three of Ball State’s first four games as one of very few true freshman starting QBs in the country. As the Cardinals modified its offensive identity after losses to Kentucky and Georgia, and MAC defeats to Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan under grad transfer QB, Layne Hatcher, the decision was made to preserve Semonza’s redshirt. 8 His best game featured 17-of-22 passing for 137 yards and two scores against Indiana State, but he struggled with 11-of-23 passing, 123 yards, and two INTs against Georgia Southern. 8 Semonza made his college debut over two games against SEC foes Kentucky and Georgia — and in his first six series through the first period at Georgia he engineered at least one first down in every possession. Ball State ran at least nine plays in five of those six series. In the opener at Kentucky, Semonza guided the Cardinals to 11 first downs over four complete second half series — engineering drives of 9, 10, 11 and 10 plays. All four of Semonza’s series crossed midfield and never did Ball State go 3-and-out under his direction. 8 Semonza became the Cardinals’ first true freshman to take snaps at quarterback since John Paddock in 2018.
MISSOURI STATE NOTES
♦ Missouri State returns to the road again this week when the Bears travel to Muncie, Ind., to square off with the Ball State Cardinals on Saturday at 1 p.m. (Central). The Bears are coming off a near-upset at No. 3-ranked (FCS) Montana in the season opener, leading the Grizzlies until the closing minute of the third quarter. ♦ Standout safety Todric McGee (Jr., Wichita Kan.) was named Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after posting a game-high 11 tackles, 3 solos and a tackle for loss in the season opener at No. 3-ranked Montana, while holding the Grizzlies under 30 points for just the second time in the past nine ball games. Last year, McGee ranked 13th nationally (FCS) in solo tackles per contest (5.4), which was 1st in The Valley, while his 9.3 total tackles per game ranked 23rd nationally and was 2nd in the MVFC. ♦ The Bears have scored points in 14 of their last 16 quarters (dating back to last season) and notched double-figure scoring totals in 40 consecutive ball games, including 20 or more points 32 times in that span. ♦ Jacardia Wright (Sr., Decatur, Ill.) posted a game-high 145 all-purpose yards in MSU’s narrow loss at No. 3 Montana in the opener. He notched 76 rushing yards on 19 carries with a TD (4.0 ypc) and also banked 6 receptions for 69 yards, ranking him 17th nationally in all-purpose yards per game and 19th in receptions per game. ♦ Coming out of week one, the Bears’ offense ranks 1st nationally (FCS) in red zone efficiency (1.000), 13th in time of possession (36:37), 17th in passing offense (257.0), and 20th in total first downs (22). Defensively, MoState ranks 8th in 3rd down efficiency defense (.222), and 25th in red zone defense (.750). ♦ Hunter Wood (Sr., Springdale, Ark.) ranks 19th nationally in receptions per game (6.0) after snagging 6 catches for 70 yards at Montana, which pushed him to 40 career receptions for 515 yards in 43 career games. His 21-yard punt return at Montana on his only attempt pushed the Bears to No. 6 nationally in team punt return avg. ♦ After opening week, QB Jacob Clark (Sr., Rockwall, Texas) ranks 9th nationally in completions per game (23.0), 15th in passing yards per game (257.0), 19th in total passing yards (257) and 20th in total offense (237.0). ♦ This is the 35th straight year Missouri State (NCAA Division I FCS) has played at least one FBS program in football. The Bears are 1-40 all-time vs. FBS foes, including a 31-24 victory over UNLV on Sept. 1, 1990. The Bears dropped a 48-17 decision at Kansas in last year’s season opener in Lawrence. ♦ Missouri State has a current Indiana connection with former QB DeAndre Smith on the coaching staff of the Indianapolis Colts. Smith played for the Bears from 1987-90 and earned All-America status for two FCS playoff teams (1989-1990). His legacy propelled him to one of four retired jerseys in Missouri State program history. ♦ Punter Grant Burkett (Sr., Joplin, Mo.) ranks No. 2 among active FCS punters in career average (44.0), narrowly behind Florida A&M’s Trey Wilhoit (44.0). The three-time All-American and four-time All-MVFC standout ranks No. 1 on MSU’s career punting average list, No. 3 in punting yards (8,894), and No. 5 in punt attempts (202). He has 202 career punts with 53 boots of 50+ yards and 48 downed inside the 20. ♦ Mo State returns 20 starters from last season — 10 on both sides of the ball — and also boasts 11 players named to the Preseason All-MVFC Team. ♦ The Bears received 14 points in this week’s AFCA FCS Top 25 poll, tied for the 35th-highest vote total. Seven MVFC teams are ranked in the Top 25 in addition four other league teams receiving votes. ♦ All-American specialists Grant Burkett (P, Joplin, Mo.) and Caden Bolz (LS, Overland Park, Kan.) have both played in 45 consecutive games, the most by any current Missouri State player, and are both sixth-year players. ♦ Bears head coach Ryan Beard has a previous victory in Muncie when he was part of the Central Michigan coaching staff. On Nov. 16, 2019, CMU topped Ball State, 45-44, scoring the winning TD with a minute to go. ♦ WR Jmariyae Robinson (So., Cocoa, Fla.) scored on 7-yard carry last week, giving him 3 touchdowns over the last two season openers, including rushing and receiving TDs at Kansas (2023) and the rush vs. Montana (2024).
WABASH FOOTBALL
WABASH COLLEGE FOOTBALL – GAME ONE VS. ST. NORBERT COLLEGE
Wabash College opens the 2024 season this Saturday when the Little Giants face the St. Norbert College Green Knights at Little Giant Stadium at 1 p.m. Saturday’s game will also be Military Appreciation Day with a presentation of colors by the Boilermaker Battalion ROTC color guard and special recognition of the members of the Wabash ROTC program. Wabash will also honor the 18 members of the senior class participating on the Little Giant football team before the start of the game.
Game Info: St. Norbert College (7-4 in 2023) at Wabash College (7-3 in 2023)
Location: Little Giant Stadium (3,350) in Crawfordsville, IN
Game time: Saturday, September 7, 2024 at 1 p.m.
Tickets: https://wabashtickets.com
Series: Wabash and St. Norbert meet for the first time.
