“THE SCOREBOARD”
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WEEK 4 SCHEDULE
ANDERSON (0-3) AT KOKOMO (0-2)
AVON (1-2) AT BROWNSBURG (3-0)
BATESVILLE (3-0) AT RUSHVILLE (2-1)
BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE (0-3) AT NEW ALBANY (2-1)
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH (2-1) AT BLOOMINGTON NORTH (2-1)
BOONVILLE (0-3) AT NORTH KNOX (1-2)
BREBEUF JESUIT (2-1) AT GUERIN CATHOLIC (3-0)
BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (3-0) AT SALEM (1-2)
BYRON CENTRAL (MICH.) AT HAMMOND MORTON (0-3)
CALUMET CHRISTIAN AT BOONE GROVE (1-2)
CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN (1-2) AT NORTHEASTERN (3-0)
CARROLL (FLORA) (3-0) AT DELPHI (2-1)
CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) (1-2) AT FORT WAYNE DWENGER (1-2)
CASTLE (2-1) AT EVANSVILLE HARRISON (0-3)
CENTER GROVE (2-1) AT BEN DAVIS (1-2)
CENTRAL NOBLE (0-3) AT PRAIRIE HEIGHTS (2-1)
CHESTERTON (2-1) AT LAPORTE (0-3)
CHRISTEL HOUSE (0-3) AT INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS (1-1)
CHURUBUSCO (0-3) AT EASTSIDE (1-2)
CLARKSVILLE (0-3) AT PROVIDENCE (3-0)
CLINTON PRAIRIE (2-1) AT TRI-CENTRAL (1-2)
CONCORD (3-0) AT NORTHRIDGE (1-2)
CORYDON CENTRAL (0-3) AT SCOTTSBURG (1-2)
COVENANT CHRISTIAN (0-3) AT INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN (2-1) (INDIANASRN.ORG BROADCAST)
COVINGTON (2-1) AT FOUNTAIN CENTRAL (0-3)
CRAWFORD COUNTY (0-3) AT SOUTH DECATUR (1-2)
CRAWFORDSVILLE (2-1) AT NORTH PUTNAM (3-0)
CULVER (1-2) AT WINAMAC (1-1)
CULVER ACADEMY (3-0) AT FAIRFIELD (1-2)
DECATUR CENTRAL (1-1) AT MARTINSVILLE (3-0)
DEKALB (2-1) AT EAST NOBLE (2-1)
DELTA (3-0) AT YORKTOWN (2-1)
EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL (0-3) AT BOWMAN ACADEMY (0-2)
EASTBROOK (1-2) AT ALEXANDRIA (3-0)
EASTERN (GREENTOWN) (0-3) AT TAYLOR (2-1)
EASTERN HANCOCK (2-1) AT HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (2-1) (INDIANASRN.ORG BROADCAST)
EDINBURGH (0-3) AT GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN (2-1)
ELKHART (2-1) AT SOUTH BEND RILEY (1-1)
ELWOOD (1-2) AT BLACKFORD (1-2)
EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL (3-0) AT EVANSVILLE MATER DEI (3-0) (INDIANASRN.ORG BROADCAST)
EVANSVILLE REITZ (3-0) AT EVANSVILLE NORTH (1-2)
FISHERS (2-1) AT HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (3-0)
FLOYD CENTRAL (1-1) AT SEYMOUR (1-2)
FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA (2-1) AT FORT WAYNE NORTH (1-2)
FORT WAYNE SNIDER (2-1) AT FORT WAYNE SOUTH (0-3)
FORT WAYNE WAYNE (1-1) AT FORT WAYNE LUERS (2-1)
FRANKLIN (2-1) AT WHITELAND (1-1)
FRANKLIN CENTRAL (1-1) AT ZIONSVILLE (1-2)
FRANKLIN COUNTY (2-1) AT EAST CENTRAL (1-2)
FREMONT (0-3) AT PARK TUDOR (3-0)
FRONTIER (2-0) AT FAITH CHRISTIAN (1-1)
GREENSBURG (0-3) AT LAWRENCEBURG (2-1)
GREENWOOD (1-2) AT MOORESVILLE (1-2)
HAMILTON HEIGHTS (0-3) AT DANVILLE (2-1)
HAMMOND CENTRAL (1-2) AT INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE (1-1)
HAMMOND NOLL (1-2) AT WHEELER (1-2)
HANOVER CENTRAL (2-1) AT LOWELL (1-2)
HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) (1-2) AT RICHMOND (0-3)
HIGHLAND (1-2) AT CALUMET (2-1)
HOMESTEAD (1-2) AT FORT WAYNE NORTHROP (1-2)
HUNTINGTON NORTH (2-1) AT COLUMBIA CITY (3-0)
INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (1-2) AT INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD (3-0) (INDIANASRN.ORG BROADCAST)
INDIANAPOLIS RITTER (1-1) AT SPEEDWAY (2-1)
INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI (1-1) AT COLUMBUS NORTH (3-0)
INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA (1-2) AT BEECH GROVE (1-2)
INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY (1-2) AT INDIANAPOLIS TECH (1-1)
IRVINGTON PREP (0-2) AT BROWN COUNTY (2-1)
JASPER (1-2) AT EVANSVILLE BOSSE (0-3)
JAY COUNTY (2-1) AT ADAMS CENTRAL (2-1)
JENNINGS COUNTY (0-3) AT COLUMBUS EAST (1-2)
JIMTOWN (1-2) AT JOHN GLENN (1-1)
KANKAKEE VALLEY (2-1) AT HOBART (1-2)
KNIGHTSTOWN (3-0) AT UNION CITY (0-3)
LAFAYETTE JEFF (3-0) AT MUNCIE CENTRAL (0-3)
LAKE CENTRAL (2-1) AT CROWN POINT (3-0)
LAKE STATION (0-3) AT INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON (1-1)
LAKELAND (3-0) AT GARRETT (3-0)
LAPEL (3-0) AT INDIAN CREEK (1-2)
LAVILLE (1-2) AT BREMEN (2-1)
LAWRENCE CENTRAL (1-2) AT WARREN CENTRAL (3-0)
LEBANON (1-2) AT NORTH MONTGOMERY (1-2)
LEO (3-0) AT NEW HAVEN (0-3)
LEWIS CASS (2-1) AT NORTHWESTERN (3-0)
LOGANSPORT (2-1) AT BENTON CENTRAL (0-3)
LOUISVILLE FERN CREEK (KY.) AT JEFFERSONVILLE (2-1)
LOUISVILLE TRINITY (KY.) AT CARMEL (2-1)
MACONAQUAH (2-0) AT WHITKO (0-3)
MADISON (1-2) AT CARROLL COUNTY (KY.)
MARION (2-1) AT MCCUTCHEON (1-2)
MERRILLVILLE (2-1) AT PORTAGE (2-1)
MILAN (1-2) AT SWITZERLAND COUNTY (3-0)
MISSISSINEWA (3-0) AT FRANKTON (0-3)
MITCHELL (0-3) AT EASTERN GREENE (0-3)
MUNSTER (0-3) AT ANDREAN (1-2)
NEW CASTLE (1-2) AT SHELBYVILLE (1-2)
NEW PALESTINE (2-0) AT MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE) (0-3) (INDIANASRN.ORG BROADCAST)
NEW PRAIRIE (2-1) AT SOUTH BEND ADAMS (0-3)
NOBLESVILLE HOMESCHOOL AT PURDUE POLY ENGLEWOOD (0-3)
NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) (0-3) AT LAWRENCE NORTH (3-0)
NORTH DAVIESS (2-1) AT PRINCETON (0-3)
NORTH HARRISON (2-1) AT CHARLESTOWN (1-2)
NORTH MIAMI (3-0) AT NORTH JUDSON (3-0)
NORTH POSEY (3-0) AT TELL CITY (3-0)
NORTH WHITE (1-2) AT TRI-COUNTY (1-2)
NORTHVIEW (3-0) AT WEST VIGO (1-2)
NORTHWOOD (2-1) AT MISHAWAKA (2-1)
NORWELL (0-3) AT BELLMONT (0-3)
OAK HILL (2-1) AT MADISON-GRANT (3-0)
OWEN VALLEY (0-3) AT EDGEWOOD (1-2)
PARKE HERITAGE (0-3) AT ATTICA (0-3)
PENDLETON HEIGHTS (2-1) AT GREENFIELD-CENTRAL (3-0)
PERRY CENTRAL (1-2) AT PAOLI (3-0)
PERU (1-2) AT WABASH (0-3)
PIONEER (2-1) AT CASTON (0-3)
PLAINFIELD (3-0) AT PERRY MERIDIAN (2-1)
PLYMOUTH (1-2) AT GOSHEN (0-3)
RIVER FOREST (2-1) AT GARY WEST (3-0)
RIVERTON PARKE (2-1) AT SEEGER (2-1)
ROCHESTER (2-1) AT MANCHESTER (1-2)
SHENANDOAH (2-1) AT NORTH DECATUR (2-1)
SHERIDAN (1-2) AT CLINTON CENTRAL (2-1)
SILVER CREEK (2-1) AT EASTERN (PEKIN) (1-2)
SOUTH ADAMS (1-2) AT HERITAGE (3-0)
SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH (2-1) AT MISHAWAKA MARIAN (1-2)
SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON (0-3) AT PENN (2-1)
SOUTH DEARBORN (2-1) AT CONNERSVILLE (2-1)
SOUTH NEWTON (2-1) AT NORTH NEWTON (1-2)
SOUTH PUTNAM (1-2) AT GREENCASTLE (1-2)
SOUTH SPENCER (1-2) AT HERITAGE HILLS (2-1)
SOUTH VERMILLION (3-0) AT NORTH VERMILLION (3-0)
SOUTH WARREN (KY.) AT GIBSON SOUTHERN (3-0)
SOUTHERN WELLS (0-3) AT WES-DEL (0-3)
SOUTHMONT (1-2) AT FRANKFORT (0-3)
SOUTHPORT (0-3) AT PIKE (2-1)
SOUTHRIDGE (2-1) AT PIKE CENTRAL (2-1)
SOUTHSIDE HOMESCHOOL AT CLOVERDALE (2-1)
SOUTHWOOD (0-3) AT NORTHFIELD (0-3)
SULLIVAN (1-2) AT LINTON (2-1)
TECUMSEH (0-3) AT FOREST PARK (2-1)
TERRE HAUTE NORTH (1-2) AT TERRE HAUTE SOUTH (0-2)
TIPPECANOE VALLEY (3-0) AT KNOX (1-2)
TRI (2-1) AT MONROE CENTRAL (2-1)
TRITON (2-1) AT SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) (1-2)
TRITON CENTRAL (2-1) AT MONROVIA (2-1)
TWIN LAKES (2-1) AT LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (2-0)
UNION COUNTY (0-3) AT HAGERSTOWN (1-2)
VALPARAISO (2-1) AT MICHIGAN CITY (1-2)
VINCENNES LINCOLN (1-2) AT EVANSVILLE CENTRAL (1-2)
WARSAW (2-1) AT WAWASEE (0-3)
WASHINGTON (3-0) AT MOUNT VERNON (POSEY) (2-1)
WEST CENTRAL (2-1) AT CASCADE (3-0)
WEST LAFAYETTE (2-1) AT RENSSELAER CENTRAL (1-2)
WEST NOBLE (3-0) AT ANGOLA (1-2)
WEST WASHINGTON (2-1) AT SPRINGS VALLEY (2-1)
WESTERN (0-3) AT TIPTON (2-1)
WESTERN BOONE (3-0) AT TRI-WEST (2-1)
WESTFIELD (3-0) AT NOBLESVILLE (2-1)
WHITING (2-1) AT GRIFFITH (3-0)
WINCHESTER (0-3) AT CENTERVILLE (3-0)
WOODLAN (1-2) AT BLUFFTON (3-0)
INDIANA VOLLEYBALL REPORTED SCORES
SPRINGS VALLEY 3 SOUTH-CENTRAL 0
SHOALS 3 MITCHELL 0
SOUTH KNOX 3 WHITE RIVER VALLEY 0
KNIGHTSTOWN 3 IRVINGTON PREP 0
COWAN 3 WES DEL 2
EASTERN 3 LANESVILLE 0
ALEXANDRIA MONROE 3 MONROE CENTRAL 1
DALEVILLE 3 UNION CITY 0
LAWRENCE NORTH 3 WARREN CENTRAL 0
SOUTH-CENTRAL 3 WESTVILLE 1
SCECINA 3 PARK TUDOR 1
CULVER ACADEMIES 3 KOUTS 1
TRITON CENTRAL 3 RITTER 0
NORTHWOOD 3 TIPPECANOE VALLEY 0
WAPAHANI 3 EASTERN HANCOCK 1
DELTA 3 MUNCIE BURRIS 0
TRI-WEST 3 FRANKFORT 0
SCOTTSBURG 3 COLUMBUS NORTH 1
MADISON 3 E. CENTRAL 1
BROWNSBURG 3 BREBEUF 0
ANGOLA 3 FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA 2
BLACKFORD 3 UNION 1
NORTHFIELD 3 NORWELL 1
GREENSBURG 3 S. DEARBORN 0
WOOD MEMORIAL 3 DUGGER UNION 0
PROVIDENCE 3 S. OLDHAM 1
INDIANA BOYS SOCCER REPORTED SCORES
VALPARAISO 8 MICHIGAN CITY 0
MARQUETTE CATHOLIC 4 HEBRON 3
WHEELER 2 WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP 0
SWITZERLAND COUNTY 9 JAC CEN DEL 1
INDIANAPOLIS TECH 2 CRISPUS ATTUCKS 1
CHESTERTON 9 MERRILLVILLE 0
VINCENNES LINCOLN 7 BLOOMFIELD 2
CROWN POINT 5 LAPORTE 0
PROVIDENCE CRISTO REY 2 TRITON CENTRAL 0
BOONE GROVE 9 RIVER FOREST 0
PROVIDENCE 10 N. HARRISON 1
WABASH 3 LAPEL 1
ROCK CREEK ACADEMY 3 MITCHELL 3
MUNCIE CENTRAL 4 MISSISSINEWA 0
LOWELL 4 KANKAKEE VALLEY 2
LAKE CENTRAL 3 PORTAGE 0
CARROLL 2 LEO 1
EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 3 EVANSVILLE NORTH 0
NORTHVIEW 6 SULLIVAN 0
HANOVER CENTRAL 3 HOBART 2
MUNSTER 8 ANDREAN 1
HAMMOND CENTRAL 4 HIGHLAND 0
CASTLE 11 EVANSVILLE BOSSE 0
NEW HAVEN 3 NORWELL 1
INDIANA GIRLS SOCCER REPORTED SCORES
GRIFFITH 19 RIVER FOREST 0
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP 5 WESTVILLE 0
ILLIANA CHRISTIAN 4 M TWP. 1
CULVER COMMUNITY 3 KOUTS 1
NORTHVIEW 9 SULLIVAN 0
HEBRON 3 RENSSELAER CENTRAL 2
CASTLE 11 EVANSVILLE BOSSE 0
MARTINSVILLE 7 DECATUR CENTRAL 1
FORT WAYNE WAYNE 2 HERITAGE 1
EAST NOBLE 9 GARRETT 0
GREENSBURG 9 HAUSER 0
CORYDON CENTRAL 6 CHARLESTOWN 1
MOORESVILLE 1 GREENWOOD 0
BISHOP CHATARD 3 TRI WEST 0
SOUTH BEND ADAMS 3 NEW PRAIRIE 0
LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 4 WESTERN 0
CARMEL 4 PENN 1
FISHERS 1 HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 1
NORTH CENTRAL 12 WARREN CENTRAL 0
MOUNT VERNON 6 NEW PALESTINE 0
CATHEDRAL 1 BREBEUF 0
MISHAWAKA MARIAN 0 SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH 0
WESTFIELD 1 NOBLESVILLE 1
DELTA 3 GREENFIELD CENTRAL 2
NORWELL 9 NEW HAVEN 0
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 4 TERRE HAUTE SOUTH 1
EDGEWOOD 4 OWEN VALLEY 0
COLUMBUS NORTH 5 SOUTHPORT 0
BROWNSBURG 2 AVON 1
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 3
THURSDAY, SEPT. 12
7:30 P.M. | NORTHWESTERN STATE AT SOUTH ALABAMA | ESPN
7:30 P.M | ARIZONA STATE AT TEXAS STATE | ESPN+
FRIDAY, SEPT. 13
7 P.M. | UNLV AT KANSAS | ESPN
8 P.M. | NO. 20 ARIZONA AT NO. 14 KANSAS STATE | FOX
SATURDAY, SEPT. 14
12 P.M. | NO. 4 ALABAMA AT WISCONSIN | FOX
12 P.M. | ARKANSAS STATE AT NO. 17 MICHIGAN | BIG TEN NETWORK
12 P.M. | NO. 13 OKLAHOMA STATE AT TULSA | ESPN2
12 P.M. | NO. 16 LSU AT SOUTH CAROLINA | ABC
12 P.M. | LOUISIANA TECH AT NC STATE | ACC NETWORK
12 P.M. | CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT ILLINOIS | PEACOCK
12 P.M. | MEMPHIS AT FLORIDA STATE | ESPN
12 P.M. | CINCINNATI AT MIAMI (OH) | ESPNU
12 P.M. | NORTH TEXAS AT TEXAS TECH | FS1
12 P.M. | CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE AT SAINT FRANCIS (PA) | NEC FRONT ROW
12 P.M. | LEHIGH AT LIU | NEC FRONT ROW
12 P.M. | NORTH GREENVILLE AT THE CITADEL | ESPN+
12 P.M. | MERCYHURST AT ROBERT MORRIS | ESPN+
12:30 P.M. | MARIST AT LAFAYETTE | ESPN+
12:45 P.M. | NO. 24 BOSTON COLLEGE AT NO. 6 MISSOURI | SEC NETWORK
1 P.M. | MASSACHUSETTS AT BUFFALO | CBS SPORTS NETWORK
1 P.M. | DELAWARE AT NORTH CAROLINA A&T | FLOSPORTS
1 P.M. | STONY BROOK AT FORDHAM | ESPN+
1 P.M. | WESTERN ILLINOIS AT ILLINOIS STATE | ESPN+
1 P.M. | GEORGETOWN AT SACRED HEART | ESPN+
1 P.M. | VIRGINIA-LYNCHBURG AT PRESBYTERIAN | ESPN+
2 P.M. | COASTAL CAROLINA AT TEMPLE | ESPN+
2 P.M. | CHARLESTON SOUTHERN AT RICHMOND | FLOSPORTS
2 P.M. | HOLY CROSS AT BRYANT | FLOSPORTS
2 P.M. | IDAHO STATE AT NORTH DAKOTA | ESPN+
2 P.M. | DUQUESNE AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE | ESPN+
2 P.M. | STETSON AT FURMAN | ESPN+
3 P.M. | WAGNER AT DELAWARE STATE | ESPN+
3 P.M. | MOREHEAD STATE AT MONTANA | ESPN+
3 P.M. | MOREHOUSE AT HOWARD | CNBC
3:30 P.M. | NO. 18 NOTRE DAME AT PURDUE | CBS
3:30 P.M. | NO. 9 OREGON AT OREGON STATE | FOX
3:30 P.M. | BALL STATE AT NO. 10 MIAMI | ACC NETWORK
3:30 P.M. | TULANE AT NO. 15 OKLAHOMA | ESPN
3:30 P.M. | VMI AT GEORGIA TECH | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | TEXAS A&M AT FLORIDA | ABC
3:30 P.M. | PRAIRIE VIEW A&M AT MICHIGAN STATE | BIG TEN NETWORK
3:30 P.M. | NEVADA AT MINNESOTA | BIG TEN NETWORK
3:30 P.M. | WASHINGTON STATE AT WASHINGTON | PEACOCK
3:30 P.M. | WEST VIRGINIA AT PITTSBURGH | ESPN2
3:30 P.M. | MORGAN STATE AT OHIO | ESPN+
3:30 P.M. | MONMOUTH AT MAINE | FLOSPORTS
3:30 P.M. | TOWSON AT VILLANOVA | FLOSPORTS
4 P.M. | TROY AT IOWA | FS1
4 P.M. | APP STATE AT EAST CAROLINA | ESPNU
4 P.M. | HAMPTON AT NORFOLK STATE | ESPN+
4 P.M. | UALBANY AT IDAHO | ESPN+
4 P.M. | SOUTH DAKOTA AT PORTLAND STATE | ESPN+
4 P.M. | ABILENE CHRISTIAN AT NORTHERN COLORADO | ESPN+
4:15 P.M. | UAB AT ARKANSAS | SEC NETWORK
4:30 P.M. | NO. 12 UTAH AT UTAH STATE | CBS SPORTS NETWORK
5:30 P.M. | NORTH DAKOTA STATE AT ETSU | ESPN+
6 P.M. | UCONN AT DUKE | ESPN+
6 P.M. | VIRGINIA TECH AT OLD DOMINION | ESPN+
6 P.M. | FIU AT FAU | ESPN+
6 P.M. | UTEP AT LIBERTY | ESPN+
6 P.M. | SOUTH CAROLINA STATE AT GEORGIA SOUTHERN | ESPN+
6 P.M. | NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL AT NORTH CAROLINA | ESPN+
6 P.M. | COLGATE AT AKRON | ESPN+
6 P.M. | GARDNER-WEBB AT CHARLOTTE | ESPN+
6 P.M. | CAMPBELL AT RHODE ISLAND | FLOSPORTS
6 P.M. | WILLIAM & MARY AT WOFFORD | ESPN+
6 P.M. | WESTERN CAROLINA AT ELON | FLOSPORTS
6 P.M. | STONEHILL AT NEW HAMPSHIRE | FLOSPORTS
6 P.M. | WEST GEORGIA AT EASTERN KENTUCKY | ESPN+
6 P.M. | MERCER AT CHATTANOOGA | ESPN+
6 P.M. | DAYTON AT INDIANA STATE | ESPN+
6 P.M. | MERRIMACK AT BUCKNELL | ESPN+
6:30 P.M. | NO. 5 OLE MISS AT WAKE FOREST | THE CW NETWORK
6:30 P.M. | BETHUNE-COOKMAN AT WESTERN MICHIGAN | ESPN+
7 P.M. | UTSA AT NO. 2 TEXAS | ESPN
7 P.M. | VANDERBILT AT GEORGIA STATE | ESPN+
7 P.M. | JACKSONVILLE STATE AT EASTERN MICHIGAN | ESPN+
7 P.M. | KENNESAW STATE AT SAN JOSÉ STATE | TRUTV/MAX
7 P.M. | WESTERN KENTUCKY AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE | ESPN+
7 P.M. | HAWAI’I AT SAM HOUSTON | ESPN+
7 P.M. | SOUTH FLORIDA AT SOUTHERN MISS | ESPN+
7 P.M. | AUSTIN PEAY AT CENTRAL ARKANSAS | ESPN+
7 P.M. | LINDENWOOD AT MISSOURI STATE | ESPN+
7 P.M. | MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE AT MURRAY STATE | ESPN+
7 P.M. | AUGUSTANA (SD) AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE | ESPN+
7 P.M. | INCARNATE WORD AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS | ESPN+
7 P.M. | ALABAMA STATE AT SAMFORD | ESPN+
7 P.M. | ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF AT TENNESSEE STATE | HBCUGO
7 P.M. | SOUTHERN AT JACKSON STATE | ESPN+
7 P.M. | EDWARD WATERS AT ALCORN STATE | SWAC DIGITAL NETWORK
7 P.M. | NORTH ALABAMA AT UT MARTIN | ESPN+
7 P.M. | GRAMBLING STATE AT TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE | ESPN+
7 P.M. | LOUISIANA CHRISTIAN AT HOUSTON CHRISTIAN | ESPN+
7 P.M. | WEBER STATE AT LAMAR | ESPN+
7 P.M. | EASTERN WASHINGTON AT SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA | ESPN+
7 P.M. | GEORGETOWN (KY) AT ALABAMA A&M | SWAC DIGITAL NETWORK
7:30 P.M. | NO. 1 GEORGIA AT KENTUCKY | ABC
7:30 P.M. | NEW MEXICO AT AUBURN | ESPN2
7:30 P.M. | TOLEDO AT MISSISSIPPI STATE | ESPNU
7:30 P.M. | INDIANA AT UCLA | NBC/PEACOCK
7:30 P.M. | NORTHERN IOWA AT NO. 23 NEBRASKA | BIG TEN NETWORK
7:30 P.M. | AIR FORCE AT BAYLOR | FS1
7:30 P.M. | COLORADO AT COLORADO STATE | CBS
7:30 P.M. | UCF AT TCU | FOX
7:30 P.M. | EASTERN ILLINOIS AT NORTHWESTERN | BIG TEN NETWORK
7:30 P.M. | INDIANA WESLEYAN AT VALPARAISO | ESPN+
7:45 P.M. | KENT STATE AT NO. 7 TENNESSEE | SEC NETWORK
8 P.M. | MARYLAND AT VIRGINIA | ACC NETWORK
8 P.M. | RICE AT HOUSTON | ESPN+
8 P.M. | UC DAVIS AT SOUTHERN UTAH | ESPN+
8 P.M. | WESTERN OREGON AT CAL POLY | ESPN+
8 P.M. | STEPHEN F. AUSTIN AT MCNEESE | ESPN+
9 P.M. | BYU AT WYOMING | CBS SPORTS NETWORK
9 P.M. | NORTHERN ARIZONA AT UTAH TECH | ESPN+
9 P.M. | NICHOLLS AT SACRAMENTO STATE | ESPN+
10:30 P.M. | SAN DIEGO STATE AT CALIFORNIA | ESPN
10:30 P.M. | NEW MEXICO STATE AT FRESNO STATE | TRUTV/MAX
INDIANA HOOSIERS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
INDIANA 31 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 7
INDIANA 77 WESTERN ILLINOIS 3
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
NOTRE DAME 23 TEXAS A&M 13
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 16 NOTRE DAME 14
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
BUTLER 19 MURRAY STATE 17
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
BALL STATE 42 MISSOURI STATE 34
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
EASTERN ILLINOIS 27 INDIANA STATE 20
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
HOUSTON 29 INDIANAPOLIS 27
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
PITTSBURGH 3 MIAMI 1
CLEVELAND 6 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 4
NY METS 6 TORONTO 2
ARIZONA 14 TEXAS 4
PHILADELPHIA 3 TAMPA BAY 2
DETROIT 7 COLORADO 4
WASHINGTON 5 ATLANTA 1
NY YANKEES 4 KANSAS CITY 3 (11)
MINNESOTA 6 LA ANGELS 4
BOSTON 5 BALTIMORE 3 (10)
ST. LOUIS 2 CINCINNATI 1
OAKLAND 5 HOUSTON 4
SEATTLE 5 SAN DIEGO 2
SAN FRANCISCO 13 MILWAUKEE 2
LA DODGERS 10 CHICAGO CUBS 8
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES
INDIANAPOLIS 6 ROCHESTER 4
WNBA SCORES
LAS VEGAS 86 INDIANA 75
WASHINGTON 89 CHICAGO 58
SEATTLE 90 LOS ANGELES 82
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
WEEK 2 SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, SEPT. 12
BUFFALO BILLS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (8:15P PRIME VIDEO)
SUNDAY, SEPT. 15
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (1:00P CBS)
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (1:00P CBS)
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT DALLAS COWBOYS (1:00P FOX)
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT DETROIT LIONS (1:00P FOX)
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (1:00P FOX)
CLEVELAND BROWNS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (1:00P CBS)
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (1:00P CBS)
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (1:00P FOX)
NEW YORK JETS AT TENNESSEE TITANS (1:00P CBS)
NEW YORK GIANTS AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (1:00P FOX)
LOS ANGELES RAMS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (4:05P FOX)
PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT DENVER BRONCOS (4:25P CBS)
CINCINNATI BENGALS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (4:25P CBS)
CHICAGO BEARS AT HOUSTON TEXANS 7:20P (8:20P NBC)
MONDAY, SEPT. 16
ATLANTA FALCONS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (8:15P ESPN)
WEEK 3 SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, SEPT. 19
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT NEW YORK JETS (8:15P PRIME VIDEO)
SUNDAY, SEPT. 23
NEW YORK GIANTS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS (1:00P FOX)
CHICAGO BEARS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (1:00P CBS)
HOUSTON TEXANS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (1:00P CBS)
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (1:00P FOX)
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (1:00P CBS)
DENVER BRONCOS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (1:00P FOX)
GREEN BAY PACKERS AT TENNESSEE TITANS (1:00P FOX)
CAROLINA PANTHERS AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (4:05P CBS)
MIAMI DOLPHINS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (4:05P CBS)
DETROIT LIONS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (4:25P FOX)
BALTIMORE RAVENS AT DALLAS COWBOYS (4:25P FOX)
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS (4:25P FOX
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT ATLANTA FALCONS (8:20P NBC)
MONDAY, SEPT. 24
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT BUFFALO BILLS (7:30P ESPN)
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (8:15P ABC)
WEEK 4 SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, SEPT. 26
DALLAS COWBOYS AT NEW YORK GIANTS (8:15P PRIME VIDEO)
SUNDAY, SEPT. 29
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT ATLANTA FALCONS (1:00P FOX)
CINCINNATI BENGALS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (1:00P FOX)
LOS ANGELES RAMS AT CHICAGO BEARS (1:00P FOX)
MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (1:00P CBS)
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT HOUSTON TEXANS (1:00P CBS)
PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (1:00P CBS)
DENVER BRONCOS AT NEW YORK JETS (1:00P CBS)
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (1:00P FOX)
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (4:05P FOX)
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (4:05P FOX)
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (4:25P CBS)
CLEVELAND BROWNS AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (4:25P CBS)
BUFFALO BILLS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (8:20P NBC)
MONDAY, SEPT. 30
TENNESSEE TITANS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (7:30P ESPN)
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT DETROIT LIONS (8:15P ABC)
WEEK 5 SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, OCT. 3
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS (8:15P PRIME VIDEO)
SUNDAY, OCT. 6
NEW YORK JETS VS MINNESOTA VIKINGS (9:30A NFL NETWORK, TOTTENHAM)
CAROLINA PANTHERS AT CHICAGO BEARS (1:00P FOX)
BALTIMORE RAVENS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (1:00P CBS)
BUFFALO BILLS AT HOUSTON TEXANS (1:00P CBS)
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (1:00P CBS)
MIAMI DOLPHINS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (1:00P FOX)
CLEVELAND BROWNS AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (1:00P FOX)
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT DENVER BRONCOS (4:05P FOX)
ARIZONA CARDINALS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (4:05P FOX)
GREEN BAY PACKERS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS (4:25P CBS)
NEW YORK GIANTS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (4:25P CBS)
DALLAS COWBOYS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (8:20P NBC)
MONDAY, OCT. 7
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (8:15P ESPN)
TOP NATIONAL SPORTS HEADLINES/NEWS RELEASES
NFL NEWS
WEEK 2 NFL PREVIEW & CAPSULES
NEW YORK — September 10, 2024 — Close games, dramatic comebacks and memorable performances highlighted an exciting Kickoff Weekend. For the first time in 45 years, three teams trailed by at least 14 points and came back to win in Week 1, and 10 games were decided by one score (eight points), trailing only 2013 (12), 2016 (11), 2010 (11) and 2002 (11) for the most such games in Week 1 all-time.
