“THE SCOREBOARD”
***********INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE WEEK 6***********
ANDERSON (1-4) AT INDIANAPOLIS TECH (0-5)
ANDREAN (2-3) AT HIGHLAND (2-3)
ANGOLA (0-5) AT FAIRFIELD (3-2)
AVON (0-5) AT FISHERS (3-2)
BATESVILLE (4-1) AT LAWRENCEBURG (4-1)
BEECH GROVE (2-3) AT MONROVIA (4-1)
BELLMONT (0-5) AT LEO (3-2)
BEN DAVIS (4-1) AT LAWRENCE NORTH (4-1)
BLOOMINGTON NORTH (5-0) AT NEW ALBANY (1-4)
BREBEUF JESUIT (2-2) AT INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI (3-2)
BROWNSBURG (5-0) AT WESTFIELD (5-0)
BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (5-0) AT SEYMOUR (2-3)
CASCADE (3-2) AT NORTH PUTNAM (1-4)
CASTON (0-5) AT NORTH WHITE (5-0)
CENTER GROVE (4-1) AT LAWRENCE CENTRAL (2-3)
CENTRAL NOBLE (2-3) AT LAKELAND (4-1)
CHESTERTON (1-4) AT PORTAGE (0-5)
CHRISTEL HOUSE MANUAL (2-3) AT INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE (2-3)
CHULA VISTA EASTLAKE (CALIF.) AT HAMMOND CENTRAL (4-1)
CLARKSVILLE (0-5) AT PERRY CENTRAL (2-3)
CLOVERDALE (2-3) AT SOUTH DECATUR (4-1)
COLUMBIA CITY (5-0) AT NEW HAVEN (5-0)
COLUMBUS NORTH (2-3) AT TERRE HAUTE NORTH (0-5)
CONCORD (3-2) AT GOSHEN (0-5)
CORYDON CENTRAL (0-5) AT SALEM (0-5)
CRAWFORD COUNTY (0-5) AT SPRINGS VALLEY (4-1)
CULVER (0-5) AT WINAMAC (0-5)
CULVER ACADEMY (2-3) AT KANKAKEE VALLEY (1-4)
DEKALB (2-3) AT HUNTINGTON NORTH (1-4)
DELPHI (1-4) AT CLINTON PRAIRIE (4-1)
EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL (1-4) AT GRIFFITH (2-3)
EAST NOBLE (3-2) AT NORWELL (1-4)
EASTBROOK (3-2) AT BLACKFORD (0-5)
EASTERN (GREENTOWN) (3-2) AT CLINTON CENTRAL (1-3)
EASTERN GREENE (3-2) AT PAOLI (4-1)
EASTERN HANCOCK (3-2) AT MILAN (3-2)
EASTSIDE (3-2) AT PRAIRIE HEIGHTS (0-5)
EDGEWOOD (1-4) AT INDIAN CREEK (2-3)
ELWOOD (1-4) AT MADISON-GRANT (4-1)
EVANSVILLE CENTRAL (0-5) AT JASPER (3-2)
EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL (5-0) AT EVANSVILLE BOSSE (1-4)
EVANSVILLE NORTH (3-2) AT EVANSVILLE MATER DEI (1-4)
EVANSVILLE REITZ (5-0) AT CASTLE (3-2)
FLOYD CENTRAL (4-1) AT COLUMBUS EAST (2-3)
FORT WAYNE DWENGER (2-3) AT FORT WAYNE NORTHROP (0-5)
FORT WAYNE LUERS (3-2) AT FORT WAYNE NORTH (2-3)
FORT WAYNE SNIDER (5-0) AT HOMESTEAD (2-3)
FORT WAYNE SOUTH (0-5) AT FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA (0-5)
FORT WAYNE WAYNE (3-2) AT CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) (3-2)
FRANKFORT (1-4) AT WESTERN BOONE (3-2)
FREMONT (1-4) AT CHURUBUSCO (1-4)
GREENCASTLE (3-2) AT BROWN COUNTY (1-4)
GREENSBURG (0-5) AT FRANKLIN COUNTY (2-3)
HAGERSTOWN (4-1) AT SHENANDOAH (1-4)
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (4-1) AT ZIONSVILLE (3-2)
HAMMOND NOLL (1-4) AT LAKE STATION (2-3)
HANOVER CENTRAL (5-0) AT MUNSTER (2-3)
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (4-1) AT COVENANT CHRISTIAN (3-2)
HERITAGE HILLS (5-0) AT GIBSON SOUTHERN (3-2)
INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (3-2) AT FREDERICK DOUGLASS (KY.)
INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD (5-0) AT GUERIN CATHOLIC (4-1)
INDIANAPOLIS RITTER (3-2) AT TRITON CENTRAL (4-1)
INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA (4-1) AT INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN (5-0)
INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY (2-3) AT PURDUE POLYTECHNIC (2-3)
JAY COUNTY (3-2) AT WOODLAN (2-3)
JEFFERSONVILLE (0-5) AT SILVER CREEK (3-2)
JENNINGS COUNTY (3-2) AT BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE (3-2)
JIMTOWN (2-3) AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY (5-0)
JOHN GLENN (3-2) AT BREMEN (3-2)
KNIGHTSTOWN (2-3) AT CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN (1-3)
KNOX (5-0) AT LAVILLE (5-0)
KOKOMO (5-0) AT MCCUTCHEON (2-3)
LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (2-3) AT RENSSELAER CENTRAL (2-3)
LAFAYETTE JEFF (3-2) AT HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) (4-1)
LAPEL (2-3) AT HERITAGE (4-1)
LAPORTE (1-4) AT MERRILLVILLE (4-1)
LEBANON (2-3) AT TRI-WEST (4-1)
LOWELL (2-3) AT HOBART (4-1)
MACONAQUAH (3-2) AT NORTH MIAMI (1-4)
MADISON (1-4) AT MITCHELL (1-4)
MANCHESTER (2-3) AT SOUTHWOOD (3-2)
MARION (2-3) AT LOGANSPORT (1-4)
MARTINSVILLE (3-2) AT WHITELAND (2-3)
MICHIGAN CITY (2-3) AT LAKE CENTRAL (3-2)
MISSISSINEWA (5-0) AT ALEXANDRIA (5-0)
MOORESVILLE (2-3) AT FRANKLIN (3-2)
MOUNT VERNON (POSEY) (4-1) AT BOONVILLE (2-3)
NEW CASTLE (1-4) AT DELTA (4-1)
NEW PALESTINE (3-2) AT GREENFIELD-CENTRAL (5-0)
NEW PRAIRIE (4-1) AT SOUTH BEND ADAMS (1-4)
NOBLESVILLE (3-2) AT FRANKLIN CENTRAL (3-2)
NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) (1-4) AT GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN (2-3)
NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) (0-5) AT CARMEL (3-2)
NORTH DAVIESS (4-1) AT WEST WASHINGTON (3-2)
NORTH DECATUR (3-2) AT RUSHVILLE (1-4)
NORTH HARRISON (4-1) AT EASTERN (PEKIN) (2-3)
NORTH MONTGOMERY (3-2) AT CRAWFORDSVILLE (0-5)
NORTH NEWTON (0-5) AT FRONTIER (3-2)
NORTH POSEY (4-1) AT TECUMSEH (0-5)
NORTH VERMILLION (3-2) AT ATTICA (0-5)
NORTHEASTERN (5-0) AT CENTERVILLE (5-0)
NORTHRIDGE (4-1) AT WAWASEE (1-4)
NORTHWESTERN (2-3) AT TIPTON (1-4)
OAK HILL (3-2) AT FRANKTON (2-3)
PARK TUDOR (5-0) AT FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK (0-5)
PARKE HERITAGE (2-3) AT COVINGTON (2-3)
PENDLETON HEIGHTS (3-2) AT MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE) (2-3)
PENN (4-1) AT MISHAWAKA MARIAN (2-3)
PERRY MERIDIAN (2-3) AT GREENWOOD (3-2)
PHALEN ACADEMY (1-3) AT INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS (4-1)
PIKE (1-4) AT WARREN CENTRAL (2-3)
PIKE CENTRAL (1-4) AT WASHINGTON (1-4)
PLAINFIELD (5-0) AT DECATUR CENTRAL (3-2)
PLYMOUTH (2-3) AT NORTHWOOD (3-2)
PRINCETON (1-4) AT NORTH KNOX (3-2)
PROVIDENCE (5-0) AT IRVINGTON PREP ACADEMY (0-5)
RICHMOND (1-4) AT MUNCIE CENTRAL (0-5)
RIVER FOREST (3-2) AT BOONE GROVE (3-2)
ROCHESTER (4-1) AT PERU (5-0)
SCOTTSBURG (3-2) AT CHARLESTOWN (2-3)
SEEGER (4-1) AT FOUNTAIN CENTRAL (4-1)
SHERIDAN (4-1) AT TAYLOR (1-4)
SOUTH ADAMS (3-2) AT ADAMS CENTRAL (5-0)
SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH (3-2) AT ELKHART (1-4)
SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON (2-3) AT SOUTH BEND RILEY (5-0)
SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) (2-3) AT NORTH JUDSON (3-2)
SOUTH DEARBORN (3-2) AT EAST CENTRAL (5-0)
SOUTH NEWTON (3-2) AT WEST CENTRAL (5-0)
SOUTH SPENCER (2-3) AT FOREST PARK (3-2)
SOUTH VERMILLION (4-1) AT RIVERTON PARKE (1-4)
SOUTHERN WELLS (1-4) AT BLUFFTON (5-0)
SOUTHMONT (4-1) AT DANVILLE (3-2)
SOUTHPORT (0-5) AT BLOOMINGTON SOUTH (4-1)
SOUTHSIDE HOME SCHOOL AT INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON (2-3)
SPEEDWAY (1-4) AT CONNERSVILLE (2-3)
SULLIVAN (2-3) AT OWEN VALLEY (2-3)
SWITZERLAND COUNTY (3-2) AT EDINBURGH (0-5)
TELL CITY (3-2) AT SOUTHRIDGE (3-2)
TRI-CENTRAL (1-4) AT CARROLL (FLORA) (5-0)
TRITON (3-2) AT PIONEER (4-1)
TWIN LAKES (4-1) AT HAMILTON HEIGHTS (5-0)
UNION COUNTY (0-5) AT UNION CITY (0-5)
VALPARAISO (4-1) AT CROWN POINT (5-0)
VINCENNES LINCOLN (4-1) AT EVANSVILLE HARRISON (0-5)
WABASH (0-5) AT NORTHFIELD (1-4)
WARSAW (5-0) AT MISHAWAKA (4-1)
WES-DEL (1-4) AT MONROE CENTRAL (1-4)
WEST NOBLE (5-0) AT GARRETT (2-3)
WEST VIGO (1-4) AT SOUTH PUTNAM (4-1)
WESTERN (2-3) AT LINTON-STOCKTON (4-1)
WHEELER (2-3) AT GARY WEST (3-2)
WHITING (2-3) AT CALUMET (1-4)
WHITKO (1-4) AT LEWIS CASS (2-3)
WINCHESTER (3-2) AT TRI (3-2)
YORKTOWN (3-2) AT SHELBYVILLE (3-2)
****************INDIANA HS AP FOOTBALL POLLS*****************
Class 6A
Rank-School FPV Rcd TP Pvs
1. Brownsburg (10) 5-0 286 1
2. Center Grove (4) 4-1 272 T2
3. Indpls Ben Davis (1) 4-1 244 T2
4. Westfield – 5-0 214 5
5. Crown Point – 5-0 164 7
6. Hamilton Southeastern – 4-1 142 4
7. Fishers – 3-2 86 6
8. Indpls Cathedral – 3-2 80 10
9. Warsaw – 5-0 46 NR
10. Carmel – 3-2 44 NR
Others receiving votes: Penn 42. Carroll (Fort Wayne) 12. Lawrence North 10. Lawrence Central 8.
Class 5A
Rank-School FPV Rcd TP Pvs
1. Ft. Wayne Snider (15) 5-0 300 1
2. Bloomington North – 5-0 254 2
3. Valparaiso – 4-1 232 3
4. Plainfield – 5-0 208 4
5. Bloomington South – 4-1 170 5
6. Merrillville – 4-1 154 6
7. Mishawaka – 4-1 128 7
8. Lafayette Harrison – 4-1 114 8
9. Floyd Central – 4-1 34 NR
10. Decatur Central – 3-2 22 NR
Others receiving votes: Ev. North 14. Concord 10. Franklin 4. Hammond Central 2. Castle 2. Michigan City 2.
Class 4A
Rank-School FPV Rcd TP Pvs
1. E. Central (14) 5-0 298 1
2. Kokomo – 5-0 246 3
3. Ev. Reitz (1) 5-0 238 2
4. Ev. Memorial – 5-0 178 4
5. Greenfield – 5-0 158 5
6. Columbia City – 5-0 130 6
7. Northridge – 4-1 108 7
8. Indpls Roncalli – 3-2 92 8
9. New Haven – 5-0 68 NR
10. New Palestine – 3-2 56 10
Others receiving votes: New Prairie 34. Mississinewa 18. Northview 14. Indpls Brebeuf 4. Leo 4. Martinsville 2. S. Bend Riley 2.
Class 3A
Rank-School FPV Rcd TP Pvs
1. Indpls Chatard (15) 5-0 300 1
2. Heritage Hills – 5-0 224 3
3. Lawrenceburg – 4-1 198 4
4. W. Lafayette – 4-1 174 5
(tie) Guerin Catholic – 4-1 174 2
6. Hanover Central – 5-0 146 6
7. Hamilton Hts. – 5-0 114 8
8. Tri-West – 4-1 94 7
9. Tippecanoe Valley – 5-0 50 NR
10. Gibson Southern – 3-2 48 NR
Others receiving votes: Peru 42. Knox 40. W. Noble 22. Vincennes 20. Delta 4.
Class 2A
Rank-School FPV Rcd TP Pvs
1. Brownstown (10) 5-0 278 2
2. Bluffton – 5-0 226 4
3. LaVille (1) 5-0 220 3
4. Triton Central (2) 4-1 202 5
5. Linton – 4-1 158 7
6. Heritage Christian (2) 4-1 154 NR
7. Indpls Scecina – 4-1 138 1
8. N. Posey – 4-1 100 6
9. Northeastern – 5-0 76 10
10. Alexandria – 5-0 58 NR
Others receiving votes: Ft. Wayne Luers 12. S. Vermillion 12. Paoli 6. Andrean 4. Cascade 2. Greencastle 2. Rochester 2.