Notes: Wabash is playing its 137th season of football with a record of 717-401-59. Wabash ranks fifth among Division III schools in all-time victories and 12th in winning percentage with a mark of .635. The Little Giants and Notre Dame are the only Indiana schools to win more than 700 games in college football program history.
The Little Giants are in their 24th season as North Coast Athletic Conference members. Wabash has won or shared nine NCAC titles in the past 17 seasons (2002, 2005, 2006 [tied], 2007, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2018 [tied], and 2019 [tied]). Wabash is 146-29 in NCAC contests.
Wabash owns an 82-46-8 record in season-opening contests dating back to its first program win – a 4-0 win over Butler University on October 25, 1884, in Indianapolis, Indiana. The last season-opening loss for the Little Giants came in 2019 in a 31-28 contest at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Wabash has not lost a season-opening game at home since a 38-6 defeat at the hands of Ohio Northern University in 1999.
Wabash owns a 10-5 record at Little Giant Stadium as the facility enters its fourth season of operation. The Little Giants opened the stadium on September 18, 2021, with a 36-28 victory over Allegheny College. Wabash has not lost a home opener in three seasons at Little Giant Stadium.
Wabash is 90-37-5 in home season openers overall. There are five seasons (1884, 1886, 1887, 1898, and 1899) in which no home games were played by Wabash football teams.
A Quick Look At The Little Giants: Wabash begins its 2024 campaign with four starters returning on offense from last year’s squad. First Team All-North Coast Athletic Conference selection Quinn Sholar and Second Team All-NCAC honoree Cameron Ford anchor a line that also includes returning starters Kanon Kelley and Enrique Ruiz. The Little Giants used its prowess up front to average 235.9 yards per game on the ground, the top mark in the conference and 15th-best in the nation. Blake White will start at quarterback for the this first time. He’ll look to top target Connor Thompson, who caught 13 passes for 207 yards and two TDs in 2023. Xavier Tyler will start at running back after producing 405 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground last season.
Nine starters are back on defense, led by Gavin Ruppert, who led Wabash in tackles last season with 73 stops. Brock Robertson finished second on the team in tackles with 28 and starts at safety this season. Jordan Cree rotated into the lineup and recorded 41 tackles as a freshman. Hewill start at defensive tackle this season. Steven Thomas returns for a fifth season after making 30 tackles, 5-1/2 tackles for losses, and two sacks as a starter in 2023. Brody Frey starts for a second consecutive season at defensive end after posting 25 tackles, 4-1/2 tackles for losses, and 2-1/2 sacks last year. Owen Volk made 20 tackles with 4-1/2 tackles for losses and two sacks in 2023. Mike Holsclaw and Michael Hegwood return in the defensive backfield for the Little Giants in 2024. Both were starters in 2023, with Holsclaw netting 24 tackles and one interception. Hegwood finished with 17 tackles and three pass breakups.
Scouting St. Norbert:
St. Norbert College opens the 2024 season today in Crawfordsville after posting a 7-4 overall record in 2023. The Green Knights tied for second place in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference with a 6-2 record and represented the league in the Cousins Subs Lakefront Bowl. St. Norbert lost to Monmouth 21-14 in the post-season bowl game.
Head coach Dan McCarty begins his ninth season at St. Norbert with a 59-24 record. His squad averaged 27.5 points a contest last year while opposing teams to an average of 17.3 points per game. Junior quarterback Peyton Lyon returns after throwing for 1,908 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2023. He completed 55.9 percent of his passes while averaging 173.5 passing yards in 11 games. Senior Austin Miller led the Green Knight receivers with 42 catches for 289 yards. Fellow senior Mitch Van Vooren caught 32 passes for 535 yards and three touchdowns. Paul Bageanis added another 30 receptions for 479 yards and a team-best five TDs in his junior season.
St. Norbert averaged 163 yards a game on the ground last season but lost 890 yards from top rusher Owen Kudick due to graduation. Senior running back Patrick Oden ran for 281 yards and three scores while appearing in eight games last season. Sophomore Will Darden is slated to back up Oden after not appearing in any varsity contests in 2023.
The Green Knights ranked 34 among Division III teams on defense with 33 takeaways last season. Senior linebacker Sam Barnett ranked tenth in the conference with three interceptions for an average of 0.3 per contest. He also paced the defense with 99 tackles, including 68 solos. He was one of five players with ten or more tackles for losses, finishing with 10.5 for 66 yards. Junior linebacker Kyle Santos made 84 tackles with 12 for losses totaling 44 yards. Senior end Daylan Lujan recorded a team-best seven sacks for 60 yards.
INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEBSITES
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/
HOY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
36 – 39 – 16 – 3 – 17 – 13 – 10 – 35 – 22 – 14
September 7, 1897 – George Davis of the New York Giants crushed a home run off of Sport McAllister who played on the Cleveland Spiders in a double header
September 7, 1923 – Boston Red Sox Howard Ehmke no-hits Philadelphia A’s, 4-0
September 7, 1952 – New York Yankees Number 36, Johnny Mize’s pinch-hit grand slam gives Yanks a 5-1 win at Washington, giving him a home run in all 15 major league parks
September 7, 1953 – Roy Campanella, wearing Number 39 set a record for catchers with 125 runs batted in en route to a total of142 RBIs on the season
September 7, 1955 – New York Yankee Whitey Ford (Number 16) became just the fifth MLB pitcher to toss consecutive 1 hitters
September 7, 1969 – Scottish Matra-Ford Number 3 driver Jackie Stewart won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza to clinch his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship; his 6th F1 win of the season
September 7, 1981 – Cleveland Browns’ Brian Sipe, Number 17 sets club record with 57 pass attempts
September 7, 1984 – New York Met Number 16 Dwight Gooden’s 11 strikeouts gives him NL rookie record 236
September 7, 1986 – Dan Marino, Number 13 throws his 100th career touchdown pass, the fastest quarterback in NFL history to do so
September 7, 1988 – Skating legends Guy Lafleur (Number 10), Tony Esposito (Number 35) and Brad Park (Number 22) were inducted in NHL Hall of Fame
September 7, 1991 – Brigham Young University quarterback Number 14, Ty Detmer passes NCAA record 11,606 yards
September 7, 1993 – St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Mark Whiten, Number 22 hit four home runs and 12 RBIs in 15-2 win at Cincinnati Reds
FOOTBALL HISTORY
Football History for September 7
September 7, 1979 – ESPN has its very first day broadcasting. The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network started in rented office space in Plainville, Connecticut according to the ESPN website. The company is now owned by the American Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of Walt Disney with an 80% share, and the other 20% is owned by Hearst. The ESPN complex is now located in Bristol, Ct on a sprawling 1.2 million square foot campus encompassing 18 different buildings. ESPN Inc. now owns the rights to over 50 different business entities. Its connection to football is very deep as it is the home of the NFL’s Monday Night Football, Numerous college games Thursday through Saturday during the season and many talk shown centered on the sport of football.
