THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” TUESDAY OCTOBER 10, 2023

“THE SCOREBOARD”

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WEEK 9 SCHEDULE

ANDERSON (2-6) AT LOGANSPORT (3-5)

ANDREAN (3-5) AT LOWELL (3-5)

ANGOLA (1-7) AT EASTSIDE (6-2)

ATTICA (0-8) AT SOUTH VERMILLION (7-1)

BATESVILLE (7-1) AT CONNERSVILLE (2-6)

BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE (5-3) AT COLUMBUS EAST (3-5)

BEECH GROVE (3-5) AT FRANKLIN COUNTY (3-5)

BELLMONT (0-8) AT EAST NOBLE (6-2)

BLOOMINGTON NORTH (8-0) AT SOUTHPORT (1-7)

BLUFFTON (6-2) AT LAKELAND (6-2)

BOONVILLE (5-3) AT GIBSON SOUTHERN (6-2)

BREMEN (4-4) AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY (8-0)

BROWN COUNTY (1-7) AT EDGEWOOD (1-7)

BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (7-1) AT SCOTTSBURG (5-3)

CALUMET (3-5) AT GARY WEST (5-3)

CARMEL (5-3) AT LAWRENCE CENTRAL (3-5)

CARROLL (FLORA) (8-0) AT SHERIDAN (6-2)

CENTER GROVE (7-1) AT INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (6-2)

CHARLESTOWN (5-3) AT EASTERN (PEKIN) (3-5)

CHESTERTON (2-6) AT MERRILLVILLE (6-2)

CHRISTIAN BROTHERS (MO.) AT WARREN CENTRAL (3-5)

CHURUBUSCO (2-6) AT FAIRFIELD (4-4)

CINCINNATI ELDER (OHIO) AT INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD (8-0)

CLOVERDALE (2-6) AT OWEN VALLEY (2-6)

CORYDON CENTRAL (0-8) AT SILVER CREEK (5-3)

COVENANT CHRISTIAN (4-3) AT INDIANAPOLIS RITTER (3-5)

COVINGTON (4-4) AT RIVERTON PARKE (3-5)

CRAWFORD COUNTY (0-8) AT CLARKSVILLE (0-8)

CULVER (0-8) AT LAVILLE (7-1)

DANVILLE (6-2) AT NORTH MONTGOMERY (5-3)

EAST CENTRAL (8-0) AT INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI (3-5)

EASTERN (GREENTOWN) (6-2) AT CLINTON PRAIRIE (5-3)

EASTERN HANCOCK (5-3) AT LAPEL (4-4)

ELWOOD (1-7) AT OAK HILL (4-4)

EVANSVILLE CENTRAL (0-8) AT EVANSVILLE NORTH (5-3)

EVANSVILLE HARRISON (1-7) AT EVANSVILLE BOSSE (2-6)

EVANSVILLE MATER DEI (2-6) AT EVANSVILLE REITZ (8-0)

EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL (6-2) AT CASTLE (5-3)

FLOYD CENTRAL (7-1) AT NEW ALBANY (2-6)

FOREST PARK (5-3) AT SOUTHRIDGE (5-3)

FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK (0-8) AT FREMONT (2-6)

FORT WAYNE DWENGER (3-5) AT FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA (0-8)

FORT WAYNE LUERS (6-2) AT HOMESTEAD (4-4)

FORT WAYNE NORTH (3-5) AT CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) (6-2)

FORT WAYNE NORTHROP (0-8) AT FORT WAYNE SOUTH (1-7)

FORT WAYNE WAYNE (5-3) AT FORT WAYNE SNIDER (7-1)

FRANKFORT (1-7) AT CRAWFORDSVILLE (0-8)

FRANKLIN (5-3) AT DECATUR CENTRAL (6-2)

FRANKTON (3-5) AT BLACKFORD (0-8)

FRONTIER (4-4) AT SOUTH NEWTON (3-5)

GARRETT (3-5) AT CENTRAL NOBLE (3-5)

GREENFIELD-CENTRAL (7-1) AT NEW CASTLE (1-7)

GRIFFITH (3-5) AT WHEELER (5-3)

GUERIN CATHOLIC (6-2) AT CULVER ACADEMY (3-5)

HAGERSTOWN (5-3) AT NORTHEASTERN (7-1)

HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (7-1) AT BROWNSBURG (8-0)

HAMMOND CENTRAL (5-3) AT HANOVER CENTRAL (8-0)

HAMMOND MORTON (3-4) AT EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL (1-7)

HAMMOND NOLL (2-6) AT BOONE GROVE (6-2)

HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) (7-1) AT RICHMOND (1-7)

HERITAGE (7-1) AT JAY COUNTY (4-4)

HIGHLAND (3-5) AT HOBART (6-2)

HUNTINGTON NORTH (1-7) AT NEW HAVEN (7-1)

INDIANAPOLIS TECH (0-8) AT MUNCIE CENTRAL (3-5)

INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY (4-4) AT INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON (4-4)

IRVINGTON PREP ACADEMY (0-8) AT CHRISTEL HOUSE MANUAL (2-5)

JASPER (5-3) AT VINCENNES LINCOLN (6-2)

JENNINGS COUNTY (3-5) AT JEFFERSONVILLE (0-8)

JIMTOWN (4-4) AT SOUTH BEND RILEY (7-1)

JOHN GLENN (4-4) AT SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON (2-6)

KNIGHTSTOWN (3-5) AT CENTERVILLE (8-0)

KNOX (8-0) AT CASTON (1-7)

LAFAYETTE JEFF (4-4) AT KOKOMO (7-1)

LAKE CENTRAL (4-4) AT VALPARAISO (6-2)

LAKE STATION (2-6) AT RIVER FOREST (5-3)

LEBANON (4-4) AT WESTERN BOONE (5-3)

LEO (6-2) AT DEKALB (5-3)

MACONAQUAH (6-2) AT ROCHESTER (6-2)

MADISON-GRANT (6-2) AT ALEXANDRIA (7-1)

MARTINSVILLE (5-3) AT PLAINFIELD (6-2)

MCCUTCHEON (5-3) AT MARION (2-6)

MICHIGAN CITY (5-3) AT CROWN POINT (8-0)

MILAN (5-3) AT MADISON (1-7)

MISHAWAKA MARIAN (4-4) AT SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH (4-4)

MISSISSINEWA (8-0) AT EASTBROOK (6-2)

MITCHELL (2-6) AT PERRY CENTRAL (4-4)

MONROE CENTRAL (3-5) AT SHENANDOAH (1-7)

MONROVIA (6-2) AT INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA (5-3)

MOORESVILLE (3-5) AT PERRY MERIDIAN (2-6)

MOUNT VERNON (POSEY) (4-4) AT PRINCETON (1-7)

MUNSTER (2-6) AT KANKAKEE VALLEY (4-4)

NEW PALESTINE (6-2) AT DELTA (5-3)

NEW PRAIRIE (6-2) AT ELKHART (3-5)

NOBLESVILLE (3-5) AT AVON (1-7)

NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) (2-6) AT EASTERN GREENE (4-4)

NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) (0-8) AT BEN DAVIS (7-1)

NORTH DECATUR (5-3) AT SWITZERLAND COUNTY (5-3)

NORTH HARRISON (6-2) AT PROVIDENCE (8-0)

NORTH KNOX (5-3) AT PAOLI (7-1)

NORTH MIAMI (1-7) AT NORTHFIELD (3-5)

NORTH POSEY (7-1) AT PIKE CENTRAL (1-7)

NORTH PUTNAM (3-5) AT GREENCASTLE (6-2)

NORTH WHITE (8-0) AT WEST CENTRAL (7-1)

NORTHRIDGE (7-1) AT WARSAW (7-1)

NORTHVIEW (6-2) AT INDIAN CREEK (5-3)

NORTHWOOD (6-2) AT GOSHEN (1-7)

NORWELL (2-6) AT COLUMBIA CITY (5-3)

PARK TUDOR (8-0) AT EDINBURGH (1-7)

PERU (8-0) AT MANCHESTER (3-5)

PHALEN ACADEMY (1-6) AT LINTON-STOCKTON (7-1)

PIKE (2-6) AT LAWRENCE NORTH (5-3)

PLYMOUTH (2-6) AT CONCORD (4-4)

PORTAGE (0-8) AT LAPORTE (1-7)

PRAIRIE HEIGHTS (0-8) AT WEST NOBLE (8-0)

PURDUE POLYTECHNIC (3-5) AT HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (5-3)

RUSHVILLE (2-6) AT GREENSBURG (0-8)

SALEM (1-7) AT WEST WASHINGTON (5-3)

SEEGER (6-2) AT NORTH VERMILLION (5-3)

SEYMOUR (5-3) AT BLOOMINGTON SOUTH (7-1)

SHELBYVILLE (3-5) AT PENDLETON HEIGHTS (6-2)

SOUTH BEND ADAMS (1-7) AT PENN (7-1)

SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) (3-5) AT WHITING (2-6)

SOUTH DEARBORN (5-3) AT LAWRENCEBURG (6-2)

SOUTH DECATUR (6-2) AT DAYTON CHRISTIAN (OHIO)

SOUTH PUTNAM (7-1) AT CASCADE (5-3)

SOUTH SPENCER (3-5) AT TELL CITY (5-3)

SOUTHERN WELLS (1-7) AT SOUTH ADAMS (5-3)

SOUTHSIDE HOMESCHOOL AT INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS (7-1)

SOUTHWOOD (4-4) AT LEWIS CASS (4-4)

SPRINGS VALLEY (7-1) AT NORTH DAVIESS (4-4)

SULLIVAN (4-4) AT WEST VIGO (2-6)

TAYLOR (1-7) AT DELPHI (3-5)

TECUMSEH (0-8) AT OBLONG-PALESTINE-HUTSONVILLE (ILL.)

TERRE HAUTE NORTH (0-8) AT BREBEUF JESUIT (3-4)

TERRE HAUTE SOUTH (4-4) AT COLUMBUS NORTH (3-5)

TRI-CENTRAL (2-6) AT CLINTON CENTRAL (1-6)

TRI-COUNTY (4-3) AT NORTH NEWTON (0-8)

TRITON (5-3) AT WINAMAC (3-5)

TRITON CENTRAL (7-1) AT SPEEDWAY (2-6)

TRI-WEST (7-1) AT SOUTHMONT (4-4)

UNION COUNTY (0-8) AT TRI (5-3)

WABASH (1-7) AT WHITKO (1-7)

WASHINGTON (2-6) AT HERITAGE HILLS (7-1)

WAWASEE (1-7) AT MISHAWAKA (6-2)

WES-DEL (3-5) AT CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN (1-5)

WESTFIELD (7-1) AT FRANKLIN CENTRAL (4-4)

WHITELAND (4-4) AT GREENWOOD (4-4)

WINCHESTER (5-2) AT UNION CITY (2-6)

WOODLAN (2-6) AT ADAMS CENTRAL (8-0)

YORKTOWN (4-4) AT MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE) (4-4)

ZIONSVILLE (3-5) AT FISHERS (5-3)

BOWMAN ACADEMY (1-4) AT BENTON CENTRAL (1-7)

TIPTON (1-7) AT RENSSELAER CENTRAL (4-4)

NORTHWESTERN (3-5) AT TWIN LAKES (4-4)

WESTERN (4-4) AT LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (5-3)

HAMILTON HEIGHTS (8-0) AT WEST LAFAYETTE (6-2)

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACHES POLLS

1 CENTER GROVE

2 BEN DAVIS

3 BROWNSBURG

4 HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN

5 CROWN POINT

6 CATHEDRAL

7 WESTFIELD

8 PENN

9 FORT WAYNE CARROLL

10 CARMEL

11 FISHERS

12 WARSAW

13 LAWRENCE NORTH

14 FRANKLIN CENTRAL

1 BLOOMINGTON NORTH

2 FORT WAYNE SNIDER

3 BLOOMINGTON SOUTH

4 VALPARAISO

5 HARRISON

6 MERRILLVILLE

7 DECATUR CENTRAL

8 MISHAWAKA

9 FLOYD CENTRAL

10 PLAINFIELD

11 CASTLE

1 EAST CENTRAL

2 EVANSVILLE REITZ

3 NEW PALESTINE

4 KOKOMO

5 GREENFIELD CENTRAL

6 NORTHRIDGE

7 EAST NOBLE

8 MISSISSINEWA

9 LEO

10 NEW HAVEN

11 PRAIRIE

12 EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL

12 PENDLETON HEIGHTS

14 NORTHVIEW

15 SOUTH BEND RILEY

16 CRISPUS ATTUCKS

16 MARTINSVILLE

16 NORTHWOOD

1 BISHOP CHATARD

2 GUERIN CATHOLIC

3 GIBSON SOUTHERN

4 HANOVER CENTRAL

5 TRI-WEST

6 HERITAGE HILLS

7 TIPPECANOE VALLEY

8 HAMILTON HEIGHTS

9 LAWRENCEBURG

10 WEST LAFAYETTE

11 BATESVILLE

13 KNOX

14 DANVILLE

15 PERU

1 LINTON STOCKTON

2 TRITON CENTRAL

3 BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL

4 LAVILLE

5 FORT WAYNE LUERS

6 ALEXANDRIA

7 EASTBROOK

8 BLUFFTON

9 LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC

10 SCECINA

11 HERITAGE CHRISTIAN

11 NORTH POSEY

13 ROCHESTER

14 LAPEL

1 INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN

2 ADAMS CENTRAL

3 CARROLL FLORA

4 PROVIDENCE

5 PARK TUDOR

6 SOUTH PUTNAM

7 NORTH WHITE

8 SPRINGS VALLEY

9 SHERIDAN

10 KNIGHTSTOWN

11 TRITON

12 WEST CENTRAL

13 MADISON GRANT

14 SPRINGS VALLEY

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL SECTIONAL SCORES

OAK HILL 3 NORTHFIELD 2

LAPORTE 3 NEW PRAIRIE 1

HAMILTON HEIGHTS 3 PARK TUDOR 0

NORTHWOOD 3 SB ST. JOSEPH 0

Class 4A Brackets | Class 3A Brackets | Class 2A Brackets | Class 1A Brackets

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL FINAL Z-RATINGS

1 HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN

2 CATHEDRAL

3 RONCALLI

4 YORKTOWN

5 CASTLE

6 MCCUTCHEON

7 FORT WAYNE CARROLL

8 CENTER GROVE

9 WARSAW

10 NOBLESVILLE

11 ZIONSVILLE

12 LAPORTE

13 AVON

14 BROWNSBURG

15 FLOYD CENTRAL

1 BELLMONT

2 PROVIDENCE

3 ANGOLA

4 BENTON CENTRAL

5 NORTHWOOD

6 SILVER CREEK

7 EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL

8 FORT WAYNE DWENGER

9 NEW CASTLE

10 FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA

11 BARR REEVE

12 HAMILTON HEIGHTS

13 TRI-WEST

14 WOODLAN

15 NORTHVIEW

1 MUNCIE BURRIS

2 LINTON STOCKTON

3 SOUTH-CENTRAL UNION MILLS

4 LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC

5 SOUTH ADAMS

6 WES DEL

7 ANDREAN

8 ADAMS CENTRAL

9 WAPAHANI

10 CHRUBUSCO

11 BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL

12 SCECINA

13 NORTH POSEY

14 PIONEER

15 MITCHELL

1 TECUMSEH

2 SPRINGS VALLEY

3 BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN

4 SOUTHWOOD

5 TRINITY LUTHERAN

6 VINCENNES RIVET

7 FAITH CHRISTIAN

8 LOOGOOTEE

9 MARQUETTE CATHOLIC

10 TRI-COUNTY

11 INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN

12 DALEVILLE

13 GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN

14 NORTHFIELD

15 WESTVILLE

INDIANA BOYS SOCCER REGIONALS

NOBLESVILLE VS. WARSAW

FW SNIDER VS. HARRISON

CONCORD VS. PENN

HOBART VS. LAKE CENTRAL

CASTLE VS. FLOYD CENTRAL

CENTER GROVE VS. COLUMBUS NORTH

EAST CENTRAL VS. CATHERAL

CARMEL VS. PIKE

MISSISSINEWA VS. LEO

FW CONCORDIA VS. NORTHWESTERN

WEST NOBLE VS. MISHAWAKA MARIAN

WEST LAFAYETTE VS. ILLIANA CHRSITIAN

EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL VS. WASHINGTON

PROVIDENCE VS. GREENCASTLE

MADISON VS. SPEEDWAY

BREBEUF VS. CASCADE

PARK TUDOR VS. MUNCIE BURRIS

CARROLL VS. ARGOS

WESTVIEW VS. BETHANY CHRISTIAN

MORGAN TOWNSHIP VS. WHEELER

FOREST PARK VS. NORTHEAST DUBOIS

ROCK CREEK ACADEMY VS. SOUTHWESTERN

OLDENBURG ACADEMY VS. GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN

INDY LUTHERAN VS. COVENANT CHRISTIAN

Class 3A Bracket | Class 2A Bracket | Class 1A Bracket

INDIANA GIRLS SOCCER REGIONALS

NOBLESVILLE VS. FW NORTHRUP

FW CARROLL VS. HARRISON

NORTHRIDGE VS. PENN

CROWN POINT VS. LAKE CENTRAL

CASTLE VS. FLOYD CENTRAL

BLOOMINGTON SOUTH VS. FRANKLIN CENTRAL

EAST CENTRAL VS. CATHEDRAL

CARMEL VS. BROWNSBURG

YORKTOWN VS. BELLMONT

LEO VS. OAK HILL

NORTHWOOD VS. MISHAWAKA MARIAN

WEST LAFAYETTE VS. HANOVER CENTRAL

EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL VS. SILVER CREEK

JASPER VS. MONROVIA

LAWRENCEBURG VS. CONNERSVILLE

GUERIN CATHOLIC VS. TRI-WEST

FW CANTERBURY VS. EASTBROOK

FAITH CHRISTIAN VS. SHERIDAN

WESTVIEW VS. TRINITY

MORGAN TOWNSHIP VS. WHEELER

EVANSVILLE MATER DEI VS. SOUTH KNOX

PROVIDENCE VS. SWITZERLAND COUNTY

MUNCIE BURRIS VS. PARK TUDOR

BETHESDA CHRISTIAN VS. GREENCASTLE

Class 3A Bracket | Class 2A Bracket | Class 1A Bracket

INDIANA BOYS TENNIS STATE FINALS OCTOBER 13 AND 14

FRIDAY QUARTERFINALS

CULVER ACADEMIES VS. HOMESTEAD

CARMEL VS. NORTH CENTRAL

NOBLESVILLE VS. JASPER

FLOYD CENTRAL VS. COLUMBUS NORTH

SATURDAY FINALS @ NORTH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

Bracket

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS CROSS COUNTRY POLL

CARMEL
NOBLESVILLE
ZIONSVILLE
FISHERS
BLOOMINGTON NORTH
COLUMBUS NORTH
FLOYD CENTRAL
BROWNSBURG
EVANSVILLE REITZ
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN
VALPARAISO
WARSAW
FRANKLIN CENTRAL
CENTER GROVE
LAKE CENTRAL
NORTHRIDGE
PENN
FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA
AVON
GREENFIELD CENTRAL
LAPORTE
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH
NORTH CENTRAL
MT VERNON
CHESTERTON

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY POLL

FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA
NOBLESVILLE
HOMESTEAD
NORTH CENTRAL
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN
CARMEL
VALPARAISO
FRANKLIN CENTRAL
FORT WAYNE CARROLL
MORGAN TOWNSHIP
WESTFIELD
ZIONSVILLE
GUERIN CATHOLIC
BROWNSBURG
MT VERNON
COLUMBUS NORTH
LAKE CENTRAL
WARSAW
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH
NORTHRIDGE
EAST NOBLE
EAST CENTRAL
EDGEWOOD
RONCALLI
FRANKLIN CENTRAL

SECTIONAL-SATURDAY OCTOBER 14

1. Highland (16) | Boys 10 am CT; Girls 10:45 am CT | Results
Calumet, Crown Point, East Chicago Central, Gary West Side, Griffith, Hanover Central, Hammond Bishop Noll, Hammond Central, Hammond Morton, Highland, Illiana Christian, Lake Central, Lighthouse CPA, Lowell, Munster, Whiting

2. Chesterton (14) | Boys 10:30 am CT; Girls 11:15 am CT | Results
Andrean, Boone Grove, Chesterton, Hebron, Hobart, Kouts, Lake Station Edison, Merrillville, Morgan Township, Portage, River Forest, Valparaiso, Washington Township, Wheeler

3. New Prairie (17) | Boys 10 am CT; Girls 10:45 am CT | Results
Glenn, LaPorte, Marquette Catholic, Michigan City, Mishawaka, Mishawaka Marian, New Prairie, Penn, South Bend Adams, South Bend Career Academy, South Bend Riley, South Bend Saint Joseph, South Bend Washington, South Central (Union Mills), Trinity Greenlawn, Tri-Township, Westville

4. Elkhart (Oxbow Park) (13) | Boys 10 am ET; Girls 10:30 am ET | Results
Bethany Christian, Bremen, Concord, Elkhart Christian Academy, Elkhart, Fairfield, Goshen, Jimtown, LaVille, Northridge, NorthWood, Wawasee, Westview

5. Rensselaer Central (14) | Boys 10:30 am CT; Girls 11:15 am CT | Results
Benton Central, DeMotte Christian, Frontier, Kankakee Valley, Knox, North Judson-San Pierre, North Newton, North White, Rensselaer Central, South Newton, Tri-County, Twin Lakes, West Central, Winamac

6. Manchester (16) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Argos, Columbia City, Culver Academies, Culver Community, Huntington North, Lakeland Christian Academy, Manchester, North Miami, Northfield, Plymouth, Rochester Community, Tippecanoe Valley, Triton, Wabash, Warsaw, Whitko

7. West Noble (15) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Angola, Carroll (Fort Wayne), Central Noble, Churubusco, DeKalb, East Noble, Eastside, Fremont, Garrett, Hamilton, Lakeland, Lakewood Park Christian, Leo, Prairie Heights, West Noble

8. Woodlan (The Plex) (14) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, Fort Wayne Canterbury, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran, Fort Wayne Northrop, Fort Wayne Northside, Fort Wayne Snider, Fort Wayne South Side, Fort Wayne Wayne, Heritage, Homestead, New Haven, Woodlan

9. Delta (Taylor University) (16) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Adams Central, Bellmont, Blackford, Bluffton, Delta, Eastbrook, Jay County, Monroe Central, Norwell, Randolph Southern, South Adams, Southern Wells, Union (Modoc), Union City, Wapahani, Winchester Community

10. Marion (Indiana Wesleyan University) (15) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Alexandria Monroe, Blue River Valley, Cowan, Daleville, Elwood Community, Frankton, Madison-Grant, Marion, Mississinewa, Muncie Burris, Muncie Central, Oak Hill, Southwood, West-Del, Yorktown

11. Logansport (16) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Carroll (Flora), Caston, Clinton Central, Clinton Prairie, Eastern (Greentown), Frankfort, Kokomo, Lewis Cass, Logansport, Maconaquah, Northwestern, Peru, Pioneer, Rossville, Taylor, Western

12. Harrison (West Lafayette) (14) | Boys 10 am ET; Girls 10:30 am ET | Results
Attica, Covington, Crawfordsville, Delphi, Faith Christian, Fountain Central, Harrison (West Lafayette), Lafayette Central Catholic, Lafayette Jefferson, McCutcheon, North Montgomery, Seeger, Southmont, West Lafayette

13. North Central (Indianapolis) (18) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Carmel, Heritage Christian, Herron, Indiana School for the Deaf, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard, Indianapolis Crispus Attucks, Indianapolis George Washington, Indianapolis Metropolitan, Indianapolis Shortridge, International School of Indiana, North Central (Indianapolis), Park Tudor, Riverside, Tindley, Traders Point Christian, University, Western Boone, Zionsville

14. Terre Haute North Vigo (17) | Boys 10 am ET; Girls 10:45 am ET | Results
Clay City, Cloverdale, Dugger Union, Greencastle, North Central (Farmersburg), North Vermillion, Northview, Owen Valley, Park Heritage, Riverton Parke, Shakamak, South Putnam, South Vermillion, Sullivan, Terre Haute North Vigo, Terre Haute South Vigo, West Vigo

15. Ben Davis (15) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Avon, Ben Davis, Bethesda Christian, Brebeuf Jesuit, Brownsburg, Cascade, Covenant Christian, Danville Community, Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter, North Putnam, Pike, Plainfield, Providence Cristo Rey, Speedway, Tri-West Hendricks

16. Noblesville (15) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Anderson, Anderson Preparatory Academy, Fishers, Guerin Catholic, Hamilton Heights, Hamilton Southeastern, Lapel, Lebanon, Liberty Christian, Noblesville, Pendleton Heights, Shenandoah, Tipton, Tri-Central, Westfield

17. Mt. Vernon (Fortville) (17) | Boys 9:45 am ET; Girls 10:30 am ET | Results
Beech Grove, Eastern Hancock, Franklin Central, Greenfield-Central, Indianapolis Arsenal Tech, Indianapolis Cathedral, Indianapolis Lutheran, Indianapolis Scecina Memorial, Irvington Preparatory Academy, Lawrence Central, Lawrence North, Morristown, Mt. Vernon (Fortville), New Palestine, Purdue Polytechnic, Victory College Prep, Warren Central

18. Connersville (15) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Batesville, Cambridge City Lincoln, Centerville, Connersville, East Central, Franklin County, Hagerstown, New Castle, Northeastern, Oldenburg Academy, Richmond, Rushville Consolidated, Seton Catholic, Tri, Union County

19. Shelbyville (Blue River Park) (16) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Center Grove, Decatur Central, Edinburgh, Franklin Community, Greenwood Christian Academy, Greenwood Community, Indian Creek, Mooresville, Perry Meridian, Roncalli, Shelbyville, Southport, Southwestern (Shelby), Triton Central, Waldron, Whiteland Community

20. Southwestern (Hanover) (Hanover College) (16) Boys 9 am ET; Girls 9:45 am ET | Results
Austin, Charlestown, Crothersville, Henryville, Jac-Cen-Del, Lawrenceburg, Madison Consolidated, Milan, New Washington, Rising Sun, Scottsburg, Shawe Memorial, Southwestern Hanover, Switzerland County, South Dearborn, South Ripley

21. Brown County (14) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Brown County, Columbus East, Columbus North, Edgewood, Eminence, Greensburg, Hauser, Jennings County, Martinsville, Monrovia, North Decatur, Seymour, South Decatur, Trinity Lutheran

22. Bedford North Lawrence (17) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Bedford North Lawrence, Bloomfield, Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Brownstown Central, Eastern (Pekin), Eastern Greene, Lighthouse Christian Academy, Linton-Stockton, Loogootee, Mitchell, North Daviess, Orleans, Salem, Shoals, West Washington, White River Valley

23. Crawford County (15) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Borden, Christian Academy of Indiana, Clarksville, Corydon Central, Crawford County, Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, Lanesville, New Albany, North Harrison, Paoli, Providence, Silver Creek, South Central (Elizabeth), Springs Valley

24. Jasper (14) | Boys 10:30 am ET; Girls 11:15 am ET | Results
Barr-Reeve, Cannelton, Forest Park, Jasper, North Knox, Northeast Dubois, Perry Central, Pike Central, South Knox, Southridge, Tell City, Vincennes Lincoln, Washington, Washington Catholic

25. Evansville Mater Dei (Angel Mounds) (19) Boys 10 am CT; Girls 10:30 am CT | Results
Boonville, Castle, Evansville Bosse, Evansville Central, Evansville Christian, Evansville Day, Evansville F.J. Reitz, Evansville Harrison, Evansville Mater Dei, Evansville North, Evansville Reitz Memorial, Gibson Southern, Heritage Hills, Mt. Vernon, North Posey, Princeton Community, Signature, South Spencer, Tecumseh

INDIANA CROSS COUNTRY: HTTPS://IN.MILESPLIT.COM/

COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 7 SCHEDULE

TUESDAY, OCT. 10

LOUISIANA TECH AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE | 7 P.M. | CBSSN

LIBERTY AT JACKSONVILLE STATE | 7:30 P.M. | ESPNU

COASTAL CAROLINA AT APPALACHIAN STATE | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN2

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 11

UTEP AT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN2

SAM HOUSTON AT NEW MEXICO STATE | 9 P.M. | CBSSN

THURSDAY, OCT. 12

WEST VIRGINIA AT HOUSTON | 7 P.M. | FS1

SMU AT EAST CAROLINA | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN

FRIDAY, OCT. 13

TULANE AT MEMPHIS | 7 P.M. | ESPN

FRESNO STATE AT UTAH STATE | 8 P.M. | CBSSN

STANFORD AT COLORADO | 10 P.M. | ESPN

SATURDAY, OCT. 14

NO. 1 GEORGIA AT VANDERBILT | 12 P.M. | CBS

INDIANA AT NO. 2 MICHIGAN | 12 P.M. | FOX

NO. 3 OHIO STATE AT PURDUE | 12 P.M. | PEACOCK

SYRACUSE AT NO. 4 FLORIDA STATE | 12 P.M.