Class 1A
Rank-School FPV Rcd TP Pvs
1. Indpls Lutheran (15) 5-0 300 1
2. Adams Central – 5-0 264 2
3. Carroll (Flora) – 5-0 238 3
4. Providence – 5-0 194 4
5. Indpls Park Tudor – 5-0 164 5
6. S. Putnam – 4-1 134 6
7. Sheridan – 4-1 124 7
8. Madison-Grant – 4-1 82 NR
9. Pioneer – 4-1 60 NR
10. N. Judson – 3-2 26 10
(tie) Clinton Prairie – 4-1 26 9
Others receiving votes: N. White 18. Springs Valley 6. Triton 6. S. Adams 4. Covenant Christian 2. N. Vermillion 2.
******************INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL REPORTED VOLLEYBALL SCORES*************
GUERIN CATHOLIC 3 COVENANT CHRISTIAN 0
LAFAYETTE JEFF 3 KOKOMO 2
WABASH 3 WHITKO 2
FRONTIER 3 ROSSVILLE 0
LAWRENCEBURG 3 E. CENTRAL 2
ANDREAN 3 HANOVER CENTRAL 0
NEW PRAIRIE 3 BREMEN 0
WOOD MEMORIAL 3 SOUTH SPENCER 0
NORTH JUDSON 3 RENSSELAER CENTRAL 0
SILVER CREEK 3 SEYMOUR 0
GREENSBURG 3 NORTH DECATUR 0
LOWELL 3 HIGHLAND 1
SOUTH BEND CLAY 3 SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON 0
SOUTH KNOX 3 NORTHEAST DUBOIS 1
CLAY CITY 3 PARKE HERITAGE 1
HUNTINGTON NORTH 3 DEKALB 2
WASHINGTON 3 LOOGOOTEE 0
TRITON 3 WINAMAC 0
CULVER ACADEMIES 3 TIPPECANOE VALLEY 0
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 3 BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 0
WEST LAFAYETTE 3 SEEGER 0
EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN 3 WHITE RIVER VALLEY 1
TRINITY LUTHERAN 3 CROTHERSVILLE 0
KIPP LEGACY 3 GEO NEXT GENERATION 0
EMINENCE 3 CENTRAL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 0
CHARLESTOWN 3 CLARKSVILLE 0
JENNINGS COUNTY 3 RUSHVILLE 0
CATHEDRAL 3 BREBEUF 0
ROCK CREEK ACADEMY 3 MEDORA 0
CRAWFORDSVILLE 3 SOUTHMONT 1
HAUSER 3 SOUTHWESTERN 0
COVINGTON 3 S. NEWTON 0
MADISON 3 SOUTHWESTERN 0
BENTON CENTRAL 3 TWIN LAKES 0
EDGEWOOD 3 GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 0
CRISPUS ATTUCKS 3 RIVERSIDE 0
CENTERVILLE 3 WINCHESTER 2
LAKE CENTRAL 3 CHESTERTON 1
NORTH MIAMI 3 PERU 1
DELTA 3 MUNCIE CENTRAL 0
PAOLI 3 CORYDON CENTRAL 1
SHERIDAN 3 INDIANA DEAF 2
HAGERSTOWN 3 UNION CITY 0
LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 3 CLINTON PRAIRIE 1
SOUTHWOOD 3 NORTHFIELD 0
ROCHESTER 3 MACONAQUAH 0
LINTON STOCKTON 3 N. KNOX 0
FAITH CHRISTIAN 3 TRI-COUNTY 0
CONNERSVILLE 3 LINCOLN 0
KOUTS 3 BOONE GROVE 0
NORTH CENTRAL 3 CARMEL 1
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 3 RONCALLI 0
NORTH POSEY 3 SOUTHRIDGE 0
CONCORD 3 ELKHART CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 2
ILLIANA CHRISTIAN 3 CHICAGO CHRISTIAN 0
AVON 3 BEN DAVIS 0
OBLONG 2 DUGGER UNION 1
FORT WAYNE SNIDER 3 FORT WAYNE WAYNE 0
FORT WAYNE DWENGER 3 FORT WAYNE NORTHRUP 0
BELLMONT 3 E. NOBLE 0
PERRY MERIDIAN 3 GREENWOOD 0
PENN 3 MISHAWAKA MARIAN 0
MCCUTCHEON 3 BROWNSBURG 2
ANDERSON HOMESCHOOL 3 KINGS ACADEMY 0
NORTH WHITE 3 DELPHI 2
SCECINA 3 BISHOP CHATARD 0
NORTH PUTNAM 3 BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 0
HARRISON 3 WESTERN BOONE 0
FRANKLIN 3 MOORESVILLE 0
LAKELAND 3 EASTSIDE 0
CASTLE 3 EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 0
TERRE HAUTE SOUTH 3 BLOOMINGTON NORTH 0
NORTHRIDGE 3 FAIRFIELD 0
BLACKFORD 3 TAYLOR 0
WESTVIEW 3 GARRETT 0
NORTHWOOD 3 GOSHEN 0
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 3 LANESVILLE 2
LAKEWOOD PARK CHRISTIAN 3 FORT WAYNE NORTH 1
PROVIDENCE 3 JEFFERSONVILLE 0
FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK 3 FORT WAYNE LUERS 0
CENTER GROVE 3 COLUMBUS EAST 0
NEW CASTLE 3 PENDLETON HEIGHTS 1
SOUTH ADAMS 3 JAY COUNTY 0
PRAIRIE HEIGHTS 3 CENTRAL NOBLE 0
ANGOLA 3 FREMONT 0
SHAKAMAK 3 LIGHTHOUSE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 0
GOSHEN HOMESCHOOL 3 LAKELAND CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 1
FORT WAYNE CAROL 3 WARSAW 0
EVANSVILLE MATER DEI 3 JASPER 2
*************INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS SOCCER REPORTED SCORES**********
SWITZERLAND COUNTY 20 SOUTHWESTERN 1
HERITAGE HILLS 7 TELL CITY 1
MICHIGAN CITY 7 MERRILLVILLE 0
FORT WAYNE WAYNE 10 MARIAN 1
CASTLE 1 EVANSVILLE REITZ 0
CHARLESTOWN 4 TRINITY LUTHERAN 0
HANOVER CENTRAL 7 ILLIANA CHRISTIAN 1
MONROVIA 9 GREENCASTLE 0
OLDENBURG ACADEMY 2 RISING SUN 0
CRAWFORDSVILLE 3 SOUTHMONT 2
EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 12 EVANSVILLE BOSSE 0
EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 5 VINCENNES LINCOLN 1
WEST LAFAYETTE 10 TWIN LAKES 0
FORT WAYNE FUSION 2 LAKEWOOD PARK CHRISTIAN 0
SEYMOUR 2 JENNINGS COUNTY 0
NORTHWESTERN 6 BENTON CENTRAL 0
WABASH 4 PERU 1
TRINITY 5 BETHANY CHRISTIAN 0
GREENWOOD 7 GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 1
WESTVIEW 10 ANGOLA 0
SILVER CREEK 4 N. HARRISON 0
BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 3 MUNCIE BURRIS 1
HERRON 4 CRISTEL HOUSE 2
MISSISSINEWA 4 SOUTH ADAMS 0
JAY COUNTY 4 DELTA 2
CROWN POINT 1 VALPARAISO 0
CHESTERTON 2 LAKE CENTRAL 0
MUNSTER 5 HIGHLAND 0
SHELBYVILLE 9 TRITON CENTRAL 0
LOWELL 1 ANDREAN 0
GIBSON SOUTHERN 7 PRINCETON 1
KANKAKEE VALLEY 2 HOBART 0
JEFFERSONVILLE 1 COLUMBUS EAST 1
GOSHEN 9 ARGOS 0
WHITE RIVER VALLEY 1 EDGEWOOD 0
NORTHRIDGE 8 WAWASEE 0
SOUTH BEND ADAMS 1 NORTHWOOD 1
EVANSVILLE NORTH 3 EVANSVILLE MATER DEI 0
LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 1 HAMILTON HEIGHTS 1
FLOYD CENTRAL 2 CHRISTIAN ACADEMY – LOUISVILLE 0
LAWRENCEBURG 9 RICHMOND 0
JASPER 2 WASHINGTON 1
**************INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS SOCCER REPORTED SCORES**********
PENN 1 SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH 0
INDIANA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 6 HERITAGE HALL CHRISTIAN 0
TAYLOR 3 TRI-CENTRAL 2
BOONE GROVE 4 KOUTS 1
GUERIN CATHOLIC 4 COVENANT CHRISTIAN 1
SHORTRIDGE 7 CRISPUS ATTUCKS 0
HEBRON 6 WESTVILLE 2
WAPAHANI 2 BLACKFORD 2
COVINGTON 5 BENTON CENTRAL 2
NEW PRAIRIE 4 SOUTH BEND RILEY 2
GIBSON SOUTHERN 5 PRINCETON 0
CONCORD 7 PLYMOUTH 1
MADISON 2 JENNINGS COUNTY 0
DEKALB 6 NEW HAVEN 0
FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA 3 FORT WAYNE SOUTH 1
WABASH 2 PERU 1
NORTH POSEY 2 MOUNT VERNON 0
FAITH CHRISTIAN 9 BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 0
BREMEN 8 ARGOS 0
WESTVIEW 9 CENTRAL NOBLE 0
JASPER 4 WASHINGTON 1
WEST NOBLE 4 PRAIRIE HEIGHTS 0
ROSSVILLE 5 TIPTON 2
VINCENNES LINCOLN 3 SHOALS 1
FORT WAYNE NORTHRUP 6 FORT WAYNE LUERS 1
NORTHVIEW 2 S. VERMILLION 1
EVANSVILLE HARRISON 2 SOUTHRIDGE 0
MANCHESTER 3 LAKELAND CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 1
CARROLL 5 SHERIDAN 0
SUBURBAN CHRISTIAN 7 MOORESVILLE CHRISTIAN 1
MORRISTOWN 2 HAUSER 0
ROCK CREEK ACADEMY 5 CORYDON CENTRAL 0
FLOYD CENTRAL 2 COLUMBUS EAST 0
GEO NEXT GENERATION 1 KIPP LEGACY 0
KOKOMO 6 MARIAN 1
CHARLESTOWN 7 HENRYVILLE 0
WEST VIGO 5 MONROVIA 4
NORTHWOOD 12 MISHAWAKA 0
TABERNACLE CHRISTIAN 2 INDY GENESIS HOMESCHOOL 1
FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK 8 LAKEWOOD PARK CHRISTIAN 0
GOSHEN 5 WAWASEE 1
ILLIANA CHRISTIAN 6 HANOVER CENTRAL 1
ZIONSVILLE 2 HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 0
CARMEL 3 CATHEDRAL 0
CONNERSVILLE 3 ANDERSON 0
HARRISON 4 CINCINNATI LANDMARK 0
COLUMBIA CITY 4 BELLMONT 0
HUNTINGTON NORTH 3 EASTBROOK 2
ANGOLA 4 LAKELAND 3
CENTER GROVE 4 PLAINFIELD 0
FRANKLIN 1 BLOOMINGTON NORTH 1
NEW ALBANY 2 JEFFERSONVILLE 1
PROVIDENCE 3 FOREST PARK 1
NORTHWESTERN 1 OAK HILL 1
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 1 COLUMBUS NORTH 0
EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 18 EVANSVILLE BOSSE 0
CASCADE 3 SCECINA 1
AVON 1 FISHERS 1
WESTFIELD 3 BROWNSBURG 3
SILVER CREEK 1 N. HARRISON 1
CASTLE 6 EVANSVILLE REITZ 0
*****************INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS GOLF REGIONALS**************
1. LAKE CENTRAL | SANDY PINES GC | SAT, 8 AM CT
FEEDER SECTIONALS: VALPARAISO, LAKE CENTRAL, LAPORTE, PENN, TWIN LAKES
2. EAST NOBLE | NOBLE HAWK GC | FRI, 8:30 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: NORTHRIDGE, ANGOLA, WARSAW COMMUNITY, HOMESTEAD, EASTBROOK
3. LAFAYETTE JEFFERSON | BATTLEGROUND GC | SAT, 9 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE), WESTERN, GUERIN CATHOLIC, ATTICA, BROWNSBURG
4. LAPEL | EDGEWOOD GC | SAT, 9 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: NOBLESVILLE, MUNCIE CENTRAL, INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL, NEW PALESTINE, RICHMOND
5. WASHINGTON | COUNTRY OAKS GOLF CLUB | SAT, 8:30 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: NORTHVIEW, JASPER, EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL, NORTH KNOX, BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE
6. FRANKLIN COMMUNITY | THE LEGENDS GC | SAT, 8:30 AM ET
FEEDER SECTIONALS: BLOOMINGTON NORTH, GREENSBURG, CENTER GROVE, CORYDON CENTRAL, MADISON CONSOLIDATED
*******************COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 4 SCHEDULE******************
WEEK 4
THURSDAY, SEPT. 21
GEORGIA STATE AT COASTAL CAROLINA | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF AT ALABAMA A&M | 7:30 P.M. | ESPNU
FRIDAY, SEPT. 22
WISCONSIN AT PURDUE | 7 P.M. | FS1
BROWN AT HARVARD | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
NC STATE AT VIRGINIA | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
BOISE STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE | 10:30 P.M. | CBSSN
AIR FORCE AT SAN JOSE STATE | 10:30 P.M. | FS1
SATURDAY, SEPT. 23
RUTGERS AT MICHIGAN | 12 P.M.