September 7, 1981 – Cleveland Browns quarterback, Brian Sipe sets a team record with 57 passing attempts in one game as the Browns fall at home to the San Diego Chargers,44-14.
September 7, 1986 – Again the Cleveland Browns make history as on this day they are the first team in NFL history to formally have a play reviewed by officials with video instant replay as they played at the Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears. On the 3rd play of the game the defending Super Bowl Champion Bears had an errant snap into their own end zone that Cleveland safety Al Gross jumped on. There was indecision from the onfield officiating crew, but after review, the Browns were awarded the score. The Bears came back and won the week 1 game though, 41-31.
September 7, 1986 – Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino becomes the fastest person to throw 100 touchdowns in the NFL. Marino tossed three scores on the day, two of them to Mark Clayton. Unfortunately for Miami that was not enough, as the home team San Diego Chargers had some scores of their own in the 50 -28 drubbing of the Dolphins.
September 7, 1991 – BYU quarterback Ty Detmer, goes past the NCAA career record of 11,606 yards on this day according to the National Football Foundation. Detmer won the Heisman Trophy after the 1990 season and showed the UCLA Bruins that his game was still sharp a year later in this exciting early-season match-up. The Bruins held on to win at home 27-23 but not before Ty Detmer surpassed the throwing milestone.
Special thanks to the Pro Football Reference website.
Hall of Fame Birthdays for September 7
September 7, 1884 – Robert “Bob” “Tiny” Maxwell was a former guard that played for the University of Chicago and also Swarthmore College, a private liberal arts school in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Legendary University of Chicago Coach Alonzo Stagg recruited Bob Maxwell, because of his size and he was not tiny as the nickname he would receive later in life indicates. Bob Maxwell was 240 lbs. in 1902 and in that era, the average lineman weighed less than 200 pounds! Maxwell played for Stagg and the Maroons for the 1902 and 1903 seasons and also set records at the college in track and field’s hammer throw. Bob was accepted into Swarthmore College in 1904, and that is when it is believed the monicker “Tiny” was adopted by his teammates as a nickname for him. The 1905 game against Penn brought Maxwell to the forefront as the face of football per an article on the National Football Foundation. During the contest, Penn had put three blockers on Maxwell to nullify his influence in the game. This triple-team line play was slugfest from start to finish, and Tiny Maxwell took the brunt of it. President Theodore Roosevelt was presented a photo of Bob’s bruised, bloodied and swollen face after the game was over as a representation of how brutal the game had become. Roosevelt became so enraged about the appearance of Tiny’s photo and the fact that 18 young men had died that season from football injuries, that he threatened to abolish the game if the powers in college football did not set out to meet with him to improve the safety of players. Those changes did come in 1906 and changed football forever! The rule revisions were many but the big hitters were the adoption of a legal forward pass, but with severe penalties for incompletions and the line to gain being moved from 5 to ten yards as it is today.
September 7, 1902 – Matt Kaer was a Southern California halfback that became enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972’s ceremonies. Kaer was also a U.S. Olympian and he took fifth place in the 1924 Olympic Pentathalon Competition in Paris. After returning home he played for USC for 3 seasons and had set a school record with 19 touchdowns in the 1925 season. The Trojan record lasted for 43 seasons before O.J. Simpson eclipsed the TD mark in 1968. Matt became an All-American for his fine play in the 1926 season according to the National Football Foundation. After school, his football career went to the professional ranks with a one-year stint with the NFL’s Frankford Yellow Jackets. He may have stopped playing after that one NFL season but he stuck with the game he loved only in the coaching ranks as he became the head coach of Weed High School, in Weed California and stayed there for 28 years winning 17 conference championships.
September 7, 1908 – Paul Brown was the legendary 1st head coach of the Cleveland Browns way back in 1946 when they had their inaugural season in the All-America Football Conference. That was Brown’s first professional coaching job as his prior experience in coaching came at the high school level and also with some military teams. Paul Brown was an innovator and made coaching what it is today. The concepts of hiring a full-time, around-the-year coaching staff as well as hiring scouts to go over college talent a couple of items Brown came up with. He also started the idea of film study of his players, and had his players study in classroom settings as well as study game film themselves. He sent plays into the huddle by shuttling guards in and out and also was the first to try a radio transmitter in a quarterback’s helmet. His career coaching record in the AAFC and NFL was a whopping 167-53-8 and he had but one losing season in 17 years at the helm of the Browns. Paul Brown’s teams won four AAFC titles and 3 NFL championships. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined this great innovator in the class of 1967. Right after he was accepted into the Hall, the AFL authorized Brown to start a team in Cincinnati and he called them the Bengals in homage to other teams that played in the city previously. Brown was not only the Bengal’s owner and GM but he was also their head coach. The Brown family still owns the Bengals to this day.
September 7, 1923 – Emil “Red” Sitko was a part halfback, part fullback type who played for the University of Notre Dame. He didn’t go to the Fighting Irish right out of high school though as he served his country during World War II playing for the Great Lakes Navy football team, where in a game against his future team Notre Dame he scored a TD and had an interception against a previously undefeated Irish squad. After his service, he then attended the famous school in South Bend, and in his four years at ND, the team’s record was 36-0-2! Red led the team in rushing yards all four years he played at Notre Dame. To this day the rushing specialist is seventh on the Notre Dame All-time rushing yardage list. The College Football Hall of Fame invited Red Sitko into their place of honor in 1984. Red went on to play pro ball in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers and the Chicago Cardinals.