ARKANSAS AT NO. 11 ALABAMA | 12 P.M. | ESPN

MICHIGAN STATE AT RUTGERS | 12 P.M.

TEMPLE AT NORTH TEXAS | 12 P.M. | ESPNU

GEORGIA SOUTHERN AT JAMES MADISON | 12 P.M. | ESPN2

KENT STATE AT EASTERN MICHIGAN | 12 P.M. | CBSSN

SACRED HEART AT YALE | 12 P.M. | ESPN+

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

SAN DIEGO AT MARIST | 12 P.M. | ESPN+

HOWARD AT HARVARD | 1 P.M. | ESPN+

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

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

GEORGETOWN AT LEHIGH | 1 P.M. | ESPN+

ST. THOMAS (MINN.) AT DRAKE | 1 P.M. | ESPN+

FURMAN AT SAMFORD | 1 P.M. | ESPN+

TENNESSEE TECH AT SOUTH CAROLINA STATE | 1:30 P.M. | ESPN+

PENN AT COLUMBIA | 1:30 P.M. | ESPN+

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

VMI AT THE CITADEL | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

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

GARDNER-WEBB AT AUSTIN PEAY | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

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

YOUNGSTOWN STATE AT SOUTH DAKOTA | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

MOREHEAD STATE AT VALPARAISO | 2 P.M. | ESPN+

CAL AT NO. 16 UTAH | 3 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK

INDIANA STATE AT ILLINOIS STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+

ALABAMA A&M AT GRAMBLING | 3 P.M. | ESPN+

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

TARLETON STATE AT EASTERN KENTUCKY | 3 P.M. | ESPN+

SACRAMENTO STATE AT NORTHERN COLORADO | 3 P.M. | ESPN+

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT MURRAY STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+

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

EASTERN ILLINOIS AT SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+

UMASS AT NO. 6 PENN STATE | 3:30 P.M.

NO. 8 OREGON AT NO. 7 WASHINGTON | 3:30 P.M. | ABC

TEXAS A&M AT NO. 19 TENNESSEE | 3:30 P.M. | CBS

NO. 23 KANSAS AT OKLAHOMA STATE | 3:30 P.M. | FS1

TROY AT ARMY | 3:30 P.M. | CBSSN

FLORIDA AT SOUTH CAROLINA | 3:30 P.M. | SEC NETWORK

WAKE FOREST AT VIRGINIA TECH | 3:30 P.M. | ACC NETWORK

BYU AT TCU | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN

FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT SOUTH FLORIDA | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN2

AKRON AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+

BOWLING GREEN AT BUFFALO | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+

MIAMI (OHIO) AT WESTERN MICHIGAN | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+

WOFFORD AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+

OHIO AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS | 4 P.M. | ESPNU

NORTH ALABAMA AT ABILENE CHRISTIAN | 4 P.M. | ESPN+

PORTLAND STATE AT NORTHERN ARIZONA | 4 P.M. | ESPN+

MISSOURI STATE AT WESTERN ILLINOIS | 4 P.M. | ESPN+

LAMAR AT SE LOUISIANA | 4 P.M. | ESPN+

ROBERT MORRIS AT BRYANT | 4 P.M. | ESPN+

NORTHWESTERN STATE AT NICHOLLS | 4 P.M. | ESPN+

LINDENWOOD AT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN | 4 P.M. | ESPN+

CHATTANOOGA AT MERCER | 4 P.M. | ESPN+

UNLV AT NEVADA | 5 P.M. | MOUNTAIN WEST NETWORK

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN AT CENTRAL ARKANSAS | 5 P.M. | ESPN+

TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE AT UIW | 5 P.M. | ESPN+

NORFOLK STATE AT TENNESSEE STATE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+

EASTERN WASHINGTON AT IDAHO STATE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+

NO. 14 LOUISVILLE AT PITT | 6:30 P.M. | CW NETWORK

MARSHALL AT GEORGIA STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN2

UL MONROE AT TEXAS STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+

WYOMING AT AIR FORCE | 7 P.M. | CBSSN

PRAIRIE VIEW A&M AT HOUSTON CHRISTIAN | 7 P.M. | ESPN+

ARIZONA AT NO. 19 WASHINGTON STATE | 7 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORKS

AUBURN AT NO. 22 LSU | 7 P.M. | ESPN

NO. 10 USC AT NO. 21 NOTRE DAME | 7:30 P.M. | NBC/PEACOCK

NO. 25 MIAMI (FLA.) AT NO. 12 NORTH CAROLINA | 7:30 P.M. | ABC

MISSOURI AT NO. 24 KENTUCKY | 7:30 P.M. | SEC NETWORK

NO. 18 UCLA AT NO. 15 OREGON STATE | 8 P.M. | FOX

NC STATE AT NO. 17 DUKE | 8 P.M. | ACC NETWORK

UAB AT UTSA | 8 P.M. | ESPNU

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

UC DAVIS AT WEBER STATE | 8 P.M. | ESPN+

MONTANA AT IDAHO | 10:30 P.M. | ESPN2

SAN DIEGO STATE AT HAWAI’I | 11 P.M. | CBSSN

ILLINOIS AT MARYLAND

IOWA AT WISCONSIN

IOWA STATE AT CINCINNATI

KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS TECH

BOISE STATE AT COLORADO STATE

WEEK 5 SCOREBOARD MONDAY NIGHT

LAS VEGAS 17 GREEN BAY 13

WEEK 6 SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2023

DENVER BRONCOS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 8:15P PRIME VIDEO

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2023

BALTIMORE RAVENS VS TENNESSEE TITANS (TOTTENHAM) 9:30A NFLN

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS 1:00P CBS

MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT CHICAGO BEARS 1:00P FOX

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS 1:00P CBS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS 1:00P FOX

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT HOUSTON TEXANS 1:00P FOX

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 1:00P CBS

CAROLINA PANTHERS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS 1:00P CBS

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS 4:05P CBS

ARIZONA CARDINALS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS 4:25P FOX

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT NEW YORK JETS 4:25P FOX

DETROIT LIONS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 4:25P FOX

NEW YORK GIANTS AT BUFFALO BILLS 8:20P NBC

MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2023

DALLAS COWBOYS AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS 8:15P ESPN/ABC

WEEK 6 BYES: GREEN BAY PACKERS, PITTSBURGH STEELERS

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

FULL SCHEDULE FOR 2023 MLB POSTSEASON

MONDAY, OCT. 9
ATLANTA 5 PHILADELPHIA 4 (SERIES TIED 1-1)
ARIZONA 4 LA DODGERS 2 (ARIZONA LEADS 2-0)

TUESDAY, OCT. 10
HOU @ MIN, GAME 3, 4 P.M. (FOX)
BAL @ TEX, GAME 3, 8 P.M. (FOX)

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 11
ATL @ PHI, GAME 3, TBS
HOU @ MIN, GAME 4 (IF NECESSARY), FOX/FS1
BAL @ TEX, GAME 4 (IF NECESSARY), FOX/FS1
LAD @ AZ, GAME 3, TBS

THURSDAY, OCT. 12
ATL @ PHI, GAME 4 (IF NECESSARY), TBS
LAD @ AZ, GAME 4 (IF NECESSARY), TBS

FRIDAY, OCT. 13
TEX @ BAL, GAME 5 (IF NECESSARY), FOX/FS1
MIN @ HOU, GAME 5 (IF NECESSARY), FOX/FS1

SATURDAY, OCT. 14
PHI @ ATL, GAME 5 (IF NECESSARY), TBS
AZ @ LAD, GAME 5 (IF NECESSARY), TBS

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

PRESENTED BY LOANDEPOT

SUNDAY, OCT. 15
ALCS GAME 1, FOX/FS1

MONDAY, OCT. 16
NLCS GAME 1, TBS
ALCS GAME 2, FOX/FS1

TUESDAY, OCT. 17
NLCS GAME 2, TBS

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 18
ALCS GAME 3, FOX/FS1

THURSDAY, OCT. 19
NLCS GAME 3, TBS
ALCS GAME 4, FOX/FS1

FRIDAY, OCT. 20
NLCS GAME 4, TBS
ALCS GAME 5 (IF NECESSARY), FOX/FS1

SATURDAY, OCT. 21
NLCS GAME 5 (IF NECESSARY), TBS

SUNDAY, OCT. 22
ALCS GAME 6 (IF NECESSARY), FOX/FS1

MONDAY, OCT. 23
NLCS GAME 6 (IF NECESSARY), TBS
ALCS GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY), FOX/FS1

TUESDAY, OCT. 24
NLCS GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY), TBS

WORLD SERIES

PRESENTED BY CAPITAL ONE

FRIDAY, OCT. 27
GAME 1 (AT BETTER 2023 RECORD), FOX

SATURDAY, OCT. 28
GAME 2 (AT BETTER 2023 RECORD), FOX

MONDAY, OCT. 30
GAME 3, FOX

TUESDAY, OCT. 31
GAME 4, FOX

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 1
GAME 5 (IF NECESSARY), FOX

FRIDAY, NOV. 3
GAME 6 (IF NECESSARY, AT BETTER 2023 RECORD), FOX

SATURDAY, NOV. 4
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY, AT BETTER 2023 RECORD), FOX

NBA PRE-SEASON

NEW YORK 114 BOSTON 107

OKLAHOMA CITY 122 SAN ANTONIO 121

LA LAKERS 129 BROOKLYN 126

WNBA SCORES

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYOFFS

DIAMONDBACKS JUMP ALL OVER ANOTHER DODGERS STARTER AND BEAT LA 4-2 FOR A 2-0 LEAD IN NLDS

LOS ANGELES (AP) Not many people picked the Arizona Diamondbacks to beat Milwaukee in the NL Wild Card Series. Even fewer pegged them to take down the 100-win Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series.

Surprise! After a rough ending to the regular season, the upstart youngsters from the desert are sailing through the playoffs.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and the Diamondbacks made quick work of another Dodgers starter, beating Los Angeles 4-2 on Monday night behind Zac Gallen for a 2-0 lead in their NLDS.

“Why would we play with anything to lose?” closer Paul Sewald said. “We were the sixth seed. We weren’t supposed to win in Milwaukee. No one is going to pick us to beat the Dodgers when we haven’t played well against them. We’re going out there with a lot of confidence.”

The D-backs, who earned the final National League wild card despite losing their last four regular-season games, improved to 4-0 in these playoffs – all on the road against division winners. They were 5-8 against the Dodgers during the regular season, losing the final five meetings.

“These guys are very hungry and they feel like they have a lot to prove,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said.

They’ll try for a stunning sweep of the NL West champions when the best-of-five series shifts to Phoenix for Game 3 on Wednesday.

“It’s two games, but our backs are against the wall,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We’ve got to make some type of adjustments and we have no more margin.”

Gallen allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings for his second win of the postseason. Gurriel laced an RBI single to cap a three-run first, and the Diamondbacks chased rookie starter Bobby Miller in the second.

“I don’t think it’s any secret we’ve come in here and struggled,” Gallen said. “It was good for us just mentally to come in here and set the tone, have a little faith in ourselves.”

The early outburst came two nights after Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw was tagged for six runs while getting only one out during Arizona’s 11-2 rout in Game 1.

Gurriel added a solo homer in the sixth to make it 4-1. Sewald pitched a perfect ninth for his third save of the postseason, aided by a nice catch from Gurriel in left field.

Gallen retired nine in a row during one stretch in his second career postseason start. The 17-game winner gave up five hits, struck out four and walked two.

Arizona’s hitters weren’t intimidated by Miller’s 100 mph heat in his playoff debut. They loaded the bases with nobody out and got a sacrifice fly from Christian Walker and an RBI groundout from Gabriel Moreno before Gurriel’s two-out single made it 3-0.

Kershaw and Miller worked a combined two innings and gave up nine earned runs. Miller allowed four hits, struck out one and walked two in 1 2/3 innings before Roberts had seen enough and went to the bullpen.

“Especially after losing Game 1, you want to go out there and set a tone for your offense and get them in a good mood,” Miller said. “Stuff happens. We’re not done yet. They’ve still got to win another game. I know we can do this.”

Kershaw and Miller have a combined 40.50 ERA through the first two games – the worst starters’ ERA over that span in postseason history, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

The Dodgers have lost five straight postseason games dating to Game 2 of last year’s NLDS against San Diego.

Once again, the Dodgers got little production from the top of their lineup. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, two of the team’s four 100-RBI players, were a combined 1 for 13 with three walks and a strikeout in the first two games of the series.

“All of us gotta get going,” Betts said. “We had a couple opportunities and we didn’t cash it in. For me and Freddie, that’s kind of our role. We’re not doing it, and I take ownership in that. Gotta figure out a way, man. No excuses.”

Los Angeles went 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position during the two games and stranded 13 overall.

Despite having the sellout crowd behind him from his first pitch, Miller issued a leadoff walk to Corbin Carroll. Ketel Marte reached on a bunt single and Tommy Pham singled to load the bases.

James Outman crashed into the center-field wall making a leaping catch of Walker’s sacrifice fly that scored Carroll for a 1-0 lead. Outman bobbled a catch in the first inning of Game 1 that contributed to Kershaw’s six-run inning before the three-time Cy Young Award winner was yanked.

After Pham stole second, Arizona added two more runs on Moreno’s RBI groundout to shortstop and Gurriel’s sharp single to center.

Miller had two-strike counts on seven hitters and retired only three of them. He needed 32 pitches to get through the first after visits by catcher Will Smith and pitching coach Mark Prior.

J.D. Martinez hit a solo homer in the fourth that pulled the Dodgers to 3-1. They had runners at the corners in the fifth, but with the crowd chanting “Freddie! Freddie!,” Freeman took a called third strike to end the inning.

“Couple pitches I missed that will make me not sleep,” Freeman said.

The Dodgers chased Gallen with back-to-back singles by Max Muncy and Martinez in the sixth. Andrew Saalfrank, a September callup, walked pinch-hitter Chris Taylor to load the bases.

Pinch-hitter Kiké Hernández bounced the ball over the mound and second baseman Marte made a diving stop as Muncy scored to make it 4-2. Outman struck out and pinch-hitter Kolten Wong grounded out against side-armer Ryan Thompson with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Betts reached on a fielding error by Thompson leading off the seventh, and Freeman came to the plate as the potential tying run. He fouled a ball off the inside of his right leg before hitting into a double play, and Smith ended the inning by taking a called third strike.

“That’s what happens when you take a terrible swing. You hurt yourself,” Freeman said, laughing.

CARROLL’S NUMBERS

Carroll singled in the seventh and finished 1 for 2 with a run and three walks. The rookie leadoff hitter is batting .500 with two homers and four RBIs in four postseason games.

DIGGING THE LONG BALL

Arizona has homered in 15 straight postseason games dating to Game 3 of the 2007 NL Championship Series against Colorado, tied for the second-longest streak in playoff history.

UP NEXT

Diamondbacks rookie RHP Brandon Pfaadt is scheduled to start Game 3. He started Game 1 of the Wild Card Series in Milwaukee.

The Dodgers will go with RHP Lance Lynn. He gave up a major league-leading 44 homers during the season, when he had a 7-2 record and a 4.36 ERA after joining the Dodgers before the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

BRAVES RALLY FOR 5-4 WIN OVER PHILLIES ON D’ARNAUD, RILEY HOMERS AND GAME-ENDING DOUBLE PLAY

ATLANTA (AP) Baseball’s most potent group of sluggers finally got into the swing of things — maybe just in time to save the season for the Atlanta Braves.

Throw in a game-ending double play for the ages, courtesy of a remarkable catch by Michael Harris II and some astute positioning by Austin Riley, and suddenly this 104-win team has gone from down and out to showing a little postseason swagger.

Travis d’Arnaud and Riley hit two-run homers as the Braves, who were held without a hit into the sixth inning, rallied from a four-run deficit to stun the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 Monday night, evening the NL Division Series at one win apiece.

“It was really emotional, especially the way we came back,” d’Arnaud said. “That was one of my favorite postseason games ever.”

D’Arnaud, who started at catcher over slumping Sean Murphy, gave the Braves hope with his shot into the left-field seats in the seventh, cutting Philadelphia’s lead to 4-3.

It was Atlanta’s first extra-base hit of the series.

Riley provided the second, driving a 3-2 pitch from Jeff Hoffman (0-1) into the Phillies bullpen with two outs in the eighth to put the Braves ahead for the first time in the best-of-five series. Ronald Acuña Jr. scored ahead of Riley after being plunked on the left arm by Hoffman’s first pitch coming in from the bullpen.

“I just have faith in those guys,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “You know what? They give you a hard 27 (outs). … They’re never going to stop fighting in the batter’s box.”

It ended in equally stunning fashion. With Bryce Harper aboard, Nick Castellanos drove one to deep right-center, only to be robbed on a great leaping catch by Harris slamming into the fence.

“I knew off the bat it was going to be close to the fence,” Harris said. “I knew once I went back I wasn’t stopping. I was going to do anything I could to get a glove on it. If my body had to go down because of that, I would have done that.”

Harper had rounded second base when Harris made the grab. He backtracked desperately, and the throw back to the infield skidded past second baseman Ozzie Albies. But Riley alertly backed up the play and zipped a throw to first that completed the double play.

It was the first postseason game in baseball history to end on a double play involving an outfielder, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Just like that, the series is all tied up. Game 3 is Wednesday at Philadelphia.

“Every playoff win is exciting,” d’Arnaud said. “I think the way it ended was one of the most exciting endings to a game I’ve ever seen as far as a defensive standpoint. We got Money Mike making a crazy catch on the wall and us doubling up Harper to close it out.”

Phillies manager Rob Thomson talked about Harper’s baserunning blunder.

“Usually you don’t pass the base,” Thomson said. “You stay in front of it, make sure it’s not caught. But he thought the ball was clearly over his head, didn’t think he was going to catch it. And Harris made a heck of a play. Unbelievable.”

So did Riley, backing up on a play that he never could’ve expected to be involved in.

“It ended up just being right spot at the right time,” Riley said.

A.J. Minter (1-0) earned the win and Raisel Iglesias claimed his first save of this postseason.

With Zack Wheeler dominating a lineup that led the majors in runs and tied a big league record with 307 homers, the Phillies built a 4-0 lead. J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run homer in the third off Max Fried, sandwiched between Alec Bohm’s run-scoring single and Bryson Stott’s sacrifice fly.

Wheeler, who was born and raised not far from Truist Park, was one strike away from making it through the sixth without allowing a hit. But he walked Acuña after getting ahead 1-2 in the count, and Albies lined a single to right.

Acuña was holding up at third, but he took off for home when the throw back to the infield ricocheted off Trea Turner’s glove for the shortstop’s second error of the night.

Wheeler fanned the side in each of the first two innings, with the Braves making contact on just 12 of 26 strikes. Matt Olson was the lone baserunner, reaching when Turner bobbled a routine grounder to shortstop.

Through the first four innings, the home team didn’t even get one of the infield – unless you count the Hammer, Brush, Paint Can and Drill racing around the warning track as part of the Home Depot Tool Race.

Finally, on Atlanta’s 13th batter of the night, Marcell Ozuna lifted one to center field. It was caught by Johan Rojas, but that seemed like progress the way the Braves were struggling.

Atlanta was shut out 3-0 in Game 1 and started the series with 14 straight scoreless innings – its longest drought of the season – before finally breaking through with an assist from Turner’s glove.

Fried, who went on the injured list late in the season with a recurring blister issue, labored through four innings. He surrendered three runs and six hits and was lucky to leave the game trailing only 3-0.

Bryson Stott grounded out with the bases loaded to end the first, and the Phillies stranded two more runners in the fourth.

In all, the Phillies left 11 runners on base, but they still head back home in the same position as a year ago when they won the final two games of the NLDS at home to knock off the Braves.

“It’s a little disappointing, but hey, we’ve got home-field advantage now,” Thomson said, looking for a bright spot after the Phillies missed a chance to put a real stranglehold on this series. “And really, that’s what you’re looking for after these two games.”

STICKING WITH ZACK

Thomson went to his bullpen early in Game 1, lifting Ranger Suárez in the fourth inning even though he had allowed only one hit.

That strategy paid off when a half-dozen relievers combined with Suárez to complete a five-hit shutout.

This time, Thomson stuck with his starter a little too long, leaving in Wheeler for the seventh inning with a 4-1 lead.

D’Arnaud made Wheeler pay on his 92nd – and final – pitch, but the Phillies manager had no regrets.

“I wanted him to go back out, and he said he was fine,” Thomson said. “He still looked good, so I was all in.”

UP NEXT

Aaron Nola, who pitched seven scoreless innings against Miami during the wild-card round, will go for the Phillies in Game 3. The right-hander made three appearance against the Braves during the regular season, posting a 3.50 ERA while failing to pick up a decision.

Atlanta has yet to name its starter for Game 3, though the Phillies are expecting to see either Bryce Elder or AJ Smith-Shawver, a 20-year-old rookie.

NFL NEWS

RAIDERS INTERCEPT JORDAN LOVE 3 TIMES, HOLD ON TO BEAT PACKERS 17-13

LAS VEGAS (AP) Linebacker Robert Spillane had just one career interception before Monday night, and cornerback Amik Robertson received just his second start in five games this season.

Both players were critical to the Las Vegas Raiders’ 17-13 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Spillane intercepted Green Bay’s Jordan Love twice, and Robertson made the game-sealing pick in the end zone to stop a three-game skid.

“One of the best interceptions I’ve ever seen in my life,” Spillane said. “Fifty yards down the field, to be able to contort his body, high point the football and end the game like that, what an outstanding play by a player who’s been gnawing at the bit to get on the field.”

The Raiders’ offense did just enough, with Jimmy Garoppolo completing 22 of 31 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown while throwing his NFL-high seventh interception. Jakobi Meyers caught seven passes for 75 yards and a TD, and former Packer Davante Adams had four catches for 45 yards.

Love was 16 of 30 for 182 yards and the three picks. He has thrown five interceptions in the past two games.

“I’ve got to be better,” Love said. “I’ve got to take care of the ball.”

Both offenses struggled. The Raiders (2-3) gained 279 yards and the Packers (2-3) finished with 285.

“I thought our defense competed hard, enough for us to win the game,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “We’ve got to find a way to score points because I think anytime you hold somebody to 17 points, it’s enough to win football games.”

Las Vegas ended an eight-game skid against the Packers. The franchise last beat Green Bay in 1987 when it played in Los Angeles.

Robertson secured the victory when he intercepted a pass in the end zone with 44 seconds left.

“I played receiver in high school,” Robertson said. “I’m an offensive player playing defense.”

The Raiders took a 10-3 lead into halftime thanks to 9-yard touchdown pass from Garoppolo to Meyers. Las Vegas had a chance for an even bigger lead after Spillane’s interception in the second quarter gave the Raiders possession at the Green Bay 7, but settled for a short field goal.

That kind of start was nothing new for the Packers, who have scored six first-half points in their past three games. They overcame a 17-0 deficit at the break two weeks ago to beat the New Orleans Saints, and last week outscored the Detroit Lions 17-7 in the second half but still lost by two touchdowns.

And, right on cue, the Packers opened the second half with Rudy Ford’s interception of Garoppolo. That led to AJ Dillon’s 5-yard touchdown run to tie the game.