- IMPORTANCE OF WEEK 1 RESULTS: Since 1990, history has shown that teams that are victorious in their season openers are more than twice as likely to advance to the playoffs as teams that lose their opener (54.2 percent; 285 of 526 teams). However, an 0-1 start is not impossible to overcome, as 25 percent of teams (131 of 525) since 1990 that lost a season opener advance to the playoffs, including four teams in 2023 – the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers.
- DYNAMIC SPECIAL TEAMS: With the introduction of the dynamic kickoff for the 2024 season, teams recorded 1,548 kick return yards on Kickoff Weekend, more kick return yards than any week last season and the most in a week since Week 16, 2022. In Week 1, 33 percent of kickoffs were returned (57 of 172), up from 21 percent in Week 1 in 2023 (32 of 156).
- o There were 21 made field goals of 50-or-more yards in Week 1, surpassing Week 3 of the 2023 season (15) for the most in a single week in NFL history.
- BENGALS-CHIEFS RENEW RIVALRY: Over the past three seasons, Cincinnati and Kansas City have met five times, including both the 2021 and 2022 AFC Championship Games, with the Bengals holding a 3-2 advantage. Each of the five games were decided by eight points or less, including four games that were decided by three points and three games that were decided on a game-winning field goal, including both Championship Games.
- Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow,with a 3-1 career record against the Chiefs, has 1,252 passing yards (313 per game), 10 total touchdowns (nine passing, one rushing) and a 107.0 passer rating in 4 career starts against Kansas City, including the playoffs.
- Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has 1,686 passing yards (281 per game), 14 total touchdowns (13 passing, one rushing) and a 107.2 passer rating in 6 career starts against Cincinnati, including the postseason.
- Mahomes is set to make his 98th career regular-season start and can establish multiple records for quarterbacks across their first 100 career regular-season starts:
- Quarterback Wins: Mahomes has won 75 of his first 97 career starts and can tie Tom Brady (76) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Roger Staubach (76) for the most wins by a quarterback in his first 100 career regular season starts.
- Completions: Mahomes has 2,406 career completions and can surpass Matthew Stafford (2,410) for the most completions by a quarterback in his first 100 career regular-season starts.
- Touchdown Passes: Mahomes has 220 career touchdown passes and can surpass Aaron Rodgers (222) for the most touchdown passes by a quarterback in his first 100 career regular-season starts.
- Passing Yards: Mahomes already holds the record for the most passing yards by a quarterback in his first 100 career regular-season starts, with 28,715.
- 1-0 GAMES: Six games in Week 2 feature both teams that earned victories in Week 1, the most such games in the second week of a season since 1970.
- Buffalo at Miami (Thursday night, 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video): Prime Video will broadcast 15 Thursday Night Football games between Weeks 2-17 (excluding Thanksgiving night), beginning this week with an AFC East matchup as the Miami Dolphins host the Buffalo Bills. Both Miami and Buffalo overcame 14-point deficits to win on Kickoff Weekend.
- Bills quarterback Josh Allen has 224 career combined passing and rushing touchdowns (169 passing, 55 rushing) and can surpass Pro Football Hall of Famers Peyton Manning (225) and Dan Marino (225) for the second-most such touchdowns by a player in his first seven seasons all-time. Only Patrick Mahomes (231) has more. In 13 career starts against Miami, including the postseason, Allen has 3,715 passing yards (285.8 per game), 658 rushing yards (50.6 per game), 41 total touchdowns (36 passing, five rushing) and a passer rating of 108.7.
- Miami head coach Mike McDaniel can become the fifth head coach all-time to lead his team to a 2-0 start in each of his first three seasons as a head coach, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers George Allen and George Halas as well as Tommy Hughitt and Bum Phillips.
- Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill recorded seven receptions for 130 yards, including a career-long 80-yard touchdown reception, in Week 1 and has 12 career touchdowns of at least 75 yards, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell (12 touchdowns) for the third-most touchdowns of 75-or-more yards in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers Devin Hester (14) and Ollie Matson (13) have more.
- New Orleans at Dallas (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Two of the six teams that scored at least 30 points in Week 1, the New Orleans Saints (47 points, most in Week 1) visit the Dallas Cowboys (33 points) in Week 2. New Orleans (193 yards allowed) and Dallas (230 yards allowed) also possessed top-five total defenses on Kickoff Weekend.
- Saints quarterback Derek Carr completed 19 of 23 attempts (82.6 percent) for 200 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 142.5 rating in Week 1. Since Week 14 of last season, he has 17 touchdown passes with two interceptions for a 123 rating in his past six starts. Since 2016, Carr has nine games (minimum 20 pass attempts) with a completion percentage of 80-or-higher, trailing only Dallas’ Dak Prescott (11) for the most such games among active quarterbacks.
- Since Week 2 of the 2022 season, Dallas has won 16 consecutive regular-season home games, the longest active streak in the NFL and tied with New England (16 consecutive home wins from Week 17, 2012 to Week 15, 2014) for the fourth-longest such streak since 2000.
- Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, in Week 1 at 25 years and 153 days old, became the third-youngest player all-time to reach 400 career receptions, trailing only Jarvis Landry (25 years, 33 days) and Larry Fitzgerald (25 years, 84 days). Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson has 396 career receptions and will be 25 years and 91 days old in Week 2.
- Tampa Bay at Detroit (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): In the 2023 NFC Divisional playoffs, the Lions defeated the Buccaneers, 31-23, as running back Jahmyr Gibbs and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown scored fourth-quarter touchdowns to secure the victory.
- Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield recorded four touchdown passes with no interceptions for a 146.4 rating in Week 1 and has four career games with at least four touchdown passes and a passer rating of 140-or-higher, tied with Aaron Rodgers (four) for the third-most such games by a player in his first seven seasons in NFL history. In his past eight starts, since Week 14 last season and including the postseason, he has 2,229 passing yards (278.6 per game) with 20 touchdown passes against four interceptions with a 111.8 rating.
- Detroit defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson, who had a sack in Week 1 and had a sack in the 2023 NFC Divisional playoffs, has 15 sacks in 20 career homes games (including the postseason), including each of his past four home games.
- San Francisco at Minnesota (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel totaled 77 scrimmage yards (54 receiving, 23 rushing) with one rushing touchdown in Week 1. Since 2019, he is one of four players with at least 20 rushing touchdowns (20) and 15 receiving touchdowns (19), joining Washington’s Austin Ekeler, Minnesota’s Aaron Jones and teammate Christian McCaffrey.
- Per Next Gen Stats, San Francisco tackle Trent Williams pass blocked on 33 snaps and allowed zero pressures last week, the most pass blocking snaps by an offensive tackle without allowing a pressure in the NFL in Week 1.
- Minnesota allowed a league-low six points on Kickoff Weekend and were one of two teams (Dallas) to record five-or-more sacks (five). In his Vikings debut, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel became the first player since 2018 (Khalil Mack) to record a sack and interception return for a touchdown in Week 1.
- Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, who spent the 2023 season with the 49ers, completed 19 of 24 pass attempts (79.2 percent) for 208 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for a 113.2 rating in Minnesota’s Week 1 win over the New York Giants.
- Seattle at New England (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): The two youngest active head coaches, both Seattle’s Mike Macdonald (37 years old) and New England’s Jerod Mayo (38) earned their first career victories as head coaches in Week 1.
- The meeting between Macdonald and Mayo will mark the sixth unique matchup between first-year head coaches both under the age of 40 since 2000, joining DeMeco Ryans and Shane Steichen in 2023 (twice), Mike McDaniel and Kevin O’Connell in 2022, Joe Judge and Kevin Stefanski in 2020, Brian Flores and Zac Taylor in 2019, and Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan in 2017 (twice).
- The Patriots defeated the Seahawks, 28-24, in Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1, 2015, as New England overcame a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to win. Mayo, who played for the Patriots from 2008-15, was placed on injured reserve following Week 6 of the 2014 season.
- Chicago at Houston (Sunday night, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): On Sunday Night Football, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, in his first career road game, visits 2023 No. 2 overall selection C.J. Stroud.
- Williams became the first rookie quarterback selected No. 1 overall to start and win his NFL debut in Week 1 since 2002 (Houston’s David Carr vs. Dallas on September 8, 2002).
- Including the postseason, Stroud has 2,760 passing yards (306.7 per game) and 20 touchdown passes with a 112.5 rating in nine career home starts. The players with the most passing yards in their first 10 career home games, including playoffs, in NFL history: Patrick Mahomes (3,011), Justin Herbert (2,945), Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner (2,909), Joe Burrow (2,810) and Marc Bulger (2,787).
- Buffalo at Miami (Thursday night, 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video): Prime Video will broadcast 15 Thursday Night Football games between Weeks 2-17 (excluding Thanksgiving night), beginning this week with an AFC East matchup as the Miami Dolphins host the Buffalo Bills. Both Miami and Buffalo overcame 14-point deficits to win on Kickoff Weekend.
THURSDAY NIGHT PREVIEW: BUFFALO AT MIAMI
All-Time Series History Regular Season: MIA leads series, 61-54-1 (BUF won 10 of past 11) Postseason: BUF leads series, 4-1 (BUF won 4 of past 5)
The Last Time… Regular Season: 1/17/24: BUF 21 at MIA 14 Postseason: AFC-WC 1/15/23: MIA 31 at BUF 34
BUFFALO NOTES:
QB JOSH ALLEN completed 18 of 23 atts. (78.3 pct.) for 232 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs with 137.7 rating & rushed for 39 yards & 2 TDs last week, 4thcareer game with 2+ pass TDs & 2+ rush TDs, tied with HOFer Steve Young for most in NFL history. Has 10 career games with 2+ rush TDs, becoming 3rd QB ever with 10 such games (Jalen Hurts – 12, Cam Newton – 10). Is 11-2 in 13 career starts vs. Mia., incl. playoffs, with 2+ TD passes in each game & 300+ pass yards in each of past 5 games. • RB JAMES COOK totaled 103 scrimmage yards (71 rush, 32 rec.) last week, 11th-career 100-yard game. Has TD in 3 of past 4 vs. Mia., incl. playoffs. • WR KHALIL SHAKIR had 42 rec. yards & TD catch in Week 1, 3rd-straight game with rec. TD, incl. playoffs. Had 6 catches for 105 yards in last meeting. • WR KEON COLEMAN (rookie) led team with 51 rec. yards last week in NFL debut. • WR MACK HOLLINS had 11th-career TD catch in Buf. debut in Week 1. Had 399 rec. yards & 5 rec. TDs over 37 games with Mia. (2019-21). • TE DALTON KINCAID had 7 catches for 84 yards in last meeting. Has 75+ rec. yards in 3 of his past 4 vs. division. • TE DAWSON KNOX had rec. TD in last meeting & has TD catch in 3 of his past 4 vs. Mia., incl. playoffs. • DE GREG ROUSSEAU had career-high 3 sacks & 4th-career-FF last week, 1 of 2 players in NFL (Alontae Taylor) with 3 sacks in Week 1. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Mia. with TFL. • DT ED OLIVER has sack in 2 of his past 3 vs. Mia., incl. playoffs. Had 0.5+ sacks in 4 of 5 games vs. division last season. • LB VON MILLER had 1st sack since 2022 season last week. Leads all active players with 124.5 career sacks & can become 19th player since 1982 with 125 sacks. • LB TERREL BERNARD led team with 11 tackles in Week 1. Aims for his 10th in row with 5+ tackles. Had 9 tackles in last meeting.
MIAMI NOTES:
QB TUA TAGOVAILOA passed for 338 yards & TD vs. 0 INTs with 101 rating last week, 13th-career 300-yard game & most pass yards in NFL in Week 1. Has 100+ rating in 4 of his past 5 home starts vs. division. Since beginning of 2023 season, is 8-2 with 106.9 rating in 10 home starts. • RB DE’VON ACHANE had 100 scrimmage yards (career-high 76 rec., 24 rush) with career-best 7 catches & rush TD last week. Aims for his 4th in row with TD & has 12 TDs (9 rush, 3 rec.) in 12 career games. Had 3 rush TDs in 2 games vs. Buf. last season. • RB RAHEEM MOSTERT has TD in 5 of his past 6. Has 201 scrimmage yards (100.5 per game) in his past 2 vs. Buf. Had 7 rush TDs in 5 games vs. division last season. • WR TYREEK HILL had 7 catches for 130 yards, incl. career-long 80-yard TD catch last week, 2nd-most rec. yards in NFL in Week 1. Has 22 career games with 125+ rec. yards & rec. TD, tied with HOFers Calvin Johnson & Randy Moss for 3rd-most ever by player in 1st 9 seasons. Had 7 catches for 82 yards & TD in last meeting & aims for his 5th in row vs. Buf. with 50+ rec. yards, incl. playoffs. Had rec. TD in 4 of 5 games vs. division last season. Has rec. TD in 7 of his past 9 home games. • WR JAYLEN WADDLE had 5 catches for 109 yards last week, as Hill & Waddle were only pair of teammates each with 100+ rec. yards in Week 1. Waddle aims for his 4th in row vs. division with 7+ catches & 110+ rec. yards. • DE CALAIS CAMPBELL had 2 TFL & sack last week in Mia. debut. Aims for his 4th in row vs. Buf. with PD. Ranks 3rd among active players with 106.5 career sacks. • LB JAELAN PHILLIPS had sack last week, his 6th-straight game with sack. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Buf. with 0.5+ sacks, incl. playoffs. • LB EMMANUEL OGBAH had sack in Week 1. Had TFL in last meeting. • S JEVON HOLLAND had 5th-career FF & PD last week.
NFL AVERAGED 21 MILLION VIEWERS PER GAME FOR OPENING WEEK, ITS HIGHEST ON RECORD
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NFL averaged 21.0 million viewers per game during the league’s opening week, making it the most-watched Week 1 on record.
The league and Nielsen said Wednesday morning that the per-game average on TV and digital platforms was a 12% increase over last year. Nielsen began electronic measurement of viewing in 1988.
All told, 123 million people saw at least part of one game, its highest total for an opening week since 2019.
“A great start with the viewership. It was great to be back and a lot to be excited about,” said Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution.
NBC had the most-watched game, with defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City’s 27-20 victory over Baltimore in last Thursday’s opener averaging 29.2 million on TV and digital. It was NBC’s second-largest regular season game since 2006, when it acquired the “Sunday Night Football” package. The Sunday night game between Detroit and the Los Angeles Rams, which the Lions won 26-20 in overtime, averaged 22.7 million, a 3% jump from last year.
Tom Brady’s first game as Fox’s top analyst — Dallas’ 33-17 win over Cleveland — averaged 23.93 million. The six games that were part of Fox’s doubleheader (four early, two late) averaged 18.64 million, making it the network’s best start since 2020.
This was the first time since 2020 that Fox solely had the Sunday afternoon doubleheader in Week 1. Both CBS and Fox carried two games apiece on the opening Sunday the past three seasons.
CBS averaged 17.79 million for its six games, its most watched Week 1 singleheader since it reacquired NFL rights in 1998. Most of CBS’ affiliates had games in the 1 p.m. EDT window, but New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Pittsburgh got Jim Harbaugh’s first game as coach of the Los Angeles Chargers against the Las Vegas Raiders at 4:05 p.m. EDT.
New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Pittsburgh could not air games in CBS’ early window because it is a league rule that no game is shown opposite the game of the local team.
Philadelphia’s 34-29 victory over Green Bay in the NFL’s first Friday night Week 1 game in 54 years averaged 14.0 million on Peacock and NBC affiliates in Philadelphia, Green Bay and Milwaukee. It was the second-most watched live event in Peacock’s four-year history, behind last season’s AFC wild card round game between Kansas City and Miami.
“I think the numbers even exceeded our expectations. Brazil was great and the game was an exciting one,” Schroeder said. “On a new night and window, I think that was a phenomenal start for us.”
“Monday Night Football” on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+ averaged 20.4 million for San Francisco’s 32-19 win over the New York Jets despite most DirecTV customers not being able to receive it due to its carriage dispute with Disney (the only way they could watch it is if their ABC affiliate was not owned by Disney, which was not the case for DirecTV customers in New York and San Francisco).
The average was down from the 22.7 million for last year’s opener between the Jets and Buffalo.
BROWNS QUARTERBACK DESHAUN WATSON SAYS HE WAS SURPRISED BY SEXUAL ASSAULT LAWSUIT
BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson said he was surprised by the latest civil lawsuit filed against him by a woman who alleges he sexually assaulted her four years ago.
The woman filed the lawsuit Monday in Texas , saying Watson forced himself on her during a dinner date in her apartment in Houston in 2020. She’s seeking in excess of $1 million in damages.
During his weekly media availability, Watson, who will play this week against Jacksonville, said he was unaware of the allegations before Monday.
“I found out exactly whenever everyone else found out,” Watson said.
Earlier, Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, released a statement saying the QB “strongly denies” the claims in the lawsuit.
The league is examining the lawsuit to see if Watson has violated the league’s personal conduct policy. Watson was suspended 11 games in 2022 and fined $5 million after being accused by more than two dozen women of sexual misconduct.
“Deshaun strongly denies the allegations in the Jane Doe lawsuit filed Monday,” Hardin said in a statement distributed by the team. “We have asked him not to comment further while this matter works its way through the courts, but are comfortable he will ultimately be vindicated.
“We will be ready to defend this case in court at the appropriate time, but don’t intend to conduct our defense in the media. We would ask that people be patient while the legal process runs its course.
“In the meantime, Deshaun is going to focus his energy and concentration on football.”
Watson said Hardin’s statement is “exactly how I’m feeling and what we’re going through this process with.”
Meanwhile, the plaintiff’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, fired back at the statement with his own on Instagram, saying he contacted Hardin 10 months ago seeking a resolution and that Watson was aware of the woman’s claims.
“We knew this case was the most serious and egregious case brought against Watson to date and our client, who is rightly traumatized by these events, wanted to attempt a private resolution,” Buzbee said. “We thought that was the best approach given the media storm that occurred surrounding the legion of other claims.
“Unfortunately, Watson’s team or maybe his lawyers couldn’t or wouldn’t give this case the attention it was due. … Watson was well aware of this victim and her claims immediately after it occurred and Watson was again reminded back when we filed the first lawsuit for the other multiple victims.”
Buzbee said he has since been contacted by Hardin and his team. Buzbee added that he has heard from NFL counsel.
Watson, who settled 23 of 24 civil suits before being suspended in 2022, said he hasn’t given any thought to possible punishment from the league.
“My focus is figuring out Jacksonville’s plan on defense and focusing on my craft to be the best quarterback I can be on Sunday for this team,” he said. “That’s something that the NFL has to do on their time and I have to focus on what’s in front of me right now.”
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said he did not consider benching the QB in light of the allegations.
“We’ll let due process play out and follow the NFL’s guidelines,” Stefanski said. “We are 100% focused on Jacksonville,”
The 28-year-old Watson played poorly in Cleveland’s season opener, his first game since undergoing shoulder surgery in November.
Watson has only made 13 starts for the Browns since they signed him to a $230 million contract in 2022 after trading three first-round draft picks to the Texans.
BROWNS PLACE S JUAN THORNHILL, 3 OTHERS ON IR
The Cleveland Browns placed starting safety Juan Thornhill and three other players on injured reserve Wednesday.
In addition to Thornhill (calf), the Browns also put defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II (ankle), linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (hip), and linebacker Tony Fields (ankle) on IR.
Cleveland, however, did not place tight end David Njoku on injured reserve.
Njoku, 28, is considered week-to-week after sustaining an ankle injury during the Browns’ 33-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The 2023 Pro Bowl selection had four catches for 44 yards against the Cowboys.
Thornhill, 28, recorded nine tackles in the season opener. Thornhill has totaled 297 tackles and eight interceptions in 77 career games (64 starts) with the Kansas City Chiefs (2019-22) and Browns.
Hurst had three tackles in the season opener, while Diabate and Fields each had two.
Also on Wednesday, Cleveland signed wide receiver David Bell, cornerback Mike Ford Jr., linebacker Khaleke Hudson and defensive tackle Sam Kamara from the practice squad to the active roster. The team also signed defensive tackle Siaki Ika, tight end Geoff Swaim and linebacker Luiji Vilain.
–Field Level Media
‘EMBARRASSING’: TURF TROUBLE HAUNTS NFL AT HOME AND ABROAD
The soccer field used during the NFL’s first game in Brazil last Friday was a pitiful sight for everyone involved.
From the players representing the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles to the platform record average of 14.2 million viewers on NBC’s Peacock, the slippery, divot-riddled surface at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo left many disappointed.
Although the NFL’s popularity is soaring, the league still hasn’t gotten a handle on the quality of its playing surfaces – at home or abroad.
“I mean, y’all saw out there that it was kind of rough to get traction,” Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts told reporters after Philadelphia’s 34-29 victory. “Definitely challenging on that field. It’s not the type of field we’re used to playing on. We’ve had that type of field before. They had to play on it as well. I’m just happy that we found a way to figure it out as a team and overcome it.”
Over the past several days, multiple players reiterated their frustrations regarding the slippery field to theScore. They were granted anonymity so they could speak freely.
“We shouldn’t have to be worrying about how much we’re going to slip on this big stage,” one player said. “We’re running full speed, playing our hearts out – and you just see guys slipping everywhere, left and right, no matter where you look. It was embarrassing.”
“That was the worst field I’ve ever played on,” another player said. “Never seen anything like it.”
For the Eagles, the playing surface brought unfortunate memories to mind.
“It kind of reminded me of the Super Bowl turf. … It was slick out there,” tight end Dallas Goedert told reporters, alluding to the field used in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Regardless of the host country, these recurring slippery surfaces on grand stages undermine the league’s product and talent.
According to the NFLPA’s annual team report, 92% of players said they prefer playing on grass over turf. The playing surface at Corinthians Arena, which has hosted soccer matches for the World Cup, Olympics, and Copa America, uses GrassMaster, a product that combines real grass with turf-fiber elements.
With health and safety in mind, identifying the right blend of traction and depth in future international playing surfaces should be near the top of the NFL’s to-do list.
Setting aside international games, the NFL has experienced multiple field-related hiccups in its own backyard. Since opening in 2010, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey – home of the New York Giants and Jets – has come under regular scrutiny from players around the league. Many believe the unpopular turf is the root cause of several injuries.
Earlier this year, Giants owner John Mara announced MetLife Stadium will install a grass field for the 2026 World Cup games it’s hosting, as will the NFL stadiums in the other 10 U.S. cities that don’t already have grass. FIFA mandates the use of grass fields for World Cup matches, and the announcement of the temporary conversions prompted an uproar about why all the NFL’s outdoor stadiums weren’t already grass.
Back in Brazil, the slippery surface was apparent from the opening kickoff.
During the Eagles’ first drive, running back Saquon Barkley slipped in the backfield, resulting in a 5-yard loss on his first rushing attempt. When that drive ended, Barkley switched to seven-stud cleats for additional grip and traction. He urged his teammates to follow suit.
It wasn’t just Barkley who struggled initially with his footing. Packers quarterback Jordan Love, receivers Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks, and running back Emanuel Wilson, along with Hurts and Eagles receiver A.J. Brown, all slipped during crucial moments.
Swapping cleats proved critical as Barkley finished with 132 total yards and three touchdowns in his Eagles debut.
The field conditions were so distracting that the controversy quickly evolved into one of sports’ biggest headlines.
“My brother and I were saying players should be pissed about this,” former Packers offensive lineman David Bakhtiari posted on X. “There needs to be a consistent playing surface across all fields that players step on. No one wants to watch players slip, or dudes’ feet being locked in the turf, increasing the (percentage) of injury. It’s 2024. The NFL is King. They got more than enough money. Spend a little to get a lot back. The fans and players deserve it.”
Under commissioner Roger Goodell, the league has aggressively pursued international growth and expansion, including through the NFL International Series.
There are four more international games in Europe this season from Weeks 5-10. Two games (Jets vs. Vikings; Jaguars vs. Bears) will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, one (Patriots vs. Jaguars) at Wembley Stadium in London, and another (Giants vs. Panthers) at Allianz Arena in Munich. During last year’s London series, multiple Bills and Jaguars players criticized the turf at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
With more eyes on the NFL’s international product than ever, it’s in the league’s best interest to address concerns about field and surface quality immediately.
Given this track record, though, it seems likely the NFL – and consequently its players – will slip up again.
DOLPHINS’ MOSTERT OUT THURSDAY, ACHANE GAME-TIME DECISION
Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert won’t play Thursday against the Buffalo Bills, head coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques.
McDaniel added that tailback De’Von Achane will be a game-time decision for the division matchup. He’s officially listed as questionable.
Mostert didn’t participate in practice this week because of a chest injury. Achane was also held out of practice with an ankle issue earlier in the week but logged a limited session Wednesday.
Mostert had 9 yards on six carries and two receptions for 10 yards in the Dolphins’ Week 1 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Achane also struggled to find consistency running the ball with 24 yards and a touchdown on 10 rushes. However, the 22-year-old added another 76 yards on seven receptions.
Miami’s other running backs on the active roster are Jeff Wilson and rookie fourth-rounder Jaylen Wright. Deneric Prince is currently on the team’s practice squad. Wilson had 26 yards on five carries in Week 1, while neither Wright nor Prince saw the field.
CARDINALS QB MURRAY: ‘NOT MY JOB’ TO DECIDE WHEN BALL GOES TO HARRISON
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray defended his role in Marvin Harrison Jr.’s quiet NFL debut, saying it’s not his job to control how many targets the rookie wideout receives each game.
“As a quarterback, obviously, you’re going through your reads,” Murray said, according to Craig Morgan of PHNX. “Sometimes the ball goes to him, but that’s not my job.
“I have a sense and a feel for guys when they don’t get the ball and when they are getting the ball, but I leave that up to (offensive coordinator) Drew (Petzing). He tells me, ‘Don’t worry about that type of stuff. Just keep playing your game and get the ball to where the ball is supposed to go.'”