September 7, 1951 – Bert Jones was a quarterback from LSU who played professionally for the Baltimore Colts in the NFL. Jones became a legend at LSU when in 1972 against Ole Miss he led the Tigers to a thrilling one-point victory in the final seconds. The play is still filled with controversy to this day as many, mainly on the Ole Miss side believe that Jones and the Tigers were given an extra 4 seconds due to an alleged clock malfunction on the previous play. With four seconds on the field’s timepiece, Jones hit a streaking Brad Davis in the end zone for an LSU touchdown that put them over the Ole Mis Rebels 17-16. In the 17 games that Bert Jones started in college, he passed for 3225 yards and 28 TDs which was a career record at the time for LSU. The College Football Hall of Fame enshrined Jones in 2016. As a Colt Jones succeeded Johnny Unitas as the Baltimore starter and led the Colts to three consecutive AFC East titles.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
Sept. 7
1908 — Walter Johnson pitched his third consecutive shutout in four days with a 4-0, two-hit victory over the New York Highlanders.
1911 — Rookie Grover Alexander of the Philadelphia Phillies took a 1-0 thriller from 44-year-old Cy Young, who was closing out his career with the Boston Braves.
1914 — The Boston Braves had to move its home games to Fenway Park because Braves Field was not big enough to handle the crowds. The “Miracle Braves” played the rest of their home games and the World Series games at the home of the Red Sox.
1923 — Howard Ehmke of the Boston Red Sox tossed a 4-0, no-hit victory over the Philadelphia Athletics. Philadelphia’s Slim Harriss hit a ball to the wall for a double, but was called out for missing first base, preserving the no-hitter.
1962 — Maury Wills of Los Angeles stole four bases and set a National League record with a total of 82 for the season. The Dodgers lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-1.
1975 — The Cincinnati Reds, leading by 20 1/2 games, clinched the National League West flag with an 8-4 win over the San Franciso Giants. It was the earliest clinching date in league history.
1984 — Dwight Gooden of the Mets struck out Ron Cey of the Chicago Cubs in the second inning for No. 228 to set a National League record for a rookie. Gooden passed Grover Cleveland Alexander, who set the mark with 227 in 1911. New York coasted to a 10-0 victory behind Gooden’s one-hitter.
1993 — Mark Whiten of the St. Louis Cardinals had the greatest game at the plate in major league history in the nightcap of a doubleheader with Cincinnati. In the 15-2 win, Whiten hit four home runs and drove in 12 runs to become the only player to accomplish both feats in one game.
2007 — Curtis Granderson hit his 20th home run in Detroit’s 6-1 win over Seattle, making him only the sixth major league player since 1900 with at least 20 home runs, 20 doubles and 20 triples in one season.
2007 — Colorado used nine relievers after starter Elmer Dessens left with a strained left hamstring in the third inning of a 10-4 win over San Diego. The 10 total pitchers was a National League record for a nine-inning game.
2013 — Mike Napoli hit two home runs, Jonny Gomes and prized rookie Xander Bogaerts also connected, and the Boston Red Sox kept up their dizzying scoring spree at Yankee Stadium, bashing New York 13-9. The AL East leaders became the first visiting team in more than a century to score at least nine runs on three straight days against the Yankees. The last time it happened, they weren’t called the Yankees — Boston did it in 1912 to the Highlanders at Hilltop Park.
2017 — The Cleveland Indians set a franchise record with their 15th consecutive win, beating the Chicago White Sox 11-2 behind another terrific outing for Corey Kluber. Cleveland also belted five homers while becoming the first major league team with a 15-game winning streak since Oakland won 20 in a row in 2002.
2019 — Pitcher Michael Pineda of the Twins receives a 60-game suspension for testing positive for a PED, dealing a major blow to his team’s postseason hopes, as he was one of their most consistent starting pitchers, going 11-5 on the year.
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Sept. 8
1905 — The Pittsburgh Pirates stranded 18 runners in an 8-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds to set a National League record for men left on base.
1939 — With his 12-1 victory over the Browns in St. Louis, 20-year-old Bob Feller became the youngest modern-era player to win 20 games.
1940 — Joe Gordon of the New York Yankees hit for the cycle in a 9-4 win over the Boston Red Sox.
1940 — Johnny Mize of St. Louis hit three homers and drove in six runs in a 16-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of a doubleheader. Mize became the first player to hit three homers in one game four times in a career.
1955 — The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Braves 10-2 to clinch the National League pennant with a 17-game lead.
1958 — Roberto Clemente tied a major league record by hitting three triples in a 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
1965 — Bert Campaneris of the Kansas City A’s played all nine positions but had to leave after a ninth-inning collision with Ed Kirkpatrick of the Angels. The Angels won 5-3 in 13 innings.
1972 — Ferguson Jenkins of the Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3, for his 20th victory of the season. It marked the sixth straight year Jenkins had won 20 or more games.
1985 — Cincinnati’s Pete Rose inserted himself into the lineup when the Chicago Cubs named right-hander Reggie Patterson as the starting pitcher. Rose singled in the first inning and again in the fifth inning to tie Ty Cobb with 4,191 career hits. Rose was retired in his other at-bats and the game was called because of darkness after nine innings with the score tied 5-5.
1988 — National League president Bart Giamatti was unanimously elected to succeed Peter Ueberroth as the commissioner of baseball.
1992 — New York’s Danny Tartabull drove in nine runs as the Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 16-4. Tartabull went 5-for-5 with two homers and a double.
1993 — Darryl Kile pitched baseball’s second no-hitter in five days, leading the Houston Astros to a 7-1 win over the New York Mets. Kile struck out nine and walked one.
1996 — Todd Hundley of the New York Mets became the ninth player to hit 40 home runs this season, breaking the major league record set in 1961.
1998 — Mark McGwire broke Roger Maris’ 37-year-old home run record, lining historic No. 62 just over the wall in left field with two outs in the fourth inning. McGwire’s shot off the Chicago Cubs’ Steve Trachsel set off a wild celebration in Busch Stadium.