FLORIDA STATE AT CLEMSON | 12 P.M. | ABC
ARMY AT SYRACUSE | 12 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
AUBURN AT TEXAS A&M | 12 P.M. | ESPN
WESTERN KENTUCKY AT TROY | 12 P.M. | ESPNU
KENTUCKY AT VANDERBILT | 12 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
VIRGINIA TECH AT MARSHALL | 12 P.M. | ESPN2
SMU AT TCU | 12 P.M. | FS1
CORNELL AT YALE | 12 P.M. | ESPN+
BUTLER AT STETSON | 12 P.M. | ESPN+
STONEHILL AT FORDHAM | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
LINDENWOOD AT ILLINOIS STATE | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
MARIST AT VALPARAISO | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
MERCER AT FURMAN | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
WESTERN MICHIGAN AT TOLEDO | 1:30 P.M. | ESPN+
LEHIGH AT DARTMOUTH | 1:30 P.M. | ESPN+
WOFFORD AT VMI | 1:30 P.M. | ESPN+
GEORGIA SOUTHERN AT BALL STATE | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
COLGATE AT HOLY CROSS | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
CHARLESTON SOUTHERN AT WESTERN CAROLINA | 2:30 P.M. | ESPN+
BETHUNE-COOKMAN AT JACKSON STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
UTAH TECH AT MISSOURI STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
MCNEESE AT EASTERN ILLINOIS | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
BRYANT AT PRINCETON | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
VIRGINIA LYNCHBURG AT ROBERT MORRIS | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
CHATTANOOGA AT SAMFORD | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
OLE MISS AT ALABAMA | 3:30 P.M. | CBS
COLORADO AT OREGON | 3:30 P.M. | ABC
DUKE AT UCONN | 3:30 P.M. | CBSSN
MIAMI (FLA.) AT TEMPLE | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN2
MARYLAND AT MICHIGAN STATE | 3:30 P.M. | NBC
BOSTON COLLEGE AT LOUISVILLE | 3:30 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
BYU AT KANSAS | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN
TEXAS TECH AT WEST VIRGINIA | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
NEW MEXICO AT UMASS | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE AT OLD DOMINION | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
OHIO AT BOWLING GREEN | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
DELAWARE STATE AT MIAMI (OHIO) | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
PENN AT BUCKNELL | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
MONMOUTH AT LAFAYETTE | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
UTSA AT TENNESSEE | 4 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
RICE AT SOUTH FLORIDA | 4 P.M. | ESPNU
CAL POLY AT PORTLAND STATE | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
SACRAMENTO STATE AT IDAHO | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
MONTANA AT NORTHERN ARIZONA | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
EASTERN MICHIGAN AT JACKSONVILLE STATE | 5 P.M. | ESPN+
CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT SOUTH ALABAMA | 5 P.M. | ESPN+
DAYTON AT SAN DIEGO | 5 P.M. | ESPN+
GARDNER-WEBB AT EAST CAROLINA | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
ALBANY AT MORGAN STATE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
THE CITADEL AT SOUTH CAROLINA STATE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
ALABAMA STATE AT FLORIDA A&M | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
SE MISSOURI STATE AT EASTERN KENTUCKY | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
NORTHERN COLORADO AT IDAHO STATE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
LIBERTY AT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL | 6:30 P.M. | ESPN+
ARKANSAS AT LSU | 7 P.M. | ESPN
CHARLOTTE AT FLORIDA | 7 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
SAM HOUSTON AT HOUSTON | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
COLORADO STATE AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
NICHOLLS AT TULANE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
APPALACHIAN STATE AT WYOMING | 7 P.M. | CBSSN
SOUTHERN MISS AT ARKANSAS STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
NEVADA AT TEXAS STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
NICHOLLS AT TULANE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
AUSTIN PEAY AT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
ABILENE CHRISTIAN AT CENTRAL ARKANSAS | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
UT MARTIN AT NORTH ALABAMA | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
SOUTHWEST BAPTIST AT TARLETON STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
LINCOLN (CA) AT LAMAR | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
KENNESAW STATE AT TENNESSEE TECH | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
NORTH AMERICAN UNIVERSITY AT UIW | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
UAB AT GEORGIA | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN2
TEXAS AT BAYLOR | 7:30 P.M. | ABC
OHIO STATE AT NOTRE DAME | 7:30 P.M. | NBC
IOWA AT PENN STATE | 7:30 P.M. | CBS
MEMPHIS VS. MISSOURI (IN ST. LOUIS) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPNU
MISSISSIPPI STATE AT SOUTH CAROLINA | 7:30 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
BUFFALO AT LOUISIANA | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN+
UCF AT KANSAS STATE | 8 P.M. | FS1
NORTH CAROLINA AT PITT | 8 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
WESTERN ILLINOIS AT SOUTHERN UTAH | 8 P.M. | ESPN+
MONTANA STATE AT WEBER STATE | 8 P.M. | ESPN+
UNLV AT UTEP | 9 P.M. | ESPN+
EASTERN WASHINGTON AT UC DAVIS | 10 P.M. | ESPN+
CAL AT WASHINGTON STATE | 10:30 P.M. | ESPN
KENT STATE AT FRESNO STATE | 10:30 P.M. | CBSSN
NEW MEXICO STATE AT HAWAI’I | 12 A.M. | SPECTRUM SPORTS PPV
USC AT ARIZONA STATE
UCLA AT UTAH
OREGON STATE AT WASHINGTON STATE
OKLAHOMA AT CINCINNATI
FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT ILLINOIS
AKRON AT INDIANA
LOUISIANA TECH AT NEBRASKA
MINNESOTA AT NORTHWESTERN
ARIZONA AT STANFORD
GEORGIA TECH AT WAKE FOREST
OKLAHOMA STATE AT IOWA STATE
TULSA AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS
*************NFL SCHEDULE**************
WEEK 3 SCHEDULE
NEW YORK GIANTS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (THU) 5:15P (PT) 8:15P PRIME VIDEO
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
TENNESSEE TITANS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
ATLANTA FALCONS AT DETROIT LIONS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS 12:00P (CT) 1:00P FOX
HOUSTON TEXANS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
DENVER BRONCOS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS 12:00P (CT) 1:00P FOX
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT NEW YORK JETS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
BUFFALO BILLS AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
CAROLINA PANTHERS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 1:05P (PT) 4:05P CBS
DALLAS COWBOYS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS 1:25P (MST) 4:25P FOX
CHICAGO BEARS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 3:25P (CT) 4:25P FOX
PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS 5:20P (PT) 8:20P NBC
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (MON) 7:15P (ET) 7:15P ABC
LOS ANGELES RAMS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (MON) 8:15P (ET) 8:15P ESPN
*******MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL*******
MINNESOTA 7 CINCINNATI 0
TAMPA BAY 6 LA ANGELS 2
MIAMI 4 NY METS 3
WASHINGTON 4 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 3
ATLANTA 9 PHILADELPHIA 3
TORONTO 7 NY YANKEES 1
KANSAS CITY 7 CLEVELAND 6
CHICAGO CUBS 14 PITTSBURGH 1
TEXAS 6 BOSTON 4
MILWAUKEE 7 ST. LOUIS 3
BALTIMORE 9 HOUSTON 5
SEATTLE 7 OAKLAND 2
ARIZONA 8 SAN FRANCISCO 4
SAN DIEGO 2 COLORADO 0
LA DODGERS 3 DETROIT 2
******MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL******
INDIANAPOLIS 19 ROCHESTER 1
*******WNBA SCORES******
PLAYOFFS
NEW YORK 90 WASHINGTON 85
DALLAS 101 ATLANTA 74
******MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER******
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
*************TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES***********
******************NFL NEWS******************
BROWNS STAR NICK CHUBB TO UNDERGO SURGERY ON SEASON-ENDING KNEE INJURY SUSTAINED AGAINST STEELERS
CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Browns star running back Nick Chubb will undergo surgery on his left knee after suffering a gruesome season-ending injury in Monday night’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A four-time Pro Bowler in six seasons, Chubb got hurt when Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick tackled him low on a carry in the second quarter. The impact buckled the same knee Chubb injured in 2015 at Georgia and had reconstructed.
Coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Tuesday that Chubb’s season is over. He did not provide any specifics on the severity of the injury or when he’ll have the operation.
“Very disappointed for Nick,” Stefanski said on a Zoom call. “He means a lot to this team, means a lot to this organization so he will be missed. But he will bounce back. I have no doubt.”
The 27-year-old Chubb was taken off on a cart and transported to a Pittsburgh hospital for precaution. He was released and returned to Cleveland to undergo an MRI.
The Browns (1-1) now need to regroup and proceed without one of their best players. Quiet and unassuming, Chubb is perhaps the most respected player on Cleveland’s roster. He sets the tone with his work ethic and business-like demeanor.
After Chubb went down, quarterback Deshaun Watson and Cleveland’s offense struggled for extended stretches in the 26-22 loss, the Browns’ 20th consecutive regular-season defeat in Pittsburgh.
One of the few bright spots on a somber evening was backup running back Jerome Ford, who will now step in for Chubb.
A second-year back from Cincinnati, Ford replaced Chubb and rushed for 106 yards on 16 carries, a 6.6 yard average. Ford had a 69-yard run and caught a 3-yard TD pass one play after Chubb’s injury.
Stefanski said Ford will be the featured back going forward, and that the Browns are exploring adding another running back.
“You don’t replace Nick Chubb,” he said. “Great players in the league, you look around, they go out. It’s always not one person that replaces a player of his caliber, so everybody’s got to do a little bit more, got to do a little bit more everywhere.
“We will look at options there in terms of who we bring in.”
The Browns host Tennessee on Sunday.
TOMLIN: STEELERS’ OFFENSE NEEDS ‘MOJO’ BACK, NO MAJOR CHANGES PLANNED
Mike Tomlin recognizes that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense needs to improve after its struggles through the first two games but says there won’t be any major changes coming.
“Offensively, we have to get our mojo back. … We lost that, to be blunt, in the last couple weeks,” Tomlin said Tuesday, according to The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo.
“We’re not going to have knee-jerk reactions and make wholesale changes,” he added, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
Pittsburgh’s offense was the talk of the preseason after Kenny Pickett and Co. shined in exhibition action. However, the club has scored just two offensive touchdowns in the regular season.
“It starts with coaching. We’ve got to coach better,” Tomlin said.
Offensive coordinator Matt Canada has received plenty of criticism, and fans chanted for his termination during Monday’s 26-22 victory over the Cleveland Browns.
“I appreciate their passion,” Tomlin said. “This is the sport entertainment business. It’s our job to win and thus entertain them. We don’t begrudge them for that.”
The 1-1 Steelers recorded just 15 first downs over the first two games, the lowest mark in the NFL. They also rank 31st in total yardage and rushing, while Pickett has struggled to the tune of two touchdowns and three interceptions on a 60.5 completion percentage.
NFL RANKINGS
32 Houston Texans (0-2)
Last Week Ranking: 30
Week 3: at Jacksonville
Week 2: Indianapolis, L 31-20
Week 1: at Baltimore, L 25-9
31 Chicago Bears (0-2)
Last Week Ranking: 31
Week 3: at Kansas City
Week 2: Tampa Bay, L 27-17
Week 1: Green Bay, L 38-20
30 Arizona Cardinals (0-2)
Last Week Ranking: 32
Week 3: Dallas
Week 2: NY Giants, L 31-28
Week 1: at Washington, L 20-16
29 Carolina Panthers (0-2)
Last Week Ranking: 28
Week 3: at Seattle
Week 2: New Orleans, L 20-17
Week 1: at Atlanta, 24-10
28 Indianapolis Colts (1-1)
Last Week Ranking: 29
Week 3: at Baltimore
Week 2: Houston, W 31-20
Week 1: Jacksonville, L 31-21
27 New York Giants (1-1)
Last Week Ranking: 17
Week 3: at San Francisco
Week 2: Arizona, W 31-28
Week 1: Dallas, L 40-0
26 Denver Broncos (0-2)
Last Week Ranking: 26
Week 3: at Miami
Week 2: Washington, L 35-33
Week 1: Las Vegas, L 17-16
25 Cincinnati Bengals (0-2)
Last Week Ranking:
Last Week Ranking: 12
Week 3: LA Rams
Week 2: Baltimore, L 27-24
Week 1: at Cleveland, L 24-3
24 Green Bay Packers (1-1)
Last Week Ranking: 14
Week 3: New Orleans
Week 2: Atlanta, L 25-24
Week 1: at Chicago, W 38-20
23 Cleveland Browns (1-1)
Last Week Ranking: 8
Week 3: Tennessee
Week 2: Pittsburgh, L 26-22
Week 1: Cincinnati, W 24-3
22 Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1)
Last Week Ranking: 18
Week 3: at Las Vegas
Week 2: Cleveland, W 26-22
Week 1: San Francisco, L 30-7
21 Las Vegas Raiders (1-1)
Last Week Ranking: 24
Week 3: Pittsburgh
Week 2: Buffalo, L 38-10
Week 1: at Denver, W 17-16
20 Los Angeles Chargers (0-2)
Last Week Ranking: 13
Week 3: at Minnesota
Week 2: Tennessee, L 27-24 OT
Week 1: Miami, L 36-34
19 New England Patriots (0-2)
Last Week Ranking: 19
Week 3: at NY Jets
Week 2: Miami, L 24-17
Week 1: Philadelphia, L 25-20
18 Tennessee Titans (1-1)
Last Week Ranking:
Last Week Ranking: 23
Week 3: at Cleveland
Week 2: LA Chargers, W 27-24 OT
Week 1: at New Orleans, L 16-15
17 Minnesota Vikings (0-2)
Last Week Ranking: 16
Week 3: LA Chargers
Week 2: Philadelphia, L 34-28
Week 1: Tampa Bay, L 20-17
16 Washington Commanders (2-0)
Last Week Ranking: 20
Week 3: Buffalo
Week 2: Denver, W 35-33
Week 1: Arizona, W 20-16
15 Atlanta Falcons (2-0)
Last Week Ranking: 25
Week 3: at Detroit
Week 2: Green Bay, W 25-24
Week 1: Carolina, W 24-10
14 Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1)
Last Week Ranking: 10
Week 3: Houston
Week 2: Kansas City, L 17-9
Week 1: at Indianapolis, W 31-21
13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0)
Last Week Ranking: 15
Week 3: Philadelphia
Week 2: Chicago, W 27-17
Week 1: at Minnesota, W 20-17
12 Buffalo Bills (1-1)
Last Week Ranking:
Last Week Ranking: 7
Week 3: at Washington
Week 2: Las Vegas, W 38-10
Week 1: at NY Jets, L 22-16 OT
11 New York Jets (1-1)
Last Week Ranking: 6
Week 3: New England
Week 2: Dallas, L 30-10
Week 1: Buffalo, W 22-16 OT
10 Kansas City Chiefs (1-1)
Last Week Ranking: 5
Week 3: Chicago
Week 2: Jacksonville, W 17-9
Week 1: Detroit, L 21-20
9 Detroit Lions (1-1)
Last Week Ranking: 4
Week 3: Atlanta
Week 2: Seattle, L 37-31 OT
Week 1: at Kansas City, W 21-20
8 Seattle Seahawks (1-1)
Last Week Ranking: 27
Week 3: Carolina
Week 2: Detroit, W 37-31 OT
Week 1: LA Rams, L 30-13
7 Los Angeles Rams (1-1)
Last Week Ranking:
Last Week Ranking: 21
Week 3: at Cincinnati
Week 2: San Francisco, L 30-23
Week 1: at Seattle, 30-13
6 New Orleans Saints (2-0)
Last Week Ranking: 22
Week 3: at Green Bay
Week 2: Carolina, W 20-17
Week 1: Tennessee, W 16-15
5 Miami Dolphins (2-0)
Last Week Ranking: 11
Week 3: Denver
Week 2: New England, W 24-17
Week 1: at LA Chargers, W 36-34
4 Baltimore Ravens (2-0)
Last Week Ranking: 9
Week 3: Indianapolis
Week 2: Cincinnati, W 27-24
Week 1: Houston, W 25-9
3 Dallas Cowboys (2-0)
Last Week Ranking: 3
Week 3: at Arizona
Week 2: NY Jets, W 30-10
Week 1: at NY Giants, W, 40-0
2 Philadelphia Eagles (2-0)
Last Week Ranking:
Last Week Ranking: 2
Week 3: at Tampa Bay
Week 2: Minnesota, W 34-28
Week 1: at New England, W 25-20
1 San Francisco 49ers (2-0)
Last Week Ranking: 1
Week 3: NY Giants
Week 2: LA Rams, W 30-23
Week 1: at Pittsburgh, W 30-7
THE STARTING 11 — CLOSE GAMES, COMEBACKS ARE COMMON THREAD AS LEAGUE ENTERS WEEK 3
It’s the new normal in the National Football League: Games are closer than they’ve been in 91 years and large leads are an endangered species.