Harrison caught one pass for four yards on three targets despite running 36 routes in Arizona’s 34-28 Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The son of Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison also had one drop, according to PFF.
Murray has been particularly criticized for not throwing the ball to a wide-open Harrison near the end zone in the final minutes of the contest. The signal-caller said postgame he didn’t see his star wideout, per Theo Mackie of azcentral sports.
“Certainly, as a play-caller, you feel that throughout the game,” Petzing said of Harrison’s lack of targets, per Morgan. “I was a little bit surprised with how much respect (the Bills) gave him early in the game, and I think it opened up some things, especially in the red zone in the run game.
“But he’s one of our top players. Certainly, he’s on the forefront of our mind in terms of getting him the ball. I think they did some good things to take him away, and, certainly, I could have called some plays differently to try to get him a little bit more involved early.”
Murray finished the season opener with 21 completions on 31 attempts for 162 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 57 yards. Three Cardinals players amassed 30-plus receiving yards, including wideout Greg Dortch, who posted team highs with six catches and 47 yards.
“One of the things I try to stress with Kyler is that it’s not his job to get certain people the ball or worry about how a guy is doing in the flow of the game,” Petzing added, according to team reporter Darren Urban. “I’ve got to do that with the way I call the game, and he’s got to make the best decision based on the look, the coverage, how the routes are run.”
Arizona drafted Harrison fourth overall as the top WR prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft. He’ll have a chance to bounce back in Week 2 when the Cardinals host the Los Angeles Rams, who have been missing starting cornerback Darious Williams due to injury.
CARDINALS PLACE RT JONAH WILLIAMS (KNEE) ON IR
The Arizona Cardinals are placing starting right tackle Jonah Williams on injured reserve Wednesday with a knee injury, coach Jonathan Gannon said.
Williams will have to miss at least four games and there is no timetable for his return.Gannon said Kelvin Beachum will remain the starter in Williams’ place.
Williams, 26, played 22 offensive snaps in Sunday’s loss at Buffalo before sustaining the injury on the final play of the first quarter, his first game with the Cardinals.
The Cardinals signed Williams to a two-year contract worth $30 million in March. Williams played four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, who selected him No. 11 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.
He has started all 60 games he’s played with the Bengals and Cardinals.
–Field Level Media
RAVENS LB KYLE VAN NOY RIPS CHIEFS’ MEDICAL STAFF
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy blasted the Kansas City Chiefs’ medical staff for what he said was “unacceptable” and “super unprofessional” behavior after he sustained a fractured orbital bone in Thursday’s season opener.
Van Noy was addressed by the Ravens’ medical staff on the field after he was injured while chasing Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes early in the third quarter. Van Noy, however, claims the Chiefs’ in-house ophthalmologist didn’t see him in a timely manner.
“I was disappointed in the way the training staff of the Chiefs handled the situation,” he said on his “McCoy & Van Noy” podcast Tuesday. “When things like that hurt, especially something that could be serious like mine was, you’re supposed to rely on the team’s training staff or their doctors and I was supposed to see an ophthalmologist — which is somebody who checks out eye(s), performs eye surgery and they took an entire quarter to get down to talk to me in the locker room. Which, to me, is unacceptable.
“Because then you start thinking, ‘What if I was trying to go back in the game? What if I was really, really hurt?’ I know mine was moderate but it still serious because it’s an eye (injury). And your expectation of someone to be down there as the training staff asked them to be down there would have had a little more urgency. The way it took time was super unprofessional to me.”
The Chiefs had yet to publicly respond to Van Noy’s comments as of Wednesday afternoon.
Van Noy was able to walk off the field and finished the game with one tackle and one quarterback hit.
Van Noy, 33, 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.
–Field Level Media
RAMS PLACE WR PUKA NACUA, PAIR OF OL ON IR
The Los Angeles Rams officially placed dynamic wide receiver Puka Nacua and two starting offensive linemen on injured reserve Wednesday amid a flurry of moves.
Guard Steve Avila, left tackle Joe Noteboom and Nacua all will have to miss at least four games.
In corresponding moves, the Rams signed Geron Christian off their practice squad and signed fellow offensive lineman Dylan McMahon off the practice squad of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Nacua, 23, suffered a PCL sprain in his right knee Sunday night against the Detroit Lions. Nacua appeared to sustain the injury on a 6-yard catch with 6:36 left in the second quarter of the Rams’ 26-20 loss at Lions. He had four catches for 35 yards.
Avila, 24, suffered an MCL sprain during the game. The veteran Noteboom (high ankle sprain) will miss at least a few weeks and guard Kevin Dotson (lateral ankle sprain) is considered day-to-day.
The Rams also brought back veteran defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon to their practice squad. He started all 17 games for the club last year.
–Field Level Media
PASSING IN WEEK 1 REACHED ITS LOWEST LEVEL FOR ANY WEEK IN THE NFL SINCE 2007
From rookies struggling in their first career starts to high-paid quarterbacks not living up to their contracts to rusty veterans coming off injuries, the passing in Week 1 of the NFL season looked to be from a different era.
More than half the starting quarterbacks in the NFL failed to reach the usually easy to achieve threshold of 200 yards passing in a game in what proved to be the least prolific week for throwing the ball since the 2007 season.
In all, teams averaged 188.3 net yards passing per game, the fewest in any week since Week 15 in 2007 when the number was 187.1 and down 28.6% from the Week 1 record average of 263.8 set five years ago.
There were 17 starting QBs who threw for fewer than 200 yards for the second time since the start of the 2011 season. There were 18 in the final week of the 2023 season when several regular starters rested before the postseason.
The three rookie QBs combined for only 415 yards passing, with Washington’s Jayden Daniels getting 184, followed by 138 for Denver’s Bo Nix and 93 for Chicago’s Caleb Williams.
Aaron Rodgers (167 yards) and Kirk Cousins (155) both were held well below their usual numbers in their first games back from Achilles tendon injuries. High-paid veterans like Daniel Jones and Deshaun Watson also struggled.
Jones threw for 186 yards with no TDs and two interceptions in the New York Giants’ 28-6 loss to Minnesota. Jones threw a pick-6 to Andrew Van Ginkel and now has thrown more touchdowns to the opposition (three) than his own teammates (two) since signing a $160 million, four-year deal before the 2023 season.
Watson threw for 165 yards on 49 attempts in Cleveland’s 33-17 loss to Dallas and struggled to complete anything downfield. He was 0 for 10 on throws at least 15 yards downfield. There have been 1,753 times a QB has had at least 10 attempts thrown 15 or more yards downfield since Sportradar began tracking air yards in 2006 and Watson was the first to have no completions.
While passing success was down, running the ball had a bit of a renaissance with the 121.5 yards rushing per game for teams ranking as the best opening week since 2008 when teams averaged 121.8 yards.
In all, 39.2% of all offense was gained on the ground in Week 1 for the second highest total of any week since the start of the 2012 season. It was at 39.7% in Week 9 in 2022.
Rare win
The Bears somehow managed to win despite a rough debut for Williams, who went 14 for 29 for 93 yards and didn’t lead the offense on a single TD drive in a 24-17 win over Tennessee.
Williams became the first QB picked first overall to win his first career start since David Carr did it for the expansion Houston Texans against Dallas in 2002. No. 1 picks had been 0-14-1 in their first starts since then, with Kyler Murray getting the tie in 2019.
Williams’ 93 yards passing were the fewest by a No. 1 pick quarterback who started the opener since John Elway had 14 for Denver against Pittsburgh in 1983.
The Bears rallied from 17 points down to win with help from a blocked punt returned for a TD, an interception returned for a score and three field goals. In the Super Bowl era, teams that scored no offensive touchdowns in a game that trailed by at least 17 points have a 3-1,225 record, with Chicago accounting for two of those wins.
The Bears rallied from 23-3 down to beat Arizona 24-23 on Oct. 16, 2006, behind two defensive TDs and a punt return score by Devin Hester. Kansas City was the other team to do it in 2016 against Carolina.
The Steelers also won their opener without scoring an offensive touchdown, getting six field goals from Chris Boswell to beat Atlanta 18-10. This was the first time since 2006 that two teams won in Week 1 without an offensive touchdown. Seattle beat Detroit 9-6 and the Rams beat Denver 18-10 that year.
Happy returns
The first week of the new kickoff rule featured fewer touchbacks, a rare return TD and far better starting field position.
The return rate on kicks in Week 1 was 33%, compared with the record low of 22% last season, which led to the change. It was the highest rate of returns on the opening weekend since 2016 when 37% of kicks were returned.
Arizona’s DeeJay Dallas had a 96-yard return against Buffalo for the first kick return touchdown in a season opener since Miami’s Jakeem Grant and Tennessee’s Darius Jennings did it in 2018. There were only four kickoff return TDs all of last season — the fewest in any season since 1993 when there also was four.
The average starting field position after kicks was the 29.5-yard line, up from the 25.5 last season. The best average start following a kickoff since 2000 was the 29-yard line in 2002, according to Sportradar.
Just for kicks
The opening week was a big one for kickers with 21 field goals made from at least 50 yards — six more than in any week in NFL history.
That doesn’t even count a 66-yarder from Dallas’ Brandon Aubrey that would have tied Justin Tucker’s record for the longest ever but was negated by a delay-of-game penalty.
Boswell and Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn each had three of the long field goals — the first time any player had done that in a season opener.
Boswell and San Francisco’s Jake Moody both tied an NFL record by making six field goals in an opener, with two of Moody’s kicks also coming from at least 50 yards.
Dazzling debuts
Xavier Worthy and Saquon Barkley had dazzling debuts for their new teams.
Worthy, the speedy first-round receiver for Kansas City, scored on a 21-yard run on his first touch as a pro and added a 35-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter of a 27-20 victory over Baltimore.
Worthy became just the second player in NFL history to score on a run of at least 20 yards and a catch of at least 30 yards in his first career game. The only other was James Brim, who did it as a replacement player during the 1987 strike for Minnesota at Green Bay. Worthy also joined Kareem Hunt as the only Chiefs players to score two TDs in their debut.
Barkley made a strong first impression after signing with Philadelphia in free agency. He caught a TD pass and ran for two more scores in a 34-29 win over Green Bay. He joined Terrell Owens as the only Eagles players to score at least three TDs in their first game with the team. Owens did it in 2004 against the Giants.
Barkley had just one three-touchdown game in 76 games in the regular season or playoffs with New York before doing it in his first game with the rival Eagles.
EAGLES’ SAQUON BARKLEY, TEXANS’ JOE MIXON HIGHLIGHT PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
AFC Offensive Player of the Week
Mixon’s first game with the Houston Texans was a memorable one, as he helped them to a 29-27 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Mixon piled up 30 carries for 159 yards and a touchdown to make a stellar first impression with the reigning AFC South titlists.
NFC Offensive Player of the Week
In his first game with the Philadelphia Eagles during the NFL’s first game in Brazil, Barkley put on a show and made global history. Having previously scored multiple times in North America and once in Europe, Barkley became the first player to score on three continents when he tallied three touchdowns in the Eagles’ 34-29 win over the Green Bay Packers on Friday. Barkley turned in a scintillating debut, catching one touchdown and rushing for two more as he totaled 132 yards, with 109 rushing on 24 carries.
AFC Defensive Player of the Week
Rousseau was a wreaker of havoc off the edge on Sunday, propelling the Buffalo Bills to a 34-28 triumph over the Arizona Cardinals. Rousseau posted six tackles, three sacks and forced a fumble.
NFC Defensive Player of the Week
With offense in short supply during Caleb Williams‘ ballyhooed debut, Stevenson took matters into his own hands during the Chicago Bears’ 24-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Stevenson had four tackles, two passes defensed and the game-winning interception return for a touchdown, which came on a 43-yard score with 7:35 to play in the game.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS
REPORT: PAC-12 EYES BOISE STATE, OTHER MWC SCHOOLS IN REBUILD
The Pac-12 is attempting to rise from its ashes.
The conference, which currently only consists of Washington State and Oregon State, aims to rebuild by adding Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State, and Fresno State from the Mountain West, sources told Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports.
The Mountain West candidates would join the league starting in 2026, Dellenger adds. The deal reportedly may be completed by the end of the week with the Pac-12’s board expected to give the go-ahead to membership requests from the Mountain West schools.
The arrival of the four Mountain West programs would mean the Pac-12 only needs two more schools to be deemed an FBS conference.
However, the Mountain West schools would have to pay $17 million in exit fees, while the Pac-12 would cover another $10 million to $12 million as part of a deal with the opposing conference over scheduling, according to Dellenger.
The Pac-12 hired Teresa Gould to succeed George Kliavkoff as its new commissioner in February. Under Kliavkoff, the conference lost 10 programs to other Power 5 conferences.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS: WELCOME TO RIVALRY WEEKEND IN SEPTEMBER FOR DIVORCED PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOES
Welcome to rivalry weekend in September.
As college football fans adapt to the new world order brought on by conference realignment and playoff expansion, among the changes are a pair of rivalries that used to cap off regular seasons now taking place before summer ends.
Despite a nasty divorce last year, Washington and Washington State and Oregon and Oregon State are playing Saturday.
The Huskies and Ducks are now in the Big Ten. The Beavers and Cougars are now the Pac-12. That’s it. Just them.
Washington State visits Seattle for the Apple Cup against Washington. The Cougars and Huskies have played 103 times but never earlier than mid-October.
The Civil War rivalry is even tastier with Oregon going to Corvallis to face what should be a fired-up home crowd. The Ducks and Beavers have played 107 times, but only twice before late Novemeber and never in September.
Also on tap this weekend is the latest Backyard Brawl between Pitt and West Virginia. The Panthers and Mountaineers rekindled a rivalry that was dormant for a decade three years ago. They have split the last two games.
Notre Dame-Purdue was once an annual Indiana rivalry, but the schools will meet for only the second time since 2014, when the Fighting Irish struck a scheduling agreement with the Atlantic Coast Conference.
There is No. 12 Utah at Utah State and No. 13 Oklahoma State at Tulsa, with the power conference team the visitor in both cases.
In that spirit, Cincinnati hits the road to face Miami (Ohio) in the battle for the Victory Bell, one of the oldest rivalries in college football dating to 1888.
Throw in the crosstown rivalry between Rice and Houston and BYU vs. Wyoming renewing a WAC rivalry and there is plenty of intrigue in Week 3.
The most intriguing games?
Memphis at Florida State (minus 6 1/2)
Memphis gets a crack at former coach Mike Norvell, who went 38-16 in four seasons with the Tigers. They arrive in Tallahassee with the Seminoles trying to recover from an surprising 0-2 start and their own high expectations for landing a playoff spot.
Pick: Florida State 34-24.
No. 9 Oregon at Oregon State (plus 16 1/2)
The Ducks are unbeaten but it’s been a choppy start against Idaho and Boise State for a team that started the season ranked No. 3. Can Oregon clean up its issues and start looking more like a Big Ten contender? For the Beavers, coming off a shutout of San Diego State, a victory against their bitter rival would simply make the season.
Pick: Oregon 31-20.
Washington State at Washington (minus 4 1/2)
The Huskies have had an encouraging start under new coach Jedd Fisch, who took over a playoff team in name only after massive NFL and portal departures. Same goes for the Cougars and new QB John Mateer, who ran for a school-record 197 yards last week. It might feel even better for Wazzu to take down the Huskies in Seattle.
Pick: Washington 28-21.
No. 20 Arizona at No. 14 Kansas State (minus 7)
Second straight week that new Big 12 conference mates play a nonconference game that was already scheduled before realignment. Still, this Friday night game has the potential to be a nice playoff resume builder for the winner.
Pick: Kansas State 31-21.
No. 4 Alabama (minus 16 1/2) at Wisconsin
The Crimson Tide hasn’t played at a Big Ten school since visiting Penn State in 2011. Alabama’s only other road game against a Big Ten opponent was also at Wisconsin — in 1928. The Badgers need to really pick it up to stay competitive, but it’s just cool to see the Tide step outside its comfort zone.
Pick: Alabama 35-17.
The rest of this week’s games with ranked teams facing FBS opponents, with odds from BetMGM:
No. 1 Georgia (minus 24 1/2) at Kentucky
Bulldogs have won 14 straight meetings, the last seven by double-digits … GEORGIA 38-10.
UTSA at No. 2 Texas (minus 35 1/2)
Longhorns try to follow up a big victory at Michigan with no drop off … TEXAS 49-10.
No. 5 Mississippi at Wake Forest (plus 23 1/2)
Rebels QB Jaxson Dart is off to an incredible start, leading the nation in both efficiency rating (247) and yards passing per game (397) … MISSISSIPPI 45-24.
No. 24 Boston College at No. 6 Missouri (minus 17)
Tigers have yet to allow a point … MISSOURI 35-17.
Kent State at No. 7 Tennessee (minus 48 1/2)
Golden Flashes get the Vols this week and No. 8 Penn State next week … TENNESSEE 59-7.
Ball State at No. 10 Miami (minus 36 1/2)
Hurricanes DE Tyler Barron, a transfer addition from Tennessee who at first committed to Ole Miss, has four sacks already … MIAMI 52-14.
No. 12 Utah (minus 20 1/2) at Utah State
Conceivably, this is a good spot for the Utes to make sure QB Cam Rising’s hand injury is properly healed … UTAH 31-7.
No. 13 Oklahoma State at Tulsa (plus 20 1/2)
Cowboys have won nine straight meetings … OKLAHOMA STATE 38-20.
Tulane (plus 13 1/2) at No. 15 Oklahoma
Sooners are averaging just 4.98 yards per play … OKLAHOMA 28-20.
No. 16 LSU at South Carolina (plus 7)
Especially big early game for the Tigers against an SEC rival they have played only seven times since 2000 … LSU 23-18.
Arkansas State at No. 17 Michigan (minus 23 1/2)
Red Wolves have played decent defense so far, but this should be a chance for the Wolverines to build some confidence on offense … MICHIGAN 42-14.
No. 18 Notre Dame (minus 10) at Purdue
The panic level is high for Fighting Irish fans, whose team has yet to throw a touchdown pass … NOTRE DAME 28-17.
Social media requests
Arizona State at Texas State (plus 2 1/2). The two youngest head coaches in major college football square off in ASU’s Kenny Dillingham (34) and TSU’s GJ Kinne (35) … ARIZONA STATE 34-33. (@ArtWMoore)
UNLV at Kansas (minus 7). UNLV looking to take out another Big 12 team after opening with a win against Houston … KANSAS 34-20. (@NILvsNLI)
West Virginia at Pitt (plus 2 1/2). A 75-mile drive separates these rivals who should play every year … WEST VIRGINIA 28-27 (@KThomas_8)
Indiana at UCLA (plus 3). Hoosiers and Bruins have never played, but Indiana did play in the 1968 Rose Bowl. The first of many Big Ten games that are going to take some getting used to … INDIANA 23-21. (@Zane_Clodfelter)
___
RECORD
Last week: Straight-up — 21-4; Against spread — 14-11.
Season: Straight-up — 35-8; Against spread — 25-18.
MICHIGAN, FOOTBALL COACH SHERRONE MOORE FINALLY COMPLETE CONTRACT
Michigan and football coach Sherrone Moore have finalized his contract — nearly eight months after the school hired him to replace Jim Harbaugh.
Moore had been working under a memorandum of understanding he signed in late January.
The school announced Moore’s signing on Wednesday. Contract terms were not revealed, but the January agreement pegged the deal at five years for $30 million.
USA Today reported ahead of Michigan’s Aug. 31 opener against Fresno State that a contract had yet to be signed.
Moore, 38, joined Harbaugh’s staff as tight ends coach in 2018 and worked his way to offensive coordinator. He was interim coach for four games of Michigan’s 2023 national championship season when Harbaugh was suspended.
“He is a proven leader and has been a great ambassador during his seven-plus years representing Michigan,” Michigan president Santa Ono and athletic director Warde Manuel said in a joint statement Wednesday. “Our university and athletic department is behind Coach Moore, his coaching staff and the great student-athletes.”
“All three of us are aligned in our goals for this football program,” Moore said of Ono and Manuel. “We want the attention to be on the players who work so hard to represent this team and university at the highest level. All of my focus is and always will be centered on the mental, physical and spiritual development of the young men that suit up to play for Michigan.”
Michigan executed the contract after a report by ESPN in early August that said Moore was one of seven members from last season’s football program accused of violating NCAA rules in a draft report of the NCAA’s notice of allegations.
ESPN said Moore is accused of committing a Level 2 violation, according to the draft document. That would make him a potential repeat violator by the NCAA, given that he contacted recruits during a COVID-19 recruiting dead period.
No. 17 Michigan is off to a 1-1 start, defeating Fresno State 30-10 and losing to then-No. 3 Texas 31-12 last Saturday. The Wolverines host Arkansas State on Saturday before beginning Big Ten play against Southern California on Sept. 21.
–Field Level Media
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 3: COLORADO NEEDS A WIN TO QUELL NEGATIVE VIBE IN WAKE OF LOSS TO HUSKERS
Did Shedeur Sanders throw his offensive line under the figurative bus in his comments after Colorado got clobbered at Nebraska?
Was it poor form for Deion Sanders to post pictures of himself on social media the next day?
And did “Coach Prime” really instruct the CU band to hold off playing the fight song after quarterback son Shedeur scores a touchdown so the song Shedeur recorded, “Perfect Timing,” can be played over the Folsom Field loudspeakers? The university issued a statement to say that wasn’t true; Sanders called the notion “idiotic.”
With the Buffs coming off their ninth loss in 11 games, and the Sanders brand the identity of the program, those were the subjects debated this week by their frustrated fans and the haters.
The bottom line is that CU (1-1) looks pretty much the same as last season’s four-win team and fans’ patience could be wearing thin. Now comes the Rocky Mountain Showdown against Colorado State (1-1), a rivalry game with a nasty history that will be played in Fort Collins on Saturday for the first time since 1996.
CSU led last year’s game in Boulder 28-17 with eight minutes left in regulation and ended up losing 43-35 in overtime. Things got ugly when Rams safety Henry Blackburn, who is still on the team, received death threats for a late hit that sent Travis Hunter to the hospital with a lacerated liver. Blackburn and Hunter went bowling together a couple weeks later to show there were no hard feelings.
Last week’s game at Nebraska was billed as a referendum on the jobs second-year coaches Deion Sanders and Matt Rhule are doing, and the way they are going about them. Advantage Rhule. The 28-10 loss raises the stakes for the Buffs’ short trip to Fort Collins. CU is a 7 1/2-point favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
There are three other important in-state rivalry games.
No. 9 Oregon (2-0) visits Oregon State (2-0) and Washington (2-0) visits Washington State (2-0) for their first meetings since the disintegration of the Pac-12. If it seems early for the Apple Cup and the formerly named Civil War, you’re right, and both Oregon State and Washington State would love nothing better than grabbing bragging rights this particular season.
The Ducks are coming off close calls against Idaho and Boise State and have lost the last two times they visited Corvallis. The Huskies have won their first two games under new coach Jedd Fisch, but the emergence of Cougars quarterback John Mateer makes the trip to Pullman tricky.
No. 12 Utah (2-0) has allowed a combined 12 points in two games heading into its game at Utah State (1-1), which lost 48-0 at No. 11 Southern California last week and will be playing back-to-back Top 25 opponents for the first time since 2013.
Best game
No. 20 Arizona (2-0) at No. 14 Kansas State (2-0), Friday, 8 p.m. ET (Fox)
Yes, Arizona is in the Big 12 now, but this meeting and next year’s in Tucson will be nonconference games. The home-and-home series was put on the schedule eight years ago, and neither school could find replacement nonconference games after Arizona was invited to join the Big 12 in August 2023.
This is the first big test for first-year Arizona coach Brent Brennan. QB Noah Fifita and star WR Tetairoa McMillan will be a handful for a K-State pass defense that allowed 342 yards against Tulane last week.
Heisman watch
Alabama QB Jalen Milroe, who led his team to four straight fourth-quarter touchdowns to break open a close game with South Florida, can become a serious contender with a strong performance at Wisconsin.
Milroe, sixth in 2023 Heisman Trophy voting, has accounted for nine touchdowns for the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide. His four rushing TDs are most by any FBS quarterback, and his five through the air rank fourth.
Numbers to know
9 — Teams averaging at least 50 points per game through Week 2, including four from the SEC.
47 — Oklahoma’s consecutive wins against unranked nonconference opponents entering its home game against Tulane.
106 — Previous meetings between Pittsburgh and West Virginia, with the Panthers leading the Backyard Brawl rivalry 62-41-3.
1968 — The last time Indiana, which visits UCLA, played in the Rose Bowl stadium.
1992 — The last time Florida (1-1), which hosts Texas A&M, lost two of three games to open a season.
Under the radar
The fact Florida State coach Mike Norvell is facing Memphis, the school he left in 2020, makes for an interesting matchup. The fact the Seminoles are in desperate need of a win adds to the intrigue.
The Tigers head to FSU as 6 1/2-point underdogs and 2-2 in their last four games against power-conference opponents.
Memphis fourth-year starting quarterback Seth Henigan won’t be intimidated at Doak Walker Stadium. The question is whether FSU’s struggling DJ Uiagalelei will feel comfortable in front of the antsy home fans.
Hot seat
It was only three years ago Baylor won the Big 12 championship and was in the top 10 after going 12-2 under Dave Aranda. The next two years saw the Bears collapse the second half of the season, and they go into Saturday’s home game against Air Force with losses in 10 of their last 14 games.
Air Force traditionally causes problems because of its rarely seen triple-option offense. The good news for Aranda is that this does not appear to be a vintage Falcons ground game. Air Force had only two plays from scrimmage go for more than 8 yards in a loss to San Jose State.
WISCONSIN HAS A CHANCE TO REGAIN SOME NATIONAL RELEVANCE WHEN IT HOSTS NO. 4 ALABAMA
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin has a chance in one afternoon to regain some of the national relevance it has lost over the last few years.
After finishing just one game above .500 three of the last four seasons, Wisconsin didn’t crack the preseason Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2016. A rare visit from fourth-ranked Alabama (2-0) on Saturday gives the Badgers (2-0) an opportunity to show they are worth watching once again.
“If you want to be in the mix with the best, you want to be talked about like the best, you’ve got to beat the best,” Wisconsin left tackle Jack Nelson said. “That’s what we’re here to do.”
Alabama is a 16 ½-point favorite, according to BetMGM. Wisconsin has never been that big a home underdog since at least 2005, which is as far back as BetMGM’s data goes. Alabama is visiting Camp Randall Stadium for the first time since a 15-0 Wisconsin victory in 1928.
“Over the last 20 years, who’s been the best team in college football? There’s no doubt it’s been Alabama,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “Regardless of where they are at this moment, this is as good a football team that there is, and has been for a really, really long time. So no matter where you are as a program, it gives you an opportunity to assess a lot of different things.”
This is only the third time since 2005 that Wisconsin was even a double-digit home underdog. Ohio State was favored by 10 before beating Wisconsin 30-23 in overtime in 2016 and was a 14 ½-point favorite heading into its 24-10 triumph at Camp Randall Stadium last year.
The point spread for Saturday’s game is a testament to Alabama’s stature. But the fact Wisconsin has now been a double-digit home underdog to top-five teams each of the last two years also shows how the Badgers aren’t held in quite the same regard as before.
Standards here remain high. That was apparent when Wisconsin followed up a 34-10 loss to Illinois in 2023 by firing Paul Chryst, who had gone 67-26 in 7 ½ seasons.
The Badgers just haven’t quite lived up to those expectations lately.
Wisconsin has 22 consecutive winning seasons – the most of any power-conference team – but it’s barely kept that streak alive in recent years. The Badgers went 4-3 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign and finished 7-6 each of the last two years. They’re 2-11 in their last 13 games against Top 25 teams.
“We haven’t been as successful as we’ve wanted to be these last couple of seasons,” cornerback Ricardo Hallman said. “Having a win like this and competing in a game like this gives you that kind of respect in the national view and all those eyes. Most importantly, just for this team, this is a big game for our confidence as well.”
Wisconsin believes it’s better in its second season under Fickell, who came to Madison after a stellar run in Cincinnati that included a 2021 College Football Playoff berth.
“I think last year, a little bit of growing pains, I guess you could say,” Nelson said. “It was a lot of change for everybody. But I think going into the second year with it, people are more confident. I think everyone here believes in it. Maybe last year, changing and stuff like that, I don’t think you’re going to have the kind of culture that we have now. It’s all kind of coming together.”
The improvement isn’t necessarily evident from the results thus far.