2008 — Pinch hitting for Houston, Mark Saccomanno homered on the first pitch he saw in the major leagues to help the Astros beat Pittsburgh. Saccomanno hit a solo shot in the fifth inning.
2015 — Alex Rodriguez ties Hank Aaron record of 15 seasons with 30 or more home runs.
2022 — By making their 324th start as a battery, P Adam Wainwright and C Yadier Molina of the Cardinals tie the all-time mark set by Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan of the Tigers in the 1960s and 1970s. Molina marks the occasion by going deep twice – his first long balls since May – but the Cards lose to the Nationals, 11 – 6. The pair will set the new record on the 14th.
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Sept. 9
1914 — George Davis of the Boston Braves pitched a 7-0 no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second game of a doubleheader. Davis’ no-hitter was the first thrown at Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox.
1922 — Baby Doll Jacobson hit three triples to lead the St. Louis Browns to a 16-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
1936 — The New York Yankees clinched their eighth American League pennant with a doubleheader sweep of the Cleveland Indians, 11-3 and 12-9. The Yankees finished 19½ games ahead of the Detroit Tigers for the largest margin in team history.
1945 — Dick Fowler of the Philadelphia Athletics pitched a 1-0 no-hitter against the St. Louis Browns in the second game of a doubleheader.
1948 — Rex Barney of the Brooklyn Dodgers pitched a 2-0 no-hit victory against the New York Giants on a rainy day at the Polo Grounds. He walked two and struck out four.
1965 — Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers tossed his fourth no-hitter, a perfect game, against the Chicago Cubs. Koufax fanned 14 in the 1-0 victory while Cubs pitcher Bob Hendley allowed one hit — a double by Lou Johnson.
1987 — Nolan Ryan strikes out his 4,500th batter.
1988 — Atlanta’s Bruce Sutter joined Rollie Fingers and Rich Gossage as the only pitchers to save 300 games as the Braves beat the San Diego Padres, 5-4 in 11 innings.
1992 — Robin Yount became the 17th player to reach 3,000 hits in the Milwaukee Brewers’ 5-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians. Yount singled to right center off Cleveland’s Jose Mesa in the seventh inning.
1998 — The New York Yankees officially clinched the AL East title, the earliest in AL history, beating the Boston Red Sox 7-5. The Yankees improved to 102-41 — 20½ games ahead of second-place Boston.
2001 — Barry Bonds hit three home runs to give him 63 for the season. The third homer was a three-run shot in the 11th inning lifting San Francisco over the Colorado Rockies 9-4. Bonds broke Roger Maris’ record of 61 for most homers in a season by a left-handed hitter.
2004 — Joe Randa had six hits and tied a major league record with six runs, and Alex Berroa hit a three-run homer and drove in a career-high five runs in Kansas City’s 26-5 victory over Detroit in the first game of a doubleheader. Randa became the first AL player to have six hits and six runs in the same nine-inning game.
2007 — Milwaukee became the third team in major league history to open a game with three straight home runs when Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy and Ryan Braun connected off Cincinnati’s Phil Dumatrait in a 10-5 victory. Weeks and Braun each hit two home runs and J.J. Hardy homered and hit two doubles — all in the first four innings.
2017 — Jose Abreu became the first White Sox player to hit for the cycle in 17 years in Chicago’s 13-1 rout of the San Francisco Giants.
2020 — At the urging of Roberto Clemente’s family, Major League Baseball pays tribute to its first Latin American superstar by allowing Puerto Rican players and others to wear his uniform number, 21, in his honor, on this day. This is akin to the wearing of #42 on Jackie Robinson Day. In addition, all members of the Pirates, Clemente’s former team, wear the number, the first time it has been worn by a team member since Clemente’s passing 48 years earlier.
2022 — Major League Baseball announces the adoption of a number of changes to the rules to be introduced at the start of the 2023 season. They include a pitch clock, limits on defensive shifts, and larger bases. All of these changes have already been successfully tested in minor league games and aim to improve pace of play, reduce injuries and create more in-game action.
Sept. 10
1919 — Cleveland’s Ray Caldwell pitched a no-hitter against the New York Yankees, a 3-0 victory by the Indians in the opening game of a doubleheader.
1950 — Joe DiMaggio became the first player to hit three home runs in one game at Griffith Stadium, and the New York Yankees beat the Washington Senators 8-1.
1967 — Joe Horlen of the Chicago White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers with a 6-0 no-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader.
1969 — The New York Mets swept Montreal in a doubleheader at Shea Stadium, 3-2 in 12 innings and 7-1. The victories moved the Mets into first place in the NL East for their first time on top.
1974 — Lou Brock tied Maury Wills’ single-season stolen base record in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies. He broke the record with steal No. 105 in the seventh inning.
1977 — Roy Howell hit two home runs, two doubles and a single and drove in nine runs, powering Toronto past the New York Yankees 19-3.
1980 — Bill Gullickson struck out 18 — the most by a rookie — to lead the Montreal Expos past the Chicago Cubs 4-2.
1997 — Mark McGwire joined Babe Ruth as the only players in major league history with consecutive 50-homer seasons by hitting a 446-foot shot off Shawn Estes in the third inning of St. Louis’ game against at San Francisco. McGwire, who hit a major league-leading 52 homers for Oakland last season, became the first player with back-to-back 50-homer seasons since Ruth did it in 1927 and 1928.
2000 — Arizona’s Randy Johnson became the 12th player to reach 3,000 strikeouts, fanning a season-high 14 in seven innings in the Diamondbacks’ 4-3 loss to Florida in 12 innings.
2003 — St. Louis’ Tony La Russa became the eighth manager in major league history to reach 2,000 wins when the Cardinals beat Colorado 10-2. La Russa is 2,000-1,782 in 25 seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Oakland and St. Louis.
2007 — Kurt Suzuki and Dan Johnson hit grand slams to power Oakland past Seattle 9-3.
2013 — Mark Trumbo matched a team record with four extra-base hits, including back-to-back home runs with Josh Hamilton, and Los Angeles beat Toronto 12-6.
2017 — Aaron Judge became the second major league rookie with a 40-homer season, going deep twice in New York’s 16-7 rout of the Texas Rangers 16-7.