Later in the third quarter, Green Bay failed to take advantage of a short field. Love found Christian Watson without a defender within about 10 yards of him. The 77-yard completion – and a horse-collar tackle penalty – put the Packers at the 3. But Green Bay had to settle for a chip-shot field goal to go ahead 13-10.

The lead didn’t hold up long. Josh Jacobs’ 2-yard touchdown run to open the fourth quarter put Las Vegas back in front.

“A lot of credit for hanging in there and grinding it out,” Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said. “It was that kind of game the entire four quarters. Nothing was easy.”

BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER

Give the edge to younger brother Anders Carlson in the matchup of kicking brothers.

Anders Carlson made both field goals for the Packers, from 37 and 22 yards. He is 7 of 7 on field goals and 10 of 10 on extra points. Two of the rookie’s field goals are from at least 50 yards.

Daniel Carlson, one of the league’s most reliable kickers, hit from 26 yards, but had a 53-yard attempt partially blocked and a 52-yarder bounce off the right upright. He entered this game having made 24 of 29 career field goals from at least 50 yards.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS LIGHT TORCH

The Vegas Golden Knights, with the Stanley Cup in tow, lit the Al Davis memorial torch before the game. They drew a loud ovation from the crowd, which chanted “Go Knights Go.”

The Knights will raise their championship banner Tuesday night before facing the Seattle Kraken in the season opener.

INJURIES

Green Bay got a boost when CB Jaire Alexander started after missing the previous two games with a back injury. … Packers LB Quay Walker (knee) and S Darnell Savage (calf) were injured in the second quarter. … The Raiders entered the game thin at cornerback with Nate Hobbs (ankle) and Jakorian Bennett (hamstring) not playing.

UP NEXT

Packers: After a bye, play at Denver on Oct. 22.

Raiders: McDaniels goes against his old boss for the second season in a row when Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots visit Sunday.

DAK PRESCOTT CALLS COWBOYS’ LOSS VS 49ERS ‘THE MOST HUMBLING GAME’ HE’S PLAYED

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The frustration from back-to-back playoff losses to San Francisco that both ended on odd plays turned to humiliation for the Dallas Cowboys.

Hoping to prove themselves against a fellow NFC contender in a showdown against the 49ers, the Cowboys were run off the field almost from the start.

The defense that had been so stingy the first four weeks was completely exposed. The offense took more than a quarter to gain even a single first down and couldn’t move the ball or protect it.

It added up to a 42-10 loss to the 49ers on Sunday night that was the most lopsided ever for Dallas in this storied rivalry and that raised more questions about whether the Cowboys are a viable threat to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time in more than a quarter-century.

“It’s a punch in the gut, it’s a kick the in the (butt), whatever phrase you want to put on it,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “They beat us in all three phases.”

Dak Prescott was under pressure from San Francisco’s relentless defense right from the start as the Cowboys (3-2) began the game with three three-and-outs and a lost fumble by Tony Pollard.

Prescott responded with a 26-yard TD pass to KaVontae Turpin in the second quarter to provide a glimmer of hope but everything fell apart in the second half, leading to Dallas’ most lopsided loss in 10 years and biggest ever against San Francisco.

After San Francisco extended the lead to 28-10 on Brock Purdy’s third TD pass of the game midway through the third quarter, Prescott heaved a deep pass on first down into double coverage, leading to an interception to Tashaun Gipson.

That set up another Niners touchdown and Prescott then threw interceptions on the next two drives, giving him three in a span of just six offensive plays.

“Didn’t see it coming,” quarterback Dak Prescott said. “Put everything into this, and got punched in the mouth. It was humbling a couple weeks ago against Arizona. But this may be the most humbling game I’ve ever been a part of. Felt good about the preparation, felt good about everything honestly coming into this game and they beat us in every aspect.”

It’s now three straight wins in the series for San Francisco. The Niners won a wild-card game in Dallas in the 2021 season that ended when Prescott scrambled and then couldn’t spike the ball in time for a final play in a 23-17 loss.

The Cowboys lost again in the divisional round last season on the road 19-12 with the game ending on a play that featured running back Ezekiel Elliott at center that never had a chance.

This game had no drama at the end as most of the starters for both teams spent the bulk of the fourth quarter as spectators.

It was Dallas’ most lopsided defeat since losing 49-17 to New Orleans in 2013 but the Cowboys aren’t ready to concede anything to the Niners and are hopeful for another January rematch.

“We are not that far off from them,” star edge rusher Micah Parsons said. “I do not think they are this much better of a team than us. We beat ourselves, and we need to be in better position to make plays and things like that. But going forward, we’re going to have to adjust and get ready. Because I definitely feel like they had our number and we didn’t have theirs. They gave us their best shot tonight, and we get to learn from this and get better come playoff time.”

ANALYSIS: BILL BELICHICK SEEMS LOST WITHOUT TOM BRADY, SEAN PAYTON OFF TO A DISASTROUS START

Bill Belichick is lost without Tom Brady. Sean Payton is off to a disastrous start in his return to the sideline.

Two of the NFL’s most accomplished coaches had another rough Sunday.

The New England Patriots (1-4) followed up the worst loss in Belichick’s coaching career with the biggest home shutout in franchise history. Quarterback Mac Jones and the rest of the offense were terrible in a 34-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

The Denver Broncos (1-4) didn’t have their coach’s back in a grudge match against the New York Jets. Russell Wilson’s fumble in the final minute was returned for a game-sealing score as the Jets beat the Broncos 31-21, giving offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett a satisfying win over Payton.

Between 2011-2015, the Patriots and Broncos faced off three times in the playoffs, including a couple of AFC title games.

Now, both teams seem headed for a battle for a top draft pick.

The Patriots are 26-30, including a playoff loss, since Brady left New England after the 2019 season. Brady went on to win his seventh Super Bowl in Tampa Bay and has retired. Belichick and the Patriots haven’t been the same.

Over his coaching career, Belichick is 81-94 in games Brady hasn’t started. It’s hard to imagine he’d be on the hot seat but the Patriots aren’t even competitive anymore. They’ve been outscored 72-3 over the past two games.

“Obviously, it was a poor performance today here,” Belichick said. “So, just plain and simple, we’ve got to find a way to play and coach better than that. So that’s what we are going to do, start all over and get back on a better track than we’re on right now.”

Jones led the Patriots to a 10-7 record in a promising rookie year but it’s been downhill since for the 2021 first-round pick. Bailey Zappe replaced him to finish the last two games, though Belichick didn’t say he was making a change at starter.

“Go back to the fundamentals and keep it in the simplest form,” said Patriots center David Andrews, who snapped to Brady in two of the Super Bowl victories. “It’s tough. We put a lot into it each week, and to go out there and not put your best foot forward on Sunday is tough. We’ve got to come in and get back to work. That’s really all I know to do. We can’t lay down, can’t quit. It’s a long year. We’re going to come back in and go back to work.”

Hard work might not be good enough for this team. They lack talent and have poor coaching.

The Patriots play at Las Vegas next week and have difficult games against Buffalo and Miami after that. At this point, 2-6 might be optimistic.

The schedule doesn’t help the Broncos, either. They face the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs in two of the next three games, including Thursday night in Kansas City. They also have to play Green Bay and Buffalo over the next four games.

Payton, who led the Saints to one Super Bowl title in 16 years before stepping down after the 2021 season, may wish he stayed retired. Payton left a broadcasting gig to try to rescue the Broncos after Hackett had a dismal season with Wilson in Denver.

In training camp, Payton said Hackett’s year “might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL.”

Hackett got the final word.

“I have to do a better job. It starts with me,” Payton said after Zach Wilson led Hackett’s offense to 407 total yards.

Denver had a chance to win two other close losses in the first two weeks, 17-16 to the Raiders and 35-33 to the Commanders.

“We really should and could be 4-1,” Wilson said. “But ‘coulda, shoulda, woulda’ is not good enough. The good thing about it and the perspective of it all is that, as we continue to go throughout the season, it’s a journey. There’s still a lot of good things ahead. We really believe that. We showed a lot of energy today. We did a lot of good things. We just can’t hurt ourselves. That’s the biggest thing. Those three, four games that we’ve lost, we’ve hurt ourselves in some form or fashion. The best thing that we can do is continue to learn, continue to get better, stay focused on what’s next and that’s us going on the road.”

Hard to imagine a road trip to Arrowhead will result in anything better.

BROWNS QB DESHAUN WATSON STILL DEALING WITH SHOULDER INJURY THAT KEPT HIM OUT OF GAME BEFORE BYE

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson did not practice Monday as he continues to deal with a right shoulder injury that sidelined him for one game before the bye week.

Watson remained inside the team’s facility while his teammates worked outdoors in their first practice following their bye. He unexpectedly missed the Oct. 1 game against Baltimore with a shoulder bruise sustained a week earlier against Tennessee.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski did not provide any new specifics about Watson’s injury on Monday.

He also would not speculate if Watson, who has made just nine starts in two seasons with Cleveland, would be available for this week’s game against the San Francisco 49ers (5-0).

“I know it’s a broken record, but really just treat it day by day,” Stefanski said. “He’s doing everything that he’s being asked to do and getting better.”

The 28-year-old Watson had been expected to play against the Ravens despite being limited and not throwing any passes with power during practices leading into that game.

But when he got to the stadium on game day, Watson was unable to throw with any velocity in an on-field workout three hours before kickoff, and the decision was made for him to be inactive despite being medically cleared to play.

Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson started for Watson and struggled in his NFL debut, throwing three interceptions and being sacked four times.

The Browns have said Watson did not sustain any tears or structural damage in his shoulder. If that’s the case, Stefanski was asked why he’s not ready to play.

“The piece there that’s important is medically cleared versus functionally able to do your job,” Stefanski said. “That’s what with all of our guys, when you’re working through an injury, you need to be able to functionally perform, and that’s what Deshaun’s working very hard in his rehab — to be able to get back to 100%.”

NOTES: All-Pro DE Myles Garrett (foot), TE David Njoku (burns), LG Joel Bitonio (ankle) and C Ethan Pocic (chest, knee) were also kept out of practice to rehab injuries.

REPORT: LIONS CB EMMANUEL MOSELEY (ACL) OUT FOR SEASON

Detroit Lions cornerback Emmanuel Moseley tore his ACL just minutes after returning from a previous knee injury, multiple outlets reported Monday.

Moseley, 27, was injured just two plays into his season debut in Sunday’s 42-24 victory against the visiting Carolina Panthers.

The latest injury occurred 364 days after he tore the ACL in his left knee, also against the Panthers, while playing for the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 9, 2022.

“I know on tape or the replay it certainly didn’t look good, but we won’t know a ton until we get the MRI, which will probably be (Monday) afternoon,” head coach Dan Campbell said after Sunday’s game.

The Lions signed Moseley to a reported one-year, $6 million deal in March. He missed all of training camp after a cleanup procedure this summer on his left knee.

Moseley has recorded 162 tackles, 33 passes defensed and four interceptions in 46 games (33 starts) for Detroit and San Francisco (2018-22).

REPORT: COWBOYS’ KAVONTAE TURPIN HAS HIGH-ANKLE SPRAIN

Dallas Cowboys receiver and return specialist KaVontae Turpin sustained a high-ankle sprain in Sunday’s lopsided loss to San Francisco, NFL Network reported Monday.

ESPN also reported that Cowboys cornerback C.J. Goodwin tore a pectoral muscle and is out for the season.

Turpin, 27, scored the Cowboys’ only touchdown with a 26-yard reception in the second quarter of a 42-10 setback against the 49ers.

He will have an MRI to determine the severity of the sprain but a typical absence for such an injury is 4-6 weeks, per the report.

Turpin has caught five passes for 51 yards and a touchdown and has rushed six times for 66 yards and a score in five games this season. He has also returned five punts for 30 yards and two kickoffs for 33 yards.

Goodwin, 33, is a special teams ace playing in his sixth season with Dallas. He has four tackles in five games this season and has recorded 67 tackles in 102 games (one start) with the Atlanta Falcons (2016-17), Arizona Cardinals (2017) and Cowboys.

COLLEGE ATHLETICS

REPORT: BIG 12 RESUMES TALKS TO ADD GONZAGA

Just over three weeks after Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said talks to bring Gonzaga to the conference had died, The Messenger reported Monday that those discussions have started again.

According to the report, Gonzaga’s move to the Big 12 in all sports could come as early as 2024. The conference recently added Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado from the collapsing Pac-12 Conference.

The Big 12 was in reported talks this summer to add Gonzaga and UConn but the additions failed to materialize once the Pac-12 schools were added.

“Unfortunately, things didn’t work out only because the dream scenario unfolded for us, so those conversations are no longer,” Yormark told podcast hosts Andrew Marchand and John Ourand last month. “I’m a big admirer of both of those programs. They’re fantastic for all the right reasons but I’m focused on the transition of those four (new schools) right now.”

Gonzaga, which has grown into a national basketball power out of Spokane, Wash., has been in the West Coast Conference (formerly known as the West Coast Athletic Conference) since the 1979-80 basketball season.

The Bulldogs have advanced to every NCAA Tournament contested since 1999, making it to the championship game in 2017 and 2021.

Under current head coach Mark Few, the Bulldogs have gone 689-135 the past 24 seasons. They have won the conference tournament 19 times in that stretch.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

COSTLY UPKEEP, LESS-THAN-IDEAL WEATHER LEAD MOST COLLEGE FOOTBALL STADIUMS TO USE ARTIFICIAL TURF

When a new football stadium was built at South Alabama, located in one of America’s rainiest cities, the decision was made to go with an artificial turf playing surface.

At San Diego State, where the weather seems almost always perfect, going with a grass field was an easy choice — but not the usual one in major college football.

Of the 133 schools that currently compete in the top-tier of NCAA Division I, 94 have artificial surface football fields (71%) and 39 have grass (29%), most of those at Power Five schools that can afford the upkeep and maintenance. A half-century ago, there were 74 such schools playing on natural grass and the number actually peaked at 75 around 20 years ago.

It has plummeted since, even with more money flowing into Power Five school coffers from billion-dollar TV contracts.

The topic is a complicated one with some schools (Arkansas and Mississippi, for example) switching four times in the past century and others such as Michigan and Ohio State changing surfaces three times.

Many schools find turf is cheaper to maintain, particularly for concerts or other non-athletic events, even though there are concerns about athlete injuries.

When Aaron Rodgers went down with an injury just a few plays into his first season with the New York Jets, it reignited calls from NFL players for natural grass fields for their safety (about half of the 30 NFL stadiums use grass).

In major college football, the players don’t have a union behind them to voice concerns. Some do have a preference.

“I would much rather (play) on grass,” said Wisconsin quarterback Tanner Mordecai, who has played on turf for the Badgers and at SMU and on grass for Oklahoma. “I don’t know all the studies and all that, but I do know that it feels better. Just feels better on your joints and your bones. It doesn’t feel like you beat yourself up as much.”

Some studies — including one using NCAA injury surveillance data from 2004-14 — have concluded playing football on artificial surfaces increases the frequency of certain lower body injuries. Experts, though, are hesitant to draw definitive conclusions.

“The preliminary studies have shown that there is an increase in injury risk to the lower extremity on synthetic surfaces vs. grass,” said Bud Cooper, clinical professor in the department of kinesiology at the University of Georgia . “Now, is that the Bible? It is not.”

Most of the grass fields in top level of Division I are in the South, Southwest and California, including San Diego State’s new $310 million stadium that opened about a year ago. Derek Grice, the former associate athletic director at San Diego State, said climate was a key factor in choosing grass. The growing season is relatively constant.

Aside from being the home of the Aztecs, plans for Snapdragon Stadium include professional soccer and becoming a destination for international clubs and competition. That requires a grass playing surface.

Grice has worked at other schools where determining what surface to use in a facility wasn’t so clear cut. Ideal conditions don’t always exist and the quality of artificial turf is improving, he said.

“I believe if you look at it a majority of athletes are going to prefer to play on grass. If it’s a well-maintained surface,” Grice said.

And there’s the catch.

“I think it honestly depends on the grass,” Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord said. “I feel like the turf — especially around the Big Ten — is pretty consistent. I would say good grass is better than turf, but I think overall just turf because you know what you’re going to get with it.”

First-year Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, who has also coached in the NFL, had the practice fields in Lincoln changed to grass. The Cornhuskers’ Memorial Stadium has artificial turf.

“Injuries happen on everything. I don’t ever like one thing to be the end all, be all. But I’m a grass fan,” Rhule said. “That’s why I made the practice fields grass so that we can have more reps on the softer surface.”

South Alabama’s Hancock Whitney Stadium opened in 2020. Athletic director Joel Erdmann said the school went with FieldTurf, the most common artificial surface among Bowl Subdivision schools, in large part because Mobile, Alabama, gets so much rain.

“If you’re going to have a natural grass field, especially in our climate, you’re going to have to have a very robust drainage system,” he said.

Erdmann said the cost of the synthetic surface South Alabama uses was about $1.6 million and estimated the initial cost of a grass field would have be similar.

“But then I think what you run into is the annual maintenance costs,” he said. “Instead of having two grounds guys, you’ve got six. And you’ve got a $60-, $70,000 mower that needs to have maintenance.”

In the future, weighing the cost of turf vs. grass might also include legal fees.

Jennifer Steinmetz, an attorney with Tucker Ellis who has defended manufacturers and distributors against product liability claims, said in email that turf fields in football and other sports could be ripe for litigation.

“While we anticipate that turf manufacturers will be the primary target, colleges do face potential liability,” she said.

Ramogi Huma, the executive director of the National College Players Association, compared concerns about playing surfaces to head injuries. Eventually, pressure by the NFLPA forced the NFL to adopt mandatory concussion protocols, but that doesn’t exist in college football because the athletes don’t have representation.

For some players, the playing surface doesn’t much matter.

“Shoot, we used to play in the street and on rocks when I was little,” Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron said.

AP TOP 25 REALITY CHECK: RANKINGS STAGNANT WITH FEW BIG UPSETS PUSHING VOTERS TO SHAKE-UP THE POLL

The AP Top 25 has stagnated.

Seven ranked teams

Seven ranked teams lost Saturday, including six that were unbeaten. Seems like a perfect time for a major shakeup in the rankings, but it didn’t play out that way.

No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Michigan held their spots — again. The Bulldogs and Wolverines have held steady since the preseason. No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Florida State each moved up a spot and Oklahoma climbed to No. 5.

No. 14 Louisville made a big jump by beating Notre Dame, which plummeted to No. 21.

Only two teams fell out of the rankings: Missouri and Fresno State. The two moving in were No. 18 UCLA and No. 23 Kansas, both previously ranked, each with a loss to another ranked team.

It was a historic poll for basketball blue bloods.

Through six weeks an unranked team has beaten a ranked team 10 times, but only one of those games involved a top-10 team. In Week 1, Duke beat No. 9 Clemson. The Blue Devils have been ranked since and Clemson eventually fell out.

College football has had few big upsets this season.

The current Top 25 has 16 total losses. Fourteen of those losses have come against other teams that are currently ranked. That leads to voters shuffling the Top 25 instead of cycling in new teams.

Now, that doesn’t excuse the patience some voters showed this week with No. 25 Miami, which managed to stay ranked after an all-time blown game against Georgia Tech.

But Reality Check understands sticking with teams that lose to other ranked, even if it makes the Top 25 a little boring.

No. 1 Georgia (6-0)

Next: at Vanderbilt, Saturday.

Reality check: With a new quarterback there was some thought Georgia might revert back to a more run-heavy style. Nope. The Bulldogs are pass-first with QB Carson Beck, who has three straight 300-yard passing games.

Rankings: Just right, again.

No. 2 Michigan (6-0)

Next: vs. Indiana, Saturday.

Reality check: Is there a downside to all these blowouts? Do the Wolverines need to be tested? Guess we’ll find out in about a month.

Rankings: Just right.

No. 3 Ohio State (5-0)

Next: at Purdue, Saturday.

Reality check: Can a defense that doesn’t create many negative plays be an elite defense? The Buckeyes are trying to find out. They rank near the bottom of the country in tackles for loss at 4.8 per game and have only seven sacks, but are also allowing only 4.07 yards per play, fourth in FBS.

Rankings: Too high.

No. 4 Florida State (5-0)

Next: vs. Syracuse, Saturday.

Reality check: Last week, Reality Check gave a heads up on the Seminoles getting their running game cranked up over the next few week against lesser opponents. FSU went for 282 on the ground against Virginia Tech, including 200 on 11 carries for Trey Benson. Told you so.

Rankings: Little low.

No. 5 Oklahoma (6-0)

Next: vs. UCF, Oct. 21.

Reality check: The Sooners are back in the top five, deservedly so, and could be here for a while. OU has only one ranked team left on the schedule in No 23 Kansas.

Rankings: Little low.

No. 6 Penn State (5-0)

Next: vs. UMass, Saturday.

Reality check: RB Nick Singleton had 12 runs of 20-plus yards and nine of 30-plus last year, making him one of the best home-run hitters in the country as a freshman. So far his longest run is 19 yards. Is a breakout coming?

Rankings: Little high.

No. 7 Washington (5-0)

Next: vs. No. 8 Oregon, Saturday.

Reality check: Huskies offensive line, not the deepest group, is hoping to get OG Julius Buelow back for the big game to face maybe the best defensive line in the Pac-12.

Rankings: Too low.

No. 8 Oregon (5-0)

Next: at No. 7 Washington, Saturday.

Reality check: Khyree Jackson has been a lock-down cornerback for the Ducks. They’ll need him to be at his best against the Huskies’ trio of star receivers.

Rankings: Too low.

No. 9 Texas (5-1)

Next: at Houston, Oct. 21.

Reality check: Bright side for the Longhorns: They looked like the better team against Oklahoma. Downside? Not so much that they couldn’t lose to the Sooners again.

Rankings: Just right.

No. 10 Southern California (6-0)

Next: at No. 21 Notre Dame, Saturday.

Reality check: The soft part of the schedule is over and the Trojans are unbeaten but inspiring little confidence. This team could absolutely finish 8-4.

Rankings: Too high.

No. 11 Alabama (5-1)

Next: vs. Arkansas, Saturday.

Reality check: The evolution of the Jalen Milroe offense continues: Unable to run against Texas A&M, the Tide turned to its quarterback and he delivered, throwing 33 passes for 321 yards yards and three TDs.

Rankings: Too low.

No. 12 North Carolina (5-0)

Next: vs. No. 25 Miami, Saturday.

Reality check: Warning: You might look up in a month to see the Tar Heels 9-0 and hosting a ranked Duke team.

Rankings: Maybe a tad low.

No. 13 Mississippi (5-1)

Next: at Auburn, Oct. 21.

Reality check: Rebels are on pace to have their best run defense since 2015, and by a good clip. They are currently allowing 3.17 yards per rush.

Rankings: About right.

No. 14 Louisville (6-0)

Next: at Pitt, Saturday.

Reality check: This is how special seasons happen. The Cardinals didn’t do anything particularly great to get to 5-0, but they were awesome in getting to 6-0 against Notre Dame. Now they get to have legitimate conversations about ACC titles and maybe even being this year’s TCU.

Rankings: Too high.

No. 15 Oregon State (5-1)

Next: vs. No. 18 UCLA, Saturday.

Reality check: Beavers aren’t as tough defensively this year, but QB DJ Uiagalelei has brought some balance to the offense, allowing them to win a shootout like they did at Cal.

Rankings: Little low.

No. 16 Utah (5-1)

Next: vs. California, Saturday.

Reality check: Still on Cam Rising watch in Salt Lake City, but the news didn’t sound overly promising about the quarterback playing this season.

Rankings: Too high.

No. 17 Duke (4-1)

Next: vs. North Carolina State, Saturday.

Reality check: Speaking of being on quarterback watch: After a week off, the main story about the Blue Devils will be the status of Riley Leonard’s (right ankle).

Rankings: Little high.

No. 18 UCLA (4-1)

Next: at No. 15 Oregon State, Saturday.

Reality check: This Bruins defense is no joke, leading the nation in yards per play allowed (3.74). Now can Chip Kelly get freshman QB Dante Moore up to speed to make this a legitimate Pac-12 contender?

Rankings: Too low.

No. 19 (tie) Washington State (4-1)

Next: vs. Arizona, Saturday.

Reality check: Life’s tougher away from Pullman for the Cougs and that’s where games against Oregon and Washington will be later in the year.

Rankings: About right.

No. 19 (tie) Tennessee (4-1)

Next: vs. Texas A&M, Saturday.

Reality check: Return of C Cooper Mays from injury gave the Vols a boost up front that they’ll really need against the Aggies and Alabama the next two weeks.

Rankings: About right.

No. 21 Notre Dame (5-2)

Next: vs. No. 10 USC, Saturday.

Reality check: The Irish lack top-end receivers and pass rushers, the types of players who make game-changing plays. Life’s a grind without them.

Rankings: Just right.

No. 22 LSU (4-2)

Next: vs. Auburn, Saturday.

Reality check: QB Jayden Daniel has been spectacular, averaging 398.5 yards of total offense. He also seems to take one or two hits per game that make you fear for his safety.

Rankings: Tigers are probably a Top 25 teams, but don’t necessarily deserve to be ranked.

No. 23 Kansas (5-1)

Next: at Oklahoma State, Saturday.

Reality check: Third-best team in the Big 12? Why not?

Rankings: Just right.

No. 24 Kentucky (5-1)

Next: vs. Missouri, Saturday.

Reality check: Landing QB Devin Leary as a transfer from North Carolina State was supposed to be a big deal, but so far he doesn’t he has struggled, completing 54.8% of his passes.

Rankings: About right.

No. 25 Miami (4-1)

Next: at No. 12 North Carolina, Saturday.

Reality check: It’s hard to even provide a reasonable assessment of the state of the ‘Canes going forward after that debacle of a loss against Georgia Tech.

Rankings: Too high.