Wisconsin briefly trailed in the fourth quarter of a season-opening 28-14 win over Western Michigan. They led by just seven points heading into the fourth quarter of a 27-13 victory over Football Championship Subdivision program South Dakota.
“A lot of times you might here things like in the media or fans are telling you, people on campus are telling you (that) you guys should be doing this, you guys should be winning by ‘x’ number of points,” wide receiver Will Pauling said, “when the reality is we know what the main thing is in the locker room. The main thing is winning ballgames. Right now we’re 2-0. The morale in the locker room is still very good. Everybody’s confident in each other and what we’re doing, so I’d say we’re in a really good spot right now.”
They have a chance to win over the skeptics this weekend.
ACC PROGRAMS PLUG AND PLAY FIRST-YEAR TRANSFER QUARTERBACK WITH STRONG EARLY SUCCESS
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Quarterbacks come and go, especially these days where several ACC teams have had quick success with new passers who have had only a few months on campus.
Several first-year passers with experience are making an immediate impact: Syracuse’s Kyle McCord, Miami’s Cam Ward and Wake Forest’s Hank Bachmeier are among the country’s top 10 quarterbacks after transferring.
“Sometimes it’s seamless, sometimes it takes a while,” said N.C. State coach Dave Doeren, who had Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong for a season last year before adding Grayson McCall from Coastal Carolina this fall.
Seamless or not, it’s a new plug-and-play reality for college football.
Making the right choice
Miami coach Mario Cristobal wanted more consistency. He added Ward, the Washington State standout who was voted ACC preseason player of the year before taking a snap for Hurricanes.
Ward has excelled, becoming the first quarterback in Miami’s long, talent-filled history to throw for 300 yards or more in his first two games.
Cristobal found a willing, fifth-year player in Ward, prepared to do what it takes for the 10th-ranked Hurricanes.
“He takes it on every single day. He wants to make this team better. He wants to make sure we stay a driven, unselfish, hardworking team,” Cristobal said.
McCord is doing big things at Syracuse for first-year coach Fran Brown. He already provided a signature victory as the Orange defeated then-No. 23 Georgia Tech 31-28 last week. McCord passed for 381 yards and four touchdowns.
Players finding the right fit
ACC Network analyst and former Florida State quarterback EJ Manuel thinks it’s essential for transfer players like Ward and McCord to find a program that fits their talents.
“A lot of these players that do go into the portal are choosing landing spots that match their skill set,” he said. “That’s really important.”
Bachmeier, the fifth-year player at Wake Forest, played at Boise State and Louisiana Tech. He is ninth nationally with 666 passing yards and four touchdowns.
At Pitt, one-time Alabama passer Eli Holstein has the Panthers off to a 2-0 start for the first time since they won the ACC title in 2021. Holstein rallied Pitt from 21-points down to beat Cincinnati 28-27 last week with 302 yards and three touchdowns. Holstein, a second-year freshman, is 12th in the country with 638 passing yards.
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi believes so much depends on the player, including their willingness to become part of their new team and not rely on what they did elsewhere.
“Maybe the one thing I know is just be detailed” in adding the right person, he said. “I’m going to make sure I dot the ‘Is’ and cross the ‘Ts’ as far as what we’re doing in that range. I want to make the right move.”
Louisville brought in 25-year-old Tyler Shough, in his seventh year after playing at Oregon and Texas Tech.
Cardinals coach Jeff Brohm said Shough has a history of injuries, largely when he takes off running. So Brohm has tried to keep him in the pocket in the 19th-ranked team’s 2-0 start.
“We have to try to make him play as great as he possibly can every week. That’s our goal, to make him stand out, be efficient, throw for yards and produce points,” Brohm said. “We think he can do it.”
Sometimes there are struggles
Not every transition goes as smoothly. Just look at defending ACC champion Florida State. With longtime leader Jordan Travis off to the NFL, Seminoles coach Mike Norvell added former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei.
Florida State, No. 10 when the season began, has fallen out of the rankings after losses to Georgia Tech and Boston College.
Norvell said the defeats are not solely on Uiagalelei, now in his fifth college season. “But there have been issues,” the coach said. “I say ‘issues,’ it’s not pointing to one person, one group. I think we have to be more consistent overall as an offense.”
Manuel, the ACC Network analyst, said he thinks coaches who add experienced quarterbacks are still adjusting to the game’s new model. They would much rather have a young recruit who can sit and learn rather than having to go with a newcomer, no matter how talented.
“I’m sure coaches would much prefer that old model,” Manuel said. “But in the current state of where we are with the coaches, the pressure for them to win and to win right now, that’s why they go to the portal.”
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MLB ROUNDUP: SHOHEI OHTANI HITS HR, STEALS BASE IN WIN
Shohei Ohtani led off with one of the Dodgers’ four home runs in the first inning and Tommy Edman went deep twice in the game as host Los Angeles held off the Chicago Cubs for a 10-8 victory on Wednesday.
Edman, Will Smith and Max Muncy belted home runs in the opening inning, all in succession against left-hander Jordan Wicks, as the first-place Dodgers avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the Cubs. Edman hit one home run from each side of the plate.
Ohtani, who also stole a base, has 47 home runs to go along with 48 steals as he closes in on the first 50-50 season in major league history.
The Cubs (75-71) tied the game at 7-7 in the fifth, the key hit a Cody Bellinger three-run homer. The Dodgers (87-59) got the tiebreaking hit from Gavin Lux in the seventh off Shawn Armstrong (3-3).
Mets 6, Blue Jays 2
Francisco Lindor ended Bowden Francis’s no-hitter with a leadoff homer to ignite a six-run ninth inning as visiting New York defeated Toronto.
Francisco Alvarez added a three-run home run in the Mets’ explosive ninth as New York took the rubber match of the three-game series with Toronto.
It was the second time in four starts that Francis lost a no-hitter on a leadoff homer in the ninth. The Blue Jays’ only no-hitter was pitched by Dave Stieb at Cleveland on Sept. 2, 1990.
Mariners 5, Padres 2
Bryan Woo took a perfect game into the seventh inning as Seattle defeated visiting San Diego.
The Mariners won for the fifth time in seven games to pull within 3 1/2 games of division-leading Houston in the American League West. Woo’s perfect game, no-hitter and shutout were spoiled when Fernando Tatis Jr. lined a 1-0 fastball just inside the left field foul pole with one out in the seventh. Woo (8-2) was charged with two runs on two hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Tatis homered for the Padres, who lost for the fourth time in their past six games and dropped a half-game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks atop the National League’s wild-card standings. Padres starter Michael King (12-9) went five innings and gave up three runs — one earned — on four hits.
Phillies 3, Rays 2
One night after he was hit by a pitch and both benches emptied, Nick Castellanos got his revenge on Tampa Bay, hitting a two-run homer and later scoring the go-ahead run as host Philadelphia completed a three-game sweep.
Zack Wheeler (15-6) logged six solid innings for Philadelphia (88-58) to win his third straight start. The bulk of the damage against him was inflicted by Jonathan Aranda, who doubled and homered for the Rays (71-75).
With the score tied at 2-2, the Phillies put together a two-out rally in the sixth against Drew Rasmussen (0-1). Castellanos walked and advanced to third on a base hit by Brandon Marsh. Weston Wilson then hit a slow roller into no-man’s land on the left side for an infield single, allowing Castellanos to score.
Pirates 3, Marlins 1
Bailey Falter threw 7 1/3 shutout innings to help Pittsburgh complete a season sweep of visiting Miami.
Falter (8-7) allowed just two hits after carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning. The left-hander struck out five and walked three for the Pirates, who have won four in a row and all seven against Miami this season.
Jonathan Bermudez (0-1) made his first major league start after two relief appearances and went two innings, allowing three runs and three hits with no strikeouts and one walk for the Marlins, who have dropped three straight.
Nationals 5, Braves 1
Right-hander Jake Irvin continued to mystify Atlanta, throwing six strong innings to help host Washington earn a split of the two-game series.
The loss drops Atlanta one game behind the Mets in the pursuit of the final wild-card spot in the National League. Washington won the season series 8-5 against the Braves. Irvin (10-12) allowed one run on two hits with one walk and five strikeouts. He didn’t allow a hit until Michael Harris II doubled with two outs in the sixth.
The losing pitcher was Max Fried (9-9), who pitched six innings and allowed four runs on 11 hits with six strikeouts and no walks for the Braves.
Tigers 7, Rockies 4
Trey Sweeney blasted a three-run homer to cap a six-run first inning as host Detroit extended its winning streak to four games by defeating Colorado.
Kerry Carpenter supplied four hits, scored a run and drove in another for the Tigers. Riley Greene added two hits, including a solo homer, and knocked in two runs. Tyler Holton (6-1) tossed two innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win. Jason Foley got the last three outs, including a pair of strikeouts, for his 22nd save.
Ezequiel Tovar drove in two runs and Ryan McMahon added a solo homer for the Rockies. Starter Tanner Gordon (0-6) gave up all seven runs on 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out one and didn’t walk a batter.
Guardians 6, White Sox 4
Lane Thomas had three hits and four RBIs and Austin Hedges homered as Cleveland defeated host Chicago to cap a three-game sweep.
Cleveland extended its lead atop the American League Central to 4 1/2 games over the Kansas City Royals. Five Guardians pitchers combined for 18 strikeouts. Cleveland’s bullpen contributed 4 2/3 innings of two-hit ball, with Nick Sandlin (8-0) tossing 1 1/3 scoreless frames.
Chicago stretched its franchise-record home losing streak to 15 games. Chicago right-hander Davis Martin, who returned from 2022 Tommy John surgery in July, struggled through his shortest of eight starts this season. Martin (0-4) allowed five runs on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts over three innings.
Red Sox 5, Orioles 3 (10 innings)
Tyler O’Neill hit a three-run home run — his fifth in his last five games — in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Boston a victory over visiting Baltimore.
The Orioles (83-64) took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th when Emmanuel Rivera’s one-out single scored Austin Slater from third. Rivera hit his third home run and Anthony Santander added his 41st homer for Baltimore, which has failed to score more than three runs in six of its past seven games.
Masataka Yoshida had two hits for Boston, which won twice in the three-game series. The Red Sox (74-72) prevailed 12-3 on Monday and the Orioles earned a 5-3 victory Tuesday.
Diamondbacks 14, Rangers 4
Eugenio Suarez hit two home runs and Randal Grichuk, Ketel Marte and Adrian Del Castillo also went deep as Arizona completed a two-game sweep against Texas in Phoenix.
Marte finished with three hits, including a double, and drove in four runs for Arizona (82-64), which won its third straight game and scored in every inning except for the third and recorded a season-high 13 extra-base hits against Texas (70-76).
Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly allowed three runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts before exiting the game with right hamstring cramping with a runner on and no outs in the fifth inning.
Yankees 4, Royals 3 (11 innings)
Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled in pinch runner Jon Berti from third base with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning to give New York a walk-off victory over Kansas City in the rubber game of their three-game series at Yankee Stadium.
Juan Soto joined Aaron Judge (126) as the first pair of Yankees teammates to have 100-plus RBIs in a season since 2011 when Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira all accomplished the feat.
Michael Massey homered and Tommy Pham went 3-for-4 with a walk for the Royals, who dropped 4 1/2 games behind first-place Cleveland in the AL Central. Kris Bubic (0-1) suffered the loss.
Giants 13, Brewers 2
Jerar Encarnacion, Mike Yastrzemski and Matt Chapman homered as part of a 17-hit attack, leading San Francisco to a blowout win over visiting Milwaukee.
Blake Snell (3-3) rebounded from a poor outing with five strong innings as the Giants (72-74) leveled the three-game series at one win apiece. After Snell pitched a 1-2-3 top of the first, the Giants wasted no time jumping on Brewers starter Colin Rea scoring four runs in each of the first two innings.
Rea (12-5) gave up 10 runs on 11 hits, with one walk and one strikeout, in four innings for Milwaukee (83-62).
Twins 6, Angels 4
Royce Lewis went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, and Minnesota held on to beat Los Angeles in Minneapolis.
Brooks Lee also drove in a pair of runs for the Twins, who won the rubber match of the three-game series. Matt Wallner hit a solo home run.
Nolan Schanuel went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs for the Angels. Taylor Ward and Jordyn Adams also clubbed solo home runs.
Cardinals 2, Reds 1
Paul Goldschmidt hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the eighth inning and Nolan Arenado added a homer to lift St. Louis past visiting Cincinnati.
In his first game since returning from the 15-day injured list, starting pitcher Lance Lynn allowed one run on five hits in five innings for the Cardinals (73-72). He struck out seven and walked one while reaching the 2,000-inning milestone in his career.
Reds starting pitcher Brandon Williamson allowed one run on three hits in five innings. He struck out five and walked two. Buck Farmer (3-1) took the loss for the Reds (71-76), whose three-game winning streak ended.
Athletics 5, Astros 4
Kyle McCann slugged a go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning to support Joey Estes, who pitched effectively into the seventh inning as visiting Oakland beat Houston.
The Athletics scratched across two runs in the third to erase a 2-0 deficit. Brent Rooker and JJ Bleday drove home Max Schuemann and Ryan Noda, respectively. Rooker reached 100 RBIs this season with his run-scoring single.
Astros nine-time All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve left in the bottom of the fifth inning with side discomfort. The leadoff batter was 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his last at-bat, during which he appeared to injure himself.
–Field Level Media
WNBA NEWS
SKYLAR DIGGINS-SMITH STEERS STORM PAST SPARKS
Skylar Diggins-Smith recorded 26 points, five assists, four steals and three blocked shots while leading the Seattle Storm to a 90-82 victory over the host Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday night.
Gabby Williams scored 17 points and Nneka Ogwumike had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Storm (22-14), who recovered from a 13-point second-quarter deficit. Ezi Magbegor contributed 14 points and eight rebounds and Jewell Loyd scored 12 points for Seattle despite 3-of-15 shooting.
Diggins-Smith made 10 of 13 field-goal attempts one game after becoming the Seattle franchise record holder for assists in a single season. Her total sits at 232 after the Wednesday game.
Rickea Jackson registered 22 points and seven rebounds and Azura Stevens added 18 points and 15 rebounds for the Sparks (7-30), who lost their sixth consecutive contest. Odyssey Sims had 16 points and six assists and Rae Burrell scored 14 points for Los Angeles.
Jackson’s basket gave the Sparks their last lead at 72-70 with 6:35 left in fourth quarter. Seattle answered with a 14-4 burst to put the game away.
Diggins-Smith made a jumper and Sami Whitcomb followed with a tiebreaking 3-pointer to give Seattle a 75-72 lead with 5:45 remaining.
Loyd made two free throws with 32.3 seconds left to end the spurt as Seattle led 84-76 while improving to 3-0 against Los Angeles this season.
Seattle shot 47.1 percent from the field, including 6 of 19 (31.6 percent) from 3-point range.
The Sparks hit 49.2 percent from the floor and went 7 of 17 (41.2 percent) from 3-point range. Stevens matched her career high of four 3-pointers.
The game was tied before Seattle opened the third quarter with a 9-3 run, the last two baskets coming from Diggins-Smith to give the Storm a 50-44 lead with 8:10 remaining.
The Sparks battled back to tie it after 58 on two free throws by Jackson with 2:39 left.
Diggins-Smith scored the final four points of a quarter-ending 6-0 burst as Seattle took a 66-60 lead into the fourth quarter.
Earlier, Los Angeles held a 30-17 lead after a trey by Stevens with 7:52 left in the second period.
The Storm went on a 12-2 half-ending surge, and Williams’ 3-pointer tied it at 41 with one minute to go.
Williams had 15 first-half points. Stevens had 14 points and nine rebounds in the half for Los Angeles.
–Field Level Media
MYSTICS SLAM SKY, EDGE CLOSER TO PLAYOFF POSITION
Rookie Aaliyah Edwards scored 15 points and Brittney Sykes contributed 12 of her 14 during a game-defining first quarter as the Washington Mystics won their fifth straight road game, demolishing the Chicago Sky 89-58 on Wednesday.
Sykes scored six straight points during a 10-0 run that highlighted a first quarter in which Washington shot 47.6 percent, went 4-for-10 from 3-point range and held a 14-7 rebounding advantage to go ahead 29-13.
That effort set the tempo for the Mystics (12-24), who are tied with the Atlanta Dream (12-24) for ninth place in the WNBA with four games remaining. The Sky (13-23) hold the eighth and final playoff spot.
The Mystics have won six of their past eight games overall, with five of those victories coming on the road.
Chennedy Carter had 16 points for Chicago, which shot 35.7 percent and committed 15 turnovers while losing for the eighth time in 10 contests. Isabelle Harrison and Kamilla Cardoso combined for 23 points and 16 rebounds for the Sky, who are 1-1 since losing star rookie Angel Reese to a season-ending wrist injury.
The Sky shot 1-for-8 from 3-point range while being held to fewer than 60 points after scoring 92 apiece while winning each of their previous two contests.
Despite falling into a sizable first-quarter hole, Chicago found some life while outscoring Washington by two in the second quarter. However, Edwards, who entered the game averaging just 7.6 points during her rookie campaign, scored her first of 10 third-quarter points and Julie Vanloo hit back-to-back 3-pointers to build the lead to 51-33.
Washington went on to outscore the Sky 28-19 in the third to take complete control and move closer to playoff position.
Ex-Sky forward Sika Kone had 11 points for the Mystics, who made half of their 68 shots and shot 9 for 33 from 3-point range (39.1 percent).
In addition to Reese’s absence, the Sky also played without veteran Diamond DeShields (ankle).
–Field Level Media
ACES’ A’JA WILSON BREAKS SINGLE-SEASON SCORING MARK IN WIN OVER FEVER
A’ja Wilson broke the WNBA single-season scoring record to add a milestone to an MVP season and her double-double led four players in double figures as the visiting Las Vegas Aces stopped the host Indiana Fever 86-75 on Wednesday night in Indianapolis.
Wilson, a two-time MVP, entered the game 10 points shy of the previous mark of 939 set by Jewell Loyd last season. She scored her 11th and 12th points on a jumper with 26 seconds left in the first half and finished the game with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Wilson, who was averaging a league-best 12.7 points entering the contest, set the record in her 35th game, while Loyd played in 38.
Las Vegas improved to 23-13, enabling the Aces to stay in fourth place in the WNBA standings with four regular-season games remaining. The top four seeds get homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs that start later this month.
Alysha Clark and Tiffany Hayes came off the bench to score 14 and 12 points, respectively, for the Aces. Starter Chelsea Gray added 11 as Las Vegas earned a 30-11 advantage in bench points.
Kelsey Mitchell scored 24 to pace Indiana (19-18), marking the 10th time in 11 games that she’s scored at least 20 points. Caitlin Clark added 16 and six assists but endured one of her worst shooting nights of the year, hitting just 6 of 22 from the field and 1 of 10 on 3-pointers.
In beating the Fever for the 14th straight time, the Aces played tough, physical defense. Indiana made only 39.7 percent of its field goals, going 7 of 26 on 3-pointers, and committed 14 turnovers.
The Fever got off to a quick start, establishing a 15-10 lead just over six minutes into the game on an Erica Wheeler jumper. But Hayes drilled a 3-pointer to finish a 10-3 burst and give Las Vegas a 20-18 edge after one quarter.
Alysha Clark canned a 3-pointer at the 1:47 mark of the second quarter to make it 39-27 for the Aces. But Caitlin Clark responded with a floater that pulled Indiana within 41-32 at halftime.
The Fever edged within 49-48 during a wild third quarter that featured three replay reviews. However, the Aces regained control and pushed the margin back to 64-57 heading to the fourth period.
–Field Level Media
GOLF NEWS
2024 PROCORE CHAMPIONSHIP: PREVIEW, PROPS, BEST BETS
The eight-event FedEx Cup Fall slate tees off with this week’s Procore Championship at Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif.
Formerly the Fortinet Championship, the event begins the race to secure PGA Tour cards and status for next season for the majority of the field. There is a smattering of marquee names in the field, and our golf experts preview the event while providing their favorite prop picks and best bets to win this week.
PROCORE CHAMPIONSHIP
Location: Napa, Calif., Sept. 12-15
Course: Silverado Resort, North Course (Par 72, 7,123 Yards)
Purse: $6M (Winner: $1.08M)
Defending Champion: Sahith Theegala
FedEx Cup Leader: Scottie Scheffler
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday: 6-9 p.m. ET; Friday-Saturday: 6:30-9:30; Sunday: 6-9 p.m. (All times Golf Channel)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., 6:30-9:30 p.m. ET; Friday: 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
X: @ProcoreChamp
PROP PICKS
–Luke Clanton To Make Cut (-360 at DraftKings): The potential payout isn’t great, especially when considering Clanton is still an amateur. But he’s not your typical amateur on tour, either. Clanton has made six previous starts on tour this year, missing only one cut while posting three top-10s and making the weekend at the U.S. Open. The top-ranked amateur in the world, Clanton should fare well against a relatively soft field.
–Wyndham Clark & Corey Conners Both to Finish Top 20 (+185 at FanDuel): Both are in this week’s field in part to stay sharp for the Presidents Cup. Clark finished 38th here two years ago while Conners missed the cut. But they’re also two of the top three pre-tournament favorites and both enter the week in solid form of late.
–Min Woo Lee Top Oceania Player (-200 at DraftKings): It has been a difficult first full year on tour for Lee, who enters with two missed cuts in his past three stroke-play events. He did make the first round of the playoffs, finishing T22 at the FedEx St. Jude, and tied for second at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He’s also going against modest competition in this prop pitting him against Aaron Baddeley (+360), Tim Wilkinson (+1000) and Jeffrey Guan (+1000).
2024 Prop Picks Record: 43-50-1
BEST BETS
–Theegala (+1200 at DraftKings) is defending his maiden title on tour, having won by two shots over S.H. Kim. He leads the field with 9 percent of the total bets and 13 percent of the money backing him to win.
–Wyndham Clark (+1200) has six top-15s in his past seven starts, including a T8 at the Tour Championship. He is second with 6 and 10 percent of the action, respectively.
–Corey Conners (+1400) is coming off a T22 at the BMW Championship in his most recent start and is one of the most accomplished players in the field.
–Maverick McNealy (+2000) played less than two hours away at Stanford. He missed the cut here two years ago but does have a decent track record on the West Coast and is third in the field with 8 percent of the money backing him to win his first PGA Tour event.
–Max Homa (+2200) hasn’t posted a top-10 since May, but is a two-time event champion (2021-22) and finished seventh last year. The California native has been backed by 7 percent of the money.
NOTES
–The FedEx Cup Fall schedule finalizes the top 125 players who will retain exempt status for 2025. Nos. 126-150 after the fall will retain conditional status. Players who finished Nos. 51-70 in the FedEx Cup have secured their tour cards, but are competing for spots in the first two signature events after the season-opening The Sentry.
–Theegala will defend his title, but at No. 3 in the FedEx Cup he has already secured his exempt status into all signature events in 2025.
–Top-ranked amateur Luke Clanton is in the field on a sponsor exemption. He has already posted three top-10 finishes in six PGA Tour events this year. Other sponsor exemptions include Neal Shipley, the low amateur at this year’s U.S. Open, along with Wenyi Ding, the fourth-ranked amateur in the world.
–Field Level Media
TOP INDIANA SPORTS HEADLINES/NEWS RELEASES
INDIANA FEVER
FEVER LEARN WHAT IT TAKES TO WIN IN LOSS AGAINST FORMER CHAMPS
By Madie Chandler | FeverBasketball.com
The Indiana Fever are WNBA Playoffs bound, but first must close out a historic season for the franchise as they steamroll through their post-Olympic schedule. After winning eight out of their 10 games since the break, Indiana fell to Las Vegas on Wednesday, 86-75. In the first of two matchups against A’ja Wilson and the Aces this week, the rematch coming on Friday, the Fever are treating the mini-series as a pre-playoff test.
“You don’t get [any] better than that from a seeing where you are standpoint,” Kelsey Mitchell said of the series against Las Vegas. “…As a leader it’s my job to make sure that we have confidence, because even though we lost, things like that go away. Confidence is always going to improve everything else.”
Mitchell is a seven-year veteran of the WNBA – all with the Indiana Fever. This year is the first season the Fever have qualified for the WNBA Playoffs since Mitchell was drafted second overall in 2018. She led Indiana in scoring in the loss on Wednesday with her 24-point night.
Both teams boasted efficient offenses entering Wednesday’s matchup – Las Vegas with the WNBA’s best points per game average with 86.4, but Indiana didn’t trail far behind with their own 84.7 per game average. Holding the Aces to their scoring average showed a defensive grit that coach Christie Sides hopes to carry into Friday’s matchup.
“I think the one thing I saw out of that group down the stretch was a dog mentality to get the next stop,” Mitchell said. “We made a really good run down the stretch of the game and I think they turned it on during that timeout…And I think that great teams turn to a different person, a different beast, a different group, when you come out of [timeouts].”
The Fever were outscored in all but one quarter despite jumping out to an early 7-0 lead in the first. They forced Las Vegas to take a timeout just 36 seconds into the game, the Aces went on to win the first quarter 20-18 after the stoppage.
Indiana struggled from the field – they made under 40 percent of their field goal attempts – but were successful on just 26.9 percent of their 3-point attempts. Sharpshooting Caitlin Clark posted a 27 percent shooting night in which she made just one of her 10 3-point attempts.
“Overall, I didn’t feel like I played bad,” Clark said. “I felt as a group, we really struggled to make shots that we had been making, really since the start of the second half. And sometimes that’s basketball. I mean, they’re a great defensive team. You know they’re going to be physical with me. They’re strong, so that can kind of wear you down through the process of the game.”
Clark played all 45 minutes in Indiana’s overtime win over the Atlanta Dream on Sunday, and added another 37 minutes in Wednesday’s loss. She and her Fever teammates will look to a restful Thursday before returning to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday to apply all that they learned about the Aces in Wednesday’s matchup.
INDIANA FOOTBALL
IN BIG TEN DEBUT, UCLA OUT TO CONTAIN INDIANA’S OFFENSE
For the first time in school history, UCLA plays a conference game in a league other than any of the iterations of the Pac-12 when it welcomes Indiana to Pasadena, Calif., in both teams’ Big Ten Conference opener on Saturday.
UCLA (1-0) has been idle since escaping its visit to Hawaii with a 16-13 win on Aug. 31. The victory made for a shaky first impression of the offense under first-year coach DeShaun Foster, with the Bruins failing to score a touchdown on four red-zone opportunities.
However, the defense limited Hawaii to 1.8 yards per rush and the Bruins racked up five sacks.
UCLA needs a similar defensive effort to slow what has been an explosive Indiana offense through its first two games.
Indiana (2-0) pays its first visit to Pasadena since playing in the 1968 Rose Bowl. The Hoosiers have never faced UCLA.
“The Rose Bowl has a lot of tradition,” Hoosiers first-year coach Curt Cignetti said. “For me and the team, it’s more of a business trip. Whether we’re playing in the Rose Bowl or a parking lot, it’s all the same.”
Indiana has yet to play on the road this season. Through two home games, the Hoosiers have been dominant.
Indiana has allowed 10 total points, steamrolling nonconference opponents FIU 31-7 and FCS counterpart Western Illinois 77-3. The 74-point deconstruction of the Leathernecks last Friday did not quite reach the program record for margin of victory, which came in a 76-0 win over Franklin College in 1901.
The Hoosiers did, however, eclipse the school record for points scored in that 1901 contest.
It was quite the initial stamp for Cignetti to put on the program. Coming from James Madison, where he oversaw a successful transition from FCS national championship contention to an 11-win finish in its second FBS campaign, Cignetti dramatically overhauled the Hoosiers’ roster.
Among the experienced Indiana players who have UCLA’s attention is quarterback Kurtis Rourke, a transfer from Ohio University. Rourke was the MAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2022 and is 30-of-41 passing for 448 yards with three touchdowns this season.
–Field Level Media
INDIANA FIELD HOCKEY
INDIANA FALLS TO MIAMI AT HOME
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––– Indiana Field Hockey fell short in a defensive battle on Wednesday, losing to Miami (Ohio), 1-0, at Deborah Tobias Field.
The Hoosiers’ season record now stands at 1-3.
KEY MOMENTS
• Both defenses dictated the pace in the first half as each team was held to 0-0 at the half.
• Not long after the break, Miami’s Claudia Negrete Garcia found the back of the cage in the 32nd minute on a penalty corner. Berta Mata and Carlie Servis assisted on the play.
• Indiana senior Sofia Arrebola Garcia fired a great shot in the 42nd minute on a penalty corner play, but it was narrowly saved by Miami’s Nicky Sjouken.