NFL games have picked up where they left off in 2022, when the average final-score margin was only 9.70 points, the lowest for a full season since 1932 (9.13). This year, the average final-score margin is 9.50 points through two weeks.
That’s significant for many reasons, the most revealing of which is this: Winning close games leads teams to the playoffs. Since the NFL expanded the postseason in 2020, 20 of 21 teams that won at least 66.7 percent of their one-score games (decided by eight points or less) have advanced to the postseason.
| SEASON | TEAMS WITH .667 WINNING PERCENTAGE OR BETTER IN ONE-SCORE GAMES | MADE PLAYOFFS |
| 2022 | 6 | 6 |
| 2021 | 7 | 6 |
| 2020 | 8 | 8 |
| TOTALS | 21 | 20 |
This past week was historic as 12 games – tied for the most ever in a single NFL week – were decided by eight points or less. Also in Week 2, 13 of 16 games were within one score in the fourth quarter.
And close games in the fourth quarter are many times intertwined with their sibling complement: Comebacks.
In the most impressive comeback this season, the NEW YORK GIANTS last week overcame a 21-point third-quarter deficit to win, 31-28. While it stood out so far in 2023, that comeback wasn’t unusual in recent history. The Giants’ win marked the seventh time since 2019 in which a team overcame a deficit of 21-or-more points to win, including the postseason.
So as you return from your halftime break this week, word to the wise: Do get comfortable with close games because they’re here to stay. But don’t get comfortable with big leads because, if you haven’t learned by now, comebacks are contagious in the NFL.
The Starting 11 entering Week 3…
1. SUPER BOWL HARBINGERS: PHILADELPHIA (2-0) travels to TAMPA BAY (2-0) for a Monday Night Football showdown (7:15 PM ET, ABC) featuring the week’s only battle of unbeaten teams. Since 2010, early season tests between undefeated teams have foreshadowed Super Bowl appearances. In that span, 14 NFL games have featured a pair of 2-0 teams in Week 3, and seven of those 14 games have produced an eventual Super Bowl berth. In recent seasons, both the Chiefs in 2019 and the Rams in 2021 earned Week 3 wins against undefeated opponents en route to world championships.
- Both Tampa Bay (plus-five) and Philadelphia (plus-four) rank among the league’s top three teams in turnover ratio. Only DALLAS (plus-seven) has a better mark through the season’s first two weeks.
- Since the beginning of 2020, the Buccaneers (34-18, .654) own the NFL’s fourth-best record, trailing only KANSAS CITY (41-11, .788), BUFFALO (38-13, .745) and GREEN BAY (35-17, .673).
- Tampa Bay has won each of its last four against Philadelphia, including the postseason.
- Eagles quarterback JALEN HURTS has guided his team to wins in 19 of his last 20 regular-season starts. During the Super Bowl era (1966-present), he’s only the sixth quarterback to win at least 19 games over a 20-start stretch, joining TOM BRADY (twice, 2003-04 and 2006-08), PATRICK MAHOMES (2019-20), JIM MCMAHON (1984-85) and Pro Football Hall of Famers PEYTON MANNING (2008-09) and JOE MONTANA (1983-84).
- In last week’s win, Hurts ran for two touchdowns. He now needs one more game of two-or-more rushing touchdowns to reach 10 such games in his career and match the NFL record among quarterbacks, held by CAM NEWTON.
2. NUMBER OF THE WEEK – 50: The number of wins by NFC East teams since the beginning of 2022, most in the NFL. The NFC East is a combined 50-24-2 (.671), substantially better than the next-closest division, the AFC North (42-33-0, .560). DALLAS, PHILADELPHIA and WASHINGTON are each 2-0. The last time the NFC East had three 2-0 teams was 1989, when the Giants, Eagles and Cardinals opened undefeated through two weeks.
3. RENEGADES: In their Monday night win, Steelers linebackers ALEX HIGHSMITH and T.J. WATT became the first pair of teammates to each post a sack and touchdown in the same game since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic. PITTSBURGH (1-1), which travels to face the LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (1-1) on Sunday Night Football (8:20 PM ET, NBC), also became the first team to record at least six sacks, four takeaways and two defensive touchdowns in the same game since NEW ENGLAND in Week 2 of the 2019 season.
4. SPOTLIGHT – INDIVIDUAL MATCHUP: Broncos cornerback PAT SURTAIN and Dolphins wide receiver TYREEK HILL each earned first-team All-Pro honors last season. They’ll line up on opposite sides when MIAMI (2-0) has the ball against DENVER (0-2) on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium (1:00 PM ET, CBS).
5. SPOTLIGHT – TEAM MATCHUP: NEW ORLEANS (2-0) visits GREEN BAY (1-1) on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX). Through two weeks, Green Bay is tied for the league’s best red-zone offense (five touchdowns on six red-zone possessions, 83.3 percent). New Orleans, meanwhile, owns the NFL’s third-best defense in the red zone (one touchdown allowed on six opponent red-zone possessions, 16.7 percent).
6. STREAK SPEAK: No player in NFL history has reached 150 receiving yards in each of his team’s first three games of a season. When MINNESOTA (0-2) hosts the LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (0-2) on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX), Vikings wide receiver JUSTIN JEFFERSON can become the first. Last week, Jefferson had 159 yards on 11 catches and reached 5,000 career receiving yards in his 52nd career game, tying Pro Football Hall of Famer LANCE ALWORTH (also 52 games) for the fastest ever to reach that milestone. Jefferson, who caught nine passes for 150 yards in Week 1, became just the fifth player since the 1970 league merger to reach 150 receiving yards in each of the NFL’s first two weeks, the first since STEVE SMITH did it in 2011.
- Chargers quarterback JUSTIN HERBERT has 23 career games with at least 300 passing yards and last week surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (22 games) for the third most by a player in his first four seasons in NFL history. Only PATRICK MAHOMES (26) and Pro Football Hall of Famer KURT WARNER (26) have more.
7. DID YOU KNOW?: The INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (1-1) make their 11th return trip to Baltimore, including postseason, since relocating to Indiana in 1984. The BALTIMORE RAVENS (2-0), who host the Colts on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS), have won the last four against Indianapolis at M&T Bank Stadium. Included in that streak is a 24-9 victory in the 2012 playoffs, the first step toward the Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII victory. Six years earlier in the 2006 playoffs, Indianapolis earned a 15-6 win at Baltimore en route to a Super Bowl XLI win. Overall, the Colts are 4-6 all-time against the Ravens in Baltimore, including a 1-1 postseason record. The Colts called Baltimore home from 1953-83, winning three NFL titles during those 31 years, including Super Bowl V.
- In last week’s win, Baltimore quarterback LAMAR JACKSON totaled 54 rushing yards. Jackson now has 48 career games with at least 50 rushing yards and surpassed CAM NEWTON (47) for second in NFL history. Only MICHAEL VICK (54) has more.
8. UNDER-THE-RADAR STORYLINE: Quarterbacks DAK PRESCOTT and JOSHUA DOBBS were each selected 135th overall in the fourth rounds of the respective 2016 and 2017 NFL Drafts. This week, they’ll face off when DALLAS (2-0) meets ARIZONA (0-2) at State Farm Stadium on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, FOX).
- The Cowboys are the fifth team in the Super Bowl era to score at least 70 points and allow 10-or-fewer points through the first two games of a season, joining the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS in 2019, DETROIT LIONS in 1970, OAKLAND RAIDERS in 1967 and HOUSTON OILERS in 1966.
- Last week, Dallas linebacker MICAH PARSONS recorded two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Parsons has 10 career games with at least two sacks and is the sixth player since 1982 to record 10-or-more games with at least two sacks in his first three NFL seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers REGGIE WHITE (16 games) and RICHARD DENT (12), as well as SHAWNE MERRIMAN (12), ALDON SMITH (12) and DWIGHT FREENEY (10).
9. TREND TIME: Twelve of the last 14 teams to open 3-0 have reached the postseason. Nine clubs have an opportunity to achieve that mark this week, including WASHINGTON (2-0), who with a win at home over BUFFALO (1-1) on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS) will have its first 3-0 start since 2005.
- NEW ORLEANS (2-0), meanwhile, goes into GREEN BAY (1-1) on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX) looking for its first 3-0 start since 2013.
- PHILADELPHIA (2-0), which won its first eight games last year, can advance to 3-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1992-93. TAMPA BAY, the Eagles’ opponent this week in the first of two games on Monday Night Football (7:15 PM ET, ABC), also can improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2005.
- The second game of the Monday doubleheader pairs the two teams from Super Bowl LVI, the LOS ANGELES RAMS (1-1) and CINCINNATI BENGALS (0-2) at Paycor Stadium (8:15 PM ET, ESPN). Rams wide receiver PUKA NAKUA (25 receptions) is the first rookie to lead the league in receptions through two weeks since EARL COOPER in 1980. Last week, Nakua posted 147 yards on 15 receptions, the most catches in a single game by a rookie in NFL history. He’s also the first player in NFL history with at least 10 receptions and 100 receiving yards in each of his first two career games.
10. NEXT GEN STATS NOTE OF THE WEEK: In last week’s 25-24 victory, Falcons rookie running back BIJAN ROBINSON posted 172 scrimmage yards (124 rushing, 48 receiving). According to Next Gen Stats, Robinson averaged 5.15 yards per carry after coming within a yard of the nearest defender. Robinson and ATLANTA (2-0) are at DETROIT (1-1) on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX).
- In Week 2, Detroit quarterback JARED GOFF completed 28 of 35 pass attempts (80 percent) for 323 yards and two touchdowns with one interception for a 121.8 rating. Goff threw 383 passes without an interception, the third-longest streak of attempts without an interception in NFL history. Only AARON RODGERS (402 attempts in 2018) and TOM BRADY (399 in 2022) had longer streaks.
11. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Sunday’s game between HOUSTON (0-2) and JACKSONVILLE (1-1) at EverBank Stadium (1:00 PM ET, FOX) will feature five players selected among the first three overall picks of the last three NFL Drafts (2021-23). That group includes a pair of No. 1 overall selections (Jacksonville quarterback TREVOR LAWRENCE, 2021; and Jaguars linebacker TRAVON WALKER, 2022), one player drafted No. 2 overall (Houston quarterback C.J. STROUD, 2023), and two players selected No. 3 overall (Houston defensive end WILL ANDERSON, 2023; and Texans cornerback DEREK STINGLEY, 2022). In addition, the Jaguars are expected to play three other first-rounders from the last three drafts: Running back TRAVIS ETIENNE, 2021; tackle ANTON HARRISON, 2023; and linebacker DEVIN LLOYD, 2022).
********************XFL/USFL NEWS**********************
REPORTS: USFL, XFL DISCUSSING MERGER
Talks between the USFL and XFL geared toward combining to form a single spring football league are advancing, according to multiple reports.
Sportico and Axios independently reported on the progress of talks on Tuesday, with regulatory approval and combining of stakeholders among the remaining hurdles the sides would need to clear.
The USFL is owned by Fox Corporation and had a broadcast agreement that included NBC.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, business partner Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital Partner purchased the XFL out of bankruptcy proceedings from Vince McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment.
Forbes reported the
Forbes reported the first year of the XFL reboot in spring 2023 lost $60 million.
Disney is the featured media partner of XFL games.
McMahon started the XFL in 2001, but the league was shuttered before 2002. He pulled all of the levers to bring it back in 2020 but those plans were ultimately derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
*****************COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS*****************
TRANSFERS ARE FUELING SOME OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S BIGGEST SUCCESS STORIES AS TEAMS EMBRACE THE PORTAL
Clemson, the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference champion, has one player on its depth chart who arrived in Death Valley via the transfer portal: The backup quarterback.
No. 4 Florida State is trying to reclaim the ACC crown from the Tigers, and has used the portal to supercharge a rebuild under coach Mike Norvell. Most of the Seminoles’ best players used to play at other schools.
Seminoles vs. Tigers is one of several huge matchups this weekend in college football and one that feels like a referendum on roster management in the sport’s new era.
Clemson sits right outside the AP Top 25, having already taken a loss that again sparked questions about whether Coach Dabo Swinney’s program is working the transfer market aggressively enough since the rules changed in 2021.
“Do I prefer the portal? No, but am I opposed to it? No, absolutely not,” Swinney said the day after the Tigers were upset at Duke.
He better not be because through three weeks of this season the transfer portal appears to be one of the big winners.
Whether it’s Florida State re-emerging as a national power, Deion Sanders’ extreme makeover at Colorado, Texas State’s stunning upset of a Big 12 team or a Pac-12 resurgence fueled by transfer quarterbacks, reasons to embrace college football free agency are everywhere.
“I do think there is a bit of a narrative out there, the portal is not sustainable,” Florida State general manager of personnel Darrick Yrary said. “Well, it’s only been around for a little bit. I don’t think anyone really knows what it is and what it isn’t. But we’re trying to field the best football team every single year. So whatever avenue that does come from we want to make sure our hat’s in the ring for that.”
According to SportSource Analytics, the percentage of production by transfers has increased across major college football compared with last season in every category, from games started to yards gained passing, rushing and receiving to tackles, sacks and interceptions.
Colorado is likely contributing to that trend as much as any school in the country.
Sanders made headlines by flipping Colorado’s roster with the most aggressive use of the portal since the NCAA changed its rules three years ago to allow all football players to transfer one time as an undergraduate without sitting out a season.
The Buffaloes have 87 new players, 58 of them transfers, including quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the coach’s son; two-way star Travis Hunter; and leading receivers Xavier Weaver and Jimmy Horn.
No. 19 Colorado (3-0) has already tripled its win total from last season and heads to No. 10 Oregon on Saturday as one of the biggest stories in sports.
Colorado is one of eight ranked teams in the Pac-12, which is having an ironic renaissance before 10 of its members depart for other conferences. Six of this weekend’s ranked-vs.-ranked matchups are Pac-12 games.