BIG 10 FOOTBALL

IOWA, OHIO STATE AND PURDUE EARN WEEKLY FOOTBALL HONORS

Offensive Player of the Week

Marvin Harrison Jr.,

Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
WR – Jr. – Philadelphia, Pa. – St. Joseph’s Prep

Recorded his third 100-yard receiving game this season with eight receptions for 163 yards and one touchdown in Ohio State’s 37-17 win vs. Maryland
Added a 58-yard second quarter catch and run to help the Buckeyes to a field goal and a tie game at the half, before his 17-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter clinched the win, giving Ohio State a 34-17 lead with just seven minutes to play
Tied Michael Jenkins and Garrett Wilson for third at Ohio State with 10 100-yard receiving games
Earns his first career Offensive Player of the Week award
Last Ohio State Offensive Player of the Week: C.J. Stroud (Nov. 14, 2022)

Defensive Players of the Week
Josh Proctor, Ohio State
S – Gr. – Owasso, Okla. – Owasso

Led the Buckeyes’ defensive effort with a career-best performance in a 37-17 win against Maryland on Saturday
Intercepted a Taulia Tagovailoa pass and raced 24 yards across-field and into the end zone for Ohio State’s first touchdown of the day
Tied his career-high with seven tackles, set a new personal best with six solo tackles and had 1.5 tackles-for-loss
Earns the first Defensive Player of the Week accolade of his career
Last Ohio State Defensive Player of the Week: J.T. Tuimoloau (Oct. 31, 2022)

Special Teams Player of the Week
Tory Taylor, Iowa
P – Sr. – Melbourne, Australia – Haileybury College

Had six punts for 284 yards, averaging 47.3 yards per punt, in Iowa’s 20-14 victory over Purdue
Recorded a 61-yard punt and two of his kicks were downed inside the 20-yard line
Garners the first Special Teams Player of the Week honor of his career
Last Iowa Special Teams Player of the Week: Cooper DeJean (Oct. 2, 2023)

Freshman of the Week
Dillon Thieneman, Purdue
DB – Westfield, Ind. – Westfield

Made his team-leading third interception of the year to become the only freshman in the country with three interceptions this season vs. Iowa
Recorded eight tackles, including seven solo, to remain the Big Ten leader in solo tackles and ranking second nationally
Led a Purdue secondary that limited Iowa to 6-of-21 passing for 110 yards, the lowest completion percentage (28.6%) by an opposing quarterback since 2006
Earns the second Freshman of the Week honor of his career
Last Purdue Freshman of the Week: Dillon Thieneman (Sept. 5, 2023)

MAC FOOTBALL

MAC ANNOUNCES WEEK 6 FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

MAC Football East Division Offensive Player of the Week

Miles Cross, Ohio,

Miles Cross, Ohio, WR
Junior, Bowie, Md. (Rock Hill High School (S.C.))
Junior wide receiver Miles Cross blazed the trail for the Bobcats this Saturday, scoring two of Ohio’s six touchdowns in their 42-17 victory over Kent State. He led the receivers with a season-best 125 yards on seven receptions.

MAC Football East Division Defensive Player of the Week
Devin Grant, Buffalo, S
Sophomore, Elmont, NY
Devin Grant had three interceptions, including two pick-sixes in Buffalo’s 37-13 win over Central Michigan. The sophomore safety returned interceptions 29 yards and 58 yards for touchdowns in the game. His first pick six came on CMU’s third offensive play of the game, setting the tone for the Bulls. His second pick six came on the Chippewas’ first possession of the second half, icing the game for UB. Grant tied the program record for interceptions in a game and became the first Bull to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a game.

MAC Football East Division Special Teams Player of the Week
Alex McNulty, Buffalo, K
Graduate, Caledonia, NY
On a blustery day at UB Stadium, kicker Alex McNulty made three of four field goal attempts in Buffalo’s 38-13 win over Central Michigan. The graduate kicker connected on field goals of 19, 44 and 48 yards. He made all four PATs. In addition, all seven of McNulty’s kickoffs went for touchbacks.

MAC Football West Division Offensive Player of the Week
Antario Brown, NIU, RB
Junior, Savannah, Ga. (Beach)
While playing less than 2 ½ quarters of NIU’s 55-14 win over Akron on Saturday, NIU junior Antario Brown ran for a career high 280 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 carries to tie Kentucky’s Ray Davis for the most rushing yards by a Football Bowl Subdivision player this season. Brown had touchdown runs of 66, 58, 46 and 50 yards to become just the sixth player in NIU history to run for 280 or more yards in a game. He had the most rushing yards by a Huskie in 10 seasons – since Jordan Lynch ran for 321 yards versus Western Michigan on November 26, 2013. His average of 21.5 yards per rush broke the NIU record of 17.6, set by Stacey Robinson versus Cincinnati on November 18, 1989 (minimum 10 attempts). Brown’s four touchdowns were the most by a Huskie since Joel Bouagnon scored five rushing touchdowns versus Bowling Green on November 1, 2016. His first touchdown – on a 66-yard run – gave NIU a 14-7 lead in the second quarter; his last – with 9:07 to play in the third period – put NIU ahead 48-7 and was his last carry of the game.

MAC Football West Division Defensive Player of the Week
Joe Sparacio, Eastern Michigan, LB
Graduate, Naples, Fla. (First Baptist Academy)
Joe Sparacio had a team-high nine tackles in Eastern Michigan’s 24-10 win over Ball State and continues to lead the MAC in tackling with 11.5 stops per game. Ranks fifth nationally in tackles per game average, Sparacio added a third-down sack to force a punt and was credited with a quarterback hurry on fourth down, one of three tops the defense made on BSU fourth-down attempts (0-for-3 on the day). Sparacio, who has led the team in tackling in 5-of-6 games this season, has recorded at least eight tackles in every game played this season and needs four more to reach 200 for his collegiate career. With six solo tackles against the Cardinals, Sparacio also brought his career solo tackle total to 100.

MAC Football West Division Special Teams Player of the Week
Luke Pawlak, Toledo, PK
Junior, Sylvania, Ohio (Northview)
Luke Pawlak had a perfect day in Toledo’s 41-24 win at UMass, making both of his field-goal attempts and going 5-5 on extra points. He had field goals of 38 and 36 yards, and also kicked off eight times with three touchbacks.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25 TRANSFERS TO WATCH FOR 2023-24

(THE ALMANAC)

The transfer portal has become one of the most talked-about aspects of college basketball over the past few years. The explosion of player movement reached yet another high-water mark this offseason, as more and more programs are turning to the portal as their roster-construction instrument of choice.

It’s not just mid-major stars and guys buried on high-major benches transferring, either. Some of the top players in all of America — including, yes, a former All-American — were on the move over the spring and summer months.

Here’s a look at the 25 most intriguing transfers to watch in 2023-24.

1. Hunter Dickinson, C, Kansas

An All-Big Ten selection each of the last two seasons and an All-American in 2021, Dickinson is a proven commodity. He’ll now be the focal point in Bill Self’s offense, which always gets the most out of its starting center. Dickinson is the early favorite to win Big 12 Player of the Year.

2. Max Abmas, G, Texas

It has been three seasons since Abmas led Oral Roberts on that magical Sweet 16 run, and he has remained one of the country’s best scorers since. Texas was in need of a perimeter shot-maker, and Abmas fits the bill after hitting 420 career 3s on 38.8% shooting at ORU.

3. LJ Cryer, G, Houston

Cryer dealt with various injuries throughout his three years with Baylor but played in every game last season and maintained incredible efficiency. The sharpshooter brings an infusion of offense to a Houston attack that had to replace several key pieces on the perimeter this offseason.

4. Ryan Nembhard, G, Gonzaga

Nembhard led Creighton’s potent offense each of the last two seasons and will now do so for Gonzaga and Mark Few, whose up-tempo system fits his skill set perfectly. His brother, Andrew, thrived after transferring to Spokane — Zags fans are hoping Ryan will have a similar impact.

5. Tylor Perry, G, Kansas State

Perry thrived as a full-time starter for North Texas and led the Mean Green to an NIT title. He has elite ability to create off the bounce, which is exactly what he’ll be asked to do at K-State. Perry could have a star turn in Jerome Tang’s offense, similar to Markquis Nowell last year.

6. Ace Baldwin, G, Penn State

Baldwin followed Mike Rhoades from VCU to Penn State, where he will once again serve as the primary perimeter threat. His all-around play helped him win A10 Player of the Year honors last season, but it’s his playmaking and defense that ensure he’ll be productive in the Big Ten.

7. Walter Clayton Jr., G, Florida

The 2022-23 MAAC Player of the Year exploded last year as one of the most efficient shooters in the country. His 43.1% from 3 ranked 51^st in the country, and his 95.3% from the free-throw stripe led all of D1. If he can be this efficient in the SEC, he could become a household name.

8. Graham Ike, F, Gonzaga

Ike was one of the country’s best bigs two seasons ago when Wyoming made the NCAA Tournament. A foot injury caused him to miss all last season, and the Cowboys suffered significantly. Now in Spokane, Ike is expected to serve as Drew Timme’s replacement in the post.

9. Olivier Nkamhoua, F, Michigan

Nkamhoua may be one of the most overlooked transfers in America. A steady 4-man for Tennessee last year, he won’t be the elite scorer Michigan needs after losing Hunter Dickinson, but he’ll be a good secondary option who provides glue-guy production on both ends.

10. Tyler Burton, F, Villanova

Burton is a big wing who could end up leading the ‘Cats in rebounding while providing a nice secondary scoring option to Justin Moore. He also brings meaningful NCAA Tournament chops from Richmond’s 2022 appearance, which could help in Villanova’s quest to go dancing again.

11. Caleb Love, G, Arizona

Love left a complicated legacy at UNC, and he arrived in Tucson to questions about the impact he’ll have. When Love is on, he’s an unstoppable shot-creator with unlimited range. When he’s off, he’s a volume shooter and a liability on both ends. Far too often last year, it was the latter.

12. Steven Ashworth, G, Creighton

Ashworth steps in to fill Ryan Nembhard’s shoes as Creighton’s new point guard. He isn’t the same distributor and playmaker, but Ashworth is an elite shooter that guided Utah State to the NCAA Tournament. He looks like a perfect fit for Greg McDermott’s perimeter-oriented offense.

13. Cam Spencer, G, UConn

A late portal addition, Spencer adds high-level, spot-up shooting to a team that desperately needed a boost in that department. Jordan Hawkins’ shooting opened up so much of UConn’s offense last year; the hope is Spencer, who shot 43.4% from 3 for Rutgers, can do the same.

14. Kerr Kriisa, G, West Virginia

Like his replacement at Arizona (Caleb Love), Kriisa is prone to alternate between off and on nights. Unlike Love, Kriisa found a way to be a valuable asset as a playmaker even when he couldn’t buy a bucket. Now, he heads into a relatively unknown situation at West Virginia.

15. Harrison Ingram, F, North Carolina

Sometimes, a struggling team needs a high-IQ player to come in and make the right plays consistently. That is exactly what UNC is getting with Ingram. The former top-20 wing never lived up to the hype at Stanford, but if he can fix his shot, Ingram could be a surprise breakout.

16. RayJ Dennis, G, Baylor

Dennis is another in a long line of great transfer guards to come through Waco. The 6-2 point drew Scott Drew’s attention by averaging 19.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists for Toledo last year while defending at a high level. He’ll be a focal point in the Bears’ scoring attack this year.

17. Jameer Nelson Jr., G, TCU

Nelson arrives at the power conference level after averaging over 20 points as a senior for Delaware and showcasing the ability to create offense for himself. That skill will be hugely important for a TCU team looking to revamp its backcourt and offense after losing Mike Miles Jr.

18. El Ellis, G, Arkansas

Death, taxes, and Eric Musselman plucking talent from losing programs. Ellis was the only experienced guard on a 4-28 Louisville team, but his playmaking should shine through at Arkansas. He ranked 60^th in assist rate last year and should be more efficient in a better offense.

19. Reese Waters, G, San Diego State

Last year was a bit of a mixed for Waters. On one hand, the 6-5 guard’s counting stats rose across the board. On the other hand, his 3-point shooting efficiency tanked to just 29.6%. What remained consistent was his effort on defense and on the glass — music to SDSU’s ears.

20. Aaron Estrada, G, Alabama

Estrada has been around the block in his college career, and he will be looking to have a more successful high-major experience than the one he had in 2021 for Oregon. The grad transfer did it all for Hofstra the past two years, and he fits right into Nate Oats’ ‘layups and 3s’ philosophy.

21. Jaylon Tyson, G, Cal

While new Cal coach Mark Madsen reunites with his former big man, Fardaws Aimaq, Tyson is the true prize of the Golden Bears’ transfer class. He gives Cal something that it hasn’t had since the Cuonzo Martin days: a bigger wing who can rebound, defend and score at every level.

22. Javon Small, G, Oklahoma State

Small was one of the best all-around players in the AAC last year, averaging 15.8 points and 5.6 assists for ECU before an injury cut his season short. He has the ability to score efficiently from all three levels while also being an elite playmaker. The Pokes’ offense will run through Small.

23. Micah Handlogten, C, Florida

The Sun Belt Freshman of the Year a year ago, Handlogten averaged 9.8 rebounds and ranked 11^th nationally in blocks while shooting 66.2% from the field and showcasing his deft vision and passing ability. The 7-1 center will anchor the Gators’ defense and provide offensive versatility.

24. TJ Bamba, Villanova

TJ Bamba improved in every season with Washington State, capping his time in Pullman with 15.8 points per game on 37.2% shooting from 3. Now, he’ll look to be an impact player for a team with Final Four aspirations. His scoring volume likely dips, but his efficiency could go up.

25. Yohan Traore, UC Santa Barbara

Traore failed to deliver on his recruiting hype as he tumbled down Auburn’s rotation last year. Now, the former four-star 4 gets a second chance out west. The 6-10 Traore will be given the keys to the frontcourt in UCSB’s quest to earn their third NCAA Tournament bid in four years.

THE TOP 25 STORYLINES FOR 2023-24

(THE ALMANAC)

Here are the 25 storylines that will keep us captivated from the preseason to the postseason, straight from the desk of your favorite hoops triumvirate, Jim Root, Ky McKeon and Matt Cox.

1. Top Dogs Staying On Top?

UConn currently lords over the sport after its wrecking ball run through the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Dan Hurley’s squad won all six games by 13 or more points, dominating in a way rarely seen in the Big Dance. After losing vital pieces, can the reloading Huskies recapture that overwhelming onslaught and return to the Final Four in Phoenix?

2. Last Call for Calipari?

Alright, fine, “last call” might be a little harsh. But John Calipari’s critics are gaining steam in Lexington — in large part because his lack of postseason success keeps feeding them ammunition. Big Blue Nation has not made the Sweet 16 since 2018. That four-year drought is UK’s longest since 2006 through 2009 — a stretch that got two Wildcat coaches fired.

3. Realignment Reigns

Football-driven (read: money-driven)

Football-driven (read: money-driven) realignment is already altering the sport, with the Big 12, American, Conference USA, ASUN and WAC seeing significant shifts in membership this year. Even more is on the horizon, so enjoy the current status quo — and the Pac-12 as a whole — while it still exists.

4. Waiver (Hay)Wire

Two-time transfers sit at the mercy of the NCAA, impatiently awaiting the approval — or, more likely, the denial — of their appeals for eligibility. After years of nearly every transfer getting to suit up right away, the NCAA has put its foot down this offseason. Will teams that are reliant on two-time transfer struggle? And will that change how players and teams alike approach the portal in the future?

5. The Owls? That’s Who

FAU barged in on the national college basketball consciousness like a Boca Raton Kool-Aid Man. The Owls soared to the Final Four thanks to their incredible versatility and connectivity, and in a shocking transfer portal twist, they returned every relevant piece with eligibility remaining. Do Dusty May and his Owls have an encore performance in them?

6. Are the Blue Devils Back?

In Jon Scheyer’s first season in charge, Duke suffered a frustrating Round of 32 loss to Tennessee without physical forward Mark Mitchell. With Mitchell back — plus All-American candidates Kyle Filipowski and Tyrese Proctor, as well as veteran guard Jeremy Roach — hype is high for Scheyer-led Duke again. Can the Blue Devils deliver?

7. Pitino at the Garden

Rick Pitino’s high-major conference exile lasted six years, split between time in Greece and at Iona. Alas, he has returned, and in the heart of the nation’s biggest media market, no less. St. John’s has struggled to find its national footing for years, but with Pitino at the helm — and a bevy of games scheduled at Madison Square Garden — how quickly will the Red Storm return to the pinnacle of the sport?

8. Painting a Picture of Redemption

Matt Painter crossed another double-digit seed off his “NCAA Tournament upset” bingo card when Purdue became just the second 1 seed to ever lose to a 16 seed. Of course, the only other team to do that — 2018 Virginia — then won the 2019 national championship. Do the Boilermakers, who return almost every key piece — including Zach Edey — have a similar redemption arc in their future?

9. The Jayhawks Go Hunting

Arguably the best player to ever transfer in D1 college basketball, Hunter Dickinson landed in Lawrence after a high-profile courtship process. The All-American post player could not have picked a better destination; after all, Bill Self has been a big-man guru for years.

10. Zags Under the Radar?

After three straight preseasons in the debate to be the nation’s No. 1 team, Gonzaga is now in unfamiliar territory further down Top 25 rankings. With lower expectations — but also no Drew Timme — is this the year that Mark Few and the Bulldogs finally sneak their way to a coveted national title?

11. Postseason Parity?

Last year’s Final Four did not feature a single team seeded on the 1, 2 or 3 lines for the first time ever. Instead, three programs — San Diego State, FAU and Miami (FL) — made the first Final Four in their respective histories. Was that the start of a trend in the Big Dance, particularly as the transfer portal proliferates talent across the country? Or was it simply a one-year anomaly after the 2022 Final Four was a decidedly blue-blood affair?

12. Captain Kolek and the Golden Eagles Soar

Seemingly out of nowhere, Marquette point guard Tyler Kolek emerged as a consensus All-American. Along with that development, the Golden Eagles’ offense as a whole became a fire-breathing force, elevating Shaka Smart’s squad into the nation’s elite. With only one significant rotation loss — NBA Draft pick O-Max Prosper — can Kolek and Marquette become the Big East’s next national title winner?

13. Fade the Freshmen?

In a recruiting year that already lacked true star power at the top, losing Ron Holland, Matas Buzelis and AJ Johnson to alternative routes sapped the Class of 2023 of even more talent. Will any one-and-dones capture the country’s attention the way Brandon Miller did? Only two years ago, the college game had Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith Jr. making headlines. This feels like a stopgap group until Cooper Flagg arrives in 2024.

14. Big 12 Beefed Up

For one season only, the Big 12 will feature both its newcomers (Houston, Cincinnati, BYU, UCF) and its future departures (Texas, Oklahoma). Already widely regarded as the best basketball league in the country, can this colossally competitive conference set a record for NCAA Tournament bids? And will any of the Big 12’s representatives have enough left in the tank to compete in March?

15. Big Ten’s Best Shot?

The Big Ten’s national title drought — it has not won since 2000 — is a blemish on the league’s reputation. Tom Izzo and his Michigan State Spartans were the last B1G squad to attain that immortality, and he has another team loaded with proven producers and a tantalizing set of rookies. Can Izzo’s March Magic finally end the Big Ten’s tournament troubles?

16. (A Lack of) NPOY Drama

By mid-January last season, the National Player of the Year debate had lost almost all juice. Even a sparkling Big Ten campaign from Trayce Jackson-Davis could not dethrone Zach Edey from his entrenched spot atop the race. With Edey back in college hoops and his production unlikely to decline for another outstanding Purdue squad, is he a lock for a second straight flurry of awards?

17. The Beard is Back

Texas ultimately let go of Chris Beard after the coach was arrested for a felony domestic violence charge in December. With the charge now dismissed, Ole Miss decided that possible basketball success was worth the overwhelmingly negative PR hit. Beard’s on-court track record is sterling, but his off-court controversy means he will be on thin ice in Oxford.

18. Country Roads Off The Rails

Bob Huggins made all of the wrong headlines this offseason, ultimately losing his job at West Virginia (although he contests that fact) following a DUI arrest and using a homophobic slur on a radio show. The Mountaineers are now in the hands of interim boss Josh Eilert, and late summer roster shuffles have WVU high on the list of mystery teams heading into the year.

19. Stay Hot in South Beach?

After three straight uncharacteristic sub-.500 seasons (injury caveats understood), Jim Larrañaga and his Miami Hurricanes have stormed back into the national spotlight. Two straight March runs — one to the Elite Eight and one to the Final Four — have allowed the sun to shine brightly in Coral Gables. Can the ‘Canes make it a trifecta of March magic?

20. Westwood Melting Pot

Mick Cronin struck out in the transfer portal, but he hit a home run in Europe. He reeled in three potential NBA Draft picks from across the pond, with Aday Mara (Spain), Berke Buyuktuncel (Turkey) and Jan Vide (Slovenia) all on professional radars already. Add in Nigerian forwards Adem Bona and Kenneth Nwuba and French freshman Ilane Fiblueil, and Cronin has highly leveraged UCLA’s season on meshing big-time — but young — international talent.

21. Alumni Hot Seats

Hubert Davis (UNC) and Juwan Howard (Michigan) posted impressive playing careers and delivered early success at their respective alma maters. A disaster in Chapel Hill has many concerned about Davis’ future, while the Wolverines’ absence from last year’s NCAA Tournament despite having legitimate NBA talent has fueled some unrest in Ann Arbor. Can either coach deliver a big season while under the microscope?

22. Tobin and the D2 Revolution

Tobin Anderson and his Fairleigh Dickinson Knights took the country by storm by becoming the second 16 seed to topple a 1 seed. Anderson’s success at the D2 level foreshadowed big winning at the D1 level, and he quickly elevated to the Iona gig. Other schools have been scooping D2 players from the portal, finding it an underutilized resource for quality transfer additions.

23. Terry No Longer Temping

After a run to the Elite Eight, Texas removed the “interim” tag from Rodney Terry’s job description. The former Fresno State and UTEP boss responded with a strong offseason, landing multiple impact transfers — including a homecoming for star guard Max Abmas — and bringing back Dillon Mitchell from the NBA Draft. Can the well-liked boss continue his success with fewer of Chris Beard’s players?

24. A Payne-ful Debut

In one of the worst power conference seasons in memory, Louisville and first-year head coach Kenny Payne floundered to a miserable 4-28 overall record, including 2-18 in ACC play. The Cardinals lost three consecutive buy games to begin the season, and they lost 15 games by 15 or more points. If Louisville remains noncompetitive for a second straight year, will this quickly be Payne’s final campaign?

25. Bronny Concern

Bronny James may not be the top-ranked recruit — that would be USC teammate Isaiah Collier — but he is certainly the most famous frosh in the land. His college career saw a frightening start, though, when he suffered a cardiac arrest event this offseason. Will the tenacious defender recover quickly enough to take the floor in Hollywood?

COLLEGE BASKETBALL PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS

All-America Teams

First Team

C — Zach Edey, Purdue (unanimous)

C — Hunter Dickinson, Kansas

C — Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton

F — Kyle Filipowski, Duke

G — Tyler Kolek, Marquette

Second Team

C — Donovan Clingan, UConn

C — Armando Bacot, North Carolina

G — Tyrese Proctor, Duke

G — Max Abmas, Texas

G — Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M

Third Team

C — Oumar Ballo, Arizona

G — Trey Alexander, Creighton

G — Justin Moore, Villanova

G — Tyson Walker, Michigan State

G — Tylor Perry, Kansas State

National Awards

National Player of the Year: Zach Edey, C, Purdue

Defensive Player of the Year: Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton

Freshman of the Year: Isaiah Collier, G, USC

BIG 10 MEN’S BASKETBALL

PURDUE’S ZACH EDEY NAMED PRESEASON BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE YEAR

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Purdue senior center Zach Edey has been named the 2023-24 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, as chosen by a select media panel, the conference office announced on Thursday. The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year also claimed the 2023 Jim and Kitty Delany Most Outstanding Player Award after leading Purdue to the 2023 Big Ten Tournament title.

The media panel also selected a 10-member Preseason All-Big Ten Team, with eight conference members represented.

Edey was one of four unanimous selections, joining a trio of guards in Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr., Maryland’s Jahmir Young, and Boo Buie from Northwestern. Also selected to the team were Maryland forward Julian Reese, Minnesota guard Dawson Garcia, Michigan State guards A.J. Hoggard and Tyson Walker, Nebraska guard Keisei Tominaga, and Rutgers center Clifford Omoruyi.

All ten members of the 2023-24 Preseason All-Big Ten Team received All-Big Ten honors following the 2022-23 campaign. Buie and Shannon joined Edey with First Team accolades, while Omoruyi, Walker, and Young were named to the Second Team. Hoggard earned a spot on the Third Team, with Garcia, Reese, and Tominaga receiving Honorable Mention.

The 2023-24 preseason All-Big Ten team can be found below.

2023-24 Preseason All-Big Ten Team
TERRENCE SHANNON JR., 5th YEAR, G, ILLINOIS
Julian Reese, Jr., F, Maryland
JAHMIR YOUNG, 5th YEAR, G, MARYLAND
Dawson Garcia, Jr., F, Minnesota
A.J. Hoggard, Sr., G, Michigan State
Tyson Walker, Grad., G, Michigan State
Keisei Tominaga, Sr., G, Nebraska
BOO BUIE, Grad., G, NORTHWESTERN
ZACH EDEY, Sr., C, PURDUE
Clifford Omoruyi, Sr., C, Rutgers

2023-24 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year
Zach Edey, Purdue

Unanimous selections listed in ALL CAPS

BIG 10 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

IOWA AND CAITLIN CLARK LEAD BIG TEN PRESEASON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HONORS

ROSEMONT, Ill. – For the second consecutive year, the University of Iowa has been selected as the preseason Big Ten Conference favorite by both the league’s 14 head coaches and a select media panel, the conference office announced on Wednesday. The coaches and media also selected Hawkeyes’ senior guard Caitlin Clark as the 2023-24 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, marking the third consecutive season the coaches have chosen Clark for the honor.

The coaches voted Ohio State second in the poll, followed by Indiana. The order was reversed in the media poll, with Indiana at No. 2, followed by Ohio State. Maryland claimed the fourth spot in both polls, while Illinois and Michigan rounded out the top five in the coaches and media polls, respectively.

Each of the polls’ top four teams also appear in the 2023-24 “Way Too Early” Rankings recently released by espnW and The Athletic. On Sept. 28, espnW listed Ohio State at No. 4, followed by No. 6 Iowa, No. 10 Indiana, and No. 13 Maryland.