• Indiana got four shots off in the fourth quarter but could not convert on any.
NOTABLES
• Freshman Sadie Canelli made her first career start in the cage. She made seven saves in her collegiate debut.
• Redshirt senior Sydney Keld and sophomore Elen Nicholls each had a defensive save.
• Two of senior Meghan Dillon’s three shots were on goal.
• Six of Indiana’s ten shots taken were on goal.
UP NEXT
• Indiana will be back in action on Friday afternoon for a home game against Ball State at 3 p.m. at Deborah Tobias Field.
INDIANA WOMEN’S SOCCER
MATCH CENTRAL: INDIANA VS NO. 20 OHIO STATE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana women’s soccer opens Big Ten play with the No. 20 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes on Thursday evening at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
ABOUT THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State holds a 4-1-1 record going into Big Ten play. They are coming off a 1-0 loss to No. 13 Auburn but picked up a ranked win earlier in the season against No. 24 Duke. OSU also battled No. 21 South Carolina to a 1-1 draw. As a team, the Buckeyes have scored 13 goals on 10 assists and hold a .408 shots on goal percentage.
LAST TIME OUT
Indiana closed out non-conference play with an undefeated record of 5-0-1 after they combined for 14 goals in a 5-0 win against Evansville and 9-0 victory versus Lawrence. Freshman forward Layla Sirdah had five goals in the two matches. The Hoosiers saw five other goal scorers and picked up 25 points to tie the single-game record.
SHARING THE SUCCESS
As a team, IU has scored 10 goals on nine assists this season, averaging 2.5 goals per game with 13.7 shots a game. On the defensive side, the Hoosiers picked up their second shutout this season and has only allowed one goal in three matches. They are currently holding their opponents to 6.3 shots a game with an goals scored average of 0.5.
Indiana has saw nine goal different goal scorers this season, with six Hoosiers scoring their first career goals and three gamewinners. The Hoosiers have scored 24 goals on 22 assists with a .489 shots on goal percentage. Senior goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg has five victories and four shutouts on the season.
SIRDAH EARNS B1G AWARDS
Sirdah saw her first Big Ten weekly awards after earning Freshman and Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 10. Sirdah combined for five goals in two games with two assists out of the team’s 14 goals and 13 assists last week. She scored four goals against Lawrence University in the 9-0 win on senior day and scored the gamewinner against Evansville in the fifth minute along with assists in the 5-0 victory over the Aces. She finished the non-conference portion of the season with 17 points, six goals and five assists. In the Big Ten, she currently ranks second in most points and goals and is tied first in the league with five assists.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Sirdah, a native of Duluth, Ga., is the second player in program history to score four goals and tied the most points (8) in a match since Paige Webber in 2023. Her performance against Lawrence helped the Hoosiers tie the most goals (9) and points (25) in a single game since 1998 versus IUPUI.
Gerstenberg is on pace to break the Indiana women’s soccer career victories. She is currently ranked third with 27 career victories in goal. She trails former teammate Bethany Kopel (30) and Merit Elzey with 35 victories. She broke the program’s career shutout record last season and has recorded four shutouts this season bringing her career total to 29.
SHARING THE SUCCESS
As a team, IU has scored 24 goals on 22 assists this season, averaging 4 goals per game with 21.8 shots a game. On the defensive side, the Hoosiers picked up their fourth shutout this season and has only allowed two goals in five matches. They are currently holding their opponents to 5.3 shots a game with an goals scored average of 0.33.
Indiana has 10 different goal scorers this season, with nine Hoosiers scoring their first career goals and five gamewinners. Gerstenberg has five victories and four shutouts on the season.
PURDUE FOOTBALL
GAME 2 PREP: FOOTBALL SET TO HOST #18 NOTRE DAME AT SOLD-OUT ROSS-ADE
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After beginning the season with a 49-0 victory followed by the first bye week of the year, Purdue Football returns to the gridiron by hosting No. 18 Notre Dame at a sold-out Ross-Ade Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
The Shillelagh Trophy is up for grabs, one of three trophy games for Purdue this season (Cannon Trophy – Illinois, Old Oaken Bucket – Indiana).
QUICK HITS
• Legendary Purdue quarterback Gary Danielson will be on the call Saturday as an analyst for CBS. Danielson is a member of the Cradle of Quarterbacks, featuring 12 of the best quarterbacks in program history.
• The matchup with the Fighting Irish is a sellout, as all tickets sold out one day after going on sale to the public.
• The Boilermakers have seven victories over Top 25 teams since 2018 (six seasons), including three wins over Top 5 teams (No. 2 Ohio State in 2018, No. 2 Iowa in 2021, No. 3 Michigan State in 2021).
• Purdue has defeated a ranked Notre Dame 16 times throughout history, including eight times as an unranked team and four times when the Fighting Irish were ranked No. 1 in the country (1950, 1954, 1965, 1967).
• Ryan Walters is looking to become the first Purdue head coach to beat Notre Dame in his first try since Joe Tiller (1997). Tiller’s unranked Purdue defeated No. 12 Notre Dame 28-17 at home (Sept. 13, 1997).
• Purdue quarterback Hudson Card leads the nation in completion percentage (96%) after tying a FBS record against Indiana State, completing 24-of-25 passes for 273 yards and a career-high four touchdowns.
• Walters’ defense leads the Big Ten in scoring defense (0.0 ppg), opponent 3rd down% (8.3%), passing yards allowed (50.0 per game) and TFLs (11.0 per game).
• Purdue tops the Big Ten in total offense (583.0 ypg), while ranking sixth nationally.
• Devin Mockobee is 132 yards away from becoming the 14th Boilermaker in history to rush for 2,000 career yards.
• Sophomore rush end Will Heldt leads the nation in tackles-for-loss (3.0 per game), while ranking second nationally and leading the Big Ten in sacks (2.0 per game).
• Senior linebacker Kydran Jenkins ranks 10th in Purdue history with 17.5 sacks, only 0.5 sack away from passing Jim Schwantz (1988-91) for ninth on the program’s all-time list.
• Tarrion Grant and Shamar Rigby started against the Sycamores, joining Ja’Whaun Bentley (New England Patriots), Jalen Graham (Washington Commanders), George Karlaftis (Kansas City Chiefs) and Dillon Thieneman as the only Purdue freshmen to start a season opener since 2011.
WELCOME HOME, GARY
• A familiar face returns to West Lafayette this weekend in legendary quarterback Gary Danielson.
• A longtime college football analyst for CBS, Danielson will call the game this weekend.
• Danielson (1970-72) is one of 12 QBs that make up Purdue’s Cradle of Quarterbacks.
• In 1971, Danielson led the Big Ten in passing offense with 1,467 yards and was the architect of six of the conference’s 11 longest plays of the season. He set the Big Ten record for passing accuracy that year at 61.7 percent in conference games.
• In the early 1970s, Purdue Athletics commissioned a university artist named Keith Butz to create a poster featuring outstanding Boilermaker quarterbacks of the previous 30 years. That poster featured Bob DeMoss, Dale Samuels, Len Dawson, Bernie Allen, Bob Griese, Mike Phipps and Gary Danielson.
BATTLE FOR THE SHILLELAGH TROPHY
• One of the most played matchups in Purdue Football history, Saturday’s Shillelagh Trophy Game will be the 88th all-time meeting between the Boilermakers and Notre Dame.
• Purdue has only played four opponents more times than the Fighting Irish: Indiana (125), Illinois (99), Iowa (94) and Wisconsin (90).
• Purdue and Notre Dame have played for the Shillelagh since 1957. It was donated by Joe McLaughlin, a merchant seaman and a Fighting Irish fan who brought the club from Ireland. The Shillelagh Trophy game returns to Ross-Ade Stadium for the first time since 2013.
• Purdue claimed three out of five games from Notre Dame from 2003-07, taking ownership of the Shillelagh Trophy in 2003, 2004 and 2007.
RECENT SUCCESS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
• Purdue has beaten seven ranked teams over the past six seasons, going 7-9 against Top 25 opponents despite being the underdog in each one of those games.
• Three of those wins were against Top 3 teams, while Purdue handed five of those ranked teams their first loss of the season.
• The victories during the 2021 campaign (No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Michigan State) gave Purdue multiple wins over Top 5 teams in one season for the first time since 1960 (No. 3 Ohio State, No. 1 Minnesota).
• Five of the seven wins have been by double digits, the biggest being a 29-point victory over No. 2 Ohio State in 2018.
• Purdue has defeated a ranked Notre Dame team 16 times throughout history, including seven wins when the Fighting Irish cracked the Top 5 and four victories when Notre Dame was the No. 1 team in the country (1950, 1954, 1965, 1967).
JACKPOT 7-7-7
• In the 49-0 victory over Indiana State, all seven of Purdue’s touchdowns were scored by different Boilermakers.
• The seven Boilermakers that scored (Elijah Jackson, Max Klare, Reggie Love III, Jaheim Merriweather, De’Nylon Morrissette, Leland Smith, Jaron Tibbs) all found the end zone for the first time in a Purdue uniform.
• Before the 2024 season opener, the last time seven different Boilermakers scored a TD in a game: vs. Eastern Michigan, Sept. 15, 2012.
• Will Heldt and Antonio Stevens led Purdue with seven tackles apiece, both career highs.
• Making his collegiate debut, freshman kicker Spencer Porath was a perfect 7-for-7 on PATs.
THREE-STRAIGHT AT ROSS-ADE
• With the win over Indiana State, Purdue extended its home winning streak to three games, dating back to last season.
• The Boilermakers’ offense found its groove in its final two home games during the 2023 season with a 49-30 win over Minnesota and a 35-31 come-from-behind victory to retain the Old Oaken Bucket against Indiana.
• Purdue tallied over 450 yards of total offense over its last three home games, including a 604-yard outing against Minnesota.
• Hudson Card has thrown for over 250 yards in each game, combining for 799 yards, 10 touchdowns and no interceptions.
• Purdue’s ground game tallied 779 yards, averaging 260 per contest. Devin Mockobee has led the rushing attack with 95 yards per game, including his sixth career rushing 100-yard performance against Minnesota last season.
• Purdue has committed just one turnover in its last three home contests.
HUDDY TUDDY
• Quarterback Hudson Card started his senior season by etching his name in the NCAA record books, completing 24-of-25 passes in the win over Indiana State.
• Completing 96 percent of his attempts, Card tied the FBS record for completion percentage in a single game (min. 20 completions), matching Greyson Lambert (Georgia) in 2015 against South Carolina.
• Card set a new school record, passing Kyle Orton’s old mark of 88.5% set against Ball State in 2004.
• The Austin, Texas, native finished his day with 273 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, playing just a little more than one half of football.
SHUT DOWN THE SYCAMORES
• The Boilermakers dominated on all sides of the ball against Indiana State in a 49-0 shutout, Purdue’s first in a season opener since winning 51-0 over Syracuse in 2004.
• Ryan Walters became the fastest Purdue coach to record a shutout (13 games) since Jim Young in 1977 (9).
• The 59,488 in attendance at Ross-Ade Stadium was the highest tally for a season opener since 2005.
• Twenty-five different Boilermakers set new career highs in the season opener against Indiana State (10 offense, 13 defense, 2 special teams).
• Three Boilermakers made their first career starts, five made their first starts as a Boilermaker, 21 appeared in a game for the first time in their careers and nine suited up for Purdue for the first time.
PURDUE WOMEN’S GOLF
PURDUE IMPROVES IN FINAL ROUND, GAINS EXPERIENCE AT ANNIKA INTERCOLLEGIATE
LAKE ELMO, Minn. – Purdue Women’s Golf wrapped up play at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate Wednesday afternoon at Royal Golf Club, gaining valuable experience against a field that resembled what could be seen at the NCAA Championships in May. After shaving eight strokes off their opening round yesterday, the Boilermakers carved off five more shots in the final round with a 289 (+1).
Purdue finished 21-over for the tournament in 12th place. The Boilermakers’ scores over the final two rounds were in the middle of the pack, but the opening round deficit was too much to overcome.
Momo Sugiyama led the Boilermakers, tying for 23rd on the individual leaderboard (+3). The senior played her best golf of the tournament during the final round, firing a 71 (-1) to match Samantha Brown for Purdue’s lowest round of the week. Sugiyama began the day with a birdie, and another birdie at the short par-4 15th moved her to 2-under. Her round featured four birdies and three bogeys, ensuring a day in red figures.
Freshman Samantha Brown and senior Natasha Kiel tied for 30th at 6-over. Brown balanced four birdies, two on each side, with four bogeys for an even-par 72 on Wednesday. The Boilermaker freshman played the final 36 holes 1-under against some stiff competition, proving that she belongs. Kiel began her final round with back-to-back birdies before a double bogey brought her back to level par. She added two more birdies on the opening nine to make the turn at 2-under. A tough nine coming in led to a 73 (+1), although Kiel birdied her final hole of the tournament for her team-high fifth birdie of the day.
Senior Jocelyn Bruch shot 73 (+1) as well, her best round of the tournament, to tie for 39th (+8). She made three birdies throughout her final round, two coming on a pair of par-5s (Nos. 9 and 18).
Following back-to-back tournaments to start the season, Purdue has a week off before returning to action. Up next, the Boilermakers look to make their second title defense of the season by returning to East Lansing, Michigan for the Mary Fossum Invitational (Sept. 22-23), hosted by Michigan State. Purdue won last year’s tournament by 10 strokes.
BOILERMAKERS
T23. Momo Sugiyama: 73-75-71—219 (+3)
T30. Natasha Kiel: 76-72-73—221 (+5)
T30. Samantha Brown: 78-71-72—221 (+5)
T39. Jocelyn Bruch: 75-76-73—224 (+8)
T57. Jasmine Kahler: 78-77-78—233 (+17)
TEAM LEADERBOARD
1. South Carolina: 276-281-276—833 (-31)
2. Oregon: 290-287-281—860 (-4)
3. Wake Forest: 276-298-287—861 (-3)
4. Arizona State: 294-289-279—862 (-2)
5. Duke: 291-286-289—866 (+2)
6. UCLA: 293-295-283—871 (+7)
7. Cal: 291-291-290—872 (+8)
8. Iowa State: 282-302-290—874 (+10)
T9. Minnesota: 286-298-293—877 (+13)
T9. Clemson: 294-296-287—877 (+13)
11. UCF: 291-296-296—883 (+19)
12. Purdue: 302-294-289—885 (+21)
PURDUE WOMEN’S SOCCER
BIG TEN SEASON BEGINS AT NORTHWESTERN
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue soccer team opens Big Ten play at Northwestern on Thursday, September 12, in Evanston, Illinois.
Kickoff at Martin Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT.
The game will be broadcast live on B1G+, and live stats are available at Northwestern.Statbroadcast.com. Updates also can be found by following and connecting with @PurdueSoccer on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links to follow along are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
Thursday’s matchup marks the beginning of an 11-game Big Ten Conference schedule, with five matches coming at Folk Field and six on the road.
Purdue is 4-2-1 on the season and 1-1-0 away from home. It’s the Boilermakers’ best start to the season since 2021. The Old Gold and Black have been off for the last week following a 1-0 loss to No. 24 Alabama on September 5. That defeat ended a four-game unbeaten streak, where Purdue outscored its opponents 12-2.
Through seven games, senior forward Gracie Dunaway, senior midfielder Abigail Roy and junior forward Chiara Singarella all have a team-high-tying three goals. Dunaway and junior forward Kayla Budish both have a squad-best-tying two assists. Dunaway also paces the team with eight points and seven shots on goal, while Singarella leads the team with 17 shots. Additionally, Dunaway’s two game-winning goals is No. 23 in the NCAA and sixth in the Big Ten. Seven players have at least one goal and seven have one or more assists in 2024.
In goal, sophomore Emily Edwards has started six games and has 17 saves for a .750 save percentage and a 0.83 goals-against average. She has three shutouts, which ranks No. 4 in the Big Ten.
As a team, Purdue has scored 13 goals with nine assists on 70 shots, 35 on target. The Boilermakers have allowed six goals on 71 shots with 21 saves for a .778 save percentage and a 0.86 goals-against average.
Ten Boilermakers have made their Purdue debuts in the first six games of 2024, including freshmen Emilia Deppe and Stephanie Lathrop, whose appearances marked their first collegiate minutes.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
Northwestern enters conference play with a 5-2-0 record and a 3-0-0 mark at home. The Wildcats have won two in a row and four of their last five after a 1-0 home victory over No. 21 Virginia Tech on September 8. NU’s lone goal in the upset win came in the 66th minute.
Kennedy Roesch is second in the country with three game-winning goals, while Caterina Regazzoni is third in the NCAA with a .867 shot accuracy. Roesch and Regazzoni both have three goals and Josie Aulicino has a team-high-tying two assists and a squad-leading 20 shots. Regazzoni’s 13 shots on goal pace the team. Reiley Fitzpatrick has started all seven games in goal and has seven saves for a .583 save percentage and a 0.73 goals-against average with four shutouts.
As a team, Northwestern has scored 11 goals on 92 shots, 44 on goal, with seven assists. The defense has held opponents to five goals and two assists on 37 shots, 11 on frame.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE WILDCATS
Purdue is 17-9-1 all-time against Northwestern and 6-5-2 all-time in Evanston. The two teams have squared off against each other every season since 1999, the Boilermakers’ first Big Ten campaign, including twice in 2007, 2017 and 2020-21. NU has won the last two meetings, 3-0 in Evanston in 2022 and 1-0 at Folk Field a season ago. In 2021, the Boilermakers notched a 1-0 home win in the penultimate game of the regular season. Thursday night will be the third consecutive season that Purdue and Northwestern have faced each other to open the Big Ten season.
LAST TIME OUT: EDGED BY NO. 24 ALABAMA
Facing a ranked opponent for the first time in 2024, Purdue suffered a hard-fought, 1-0 loss to No. 24 Alabama on September 5 at Folk Field. The game’s lone goal was scored in the 26th minute.
In their final non-conference game of the campaign, the Boilermakers saw their three-game win streak and four-match unbeaten streak come to an end. The Crimson Tide won their sixth in a row, but were held to fewer than two goals for just the second time in 2024. UA also saw its offensive output limited after posting a scoring margin of 16-2 in its last three games.
Purdue had 11 shots, two on frame, and Alabama registered 12 shots, seven on goal. The home side had a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks. Singarella had a game-high five shots, while junior defender Sabrina Blount had two shots. Edwards made five saves, one shy of tying her career high.
A complete recap is available at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
UP NEXT: PRIMETIME AT FOLK FIELD
The Boilermakers are back at Folk Field on Thursday, September 19, for a nationally-televised matchup against USC. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network. Admission is free for all fans, and it also is $2 beer night. The weekend will conclude against No. 22 UCLA on Sunday, September 22, at 1 p.m., in West Lafayette.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S SOCCER
SHIPPING UP TO BOSTON COLLEGE
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The 2024 ACC season is upon us. Over the past couple of years, the Notre Dame women’s soccer team has knocked on the door of both a regular-season title and a tournament championship but have not been able to unlock it. They’ll enter the conference slate on a high note, riding a six-match win streak. To make it seven, the Irish will look to take down a 7-1 Boston College squad on the road.
The Irish and Eagles kick off at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 12, on ACC Network.
THE ACC AWAITS
Since Notre Dame joined the ACC in 2013, the Irish have gone 65-35-11 in conference games. Their .635 winning percentage in league play ranks in the top 4 behind UNC (.864), Virginia (.679) and Florida State (.644).
Notre Dame has been consistent in ACC play over the last three years, achieving at least seven wins during league play (10-league game format) in each.
In addition, the Irish have recorded back-to-back years in which they’ve made the ACC Tournament semifinals in Cary, North Carolina.
A season ago, Notre Dame finished in 2nd place in the ACC and outscored league competition 24-11.
STREAK SEEKERS
Count it up. After dropping a 2-1 decision to a now top-10 ranked Michigan State team in the season opener, No. 13 Notre Dame found its footing with six consecutive wins. Not only that but all six were shutouts, outscoring its opposition 22-0.
That means the Irish defense has produced 584 minutes and 20 seconds of shutout soccer and counting.
If the Irish were to shut out Boston College on Thursday, it would go into the program record book as the third-longest shutout streak.
The top-two program shutout streaks all-time were eight in 1995 and 10 in 2003.
BC Series
Boston College enters the matchup 7-1-0. Notre Dame will be the first-ranked opponent BC will face this season.
The Irish own a commanding 16-1-1 series lead over the Eagles. The lone loss occurred on Nov. 7, 2003, in the Big East Tournament in New Jersey.
ELECTRIC ENGLE
Izzy Engle has entered her name into the breakout star of 2024 conversation. Engle has 10 goals through seven games, with four multi-goal performances.
Her 10 goals are the second most in the country, behind only California’s Karlie Lema who has 11.
However, Engle does lead the country in goals per game at 1.43.
Engle boasts three game-winners (Butler, TCU, Marquette), which ranks second nationally.
Engle’s 21 points rank third in the nation behind California’s Karlie Lema (24) and Pitt’s Sarah Schupansky (22).
Furthermore, Engle’s 3.00 points per game ranks third nationally as well.
Engle recorded the first freshman hat trick in program history since 2008 in Notre Dame’s win at Samford then recorded braces in the win over No. 13 TCU and most recently against NIU.
1-2-3 PUNCH
Notre Dame has developed a three-headed monster in the middle of its midfield. First let’s start with freshman Grace Restovich, another young breakout star of 2024.
Restovich ranks second on the team in points (12), goals (3) and assists (6). The St. Louis native has earned a point in all but one game.
She is coming off a Marquette win in which she recorded three assists.
She ranks second in the country in total assists and fourth nationally in assists per game (0.86). Restovich’s total points and points per game rank sixth in the ACC.
Next, there’s sophomore Charlie Codd, who has recorded a point in 5-of-7 games this season. Codd ranks second on the team in assists with four, which places her fifth in the ACC and 26th nationally.
Lastly, there’s junior Laney Matriano, who was named 1-of-4 team captains for the 2024 season. Holding down the tough No. 6 position, Matriano has now started in 40 of 45 games played at ND.
TRENDING
Notre Dame’s +21 goal differential ranks fifth in the country and second in the ACC.
The defensive backline of Fisher, Gemma and Mills have started together in all six shutouts. Over the six games, the defensive unit have combined in allowing just 26 shots on goal (4.3 per game).
Notre Dame’s scoring offense (3.3) ranks eighth overall and second in the ACC.
There might not be a more dynamic duo in the country right now than Engle and Restovich. Just look at the last four games. At Michigan, Engle earned her first assist with a flick header in which Restovich buried in the net. A few days later at Butler, Restovich returned the favor with a phenomenal first touch which allowed her to attack the Butler backline and made the easy dish to Engle for the finish. Very next game versus NIU, both players scored in the dominant win over NIU. Then against Marquette, a brace for Engle and guess who assisted both – Restovich. In fact, Restovich had a three-assist day.
Also trending is freshman forward Lily Joseph. She has scored in back-to-back games and now has three goals on the year.
Lastly, despite its dominant six-match winning streak in which they haven’t conceded the goal, the Irish slid four spots in the top-25 poll to No. 13 this week.
GOALS STOP HERE
Coach Norman has a talented goalie group at his disposal and both Atlee Olofson and Sonoma Kasica have shown out.
Together the duo, along with the defensive unit, have posted a shutout percentage of 0.857 which ranks third in the nation and tops the ACC. Together — save percentage of .939 which ranks fourth nationally and a 0.286 GAA which ranks 10th.
First, let’s look at sophomore Atlee Olofson. The Austin native has not surrendered a goal this season and is 4-0. She has notched 13 total saves.
She has almost matched last year’s shutout total of five. In 2023, she went 7-3-2 in net with a .763 save percentage and a GAA of 1.17.
Then there’s 5-10 freshman Sonoma Kasica. The St. Petersburg, Florida, native has gotten three starts and has gone 2-1. She earned the shutout at Michigan and made six saves, then posted seven saves in the shutout over NIU. She has 17 total saves on the season with a GAA of 0.67.
Kasica was ranked 44th overall in her recruiting class.
NOTRE DAME VOLLEYBALL
PREVIEW: IRISH ON THE ROAD TO NORTHWESTERN
EVANSTON, Ill. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are back in action this week as they compete against Northwestern for their last road match before opening up in South Bend this weekend.
The Irish will take on Colorado State and Northwestern on Friday and Saturday in the Volleyball On Ice event at Compton Family Ice Arena.
Last weekend, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish advanced to 3-1 on the season after defeating Mississippi State on Sunday, September 8 in the StarkVegas Classic. After falling to Michigan in four sets the night before, the Irish ended the weekend with a big five-set win over the SEC opponent and StarkVegas Classic host, Mississippi State. Phyona Schrader had a stellar performance in the win over Mississippi State. She finished with a triple-double (the only player in the ACC so far to record one) of 18 kills, 25 assists, and 14 digs, also recording a .375 hitting percentage, 4 blocks, and 2 service aces.
NOTRE DAME vs. NORTHWESTERN – Thursday, September 11 at 8 PM ET (7 PM CT)
Location: Evanston, Ill. | Welsh-Ryan Arena
WATCH (B1G+) | LIVE STATS | SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES
HISTORY VS. NORTHWESTERN
This will be the 13th meeting between the Irish and the Wildcats with Notre Dame leading the overall series 8-4. Notre Dame has won the last four matches against Northwestern.
The last match up between the two squads was nearly 20 years ago as they last played on December 2, 2005 (30-27, 32-30, 30-28).
FRESH FACES
Notre Dame’s incoming freshman class ranked 13th in the nation according to Prep Dig.
The Irish welcome six freshman to the team, bringing the Irish to a roster size of 22 – Rockwell’s largest roster since starting in 2022.
The freshman class consists of Grace Langer (MB), Anna Bjork (MB), Kailyn Greene- Gordon (OPP), Mia Radeff (OH), Morgan Gaerte (OH), and Mallory Bohl (MB).
Gaerte was the number one recruit coming out of Indiana, hailing from Angola High School, just a little over an hour from South Bend.
Notre Dame also welcomes setter Ella Sandt to the 2024 squad, a graduate transfer from Saint Mary’s.
KEY RETURNERS
The Irish return five rising sophomores, six rising juniors, a pair of rising seniors, and a pair of graduate students.
Notre Dame’s two graduate students, Hattie Monson and Lauren Tarnoff, are each using their fifth and final seasons to finish their careers at ND. Monson led the Irish with 397 digs last season, while Tarnoff was second on the team last season in blocks (84).
Senior Phyona Schrader is also back for another season with the Irish. Schrader led the conference last season with the only triple double recorded in the ACC. She tallied 14 kills, 22 assists, and 13 digs in the win over Wake Forest at home on November 17, 2023.
Outside hitter Lucy Trump returns for her junior season as she tallied 135 kills and was second on the team with 22 aces. She led the Irish offensively her freshman year with 252 kills.
POINT LEADING PALAZZOLO
Sydney Palazzolo joined the Irish last season after spending her first two seasons as an all-conference standout at High Point.
Palazzolo was named Second Team All-ACC and was a top-5 leader in the ACC in eight different categories last year:
– Total attacks (1,092) – Ranked 1st
– Attacks per set (10.81) – Ranked 1st
– Aces per set (.50) – Ranked 2nd
– Kills per set (3.85) – Ranked 2nd
– Points (461.5) – Ranked 2nd
– Points per set (4.57) – Ranked 3rd
– Service Aces (50) – Ranked 3rd
– Total Kills (389) – Ranked 5th
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S GOLF
WOMEN’S GOLF WRAPS UP COMPETITION AT FOLDS OF HONOR COLLEGIATE
GRAND HAVEN, Mich. – The University of Notre Dame women’s golf team concluded competition Wednesday, September 11, at the annual Folds of Honor Collegiate golf tournament at the American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven, Michigan. The field of 15 teams took part in a three-day event where the Irish finished 10th overall with a score of 916 (+52). In addition to the competition, the program recognizes the importance of the Folds of Honor Foundation, the American Dunes, and the sacrifices of all who have served.
“The Folds of Honor Collegiate is a tournament unlike any other out there in college golf,” head coach Caroline Powers Ellis. “It was an honor to be in the field and compete for Notre Dame while honoring the first responders and those that risk their lives every day for us. Folds of Honor is an incredible organization making a difference every day and for our team to have those moments in every day this week amidst the competition to take a step back, say a prayer, and be thankful we get to live the lives we do is really special.
“We continue to learn from each round the areas we need to clean up to compete amongst the best teams in the NCAA. Our team showed great resiliency on a demanding golf course but we just made too many mistakes to really contend this week.”