Of the league’s eight ranked teams, six are starting transfers at quarterback. Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams of No. 5 USC, No. 8 Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix all arrived via the portal last season and blossomed into stars.
Nationally, the top nine quarterbacks and 16 of the top 20 in yards passing per game transferred to their current schools.
Some coaches bristled about Sanders running players off at Colorado to clear roster spots for more transfers, even though it was within the rules for a new coach. No one can argue with the results.
“You take a team that’s won one game, and you fired a whole coaching staff. So who did the coaching staff recruit? The kids. So the kids are just as much to blame as the coaching staff,” Sanders said on CBS’s “60 Minutes.” “I came to the conclusion that a multitude of them couldn’t help us get to where we wanted to go.”
The second-largest transfer class (39) coming into this season belonged to Texas State. New coach G.J. Kinne said one of the reasons he brought in so many transfers was because many of the better players from last year’s 4-8 team decided to … transfer.
Kinne decided a slow rebuild through high school recruiting at a program with little history of success would be difficult.
“The best way to do it is to win. That helps recruiting, that helps your fanbase, that helps NIL,” Kinne said. “So for me it was like, let’s get the best players that we possibly can and go try to make a statement Year 1.”
Texas State (2-1) opened the season by beating Baylor 42-31, the program’s first victory against a Power Five conference team.
Kinne’s comments echo that of Florida State coach Mike Norvell, who took over beleaguered blue blood in 2020.
After his team went 3-6 that first season, Norvell used the portal to accelerate a turnaround. Florida State jumped to 5-7 in 2021, and then won 10 games last season before starting this season by routing LSU on Labor Day weekend.
Star quarterback Jordan Travis transferred to FSU under the previous coaching staff, but the team’s best two wide receivers, top two tight ends, leading rusher and four of its best offensive linemen transferred in under Norvell.
The defense is loaded with transfers, too. None better than defensive end Jared Verse, who arrived from FCS school Albany. Verse is among 12 players on Florida State’s roster who transferred in and stuck around for multiple years.
Ask coaches and staffers about transfers and will inevitably talk turns to fit and whether a player is a good match for the team’s culture. Sanders, again, pushes back against convention.
“I don’t care about culture,” Sanders said earlier this year. “I don’t even care if they like each other, I want to win.”
Most coaches prefer to have a previous connection between a transferring player and someone on their staff — but they can’t afford to limit themselves. The occasional leap of faith is required.
That’s how Kinne landed starting quarterback T.J. Finley, who was previously at LSU and Auburn.
“It’s scary,” Kinne said.
Money helps, too.
Kinne said a Texas State donor stepped up with a contribution to the collective that supports Bobcats athletes with name, image and likeness compensation, and he believes it helped the program land a couple of its best transfers.
The Battle’s End, the collective that supports Florida State football, is considered one of the best run in country.
“We’ve got a tremendous amount of support around our program,” Norvell told AP.
Florida State brought in 15 transfers in the 2023 recruiting cycle, not a particularly high number. The Seminoles were about on par with USC, LSU, Miami, UCLA and Texas A&M. The success rate is what stands out.
“It’s about about finding the best fit for Florida State,” Norvell said. “And to me, it doesn’t matter the path that somebody takes to get here.”
NO. 25 FLORIDA HOPES TO MAINTAIN ITS EDGE AND SUSTAIN MOMENTUM FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida hasn’t won three consecutive games since Marco Wilson’s infamous shoe toss.
The Gators have been on a roller coaster of sorts since that foggy night in the Swamp in December 2020. Win one, lose one. Win two, lose three. Up and down with no noticeable progress or sustained momentum.
It’s been a head-scratching, stomach-churning three years for a fan base accustomed to winning and competing for championships. Coach Billy Napier might be on the verge of providing some relief.
Coming off a 29-16 upset of then-No. 11 Tennessee, the now-25th-ranked Gators (2-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) hope to handle success better than they have in recent years. For Napier, it’s as simple as keeping his players on edge as they prepare for Charlotte (1-2) and a potential three-game winning streak Saturday night.
“When you get beat and you go to the locker room and you’re on the bus after the game, you got zero text messages, right?” Napier said. “When you win and you play on national TV, you’ve got 268 text messages.
“All of a sudden, everywhere you go, somebody wants to compliment you rather than looking at the ground, kind of going the other way. That’s what I’m getting at here.”
Napier has experience keeping teams grounded, relying on principle-centered leadership that he explains as “trying not to compromise your approach relative to the outcome.” It helped Napier turn Louisiana-Lafayette into a Sun Belt Conference power between 2019 and 2021.
Can he do the same in Gainesville?
Stacking wins would be a start. Florida lost 18 of 30 games between Wilson’s cleat throw against LSU and a season-opening loss at then-No. 14 Utah on Aug. 31. Stunning Tennessee in front of a raucous home crowd could prove to be the turning point — for the program and for Napier.
Napier had made it clear that last year’s team “couldn’t handle momentum.” The Gators beat then-No. 7 Utah to open the season, soared from unranked to No. 12 and responded by losing at home to No. 20 Kentucky. They won at Texas A&M and hammered South Carolina in back-to-back weeks in November, then lost at Vanderbilt for the first time since 1988.
“Reality is that you don’t accomplish anything significant by staying in your comfort zone,” Napier said. “I think we were uncomfortable for two weeks (after losing to Utah). We were frustrated. We were angry. We were embarrassed. That allowed us to have an edge and certainly affected the way we prepared for Tennessee and helped us play the way we played.
“It’s important that we keep that. We have discipline. Discipline ultimately is making yourself do things that you don’t want to do. Our consistency is going to be key.”
It starts against Charlotte, which precedes three straight league games against Kentucky, Vanderbilt and South Carolina. Win all four and Florida would set itself up for an Eastern Conference showdown against two-time defending national champion Georgia in Jacksonville.
Of course, Napier won’t let his team look that far ahead. And for good reason.
“Last season, when we got a bit of success, I feel like it kind of blew our heads up a little bit,” cornerback Devin Moore said. “This year, we’re putting more emphasis on the approach of ‘OK, that happened Saturday. Sunday (is a) new week. Let’s get to it.’”
Added guard Richie Leonard: “Another point of emphasis was don’t let this carry over, don’t linger on this Tennessee win too long.”
Napier had 268 texts when he checked his phone after the victory. He wanted to delete them all, but he ended up going through them “as fast as possible.”
“It’s magnified here,” he said. “They want to tell you all about it when it’s bad and they want to tell you all about it when it’s good.
“I think it’s important that we have something that we can stand on independent of that, a process and a system, and we can eliminate the external and say, ‘Hey, am I doing the best I can for the team today?’”
PRIME-TIME VIEWING: COLORADO-COLORADO STATE DRAWS A LATE-NIGHT RECORD 9.3 MILLION VIEWERS FOR ESPN
Colorado’s double-overtime victory against Colorado State, which ended in the early hours of Sunday in most of the country, drew 9.3 million viewers to make it the most-watched late-night college football game ever on ESPN, the network said.
Coach Deion Sanders’ Colorado team did not kick off until after 10 p.m. Eastern and did not secure the victory until about 2:30 a.m.
Still, it was ESPN’s fifth most-watched regular-season game ever on the network for any time slot. That broadcast window for ESPN college football averaged about 1.7 million viewers last year, the network said.
No. 19 Colorado’s first two games under Sanders were carried by Fox, with both slotted into the network’s Big Noon game. The Buffaloes’ victories over TCU and Nebraska averaged about 8 million viewers for Fox.
Colorado faces No. 10 Oregon on Saturday in a game scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on ABC.
COLORADO STATE COACH SAYS SAFETY HENRY BLACKBURN RECEIVED DEATH THREATS FOR HIT ON TRAVIS HUNTER
DENVER (AP) — Colorado State coach Jay Norvell said Monday that senior safety Henry Blackburn has been receiving death threats since his late hit that hospitalized Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter.
Blackburn drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty Saturday night for the blow he delivered to Hunter’s midsection on a deep pass in the first quarter of the Rocky Mountain Showdown. It was one of 17 penalties the Rams committed in their 43-35 loss in double overtime to Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes in front of a capacity crowd.
Norvell said Blackburn, who’s from Boulder, and his family had their address posted on social media. He added that police have been involved due to the serious nature of the threats.
“It’s sad that that’s the state of the world we live in. It’s a football game. Let’s not make it more than that,” Norvell said at his news conference. “We don’t want anyone to get hurt. We don’t coach that kind of football. I’ve been talking to Henry about that — I talked to him last night and I talked to him today.
“This kid should be worried about going to school and getting ready to play football. He shouldn’t be worried about that kind of nonsense.”
Sanders said after the game the 19th-ranked Buffaloes could be without Hunter for several weeks. That means Hunter will miss the game against No. 10 Oregon in Eugene on Saturday and the one at home against No. 5 Southern Cal on Sept. 30.
“We will do what we must to take care of him,” Sanders said. “We’ve got to make sure he is OK. His health is more important.”
It’s a blow to the Buffaloes as Hunter rarely leaves the field. He’s put himself into the Heisman Trophy discussion by being a lockdown cornerback and a dependable receiver. Hunter has an interception and nine tackles on defense this season. He’s also caught 16 passes for 213 yards from quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Hunter tried to continue to play after the hit but was ruled out in the second half and was taken to a hospital.
Norvell reviewed the play and concluded that “it’s a play that happens sometimes.”
“When you throw a deep ball and you’ve got a guy playing middle safety, he’s got to react on the boundary and he’s going full speed, it was a bang-bang type of a play,” Norvell said. “It’s certainly not something that we teach or coach. It happens in football sometimes. Seems to have been a lot of attention about that play, but it’s a play that happens.”
Norvell added: “I hope Travis gets healthy and gets back out there. We certainly don’t want to see anybody get hurt.”
Shedeur Sanders took exception to the blow by Blackburn along the Colorado sideline and confronted Blackburn.
“When Travis went down, it made me feel some type of way honestly. You took one of my brothers on offense, so it really hurt me,” said Shedeur Sanders, who led the Buffaloes on a game-tying 98-yard touchdown drive in the final minute of regulation and threw for touchdowns in both overtimes. “Knowing the work he put in and everything just leading up to the game and knowing you could always count on him in those moments.”
The late hit caught the attention of several athletes on social media, including Los Angeles Lakers great LeBron James who posted: “Like I don’t understand the difference between targeting and what I just witnessed. I’ve seen others get thrown out for far less. That was blatant and uncalled for IMO!”
Hall of Famer Champ Bailey, who played both ways at Georgia, said it’s risky to play both offense and defense, especially playing almost all of the snaps.
”You got a target on you,” Bailey said Sunday at the Washington Commanders-Denver Broncos game. “When people see you on the field all the time, they’re coming after you.”
TOP 10 HEISMAN TROPHY CANDIDATES AFTER WEEK 3
More than ever, this season’s Heisman race is about the quarterbacks.
There aren’t an running backs within 10,000 yards of the race – quick, who’s the nation’s leading rusher? – and who’s the superstar wide receiver who’s realistically in the Heisman pack?
(BTW, Notre Dame’s Audric Estime leads the nation with 521 rushing yards, but he’s had four games of work. Appalachian State’s Nate Noel leads by a mile in yards per game averaging 151 per game.)
And now come the showdowns with the Pac-12 stars getting to go at it in conference play to go along with a slew of high-profile matchups across the country over the next few weeks. That’s what matters.
Do you produce big when EVERYONE is watching? Putting up huge numbers and big performances on Peacock doesn’t help. You have to look like the signature star of the season when the spotlight is on.
Dropped: Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado (6)
On The Radar: Drew Allar, QB Penn State (10); DJ Uiagalelei, QB Oregon State (NR); Dillon Gabriel, QB Oklahoma (NR); Bo Nix, QB Oregon
10. Riley Leonard, QB Duke (7)
Call this a bit of an out-of-sight-out-of-mind thing. He was amazing in Week 1 against Clemson, but games against Lafayette and Northwestern took him off the radar. That, and he has only thrown for 530 yards and one score to go along with three rushing scores.
Up Next: UConn
9. JJ McCarthy, QB Michigan (8)
Not only did the nation’s most accurate quarterback coming into last week throw an interception against Bowling Green, he threw three. Now he’s 0.1% behind Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel after completing 8-of-14 passes for 143 yards in the win. His Heisman chances are coming, but not for the while. First, he has to start building up the stats.
Up Next: Rutgers
8. Jayden Daniels, QB LSU (NR)
Yeah, but did anyone actually see him complete 30-of-34 passes for 361 yards and two touchdowns and run for 64 yards and two scores in the win over Mississippi State? His stats – 74%, 8 TDs, 1 INT – are fantastic, and it sure wasn’t his fault LSU lost to Florida State. If he keeps rocking in SEC play, it’ll all build to the November 4th date at Alabama.
Up Next: Arkansas
7. Jordan Travis, QB Florida State (4)
It’s not fair, and he got banged up, but the 222 yards and two touchdowns in a rocky day against Boston College knocks him down a wee bit for now in the Heisman beauty contest, but it doesn’t matter. Everyone saw him against LSU, and everyone will see him in a favorite-or-done game this week.
Up Next: at Clemson
6. Drake Maye, QB North Carolina (NR)
He’s completing 73% of his throws and hit Minnesota for 414 yards, but the four touchdown passes and four interceptions on the year aren’t exactly inspiring. Again, this is a list of where we think the candidates would fall if the season ended now, and a too-large Heisman voters tend to give more respect to the NFL prospect side of things.
Up Next: at Pitt
5. Sam Hartman, QB Notre Dame (5)
Perfect so far, he’s been exactly what the Irish needed with 13 touchdown passes, no interceptions, and close to 15 yards per attempt. He came through against NC State, but he hasn’t dealt with a whole lot of drama yet. The Heisman campaign goes into hyperdrive – or ends with a thud – depending on what happens this week when the Buckeyes come to town.
Up Next: Ohio State
4. Quinn Ewers, QB Texas (3)
The Alabama performance when the world was watching will carry him through a rough 11-of-21, 131-yard, two-touchdown performance against Wyoming – even if he did crank it up when needed. Fortunately for his Heisman race, the game was on the Longhorn Network while everyone was watching other things, and the big moments are coming up – Oklahoma is in a few weeks.
Up Next: at Baylor
3. Michael Penix Jr., QB Washington (8)
444 passing yards
444 passing yards per game – that’s 27 yards per game more than Shedeur Sanders, and 110 yards per outing more than the No. 3 guy Cameron Ward of Washington State. Unfortunately, the showdown against Michigan State got pushed to the backburner – Peacock – and too many missed the 473-yard, four-touchdown day. He’ll have a ton of big moments coming up in Pac-12 play.