The Athletic’s most recent preseason poll, announced on Sept. 27, includes Iowa ranked No. 6, followed by Ohio State at No. 7, Indiana at No. 9, and Maryland at No. 15.

While Clark was the only player unanimously named to the media’s Preseason All-Big Ten Team, she was joined by Indiana’s Mackenzie Holmes, Maryland’s Shyanne Sellers, Michigan’s Laila Phelia and Ohio State’s Cotie McMahon as unanimous selections by the coaches.

The quintet was joined by five other Big Ten standouts on teams selected by both the coaches and media, Ilinois’ Makira Cook, Nebraska’s Alexis Markowski and Jaz Shelley, Ohio State’s Jacy Sheldon and Penn State’s Makenna Marisa. Minnesota’s Mara Braun was also recognized by the coaches.

Ten of the 11 players honored were all-conference selections last season, including six who earned First Team honors, in Clark, Cook, Holmes, Marisa, Sellers and Shelley. Three of the Big Ten’s four individual award winners from last year are also listed among Wednesday’s honorees, Clark (Player of the Year), Holmes (Defensive Player of the Year) and McMahon (Freshman of the Year).

The Big Ten Conference is coming off another successful season that saw a record-tying seven programs selected for the 2023 NCAA Tournament, with conference teams combining to win a record 13 games. A conference record three teams advanced to the Elite Eight, with Iowa becoming the first Big Ten team since 2015 to reach the Final Four and the first since 2005 to appear in the National Championship game.

Preseason practices are underway for all 14 Big Ten member institutions, with all Big Ten head coaches and selected student-athletes from each school preparing to make their way to Minneapolis for the 2023 Big Ten Basketball Media Days Oct. 9 at the Target Center (more details to come at bigten.org/23BBMD). The 2023-24 regular season tips off Nov. 6, while the 31st Big Ten Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament will take place March 6-10, also at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The 2023 NCAA Women’s Final Four is scheduled for April 5 and 7 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.

The 2023-24 Preseason All-Big Ten Teams and rankings are as follows:

2023-24 Coaches Big Ten Preseason Rankings
1. Iowa
2. Ohio State
3. Indiana
4. Maryland
5. Illinois

2023-24 Coaches Preseason All-Big Ten Team*
Makira Cook, sr., G, Illinois
MACKENZIE HOLMES, Grad., F, INDIANA
CAITLIN CLARK, SR, G, IOWA
SHYANNE SELLERS, JR., G, MARYLAND
LAILA PHELIA, JR., G, MICHIGAN
Mara Braun, So., G, Minnesota
Alexis Markowski, Jr., C/F, Nebraska
Jaz Shelley, Grad., G, Nebraska
COTIE McMAHON, SOPH., F, OHIO STATE
Jacy Sheldon, Grad, G, Ohio State
Makenna Marisa, Senior+, G, Penn State
*Additional player due to tie in voting

2023-24 Coaches Preseason Player of the Year
Caitlin Clark, Sr. G, Iowa

2023-24 Media Big Ten Preseason Rankings
1. Iowa
2. Indiana
3. Ohio State
4. Maryland
5. Michigan

2023-24 Media Big Ten Preseason All-Big Ten Team
Makira Cook, Sr., G, Illinois
Mackenzie Holmes, Grad., F, Indiana
CAITLIN CLARK, SR., G, IOWA
Shyanne Sellers, Jr., G, Maryland
Laila Phelia, Jr., G, Michigan
Alexis Markowski, Jr., C/F, Nebraska
Jaz Shelley, Grad, G, Nebraska
Cotie McMahon, Soph., F, Ohio State
Jacy Sheldon, Grad., G, Ohio State
Makenna Marisa, Senior+, G, Penn State

2023-24 Media Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year
Caitlin Clark, Sr., G, Iowa

Unanimous selections listed in ALL CAPS

BIG 10 COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL

NEBRASKA, WISCONSIN, RUTGERS AND PURDUE EARN WEEKLY VOLLEYBALL HONORS

Offensive Player of the Week
Lindsay Krause, Nebraska

Lindsay Krause, Nebraska
Jr. – Opposite Hitter – Papillion, Neb. – Skutt Catholic – Major: English

Sparked the Huskers to a 3-1 win at Michigan State and a 3-0 sweep at Michigan with 3.43 kills per set on a .458 hitting percentage, added a team-high four service aces, and had just two hitting errors on 48 swings.
Had a season-high 15 kills and just one error on 27 swings for a .519 hitting percentage in Saturday’s win at Michigan, along with two aces and five digs.
On Friday night, posted nine kills with four digs and two aces while hitting .381.
Last Nebraska Player of the Week: Merritt Beason (10/2/23)

Defensive Player of the Week
Caroline Crawford, Wisconsin
Sr. – Middle Blocker – Lansing, Kan. – Lansing – Major: Biology

Led the Badgers to a 2-0 weekend by tallying 12 total blocks, including one solo, and five digs.
Averaged 2.00 blocks per set, including seven total blocks against Illinois alone, and totaled 19.5 points (3.25/set).
Last Wisconsin Defensive Player of the Week: Carter Booth (10/2/23)

Setter of the Week
Alyssa Nayar, Rutgers
Sr. – Middle Blocker – Frisco, Texas – Kingwood Park – Major: Mechanical Engineering

Totaled 82 assists (10.25/set) against a pair of Top-25 opponents, including the biggest win in school history with an upset of No. 16 Minnesota
Finished just shy of a double-double against No. 24 Ohio State with 37 helpers and nine digs, and added two kills, two blocks and an ace.
Posted her sixth double-double of the season behind 45 assists and 14 digs as Rutgers earned its first-ever top-25 victory.
Last Rutgers Setter of the Week: Inna Balyko (3/29/20)

Freshman of the Week
Chloe Chicoine, Purdue
Fr. – Setter – Sioux Falls, S.D. – O’Gorman – Major: Business and Law

Helped the team to back-to-back sweeps in victories over Illinois and Iowa.
Led the team with a .349 attack % on the week, and led the Big Ten with 5.83 points per set.
Posted a key 10 kills with just one error on 14 swings for a .643 attack % in the third set vs. and delivered the match-winning point.
Led the team with six service aces in Week 7.
Last Purdue Freshman of the Week: Chloe Chicoine (9/5/23)

MAC VOLLEYBALL

MAC ANNOUNCES VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

East Division Offensive Player of the Week
Katrin Trebichavska, Buffalo, Outside Hitter
Katrin Trebichavska had a strong weekend on the offensive attack for the Bulls against Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan. She helped the Bulls improve to a program-best start to MAC play at 5-1. She averaged 4.88 kills per set, finishing with a team-leading 39 kills. The MAC’s leader in aces per set added six to her total, good for 0.75 per set. Her 27 kills and 31.0 points against the Chippewas mark career-highs for the senior. She added one block, one assist, and a total of 45.5. points for the Bulls.

East Division Defensive Player of the Week
Ellen Kinnaird, Akron, Middle Blocker
Ellen Kinnaird was the only Zip in double digit blocks on the week with 12 as a key factor in the Akron defensive efforts in their two victories. She also added five aces on the weekend, including a team-high three aces against Central Michigan on Friday.

East Division Setter of the Week
Mandy Leigh, Buffalo, Setter
Mandy Leigh had an outstanding weekend for the Bulls against Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan. She helped the Bulls improve to a program-best start to MAC play at 5-1. She averaged 11.38 assists per set, finishing with a total of 91. On Thursday night against the Chippewas, she racked up her team-leading 10th double-double of the season with 57 assists and 13 digs. In total she finished with three kills, one ace, 18 digs, two blocks, and 5.5 points.

West Division Offensive Player of the Week
Aniya Kennedy, Ball State, Outside Hitter
Redshirt freshman outside hitter Aniya Kennedy turned in a pair of career performances to guide the Ball State women’s volleyball team to back-to-back road wins last weekend and to 6-0 in Mid-American Conference play. She started with a then-career high 17 kills, a .273 (17-5-44) hitting percentage and a career-best four digs in the win at Miami (Oct. 6). She followed by establishing a new career high with 21 kills and a .214 hitting mark in the win at Bowling Green (Oct. 7). Kennedy also tallied seven total blocks on the week, with four against the RedHawks and three versus the Falcons.

West Division Defensive Player of the Week
Ryann Jaqua, Toledo, Libero
Ryann Jaqua was a steady presence in the back row for Toledo last week, averaging 6.00 digs/set in two victories at Miami and at Bowling Green. Jaqua had 22 digs in the three-set victory at Miami, and during the match became the second Rocket in program history to reach 2,000 career digs. Jaqua then collected 26 digs at Bowling Green to help lead Toledo to a win.

West Division Setter of the Week
Logan Case, Western Michigan, Setter
Logan Case racked up 92 assists (11.50/set) to help fuel a Western Michigan offense which hit a combined .287 in road wins at Kent State and Ohio last week. The senior also racked up 24 digs (3.00/set), coming just short of recording a pair of double-doubles. In Thursday’s sweep at Kent State, Case handed out 43 assists to help the Broncos hit a season-high .421 and added nine digs. She then racked up 49 assists and 15 digs in WMU’s come-from-behind win at Ohio on Friday night.

NHL NEWS

BUFFALO SABRES LOCK UP DEFENSEMAN RASMUS DAHLIN TO 8-YEAR, $88 MILLION CONTRACT EXTENSION

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin’s emergence as a team leader and one of the NHL’s top offensive blue-line threats last season earned him an eight-year, $88 million contract extension on Monday.

With much of the discussions conducted over the summer, the deal was finally completed as the Sabres prepare to open the regular season hosting the New York Rangers on Thursday. The 23-year-old Dahlin becomes the Sabres highest-paid player in terms of annual salary, and has one season left on a three-year $18 million contract, after which he would only have been eligible to become a restricted free agent.

The timing of the signing announced Monday by the Sabres removes any distraction from contract talks lingering into the season. And it signifies the team’s optimism by locking up its most talented player and kicking off a season in which Buffalo finally appears poised to be a playoff contender and end a 12-year postseason drought.

Dahlin expressed his confidence in believing the Sabres are ready to become contenders at the start of training camp by saying: “It’s go time. I mean, we don’t have excuses anymore.”

From Sweden, Dahlin becomes the latest Sabres player management identified as part of its core group and long-term future among a lengthy youth-movement-based rebuilding plan.

It’s a group made up of centers Tage Thompson, who last year signed seven-year, $50 million contract, and Dylan Cozens (seven years, $49.7 million) and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (seven years, $30 million). And it’s expected to eventually include defenseman Owen Power, the first player drafted in 2021.

Though Buffalo extended its NHL-record playoff drought to a dozen seasons last year, the Sabres’ trajectory points up based on their young, developing talent, and after they fell a mere two points from qualifying for a postseason berth in April.

Entering his sixth season, Dahlin is coming off a year in which he took a major step in displaying signs of the playmaking potential that led to the Sabres selecting him with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft.

His 15 goals were a career-best and most by a Buffalo blue-liner since Alexei Zhitnik scored that many in 1997-98. Dahlin’s 73 points, also a career-best, were tied for fifth among NHL defensemen, and ranked third on the Sabres single-season list behind Phil Housley, who holds the top two spots with 81 in 1989-90 and 77 in 1983-84.

Overall, Dahlin’s 232 career points ranked ninth on the NHL list among defensemen before their 23rd birthday.

Dahlin’s two most productive seasons — he had 13 goals and 53 points in 2021-22 — have not coincidentally come under coach Don Granato, who has loosened the reins on his players in urging them to play without fear of making mistakes. That was a major switch from Granato’s predecessor, Ralph Krueger, who had Dahlin focus on playing a more defensive role.

Much like his production, Dahlin’s confidence has blossomed under Granato, who initially took over as interim coach after Krueger was fired in March 2021. Last season, Dahlin and veteran forward Zemgus Girgensons served as alternate captains, during Kyle Okposo’s first year as captain.

INDIANA RELEASES/TOP HEADLINES

REPORTS: COLTS QB ANTHONY RICHARDSON COULD MISS 4-6 WEEKS

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson will miss at least a month with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder, according to multiple reports.

The rookie has a Grade 3 sprain, The Athletic reported, the result of an injury in the second quarter of Sunday’s win against the visiting Tennessee Titans.

ESPN reported Monday that the Colts are not expecting Richardson to be available this week. However, Richardson is scheduled to undergo an MRI and also will receive a second opinion from shoulder specialist Dr. Keith Meister, per the report.

Richardson, 21, fell on his right shoulder after being tackled by Titans linebacker Harold Landry III. Richardson, who completed 9 of 12 passes for 98 yards, went to the blue medical tent before going to the locker room. He was replaced by Gardner Minshew.

The fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Florida, Richardson missed Week 3 after sustaining a concussion the previous week against the Houston Texans. He briefly came out of the Colts’ season opener with a lower-body injury late in the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Minshew came on Sunday to go 11-of-14 passing for 155 yards in Indianapolis’ 23-16 victory. Neither Richardson nor Minshew threw a touchdown pass or an interception.

The Colts are tied with the Jaguars at 3-2 atop the AFC South. The teams meet Sunday in Jacksonville.

INDIANA PACERS BASKETBALL

2023 PACERS FANJAM PRESENTED BY GAINBRIDGE FREE TO FANS THIS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14

INDIANAPOLIS – The popular Pacers FanJam presented by Gainbridge returns on Saturday, October 14, giving fans the opportunity to get their first, up-close look at the exciting 2023-24 team. The event is free and open to the public, with complimentary tickets (limit of six per person) available beginning on Tuesday, October 10 at 10:00am via Pacers.com/FanJam.

The first 5,000 fans to enter will receive a complimentary T-shirt and food voucher valid for one hot dog, a bag of chips, and a 12 oz. Pepsi product.

Secure FanJam Tickets >>

ON-COURT ACTION

Head Coach Rick Carlisle will put the 2023-24 Pacers through a full intrasquad game, with two teams of nine playing against each other in two 15-minute halves. The teams will be coached by Lead Assistant Coach Lloyd Pierce and Assistant Coach Mike Weinar.

THE ROOKIE SHOW RETURNS

FanJam presented by Gainbridge wouldn’t be complete without the traditional “Rookie Show,” where the newest members of the Pacers take to the court in costume and put their own unique spin on a live song!

PLAYER PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

Fans who have received a previously distributed wristband will have an opportunity to get their picture taken with a Pacers player.

FREE THROWS FOR A CAUSE

Fans who donate $1 will have the opportunity to attempt a free throw on the home court of the Indiana Pacers! All proceeds benefit the Pacers Foundation and only cash will be accepted.

JR. NBA PACERS AND FEVER YOUTH CLINIC

In celebration of Jr. NBA Week and the launch of Jr. NBA Leagues in Indiana, the Jr. NBA and the Indiana Pacers & Fever are inviting boys and girls ages 6-14 to participate in a youth basketball clinic led by the Indiana Pacers coaching staff from 10-11:30 a.m. at Bicentennial Unity Plaza.

Participants can register here. Space is limited and will be filled on a first come, first served basis. All youth must be pre-registered.

All participants will receive a free Jr. NBA Leagues t-shirt, NBA All-Star shooting sleeve, two tickets to attend FanJam immediately following the clinic, and have the chance to interact with Indiana Pacers and Fever talent. Click here to learn more about Jr. NBA Leagues.

GAME PREVIEW: PACERS AT ROCKETS (PRESEASON)

The Pacers will take the floor for the second time this preseason, wrapping up a two-game road trip in Houston against the Rockets.

The Blue & Gold are coming off a 127-122 overtime loss in Memphis on Sunday, where most of the starters played just two quarters, with head coach Rick Carlisle turning to the team’s youngest players in the second half and overtime.

Carlisle started Bruce Brown, Bennedict Mathurin, and Obi Toppin for Sunday’s preseason opener and each of them did some good things in their time on the floor, particularly Mathurin, who scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 22 minutes of action. Those three appear to be the early favorites to secure spots in the starting five alongside All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton and veteran center Myles Turner, but they will face plenty of competition over the next few weeks.

One player who could push Toppin at power forward is rookie Jarace Walker. The eighth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Walker was the third power forward off the bench on Sunday behind Toppin and Jordan Nwora, but the 20-year-old impressed in the second half. Walker scored a team-high 19 points in 27:22, going 7-for-15 from the field and 4-for-9 from 3-point range. He also tallied nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

The Rockets will be playing their first preseason game on Tuesday. Houston has added lots of young talent in the draft recently, picking in the top four in each of the last three drafts and selecting Jalen Green (the second pick in 2021), Jabari Smith Jr. (third in 2022), and Amen Thompson (fourth in 2023).

Houston added a couple veteran players in free agency, dishing out large contracts to former All-Star point guard Fred VanVleet and 2023 second-team All-Defense forward Dillon Brooks.

Projected Starters

Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Bruce Brown, F – Bennedict Mathurin, F – Obi Toppin, C – Myles Turner

Rockets: G – Fred VanVleet, G – Jalen Green, F – Dillon Brooks, F – Jabari Smith Jr., C – Alperen Sengun

Injury Report

Pacers: Andrew Nembhard – out (kidney stone)

Rockets: TBA

Last Meeting

March 9, 2023: Tyrese Haliburton scored the Pacers’ final 12 points to lead Indiana to a 134-125 overtime win over Houston at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Rookie Jabari Smith Jr. forced overtime with a fadeaway 3-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation, but Haliburton took over in the extra session. The Pacers’ All-Star point guard finished with a team-high 29 points and also dished out 19 assists, the fourth-highest single-game total in franchise history.

“He took over the game in the overtime,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of Haliburton. “He certainly has demonstrated that is what he’s about. He loves those moments very much – the way Reggie Miller loved those moments.”

Myles Turner scored 21 points and blocked seven shots in the win, while Jordan Nwora added 18 points off the bench.

Smith had 30 points and 12 rebounds for Houston. Jalen Green added 24 points and Kenyon Martin Jr. added 23.

Noteworthy

The Pacers have won their last seven regular-season games against Houston.
The Pacers and Rockets are scheduled to face off in Houston on Dec. 26 and at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Feb. 6.
Former Pacers guard Aaron Holiday signed with the Rockets this summer. Indiana drafted Holiday with the 23rd overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and he spent his first three seasons with the Blue & Gold.

Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)

TV: None

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (studio host)

Tickets

The Pacers tip off the 2023-24 regular season on Opening Night presented by Kroger against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 7:00 PM ET. Secure your seats today. Find Tickets >>

INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL

JOHNSON NAMED ALL-BIG TEN SECOND TEAM BY FOX SPORTS

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Sixth-year senior guard Xavier Johnson was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Second Team by Fox Sports on Monday afternoon.

Johnson, who was limited to just 11 games in 2022-23 due to a foot injury, was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. In 45 games with Indiana, the former Pitt Panther has averaged 11.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest. The Woodbridge, Va., native has made 165-of-405 (40.7%) of his shots, 46-of-121 (38.0%) from the 3-point line, and 146-of-186 (78.5%) of his free throws for the Cream and Crimson.

In total, Johnson has tallied 1,674 points during his collegiate career to go with 641 assists, 475 rebounds, and 177 steals.

In 2021-22, his lone complete season with Indiana, Johnson was named All-Big Ten Honorable Mention by the conference’s voting media. He led the Hoosiers in assists (172) and steals (40) while finishing second on the team with 12.1 points per game. Over the final 17 games of the season, Johnson produced 14.2 points and 5.9 assists per night while shooting 41.4% from long range. He tallied 16.7 points per game in Indiana’s three-game march in the Big Ten Tournament.

FIRST TEAM

Zach Edey, C, Purdue

Tyson Walker, Michigan State

Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois

Jahmir Young, Maryland

Boo Buie, Northwestern

SECOND TEAM

A.J. Hoggard, Michigan State

Cliff Omoruyi, Rutgers

Xavier Johnson, Indiana

Chucky Hepburn, Wisconsin

Olivier Nkamhoua, Michigan

PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Zach Edey, Purdue

BREAKOUT PLAYER TO WATCH

Bruce Thornton, Ohio State

INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BIG 10 MEDIA DAY

COACH TERI MOREN

TERI MOREN: Good morning. It’s great to be in Minnesota once again. It’s hard to believe that it’s that time of year again, but here it is, and the Hoosiers are ready. Looking forward to another great Big Ten conference schedule.

We do have a great non-con schedule, as well, that we’re looking forward to. We’re headed out west to visit Stanford and then headed south to play a very good Tennessee team and a very good Princeton team while we’re down there.

All of those games will certainly get us ready for Big Ten play, and there’s no question that — I said this last year. I really felt like we had the best conference in the country in terms of teams, and I feel like we have another chance to be one of the best if not the best conferences in the country again.

Loaded with talent from top to bottom, great coaches, great players.

The Indiana Hoosiers are looking forward to, once again, another great season. As you guys know, we have a core of our group returning. Mackenzie Holmes, Sydney Parrish, Chloe Moore-McNeil, Sara Scalia, all starters that will be returning.

Once again, we have big shoes to fill with the graduation of Grace Berger, who we’re super proud of. We have some young kids that have had great summers for us. We’re excited about the two freshmen that we have in Lenee Beaumont and Jules LaMendola, amongst another transfer in Sharnecce Currie-Jelks will also be joining us.

We’re excited, once again, for what’s going to be an interesting but I think an exciting basketball season ahead.

Q. You’ve openly set very high expectations, winning the Big Ten, making deep NCAA Tournament runs. When you lose a player like Grace Berger, what does that say about the program to still be able to set those expectations after losing a player of her caliber?

TERI MOREN: I think what it says is our staff has continued to do a tremendous job of bringing in very talented, high-caliber players into our program.

You can’t have the success that we’ve had just because you have one really good player in your program. It takes a team full of very skilled, high-character players to be able to maintain the level of success we’ve enjoyed.

You know, obviously losing Grace, big shoes, like I said, but we feel like we have a lot to look forward to in those remaining players.

With the success that we have had we’ve been able to recruit some really high talented players, and that will continue to be the goal in our program.

Q. Grace was such an important player on the court but even more so off the court in terms of her presence in the locker room. You have a veteran team, a lot of players who have played. Is there any one player or group of players that has taken on that inside-the-locker-room leadership role?

TERI MOREN: That’s one of the legacies I think that all of our players, the Ali Patbergs, the Grace Bergers, Mackenzie Holmes will leave when she’s graduated from Indiana, is one of the things that we can do as a staff every night is sleep peaceful when we think about our culture and that locker room, that it is well taken care of with the likes of Mackenzie Holmes and now add Syd Parrish into that, add Chloe Moore-McNeil into that. It’s a very healthy locker room. It’s a very competitive locker room.

The great thing about what Grace gave us and Ali Patberg gave us was sort of a scouting report of what that looks like. Mackenzie has certainly taken the role over as being the leader in the locker room.

Our young players are going to benefit from that.

I know that all guys are on Mackenzie and Syd and Chloe in terms of how they go about their work every day, and I can’t give you — they’re a great example of what it looks like and what it’s going to need to look like after their days at Indiana are over.

Q. You were speaking of the veteran leadership and a lot of players returning. How have the freshmen been led by the older group, and what have you seen in that dynamic, and how have they acclimated their skill set and their mentality to this new challenge in front of them?

TERI MOREN: Well, at times you can look at them and say that they’re drinking water from a firehose, right, the looks that they have on their faces from time to time.

But I will say this: Many of you probably know that we had the opportunity to travel to Greece this summer for our international trip, and it’s such a special thing when you have the opportunity to do that. You have the 10 days certainly of practice prior to.

Our leadership has been great. Lenee and Jules have — like I said, they have the best examples in Mack and Syd and the rest of those women of getting in the gym and how we do things and so forth.

They got a little bit of a head start. They’re not just coming back and hitting the floor running because of all the practice time that they had leading up to it.

I think they look very comfortable. Certainly there’s things that they’re still learning. There’s moments where they’re disappointed. But I will say they’re pleasers, and they want to do the right thing all the time.

Our job is just to make sure that we are allowing them to be in a space where they can make a lot of mistakes but also learn and then move on from those mistakes, and they’ve been great. They’re so coachable. They’re likable kids, and they really look up to and respect Mack and Chloe and the rest of those older vets.

They’ve been great. They’ve been a thrill to coach.

Q. With the returning players, what have you seen from them and the extra added fire in the belly, not just as leaders but in their skill set and their drive?

TERI MOREN: Well, you know, nothing about their work ethic has changed. The extra work that we pride ourselves in doing, it’s day-to-day and it’s every day.

I think that we’ve just continued to not look back in the rear view mirror. It’s all about what we have to look forward to, and just trying to get a little bit better every day.

This is, once again, our chemistry is off the charts in terms of them being connected, super competitive practices, which I love. But there’s a love for each other, too, that’s in that locker room that shows on the floor, that they really are for each other and about each other.

That’s an intangible that all great teams have to have.

INDIANA FOOTBALL

TOM ALLEN MONDAY PRESSER

COACH ALLEN: Good morning. Just want to start by saying that had a really productive bye week. Really encouraged by our guys’ mindset and approach to last week, and two goals were to get healthy and to get better. And so the health part of it is guys recovering, guys getting some injured guys back, and those that are have been out, and some guys to be able to get a time to get their bodies recovered as well.

Guys been playing a lot of snaps and put a lot of emphasis on fundamentals and technique, some scheme work, gotta jump on Michigan for a couple days, practiced on Wednesday and Tuesday, and coaches headed out to recruit Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday, Friday. So got a chance to watch a lot of high school football games.

And then also just as we prepare for a very good Michigan football team, you know, obviously playing as well as anybody in America right now and playing with a lot of confidence and a lot of experience on that team, on both sides of the ball, and a big physical team that is playing at a very high level right now.

So tremendous opportunity and challenge for our players as we come together this week and continue to improve our team.

Q. Probably the obvious sort of first storyline, but Rod said the structure can’t change. You can’t just sort of uproot the whole thing and replace it root and branch, but what do you want to look different offensively, maybe what does he want to look differently offensively, what have the conversations been like between the two of you in terms of when you’ve been able to sit down and say here’s where I think we can get better, here’s where I think we can change now as opposed to —

COACH ALLEN: Sure. I think a little bit of fine line. Obviously we’re not going to sit here and divulge everything that we’re doing for our opponents moving forward. But for obvious reasons, we made a change. So there was not getting the production that we need in scoring points. That’s the major focus.