Freshman Bridget Wilkie led the team with a score of 225 (+9) over the course of three days, while rounding out the week with a 72 (E) on Day 3. Wilkie tied for 26th overall in the field with two birdies on the back half of the course Wednesday.
Maya Hunter and Maddy Bante also finished among the top-50 individuals as the duo tied for 41st with a score of 231, each. Bante led the team in birdies during round three with five on Wednesday. Hunter’s four birdies during Tuesday’s afternoon session was a team best in Round 2.
Montgomery Ferreira joined her fellow teammates in the top-50 with a 45th-place finish and score of 232 (+16). Faustine Errecade also competed in Grand Haven and finished 72nd overall.
“We took some good steps forward but will be working hard these next two weeks to prepare for the Mary Fossum,” Powers Ellis concluded.
The team returns to action next weekend at the Mary Fossum Invitational in East Lansing, Michigan, September 22-23.
BUTLER VOLLEYBALL
BUTLERVB HEADS WEST FOR THE GCU CLASSIC
PHOENIX, ARIZ — The Bulldogs get set to head west for the GCU Classic. Butler will face off in three matches from Friday to Sunday against Pacific, Grand Canyon, and Portland State.
Bulldog Bits
-The Bulldogs currently hold a 2-4 record and rank 9th in the BIG EAST standings
-Butler lost 3-1 to IU Indy last Wednesday before bouncing back and beating Indiana State in both matches including a 3-0 sweep last Friday and then a 3-1 win on Saturday.
-Destiny Cherry was recognized in this week’s BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
-Cherry set new career-high with 11 total blocks and four solo blocks against IU Indy
-Cora Taylor became first Bulldog since 2018 to have six serving aces in a match
-Taylor is up to three double-doubles this season after earning two last week
-Abby Maesch has yet to have less than 10 kills in a match this season
-Maesch earned her first double-double of the season with 14 kills and 11 digs
-Grace Boggess is now just seven total blocks away from 200 career blocks
-Cherry is just one kill away from reaching 300 career kills
-Maesch is just five kills away from reaching 500 career kills and two digs away from 200 career digs
-BU has only faced off against Pacific once in 2019 falling in five sets
-This will be the first meeting between the Bulldogs and both GCU and Portland State
SCOUTING PACIFIC: The Tigers head into the invitational with the best record out of any team. Pacific began the 2024 campaign in Las Vegas going 1-2 knocking off Northwestern 3-2 before then falling to Iowa State 2-3 and UNLV 0-3. The following weekend, the Tigers bounced back winning three straight matches over Yale, South Carolina Upstate and College of Charleston. The Bulldogs have only faced off against Pacific once in their history with the Tigers taking the match 3-2 in 2019.
Grad student Alexa Edwards enters as the team’s top offensive weapon averaging 4.04 kills per set while also amassing the second most digs (2.56 per set).
SCOUTING GRAND CANYON: The Antelopes have started the season with a 3-3 record. GCU has wins over Oregon State and Montana, and their losses have all been close including taking both No. 12 Oregon and Fresno St. to five sets. Saturday will be the first time the Bulldogs and Antelopes have faced off.
Tatum Parrott leads the team with 105 kills (4.20 per set) while Trista Strasser holds a team-high 26 total blocks this season.
SCOUTING PORTLAND ST: The Vikings have struggled this season falling to an early 0-6 record. They have only won four sets this season, losing in five sets to San Diego St. and Nevada while they were swept in the other four matches. This will also be the first meeting between Butler and Portland St. in program history.
One of the bright spots on this roster has been Makayla Lewis who leads the team with 63 kills and is third in digs with 49.
PREVIOUS MATCHES: The Bulldogs are coming off a week filled with major improvement after earning their first wins of the season. They kicked off the week at IU Indy falling in four sets with the last three sets all having a score of 25-23. Butler turned their season around at the home opener against Indiana State sweeping them in three sets before beating them again the next day in four sets.
Abby Maesch reached double-digit kills in all three of the matches this week collecting a team-high 37 kills (3.36 per set) while Elise Ward capped off a match-high 16 kills and 16 digs in Saturday’s match against the Sycamores.
DOMINANT AT THE NET: The key to Butler’s last two victories has been their success at the net. Middle blockers Destiny Cherry and Grace Boggess have been a brick wall combining for 47 total blocks. Cherry leads the team with 24 blocks, including 6 solo blocks, while Boggess is just behind with 23 blocks, including 4 solo blocks. As a team, the Bulldogs currently hold the best average in the BIG EAST with 2.73 blocks per set, which also ranks 30th in the country.
The Bulldogs collected 21 total blocks during the four set loss to IU Indy last Wednesday. This was the first time Butler had 20 or more blocks in a match since they collected 21 against Marquette on Mar. 5, 2021.
BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL: Destiny Cherry was selected for the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after her big performances last week. The senior middle blocker totaled 18 blocks, six solo, with 20 kills (1.82/set) to help lead Butler to a 2-1 record.
Against IU Indy, Cherry set new career-highs with 11 total blocks and four solo blocks.
YOUNG PUP STEPPING UP: The Bulldogs have big shoes to fill at the libero position after 3x BE Libero of the Year Jameson Kinley graduated last season. However, first-year Lauren Evans has already shown flashes of success collecting a team-high 77 digs (3.50 per set).
Evans has collected double-digit digs and at least one serving ace in each of her first six matches.
TAYLOR MAKES HISTORY: Junior setter Cora Taylor had many aces up her sleeve Friday night after becoming the first Bulldog to record six serving aces in a match since Bri Lilly reached this mark in 2018 against St. John’s. She had more serving aces in this match alone than the team has totaled in three of the last four matches.
Taylor also added 26 assists and 10 digs to earn her second double-double of the season.
WATCH: Bulldog fans can tune into the live streams on ESPN+ for Saturday as well as GCU Lopes Live for Friday and Sunday.
UP NEXT: Butler will head home next weekend to host the annual Butler Invitational with matches against Ball State, Bellarmine and Wright State.
The first match against Ball State will kick off on Thursday Sep. 19 at 7 PM followed by a match the next day at 7 PM against Bellarmine. They will then close out the weekend on Saturday at 3 PM against Wright State.
BUTLER BASKETBALL
OPEN PRACTICES SCHEDULED FOR BOTH BUTLER MEN’S AND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Fans of Butler Basketball will get their first opportunity to see the teams in action as open practices have been announced for both programs.
The men’s basketball program will welcome fans to Hinkle Fieldhouse Saturday, Sept. 28. As part of Butler University’s Family Weekend, the men’s team will open their practice that morning at 10:30 a.m. with a scheduled conclusion at approximately noon. The Butler Football team hosts a football game at 1 p.m. that day.
As part of Homecoming Weekend, the women’s basketball program will open their practice Saturday, Oct. 5 from 10-11 a.m. The Homecoming football game features the Bulldogs hosting Morehead State soon after at 1 p.m.
Season tickets for Butler men’s and women’s basketball remain on sale, providing the best seating locations still available for the upcoming season. Contact the Butler Ticket Office at tickets@butler.edu or 317-940-DOGS (3647) to place your order.
Both teams have announced their respective non-conference schedules. The BIG EAST portion of the schedule is anticipated to be announced soon. Mini-plan and single-game tickets will be available for purchase in the coming weeks.
IU-INDY WOMEN’S SOCCER
WOMEN’S SOCCER TO CLOSE NON-CONFERENCE SLATE AT BALL STATE
MUNCIE, Ind. – The IU Indianapolis women’s soccer team will cap it’s non-conference schedule on Thursday (Sept. 12) when the Jaguars travel to Ball State for a 4:00 p.m. kickoff. Thursday’s contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The Jaguars collected their first win of the season with a 2-0 romp over Eastern Illinois last Thursday (Sept. 5) and followed up with a 3-1 home loss to Butler on Sunday (Sept. 8). Sophomore forward Caroline Kelley scored a goal in each game, including the game-winner against EIU.
Newcomer Ella Green also tallied in the EIU victory for her first career score. For the season, Kelley leads the squad with three goals while junior midfielder Emma Frey has a goal and two assists. Graduate-transfer Maia Ransom also has two assists on the season.
In goal, senior Ashton Kudlo has registered double-digit saves in two of the team’s last three outings, including a career-high 12 against Butler on Sunday. For the season, Kudlo has a 2.00 goals against average and .727 save percentage in her seven starts while graduate transfer Emily Keck has played a pair of scoreless halves behind her.
Head coach Chris Johnson’s squad has been the walking wounded to start the year as only 10 players have played all seven contests. Frey (619) and sophomore Katie Hoog (602) lead the team in minutes played, followed closely by Ransom (592) and Kelley (573). Both Ransom and Kelley have split time between forward and defensive spots due to injuries along the team’s back line.
QUOTABLE: “Obviously, we’ve had a really tough season so far, but I think throughout the season, it’s going to really carry over into conference. We’re playing teams that are harder and more challenging than what we are going to (play) in conference and we’re all really learning how to battle and play as a team as we progress through the season so far,” Frey said following the loss to Butler.
SCOUTING BALL STATE: Ball State is 4-2 on the year and 2-1 at home with the lone loss coming to Indiana. The Cardinals beat Purdue Fort Wayne and Queens at home and also own a road win at Michigan this season. Delaney Caldwell leads the BSU attack with 13 points (5 goals, 3 assists) and Addie Chester owns 12 points (4 goals, 4 assists). In goal, Grace Konopatzki has a 1.33 goals against average and .692 save percentage with a 2-2-0 record in five starts.
SERIES RESULTS: IU Indy is 3-5-2 all-time against Ball State and 1-2-1 in four contests in Muncie. The Jaguars won the most recent meeting in the series, 1-0, in September 2017 in Indianapolis.
UP NEXT: The Jaguars will open Horizon League play on Sunday, Sept. 22 against Cleveland State at 1:00 p.m.
IU-INDY VOLLEYBALL
WOMEN’S SOCCER TO CLOSE NON-CONFERENCE SLATE AT BALL STATE
MUNCIE, Ind. – The IU Indianapolis women’s soccer team will cap it’s non-conference schedule on Thursday (Sept. 12) when the Jaguars travel to Ball State for a 4:00 p.m. kickoff. Thursday’s contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The Jaguars collected their first win of the season with a 2-0 romp over Eastern Illinois last Thursday (Sept. 5) and followed up with a 3-1 home loss to Butler on Sunday (Sept. 8). Sophomore forward Caroline Kelley scored a goal in each game, including the game-winner against EIU.
Newcomer Ella Green also tallied in the EIU victory for her first career score. For the season, Kelley leads the squad with three goals while junior midfielder Emma Frey has a goal and two assists. Graduate-transfer Maia Ransom also has two assists on the season.
In goal, senior Ashton Kudlo has registered double-digit saves in two of the team’s last three outings, including a career-high 12 against Butler on Sunday. For the season, Kudlo has a 2.00 goals against average and .727 save percentage in her seven starts while graduate transfer Emily Keck has played a pair of scoreless halves behind her.
Head coach Chris Johnson’s squad has been the walking wounded to start the year as only 10 players have played all seven contests. Frey (619) and sophomore Katie Hoog (602) lead the team in minutes played, followed closely by Ransom (592) and Kelley (573). Both Ransom and Kelley have split time between forward and defensive spots due to injuries along the team’s back line.
QUOTABLE: “Obviously, we’ve had a really tough season so far, but I think throughout the season, it’s going to really carry over into conference. We’re playing teams that are harder and more challenging than what we are going to (play) in conference and we’re all really learning how to battle and play as a team as we progress through the season so far,” Frey said following the loss to Butler.
SCOUTING BALL STATE: Ball State is 4-2 on the year and 2-1 at home with the lone loss coming to Indiana. The Cardinals beat Purdue Fort Wayne and Queens at home and also own a road win at Michigan this season. Delaney Caldwell leads the BSU attack with 13 points (5 goals, 3 assists) and Addie Chester owns 12 points (4 goals, 4 assists). In goal, Grace Konopatzki has a 1.33 goals against average and .692 save percentage with a 2-2-0 record in five starts.
SERIES RESULTS: IU Indy is 3-5-2 all-time against Ball State and 1-2-1 in four contests in Muncie. The Jaguars won the most recent meeting in the series, 1-0, in September 2017 in Indianapolis.
UP NEXT: The Jaguars will open Horizon League play on Sunday, Sept. 22 against Cleveland State at 1:00 p.m.
BALL STATE WOMEN’S SOCCER
SOCCER HOSTING IU INDY THURSDAY TO WRAP UP NONCONFERENCE PLAY
The Ball State soccer team remains at home for its second contest of a three-match homestand when it hosts IU Indy at 4 p.m. on Thursday at the Briner Sports Complex.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+, and links to the video stream and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page.
The Cardinals (4-2) have won three in a row and will look to continue the winning streak against the Jaguars (1-5-1). IU Indy changed its name from IUPUI over the summer.
Ball State leads the historical series with the Jaguars 5-3-2, but the two squads haven’t faced off since 2017. This will be the Cardinals’ fourth in-state opponent of the year after playing Purdue Fort Wayne, Indiana and Butler for the first three games of the year in August.
The Cardinals exploded for six goals in the second half Sunday to beat Queens 7-1 in Muncie. The seven goals represented only the third time in program history that high of an offensive output has been reached. Ball State hadn’t scored seven goals in a match since 2001 (Oct. 1 vs Taylor).
Junior forward Delaney Caldwell was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week for her efforts against both Austin Peay and Queens when she scored the game-winning goals in both matches and added three assists against the Royals.
SCOUTING IU INDY: The Jags are coming off a 3-1 loss vs common opponent Butler last Sunday and tied Toledo 1-1 in the season opener on Aug. 15 in Indianapolis. IU Indy got its first win of the year last Thursday against Eastern Illinois (2-0).
The Jaguars stand at second in the 11-team Horizon League in saves per game (5.86) and third in total assists (six) and assists per game (0.86).
Sophomore forward Caroline Kennedy’s three goals on the year are the most in the Horizon League, while her 57.1 shot on goal percentage is the second-best in the league.
Up Next
The Cardinals get the weekend off before concluding their three-game homestretch and beginning MAC play at 4 p.m. on Sept. 19 against Bowling Green.
BALL STATE FIELD HOCKEY
VAN HAL’S OT GAME-WINNER LIFTS FIELD HOCKEY PAST SAINT LOUIS
SAINT LOUIS, Mo. – Junior Emma van Hal scored the game-winning goal in overtime to push the Cardinals past Saint Louis by a score of 3-2 Wednesday afternoon at the SLU Field Hockey Complex.
With the win, Ball State improved to 1-2 overall while Saint Louis drops to 0-3.
The Cardinals have now extended their win streak to six in a row over the Billikens.
van Hal netted the game-winning goal at the 64:47 mark in overtime after teammate Julia Verrati handed her the assist. It was van Hal’s third goal of the season.
The Billikens took the early 1-0 edge over the Cardinals just seconds into the opening frame. Ball State looked strong offensively with a season high six shots on goal in the first quarter and six corners but was unable to capitalize on those opportunities.
It was a scoreless second quarter as both teams would ramp up their defenses. SLU got three shots off early in the frame but BSU goalie Hannah Johnston stopped all three attempts to keep it a 1-0 ball game at intermission.
After the break, van Hal found Emma Hilton for her seventh goal of her career at the 6:03 mark of the third quarter to knot the game, 1-1. The score would remain tied as both teams headed into the final frame of action.
Paloma Gomez Rengifo found the back of the cage with 49:42 on the clock in the fourth stanza to give BSU the 2-1 edge over SLU. The Cardinals remained in control until a late corner was called as time was winding down allowing the Billikens to knot the score 2-2 and send the contest into the extra period.
The Ball State field hockey team continues road action when it travels to Big Ten foe Indiana Friday for a 3 pm ET start in Bloomington.
INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S SOCCER
SYCAMORES BACK AT HOME WITH THURSDAY EVENING MATCHUP AGAINST EASTERN ILLINOIS
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State returns home to Memorial Stadium on Thursday night as the Sycamores host Eastern Illinois for a non conference matchup. Kickoff between the Sycamores and the Panthers is set for 7 p.m. ET with the game set to be carried live on ESPN+.
Indiana State (4-2-1) started the 2024 season off with a three game winning streak at Memorial Stadium before they fell on a road opening match at UT Martin with a score of 2-1. ISU won a matchup on the road at SEMO, 3-0 over the Redhawks before they tied 1-1 against Bellarmine. Indiana State fell for the second time this season to Marshall 1-0 on Sunday afternoon, when The Herd picked up the game winning goal in the 85th minute of play.
The Sycamores hold a 9-6-5 all-time series lead over the Panthers. Thursday will serve as the 21st meeting between these two teams after recording a draw each of the last two seasons (1-1 in 2023 and 0-0 in 2022) with the Sycamores winning the two previous meetings before the ties.
The Sycamores are ranked second overall in the Missouri Valley Conference rankings after seven games of play. ISU ranks first in points (59), assists (17), goals-against-average (0.57), and tied in first for most goals scored (21).
Sycamore Standouts:
The Sycamores will look to bounce back this week after struggling to gain traction against Marshall at the Hoops Family Field on Sunday. ISU was outshot 20-10, including a goal scored in the final 5 minutes of the contest. Maddie Alexander posted six saves for the Sycamores and Alexa Mackey, Alex Lehnert, Wimberley Wright, and Lina Fasquelle each recorded shots on goal in the loss.
Alexander remains the team’s top goalkeeper of the season starting in all seven matches with a 0.62 goals-against-average. The Battle Creek, Mich. native has posted 36 saves on the season (2nd in MVC) while being tied for first in the conference with three shutouts. Alexander continues to lead the Valley with a .900 save percentage in the 2024 season.
The Sycamores have scored 21 goals over the 2024 season paced by Mackenzie Kent’s four on the year, while Alexa Mackey and Alex Lehnert and each found the back of the net three times. Kent is tied in the MVC for first with most goals scored this season. Mackey leads the Sycamores with 16 shots and 10 shots on goal in 2024, while Lehnert has 13 shots with nine on target on the year.
Wimberley Wright continues to pace the ISU offense, where the Denton, Texas native has lead the Missouri Valley Conference for four straight weeks, where she records five assists in 474 minutes of play.
Brooklyn Woods records the most minutes for ISU (554) behind Alexander (584), where she has been a constant threat offensively recording two goals scored, one assist, five points, with a 0.667 shot on goal percentage this season.
Scouting Eastern Illinois:
EIU enters Thursday’s matchup with a 2-4-2 record on the 2024 season. The Panthers lost both of their contests last week falling at IU Indy and at home against Northern Illinois.
Dirk Bennett enters his second season at the helm for the Eastern Illinois women’s soccer team after serving as the Panthers assistant women’s soccer coach since July of 2019. Bennett became the seventh head coach in program history in February of 2023.
Alex Tetteh leads the Panthers offensively as she was named the OVC Offensive Player of the Week after her performances against Illinois Springfield and Eastern Kentucky. Tetteh recorded a hat trick in the win over UIS scoring all three of her goals in the opening twenty minutes. She has 15 shots, with six on goal this season.
Ashlyn Hoover has been the lone goalkeeper for EIU this season and was named the Ohio Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Week following her performances against Valparaiso and Purdue Fort Wayne. Hoover made eight saves and posted a goals-against-average of 0.50 that week. Hoover records 28 saves in the 2024 season with two shutouts, while allowing 13 goals scored.
Game Day Promo: Thursday’s game will serve as ISU’s Forest game for the 2024 season where there will be a Soccer Forest T-Shirt giveaway for all Forest members. The Honey Creek Middle School Dance Team will be performing at halftime of the matchup.
Up Next:
The Sycamores are back on the road this weekend with a contest against SIUE, on Sunday, September 15 at 3 p.m ET.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S GOLF
MASTODON WOMEN’S GOLF ANNOUNCES 2025 SPRING SCHEDULE
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne women’s golf team will host an event in 2025, highlighting the team’s spring slate, head coach Jim Earle announced.
The Mastodons’ tournament, the Hammock Beach Invitational, will be on March 13-14 in Palm Coast Florida. It is the first time Purdue Fort Wayne has hosted an event since the fall of 2019.
Prior to hosting their spring break tournament, the Mastodons will visit Corpus Christi, Texas to play in the Islander Classic on February 17-18. The following month, the ‘Dons will play in the NKU Spring Fling in Vero Beach, Florida on March 8-9.
After the Hammock Beach Invitational, Purdue Fort Wayne will play in Northern Kentucky’s other event, The Julie, in Batavia, Ohio on March 23-24. Purdue Fort Wayne won the Julie in 2024. The final tune-up for the ‘Dons before the Horizon League Championship is the Indiana State Invitational, which the Mastodons also won a year ago. The league championship will be on April 19-21 in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida at the Mission Inn Resort.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S SOCCER
OVER 1,000 FANS WATCH MASTODONS TOP IU EAST
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s soccer team scored an NCAA Division I era program record 10 goals in a 10-0 victory over IU East on Wednesday (Sept. 11) at the Hefner Soccer Complex.
It was the fifth annual Party at the Pitch presented by Army ROTC. The festivities featured a doubleheader with the Mastodon women’s team, food trucks and giveaways for students. 1,020 fans came out for the event.
While the ‘Dons ended up scoring 10 games in the match, the game was scoreless for the first 27 minutes. In the 28th minute Abe Arellano scored his second goal of the season to put the ‘Dons up 1-0. Two minutes later Arellano and Aidan Antcliff assisted on a goal by Shane Anderson. It was the first of three goals by Anderson in the half. He added a goal in the 36th minute on a penalty kick and a goal in the 43rd minute assisted by Felip Medina. Anderson earned the hat trick in just four shots in the game.
The Mastodons took the 4-0 lead to the half. The ‘Dons played 11 reserve players for the entire final 45 minutes. Dakota Hart opened the scoring in the 64th minute, assisted by Marcos Soria. Hart added another goal, this time in a sliding fashion, in the 76th minute. James Maxwell and Brayden Gillman assisted on Hart’s second goal.
James Maxwell joined Anderson with a hat trick by scoring in the 72nd, 75th and 90th minutes. Brandon Nunez scored his first goal of the season in the 81st minute, assisted by Gillman.
The last time a Mastodon recorded a hat trick was Matthew Lieshout on Aug. 24, 2018 against Marian (Ind.). The last time the ‘Dons had two players with a hat trick in the same game was at Bowling Green on Oct. 28, 2004 when Adam Beckett and Chas Parry both found the back of the net three times. The seven goals the Mastodons scored against Bowling Green in 2004 was the previous program high for goals in a game during the Division I era.
IU East falls to 3-2. The Mastodons improve to 2-2-1. The ‘Dons open Horizon League play on Saturday (Sept. 14).
PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S SOCCER
AUDRIANA RHYNER SCORES FIRST COLLEGIATE GOAL AT PARTY AT THE PITCH
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Audriana Rhyner scored her first collegiate goal as Purdue Fort Wayne women’s soccer fell to Central Michigan 6-1 at Party at the Pitch on Wednesday (Sept. 11).
Party at the Pitch, presented by Army ROTC, included a free jersey giveaway, several local food trucks and activities for over 1,000 attendees.
In a night full of fun, food and festivities, Rhyner was able to capitalize on a great opportunity. Amanda Leonard advanced the ball to Gigi Ricciardi along the left sideline, and Ricciardi was able to place the ball right into Rhyner’s shot.
Central Michigan jumped out to a 4-0 lead at halftime thanks to three goals late in the opening 45.
Purdue Fort Wayne ended with 11 shots on goal on their 13 total shots. Zoe Greenhalge was responsible for four of those shots of goal. The remaining seven SOGs came from seven different Mastodons.
Purdue Fort Wayne falls to 5-3-1 as non-league play comes to an end. Central Michigan improves to 2-4-1. The Mastodons begin Horizon League play next Thursday (Sept. 19) at 7 p.m. against Cleveland State.
EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S SOCCER
UE WOMEN’S SOCCER TO CELEBRATE SENIOR DAY AGAINST UT MARTIN
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The University of Evansville women’s soccer team will honor its graduating players during Thursday night’s match.
UE women’s soccer struggled in its last game against the Indiana Hoosiers. The Aces weren’t able to keep up with the speed of the Hoosiers while in Bloomington, surrendering five goals. Evansville will turn the page on Thursday evening by celebrating its three graduating seniors with Senior Day against UT Martin. UE will recognize forward Hailey Autenrieb (Cincinnati / Seton HS), midfielder Reese Simmons (Las Vegas / Shadow Ridge HS), and forward Ryleigh Anslinger (Evansville, Ind. / Memorial HS) at before Thursday’s game.
The Skyhawks come into tomorrow’s match with a 1-4-2 record. UT Martin’s only win of the season so far came against fellow Missouri Valley Conference team Indiana State on August 29th. The Skyhawks currently have not won a game on the road with three away losses and one tie to Austin Peay. UT Martin is led on offense by senior midfielder Izzy Patterson with two goals and two assists for six points in seven matches.
The Aces currently lead the MVC and are 10th in the nation in saves per game between goalkeepers fifth-year Myia Danek (Laingsburg, Mich. / Laingsburg HS) and sophomore Elke Travis (Henderson, Nev. / Faith Lutherna HS). The two keepers average 7.60 saves a game through five matches this season.
SOUTHERN INDIANA VOLLEYBALL
USI VB RETURNS TO INDIANA INVITATIONAL IN BLOOMINGTON
EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Volleyball returns to the Indiana Invitational in Bloomington at Indiana University for the second year in a row to take the Hoosiers on Friday night at 6 p.m. CT. The Screaming Eagles turn around Saturday to take on Ball State University at 10 a.m. CT and Chicago State University at 6 p.m. CT. All three games will take place at Wilkinson Hall.
Game Coverage & Tickets
All three USI games will be broadcasted on the B10+ network at the links above. Monthly subscriptions are required at $12.99 for access to all weekend broadcasts. Reminder to fans attending the game to adjust their schedules based on eastern time game times, while in Bloomington. Ticket links can also be found at the links above.
Screaming Eagles Headlines
Opening Weekend at Bradley Recap. The Screaming Eagles left the three-game CEFCU Invitational at Bradley University on August 30-31, going 2-1, beating University of St. Thomas 3-1, losing to Depaul University 2-3, and avenging their narrow 2023 loss against Bradley by beating the Braves 3-0.
History made against the Buckeyes. USI’s first opponent at the Florida Invitational at the University of Florida was Ohio State University who received national ranking votes prior to the week. The Eagles fell in four sets but recorded their first power conference set victory in program history with a second set victory. Not only did the Eagles take a set, but were inches away from forcing a fifth set, losing the fourth set 24-26 giving the Buckeyes everything they had. Senior Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) passed out 33 assists and 12 digs.
Swept by the Gators and Bulls. USI hung tough in an intense environment of 4,308 fans showing no nerves trading points with the Gators in set one tied at 20-20. However, USI struggled to finish sets on Saturday falling 21-25, 16-25, 19-25. Sobieralski picked up her fifth-straight double-double, while sophomore Ashby Willis (Mount Carmel, Illinois) led the way with 11 kills. University of South Florida stunned the Gators and Buckeyes before playing the Eagles on Sunday. The Bulls continued their dominance beating the Eagles 18-25, 21-25, 14-25.
Florida Invitational All-Tournament Team. Willis and Sobieralski shinned on the big stage earning spots on the Florida Invitational All-Tournament team. Willis led the team offensively smashing 31 kills (3.10 KPS) with a .207 hitting percentage against stiff competition. She also shinned defensively with 22 digs on four blocks. Sobieralski collected two double-doubles on 80 assists (8.00 APS) on five blocks and a team-leading 28 digs.
Sophomore Production. Sophomore outside hitter Leah Coleman (Hoover, Alabama) and Willis have been huge for USI tied for second best in kills at 56 each. Willis transferred from Purdue University Fort Wayne where she was a Horizon League All-Freshman. Willis is also second in digs at 78. Coleman totaled 17 kills as a freshman blocked by seniors. However, 2024 has seen a breakout season so far tallying 62.5 points already.
The Jas Effect. Aucoin hit the lottery reeling in grad transfer right side Jasmine Green (Rockwall, Texas) from Bradley University who leads the Eagles on and off the floor. Green leads the Eagles offensively with 66 kills, highlighted by her career best 19 kills against Depaul University. Green has also quickly become a pivotal team leader encouraging her teammates vocally and by example.
Stiff Defense. Middle hitters junior Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois) and senior Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana) specialize in denying opponents at the net with 37 total blocks combined. Junior libero Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) has tallied a team-leading 92 digs (4.18 DPS).
Top Notch Service. Freshman Kerigan Fehr (Fairbury, Illinois) led USI with four service aces on the weekend with two in big spots against Ohio State University.