2002 — 42-year-old Albert Pujols, who has stated many times that he will retire at the end of the season, hits his 17th homer of the year and #696 of his career off J.T. Brubaker of the Pirates in the 6th inning of a 7 – 5 Cardinals win to tie Alex Rodriguez for fourth place on the all-time list.
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Sept. 11
1912 — Eddie Collins set a major league record with six stolen bases for the Philadelphia Athletics in a 9-7 win over the Detroit Tigers. Collins stole six more in a game on Sept. 22.
1918 — The Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 behind the three-hit pitching of Carl Mays to win the World Series in six games. This was Boston’s third championship in a four-year stretch — 1915, 1916 and this season.
1936 — Hod Lisenbee of the Philadelphia A’s tied a major league record for hits allowed, giving up 26 in a 17-2 rout by the Chicago White Sox.
1949 — The New York Yankees sent 18 men to the plate in the third inning of the first game of a doubleheader against Washington. In the 50-minute half-inning the Senators walked a major-league record 11 batters as the Yankees went on to a 20-5 win. New York won the second game 2-1 in one hour and 22 minutes.
1959 — The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4, putting an end to reliever Roy Face’s 22-game winning streak. It was his only loss of the season as he finished with an 18-1 record.
1974 — It took the St. Louis Cardinals 25 innings — seven hours, four minutes — to beat the New York Mets. A record 202 batters went to the plate, Felix Millan and John Milner had 12 appearances apiece.
1985 — Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds became the all-time hit leader with his 4,192nd hit to break Ty Cobb’s record. Rose lined a 2-1 pitch off San Diego pitcher Eric Show to left-center field for a single in the first inning. It was the 57th anniversary of Ty Cobb’s last game in the majors.
1987 — New York Mets third baseman Howard Johnson, with 34 homers, became the first National League infielder to reach 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in the same season. His 30th stolen base came in the fourth inning of a 6-4, 10-inning loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
1996 — San Diego’s Ken Caminiti broke his own major league record by homering from both sides of the plate in a game for the fourth time this season. In a 6-5 win over Pittsburgh, Caminiti homered left-handed in the fifth inning, hitting a two-run shot. Batting right-handed in the seventh, he hit a solo shot to break his record set last year.
2008 — Albert Pujols drove in his 100th run with a sixth-inning double in the Cardinals’ 3-2 loss to the Cubs, becoming only the third player in major league history to reach the milestone in his first eight seasons. Pujols also extended his major league-record streak of reaching 30 homers and 100 RBIs in his first eight seasons, two more than any player in history.
2014 — Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton sustained multiple facial fractures, dental damage and cuts that needed stitches after being hit in the face by a pitch. Stanton was hit under the left eye by a fastball from Milwaukee’s Mike Fiers in the fifth inning of a 4-2 loss.
2021 — Corbin Burns and Josh Hader of the Milwaukee Brewers throw a combined no-hitter to beat the Cleveland Indians 3-0. It was the record ninth no-hitter of the season.
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Sept. 12
1932 — Brooklyn’s Johnny Frederick hit his sixth pinch home run of the season, a major league record, in the ninth inning to spark the Dodgers to a 4-3 triumph over the Chicago Cubs at Ebbets Field.
1947 — Ralph Kiner of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit two home runs — his seventh and eighth in four games — for a major league record.
1962 — Tom Cheney of the Washington Senators set a record by fanning 21 Baltimore Orioles in a 16-inning game, which he won 2-1.
1976 — Minnie Minoso singled in three at bats as the designated hitter for the Chicago White Sox. At 53, he became the oldest player to get a hit in a regulation game.
1979 — Carl Yastrzemski got his 3,000th hit — a ground single off Jim Beattie — as the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 9-2.
1984 — Dwight Gooden broke the rookie strikeout record, fanning 16 Pittsburgh Pirates to give him 251, six more than Herb Score had in 1955. Gooden broke the record by striking out Marvell Wynne in the sixth inning.
1996 — Seattle’s Alex Rodriguez set a major league record for a shortstop with his 88th extra base hit in an 8-5 win over Kansas City.
2002 — Chicago out hit Cincinnati 22-17 but lost to the Reds 15-12. The last major league team to get 22 hits and lose a nine-inning game was Oakland on April 27, 1980. The Athletics lost that game 20-11 at Minnesota.
2006 — Atlanta’s streak of 14 consecutive division titles ended when the New York Mets rallied to beat Florida 6-4.
2008 — Jorge Cantu hit his 25th homer in Florida’s 2-1 victory over Washington, making the Marlins the first team in Major League history to have four infielders hit at least 25. Mike Jacobs (32), Dan Uggla (30), Hanley Ramirez (29) and Cantu have accounted for 116 of the Marlins 188 homers this season.
2015 — David Ortiz homered twice to become the 27th player in major league history to reach 500 homers, and Boston beat Tampa Bay 10-4. Ortiz reached the milestone when he lined a shot to right-center on a 2-2 pitch from Matt Moore leading off the fifth. He connected for No. 499 in the first. It was the 50th multi-homer game in his a 19-year career.
2017 — The Cleveland Indians extended their winning streak to 20 games and matched the AL mark held by the 2002 Oakland Athletics, beating the Detroit Tigers 2-0.
2017 — The Minnesota Twins became the first team in major league history to hit a homer in each of the first seven innings in a 16-0 rout of the San Diego Padres. Brian Dozier, Jorge Polanco, Jason Castro, Eddie Rosario, Castro again, Eduardo Escobar and Kennys Vargas all went deep to set a Target Field record.
2018 — The Boston Red Sox reached 100 wins for the first time since Ted Williams returned from World War II in the 1946 season, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 1-0 as David Price won his sixth straight decision and Craig Kimbrel earned his 39th save.
2022 — Mike Trout homers for the seventh straight game, off Konnor Pilkington of the Guardians, but in something that is typical of their season, the Angels still lose, 5 – 4. Trout is one away from the record of 8 games, held by Dale Long, Don Mattingly and Ken Griffey Jr. and has 35 homers, second in the AL behind runaway leader Aaron Judge in spite of playing in just 100 of his team’s 141 games so far this year.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
Sept. 7
1892 — Jim Corbett knocks out John L. Sullivan in the 21st round in New Orleans to win the first world heavyweight title fought with gloves under the Marquis of Queensberry rules.