So obviously you go back and you evaluate, what have you done well? And you go back and you look and you use the bye week to be able to evaluate the things that our guys do a good job with and feel comfortable with and within the structure of our current system, as you mentioned, you just can’t wholesale change things at this point. But obviously a bye week gives you a chance to make some subtle adjustments. So we’re in the process of doing that.

Basically you’re trying to, now that we know who we are and the things we do, do well, emphasize, continue to grow those and then obviously address the issues, the not being able to finish drives and our red zone efficiency and being able to get those, you know, third and shorts in the score zone, red zone, to finish out those drives and to change the way everything feels when you score a touchdown versus having to settle for a field goal or less. Just, to me, continuing to build off of that, and I think that to me is a big part of it to be able to maximize.

That’s one advantage of having Coach Carey take over is the fact he’s been here with us. He knows our personnel. He’s been here for a couple of years now overall. Obviously didn’t work with the offense a year ago but really had a chance with some of — knew our guys, the strengths and the things they can do, to be able to match that and just be able to, like I said, the whole goal is we’ve gotta score points, and that’s the objective for our offense and that’s the charge he’s been given, be able to take our current structure and improve it.

Q. I know the bye week is obviously a big recruiting week. Did you change because of the season, the last few games not playing well, did you change at all this week to focus more on the team maybe a little less on recruiting, or is it similar to how you’ve done it in the past? If so, what was behind that?

COACH ALLEN: I think, first of all, there’s a component of the bye week, I think, that’s really important for your players, and that is when you address things and get some fundamental work in. They do need a mental break, our players.

We talked about, hey, do we go ahead and do something with our guys on a Thursday and then go out and recruit after that. But as we discussed it and I even met with our captains and trust those guys and where they’re at, and just trying to help our players fully benefit from some time away. And I think that’s important to do.

So you kind of balance that. So that allows us time away for them is time for us to go out and recruit. So you still try to do a little bit of both, but we were able to make some changes in that regard to help us spend a little more time with our guys here on campus.

But I do think that it’s important, those in-person evals are really important. I don’t get many of those during the season. The bye week is the main time to do that, to go watch a young person, prospective player either playing in a game, practice or lift weights, whatever they do.

Some teams even one team played on a Wednesday so we got to watch them the day after their game and do their post, the day after practice, that kind of thing.

I just think trying to balance that, without question, but recruiting is very critical. Thought we made some headway with key guys by going out to see them and being able to talk to their coaches and being visible at games and making sure they know the priority they are. So I think it was a good balance for our guys.

Q. Despite Rod taking over midseason you didn’t put a interim tag on him; you put him full time. What’s the comfort and trust for him to not only be able to turn around the offense now but also the future of your program?

COACH ALLEN: There’s continuity piece. There’s an understanding of the philosophy of what you want to do with that area and the trust factors you mentioned. And just feel like that those are things that we’re looking for, and obviously with the flexibility and the ability to move forward and make some good, positive changes to our offense. So I just feel like we’re aligned in the things we want to align in.

And obviously needed a new voice in that room and that’s the change we made. And I just, having spent enough time with him here the last two years working with him closely, especially a year ago when I was calling the defense and he was in there with us, and you kind of get to the mind of a coach and how he thinks and how he sees the game and evaluates things and communicates with a group of individuals, both players and coaches, especially the coach piece in that role.

And obviously last year had a chance to see him work with our offensive line. So had a chance to see him physically coach, because as a QC you can’t do that, but as an on-field position, we replaced (indiscernible) the O line spot last year, got a chance to see him in front of the room and run the meetings and just see that group respond to him.

So those were variables that kind of played into this decision as well. So just understanding the big picture of recruiting and what that means for guys. And understanding what, to give him a clear picture of the direction we’re going in the future I think is important as well.

So just to me it was the right decision to be able to create that decision to make that change and to go that direction. So that’s what we’re going to do together. Because there’s such a rapid flow from the season into the portal window as it opens and just how it affects recruiting and affects your current roster and your future roster, those different things. There’s a lot of different variables that goes into that.

That’s the bottom line. We feel we need to do that and get ready to finish strong this season which is the expectation. And then be able to rapidly go into the next phase, which is once your final regular season game is over get ready for postseason preparation and you get into recruiting.

Q. I think I asked you about this after the Maryland game with the defense and just some of the breakdowns and the big plays you’ve given up. As you were able to do that self-evaluation you talked about during the bye week and go through the first however many games it’s been, what sort of trends are you spotting in some of those big plays you’ve been giving up and what do you think needs to be corrected defensively?

COACH ALLEN: I think especially in that game, which was really, there were some unusual breakdowns that we hadn’t had before. I think you look at the previous couple of weeks, the quarterback containment was kind of a bigger glaring issue. I think we may have overreacted to that in some ways and then set us up for some other issues that I think, that created, unfortunately.

Because really it wasn’t characteristic of us to do some of the things we did in the first quarter. You can’t spot a team like that 21 points, and to their credit they executed but obviously we did not.

So just trying to prevent some of those things from happening. We made a couple of calls that we agreed as a staff may not have been the best position to put our guys in in that spot. But at the same time I think it was a good week to evaluate and just kind of get back to the things that, once again, you go back defensively, what have we done really well?

Our guys, what’s their comfort level, how will they be able to play? If we feel good about where we think that is and we want to get back to doing that and help our guys and do a really good job of disguising our coverings and making the quarterback have to consider things with the reads and then do a great job of still continuing to improve on containing them because we still have another athletic quarterback this week that can run it.

J.J. McCarthy is a very, very athletic quarterback that has really good speed and can beat you with his arms and his legs. So that doesn’t change this week.

But I do feel good about the time we’ve had together as a staff to discuss the things we do well, because I do think we feel a good group on defense that can play at a hot level and I expect them to. And we have just got to learn from and flush what happened there and move forward.

Q. You mentioned there spotting Maryland 21 points in the first quarter. Pretty much three games in a row you guys probably haven’t started the way you wanted to, and obviously everyone knows it’s important. Don’t really need to know that, but what do you think it will take from the players on your team to start having those better starts and what does your staff as coaches really need to instill in them to have those better starts?

COACH ALLEN: I think we’ve got to take ownership of that too as coaches. That’s on me as a head coach. We’re going to change some things we do in practice. Once again met with our captains. Talked about this very thing. We talked about things that we felt like — and I just wanted to get their input on some things.

We’ll make adjustments in how we practice and intensify the good on good opportunities where we’re going against — still going to go against our scouts. We’re going to do more work, you know, offense versus defense and just trying to create the intensity and create the look that we need to get.

Those are just things, we’re going to do try to do some other things as well. I’m not going to sit here and say just gonna come off a bye week and it’s just naturally going to improve. And we’re going to have structural changes in our schedule and the way we do things, how we practice, the way we do what we do, when we do, what we do to get our guys off to a faster early start and get that urgency going right away, because we can’t afford in any of these games, these last several are going to be critical that we play well for four quarters.

Q. I know Cam Camper might have been a little bit banged up after that last game. How is he doing physically?

COACH ALLEN: Bye week was really good for him. He took full advantage of it. I like where he’s at. Definitely was not where he needed to be. We’re always going to take care of our guys and not put them in that position if they’re not ready to go. But, yeah, he’s definitely progressing in a very positive way.

Q. I think you’ve talked about this I guess. Two questions, first of all, just to clarify something. Coach Carey was a defensive analyst last year, but was he offense this year?

COACH ALLEN: Yes.

Q. So he flipped over?

COACH ALLEN: He flipped over. So last year, basically what we did, he would go through and do all the pre-analysis of our opponents and would come and present all the different phases from base downs to red zone to third downs and would give his breakdown.

He spent all his time with the defensive staff. And working on studying our opponents’ offenses. And then this year we flipped that to where he was now working with our offense, yes.

Q. And then second question, I recognize you may not want to talk — you’ve talked a little bit about this in different ways — you may not want to talk about specifics, but we saw a quarterback change. I imagine anytime there’s a coordinator change some emphasizes will change maybe different guys will come to the fore. How much are you comfortable with, if you want to call them position battles, or just generally speaking, where guys are in terms of 1s and 2s, quarterback and other positions, how comfortable are you in a confined window are you in opening that up?

COACH ALLEN: I think obviously you make a change there in the leadership piece. So that’s the focus. We want to be able to do a great job there. Tayven is our starting quarterback. I want to see him play better. He and I have talked. He agrees with me.

And also I think we’ve got two good quarterbacks. I want all our guys to know that every position, we’ve all got to play better. Offensive line has to play better — running backs, receivers. Tight ends — the whole offense, the whole defense.

But I just think we’ve got new leadership, new opportunities, per se, but not going to make massive changes, even in personnel. But at the same time guys have got to perform. And performance-based assessment. We talk about that even as a team what that means, what that looks like.

Everybody has to perform. Coaches, I have to perform. It’s my responsibility for this team. Buck stops with me with me and I have to make the hard decisions. And players have to play and they have to play well. And it’s my responsibility, it’s our coaches responsibility to put them in the best position to play their very, very best.

We didn’t play well the last time we took the field. So that’s something that has to change without question. And excited about the adjustments we’ve had offensively and the leadership. And just excited to be able to see our guys respond to that as a football team, and our leadership guys stepping up and helping our team, special teams and defense to prepare well this week and play our best on Saturday.

Q. To piggyback off Pete’s question about Cam, what about the rest of the guys that have been dinged up here for two or three weeks. Do you think you’ll have everybody back this coming week?

COACH ALLEN: I wouldn’t say everybody. I would say hope to get several back, yes. And so some guys that have been out, and won’t get into details of guys, but obviously the bye week was, one of the goals was to help get some key guys that have been out for a little bit to get those guys back. And hope to do that as well. Don’t know for sure on all of them.

Feel good about several at this point but not all of them. So we’ll use the availability report on game day to be able to say exactly who is out and who is questionable. But we do expect to get some of those guys back, yes.

Q. One more thing. Michigan has been so dominant this year defensively especially but their offense has taken off as well. Are there offensive and defensive lines, have they just improved that much?

COACH ALLEN: They’re really good. They were really good last year. I think they got voted the number one offensive line in the country I think two years in a row. They do have some new faces on the O line. I do think you can see the progression. They’ve played better here I think in the last couple of weeks than they did earlier on in the first few games.

But there’s no question that they do have some new guys. Obviously they had their core positions of running back and quarterback, and they’ve got a really talented tight end, one of the best in the country and really good speed wide receivers, a couple of them, really special.

I think their O line is playing at a high level right now, very dominant, physical, knocking people off of football and just establishing, just wearing people down as the game progresses.

Similar to what they’ve been in the past in regards to how they were last year. And obviously they were one game away from playing for the national championship a year ago.

So very impressive football team, and I think had Georgia maybe not played the way they did, they could be No. 1 in the poll this week. They’ve definitely earned that discussion, for sure.

So a lot of respect for them in how they’re playing right now and very well coached at all positions. But up front is where, their D line and O line, is where they’ve really established themselves. And they’re physical and they’re well-coached and they’re technically sound. Good combination for them.

We’ve just got to find a way to slow down this offense and give ourselves a chance. They haven’t turned the ball over very many times. That’s something, obviously takeaways are a huge component of every game. It will continue to be both sides of the ball without question this week.

Q. You mentioned earlier you know who you are offensively. What is your vision for the brand of football you’re trying to play on offense right now?

COACH ALLEN: You want to be physical. And there’s never a, hey, we’re going to run the ball for this many reps or whatever. It’s what do you have to do to be able to score points.

But there’s a balance piece to this. You need to be effectively throw it and run it. When I say know who with you are, you have to know the strengths of your team at this point — teams don’t just wholesale change after five or six teams. You’re, like, okay, this is what we do well, let’s continue off of that.

And the guys that you have that are making plays and can make plays and obviously get some key guys back is always important.

But at the same time, I think for me it’s a physical football team that executes well and has high-level quarterback play which I think is an area of focus. Obviously we have two talented quarterbacks that I want to see to continue to develop and play well.

And to make a team feel they’ve got to defend the run game and throw game. And that’s where our offensive line is making progress and we’ll continue to grow off of that and continue, we did some good things running the football last time. But at the same time just gotta continue to grow. We’re going to be more challenged than ever with a defense you’re going to play. Give up five points a game. That’s not many, but it’s crazy. But at the same time that’s what you are going against. And it’s at their place.

So I think just an offense that gives you an opportunity to win the game. You can’t win the game without scoring points. So our defense needs to do a really good job of getting off the field on third downs and creating more takeaways and setting up our offense.

The same with special teams. Can’t have them drive 75, 80 yards each time. So one time we had that opportunity early, we got a big kickoff return and you go down and score. Need to get a touchdown. We had a third-and-2, need to get a first down, need to score touchdowns in that situation. But that’s what I want to see our offense do.

Q. Revisiting last week, I believe McCulley was your leading receiver. I know at the end of camp you mentioned he was rapidly rising. I’m curious right now where you feel like he’s at. I want to say he played a career-high 10 snaps out of the slot. Is that something you feel like he can maybe shine in throughout the remainder of this year, and then kind of as —

COACH ALLEN: I see his role expanding. You know how I feel about him. He’s a very talented player. I want him to be a guy that we just rely on, depend on, expect to be consistently playing at a high level each week. A guy they gotta double cover and know where he’s at all the time, whether you play him inside outside.

His length and athleticism is definitely his strength. And his ball skills just continue to increase and his consistency and his preparation. It’s just the confidence of just running great routes and getting open and making plays. And he made some good contested catches and a lot of good extended catches.

He has such a big catch radius. He’s a good safety net for the quarterback. Didn’t have to be perfect.

But at the same time I think there’s more for him to go to. I really believe that. I challenge him consistently and believe in him at a very high level.

And getting Cam back to full strength is going to be important. And those two guys can be a very big weapon for us.

Q. Getting back to recruiting, I know it’s really tough to answer with the portal and roster changes, but as you sit here today you’re almost at 20 commits right now. Kind of what are the priorities between now and the December signing period? Ideally, how many would you like to take in the traditional high school…

COACH ALLEN: We’re there, you might add a guy or two. But I don’t see a lot more. You know I’m thinking in the 18 to 20-ish range is where you’re at. And once again the portal becomes utilized to offset any departures you might have that you either expect or didn’t expect and to be able to keep the rooms balanced.

And we have certain positions where we say we need to be able to get this many high school guys to develop those guys and have the right distribution of age within a position group.

So I think we’re really close to where we want to be from a high school number, which is higher than a lot of people are choosing to go right now.

And just going out and sitting with high school coaches. That’s the first thing they’re asking me, where is this going, how is this going to change? Is it going to continue to be as it is where high schools are getting less and less opportunities?

So I say it’s every program is a little different in how they approach that. But I always want that to be our foundation so we can develop and bring guys here and develop them. Some of our best players have been guys we brought here, developed here, those are the ones that have played the best for us.

We have some good transfers this year, more than we have in the past. But I just want to have a good balance with all that. Like I said, I don’t think there’s a set number you can say every year because I think the portal for us is going to be more based on guys who “a little bit older than me” may choose to go a different direction.

But we’ll continue to develop our guys and maximize the opportunities they have here and then shoot them straight when it’s all said and done about where we see them being and how they want to be able to reach their goals so they can all come together and both sides can feel good about where we’re at. But it’s always about recruiting and player development.

Q. I wanted to ask about Dexter Williams. You tabbed him as somebody that could possibly come back from injury midseason. I know he’s listed out but we see him warming up every week in full pads and everything. When he comes back, first of all, where is he at with his progression in terms of rehab, and when he comes back, where does he factor into the quarterback situation?

COACH ALLEN: He’s getting closer. Every passing week, even this past week, was another chance to continue to get closer and closer to be able to allow him to play.

That will be good discussion for us as a staff and to kind of make that opportunity. So I’d like to be able to ease him into that opportunity as well. So we’ll see how that plays itself out. But he obviously got — once he feels, the doctors feel and he feels he’s 100 percent ready to go, then we’re not going to put him out there until he’s 100 percent ready to go. But he’s getting closer to that, which is good news for everybody. And I know for him he’s worked extremely hard to come back, and it’s been a real battle for him. And it’s not that easy. It’s been a long process to go through especially a second time. Takes a lot of mental toughness to do that when you know how hard it’s going to be. I just love the young man and his grit and toughness and everybody respects him on our team. And he’s one that everybody just wants to see come back and do well. So that day is getting closer, and we’ll continue to evaluate when that day comes and how he’ll be utilized. So I believe he can help our football team win games.

PURDUE FOOTBALL

RYAN WALTERS PRESSER

Q. What kind of stuck out to you after watching the game back?

RYAN WALTERS: Jeez, been a lot that stuck out. One, knew going into it that Iowa is a good team. They don’t make a whole lot of mistakes. So when you make mistakes, they exploit and capitalize on those, and they definitely did.

You know, I did think that our guys fought all the way through. Obviously as unclean as we played, to have the ball with two minutes left and a chance to go down and win the game, you know, it just speaks to the fight that we had as a team.

Just didn’t execute at a level high enough to go win that game. Played well enough to have chance to win it, but didn’t play well enough to win the game.

Q. Looking at Ohio State, how do you prepare for one of the toughest games on your schedule?

RYAN WALTERS: Just like you do every week. You know, the beauty of the way that we prepare, you know, you prep and go to work in film study and everything the same every week whether you’re playing for the Super Bowl or against West Lafayette, you know what I mean?

So that way you’re not cutting corners and making it more than what it is. You’re just diving into the details of your assignment, the scheme, the technique, and ultimately trying to put yourself in position to make plays and go win a game.

Q. Have you or any maybe players emphasized the last time Purdue upset Ohio State and keeping that in the back of your head?

RYAN WALTERS: We’ll have a team meeting tomorrow, and I’ve got some creative ways to give the history of this game and what it meant the last time they were here, and so they’ll definitely be aware.

Q. You’ve had some bad luck with injuries, which is part of football. Can you give us an update on Marquis, Tyrone, some of the other guys? Obviously Marcus looks like it’s a bad thing, so…

RYAN WALTERS: Yeah, you’re right. The injury bug hit us the second day of fall camp when Jahmal Edrine went down with a knee. You know, looks like Max will not be back. Marquis will not be back. Marcus, you know, won’t be back this season.

Just kind of like you said, comes with the territory. It’s a risk that we all signed up for when we decide to play this beautiful game.

We have a locker room full of guys that are obviously compassionate for the guys that are not playing anymore, but also they’re eager for the opportunity for themselves to go play football.

And so it’s always been the next-man-up mentality. We’ll adjust as a staff in the areas we need to, but still very confident and excited to go compete.

Q. You didn’t touch on Tyrone there. You expect him back this week?

RYAN WALTERS: I would be shocked if he played this week.

Q. And then I know people are going to talk about Ohio State and this big juggernaut program. I think you feel like this is more of an opportunity to flip things around against a top opponent than a challenge, right?

RYAN WALTERS: Yeah, I mean, obviously Ohio State is a national brand for a reason, right? Got a lot of respect for Ryan Day and what he’s done in his career.

You go play to win the game. That’s the purpose of competition. So you’re absolutely right, we’re excited to go play, to go compete, and it’s been fun already prepping and game planning against guys that you respect in this profession and against players that you’ve got respect for that play the game.

Q. Last thing: Deion Burks I’ve seen on Twitter is trying to pull an NIL deal with one of his favorite restaurant establishments. Clearly this is a guy that takes nutrition seriously. What he’s done to his body has probably led to what he’s doing on the field on Saturdays, right?

RYAN WALTERS: Yeah, 100%. What I love about football, much like it is in life, what you pour into it you usually get out. He has poured into his body. He’s poured into his film study, the way he practices. He’s reaping the benefits of that time spent and that dedication to his craft.

I’m looking forward to him continuing to grow and continuing to learn how to affect the game at his position.

Q. Ohio State’s offense is well capable, but struggled to run the ball a little bit. Have you seen anything different? You’ve obviously looked at them over the years and what Ryan Day tries to do — and with a different quarterback obviously. They do anything differently?

RYAN WALTERS: Well, it’s funny, this the first time I’ve played against him, so I haven’t really had crossovers games where we studied what they’ve done traditionally in the past.

I know they got new faces from a year ago. But that’s the thing about Ohio State. They just reup from a roster standpoint. They have got talented offensive line. They have got talented receivers. I feel like every year they’re signing three, four, five star guys.

Their running backs, they have three of them that they kind of rotate in. They don’t miss a beat. Whoever is out there, you know, they’re there for a reason and they’re talented as all get out.

I mean, I think as a staff, they do a good job of making it not overly complicated for those guys so they can play fast and use their God-given ability to go make plays and find creative ways to get guys in space and get guys touches.

So it’ll be a good challenge, and I’m looking forward to it.

Q. Ryan, have you seen any chinks in Ohio State’s armor at all?

RYAN WALTERS: I mean, they’re undefeated right now. They had the tight one against Notre Dame. To their credit, Notre Dame had every chance to win that game at the end. Ohio State just kept fighting, kept fighting.

You know, weren’t playing the type of game they’re accustomed to playing, but just that speaks to their confidence and their will to win. Chinks in the armor?

No, not really. You got to execute, make plays, and you have to — you can’t pay attention to the logo, right? Like you can’t get the brand or the history affect how aggressive you play. So that’s what our guys got understand, is it doesn’t — as long as we make it about us and how we execute, how we play the game, you know, how aggressive our mentality, mindset is, then you go play, you go compete, and you let the game play out and try to go win it.

You can’t walk into it and give them an edge from a mental standpoint because they got a Buckeye on the back of their helmet, you know what I mean?

So that’s why I love competition. That’s why I love football in particular. It’s 11 on 11. The ball is snapped and the whistle is blown, and everything that happens in between that is completely up to your control.

Q. Another freshman of the year honor for Dillon Thieneman. Talk about his year so far and maybe how he compares to some of the defensive backs you worked with in the past?

RYAN WALTERS: Yeah, what’s unique about Dillon, man, I was teasing O’Brien the other day. It’s like he was created in a lab somewhere. You try to find things in his game, things in his personality, things in his life where you’re like, oh, he needs to pick it up in this area.

We get the grade report and his lowest grade right now is a 99. So it’s like, he takes care of his body the right way, he practices — like every rep in practice he’s finishing on the ball carrier with his inside foot up and hitting the same shoulder and wrapping up.

So you look at the game, Iowa has the No. 2 running back. He’s talented as all get out, right, and made his return to play against us. There is a play where we missed some to the flat from a schematic standpoint, and they get him the ball and he turning up field and Dillon, like he does in practice, finishes same foot, same shoulder, and like he catches the guy on the sideline, lifts him up, and puts him down.

I’m like, dude, that’s a big running back that’s fast. This is a true freshman that’s playing confident that way, but he’s confident because of the way he prepares. He’s always in O’Brien’s office watching quarterback operation time, seeing who the deep threats are, getting formation tendencies.

At practices he’s calling it out. He’s practicing full speed. You go in the weight room and like Dillon could be in there by himself with a workout plan and you know he’s going to attack every rep with everything he’s got with no supervision because that’s who he is, the way he lives his life.

And so have I coached anybody him before? No, I haven’t. Not at 18. Not as talented as he is. Not with the work ethic and the hunger that he has.

If I was a betting man I would say he’s got a long time to play football.

Q. Another true freshman started in the secondary last week, Derrick Rogers. How do you think he held up? And speak the challenge he has this week with Ohio State receivers.

RYAN WALTERS: Yeah, really I’ve loved his progression. My relationship with Duda, everybody called him Duda, that’s his nickname, started when he was going into his junior year at Jones High School in Orlando. I coached Kirby Joseph who was also a product of Jones. He ended up being a third-round pick and is starting for the Lions now.

Duda, much like Kirby in practice, loved playing football. He was a wide out at Jones, and you knew when it was one-on-ones because Duda was yapping at the competition, and if he caught the ball you were going to know about it.

But just loved playing the game. And so when I saw that he was still available in the recruiting process, you know, he qualified late and people didn’t know if he was going to qualify, so I’m like, man, if we get him in the building and get some structure around him, I think this kid can really thrive.

And so sure enough, he gets here, he’s 151 — and that’s soaking one 151. Already he’s gained 20 points. What I love about him is he loves ball. He’s naive enough to where like the stage is not too bright. He doesn’t know any better.

He knows there is a pig skin and the object is to keep it from getting in the end zone on defense and get it across the line on offense.

So I think the only play that he was pretty upset about was the dropped interception he had in end zone, but he has been covering his tail off. He has really embraced playing corner. This is his first time he’s ever played corner, and I think he’ll have a long career here, and God-willing he stays healthy and continues to thrive.

Q. I know you played a very good defense Saturday. Was Purdue’s fewest yards gained this year. What can you do to get the offense back on track, do you think?

RYAN WALTERS: Yeah, you know, if you looked at — you know, to me it was early down, negative yardage plays. You know, first and ten sacks. You know, first and ten TFLs. When we’re good on first down and then playing with pace on second down, get us in third and manageable to move the chains and do that over again, that’s when we’re at our best offensively.

So we have had six games now of cataloged information that we as a staff have looked at, and like I’ve said to the staff at the start of the season, in my opinion, our staff’s ability to adapt and adjust to our roster and to who our opponent is throughout the course of the season will be in direct correlation with our successes or failures.

So had poignant conversations on Sunday as a staff on just about the direction we need to head in order to close out these last six games the right way. We are completely capable of doing so, and I’ve got every confidence and belief we’re going to get it done.

Q. Ben Freehill, looks like I don’t know if he’s still out. Maybe OC will be back.

RYAN WALTERS: Yeah, Ben Freehill is out and I’ll wait on the injury report this afternoon to see if OC will be available.

Q. Just on couple things on Hudson Card. The interception, looked like at least on television that he might have dinged his shoulder a little bit. Again, it’s game seven so guys are dinged up. How is he doing? Maybe as a follow up, just getting rid of the ball, and what are you working on from that standpoint? Seems easy when watching he’s got to get rid of it, but there are some other factors come into play. How has that continued to progress?

RYAN WALTERS: Yeah, Hudson got dinged up against Illinois actually. He practiced on Thursday and his — the nature of his injury was one that he wasn’t in harm’s way of further damaging the injury, but it was going to be painful.