About Indiana. The Hoosiers enter play at 3-2 with wins against Kennesaw State, Wichita State, and UC Davis in the opening weekend. The two losses last week in Austin, Texas cam against the top team in the country University of Texas and the University of Miami who received national votes. IU won 11 conference games in 2023, the most since 1999. The Hoosiers returns its starting setter (Camryn Haworth), starting libero (Ramsey Gary), and the top four pin options from a season ago. Haworth was named pre-season All-Big Ten for the second straight season. USI fell to IU last season in three sets.
About Ball State. The Cardinals started the 2024 season going 3-3 with dominant wins against Seton Hall University, Bryant University, and James Madison University. The Cardinals lone losses came against Florida Atlantic University, #9 University of Kentucky, and #7 Penn State University. The Preseason All-MAC Team nominees for the Cardinals were senior setter Megan Wielonski and redshirt sophomore outside Aniya Kennedy. As a team, Ball State was picked to finish third in the MAC. Kennedy currently leads the Cardinals offensively with 70 kills. Wielonski already has totaled 205 assists. This marks the first match between the two squads.
About Chicago State. The Cougars start the season 2-3 after wins against familiar opponent University of Evansville and Miami (Ohio) University in Evansville last weekend. USI takes on UE twice next week. Chicago State’s losses include Bowling Green State University, University of Cincinnati, and Samford University. Patrycja Lagida has tallied 70 kills to lead the Cougars, while Wiktoria Zagumny leads the way in assists with 162.
SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S SOCCER
EAGLES OPEN 2024 HOME SLATE WITH ANNUAL GOLD GAME
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Soccer opens the 2024 regular season home slate Saturday with the annual Gold Game when it hosts Bellarmine University for a 7 p.m. contest. The first 200 fans will receive gold bracelets to help spread awareness of childhood cancers.
The USI-Bellarmine matchup, which also is part of the USI Men’s Soccer Alumni Weekend, is the start of a five-match homestand that includes contests against former Division II rivals from the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Eagles will take on Bellarmine Saturday; Purdue University Fort Wayne (formerly Indiana University/Purdue University Fort Wayne) September 17; and Lindenwood University (October 3).
In addition to renewing rivalries, the homestand will have the start of the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference schedule when USI hosts Eastern Illinois University September 28.
USI fans can attend all Men’s Soccer 2024 home matches for free, courtesy of a sponsorship from ProRehab. Game coverage for 2024, including links to live stats and/or video streams, can be found on USIScreamingEagles.com. All five of USI’s homestand matches are scheduled to air on ESPN+.
USI Men’s Soccer Week 3 Notes:
Eagles bitten by Bears to finish road trip: The Eagles were bitten by Mercer University Bears, 2-0, in Macon, Georgia, to conclude a five-match road swing.
USI comes up short in Mayor’s Cup: The Eagles came up short in the cross-town matchup with the University of Evansville, 3-1, in the Mayor’s Cup. Freshman forward David Davila (Elkhart, Indiana) had the lone USI goals, giving the Eagles a brief 1-0 lead in the opening half.
Davila’s goal: Freshman forward David Davila posted his first collegiate goal in the match at Evansville.
Nakamae had three goals in three matches: Freshman midfielder Ahiro Nakamae (Mie, Japan) is the first USI freshman to have three goals in his first three matches since Eric Ramirez had three goals in three matches in 2016. Ramirez would go on to score at least a goal in six of his first eight matches and would lead USI in scoring with 21 points on 10 goals and one assist as a freshman in 2016.
USI set for 5-match homestand: The USI-Bellarmine contest is the start of a five-match homestand for the Eagles that includes the start of 2024 Ohio Valley Conference slate. The homestand, which is USI’s longest of the season, also includes meetings with Purdue University Fort Wayne (September 17); Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (September 25), Eastern Illinois University (September 28) and Lindenwood University (October 3).
USI vs. old GLVC foes: USI will be taking on a trio of old Great Lakes Valley Conference foes during the homestand. The Eagles hold a 39-22-3 record against Bellarmine (25-16-2), Purdue Fort Wayne (11-3-1), and Lindenwood (3-3-0) while matching up in the GLVC.
Bellarmine in 2024: Bellarmine is off to a 1-2-2 start to the 2024 campaign. The Knights tied Belmont University, 0-0, Tuesday before coming to USI Saturday.
USI vs. Bellarmine: USI has a 25-16-2 all-time series lead over Bellarmine, dating back to the beginning of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Eagles has the advantage in the last 10 matches, 5-3-2, but the Knights have won the last two (2-0 in 2022; 5-1 in 2019).
Purdue Fort Wayne’s start to 2024: Purdue University Fort Wayne, currently, is 1-2-1 in 2024. The Mastodons host Indiana University East September 11 and the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee September 14 before visiting USI on September 17.
USI vs. PFW: USI will be hosting Purdue Fort Wayne since the Eagles move to Division I and the Mastodons departure from the GLVC. The Eagles have an 11-3-1 series lead over the Mastodons with the last meeting in 2000.
SOUTHERN INDIANA CROSS COUNTRY
USI CROSS COUNTRY GETS FIRST TASTE OF OVC COMPETITION SATURDAY
EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Men’s and Women’s Cross Country gets its first taste of Ohio Valley Conference competition Saturday when the Screaming Eagles toe the line at the University of Tennessee Martin OVC Preview Saturday at Graham Park in Union City, Tennessee.
The women’s six-kilometer race is scheduled to start at 9 a.m., while the men’s 8k is set for a 10 a.m. start time.
USI opened the season August 30 with fourth-place finishes at the Sam Bell Invitational in Bloomington, Indiana. Sophomore Alex Nolan (Evansville, Indiana) finished fifth to lead the men, while senior Audrey Comastri (Indianapolis, Indiana) carded a fourth-place finish to pace the women.
Aiding the Eagles’ women was freshman Hadessah Austin (Attica, Indiana), who was 15th, while sophomore Zoe Seward (Rochester, Indiana) was 16th.
Senior Katie Winkler (Santa Claus, Indiana) and freshman Addison Applegate (Corydon, Indiana) ran to respective finishes of 30th and 31st to round out USI’s top five scorers, while senior Emma Thompson (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) and sophomore Sara Livingston (Jasper, Indiana) wrapped up the Eagles’ top seven with respective finishes of 33rd and 34th.
Sophomores Tyler Zimmerman (Evansville, Indiana) and Landen Swiney (Du Quoin, Illinois) aided the Eagles’ men with respective placements of 20th and 22nd. Senior Brady Terry (Philpot, Kentucky) was 23rd, while sophomore Jackson Collman (Bethalto, Illinois) was 26th.
USI’s top seven was rounded out by sophomore Cole Hess (Cannelton, Indiana) and freshman Andrew Smith (Fishers, Indiana), where were 30th and 32nd, respectively.
Following the UT Martin OVC Preview, the Eagles will race at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Missouri, September 27.
Note: Graham Park in Union City, Tennessee, is the host course for this year’s OVC Championship November 1.
VALPO VOLLEYBALL
VOLLEYBALL READY TO HOST POPCORN CLASSIC FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
Valparaiso (4-2, 0-0 MVC)
Popcorn Classic (Valparaiso, Ind.)
Friday, Sept. 13 – Cornell vs. Purdue Fort Wayne – 9 a.m.
Valpo vs. Miami [Ohio] (4-2) – 11:30 a.m.
Purdue Fort Wayne vs. Miami – 3:30 p.m.
Valpo vs. Cornell (2-1) – 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 14 – Miami vs. Cornell – 10 a.m.
Valpo vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (3-3) – 1 p.m.
Next Up For Valpo Volleyball: The Valpo volleyball team hosts its annual home tournament this weekend, as the Beacons welcome Miami (Ohio), Cornell and Purdue Fort Wayne to the ARC for the two-day, six-match Popcorn Classic.
Looking Ahead: Nonconference play comes to an end for the Beacons next weekend at Wofford’s Terrier Invite.
Following the Beacons: All three of Valpo’s matches this weekend will be broadcast live on ESPN+. All six tournament matches will have live stats available, linked via ValpoAthletics.com.
Head Coach Carin Avery: In her 23rd season as head coach at Valparaiso, Carin Avery is the all-time winningest head coach across all sports in the history of Valpo Athletics. She has won 493 matches (493-245, .668) at the helm of the program and has led Valpo to three league regular season and tournament titles. The program has made seven postseason appearances under Avery, including three NCAA Tournament appearances, and advanced to the championship match of the 2021 NIVC. Avery has coached 62 All-League recipients over her tenure at Valpo, which has spanned three different conferences. She is Valpo’s all-time leader in both victories and winning percentage, and owns a 548-269 (.671) record overall as a head coach.
Series History: Miami – Valpo holds a 5-3 edge in the all-time series against the RedHawks. Last season, the Beacons swept Miami at the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational as they hit .337 as a team, led by 10 kills on .643 hitting from Mallory Januski. Miranda Strongman and Elise Swistek combined for nine aces in the match, while Emma Hickey put up 18 digs.
Cornell – Valpo has won both previous meetings with the Big Red, including a 3-1 win in Cornell’s last visit to the ARC in 2018. Peyton McCarthy paced Valpo in that victory with 14 kills, while Lizzie Zaleski racked up a career-best eight blocks.
Purdue Fort Wayne – The Beacons swept the Mastodons last season at the latter’s home tournament, evening the all-time series at 12-12. Elise Swistek had a big match in that victory, posting 10 kills on .474 hitting and nine digs. Sam Warren delivered seven kills and four blocks as well.
Scouting the Opposition: Miami – The RedHawks come into Valpo with a 4-2 mark this season, including a perfect 3-0 record on opening weekend to win the Norfolk State Invitational. Miami is coming off a 5-25 season in 2023 and was picked to finish in 10th place in the MAC this year.
Cornell – The Big Red opened their season last weekend by going 2-1 at Navy’s Kristen Dickmann Invitational. Cornell posted a 7-16 record last season and came in at fifth in the Ivy League preseason poll.
Purdue Fort Wayne – The Mastodons enter the ARC with a 3-3 record and won Stonehill’s Skyhawk Invitational on opening weekend. Coming off a 10-20 season a year ago, Purdue Fort Wayne was picked to finish seventh in the Horizon League preseason poll.
Valpo Picked Sixth in Preseason Poll: Valpo was picked to finish in sixth place in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2024, according to preseason polling of the conference’s head coaches. The Beacons shared sixth position with Missouri State, while UNI topped the poll. In six of Valpo’s seven seasons in the Valley, the program has met or exceeded its preseason prognostication.
Looking Back at Last Season: Valpo is coming off a third consecutive postseason appearance in 2023, as the Beacons earned an at-large berth in the NIVC. The program posted an 18-15 overall record and went 10-8 in MVC play, finishing in a tie for fifth place in the Valley standings. Miranda Strongman earned First Team All-MVC honors, while Mallory Januski was a Second Team All-MVC honoree.
Who’s Back: This year’s squad returns nine letterwinners from the 2023 team, a group which includes the team’s leader in kills (Elise Swistek) and digs (Emma Hickey). The Beacons return a good bit of their back row defensive production, as 65.7% of the team’s digs from last year are back in 2024.
Who’s Gone: Valpo did graduate a talented class which accounted for a good portion of the team’s front row production last year, as the Beacons return just 37.9% of the kills and 25.3% of the blocks from 2023. Middles Mallory Januski and Miranda Strongman, both All-MVC selections last year, ended their Valpo careers 1-2 in program history in career hitting percentage, while the team also graduated players who ranked among the top-10 in program history in career digs (outside hitter Bella Ravotto) and assists (setter Victoria Bulmahn).
Who’s New: While there’s a lot of production from last year to replace in 2024, there’s also an exciting new class of rookies eager to take on the challenge of stepping up into contributing roles. This year’s squad has nine players with freshman eligibility – one redshirt (Jessica Pickett) and eight true freshmen. The incoming class includes two players who were AVCA High School All-Americans last year (Ava Helming, Second Team; Lilly Merk, Third Team) and three others who were First Team All-State honorees as high school seniors (Jordyn Gove, Drew Glaser, Kadence Brumitt).
Hosting Success: This weekend marks the 13th time in Carin Avery’s tenure as head coach that Valpo will host an early-season tournament. Valpo has claimed the tournament title with a perfect record in eight of the previous 12 events, including each of the last three – the last two of which have come in the last two seasons. The program has never finished below .500 at a home tournament under Avery and has finished with one loss or fewer in 11 of the 12.
1,500 For Hickey: Junior libero Emma Hickey reached yet another career milestone last Saturday with her final dig of the weekend at St. Thomas, as it was the 1,500th dig of her collegiate career. Hickey reached the mark in her 72nd career match, becoming the fastest player in both Valpo history and MVC history to hit 1,500. She surpassed Illinois State’s Courtney Pence, who reached the mark in 74 matches, as the fastest player in the MVC history to 1,500 career digs, and also bettered Rylee Cookerly and Taylor Root in Valpo’s record books, as both Cookerly and Root hit the mark in 76 matches.
Historic Back Row Play: To give another perspective on just how significant Hickey being the fastest in Valpo history to 1,500 career digs is, you can take a look at the program’s record book and the legacy of strong defense in the back row. While she’s now at 1,500 career digs, Hickey hasn’t even yet cracked the program’s all-time top-10 in digs, as Karen Kulick currently sits 10th with 1,527 digs. Compare that with the other MVC programs – at all 11 other schools, 1,500 digs ranks inside the program’s career top-10; at 10 of them, it ranks inside the top-7; and at five of them, it ranks within the top-5.
The Rookies Produce: Valpo’s freshman class has stood out at the net through the season’s first two weekends. The Beacons’ rookies have accounted for 60.2% of the team’s kills and 74.1% of the team’s blocks over the first six matches. Four different freshmen have combined for eight matches with at least 10 kills, while Lilly Merk has already provided four matches with five or more blocks.
I’m About to Play My Ace: Through two weekends of competition, early returns indicate the service game might be more of a weapon for this year’s squad than in the program’s recent history. The Beacons have 46 aces through the season’s first six matches, averaging 1.84 aces/set. To put the average into context, Valpo has not averaged more than 1.20 aces/set since the 2017 season, while its high in the 25-point era is 1.46 aces/set. Individually, Lilly Merk posted six service aces against Northern Illinois to set a program record in the 25-point era, while the Beacons’ 12 total aces against the Huskies were the most in a five-set match in the 25-point era.
All-Tournament Honors: Four different Beacons have earned All-Tournament Team accolades through the season’s first two weeks. Most recently, junior Sam Warren and senior Elise Swistek received All-Tournament honors at the St. Thomas Invitational, for both the second such award of their careers. Warren averaged 2.50 kills/set on .313 hitting over the three matches, tying her career high with 12 kills in the win over NIU before surpassing her career best with 13 kills against St. Thomas. Swistek averaged 2.69 kills/set and 3.62 digs/set, standing out in the sweep of Tarleton State with 15 kills on a career-best .500 hitting Of Swistek’s 46 digs, 21 were converted into kills — an impressive 45.7% rate.
Garnering Accolades: A pair of Beacons earned awards following the season’s opening weekend at the IU Indy Hampton Inn Invitational. Junior Emma Hickey was tabbed the MVC Defensive Player of the Week for the fourth time in her career and received her fourth career All-Tournament Team accolade as she posted 5.42 digs/set and 1.58 assists/set, while also committing just one service reception error on 65 chances. Hickey posted 34 digs – her eighth career 30+ dig match – and 11 assists in the season-opening win over SIUE. Freshman Ava Helming was named an All-Tournament Team honoree as well, as she hit .290 with a team-best 3.18 kills/set and added seven rejections in 11 sets of action.
Big Debuts: Valpo’s season-opening win over SIUE featured a number of standout collegiate debuts from the Beacons’ freshmen. Leading the way was Ava Helming, who debuted with 20 kills on .282 hitting – the most kills by a Valpo player in a match since Nov. 11, 2022. The 20 kills set a program record for kills by a freshman in her debut, and also is the high-water mark for any Valpo player in a season opener. Defensively, Jessica Pickett posted nine blocks – also a program record for blocks by a freshman in her debut and the highest total for any Valpo player in a season opener. Lilly Merk tallied 11 kills and Kadence Brumitt added 10 kills as well, marking the first time in program history three Valpo players have posted double-figure kills in their respective collegiate debuts in the same match.
Winning Ways: The 2023 squad secured a winning season with an early-November win over Bradley, extending the tradition of the program’s excellence. In 22 seasons under head coach Carin Avery, Valpo has posted a winning record 20 times. 18 of those times, the program has won at least 20 matches, and the team has averaged 22.2 wins per season in Avery’s tenure.
Top Half Finishes: The Beacons ended the 2023 regular season in a tie for fifth-place finish in the final MVC regular season standings. Valpo has now finished in the top-half of the Valley standings in each of its seven years in the conference, the only MVC program to accomplish that feat. Going back further, Valpo has posted top-half conference finishes in 21 of Avery’s 22 seasons – as well as qualifying for the conference tournament in each of her 22 seasons – and 30 of the last 31 years overall.
Postseason History: Last year’s at-large bid to the NIVC extended the program’s run of postseason appearances to three consecutive years and four of the last six seasons. Valpo’s history with the NIVC is highlighted by the program’s run to the title match in 2021, while its first NIVC trip in 2018 featured a trip to the quarterfinals. Previously, Valpo made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances with Avery at the helm from 2003 through 2005, while the program also appeared in an NCAA Tournament play-in match three straight years 1994-1996.
Digging Deep: Valpo continued its long tradition of strong back row play last fall, finishing 12th nationally with 17.17 digs/set. The program has ranked among the top-30 nationally in digs/set in each of the last 15 seasons, including 13 seasons among the top-20 and four seasons among the top-10 – highlighted by the 2017 campaign in which Valpo led the nation with 20.03 digs/set. Other top finishes include fourth nationally in the spring 2021 season (20.37/set), a fourth-place rank in 2010 and a sixth-place finish in 2015. Since the move to 25-point scoring, only seven teams have averaged more than 20 digs/set over the course of a season, and Valpo is the only program to have done it twice. 2018 saw Valpo lead the nation with 2,613 total digs – a mark which set a program single-season record and a Division I record in the 25-point era. Valpo also boasts two of the top-10 athletes in D-I history in career digs – Rylee Cookerly (2nd; 3,175) and Taylor Root (9th; 2,752).
Capturing Crowns: Valpo has had a penchant for winning in-season tournament titles under Carin Avery. The Beacons added yet another crown to the program’s trophy case last season as they claimed their home tournament, the Popcorn Classic. Valpo has won 34 in-season tournament titles in head coach Carin Avery’s 22 seasons at the helm of the program, winning at least one tournament in 17 of her seasons and multiple tournaments 11 times. Those tournament titles have come in 14 different states. While Valpo tied for the best record (2-1) at its season-opening tournament at IU Indy this year, Eastern Michigan earned the tournament title by virtue of the head-to-head victory.
Hickey Racks Up the Digs: Joining the long line of standout liberos at Valpo, junior Emma Hickey aims for a third straight season as one of the nation’s prolific liberos. Hickey, who became the fastest player in Valpo and MVC history to surpass 1,000 career digs last season, finished the year 15th nationally in digs/set after ranking fourth in the same category as a freshman in 2022. Hickey already ranks 11th in program history with 1,500 digs – just 27 away from the top-10 – and has tallied 444 more digs than any other D-I junior. She also leads all active NCAA players with 5.45 career digs/set.
Swistek as a Senior: Valpo will need to reload its attack this year, as the Beacons graduated three of their four most prolific attackers in terms of kills/set from last year’s squad. Last year’s leader in that category does return, however, as senior outside Elise Swistek registered 2.43 kills/set to pace the Beacons and also ranked second on the team with 3.39 digs/set. Swistek became the 26th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career digs late last season and currently ranks 23rd in program history with 1,125 digs, while with 715 career kills, she has a shot at potentially reaching 1,000 career kills as well.
MARIAN CYCLING
THE RIDE FOR 51: MARIAN CYCLING READY FOR USA COLLEGIATE TRACK NATIONALS
Breinigsville, Pa. – The quest for the 51st collegiate cycling championship in Marian cycling history begins on Thursday, September 12, as the Knights on Bikes ride at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center at the 2024 USA Collegiate Cycling Track Championships. Racing begins on September 12, and runs through September 14.
Marian enters the 2024 championship with a target on their backs, winning the 2023 championship a season ago. The Knights have put together a grueling fall camp to prepare for this year’s championship, and are eager to defend their title. Marian scored 976 points in last year’s event, defeating Milligan and Colorado Mesa to secure their cycling championship. Last season, the Knights won their 49th USA Cycling Championship at Track Nationals, while winning their 50th at the BMX Nationals in March of 2024.
Of Marian’s riders competing in 2024, Fred Meredith finished third in the men’s points race, and Elijah Tielmann is returning to his home track, as the freshman hails from Quakkerstown, Pa., and is a regular at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center. Cameron Wing, who has a plethora of experience on the BMX cycle, will compete in his first track event, making the jump to aid his team this season. Joining Wing in the jump from BMX is Joshua Trerise, while Jonah Hover, who is also making a homecoming by racing on his home velodrome, finished third in the sprint tournament last year. On the women’s side, senior Stephanie Lawrence leads the Knights, as the defending scratch race and 500-meter time trial champion returns to defend her crown. Lawrence is also a three-time champion in the sprint tournament. Marien Lawson also performed well a season ago, finishing as the runner-up in the individual pursuit. Lawson will hold the top-seed in the event this weekend.
Last year, Marian won the collegiate team sprint and men’s team pursuit, while finishing as the runner-up in the women’s team pursuit
The Collegiate Track Nationals schedule is composed of three days of racing with two sessions each day. Thirteen events make up the races which contribute points to a team’s overall “omnium” score, including individual timed events as well as ‘mass start’ races with up to thirty riders on the track at a time. There are equal points available for male and female races, with the final race of the weekend being the co-ed team sprint. This unique collegiate race features riders who complete six laps, of which a female rider must complete at least two. Racing will begin at 9 a.m. each day for the morning session, while the evening session will begin at 6 p.m.
Below is Marian’s roster and events to participate in this year’s championship.Joining head coach and director of cycling John Hoopingarner on staff at the championships are assistant coach Marjie Bemis, alumna Coryn Labecki, and sophomore Brody Kelly.
Men
Luke Arens – Sprint Tournament / 1-kilo time trial / 4-kilo individual pursuit / Scratch Race / Points Race / Team Pursuit / Team Sprint
David Kosela – 1-kilo time trial / 4-kilo individual pursuit / Scratch Race / Points Race / Team Pursuit / Team Sprint
Fred Meredith – Sprint Tournament / 1-kilo time trial / 4-kilo individual pursuit / Scratch Race / Points Race / Team Pursuit / Team Sprint
Ben Boroff – Sprint Tournament / 1-kilo time trial / 4-kilo individual pursuit / Scratch Race / Points Race / Team Pursuit
Elijah Tielmann – Sprint Tournament / 4-kilo individual pursuit / Scratch Race / Points Race
Patrick McKay – Sprint Tournament / 1-kilo time trial
Joshua Trerise – Sprint Tournament / 1-kilo time trial
Cameron Wing – Sprint Tournament / 1-kilo time trial
Jonah Hover – Sprint Tournament / 1-kilo time trial / Team Pursuit / Team Sprint
Women
Stephanie Lawrence – Sprint Tournament / 500-meter time trial / 3-kilo individual pursuit / Scratch Race / Team Pursuit / Team Sprint
Mairen Lawson – Sprint Tournament / 500-meter time trial / 3-kilo individual pursuit / Scratch Race / Points Race / Team Pursuit
Mia Scarlato – Sprint Tournament / 500-meter time trial / 3-kilo individual pursuit / Scratch Race / Points Race / Team Pursuit
Autumn Caya – Sprint Tournament / 500-meter time trial / 3-kilo individual pursuit / Scratch Race / Points Race / Team Pursuit
Nicole LaRue – 3-kilo individual pursuit / Points Race / Team Pursuit
Anna Zyromski – 500-meter time trial / 3-kilo individual pursuit
Ellie Brent – Sprint Tournament / 500-meter time trial
Alex Hill – Sprint Tournament / 500-meter time trial
Claire Kudlata – Sprint Tournament / 500-meter time trial / 3-kilo individual pursuit / Scratch Race / Points Race / Team Sprint
Action began Thursday morning at 9 a.m., and race reports will be made available throughout the weekend on MUKnights.com.
MARIAN MEN’S SOCCER
KNIGHTS DOMINATED OFFENSIVELY IN WIN OVER IU-COLUMBUS
Indianapolis, Ind. – The Marian men’s soccer team bounced back from Saturday’s loss with a 4-1 win over IU-Columbus Wednesday evening. The Knights are now 5-1-1 overall on the season.
Marian’s offense started off strong tallying two shots within a minute of each other before Kyohei Kuroda claimed success at the 10 minute mark to put the Knights in the lead 1-0. After a lot middle of the field action for both sides Josh Wesseling claimed the second goal of the night at the 19′ mark. Cameron O’Brien was quick to fire back two minutes later scoring another goal for the Knights. Marian shot four more times with two on target but were unsuccessful and finished off the half 3-0.
The second half was very foul heavy tallying seven yellow cards combined over both sides of the field. Marian was the first to get on the board in the shot colum with Yoshiaki Takeishi claiming a shot on goal but was unsuccessful due to the Crimson Pride’s goal keeper. O’Brien recorded his second yellow card, forcing Marian to play the final 32 minutes man-down. Shortly after, IU-Columbus fired their soul point of the match with a goal by Adegbeminiyi at the 58′ mark. Within the next 20 minutes of play IU-Columbus claimed five shots with three being on goal but were unsuccessful due to Henry Yoder’s efforts in goal and the defensive line stepping up to limit shots. Due to a yellow card drawn out for the Crimson Pride the Knights capitalized with Romaric Beneron scoring the fourth point for the Knights off of a Penalty Kick to finish off the game 4-1 and claim the victory for the Knights.
Marian dominated in shots going 15-7 with 10-5 being on goal. Foslyn Grant led the team in shots with 4 and two being on target. Kyle Alb, Wesseling, Kuroda, and Keiji Nakamae all went 1-1 on the day. In goal Yoder had four saves in the full 90 minutes played.
MARIAN VOLLEYBALL
KNIGHTS RETURN HOME WITH SWEEP OVER BETHEL
INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian volleyball team returned home after an extensive 10-match road streak, earning their first home Crossroads League win of the season as they swept Bethel 3-0. Marian’s three-set win over the Pilots gives them a 10-match winning streak, as they move to 12-1 overall and 3-0 in CL play.
The Knights came out swinging in the first set on Wednesday night, running their offense through Khori Dryden and Mikayla Christiansen early and often. A powerful kill from Nicole Wilkinson highlighted an four-point run that gave Marian an 8-4 lead, setting the pace for the set as Marian held their lead near four-points through the next 13 rallies. The Pilots would fight back and tie the game 16-16, but a Gabby Fish kill reignited Marian’s attack, as the Knights surged ahead on a 7-3 run. Dryden and Wilkinson put Marian on top 23-19 as the run ended, allowing Marian to coast to the second set as they closed the game victoriously 25-22.
After the battle in the first set, Marian dominated the second, using a 10-0 run to gain a commanding 13-2 lead. Marian’s run sparked under Sami Luttel’s serve, as the sophomore served on 10 consecutive rallies, landing one service ace in the spree. Wilkinson, Dryden, and Madison Brooks began a block party as well in the run, putting Marian in strong command. Christiansen and Sarah Bennett soon took over and helped fuel a 7-0 run, pushing Marian’s dominant lead to 16 points. Bennett ended the set with a kill, as the pair of one-sided runs aided the Knights’ 25-8 victory.
Bethel responded strongly after their double-digit second-set loss, leading for much of the early stages in the third set. Marian upended the Pilots 9-5 lead as Christiansen and Logan Smith pushed their team in front 10-9, but the 5-0 run was unable to be extended as Bethel regained their footing. The set went back and forth with the teams exchanging one and two point swings, before the visitors pushed ahead 17-13. Marian called for timeout after the game yielding the four-point run, and slowly started to claw back, with Dryden and Wilkinson helping get within one.
A 3-0 run from the Knights forced a Bethel timeout, as another three-point swing paced by Christiansen and Bennett moved Marian to set point with a 24-23 lead. Down to their last rally, Bethel fought and extended play as they scored three of the next four rallies, taking a 26-25 lead. Marian remained in the game, and ran their offense through Dryden, as the sophomore scored the final three points of the match, as her strong kills gave Marian the sweep with the 28-26 victory.