1941 — Bobby Riggs wins his second U.S. men’s national title by beating Frank Kovacs, 5-7, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.
1952 — Australia’s Frank Sedgman wins the men’s title in the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championships for the second year with a three-set victory over Gardnar Mulloy. Maureen Connolly wins the women’s title.
1953 — Maureen Connolly becomes the first woman to complete the Grand Slam when she beats Doris Hart, 6-2, 6-4, in the U.S. Open women’s singles final.
1958 — Australia’s Ashley Cooper beats countryman Malcolm Anderson in five sets to win the men’s title in the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championships. Althea Gibson comes back to beat Darlene Hard for the women’s title. Cooper beats Anderson, 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 10-8, 8-6. Gibson beats Darlene Hard, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
1969 — Margaret Court beats Nancy Richey, 6-2, 6-2 to capture the U.S. Open women’s singles title.
1970 — Jockey Willie Shoemaker rides Dares J to a 1½-length victory at Del Mar to become the winningest jockey. Shoemaker’s win breaks the all-time record of 6,033 set by Johnny Longden four years earlier.
1974 — US Open Women’s Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Billie Jean King wins her 4th and final US singles title; beats Evonne Goolagong Cawley of Australia 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
1980 —John McEnroe beats Bjorn Borg of Sweden 7-6, 6-1, 6-7, 5-7, 6-4 to win his second straight U.S. Open men’s title.
1986 — Dan Marino throws his 100th career touchdown pass, the fastest QB in NFL history to do so.
1991 — Seventeen-year-old Monica Seles beats 34-year-old Martina Navratilova, 7-6 (1), 6-1, to win her first U.S. Open women’s singles title.
1993 — Mark Whiten of the St. Louis Cardinals has the greatest game at the plate in major league history in the nightcap of a doubleheader against Cincinnati. In the 15-2 win, Whiten hits four home runs and drives in 12 runs, becoming the only player to accomplish both feats in one game.
1997 — In the new Arthur Ashe Stadium court, 16-year-old Martina Hingis and 17-year-old Venus Williams play the youngest Grand Slam final in the Open Era. Hingis wins her first U.S. Open title 6-0, 6-4. Patrick Rafter beats Greg Rusedski, 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, to win the men’s crown.
2001 — Venus Williams and Serena Williams reach the finals of the U.S. Open and become the first sisters to play for a Grand Slam championship in more than 100 years. Venus defeats Jennifer Capriati 6-4, 6-2, after Serena powers her way past top-seeded Martina Hingis 6-3, 6-2 in 51 minutes.
2002 — Venus and Serena Williams meet in a prime-time U.S. Open women’s singles final for the second straight year. Younger sister Serena comes out on top, defeating the two-time defending champion, 6-4, 6-3, for her second U.S. Open women’s singles title.
2003 — In the closest 1-2-3 finish in IRL history, Sam Hornish Jr. edges Scott Dixon and Bryan Herta at the finish line to win his second straight Delphi Indy 300. His margin of victory is .0099 seconds, and just .0100 separates first and third place.
2003 — Andy Roddick wins his first Grand Slam tournament title, defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero, 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3, in the U.S. Open men’s singles final.
2012 — Aries Merritt of the U.S. sets a world record of 12.80 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles at the Van Damme Memorial in Brussels. He cuts 0.07 seconds off the mark of Cuba’s Dayron Robles from four years ago.
2012 — Bob and Mike Bryan beat Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek 6-3, 6-4 to win the U.S. Open men’s doubles title for a record 12th Grand Slam championship. The American twins break a tie with Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde for the most in the Open era, which started in 1968.
2014 — Serena Williams wins her third consecutive U.S. Open championship and 18th major title overall. Williams takes 75 minutes to beat good friend Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3 and matches Chris Evert’s total of six championships at the U.S. Open. Bob and Mike Bryan win a record-tying fifth U.S. Open doubles championship for their 100th tournament title.
TV SPORTS SATURDAY
| MLB REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| NY Yankees at Chi. Cubs | 2:20pm | MLBN YES MARQ |
| Tampa Bay at Baltimore | 4:05pm | MLBN Bally Sports Sun MASN |
| Detroit at Oakland | 4:07pm | Bally Sports Detroit NBCS-CA |
| Arizona at Houston | 4:10pm | MLBN YurView SCHN |
| Cincinnati at NY Mets | 4:10pm | SNY Bally Sports Ohio |
| Philadelphia at Miami | 4:10pm | NBCS-PHI Bally Sports Florida |
| Washington at Pittsburgh | 6:40pm | ATTSN-PIT MASN2 |
| LA Angels at Texas | 7:05pm | FOX |
| Colorado at Milwaukee | 7:10pm | Rockies.TV Bally Sports Wisconsin |
| Minnesota at Kansas City | 7:15pm | FOX |
| Seattle at St. Louis | 7:15pm | ROOT Bally Sports Midwest |
| Chi. White Sox at Red Sox | 7:15pm | FOX |
| Toronto at Atlanta | 7:20pm | Sportsnet Bally Sports South |
| San Francisco at San Diego | 9:40pm | MLBN Padres.TV NBCS-BAY |
| Cleveland at LA Dodgers | 10:10pm | MLBN Bally Sports Great Lakes SNLA |
| COLLEGE FOOTBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Rhode Island at Minnesota | 12:00pm | Peacock |
| Bowling Green at Penn State | 12:00pm | BTN |
| Texas at Michigan | 12:00pm | FOX |
| Akron at Rutgers | 12:00pm | BTN |
| Army at Florida Atlantic | 12:00pm | CBSSN |
| Troy at Memphis | 12:00pm | ESPNU |
| Pitt at Cincinnati | 12:00pm | ESPN/2 |
| Kansas State at Tulane | 12:00pm | ESPN/2 |
| Arkansas at Oklahoma State | 12:00pm | ABC ESPN3 |
| Merrimack at UConn | 12:00pm | WSFB-3 WWAX UConn+ |
| Georgia Tech at Syracuse | 12:00pm | ACCN |
| McNeese at Texas A&M | 12:45pm | SECN |
| Tennessee Tech at Georgia | 2:00pm | SECN+ ESPN+ |
| Missouri State at Ball State | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Saint Francis U. at Kent State | 2:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Utah Tech at UNLV | 3:00pm | SSSEN MWN |