Up Next: Cal
2. Caleb Williams, QB USC (2)
He had the week off, but he still leads the nation by a mile in quarterback rating and he’s getting more air time than just about anyone with all of his ads playing throughout a college football Saturday. As long as he keeps doing what he’s doing, the hype will continue to build. This week he has to rock at Arizona State, and then on September 30th he and the Trojans go to Boulder to face …
Up Next: at Arizona State
1. Shedeur Sanders, QB Colorado (1)
For all the hype and all the blah, blah, blah and all of the – Coach Prime’s term – “bull junk” around everything Colorado, there’s real heart and genuine toughness in this team and its star quarterback.
For those who stayed up to around 2 am ET, Sanders had a true Heisman moment.
Colorado should’ve lost to Colorado State. Down eight, Sanders and the Buffs had 98 yards to go. The passing game cranked it up, Sanders hit Jimmy Horn for a 45-yard score and then found Michael Harrison for two to tie it, and he game up with two more touchdown passes in overtime to win it.
Here’s the Heisman problem. There are a certain segment of voters who’ll be turned off by the whole Colorado act and won’t vote for Sanders, just because. It’s obviously not fair, and it’s not right, and it won’t matter if he lights it up against Oregon this week and outduels Caleb Williams and USC the week after.
Up Next: at Oregon
COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME OF THE WEEK: OHIO STATE AT NOTRE DAME
(OHIO STATE NOTES)
No. 6 Ohio State and No. 9 Notre Dame, two of college football’s great programs and both saturated in nostalgia and tradition, meet Saturday in primetime at Notre Dame Stadium. This is the eighth meeting between the programs and the fifth consecutive – since 1996 – where both are in the Top 10 of the Associated Press poll. The other Top 10 matchups aside from 2023: 2022 (Ohio State 3; ND 5), 2016 (Ohio State 7; ND 8), 2006 (Ohio State 4; ND 5) and 1996 (Ohio State 4; ND 5). f Notre Dame won the first two games of the series, in 1935 and 1936, and Ohio State has won the last five games, played in 1995, 1996, 2006, 2016 and 2022. The 1936 and 1996 games were played at Notre Dame Stadium. f The game will complete a two-game series between the two powers that was scheduled in 2014 and included the 2022 season opener at Ohio Stadium, won by the Buckeyes, 21-10. f Ohio State (956 wins) and Notre Dame (942) rank second and fourth, respectively, in all-time college football wins. Respective win pcts. of .733 and .730 are No. 1 and No. 4 all-time.
BY THE NUMBERS 21-4 Ryan Day is in his fifth year as Ohio State head coach. His teams are 48-6 overall and 16-1 in true road games (3-1 vs. Top 25 teams). His Buckeyes are 21-4 in all “away” games and 16-4 vs. Top 25 teams. 9 Marvin Harrison Jr. has tied the great Cris Carter (1984-86) for fifth-place in school history with nine 100-yard receiving games. 1 Harrison has 14 receptions for 304 yards and three TDs so far this year. Defense! Two Top 5, nationally ranked defenses will be showcased Saturday with Ohio State No. 3 nationally allowing 223.7 yards per game and Notre Dame at No. 4 allowing 234.2 yards per game. 48 Ohio State’s defense has allowed just 20 points through the first three games. This is the fewest points allowed at this point in 48 years, or since the 1975 team allowed just 16 points in Games 1-3.
By any measure, Ohio State and Notre Dame have been two of the elite – and winningest – programs of all-time and specifically over the last 11-plus seasons. In that span, Ohio State is third with 117 wins; Notre Dame is sixth with 97. The Buckeyes are second nationally with a .900 winning percentage while Notre Dame is sixth (.757) They represent two of the seven schools to make multiple appearances in the College Football Playoff.
While Ohio State and Notre Dame have been among the best programs over the last 11 years, they stack up against anyone in any decade … ever. Consider: Ohio State ranks second in all-time wins (956); Notre Dame is fourth (942) f Ohio State is first in all-time winning percentage (.733); Notre Dame is fourth (.730) f The Buckeyes and Fighting Irish are tied for first all-time (along with Oklahoma) with seven Heisman Trophy winners apiece. Notre Dame’s 107 all-time consensus All-Americans ranks first; Ohio State’s 92 is second. Notre Dame’s 525 NFL Draft picks ranks No. 1; Ohio State has 485, which is third. Ohio State has spent 970 weeks ranked in the Associated Press poll, which is No. 1 all-time; Notre Dame is fourth at 861 weeks.
21-10 WIN OVER NOTRE DAME IN 2022: No. 2 Ohio State pulled out a double-digit win over No. 5 Notre Dame to open the 2022 season last year at Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes prevailed in the second half after trailing, 10-7 at halftime. Ohio State totaled 246 yards and 15 first downs in the second half and had two long, decisive scoring drives to regain the lead and then extend the lead. The Ohio State defense was outstanding, limiting the Irish top just 72 second half yards, five first downs and zero touchdowns. Ohio State had 395 offensive yards and 22 first downs.
(NOTRE DAME NOTES)
IRISH ITEMS – BY THE NUMBERS 4 In Marcus Freeman’s debut season in 2022, Notre Dame defeated four Associated Press ranked teams: No. 5 Clemson, No. 16 BYU, No. 16 Syracuse and No. 20 South Carolina, which matched Terry Brennan (1954) for the most ranked wins in a coaching debut season at Notre Dame and was most in one single season for the program since 2018. 11 ESPN’s College Game Day will pay a visit to Notre Dame’s campus for the 11th time this weekend, returning to the site where the program first appeared ‘on the road’ 30 years ago for the Notre Dame – Florida State game in November of 1993. This weekend will mark the 35th time Game Day will appear at the site of an Irish football game. 13 Sam Hartman has thrown a program-best 13 touchdown passes through the first four games this season. See page 6 for more details. 37 Saturday will mark the 37th time Notre Dame Stadium will host an contest with both teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 10. The Irish are 23-12-1 in those contests and 11-9 as the lower-ranked team. 40 Dating back to the Gator Bowl victory over South Carolina to end the 2022 season, Notre Dame has scored at least 40 points in a program-best five consecutive games. 90 Irish quarterback Sam Hartman has thrown 90 touchdown passes since 2021 – the most of any Power 5 quarterback. 130 Audric Estimé has increased his rushing yard total each game this season – from 95 vs. Navy to 116 vs. TSU, 134 at NC State and a career-best 176 last weekend vs. Central Michigan. He is second in the country averaging 130.2 rushing yards per game. 184 Notre Dame has scored 184 points in the first four games of the season, which is the most for the program since 1914 and the fourth-most in program history. 455 Notre Dame is 10-1 in its last 11 games played and has scored 455 points in those contests. Only Southern Cal (474) has scored more points since that 11-game run began on October 22, 2022. In addition only Southern Cal (47.4), Oregon (42.6), Notre Dame (41.4) and Georgia (40.1) are averaging over 40 ppg during that time frame. 77,622 Every person at this weekend’s sold out game will find an LED bracelet at their seats which will help Notre Dame Stadium ‘light up the night’ as part of the program’s Irish Wear Green game.
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – OFFENSE Jayden Thomas is the leading returning receiver for the Irish in 2023. He also is the leading receiver so far this season with 12 catches for 188 yards. He caught a careerlong 39-yard pass against Central Michigan last weekend. Chris Tyree has shifted to wide receiver after three years as a running back with the Irish. He has made a big play in each of Notre Dame’s four victories this season. Tyree caught a 20-yard pass versus Navy, nabbed a 24-yard touchdown against TSU and keyed Notre Dame’s two-minute drill at NC State with a 65-yard reception, which led to a ND score on the next play. Last weekend, he caught a career-best 76-yard touchdown pass. Tyree’s 27.0 yards-per-reception ranks fifth in the FBS so far this season. True freshman Jaden Greathouse nabbed a 35-yard touchdown pass on his first career touch against Navy. He followed up with a 20-yard scoring catch later in the game. He is second on the team in touchdown receptions after a 13-yard scoring grab against NC State. Joe Alt, the son of former NFL All-Pro John Alt, is one of four team captains for the Irish this season, has been selected as a consensus preseason All-American and is on the Outland, Lombardi and Walter Camp Award watch lists. Pat Coogan made his first career start in just his second game played against Navy. He has helped the Irish average 204.5 rushing yards per game. Zeke Correll has played guard and center during his career and now enters the season as one of the top snappers in the nation. He will make his 27th-career start on the Irish offensive line at NC State and is on the Rimington Award watch list. Rocco Spindler joined Coogan to make his first career start at guard for the Irish against Navy and helped pave the way for 236 rushing yards against Central Michigan. Blake Fisher combines with Joe Alt to give the Irish offensive line two of the top tackles in the nation. See page 7 for more on Alt and Fisher. Mitchell Evans caught a career-high four passes for 61 yards against TSU. Evans also plays a key role in some of Notre Dame’s short yardage packages by taking direct snaps. He rushed for five first downs and a touchdown from under center last season. Holden Staes has three touchdown receptions over Notre Dame’s last two games. He capped the scoring against Central Michigan with a four-yard catch which followed up his career-best game at NC State which included four catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Both of those touchdowns came from more than 30 yards (30, 45). Rico Flores Jr. earned his first career start against Central Michigan and responded with early career-highs of three catches and 60 receiving yards. Sam Hartman is the first Irish quarterback with 13 touchdown passes in the first four games of the season. See page 6 for much more on Hartman. Audric Estimé has increased his rushing performance in each game this season, posting 95 against Navy, 116 versus Tennessee State, 134 yards at NC State then a career-high 176 yards versus Central Michigan. Jadarian Price’s first career carry against Navy was a 19-yard touchdown. His second career catch was a 40-yard touchdown reception vs. Tennessee State. Spencer Shrader showed off his incredibly strong leg at NC State, connecting on a Notre Dame record 54-yard field goal in the first quarter, then just missing a 56-yard attempt later the in the game. The 56-yard effort had plenty of distance and hit the left upright. Shrader followed up with a 50-yard field goal against Central Michigan. Shrader is already tied for fifth on the Notre Dame career charts for 50-yard field goals with two. The school record is four held by Jonathan Doerer (2017-21) and Kyle Brindza (2011-14). Bryce McFerson has a booming leg showed that off against NC State. He punted six times in the game, averaging 50.7 yards per attempt. He also posted a career-best 59- yard punt against the Wolfpack. Michael Vinson is in his sixth year at Notre Dame and is one of the top long snappers in the nation. He has developed into a clear leader not only for the Irish special teams, but the entire roster.
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – DEFENSE Jordan Botelho has been active through three games from his defensive end position with seven tackles, one sack and a quarterback hurry. Joshua Burnham is tied for the team lead in tackles-for-loss with two, while also posting a sack and two quarterback hurries. Rylie Mills is No. 10 on The Athletic’s Freak List for his work in the weight room and has been disruptive on the defensive line so far in 2023. Mills’ timely sack against Navy in the fourth quarter pushed the Midshipmen back from the four-yard line that eventually led to a field goal. Jason Onye posted an early-career-best game with five tackles against Tennessee State. He also blocked his first career field goal, preventing TSU points after the Irish fumbled a kick return and gifted the Tigers the ball at the ND 12-yard line. Howard Cross III is third on the team with 16 tackles coming from the middle of the Irish defensive line. Javontae Jean-Baptiste has consistently been a playmaker for the Irish defensive line this season. He is fourth on the team with 15 tackles, has two TFLs and leads the Irish with four quarterback hurries. Nana Osafo-Mensah is a leader in the defensive line group and a steady force against the run. Marist Liufau enters his second full season as a starter in 2023 and has been all over the field through the first three games of the year. He is second on the team with 17 tackles and owns two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. JD Bertrand is the defacto leader of the Irish defense. He missed the game with Central Michigan while in recovery from a concussion. Jack Kiser does a little bit of everything for the Irish defense, and can appear on the line or even as a spot safety if necessary. He leads the team with 26 tackles after piling up a career-best 10 while starting at Mike linebacker for JD Bertrand against Central Michigan. Cam Hart was voted a captain by his teammates this season, and looks poised for a highly productive final season with the Irish. Among the most veteran defenders on the team (39 games played) Hart has 75 career tackles, 16 PBUs and two interceptions. DJ Brown returned for a fifth year and is the ‘quarterback’ of the back seven for Notre Dame’s defense. Brown picked off his fourth career pass against NC State, but missed the Central Michigan game with a leg injury. Xavier Watts has grown from a rookie wide receiver into one of Notre Dame’s starting safeties. He nabbed his first career interception against NC State, setting the Irish up in the redzone. Benjamin Morrison was a Freshman All-American last season, and is focused on taking his game to an even higher level in 2023. He intercepted his first pass of the season at NC State. See page 7 for more on Morrison. The Irish defense is filled with talented younger players eager to make their mark with increased playing time in 2023. Jaylen Sneed loves to pressure the quarterback and get downhill on running situations. Christian Gray, a true freshman, has earned the trust of position coach Mike Mickens to be listed as a back up to Benjamin Morrison. While those talented younger players are ready for their moment, there are three key veterans in the back seven of the defense who will play key roles. Clarence Lewis has played in 41 games at Notre Dame and scored his first career touchdown on a 33-yard interception return against Tennessee State. Thomas Harper, a transfer from Oklahoma State, made his first start in an Irish uniform against TSU and followed up with a team-high seven tackles at NC State. He continued his playmaking moments with his first career sack against Central Michigan. Antonio Carter II jumps up a level from Rhode Island and will provide the Irish safeties depth and contribute across the Irish special teams. Dylan Devezin, a sophomore walk-on quarterback, has seized the team’s holder role and has earned Spencer Shrader’s – and special teams coordinator Marty Biagi’s –trust.
NO. 10 OREGON IS DEION SANDERS’ FIRST PAC-12 TEST WITH NO. 19 BUFFS
The atmosphere will be tense when No. 19 Colorado faces No. 10 Oregon in Eugene on Saturday, revolving around the Buffaloes’ decision to bolt the Pac-12 for the Big 12 following this season.
The Buffaloes went 1-11 last season as the dregs of the Pac-12 and Oregon coach Jim Lanning pulled no punches when asked about Colorado’s departure.
“Not a big reaction,” Lanning said at Oregon’s preseason media day. “I’m trying to remember what they won to affect this conference. I don’t remember. Do you remember them winning anything? I don’t remember them winning anything.”
First-year Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders was irked by the comments. Now the two coaches will be sharing the field in a highly anticipated showdown between two 3-0 teams.
While Sanders uses the comments as bulletin board material, Lanning said during Monday’s press conference that he doesn’t need to revise his comments.