As a team in the win, Marian hit .288, while limiting Bethel to a .113 hitting percentage. Dryden led the team in kills with 14, hitting .294, while Christiansen had 13 kills on 26 attacks, recording zero hitting errors. Christiansen recorded a double-double on the night, adding a team-high 17 digs in the win, while also recording one block assist and one service ace. Emma Lyons recorded 16 digs in the win, and Luttel recorded a team-high 19 assists. Logan Smith had 16 assists in the match, and Wilkinson posted five kills and two block assists. Bennett led the Knights with four block assists and five kills.
Marian will take their winning streak on the road on Saturday, as they face a test in No. 22 Mount Vernon Nazarene. The match in Ohio begins at 1:00 p.m.
MARIAN MEN’S TENNIS
KNIGHTS SNAP LOSING SKID OVER COUGARS 7-0
Spring Arbor, Mich. – The Marian men’s tennis team snapped their two-match losing skid on Wednesday afternoon, as they recorded a shutout win over Spring Arbor. The 7-0 victory improves Marian’s Crossroads League record to 3-2 on the season.
The Knights started doubles with a quick win on the No. 3 court, as Juan Garcia-Tunon and Marcos Ramos Cabrera scored a 6-1 win over Caleb Kaytar and Sam Lyon. Spring Arbor would even the doubles rounds as Marc Soriano and Jan Bartolome fell at No. 2 doubles against Aziz Madatov and Sebastian Smith, leveling the round 1-1. With the point coming down to No. 1 doubles, Tjark Kunkel and James Ashworth came through in the clutch, winning 7-5 against Jaume Rivera Galindo and Daniel Fortes, pushing Marian in front 1-0 for the match.
With the doubles point won, Marian rolled through singles, riding their momentum as they would go on to win all six matches. Ashworth won by a 6-2, 6-2 score against Smith at No. 1, and Bogdan Precupscu won 6-3, 6-2 against Daniel Fortes at No. 4 singles. Tjark Kunkel clinched the match for Marian at No. 2 singles, defeating Aziz Madatov 6-1, 7-6 (7-1) to preserve the Knights’ win.
Marc Soriano kept the winning alive with a 7-5, 0-6, 6-3 win at No. 3 singles against Galindo, and at No. 5 singles Bartolome defeated Kaytar 6-2, 6-3. Cabrera rounded out the shutout win at No. 6 singles, as he defeated Fernando Espinosa 6-3, 7-6 (7-2).
The Knights will be back in action on Saturday, September 14, hosting Goshen at 1:00 p.m.
MARIAN WOMEN’S TENNIS
MARIAN WOMEN’S TENNIS CONTINUE WIN STREAK WITH A SWEEP
Spring Arbor, Mich.- The Marian women’s tennis team continue their winning streak with a 7-0 sweep over Spring Arbor Wednesday evening. The Knights are now 5-0 overall and in the Crossroads League.
Yasmin Imamniyazova and Ana Barbosa Fernandez start off the sweep with a win at No. 2 singles with a final count of 6-1. Ana Lopez Torres and Michelle Irigoyn were the next up to finish at No. 1 doubles clinching the point for the Knights with a final count of 6-3. Paloma Caceres Villalba claimed the final doubles match at No.3 with a final count of 6-3.
Irigoyn was the first one to finish at singles winning in final counts of 6-0 and 6-2 at singles No. 1. Barbosa Fernandez was the next to finish at No. 4 singles with consecutive scores of 6-2. Imamniyazova was the next to claim a point increasing the Knights lead to 4-0, with final counts of 6-1 and 7-5 at No. 1.
Lopez Torres was the next to finish at No. 2 singles with consecutive final counts of 6-3.Caceres Villalba was the next to finish at No. 6 singles with final counts of 6-0 and 6-3. Liliane Alinquant was the final one to finish at No. 5 singles with final counts of 7-6 (2) in a tie breaker and 7-5.
The Knights are back in action on Saturday, September 14th at 1:00 p.m. at home against Goshen.
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
4 – 23 – 15 – 8 – 19 – 10 – 19 – 31 – 16 – 29 – 34 – 5 – 11
September 12, 1911 – Future Baseball Hall of Fame pitchers dual for final time; Boston Rustlers’ Cy Young vs Christy Mathewson of the Giants; NY wins, 11-2
September 12, 1930 – Brooklyn catcher Al López hits major league’s last recorded bounce home run
September 12, 1947 – Pittsburgh Pirates future Baseball HOF left fielder Ralph Kiner, Number 4 ripped 2 home runs in Pirates’ 4-3 win over the Boston Braves at Forbes Field. This was Kiner’s record 8th HR in 4 games
September 12, 1962 – Washington Senators ace Tom Cheney, Number 23 struck out a record 21 Baltimore Orioles batters in a 16 inning game
September 12, 1979 – The Indiana Pacers cut female player Ann Meyers, Number 15 who was the first woman on an NBA club
September 12, 1979 – Carl Yastrzemski wearing Number 8 reached his 3,000th hit off NY Yankee Jim Beattie
September 12, 1981 – Red Sox rookie Bob Ojeda, Number 19 no-hit the Yankees for 8 innings before Rick Cerone (Number 10) and Dave Winfield (Number 31) lead off the 9th inning with back-to-back doubles
September 12, 1984 – New York Met Dwight Gooden, Number 16 set a rookie strike out record at 251
September 12, 1987 – St Louis Cardinals Speedster Vince Coleman, Number 29 stole his 100th base for 3rd straight year
September 12, 1991 – Nolan Ryan, Number 34 of the Houston Astros notched a 4-3 victory over Twins with superb pitching and earned his 312th career win
September 12, 1993 – Toronto Blue Jays slugger Paul Molitor, Number 19 at age 37 became the oldest MLB player to reach 100 RBIs for the first time in career
September 12, 1997 – New York Met John Olerud (Number 5) hit for the cycle against the Montreal Expos
September 12, 2005 – Mark Messier (Number 11) announced on ESPN radio that he would retire from the NHL after 25 brilliant seasons of skating in the league.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
September 12, 1976 – The Seattle Seahawks play their inaugural regular season game in a loss to St. Louis 30-24. Jack Patera was the Head Coach of the ‘Hawks as they played in front of a sold out King Dome. The Seahawks played hard in close games but still started off the franchise by losing their first 5 games of their initial season. A pair of legendary rookies got some major experience in just the second game of the season as Jim Zorn was under center for Seattle and his favorite career target, Hall of Famer Steve Largent was at wide out. Jim Hart quarterbacked the Cardinals that day.
September 12, 1988 – The very first NFL game is played in Phoenix, Arizona as the newly transplanted Cardinals hosted the Dallas Cowboys. This week 2 match-up was the Monday Night Football Game that week. The Cowboys spoiled the party in the dessert in a 17-14 victory over the red birds. When you peak at the box score you have to take a second look as it shows Jay Novacek of Phoenix catching a 23 yard pass for a score from Cardinal’s QB Neil Lomax for the final score of the game. One could easily forget that Novacek played 5 seasons for the Cardinals before making his mark in Big D with the ‘Boys. The Cardinals have a long history and are actually the oldest franchise still playing in the NFL. The real origin of the franchise goes all the way back to 1898 when a man named Chris O’Brien formed the Morgan Athletic Club team who a few years later bought and had the team wear cast off faded uniforms from the University of Chicago Maroons. O’Brien described the uniforms as “cardinal red” and the nickname stuck with the team and helped set the team colors for years to come. That season they played their home games at 61st and Racine Street and were dubbed the Racine Street Cardinals. As far as the NFL goes they were a charter member of the league and started off in Chicago with the Cardinals name in 1920 and played in the Windy City until 1959, except for the 1944 Season when they combined with Pittsburgh, to create a team called the Card-Pitts, due to a player shortage caused by World War II. From the 1961 season through 1987 they played as the St. Louis Cardinals. A more recent move in 1988 to the dessert had them play as the Phoenix Cardinals until 1993 when they changed their location name to Arizona Cardinals for better representation of the area. Sports History Network’s Joe Ziemba, a resident of Chicago and an expert on the Cards and Bears has some excellent books and podcasts on the early Cardinals. Here is a great one, on Ernie Nevers, to dive into on the subject even deeper.
Hall of Fame Birthdays for September 12
September 12, 1891 – John “Babe” Brown played for Navy as a guard. Babe was first team College Football All-American at guard in the 1913 season. The 1913 Army-Navy game ended up in a 6-0 Midshipmen’s win as Brown scored all of the points in the game as he kicked two field goals. Brown later served as the president of the National Football Foundation which oversees the College Football Hall of Fame. In 1955 the voters placed his story of his collegiate football career into the College Football Hall of Fame. John Brown ended up being a Vice-Admiral in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
September 12, 1964 – Lynn Thomsen was a defensive tackle at Augustana College. He is the only player in college football history to start 50 games over a span of four years and to have never lost a game! The Augustana Vikings teams that Thomsen played on from 1983 through the 1986 seasons were an amazing 49-0-1! They also won FOUR NCAA Division III championships during those years. Lynn was an All-American selection for 1986 for Division III and was the Defensive Player of the Year in the College Conference of Illinois. The College Football Hall of Fame selected Thomsen to join their ranks in 1997’s entry class.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
Sept. 12
1883 In an American Association contest, John Reilly hits for the cycle, collecting three singles, a double, triple, and home run in the Red Stockings’ 27-5 rout of the visiting Pittsburgh Alleghenys at the Bank Street Grounds. Next week, the 24-year-old Cincinnati first baseman will accomplish the feat for the second time at the same ballpark when the team beats the first-place Philadelphia Athletics, 12-3.
1930 At Ebbets Field, Dodger catcher Al Lopez hits the last major league bounced home run in National League history. The Senior Circuit joins the American League, which had enacted the rule change in 1929, awarding a ground-rule double to the player who hits the ball over the wall on a bounce.
1932 In the bottom of the ninth, Johnny Frederick hits his major league record-setting sixth pinch-homer of the season, giving the Dodgers a 4-3 victory over the Cubs. The Brooklyn outfielder’s major league mark remains for 68 years until another Dodger, Dave Hansen, strokes seven round-trippers coming off the bench in 2000.
1936 At the age of 61, Kid Elberfeld, the team’s skipper, grounds out to third when he pinch-hits for the Fulton (KY) Eagles in the Class D Kitty League. The Tabasco Kid, known for his combative style as a major leaguer, finishes his minor league managerial career at the end of the season after spending 30 years as a manager, coach, scout, mentor, and instructor for many aspiring ballplayers.
1947 Ralph Kiner hits a record eight home runs in four games, surpassing Tony Lazzeri, who had hit seven round-trippers in four games with the Yankees in 1936. The Pirates outfielder will finish the season with a major-league-leading 51 round-trippers, tied with Giants first baseman Johnny Mize.
1953 At County Stadium, Carl Erskine goes the distance in The Dodgers’ 5-2 victory over the Braves, giving the team a 13-game lead with 12 left to play. Brooklyn clinches a pennant at the earliest date ever in baseball history and marks the first time the club wins consecutive titles in franchise history.
1958 At Connie Mack Stadium, Giants’ leadoff hitter Jim Davenport singles and hits a three-run inside-the-park home run during an eight-run first inning. Johnny Antonelli pitches a complete game for his 15th victory when San Francisco routs the Phillies, 19-2.
1959 En route to a 21-15 season with the Giants, 33-year-old Toothpick Sam Jones throws a four-hitter against Philadelphia to become the second black major leaguer to win twenty games. In 1955, the right-hander from Ohio lost twenty games pitching for the Cubs.
1961 Frank Lary wins his 20th game of the season, the second time he has accomplished the feat when he goes the distance in the Tigers’ 3-1 victory over Kansas City. The 31-year-old right-hander will finish the season with a 23-9 record, including a league-leading 22 complete games.
1962 Tom Cheney sets a major league mark for K’s in a single game by striking out 21 batters, throwing all 16 innings in the Senators’ 2-1 victory over the Orioles. The 27-year-old right-handed fireballer tosses 228 pitches in the three-hour and 59-minute Memorial Stadium contest.
1962 With the game behind the front-running Dodgers, the Giants lose their All-Star center fielder when Willie Mays enters a hospital for nervous exhaustion. The City by the Bay team will drop six games in a row but will recover along with ‘Say Hey Kid’ in time to beat Los Angeles in a playoff to win the National League pennant.
1963 “I look up into the stands, and it looks like Ebbets Field. The Mets are wonderful, but you can’t take the Dodger out of Brooklyn” – DUKE SNIDER, addressing the Mets fans on his special night at the Polo Grounds. Former Dodgers teammates Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella join the Mets in honoring Duke Snider on the day that marks the last time the Giants, now located in San Francisco, will play at the Polo Grounds, once their long-time home. The ‘Silver Fox,’ obtained by the last-place expansion team in April, has recently requested to be traded to a contender.
1964 Orioles southpaw Frank Bertaina records his first major league victory when he tosses a one-hitter to beat the A’s at Memorial Stadium, 1-0. The losing pitcher Bob Meyer, who yields the game’s lone run on a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, also gives up just one hit in his complete-game effort in the seventh double one-hitter in baseball history
1965 Mets rookie Dick Selma, in his second major league start, establishes a franchise mark when he strikes out 13 batters. The 21-year-old right-hander goes the distance in New York’s ten-inning, 1-0 victory over Milwaukee at Shea Stadium.
1969 The Mets sweep a doubleheader against the Pirates when Jerry Koosman and Don Cardwell go the distance in 1-0 victories. Both starters drive in the only run scored in both ends of the twin bill.
1972 In his final appearance, 29-year-old right-hander Denny McLain, who will finish his ten-year career with a 131-92 record, loses when he gives up three runs in the ninth inning without retiring a batter in the Braves’ 7-5 loss to Cincinnati at Atlanta Stadium. The last batter the one-time 30-game winner, rumored to have been involved with gambling and bookmaking, will face is Pete Rose, who will receive a lifetime ban from the game for wagering on the game.
1974 Mike Schmidt hits an eighth-inning three-run bomb, his 36th home run and final one this season, off Jerry Reuss in Philadelphia’s 6-4 comeback victory over the Pirates at Veterans Stadium. The 24-year-old third baseman becomes the first Phillies player to lead the league in home runs since Chuck Klein hit 28 round-trippers in 1933.
1976 At age 53, Minnie Minoso becomes the oldest player to get a hit in a regular-season game as he singles in three at-bats as the designated hitter for the White Sox. Angels’ southpaw Sid Monge gives up the historic safety.
1979 Carl Yastrzemski, in a 9-2 Red Sox victory over the Yankees, collects his 3000th hit, an eighth-inning single off Jim Beattie at Fenway Park. After Captain Carl’s milestone marker, the game pauses for a lengthy on-field celebration of the historic moment.
1984 Mets right-hander Dwight Gooden breaks the season strikeout record for a rookie when he whiffs Marvell Wynne in the sixth inning of his 2-0 complete-game victory over the Pirates at Shea Stadium. By whiffing 16 Bucs, Doc’s total of 251 is six more than Herb Score’s 1955 mark.
1985 Both New York teams host their rivals in close pennant races, thanks to a rare oddity of scheduling that has the clubs playing at home on the same day. On Baseball Thursday in the Big Apple, the Mets go into first place with a 7-6 victory over the Cardinals at Shea Stadium, and the second-place Yankees beat the Blue Jays in the ballpark in the Bronx, 7-5, cutting Toronto’s lead to a game and half.
1987 Eddie Murray, passing Boog Powell, becomes the Orioles’ all-time home run leader when he hits his 304th round-tripper for Baltimore in a 4-3 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Cal Ripken will move past his buddy for first-place honors, hitting his 334th four-bagger in 1996.
1995 During a WGN pregame radio broadcast at Wrigley Field, Harry Caray remarks to the team’s skipper Jim Riggleman, “Well, my eyes are slanty enough, how ’bout yours?” referring to Hideo Nomo, the Japanese rookie hurler scheduled to start for the Dodgers. The veteran announcer, known for not backing off his on-the-air off-handed comments, does issue an apology, calling the incident “unfortunate.”
1996 Alex Rodriguez, in an 8-5 win over the Royals, sets a major league shortstop record with his 88th extra-base hit. The Mariners infielder’s first-inning double off Chris Haney in the Kauffman Stadium contest establishes the new mark.
1996 Bernie Williams drives in eight runs with two homers and a single, helping the Bronx Bombers defeat Detroit, 12-3. The Yankee center fielder will celebrate his 28th birthday tomorrow, hitting .305 for the eventual World Champs.
1998 Cubs’ slugger Sammy Sosa becomes the fourth major leaguer to hit 60 home runs in a season when he blasts a seventh-inning three-run shot off Milwaukee’s Valerio de Los Santos in a 15-12 victorious slugfest at Wrigley Field. The Chicago right-fielder joins Babe Ruth (1927 Yankees), Roger Maris (1961 Yankees), and Mark McGwire (1998 Cardinals) in reaching one of baseball’s most cherished milestones.
2000 Dave Hansen breaks the 1932 record for pinch-hit home runs in a single season with his seventh round-tripper coming off the bench on the same date Johnny Frederick established the mark sixty-eight years ago. The Dodger pinch-hitter’s historic homer, a seventh-inning three-run blast off Diamondback right-hander Curt Schilling, isn’t enough to prevent the team’s 5-4 loss to Arizona at Bank One Ballpark.
2002 A jury, not a judge or umpires, will decide whether Alex Popov controlled Barry Bonds’ record-setting 73rd home run in his glove. Popov, who lost possession of the ball valued at approximately $1 million after being mobbed by fans, claims the historic horsehide should belong to him, not Patrick Hayashi, the person who ended up with the valuable souvenir.
2005 Making his season debut with just 20 games left in the regular schedule, Barry Bonds returns to the Giants lineup with a bang, lining a double in his first at-bat and barely missing hitting his 704th career homer. The 41-year-old slugger spent time on the disabled list due to an infection following knee surgery.
2006 The Braves are mathematically eliminated from the division race as the Mets beat the Marlins, 6-4. The New York victory ends Atlanta’s streak of fourteen straight division titles, the longest run for any professional sport.
2006 Luis Gonzalez becomes the oldest player at 39 years and nine days old to hit 50 doubles in one season. The Diamondbacks outfielder, who also holds the club’s record for two-baggers, surpasses Hall of Famer Tris Speaker, who was 38 years, 107 days old when he last legged a hit to second.
2008 In the 2-1 victory over the Nationals, Jorge Cantu goes deep in the fourth inning, making the Marlins the first team in big league history to have four infielders hit 25 home runs in the same season. The Florida third baseman joins first baseman Mike Jacobs (32), second baseman Dan Uggla (30), and shortstop Hanley Ramirez (29) in accounting for 116 of the Fish’s 188 big flies this year.
2015 Atlanta loses its 11th consecutive home game, dropping a 6-4 decision to the Mets at Turner Field. The defeat matches a franchise mark established in 1931 when the team played at Braves Field in Boston.
2015 After hitting a homer in the first inning, David Ortiz goes deep again in the fifth frame to become the 27th member of the 500 home run club. The Red Sox 39-year-old designated hitter’s two round-trippers, both off Matt Moore, contribute to the team’s 10-4 victory over the Rays at Tropicana Field.
2017 The Twins set a Target Field record for most homers in a game in the eight-year-old ballpark, going deep seven times in the team’s 16-0 pounding of the Padres. The septet of round-trippers blasted by Brian Dozier, Jorge Polanco, Jason Castro (2), Eddie Rosario, Eduardo Escobar, and Kennys Vargas marks the first time in history that a team hits a home run in each of the first seven innings.
2017 Behind Corey Kluber’s complete-game performance, the Indians extended their winning streak to 20, beating the Tigers at Progressive Field, 2-0. The Tribe’s winning ways, which began on August 24th against the Red Sox in Boston, tie the American League record mark the team now shares with 2002 A’s.
2019 Kyle Lewis becomes just the second player in baseball history to homer in his first three games when he goes deep off Lucas Sims in the Mariners’ 11-5 loss to the Reds at T-Mobile Park. The Seattle outfielder joins Rockies shortstop Trevor Story, who accomplished the feat at the start of the 2016 season.
2021 Max Scherzer becomes the 19th player to reach the 3,000-strikeout plateau with a fifth-inning punch out of Eric Hosmer, who will break up the right-hander’s bid for a perfect game with a one-out double in the eighth of LA’s 8-0 victory over the Padres. The three-time Cy Young Award winner whiffs nine batters in the Dodger Stadium gem, including his third career immaculate inning, tying a major league mark shared by Sandy Koufax and Chris Sale.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
Sept. 12
1895 — Defender wins three straight matches from the British challenger Valkyrie II to defend the America’s Cup for the United States.
1936 — Fred Perry becomes the first foreign player to win three U.S. men’s singles titles when he defeats Don Budge, 2-6, 6-2, 8-6, 1-6, 10-8. Alice Marble ends the four-year reign of Helen Jacobs as U.S. women’s singles champion, with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory.
1955 — Tony Trabert wins the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championships with a victory over Ken Rosewall. Doris Hart wins the women’s title.
1966 — Australia’s Fred Stolle beats countryman John Newcombe to win the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championships. Stolle wins in four sets, 4-6, 12-10, 6-3, 6-4.
1976 — Jimmy Connors beats Bjorn Borg in four sets to win the U.S. Open.
1979 — Carl Yastrzemski reaches 3,000 hits off of NY Yankee pitcher Jim Beattie.
1981 — Tracy Austin wins her second U.S. Open singles title, edging first-time finalist Martina Navratilova, 1-6, 7-6, 7-6.
1982 — Jimmy Connors wins the U.S. Open, defeating Ivan Lendl, 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
1984 — N.Y. Met Dwight Gooden sets rookie strike out record at 251.
1988 — 1st NFL regular-season game played in Phoenix; Dallas beats Arizona.
1995 — The Harlem Globetrotters’ 24-year, 8,829-game winning streak is stopped. It ends in a 91-85 loss to a team led by basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who scores 34 points in a competitive, unscripted game in Vienna, Austria.
1998 — Lindsay Davenport captures her first Grand Slam tournament singles title, defeating Martina Hingis, 6-3, 7-5 at the U.S. Open.
1999 — Andre Agassi comes back from two-sets-to-one down to win his second U.S. Open singles title. Agassi, who never loses his serve, defeats Todd Martin, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-2. It’s the first five-set U.S. Open final in 11 years.
2004 — Roger Federer becomes the first man since 1988 to win three majors in a year, thoroughly outclassing Lleyton Hewitt 6-0, 7-6 (3), 6-0 to add the U.S. Open title to those he took at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
2005 — Mark Messier announces on ESPN radio that he will retire from the NHL.
2010 — Houston running back Arian Foster rushes for a franchise-record 231 yards and three touchdowns in the Texans’ 34-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Foster is the first player in NFL history to rush for at least 200 yards and three touchdowns for an opening weekend.
2011 — Tom Brady passes for a team-record 517 yards and four touchdowns, including a 99-yarder to Wes Welker, and the New England Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins 38-24.
2011 — U.S. Open Men’s Tennis: Novak Djokovic wins his first US title; beats Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1.
2014 — Diana Taurasi and Candice Dupree score 24 points each and the Phoenix Mercury, playing without star center Brittney Griner, beat the Chicago Sky 87-82 to complete a three-game sweep of the WNBA Finals for their third championship.
2015 — Kent State dominates Delaware State in the Golden Flashes’ home opener, 45-13, but it’s overshadowed by a single point-after kick in the second quarter by April Goss. Goss, a four-year member of the Kent State team and a former high school soccer player, becomes the second female to score in a Division I game in NCAA history. Katie Hnida kicked a pair of extra points for New Mexico in 2003.
2015 — David Ortiz homers twice to become the 27th player in major league history to reach 500 homers, and Boston beats Tampa Bay 10-4.
2018 — Breanna Stewart leads the Seattle Storm to their third WNBA title, scoring 30 points in a 98-82 victory over the Washington Mystics in Game 3 of the best-of-five series.
2020 — Naomi Osaka of Japan wins her second US Open title beating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
TV SPORTS THURSDAY
| NFL REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Buffalo at Miami | 8:15pm | Prime |
| MLB REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Colorado at Detroit | 1:10pm | MLBN Bally Sports Detroit Rockies.TV |
| Cincinnati at St. Louis | 1:15pm | MLBN Bally Sports Ohio Bally Sports Midwest |
| Oakland at Houston | 2:10pm | MLBN NBCS-CA SCHN |
| Miami at Washington | 6:45pm | Bally Sports Florida MASN |
| Tampa Bay at Cleveland | 7:15pm | FOX Bally Sports Sun Bally Sports Great Lakes |
| Boston at NY Yankees | 7:15pm | FOX YES NESN |
| Texas at Seattle | 9:40pm | MLBN Bally Sports Southwest ROOT |
| Milwaukee at San Francisco | 9:45pm | MLBN Bally Sports Wisconsin NBCS-BAY |
| COLLEGE FOOTBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Arizona State at Texas State | 7:30pm | ESPN |
| Northwestern State at South Alabama | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| WNBA | TIME ET | TV |
| New York vs Dallas | 7:00pm | Prime Bally Sports SW Extra My9 |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| DP World: Amgen Irish Open | 8:00am | GOLF |
| PGA: Procore Championship | 6:00pm | GOLF |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup: 1F vs 2E | 6:00pm | FS2 Fubo |
| FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup: 1D vs 3BEF | 6:00pm | FOX Soccer Plus Fubo |
| FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup: 1E vs 2D | 9:00pm | FS2 Fubo |
| FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup: 2B vs 2F | 9:00pm | FOX Soccer Plus Fubo |
| TENNIS | TIME ET | TV |
| Guadalajara: WTA Early Rounds; Davis Cup Finals Group Stage | 8:00am | TENNIS |
TV SPORTS FRIDAY
| MLB REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Baltimore at Detroit | 6:40pm | Bally Sports Detroit MASN2 |
| Kansas City at Pittsburgh | 6:40pm | MLBN Bally Sports Kansas City ATTSN-PIT |
| NY Mets at Philadelphia | 6:40pm | MLBN NBCS-PHI SNY |
| Miami at Washington | 6:45pm | Bally Sports Florida MASN |
| Boston at NY Yankees | 7:05pm | Apple TV+ YES NESN |
| St. Louis at Toronto | 7:07pm | Bally Sports Midwest Sportsnet |
| Tampa Bay at Cleveland | 7:10pm | Bally Sports Sun Bally Sports Great Lakes |
| LA Dodgers at Atlanta | 7:20pm | Apple TV+ Bally Sports South SNLA |
| Oakland at Chi. White Sox | 7:40pm | NBCS-CA NBCS-CHI |
| Cincinnati at Minnesota | 8:10pm | Bally Sports North Bally Sports Ohio |
| Chi. Cubs at Colorado | 8:40pm | MARQ Rockies.TV |
| Houston at LA Angels | 9:38pm | Bally Sports West SCHN |
| Milwaukee at Arizona | 9:40pm | Bally Sports Wisconsin YurView |
| Texas at Seattle | 10:10pm | MLBN Bally Sports Southwest ROOT |
| San Diego at San Francisco | 10:15pm | MLBN Padres.TV NBCS-BAY |
| COLLEGE FOOTBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| UNLV at Kansas | 7:00pm | ESPN |
| Arizona at Kansas State | 8:00pm | FOX |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| DP World: Amgen Irish Open | 6:00am | GOLF |
| Solheim Cup | 7:00am | GOLF |
| PGA: Procore Championship | 6:00pm | GOLF |
| WNBA | TIME ET | TV |
| Washington vs Atlanta | 7:30pm | ION |
| Las Vegas vs Indiana | 7:30pm | ION |
| Chicago vs Minnesota | 7:30pm | ION |
| Connecticut vs Phoenix | 10:00pm | ION |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund vs Heidenheim | 2:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Ligue 1: Saint-Étienne vs Lille | 2:45pm | beIN Sports |
| La Liga: Real Betis vs Leganés | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| NWSL: North Carolina Courage vs Bay FC | 7:00pm | Prime |
| Canadian Premier League: York United vs Valour | 8:00pm | FS2 Fubo |
| NWSL: Portland Thorns vs Chicago Red Stars | 10:00pm | Prime |
| Liga MX: Juárez vs Mazatlán | 10:00pm | FOX Soccer Plus Fubo |
| Liga MX: Tigres UANL vs Atlético San Luis | 10:05pm | Fubo |
| Liga MX: Necaxa vs Pumas UNAM | 11:00pm | VIX |
| TENNIS | TIME ET | TV |
| Guadalajara: WTA Early Quarterfinals; Davis Cup Finals Group Stage | 10:00am | TENNIS |