I think that speaks to his competitive spirit and his physical toughness. So every time he was out there and got hit, didn’t feel good, I promise you. So for him to go through the whole game and compete the way he did, I was proud of that fact.

Obviously there are plays that he would love to have back. He was very down after the game. I think it’s just it is a growing process, right? I think he’ll continue to mature and grow, and one of the areas that we talked about is, yeah, like not taking sacks on early downs or in the red area, right, so get you out of field goal range.

I think as a staff we can help him out in that area, and give him better answers and put him in scenarios where the ball is designed to get out quick.

So like that’s one of the things that we’ve looked at that we need to adapt and adjust to give our quarterback the best chance to be successful on Saturdays.

PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BIG 10 MEDIA DAY

KATIE GERALDS

KATIE GEARLDS: Good morning. I’m not one for great opening statements but I’ll give it my best shot here.

It’s good to be back here. Obviously I’m a little biased to the Big Ten Tournament being in Indianapolis, but I thought Minneapolis really, really rocked it last year. The environment around the city, the fans, everywhere we walked last year was just a great place to be.

If it can’t be in Indy, I’m solid with it being here.

Last year I think we took a great step for our program getting back into the tournament, albeit a play-in game. We were just excited to have that experience.

Got a good solid five back this year, then we’ve got two sophomore transfers out of the portal and six freshmen. Most days I think I’m crazy for having six freshmen on my team, but it’s been a really fun challenge, and just a lot of great energy in our program right now.

A couple non-conference challenges, we open at UCLA. We’re starting things back up with Notre Dame, so we’ll play at Notre Dame, and then obviously the gauntlet of the Big Ten.

Hopefully our non-conference schedule challenges us enough to get ready for the Big Ten, but just excited to get things going.

Q. You’ve got a core of Janae and Abbey and Caitlyn coming back. How have they challenged themselves to continue to climb the mountain that you started to climb last season?

KATIE GEARLDS: Yeah, I think that it just says a lot about who they are. Both Janae and Abbey are in their fifth year. They took their COVID year, and Caitlyn is in her sixth year. Then you throw in Madison Layden, who’s a senior for us, and Jayla Smith, who’s a junior, those are our five core.

I think they’re just hungry. I think we got a little bit of a taste of it last year, where we want Purdue to be, and I think it starts with those five and their leadership. Their ability to lead our young people right now has just been tremendous. It makes our job easy from a coaching standpoint.

Really just kind of give them the ball and kind of let them lead the way, and as coaches we’ll just try to get out of the way as much as we can.

Q. With the six freshmen, what have you seen from your core group of five returners in terms of their leadership qualities, and I just heard you say, just get out of the way, but do you get out of the way totally when you have those six freshmen in the hands of your leaders there?

KATIE GEARLDS: Yeah, right now, those six freshmen are in the hands of our returners, and then our assistant coaches. I get out of the way.

We actually added a couple really good pieces to our staff. Mark Stephens came over from Toledo, and then everybody knows Kelly Komara, member of the ’99 National Championship team for Purdue. A lot of great energy around our program.

But the five returners make is really, really easy, but we also have six young people that really, really love Purdue and that are passionate about getting Purdue back to where we all hope it’ll be one day.

Q. As you build on the success that you had last season, what do you think the identity of your team this season will be?

KATIE GEARLDS: I think just keep building on what we’ve been building, and that’s just been a tough out. Being tough to beat every single night. We’re chasing the likes of Iowa and Ohio State and Maryland and Indiana. We’re chasing those guys.

So just making sure we’re a tough out. Along the way, maybe we find an opportunity to take one of those teams out.

But we’ve got a long way to go to get to where those guys are, but we want to stay the course every day and just be a tough out. Really that’s what we preach every day. Make sure we compete every second and be hard to beat.

DILLON THIENEMAN NAMED BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK FOR SECOND TIME

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – For the second time this season, defensive back Dillon Thieneman has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week, the conference office announced Monday morning (Oct. 9).

Thieneman joined Devin Mockobee (2022), David Bell (2019) and Rondale Moore (2018) as Boilermakers to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Week multiple times throughout the past six seasons. He also earned the honor after the first game of his career, making a team-high 10 tackles and hauling in an interception against Fresno State (Sept. 2). Thieneman and Frankie Williams are the only Boilermaker defenders in program history to become a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week recipient.

Thieneman collected the accolade after hauling in his team-leading third interception of the season to go along with eight tackles (seven solo) against Iowa. The Westfield, Indiana, native led a secondary that held the Hawkeyes to just 6-of-21 (28.6%) for 110 yards through the air, the lowest completion percentage allowed since limiting Illinois to 27.6 percent 17 years ago (Nov. 11, 2006). With his third interception of the season, Thieneman became the nation’s only freshman with three INTs.

In just the first six games of his career, Thieneman has already become a leader on the Boilermaker defense. He ranks second nationally in solo tackles, averaging 6.8 per game. Thieneman’s 8.8 tackles per game not only lead Purdue but also are more than any other freshman in the country. His three INTs rank seventh nationally and are tied for the third-most all-time by a Purdue freshman.

Thieneman and the Boilermakers return home this weekend (Oct. 14), battling No. 3 Ohio State. Kickoff from Ross-Ade Stadium is set for 12 p.m. ET on Peacock.

BUTLER MEN’S SOCCER

HANNOSH EARNS BIG EAST FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONOR

Butler men’s soccer forward Ryan Hannosh was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week by the conference for his performances this past week against IUPUI and Creighton.

Registering his first collegiate points in a 1-0-1 week for the Bulldogs, Hannosh led Butler’s scoring attack with a goal and three assists. In a 3-1 win over IUPUI on Tuesday, Hannosh collected his first collegiate assist in the 12th minute after connecting with Palmer Ault for the opening goal of the match. He later doubled the Butler lead with a goal in the 28th minute. Hannosh collected his fourth point and second assist of the game in the 57th minute to put the match out of reach. In Saturday’s conference tilt with Creighton, Hannosh re-directed a ball between his legs to find Jack Streberger for the game-tying goal in the 88th minute.

Butler returns to action Tuesday evening, hosting Milwaukee.

MILWAUKEE VISITS SELLICK BOWL FOR MATCH WITH BUTLER MEN’S SOCCER

Matchday Information – Butler vs. Milwaukee
DATE:                          Tuesday, October 10 / 7PM
LOCATION:                 Indianapolis // Sellick Bowl
VIDEO:

FloSports/ButlerSportsLive

FloSports/ButlerSportsLive
LIVE STATS:               StatBroadcast
TICKETS:                    butlersports.com

Full Notes

The Butler men’s soccer team plays its final non-conference match of the season on Tuesday night, hosting Milwaukee in the Sellick Bowl. The Bulldogs (2-6-2, 1-2-1 BIG EAST) most recently tied Creighton, 2-2, while the Panthers (4-6-1, 2-3-0 Horizon) are coming off a 1-0 win vs. Detroit Mercy.

Bulldog Bits
        (as of 10/8/23)

With an average of 5.60 saves per match, Caleb Norris is second in the BIG EAST and 5th nationally. His 56 total saves are also second in the conference (5th) and his save percentage (.757) is fourth (57th).
Palmer Ault’s five goals rank sixth in the BIG EAST and 67th nationally.
For his performances vs. IUPUI and Creighton, Ryan Hannosh was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week. Hannosh produced his first five collegiate points this week, scoring a goal and adding two assists in the 3-1 win over IUPUI, and contributing with an assist on the game-tying goal in the 88th minute in the 2-2 draw vs. Creighton.

vs. Creighton

Henri Kumwenda’s goal was his second in as many matches, and the third of his career.
Jack Streberger’s goal was his first of the season and the ninth of his career.
Tommy Visser’s assist was his first of the season and the ninth of his career.
Donovan Boone’s assist was a career first, as well as his career-first offensive point.
Ryan Hannosh’s assist was his third of the season and his third in the past two matches.
Caleb Norris made six saves in preserving the draw. He now has 56 this season.

The Matchup
SERIES RECORD: Milwaukee leads, 16-12-1
LAST MEETING: Sept. 3, 2021 – Indianapolis – Butler 2, Milwaukee 1

Milwaukee’s most recent win was a 3-1 victory in Milwaukee in 2011.
The teams have played only one match since 2011, when both were members of the Horizon League.

Scouting Milwaukee

Previous match: vs. Detroit Mercy W, 1-0
In addition to Detroit Mercy, notable wins for Milwaukee include Dayton (3-0) and Northern Illinois (3-2), and the team tied #23 Marquette (1-1). The Panthers’ losses include Northwestern (1-2), Wright State (0-1), and Oakland (1-2).

Individual Statistics
Offensive standouts for Milwaukee include:
#22 Raul Medina (3g, 3a)
#23 David Cox (3g, 2a)
#9 Asher Ozuzu (2g, 1a)
#13 Daiki Kumakawa (1g, 2a)
#17 Alan Lopez (2g)
#30 Daniel Ibarra (4-6-1) has logged every minute in goal for the Panthers. In 11 starts, he has allowed 17 goals (1.55 GAA) and has made 40 saves (.702 SV%). He has two shutouts.

IUPUI WOMEN’S SOCCER

KUDLO NAMED #HLWSOC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

INDIANAPOLIS – IUPUI redshirt junior Ashton Kudlo has been named #HLWSOC Defensive Player of the Week for this week, sharing the award with Milwaukee’s Kendall Edwards. Kudlo helped IUPUI to an unbeaten week with a scoreless draw at Wright State on Thursday (Oct. 5) and a 1-0 win over Green Bay on Sunday (Oct. 8).

Kudlo delivered back-to-back shutouts in goal, extending her streak to three-in-a-row and giving her five on the season. She faced 13 shots and made six saves at then second-place Wright State on Thursday and then registered four saves against Green Bay on Sunday.

For the year, Kudlo now leads the Horizon League in goals against average (0.75) and save percentage (.860).

NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S TENNIS

FIVE COMPETE AT THE ITA ALL-AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

CARY, N.C. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team saw five student-athletes head to Cary, North Carolina to compete in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s All-American Championships last week. The Fighting Irish sent two doubles teams, as well as placing a competitor in the Qualifying Tournament of singles. Page Freeman was the Irish representative in singles action. The doubles pairings consisted of Julia Andreach and Carrie Beckman in the Main Draw and Rylie Hanford and Yashna Yellayi in Qualifying Doubles.

Andreach and Beckman were part of the Main Draw doubles tournament. The Irish defeated Eryn Cayetano and Emma Charney from USC, 6-4, 6-7 (8), 10-6 and advanced to take on a pair from NC State. Notre Dame’s duo would come up short, falling 6-4, 6-4 to Anna Zyryanova and Sophie Abrams.

Hanford and Yellayi took the court in the Qualifying Doubles round. The duo defeated Millie Bissett and Anna Arkadianou 8-2, before falling to Taylor Cataldi and Maria Sholokhova of Wisconsin, 8-6.

In singles, Freeman fell to North Carolina’s Elizabeth Scotty, 6-0, 6-3 in the qualifying singles round. Freeman couldn’t quite find her footing in Cary, falling to Miami’s Isabella Pfennig 7-5, 6-3 in the consolation round.

INDIANA STATE FOOTBALL

ANDJELIC NAMED MVFC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Indiana State placekicker Jake Andjelic was named this week’s Missouri Valley Football Special Teams Player of the Week as announced by the conference office on Monday morning.

Andjelic was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts in Saturday night’s game against Northern Iowa as the redshirt freshman made his Indiana State debut on the field. The New Lenox, Ill. native connected from both 30 and 41 yards in his first two attempts on the year in the Sycamores’ 27-20 loss to the Panthers.

Andjelic took the field and converted the early 30-yard attempt in the first quarter to give the Sycamores the 3-0 lead against UNI. His 41-yard conversion came with 2:30 remaining in the fourth quarter to provide Indiana State with the opportunity for a late onside kick and the final drive of the game.

Andjelic became the second ISU player to earn a conference weekly honor in as many weeks joining Plez Lawrence (Oct. 1 Newcomer of the Week) to receive MVFC recognition. Andjelic is also the second ISU kicker in as many seasons to earn conference weekly honors in his Indiana State debut joining teammate Ryan O’Grady who took home the honors in 2022 following a three-field goal game against North Alabama.

Up Next

Indiana State hits the road to Normal, Ill., and Hancock Stadium next weekend as the Sycamores continue Missouri Valley Football play. Kickoff between the Sycamores and the Redbirds is set for 3 p.m. with the game to be carried live on ESPN+.

EVANSVILLE MEN’S SOCCER

UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE NAMES ROBBE TARVER HEAD MEN’S SOCCER COACH

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Robbe Tarver has been named the 7th head men’s soccer coach in University of Evansville history. The announcement was made by Director of Athletics Dr. Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried.

“Robbe has consistently impressed me since I arrived at UE in 2022,” said Athletics Director Ziggy Sigfriede. “He impressed me with his work ethic and recruiting ability when he was an assistant coach under Marshall Ray. He has also impressed me as the Interim Head Coach with his strong leadership, his genuine relationship building skills, and his ability to respond to adversity.

“Our University, our community, and all Purple Aces around the world are getting a Coach who knows what it means to be a Purple Ace. He is someone who will wake up every morning and go to sleep every night thinking about how to achieve excellence in all aspects of our Men’s Soccer program. There is nobody I would rather have leading our men’s soccer student-athletes!”

Tarver has been with the Evansville program for four seasons, initially coming to UE as an Assistant Coach before the COVID-19 impacted 2020 fall campaign. While an assistant for former Head Coach Marshall Ray, Tarver handled recruiting duties, leading training sessions, and academic performance. Tarver was successful in all three areas bringing in players from around the globe and helping Evansville to a 3.3 or better GPA over the past three years. Tarver was elevated to Interim Head Coach in March of 2023 following Ray’s resignation from collegiate soccer. Along with handling recruiting duties as an Assistant, Tarver’s impact on the Aces program has been undeniable. Over the past four seasons, Evansville has made back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Tournament Championship games, had three players named MVC Freshman of the Year, six All-MVC selections, and four All-West Region honorees.

“I want to thank Dr. Ziggy Siegfried and President Pietruszkiewicz for the opportunity to lead this program and their belief in me and our staff,” said Head Coach Robbe Tarver. “Over my 3 plus years here, I have learned Evansville’s unique history as a prominent program in the NCAA soccer landscape and the deep impact of our alumni and fan base on the program’s success. I’m honored to follow in the footsteps of Coach Vieth, Coach Gaudin, Coach Schmalz, and Coach Ray.

“I look forward to upholding their standards of success here at UE. I enjoyed working under the leadership of Coach Ray, and I am excited to continue building on the foundation we have laid over the past 3 seasons and get the program back to competing for MVC Championships and NCAA tournament wins.”

Prior to his time with UE, Tarver spent three years as a volunteer assistant for the Louisville Cardinals. While in Louisville, Tarver assisted in opposition scouting, daily operations of training, recruiting organization and travel coordination. The Cardinals saw plenty of success in the three years Tarver helped the team, as Louisville won their first ACC Tournament Championship in 2018. The Cardinals also made the NCAA Elite Eight the year prior in 2017 and returned to the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Tournament in 2019. In the three years Tarver was with Louisville, the team won at least one NCAA Tournament game each year.

Tarver began his coaching career at his alma mater – Division III Centre College, serving as the assistant coach for three seasons. During his tenure at Centre, Tarver was the recruiting coordinator and helped the Colonels capture their first Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Tournament Championship and the program’s sixth conference championship crown in 2016.

As a collegiate player, Tarver was a 2x captain for the Colonels, achieving all-conference and all-region honors from 2010-2013. He was invited to the USL Combine in 2014 and spent a season playing in Costa Rica for Juventud Escazuceña.

What They Are Saying…

“Robbe joined our staff in 2020 on the recommendation of alumni and friends. Since that time I have gotten to know him both professionally and personally as he became a part of the Aces family. Robbe cares immensely about the University of Evansville and the student-athlete experience that we as Aces value. He has already made at tremendous impact on our program as both an assistant coach and interim head coach. I am delighted he will be leading us into our next chapter of Purple Aces men’s soccer. Our student-athletes will be champions on and off the field under the leadership and guidance of Robbe.”

Marshall Ray, Former Head Coach, University of Evansville

“Robbe has a very good soccer mind. We had countless discussions on all aspects of the game when we worked together, and I know Evansville will play a great brand of soccer with him. More importantly, Robbe is a genuine person that truly cares about his student-athletes. He will be a great mentor for everyone that is fortunate enough to be a part of the Evansville Soccer program and they will undoubtedly grow as soccer players and people during their time in Evansville. As a program, Robbe will constantly have Evansville competing at the top of the Missouri Valley Conference.”

Bryan Green, Head Coach, Temple University

“The University of Evansville has made a great hire in Robbe Tarver! Robbe is an extremely hard worker that will give everything to his team to make them successful both on and off the field. Robbe also is a tremendous coach who knows the game inside and out but what I believe separates him is his genuine interest in people. He has a real ability to connect with individuals on a personal level and each student athlete that he mentors will benefit tremendously from his leadership”

John Michael Hayden, Head Coach, University of Louisville

“Robbe’s high school state championship in Texas was also for the national championship. Playing for Centre, he Captained our team that took down the defending national champions in the NCAA tournament. As an assistant coach with us, we won a conference championship, and he was quickly scooped up by UofL. I am an Aces fan and have enjoyed watching their growth since Robbe’s arrival. It is no surprise to me that Robbe has found success all along his soccer journey and I am popping popcorn as we speak, looking forward to UE’s next MVC championship under Robbe’s leadership.”

Jeb Burch, Head Coach, Centre College

“I am so happy for Robbe and the Evansville athletics department. Robbe is prepared for this opportunity and has so many qualities that make him a great leader of young men. He is very intelligent, forward-thinking, a high soccer IQ, and great communicator. Most importantly, he is a person of high integrity and strong values. I look forward to watching the success of the Purple Aces this upcoming fall and beyond.”

Donovan Dowling, Head Coach, University of Nebraska Omaha

UINDY FOOTBALL

HOUNDS REMAIN IN COACHES’ TOP 15

WACO, Texas—The UIndy football team extended its lengthy stay in the top 20 of the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, released Monday. Despite a convincing 59-17 Homecoming win versus William Jewell last weeked, the Greyhounds dropped one spot to No. 13 among DII’s best teams. The Hounds have now been ranked in the top 20 for 18 consecutive weeks dating back to September of last year.

The top 11 teams remained static this week. GLVC-rival Truman State University, UIndy’s opponent this coming Saturday, moved up five spots to No. 19. Eleven of the top 25 squads hail from Super Region 3.

AFCA DIVISION II

AFCA DIVISION II COACHES POLL

RK	SCHOOL (1st-place votes)	REC	PTS	PREV
1.	Ferris St. (Mich.) (27)	4-1	747	1
2.	Colorado School of Mines (3)	6-0	720	2
3.	Pittsburg St. (Kan.)	6-0	667	3
4.	Minnesota St.	6-0	639	4
5.	Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)	6-0	622	5
6.	West Florida	5-1	583	6
7.	Grand Valley St. (Mich.)	4-1	566	7
8.	Delta St. (Miss.)	6-0	556	8
9.	Harding (Ark.)	6-0	525	9
10.	Slippery Rock (Pa.)	6-0	476	10
11.	Benedict (S.C.) (1)	6-0	420	11
12.	Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.)	6-0	384	13
13.	Indianapolis (Ind.)	5-0	373	12
14.	Western Colorado	6-0	358	15
15.	Bemidji St. (Minn.)	4-1	329	14
16.	Davenport (Mich.)	5-0	305	16
17.	Central Missouri	5-1	266	18
18.	Henderson St. (Ark.)	5-1	180	22
19.	Truman St. (Mo.)	6-0	163	24
20.	Angelo St. (Tex.)	3-2	127	21
21.	Assumption (Mass.)	4-1	109	23
22.	Augustana (S.D.)	6-0	103	NR
23.	Shepherd (W.Va.)	5-1	98	25
24.	Virginia St.	6-0	83	NR
25.	Emporia St. (Kan.)	4-2	79	20

Others Receiving Votes: Valdosta St. (Ga.), 51; Tiffin (Ohio), 46; Virginia Union, 40; Missouri Western St., 33; Minnesota-Duluth, 30; Texas A&M-Kingsville, 24; Texas-Permian Basin, 20; Charleston (W.Va.), 18; Tuskegee (Ala.), 6; Central Washington, 2; Barton (N.C.), 1; Southern Arkansas, 1.

SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETICS

INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/

EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/

WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/

FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/

ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/

ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index

TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index

BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/

DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/

HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/

MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/

HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/

OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx

ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index

IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/

IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/

IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/

PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/

INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx

GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/

ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/

GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/

HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php

TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/

VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index

NFL STANDINGS

American Football Conference

East Division

Pct

Home

Road

vs. Conf

vs. Div

Streak

Miami Dolphins

.800

0.0

181

135

2-0-0

2-1-0

3-1-0

1-1-0

1 W

Buffalo Bills

.600

1.0

159

2-1-0

1-1-0

2-2-0

1-1-0

1 L

New York Jets

.400

2.0

105

1-2-0

1-1-0

2-2-0

1-1-0

1 W

New England Patriots

.200

3.0

131

0-3-0

1-1-0

2 L

West Division

Pct

Home

Road

vs. Conf

vs. Div

Streak

Kansas City Chiefs

.800

0.0

128

1-1-0

3-0-0

2-0-0

0-0-0

4 W

Los Angeles Chargers

.500

1.5

110

104

1-1-0

1-2-0

1-0-0

2 W

Las Vegas Raiders

.400

2.0

114

1-1-0

1-2-0

1-3-0

1-1-0

1 W

Denver Broncos

.200

3.0

121

181

0-3-0

1-1-0

0-3-0

0-1-0

1 L

North Division

Pct

Home

Road

vs. Conf

vs. Div

Streak

Pittsburgh Steelers

.600

0.0

110

2-1-0

1-1-0

3-1-0

2-0-0

1 W

Baltimore Ravens

.600

0.0

109

1-1-0

2-1-0

3-2-0

2-1-0

1 L

Cleveland Browns

.500

0.5

2-1-0

0-1-0

2-2-0

1-2-0

1 L

Cincinnati Bengals

.400

1.0

114

1-1-0

1-2-0

0-3-0

0-2-0

1 W

South Division

Pct

Home

Road

vs. Conf

vs. Div

Streak

Jacksonville Jaguars

.600

0.0

105

102

1-2-0

2-0-0

2-2-0

1-1-0

2 W

Indianapolis Colts

.600

0.0

120

115

1-2-0

2-0-0

3-1-0

2-1-0

1 W

Houston Texans

.400

1.0

115

100

1-1-0

1-2-0

2-2-0

1-1-0

1 L

Tennessee Titans

.400

1.0

2-0-0

0-3-0

2-2-0

0-1-0

1 L

National Football Conference

East Division

Pct

Home

Road

vs. Conf

vs. Div

Streak

Philadelphia Eagles

1.000

0.0

141

104

2-0-0

3-0-0

4-0-0

1-0-0

5 W

Dallas Cowboys

.600

2.0

134

2-0-0

1-2-0

1-0-0

1 L

Washington Commanders

.400

3.0

109

160

1-2-0

1-1-0

1-2-0

0-1-0

3 L

New York Giants

.200

4.0

153

0-2-0

1-2-0

1-3-0

0-1-0

3 L

West Division

Pct

Home

Road

vs. Conf

vs. Div

Streak

San Francisco 49ers

1.000

0.0

167

3-0-0

2-0-0

4-0-0

2-0-0

5 W

Seattle Seahawks

.750

1.5

111

1-1-0

2-0-0

3-1-0

0-1-0

3 W

Los Angeles Rams

.400

3.0

112

108

0-2-0

2-1-0

1-2-0

1-1-0

1 L

Arizona Cardinals

.200

4.0

108

136

1-2-0

0-2-0

1-3-0

0-1-0

2 L

North Division

Pct

Home

Road

vs. Conf

vs. Div

Streak

Detroit Lions

.800

0.0

148

107

2-1-0

2-0-0

3-1-0

1-0-0

3 W

Green Bay Packers

.400

2.0

113

1-1-0

1-2-0

2-2-0

1-1-0

2 L

Minnesota Vikings

.200

3.0

110

122

0-3-0

1-1-0

1-2-0

0-0-0

1 L

Chicago Bears

.200

3.0

115

157

0-2-0

1-2-0

0-1-0

1 W

South Division

Pct

Home

Road

vs. Conf

vs. Div

Streak

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

.750

0.0

1-1-0

2-0-0

3-1-0

1-0-0

1 W

Atlanta Falcons

.600

0.5

3-0-0

0-2-0

2-1-0

1-0-0

1 W

New Orleans Saints

.600

0.5

1-1-0

2-1-0

1-2-0

1-1-0

1 W

Carolina Panthers

.000

3.5

144

0-2-0

0-3-0

0-5-0

0-2-0

5 L

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1904 On the last day of the season, with one day of rest, Pilgrims right-hander Bill Dinneen beats Jack Chesbro when the 41-game winner uncorks a ninth-inning wild pitch, snapping a 2-2 tie against the Highlander. Boston’s Big Bill completes all 37 games he started during the season, throwing 337.2 consecutive innings, with his final effort giving the team their second straight American League pennant.

1920 Indians’ Bill Wambsganss becomes the only player in World Series history to complete an unassisted triple play when he makes a leaping catch, steps on second base, and tags the runner arriving from first base. Silence engulfs Cleveland’s League Park as the hometown fans try to digest what they have just witnessed.

1920 Outfielder Elmer Smith becomes the first player to hit a grand slam in World Series history when the Indians defeat the Robins and Burleigh Grimes, 8-1. Cleveland’s starter Jim Bagby contributes to his cause, blasting a three-run home run to become the first pitcher to hit a home run in the Fall Classic.

1923 In the first postseason game ever played at Yankee Stadium, veteran Giants outfielder Casey Stengel becomes the first player to hit a World Series homer in the Bronx ballpark, breaking a 4-4 deadlock in the top of the ninth inning with an inside-the-park round-tripper off Joe Bush. The Game 1 matchup is the first Fall Classic contest broadcast nationally.