| UMass at Toledo | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Temple at Navy | 3:30pm | CBSSN |
| Iowa State at Iowa | 3:30pm | CBS Paramount+ |
| Idaho at Wyoming | 3:30pm | truTV Max |
| Eastern Michigan at Washington | 3:30pm | BTN |
| Michigan State at Maryland | 3:30pm | BTN |
| South Carolina at Kentucky | 3:30pm | ABC ESPN3 |
| Baylor at Utah | 3:30pm | FOX |
| Duquesne at Boston College | 3:30pm | ACCNX |
| South Dakota at Wisconsin | 3:30pm | FS1 |
| Jacksonville State at Louisville | 3:30pm | ACCNX |
| NIU at Notre Dame | 3:30pm | NBC Peacock |
| California at Auburn | 3:30pm | ESPN2 |
| Charlotte at North Carolina | 3:30pm | ACCN |
| UTSA at Texas State | 4:00pm | ESPNU |
| Middle Tennessee at Ole Miss | 4:15pm | SECN |
| Marshall at Virginia Tech | 4:30pm | The CW |
| East Carolina at Old Dominion | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Central Michigan at FIU | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UAlbany at West Virginia | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| South Alabama at Ohio | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Florida A&M at Miami (FL) | 6:00pm | ACCNX |
| Gardner-Webb at James Madison | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Sam Houston at UCF | 6:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Northern Colorado at Colorado State | 7:00pm | MWN |
| Kansas at Illinois | 7:00pm | FS1 |
| Chattanooga at Georgia State | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Samford at Florida | 7:00pm | SECN+ ESPN+ |
| Eastern Kentucky at WKU | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Southeastern La. at Southern Miss | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| USF at Alabama | 7:00pm | ESPN |
| Tulsa at Arkansas State | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Buffalo at Missouri | 7:00pm | SECN+ ESPN+ |
| UAB at ULM | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| William & Mary at Coastal Carolina | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Georgia Southern at Nevada | 7:00pm | truTV Max |
| Louisiana at Kennesaw State | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Texas Southern at Rice | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Virginia at Wake Forest | 7:00pm | ESPN2 |
| San Jose State at Air Force | 7:00pm | CBSSN |
| Cal Poly at Stanford | 7:00pm | ACCNX |
| Nicholls at LSU | 7:30pm | SECN+ ESPN+ |
| Stephen F. Austin at North Texas | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Alcorn State at Vanderbilt | 7:30pm | ESPNU |
| Tennessee vs NC State | 7:30pm | ABC ESPN3 |
| Western Michigan at Ohio State | 7:30pm | BTN |
| Colorado at Nebraska | 7:30pm | NBC Peacock |
| Houston at Oklahoma | 7:45pm | SECN |
| LIU at TCU | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Appalachian State at Clemson | 8:00pm | ACCN |
| Southern Utah at UTEP | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Sacramento State at Fresno State | 10:00pm | TV TBA |
| Texas Tech at Washington State | 10:00pm | FOX |
| Boise State at Oregon | 10:00pm | Peacock |
| Northern Arizona at Arizona | 10:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Liberty at New Mexico State | 10:15pm | ESPN2 |
| Oregon State at San Diego State | 10:30pm | CBSSN |
| Mississippi State at Arizona State | 10:30pm | ESPN |
| Utah State at USC | 11:00pm | BTN |
| WNBA | TIME ET | TV |
| Phoenix at Seattle | 9:00pm | NBATV AFSN Prime-Seattle |
| MOTORSPORTS | TIME ET | TV |
| Xfinity: Focused Health 250 at Atlanta | 3:00pm | USA |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| DP World: European Masters | 6:30am | GOLF |
| Champions: Charity Classic | 3:00pm | GOLF |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| UEFA Nations League: Faroe Islands vs North Macedonia | 9:00am | FS1 Fubo |
| CONCACAF Nations League: Bermuda vs Dominican Republic | 11:00am | Paramount+ |
| UEFA Nations League: Ireland Republic vs England | 12:00pm | FS1 Fubo |
| UEFA Nations League: Moldova vs Malta | 12:00pm | FOX Soccer Plus Fubo |
| NWSL: Washington Spirit vs Portland Thorns | 12:30pom | CBS Paramount+ |
| UEFA Nations League: Netherlands vs Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2:45pm | FS2 Fubo |
| UEFA Nations League: Ukraine vs Albania | 2:45pm | FOX Soccer Plus Fubo |
| CONCACAF Nations League: Turks and Caicos Islands vs Belize | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Friendly: USA vs Canada | 4:00pm | TBS MAX Peacock Fubo |
| CONCACAF Nations League: Dominica vs Antigua and Barbuda | 4:00pm | Paramount+ |
| CONCACAF Nations League: Bahamas vs Barbados | 4:00pm | Paramount+ |
| CONCACAF Nations League: Cayman Islands vs St. Kitts and Nevis | 4:30pm | Paramount+ |
| FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup:United States vs Paraguay | 7:00pm | FS2 Fubo |
| Canadian Premier League: Forge vs Cavalry | 7:00pm | FOX Soccer Plus Fubo |
| MLS: New England vs St. Louis City | 7:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: New York RB vs Sporting KC | 7:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Toronto FC vs DC United | 7:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Columbus Crew vs Seattle Sounders FC | 7:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| NWSL: Kansas City Current vs Utah Royals | 7:30pm | ION |
| MLS: Houston Dynamo vs Los Angeles FC | 8:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Chicago Fire vs DC United | 8:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| Friendly: Mexico vs New Zealand | 9:00pm | TUDN Fubo |
| MLS: Real Salt Lake vs New England | 9:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| NWSL: Bay FC vs Racing Louisville FC | 10:00pm | ION |
| Canadian Premier League: Pacific vs HFX Wanderers | 10:00pm | FS2 Fubo |
| MLS: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Dallas | 10:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| TENNIS | TIME ET | TV |
| US Open | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| US Open: Women’s Singles Championship | 4:00pm | ESPN |