“I don’t regret anything I’ve said,” Lanning said. “At the end of the day, I wasn’t talking about Deion’s team, I was talking about the past and future for our team. But if that serves as material for them, great. I don’t think it’s going to have any bearing on the game or the success of the game.”
During Tuesday’s press conference, Sanders played nice and was highly complimentary of Lanning, who went 10-3 last season in his first year with the Ducks.
“What he’s accomplished, stepping in, taking over a program and keeping it not only rocking steady but accelerating it,” Sanders said. “I respect the heck out of him. I love what he’s accomplishing. I love the way he operates. So I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”
Colorado had a scare last Saturday night as it had to rally from an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit to record a 43-35 double-overtime victory over Colorado State.
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders led the Buffaloes on a late 98-yard drive for touchdown and ensuing two-point conversion with 36 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Shedeur Sanders passed for 348 yards and four touchdowns.
But in the first quarter, two-way standout Travis Hunter was drilled in the midsection by Colorado State safety Henry Blackburn. Hunter eventually exited the game and spent two nights in a Boulder hospital due to a lacerated liver.
Hunter is expected to miss multiple weeks, leaving a void at both receiver and cornerback.
“No one in the country can fill Travis Hunter’s shoes,” Deion Sanders said. “He’s one of a kind. He’s the best player on offense, the best player on defense. That’s just who he is in the country, not just on his team.”
While Colorado is averaging 41.3 points, it allows 30.3 and the defensive unit could have issues corralling the Ducks.
Oregon ranks second in scoring offense at 58 points per game and is coming off a 55-10 trouncing of visiting Hawaii.
Bo Nix is completing 77.6 percent of his passes for 893 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions. For comparison, Shedeur Sanders is completing 78.7 percent of his passes for 1,251 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception.
Oregon’s Troy Franklin has 17 receptions for 292 yards and three touchdowns and Bucky Irving (8.0 average, three TDs) and Jordan James (7.4, five) have combined for eight rushing scores.
The Ducks are also stout defensively, allowing 15.7 points and 158.7 passing yards per game. The latter ranks 15th nationally.
Of course, stats are secondary in this matchup.
“I’d be a fool not to recognize all of the success they have created on a team that didn’t have a lot of success before,” Lanning said of Sanders. “He’s done a phenomenal job … They are winning games. It doesn’t matter how but they’re winning games.”
The Ducks have won nine of the past 10 meetings.
*******************MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL*************************
MLB ROUNDUP: BLAKE SNELL, PADRES FLIRT WITH NO-HITTER IN WIN
San Diego ace Blake Snell exited after seven hitless innings on Tuesday, and the Padres beat the visiting Colorado Rockies 2-0 when Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run, walk-off homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
Padres pitchers took a combined no-hitter into the ninth and wound up with a two-hit shutout for the team’s sixth straight win.
Snell, a strong candidate for the National League Cy Young Award, issued four walks while striking out 10. He left after 104 pitches, having lowered his major-league-leading numbers in ERA (2.33) and opponents’ batting average (.181). Snell has a 1.26 ERA in his past 22 starts.
Robert Suarez followed Snell with a perfect eighth before Brendan Rodgers lined a single past Bogaerts at short off Josh Hader (1-3). The San Diego closer gave up another hit to Nolan Jones before getting Elias Diaz to ground to Bogaerts for an inning-ending double play. Bogaerts then snuck a fly ball just inside the left field foul pole off Tyler Kinley (0-3) to win it.
Braves 9, Phillies 3
Spencer Strider struck out 11 batters and Ronald Acuna Jr. hit two home runs to help Atlanta end its four-game losing streak with a win over visiting Philadelphia.
Atlanta avoided what would have been its first five-game losing streak since September 2017. Strider (18-5) pitched seven innings and allowed three runs — all coming on Bryce Harper’s 19th home run in the sixth — on four hits and no walks. He improved his career record against Philadelphia to 8-0 with a 1.90 ERA.
Acuna, on “Ronald Acuna Bat Flip Bobblehead Night,” went 3-for-5 with his 38th and 39th homers, his fourth multi-homer game of the season. Acuna’s first homer came on the first pitch of the first inning from Cristopher Sanchez (2-5). Acuna also stole his 67th base.
Orioles 9, Astros 5
Austin Hays posted his first multi-homer game this season and the fifth of his career to lead Baltimore past host Houston, dropping the Astros to one game below .500 at home this season.
The Orioles maintained their 2 1/2-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East and reduced their magic number to clinch their first division title since 2014 to eight. The Astros now lead Texas and Seattle by only a half-game.
Hays’ three-run home run off Astros right-hander Hunter Brown (11-12) gave Baltimore the lead for good at 5-2 in the top of the third inning. Brown allowed seven runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings, while Baltimore starter Kyle Gibson gave up three runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings. DL Hall (3-0) relieved Gibson and recorded two outs to get the win.
Cubs 14, Pirates 1
Dansby Swanson set the tone with a two-run homer in the first inning and Alexander Canario clubbed a late grand slam for his first career home run as host Chicago cruised to a past Pittsburgh.
Seiya Suzuki had a solo shot among his three hits and Cody Bellinger added a three-run blast during an eight-run eighth inning for the Cubs, who snapped a five-game skid. Javier Assad (4-3) threw five innings of one-run ball.
Ke’Bryan Hayes homered for the Pirates. Opener Bailey Falter (2-9) allowed Swanson’s homer in his lone inning.
Rangers 6, Red Sox 4
Adolis Garcia hit his 35th home run of the season and scored twice to help Texas end a four-game losing streak with a win over Boston in Arlington, Texas.
Jonah Heim had two doubles and two RBIs for the Rangers, who moved within one-half game of the first-place Houston Astros in the American League West. Texas reliever Aroldis Chapman (6-4) earned the win after pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
The Rangers broke a 4-4 tie by scoring twice in the seventh inning. Josh Jung drove in Marcus Semien with a single off John Schreiber to make it 5-4, and then Corey Seager scored when Heim drew a bases-loaded walk. Both runs were charged to reliever Chris Murphy (1-2).
Mariners 7, A’s 2
Luis Castillo threw seven innings of two-run ball, Jarred Kelenic drove in two runs with a pair of singles and visiting Seattle dumped Oakland.
J.P. Crawford and Teoscar Hernandez contributed RBI doubles to a four-run seventh inning, helping the Mariners pull away for their second straight win to start a three-game series. Castillo (14-7) walked three and fanned eight.
Zack Gelof had two hits for the A’s, who took their sixth straight loss. Paul Blackburn (4-6) gave up two runs in five innings.
Marlins 4, Mets 3
Jake Burger hit a two-out, two-strike RBI single to center in the bottom of the ninth inning as Miami earned a walk-off win over visiting New York.
New York entered the ninth inning trailing 3-1 before tying the score against Marlins closer Tanner Scott (9-5). Brandon Nimmo leveled the game with a two-out, two-run double.
Miami won it in the ninth off reliever Trevor Gott (0-5). The rally started when Gott hit Nick Fortes with a pitch. A sacrifice bunt, an intentional walk and a groundout put runners at second and third ahead of Burger’s single on an 0-2 cutter.
Nationals 4, White Sox 3
Pinch hitter Joey Meneses belted a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning to lift Washington past visiting Chicago to even their three-game series at a game apiece.
After allowing two runners on base in the seventh innings, Nationals reliever Aaron Bummer (4-5) gave way to Bryan Shaw and Meneses greeted him by hitting his 12th homer of the season.
Nationals right-hander Jackson Rutledge yielded six hits and two runs in 6 1/3 innings in his second career game. He walked one and struck out two. Robert Garcia (2-2) relieved him and got the win after retiring both batters he faced to complete the top of the seventh.
Dodgers 3, Tigers 2
Max Muncy’s game-ending RBI single in the ninth inning gave Los Angeles a victory over visiting Detroit to extend its winning streak to five games while closing in on a top-two seed in the National League playoffs.
Mookie Betts singled with one out in the ninth inning against Tigers right-hander Alex Lange (7-5), went to second when Will Smith was hit by a pitch with two outs and scored just ahead of the throw home after Muncy’s single. J.D. Martinez hit a home run in the fourth en route to reaching base four times. Dodgers right-hander Ryan Pepiot entered in the second inning and gave up one run on five hits over six innings.
Spencer Torkelson and Parker Meadows hit home runs for the Tigers, while Miguel Cabrera had a seventh-inning single for the 3,167th hit of his career to move into sole possession of 17th on the all-time list.
Rays 6, Angels 2
Osleivis Basabe lashed a tiebreaking two-run double to headline a four-run eighth inning, and Tampa Bay improved its majors-best home record by beating Los Angeles in St. Petersburg, Fla.
With the bases loaded against reliever Aaron Loup (2-3), Basabe smoked a one-out liner over center fielder Brett Phillips to break a 2-2 tie. Rene Pinto followed with a single for two more runs. Randy Arozarena slugged a two-run homer, his 23rd home run of the season, to score Yandy Diaz in the first. Diaz reached base four times, going 3-for-4 with a double, a run and a walk. Over five innings, Rays starter Taj Bradley allowed one run on three hits while fanning six and walking one.
Logan O’Hoppe and Zach Neto hit solo homers for the Angels, who lost their sixth straight game. Rookie Nolan Schanuel walked in the third and has now reached base in all 23 of his major league games since making his debut on Aug. 18.
Blue Jays 7, Yankees 1
Bo Bichette scored the go-ahead run on a single by Cavan Biggio in the fourth inning and hit a two-run homer in the fifth as visiting Toronto recorded a victory over New York.
The Blue Jays won their fourth straight game and currently own the American League’s second wild card, sitting one game ahead of Seattle and Texas. The Yankees dropped seven games behind the Mariners and Rangers, who are tied for the third and final wild-card spot.
Toronto’s Yusei Kikuchi (10-6) allowed one run and four hits in five-plus innings for his first win since Aug. 2. He was pulled because of a left upper trap muscle cramp after being checked out by a trainer. Clarke Schmidt (9-9) allowed four runs and four hits in five innings for the Yankees.
Royals 7, Guardians 6
MJ Melendez homered, drove in three runs and scored three times to fuel host Kansas City past Cleveland.
Kansas City’s Nick Loftin had a pair of RBI singles, and Tyler Cropley collected an RBI with a sacrifice fly in his major league debut. Alec Marsh (2-8) picked up his second win in as many outings after allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits in 4 1/3 innings in relief of opener Steven Cruz.
Cleveland rookie Logan Allen (7-8) was saddled with the loss after permitting four runs on eight hits in three innings. He struck out one and walked two.
Twins 7, Reds 0
Right-hander Kenta Maeda struck out eight and surrendered just one hit in five innings as Minnesota blanked host Cincinnati.
Dominating with his splitter, Maeda (6-7) won his third straight start. He allowed only Spencer Steer’s double in the fourth inning and walked one. Willi Castro smacked a two-run homer and Ryan Jeffers added a solo shot for the Twins, who lowered their magic number for clinching the American League Central to three.
Hard-pressed for starting pitchers, Cincinnati went with a bullpen game, using four arms to get through the first 3 1/3 innings. The first pitcher of those four, Fernando Cruz (1-2), took the loss after giving up a run in 1 2/3 innings.
Brewers 7, Cardinals 3
Tyrone Taylor drove in one run and scored twice to lead visiting Milwaukee past St. Louis.
Taylor hit a double, drew two walks and stole a base for the Brewers, who reduced their magic number to win the National League Central to six. Colin Rea (6-6) assumed a bulk-innings role. He allowed one run on three in 4 2/3 innings to earn the win.
Richie Palacios hit a home run for the Cardinals. Alec Burleson hit an RBI double, stole a base and scored a run for St. Louis before exiting with a broken thumb suffered on a headfirst slide in the first inning.
Diamondbacks 8, Giants 4
Ketel Marte had four hits and two RBIs and Corbin Carroll also drove in two runs to help Arizona notch a victory over San Francisco at Phoenix.
Marte also walked to reach base five times while Carroll had two hits and two runs to help Arizona win for the ninth time in its past 13 games. Zac Gallen (16-8) gave up four runs and six hits over five innings for the Diamondbacks.
Joc Pederson homered for the Giants, who have lost four of their past five games. San Francisco’s Alex Cobb (7-7) exited in the third inning after aggravating a hip injury. He gave up five runs and five hits in two-plus innings.
****************MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL********************
BIG TEN ANNOUNCES 2023-24 MEN’S BASKETBALL CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Links
ROSEMONT, Ill. — The Big Ten Conference announced Thursday a full breakdown of its 140 men’s basketball conference matchups for all 14 member institutions for the 2023-24 season, as revealed live on the Big Ten Network. For the fifth consecutive year, each Big Ten Conference member institution will compete in a 20-game conference schedule.
The Big Ten Conference season begins Friday, Dec. 1, when Maryland visits Indiana and Northwestern hosts Purdue, the first of 12 conference games played between Dec. 1-10.
Following a break in conference play, Big Ten action will resume on Jan. 2.
During the conference season, schools will play seven teams twice — once at home and once on the road — and six teams once, with three of those games being at home and the other three away.
The 27th Big Ten Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament will be played March 13-17, 2024, at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
After finishing last season with a 15-5 mark in conference play, Purdue was crowned Big Ten champions, before topping Penn State 67-65 for its second Big Ten Tournament title.
The complete 2023-24 Big Ten Conference men’s basketball conference schedule can be found below. Tipoff times and television designations will be announced at a later date.