1924 With the score tied at 3-3 and one out in the bottom of the 12th in Game 7 of the World Series, Senators’ backstop Muddy Ruel lifts a high catchable foul pop-up, which Giant catcher Hank Gowdy misses when he stumbles over his mask. Given a second chance, Ruel then doubles and eventually scores the winning run, making the Senators World Champs.

1948 Until the Dodgers host the 1959 Fall Classic at the LA Coliseum, the largest crowd to attend a World Series game jam into Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium to witness a showdown between two future Hall of Famers. Braves’ southpaw Warren Spahn beats Bob Feller and the Indians in Game 5 of the Fall Classic, 11-5, in front of 86,288 fans.

1951 In Game 6 of the Fall Classic, the Yankees become World Champions for the 14th time in franchise history when they beat the Giants in the Bronx ballpark contest, 4-3. Hank Bauer delivers the signature blow, a three-run triple hit in the sixth inning off Game 1 winner Dave Koslo.

1956 In Game 7 of the World Series, Johnny Kucks, allowing just three singles, blanks Brooklyn, 9-0, to give the Yankees their 17th World Championship in franchise history. In the last postseason game played at Ebbets Field, the 24-year-old right-hander ends the game by striking out Jackie Robinson, which turns out to be the Dodger infielder’s final major league at-bat when he decides to retire after being traded to the Giants in the off-season.

1957 With a 5-0 victory over the defending World Champions in Game 7 at Yankee Stadium, Milwaukee captures its first World Series championship since the ‘Miracle Braves’ won the title representing Boston in 1914. The Most Valuable Player of the Fall Classic is right-hander Lew Burdette, who hurled three complete-game victories, including today’s shutout.

1957 Starting Game 7 on just two days rest, Lew Burdette pitches the Braves to a World Championship as he blanks the Bronx Bombers at Yankee Stadium, 5-0. The 30-year-old right-hander, named the Series MVP, tosses 24 consecutive scoreless innings and posts a 0.64 ERA in his three Fall classic victories.

1961 The three-round National League expansion draft begins at the circuit’s headquarters in Cincinnati when the Colt .45s select former Giant shortstop Eddie Bressoud, and the Mets pick Hobie Landrith, a catcher who also played for San Francisco last season. Houston and New York choose 16 players, two from each of the existing clubs, at 75,000 per player, adding two/three more players at $50,000 in round two, and then in the final round picking four players from a premium list at $125,000 apiece, costing the new owners a staggering $3,650,000 for 45 players of questionable talent.

1962 In Game 5 of the World Series, Tom Tresh belts an eighth-inning homer off Jack Sanford to give the Bronx Bombers a 5-3 comeback win over the Giants at Yankee Stadium. Mike Tresh, the rookie shortstop’s dad, who hit only two home runs in his dozen big league seasons, left his seat behind home plate before the at-bat, moving to the standing-room section in Yankee Stadium, hoping to bring his son good luck.

1963 The Mets announce the club has ‘traded’ coaches with the Giants, bringing Wes Westrum to New York in exchange for Cookie Lavagetto, recovering from a serious illness, and requested a position nearer to his home in Oakland. Mets manager Casey Stengel met and became fond of his new coach during the recent All-Star Game and will be replaced by him as the team’s second skipper in franchise history when the 75-year-old ‘Old Perfessor’ retires in 1965.

1964 At Yankee Stadium, Mickey Mantle, facing Barney Schultz, slams the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth inning over the fence at the Bronx ballpark, giving New York a dramatic 2-1 walk-off victory and two games to one advantage over St. Louis in the Fall Classic. The Mick’s game-winning round-tripper, his 16th Fall Classic round-tripper, breaking the previous mark set by Babe Ruth, makes him the fifth major leaguer to end a World Series game with a home run.

1968 Bob Gibson, who sets the mark for total strikeouts (35) in a World Series, goes the distance in his eighth consecutive World Series game, losing Game 7 to Detroit, 4-1. The only time the St. Louis Cardinal right-hander, who will compile a 1.89 postseason ERA, didn’t finish a Fall Classic contest was in his first appearance in 1964 when he tossed eight innings against the Yankees.

1968 In the fifth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, Dal Maxvill pops out to first base, becoming the first major leaguer to go 0-for-22 in the Fall Classic. The Cardinal shortstop surpasses the single series infamous mark previously shared by Gil Hodges (1952 – Dodgers), Red Murray (1911 – Giants), Billy Sullivan (1906 – White Sox), and Jimmy Sheckard (1906 – Cubs).

1970 In the first World Series game played on artificial turf, Boog Powell, Ellie Hendricks, and Brooks Robinson homer to power the Orioles past the Reds, 4-3. In Game 1 of the Fall Classic, Baltimore’s offensive output overcomes Cincinnati’s 3-0 early lead at Riverfront Stadium.

1973 In the fifth and deciding game, the Mets win their second National League pennant in franchise history, beating the Reds, 7-2. Tom Seaver, who gives up seven hits in 8.1 innings, bests Cincinnati right-hander Jack Billingham in the Shea Stadium showdown.

1973 During oral arguments in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, Potter Stewart is handed a note with the startling news that Vice President Agnew had just resigned. The message also informs the glum Republican Justice, a big Reds fan, that the Mets are ahead of Cincinnati in the NLCS, 2-0.

1976 The Royals gain their first postseason victory in franchise history when they beat the Yankees, 7-3, in Game 2 of the ALCS. Kansas City southpaw Paul Splittorff, pitching 5.2 innings in relief, is credited with the victory.

1978 Before the start of Game 1 of the World Series, the Dodgers retire Jim Gilliam’s uniform #19, honoring their coach who died suddenly two days ago due to a massive brain hemorrhage. The 49-year-old former All-Star LA infielder will become the team’s first player not inducted into the Hall of Fame to receive this tribute.

1982 In Game 5, the Brewers capture the American League flag, beating the Angels at County Stadium, 4-3. Milwaukee becomes the first team to overcome a 0-2 start in a best-of-a-five-game LCS, winning the remaining three games against California, all played at home.

1993 The BBWAA selects Chicago slugger Frank Thomas as the American League’s Most Valuable Player. The first baseman, ranked among the top ten of the league’s nine offensive categories, batted .317 with 41 home runs and knocked in 128 runs for the division-winning White Sox.

1999 Scoring more than nineteen NFL teams, the Red Sox establish a major league record for most runs and the biggest margin of victory in a postseason game, scoring in every inning but the sixth in their 23-7 rout of the Indians. John Valentin collects seven RBIs in the Fenway Park contest as the Red Sox knot the five-game series at two games apiece.

2000 In Game 1, the Mariners (9) and Yankees (13) combined for 22 strikeouts to set an ALCS record. Seattle wins the contest behind the solid pitching of Freddie Garcia, who rings up eight Bombers in 6.2 innings in the team’s 2-0 victory in the Bronx.

2003 The Cubs take a 2-1 game advantage in the NLCS when they beat the Marlins in extra innings at Pro Player Stadium, 5-4. The eventual winning run scores in the top of the 11th when Doug Glanville triples off Florida’s Brandon Looper to plate Kenny Lofton, who had singled with one out in the frame.

2003 Kenny Lofton sets an NLCS record and ties the ALCS mark with six hits in six consecutive at-bats. Gary Matthews (Phillies-1983), Will Clark (Giants-1989), Steve Buechele (Pirates-1991), and Javy Lopez (Braves-1996) all held the previous NL distinction with five consecutive hits, with Blue Jays’ DH Paul Molitor establishing the major league standard in 1993, now shared with the Cub flychaser.

2005 The Phillies fire Ed Wade as their general manager, although the team( 88-74) has had three straight winning seasons and missed a chance of being the wild card by only one game this season. Philadelphia has not played in the postseason for 12 consecutive years, including the last eight seasons with Wade calling the shots.

2005 Rafael Palmeiro avoids perjury charges when a Congressional subcommittee decides not to prosecute him following its investigation. The former Orioles’ first baseman/DH had piqued the legislators’ interest when he tested positive for steroids four months after pointing his finger at the committee during a Capitol Hill hearing, emphatically denying that he had used performance-enhancing substances.

2008 Earlier in the day, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel learns of his mother’s death at a Virginia hospital. The grieving skipper, one of ten of June’s children, stays with the team and directs his club to an 8-5 victory against the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park in Game 2 of the NLDS.

2009 In Matt Holliday’s first at-bat at home since his critical error allowed LA to stage an amazing comeback victory, the Cardinals’ left fielder receives a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 47,296 at Busch Stadium. The former NLCS MVP award winner (Colorado – 2007), who will become a free agent after the season, is touched by the fans’ reaction and appreciative of their support.

2009 The Dodgers advance to their second consecutive National League championship series, beating St. Louis, 5-1, to complete a three-game sweep of the Redbirds in the NLDS. Vicente Padilla’s solid pitching and Andre Ethier and Manny Ramirez’s timely hitting close out the series, best remembered for Matt Holliday’s error on James Loney’s ninth-inning two-out liner, leading to a stunning two-run walk-off rally in Game 2.

2010 Behind the solid starting pitching of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels, the Phillies complete the franchise’s first playoff sweep when Hamels throws a five-hit complete-game victory, beating the Reds at Great American Ball Park, 2-0. Philadelphia will have an opportunity to become the first team to win three consecutive National League pennants since the war-time Cardinals raised flags from 1942 to 1944.

2011 Ranger left fielder Nelson Cruz hits the first walk-off grand slam in major league playoff history when his 11th-inning round-tripper beats Detroit, 7-3, in Game Two of the ALCS. The victory in Arlington gives Texas a 2-0 advantage in the seven-game series.

2019 After compiling a .497 winning percentage in his two seasons at the helm, the Phillies fire their manager Gabe Kapler. The dismissal marks the available eighth managerial vacancy that includes skippers needed by the Mets, Pirates, Angels, Royals, Cubs, Padres, and the Giants, who will hire the former Philadelphia pilot next month as their 37th manager to replace the retiring Bruce Bochy.

WORLD SERIES HISTORY

1912 WORLD SERIES

Once again, the New York Giants stood atop the standings as the most dominant team in the National League. Still reeling from the devastating loss in the previous World Series, they managed to take comfort in the less-than stellar performance of their rival Philadelphia Athletics. The two-time Champions were slated at the beginning of the season for a three-peat, but later fell to third place and finished fifteen games behind the pennant winning Boston Red Sox.

The Giants had a lot of other reasons to smile during the regular season as left-handed ace, Rube Marquard set a long-standing Major League record by going undefeated in his first nineteen starts and later went on to finish with twenty-six wins. Veteran Christy Mathewson had twenty-three victories and rookie Jeff Tesreau had won seventeen games while leading the National League with an ERA of 1.96. At the plate, New York boasted solid performances by Larry Doyle, who batted .330, Fred Merkle who had a .309 average and Chief Meyers who delivered a .358. Merkle and Doyle had combined for twenty-one home runs and Red Murray led the team with nintey-two runs batted in. New York had won one-hundred three games and the National League pennant by ten games. Boston was also stacked after a magnificent year on the mound by Smoky Joe Wood who had won thirty-four out thirty-nine games and pitched ten shutouts. Offensively, Tris Speaker had dominated the American League pitchers with a .383 batting average.

Boston Manager Jake Stahl gave the Game 1 start to superstar Joe Wood while New York’s John McGraw chose newcomer Jeff Tesreau over Series veterans Marquard or Mathewson. Rookies, even seventeen game winners, rarely started World Series openers and it would prove to be a fatal mistake in the eyes of many Giants fans as Woods and the Sox took a 4-3 first game advantage. Game 2 was a roller-coaster ride as the Giants overcame a 4-2 deficit in the top of the eighth only to allow the tying run during the Sox’s half of the inning. Memories of the previous Series late game comebacks and losses to the A’s inspired the Giants to regain a 6-5 lead in the tenth. Boston was able to even the score in their next at bat and almost won after Tris Speaker hit what appeared to be an in-the-park homerun (after reserve catcher Art Wilson dropped the ball at the plate) but it was credited as a triple. Neither team could break through in the eleventh inning and once again, a World Series game was called short and went into the books as a 6-6 tie due to darkness.

The next day, Giant ace Rube Marquard lived up to his record-setting reputation and evened the Series with a 2-1 triumph. Despite his best efforts, New York’s momentum would not last long. In a Game 4 rematch of the opener, Wood and Tesreau went at it again for another performance of “David vs. Goliath” as Smoky Joe out-dueled the young rookie in a 3-1 victory. Surprisingly, Boston decided to turn the tables for Game 5 by starting their own rookie ace, Hugh Bedient, a twenty game winner, against the Giants’ veteran Christy Mathewson. This time the story played out true as the Sox’s “David” outmatched the Giants’ “giant” with a 2-1 decision.

Not wanting a repeat of last year’s Series ending performance, the Giants came out in Game 6 with a renewed sense of urgency and knocked Boston starter Buck O’Brien for five runs in the first inning on their way to a must-win victory. A rejuvenated, New York carried the same momentum into Game 7, getting revenge on the undefeated Wood with six runs in the opening inning. With Marquard pitching a seven-hitter and Tesreau finally turning the tables on Wood, the Giants had won two crucial games by 5-2 and 11-4 scores. The best-of-seven battle would require an eighth game. Chasing away the demons from the previous year, New York had finally shown it’s own tenacity and was ready to finish the job, but Boston wasn’t ready to go home empty handed either.

Once again, New York’s John McGraw sparked some pre-game controversy after deciding to start Christy Mathewson, who was winless in his two previous appearances, for the Series finale. Not to be outdone, Boston started their own argument by selecting their twenty-two year-old rookie Bedient, who had defeated Mathewson in Game 5 for the crucial start. Both teams went head-to-head for nine innings to a tense 1-1 standoff. Mathewson was still pitching for New York, while Wood had taken over in the eighth for Bedient (who left the game in the seventh for pinch-hitter, Olaf Henriksen, whose double had tied the score). In the tenth, New York’s Red Murray knocked a one-out double and later scored on a Fred Merkle single. While Wood retired the side without further damage, the Red Sox were faced with trying to rebound from a 2-1 deficit.

Desperate Giant fans had already started celebrating as Boston took their turn at an extra-inning comeback. Pinch-hitter Clyde Engle started the bottom half of the inning with a high fly ball to mid-centerfield. Fred Snodgrass stepped back to make the routine catch and accidentally dropped it. His teammates stood in disbelief as the tying run for Boston was now on second base. The visibly shaken Snodgrass was given the opportunity to “save face” on the very next play and shined with a spectacular catch off a Harry Hooper line-drive. Unfortunately, Engle had now advanced to third and was in prime scoring position. Steve Yerkes followed with a walk and Tris Speaker sent Engle home for the tying run. With Yerkes stationed at third and Speaker on first with one out, Duffy Lewis was walked intentionally. Larry Gardner stepped up and belted a deep sacrifice fly to Josh Devore in right field, while Yerkes tagged up and scored. The Red Sox had come back for a 3-2 victory and their second World Series championship. For the stunned Giants, it was their second consecutive defeat in the Fall Classic and an unbelievable finish to what had otherwise been a magical season.

FOOTBALL HISTORY

October 10, 1920 – The Chicago Cardinals played their very first game in the AFPA (NFL). The game against the cross town rivals, Chicago Tigers, ended in a 0-0 draw. Paddy Driscoll was the head coach of this version of the Cardinals who ended the season at 6-2-1 and placed fourth in the APFA.

October 10, 1921 -The former Decatur Staleys played their first game as the Chicago Staleys and won the game 14-10 over the visiting Rock Island Independents. The Staleys ended the season, where they played every game in Chicago, sporting a 10-1-2 record. The following season Owner/Coach George Halas would rename the team the Chicago Bears.

October 10, 1960 – A CFL rushing record for a single game is reached when Ron Stewart of the Ottawa Rough Riders runs for 287 yards in a game against the Montreal Alouettes. According to the americanfootballdatabase.fandom.com Stewart capped off his 1960 season by winning the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian Award. In his 13 year career he ran for 5690 yards on 983 attempts scoring 42 touchdowns.

October 10, 1976 – The Giants Stadium in New Rutherford, New Jersey opens up its gates for the first time, but the Dallas Cowboys darkened the festivities a bit when they handed the New York Giants a 24-14 loss in the stadium’s debut.

October 10, 1994 – The New York Football Giants retire the jersey number 56 in honor of their great former linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

Hall of Fame Birthdays for October 10

October 10, 1894 – Walter Gordon was a guard/tackle from the University of California from 1916 through the 1918 season. Walter grew up in Atlanta , Georgia and was the grandson of a slave. Mr. Gordon became one of the first black football players on the West Coast. The National Football Foundation’s bio on his tells us that Gordon was a great lead blocker on offense and a hard-hitting tackler on defense. The National Football Foundation selected him to enter into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1975. After graduation, Walter joined the Berkeley Police Force, went to Law School and became a lawyer in 1922. He coached football and did some scouting for California University and eventually President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed him the Governor of the US Virgin Islands.

October 10, 1920 – Frank Sinkwich was a halfback from the University of Georgia. It is reported by the National Football Foundation that Frank did not desire to play halfback, due to the fact that in that era of play the halfbacks were the ones who threw the passes. His head coach thought otherwise though, and Coach Wally Butts was right. The awkward, flatfooted Sinkwich worked hard at the halfback position after many hours of practice he became a great passer. In 1942 he set a National Record for total offense with 2187 yards and over 1300 of those through the air. The big stage is where the player really shined through like in the 1942 Orange Bowl where Sinkwich put up a remarkable 382 all-purpose yards in the game. The National Football Foundation selected him to enter into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.

October 10, 1922 – Merv Pregulman was a center and tackle from the University of Michigan. According to mgoblue.com Merv was an All-American at defensive tackle but also played center and guard on offense well. The Green Bay Packers drafted Pregulman in the first round of the 1946 NFL Draft and he played there one season before going to Detroit to play with the Lions for two more years before playing his last season with the New York Bulldogs in 1948. The National Football Foundation selected him to enter into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982.

October 10, 1946 – Dwayne Nix was a former Texas A & I tight end. Dwayne was a Texas football star right from the beginning per footballfoundation.org bio on him. In three consecutive years the youngster made the Associated Press Little All-America team. His college team the Texas A&I Javelinas went undefeated in the NAIA when he was a junior, and the next season they won the National Championship in NAIA football. The National Football Foundation selected him to enter into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

October 10, 1969 – Brett Favre played in the National Football League for 20 highly productive seasons where he was a 3 time NFL player of the Year and made it into 11 Pro Bowls! Do we need to say anything more? Of course we do! Favre attended Southern Mississippi University where he was a four year starter at quarterback. Brett was later picked by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2nd Round and 3rd overall of the 1991 NFL Draft according to his bio on profootballhof.com. Favre saw very limited action as a Falcon and so the next season he was traded to the Green Bay Packers for a first round draft pick. When starter Don Majikowski was injured in Week 3, Brett Favre became the starting QB of the Pack and never looked back. He started that season on a torrid pace that saw him go over 3000 plus yards of passing in 18 straight seasons in the NFL. In 1995 and the two following seasons he took the Packers to the NFC Championship game and won Super Bowl XXXI. Brett played with the Packers through the 2007 season and then a season with the New York Jets before playing out his final two years with the Minnesota Vikings. Like wine, Favre seemed to get better as 2009 may have been his best season ever as he finished the year with a 107.2 QB rating and tossed for 4,202 yards. Bret Favre was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.

NUMBERS IN SPORTS

4 – 8 – 10 – 18 – 33 – 29 – 9 – 27 – 48 – 56

October 10, 1920 – Cleveland Indians outfielder Elmer Smith hits baseball’s first ever World Series grand slam (Game 5, 1920)

October 10, 1920 – Indian Bill Wambsganss made the first unassisted World Series triple play

October 10, 1921 – The NFL Decatur Staleys franchise officially played their first game as the Chicago Staleys when they hosted the Rock Island Independents at a place called Staley Field in Chicago. The Staleys won the contest 14-10. A year later, for the 1922 season the franchise would become the Chicago Bears.

October 10, 1930 – Associated Press voted Joe Cronin (Number 4 in 1931) of the Washington Senators as the unofficial AL MVP. Meanwhile the Boulder Writer Alliance named the Chicago Cubs Hack Wilson as the NL MVP.

October 10, 1951 – World Series: two-time defending champion NY Yankees beat NY Giants, 4-3 at Yankee Stadium for 4-2 series victory; MVP: Yankees shortstop Number 10, Phil Rizzuto

October 10, 1956 – In the World Series clincher, the Yankees behind Number 8, Yogi Berra’s 2 home runs, beat the Brooklyn Dodgers, 9-0 in Game 7 at Ebbets Field. MVP: Yankees pitcher Number 18, Don Larsen

October 10, 1957 – World Series crowned the Milwaukee Braves as champs when they defeated the NY Yankees, 5-0 at Yankee Stadium to clinch 4 games to 3 series victory. The Series MVP was Braves pitcher Lew Burdette, Number 33 who went 3-0 against the Yanks.

October 10, 1960 – Ron Stewart of the Ottawa Rough Riders rushed for a CFL-record 287 yards. Stewart’s Number 11 jersey has been retired by the Ottawa Rough Riders, and is also a member of the Queen’s University Football Hall of Fame and the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame.

October 10, 1964 – 18th NHL All-Star Game, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: All-Stars beat Toronto, 3-2, Jean Béliveau, the Center for Montreal, won the MVP award for the game. Béliveau wore the Number 4 on his sweater at that point in his career.

October 10, 1968 – It was World Series Game 7, as the Detroit Tigers edged out the St Louis Cardinals, 4-1 at Busch Memorial Stadium to clinch, 4-3 series win. The Series MVP was Tigers pitcher Number 29, Mickey Lolich

October 10, 1979 – Quebec Nordiques’ Number 9, Real Cloutier set an NHL record of a hat trick in his very first League game. The feat was matched in 2016 by Toronto’s Auston Matthews among others.

October 10, 1987 – Hartford center Number 27, Doug Jarvis ends his career having played an NHL record 964 consecutive games as the Whalers lose 6-2 to the New York Rangers

October 10, 1993 – Cleveland Browns’ DB Najee Mustafaa, Number 48 set a franchise record for longest interception (97 yds)

October 10, 1994 – The New York Football Giants retired Lawrence Taylor‘s Number 56 jersey

TV TUESDAY

COLLEGE FOOTBALL	TIME ET	TV
Louisiana Tech at Middle Tennessee	7:00pm	CBSSN
Liberty at Jacksonville State	7:30pm	ESPNU
Coastal Carolina at Appalachian State	7:30pm	ESPN2
MLB PLAYOFFS	TIME ET	TV
ALDS Game 3: Houston at Minnesota	4:07pm	FOX
ALDS Game 3: Baltimore at Texas	8:03pm	FOX
NBA PRESEASON	TIME ET	TV
Charlotte vs Miami	7:30pm	NBATV
Denver vs Phoenix	10:00pm	NBATV
NHL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Nashville at Tampa Bay	5:30pm	ESPN
Chicago at Pittsburgh	8:00pm	ESPN
Seattle at Vegas	10:30pm	ESPN
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
Argentina Primera División: Belgrano vs Boca Juniors	7:00pm	Paramount+

What to Watch: Tuesday, 10/10/23

COLLEGE FOOTBALL	TIME ET	TV
Coastal Carolina at Appalachian State	7:30pm	ESPN2

Appalachian State Mountaineers(3-2) leads all time series 7-2 versus Coastal Carolina Chanticleers(2-3). Last season Coastal Carolina won at home 35-28 versus Appalachian State. The Mountaineers are 6-0 all time at home versus the Chanticleers. This season Appalachian State is 2-0 at home and Coastal Carolina is 0-2 on the road.

MLB PLAYOFFS	TIME ET	TV
ALDS Game 3: Houston at Minnesota	4:07pm	FOX

Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins AL Divisional Series is tied 1-1. The Minnesota Twins lead the regular season series 4-2 versus Houston Atsros. The Twins were 2-1 at home versus the Astros in the regular season. The Twins 2023 regular season home record was 47-34. The Astros regular season overall away record was 51-30.

ALDS Game 3: Baltimore at Texas

8:03pm

FOX

Texas Rangers leads AL Divisional Series 2-0. The Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles regular season series was tied 3-3. The Orioles were 2-1 on the road versus the Rangers in the regular season. The Rangers 2023 regular season home record was 50-31. The Orioles regular season overall away record was 52-29.

NHL	TIME ET	TV
Nashville at Tampa Bay	5:30pm	ESPN

The Tampa Bay Lightning finished the 2022-23 season in third place in the Atlantic division. Last season the Nashville Predators finished fifth in the Central Division. The Lightning leads all time series 22-18 versus the Predators. Tampa Bay last season was 2-0 against Nashville.

Chicago at Pittsburgh

8:00pm

ESPN

The Chicago Blackhawks finished last place in the Central division in the 2022-23 season. Last season the Pittsburgh Penguins finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division. The Blackhawks and Penguins 2022-23 regular season series was tied 1-1. The Blackhawks leads all time series 78-44-17 versus the Penguins.

TV WEDNESDAY

OLLEGE FOOTBALL	TIME ET	TV
UTEP at FIU	7:30pm	ESPN2
Sam Houston at New Mexico State	9:00pm	CBSSN
MLB PLAYOFFS	TIME ET	TV
ALDS Game 4: Houston at Minnesota	2:07pm	FS1
NLDS Game 3: Atlanta at Philadelphia	5:07	TBS
ALDS Game 4: Baltimore at Texas	7:07pm	FS1
NLDS Game 3: LA Dodgers at Arizona	9:07pm	TBS
NBA PRESEASON	TIME ET	TV
Boston vs Philadelphia	7:00pm	NBATV
Sacramento vs LA Lakers	10:00pm	NBATV
NHL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Ottawa at Carolina	7:00pm	Sportsnet Bally Sports
Montréal at Toronto	7:00pm	Sportsnet
Chicago at Boston	7:30pm	TNT
Colorado at Los Angeles	10:00pm	TNT
Edmonton at Vancouver	10:00pm	Sportsnet
Winnipeg at Calgary	10:00pm	Sportsnet
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
Friendly: Wales vs Gibraltar	2:45pm	FS2
WNBA PLAYOFFS	TIME ET	TV
Finals Game 2: New York at Vegas	9:00pm	ESPN