2023-24 Big Ten Conference Men’s Basketball Schedule
| Friday, Dec. 1 | Maryland at Indiana |
| Purdue at Northwestern | |
| Saturday, Dec. 2 | Illinois at Rutgers |
| Sunday, Dec. 3 | Minnesota at Ohio State |
| Monday, Dec. 4 | Iowa at Purdue |
| Tuesday, Dec. 5 | Indiana at Michigan |
| Wisconsin at Michigan State | |
| Wednesday, Dec. 6 | Penn State at Maryland |
| Nebraska at Minnesota | |
| Saturday, Dec. 9 | Ohio State at Penn State |
| Sunday, Dec. 10 | Michigan at Iowa |
| Michigan State at Nebraska | |
| Tuesday, Jan. 2 | Iowa at Wisconsin |
| Northwestern at Illinois | |
| Purdue at Maryland | |
| Wednesday, Jan. 3 | Indiana at Nebraska |
| Rutgers at Ohio State | |
| Thursday, Jan. 4 | Minnesota at Michigan |
| Penn State at Michigan State | |
| Friday, Jan. 5 | Illinois at Purdue |
| Saturday, Jan. 6 | Nebraska at Wisconsin |
| Ohio State at Indiana | |
| Rutgers at Iowa | |
| Sunday, Jan. 7 | Maryland at Minnesota |
| Michigan State at Northwestern | |
| Michigan at Penn State (Played at the Palestra, Philadelphia, Pa.) | |
| Tuesday, Jan. 9 | Indiana at Rutgers |
| Purdue at Nebraska | |
| Wednesday, Jan. 10 | Northwestern at Penn State |
| Wisconsin at Ohio State | |
| Thursday, Jan.11 | Michigan at Maryland |
| Michigan State at Illinois | |
| Friday, Jan. 12 | Minnesota at Indiana |
| Nebraska at Iowa | |
| Saturday, Jan. 13 | Northwestern at Wisconsin |
| Penn State at Purdue | |
| Sunday, Jan. 14 | Maryland at Illinois |
| Rutgers at Michigan State | |
| Monday, Jan. 15 | Iowa at Minnesota |
| Ohio State at Michigan | |
| Tuesday, Jan. 16 | Wisconsin at Penn State |
| Purdue at Indiana | |
| Wednesday, Jan. 17 | Maryland at Northwestern |
| Nebraska at Rutgers | |
| Thursday, Jan. 18 | Illinois at Michigan |
| Minnesota at Michigan State | |
| Friday, Jan. 19 | Indiana at Wisconsin |
| Saturday, Jan. 20 | Northwestern at Nebraska |
| Penn State at Ohio State | |
| Purdue at Iowa | |
| Sunday, Jan. 21 | Rutgers at Illinois |
| Michigan State at Maryland | |
| Tuesday, Jan. 23 | Michigan at Purdue |
| Ohio State at Nebraska | |
| Wisconsin at Minnesota | |
| Wednesday, Jan. 24 | Illinois at Northwestern |
| Maryland at Iowa | |
| Friday, Jan. 26 | Michigan State at Wisconsin |
| Saturday, Jan. 27 | Indiana at Illinois |
| Iowa at Michigan | |
| Minnesota at Penn State | |
| Nebraska at Maryland | |
| Ohio State at Northwestern | |
| Sunday, Jan. 28 | Purdue at Rutgers |
| Tuesday, Jan. 30 | Illinois at Ohio State |
| Iowa at Indiana | |
| Michigan at Michigan State | |
| Wednesday, Jan 31 | Northwestern at Purdue |
| Penn State at Rutgers | |
| Thursday, Feb. 1 | Wisconsin at Nebraska |
| Friday, Feb. 2 | Ohio State at Iowa |
| Saturday, Feb. 3 | Maryland at Michigan State |
| Northwestern at Minnesota | |
| Penn State at Indiana | |
| Rutgers at Michigan | |
| Sunday, Feb. 4 | Nebraska at Illinois |
| Purdue at Wisconsin | |
| Tuesday, Feb. 6 | Indiana at Ohio State |
| Rutgers at Maryland | |
| Michigan State at Minnesota | |
| Wednesday, Feb. 7 | Nebraska at Northwestern |
| Wisconsin at Michigan | |
| Thursday, Feb. 8 | Iowa at Penn State |
| Saturday, Feb. 10 | Illinois at Michigan State |
| Indiana at Purdue | |
| Maryland at Ohio State | |
| Michigan at Nebraska | |
| Wisconsin at Rutgers | |
| Sunday, Feb. 11 | Minnesota at Iowa |
| Penn State at Northwestern | |
| Tuesday, Feb. 13 | Michigan at Illinois |
| Ohio State at Wisconsin | |
| Wednesday, Feb. 14 | Iowa at Maryland |
| Michigan State at Penn State | |
| Thursday, Feb. 15 | Minnesota at Purdue |
| Northwestern at Rutgers | |
| Saturday, Feb. 17 | Illinois at Maryland |
| Michigan State at Michigan | |
| Penn State at Nebraska | |
| Wisconsin at Iowa | |
| Sunday, Feb. 18 | Northwestern at Indiana |
| Purdue at Ohio State | |
| Rutgers at Minnesota | |
| Tuesday, Feb. 20 | Iowa at Michigan State |
| Maryland at Wisconsin | |
| Wednesday, Feb. 21 | Illinois at Penn State |
| Nebraska at Indiana | |
| Thursday, Feb. 22 | Michigan at Northwestern |
| Ohio State at Minnesota | |
| Rutgers at Purdue | |
| Saturday, Feb. 24 | Iowa at Illinois |
| Indiana at Penn State | |
| Sunday, Feb. 25 | Maryland at Rutgers |
| Minnesota at Nebraska | |
| Ohio State at Michigan State | |
| Purdue at Michigan | |
| Tuesday, Feb. 27 | Wisconsin at Indiana |
| Penn State at Iowa | |
| Wednesday, Feb. 28 | Minnesota at Illinois |
| Northwestern at Maryland | |
| Thursday, Feb. 29 | Michigan at Rutgers |
| Nebraska at Ohio State | |
| Saturday, March 2 | Illinois at Wisconsin |
| Iowa at Northwestern | |
| Michigan State at Purdue | |
| Penn State at Minnesota | |
| Sunday, March 3 | Indiana at Maryland |
| Michigan at Ohio State | |
| Rutgers at Nebraska | |
| Tuesday, March 5 | Purdue at Illinois |
| Wednesday, March 6 | Indiana at Minnesota |
| Northwestern at Michigan State | |
| Thursday, March 7 | Rutgers at Wisconsin |
| Saturday, March 9 | Minnesota at Northwestern |
| Sunday, March 10 | Illinois at Iowa |
| Michigan State at Indiana | |
| Maryland at Penn State | |
| Nebraska at Michigan | |
| Ohio State at Rutgers | |
| Wisconsin at Purdue |
*****************AUTO RACINGS NEWS*******************
AUTO RACING: HAMLIN DECLARES HIMSELF THE MAN TO BEAT IN NASCAR. SAINZ ENDS VERSTAPPEN’S WIN STREAK
NASCAR CUP SERIES
AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400
Site: Fort Worth, Texas.
Schedule: Saturday, practice, 12:35 p.m., and qualifying, 1:20 p.m.; Sunday, race, 3:30 p.m. (USA).
Race distance: 267 laps, 400 miles.
Last year: Tyler Reddick won after starting fourth.
Last race: Denny Hamlin took the lead off pit road and led the final 135 laps at Bristol, beating Kyle Larson by 2.462 seconds in the first elimination race of the Cup Series playoffs.
Fast facts: Defending series champion Joey Logano, retiring Kevin Harvick, Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell were eliminated from the playoffs. Logano is the first defending champ not to make it out of the first round the following year. … Bubba Wallace and Reddick, who drive for the 23XI Racing team co-owned by Hamlin and Michael Jordan, also advanced in the playoffs. … Pole sitter Christopher Bell led a race-high 187 laps. … Hamlin led 142 laps in all, and Ty Gibbs led 102.
Next race: Oct. 1, Talladega, Alabama.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
Andy’s Frozen Custard 300
Site: Fort Worth, Texas.
Schedule: Saturday, practice, 10:35 a.m., qualifying, 11:05 a.m., and race, 3:30 p.m. (USA).
Track: Texas Motor Speedway.
Race distance: 200 laps, 300 miles.
Last year: Noah Gragson won his fourth consecutive race after starting second.
Last race: Justin Allgaier won at Bristol for the second time in his career — the first win came in 2010 — and earned a spot in the second round of the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs.
Fast facts: The victory was Allgaier’s third of the season. … Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove his first race of the season and was contending before his car caught fire with 29 laps remaining. … Earnhardt plans to race again at Homestead-Miami in late October. … Daniel Hemric, who will move up to the Cup Series next year for Kaulig Racing, finished second after starting the race ranked 11th in the 12-driver playoff field. John Hunter Nemechek finished third, followed by Cole Custer and Chandler Smith. … Regular-season champ Austin Hill finished 32nd after contact with Richard Childress Racing teammate Sheldon Creed caused him to crash.
Next race: Oct. 7, Concord, North Carolina.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR TRUCK SERIES
Last race: Regular-season champion Corey Heim passed Christian Eckes with six laps to go and won at Bristol, becoming the first driver to secure a spot in the championship finale.
Next race: Sept. 30, Talladega, Alabama.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
FORMULA ONE
Japanese Grand Prix
Site: Tokyo, Japan.
Schedule: Thursday, practice, 10:30 p.m.; Friday, practice, 2 a.m. and 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 2 a.m.; Sunday, race, 1 a.m. (ESPN).
Track: Suzuka International Racing Course.
Race distance: 53 laps, 191.053 miles.
Last year: Max Verstappen won from the pole position.
Last race: Carlos Sainz Jr., who earned his first podium in the previous race, ended two-time defending series champion Verstappen’s record run of 10 straight victories and Red Bull’s run of 15 straight wins in Singapore, with both Red Bull drivers finishing off the podium.
Fast facts: Sainz won from the pole … Verstappen finished fifth and Sergio Perez eighth after struggling all weekend. … The result was Verstappen’s worst since Nov. 2022, but he still increased his championship lead to 151 points over Perez with seven races to go. … McLaren’s Lando Norris finished second and the Mercedes seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was third. … Charles Leclerc was fourth, one spot ahead of Verstappen.
Next race: Oct. 8, Doha, Qatar.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
INDYCAR
Last race: Scott Dixon won at Laguna Seca, his third win of the season, all in the last four races. The six-time champion gave Chip Ganassi Racing a 1-2 finish in the standings. A week earlier, teammate Alex Palou became the first driver in 18 years to clinch the title before the final race of the season.
Next race: Next season.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
NHRA DRAG RACING
Last event: Doug Kalita won in Top Fuel and Robert Hight won in Funny Car in Mohnton, Pennsylvania.
Next event: Sept. 22-24. Concord, North Carolina.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
WORLD OF OUTLAWS
Next events: Sept. 22, Eldora, Ohio, and Sept. 23, Hartford, Ohio.
Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars
TOP INDIANA RELEASES/NEWS
********************COLTS NEWS************************
COLTS RELEASE UNOFFICIAL DEPTH CHART FOR WEEK 3 GAME VS. BALTIMORE RAVENS
OFFENSE
» WR: Michael Pittman Jr.
» LT: Bernhard Raimann
» LG: Quenton Nelson, Arlington Hambright
» C: Ryan Kelly, Wesley French
» RG: Will Fries, Josh Sills
» RT: Braden Smith, Blake Freeland
» TE: Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree
» TE: Kylen Granson, Will Mallory
» WR: Josh Downs, Isaiah McKenzie
» WR: Alec Pierce
» QB: Anthony Richardson, Gardner Minshew, Sam Ehlinger
» RB: Zack Moss, Deon Jackson, Jake Funk
- With Anthony Richardson and Ryan Kelly still in concussion protocol, their status for Sunday’s game has not yet been determined.
- In Week 2, Zack Moss had 107 yards from scrimmage with a rushing touchdown. That was the second-most yards he’s had in an NFL game.
DEFENSE
» DE: Kwity Paye, Tyquan Lewis, Jake Martin
» DT: DeForest Buckner, Taven Bryan
» NT: Grover Stewart, Eric Johnson II, Adetomiwa Adebawore
» DE: Samson Ebukam, Dayo Odeyingbo, Isaiah Land
» WLB: Shaquille Leonard, Grant Stuard
» MLB: Zaire Franklin, Segun Olubi
» SAM: E.J. Speed, Cameron McGrone
» CB: Darrell Baker Jr., JuJu Brents
» FS: Rodney Thomas II, Trevor Denbow
» SS: Julian Blackmon, Nick Cross
» N: Kenny Moore II, Tony Brown
» CB: Dallis Flowers, Jaylon Jones
- The Colts had six different players get sacks in Week 2. That included DeForest Buckner and E.J. Speed, who also had two tackles for loss.
- Zaire Franklin’s 13 tackles in Week 2 gives him 30 for the season. That is the most of any Colts player through the first two weeks of the season.
SPECIALISTS
» P: Rigoberto Sanchez
» PK: Matt Gay
» H: Rigoberto Sanchez
» LS: Luke Rhodes
» KR: Dallis Flowers, Isaiah McKenzie, Josh Downs
» PR: Dallis Flowers, Isaiah McKenzie, Josh Downs
COLTS SIGN G ARLINGTON HAMBRIGHT TO THE 53-MAN ROSTER FROM THE PRACTICE SQUAD; SIGN RB TREY SERMON TO THE PRACTICE SQUAD; WAIVE T RYAN HAYES
Indianapolis –The Indianapolis Colts today signed guard Arlington Hambright to the 53-man roster from the practice squad and waived tackle Ryan Hayes. The team also signed running back Trey Sermon to the practice squad.
Hambright, 6-5, 300 pounds, has spent time on the team’s active roster and practice squad this season. He also spent time on Indianapolis’ practice squad in 2022. Hambright was originally signed to the team’s practice squad on September 1, 2022. He participated in the New England Patriots’ 2022 offseason program and training camp before being waived on August 30. In 2021, Hambright spent time on the Chicago Bears’ active roster and practice squad but did not see game action. As a rookie in 2020, he played in nine regular season games (one start) and one postseason contest with the Bears. Hambright was originally selected by Chicago in the seventh round (226th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Hayes, 6-7, 305 pounds, was claimed by the Colts off waivers (from Miami) on August 30, 2023. He participated in the Dolphins’ 2023 offseason program and training camp. Hayes was selected by Miami in the seventh round (238th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft. Collegiately, he played in 40 games (30 starts) at left tackle at Michigan (2018-22). Hayes earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors in each of his last two seasons. He was part of a Wolverines’ offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award for the nation’s top offensive line in back-to-back seasons (2021 and 2022).
Sermon, 6-0, 215 pounds, has played in 11 career games (two starts) in his time with the Philadelphia Eagles (2022) and San Francisco 49ers (2021). He has compiled 43 carries for 186 yards (4.3 avg.) and one touchdown. Sermon has also caught three passes for 26 yards (8.7 avg.) and has recorded two special teams tackles. He has appeared in one postseason contest and has tallied one special teams tackle. Sermon was originally selected by the 49ers in the third round (88th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. In 2022, he saw action in two games with the Eagles and registered two carries for 19 yards (9.5 avg.).
DWIGHT FREENEY, ROBERT MATHIS, REGGIE WAYNE AMONG 173 MODERN-ERA NOMINEES FOR PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2024
The Pro Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday announced 173 modern-era nominees for its Class of 2024, with several former Colts part of the group.
Wide receiver Reggie Wayne (2001-2014 with the Colts) will hope to take his spot in Canton after being named a finalist in each of the last four years. Defensive end Dwight Freeney (2002-2011) was also a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023, which was his first year of eligibility. Defensive end Robert Mathis (2003-2016) was named a semifinalist for the Class of 2022 and 2023 in both his years of eligibility.
Wayne, Freeney and Mathis are all members of the Colts Ring of Honor. They’ll look to get gold jackets along with five other members of those great Colts teams of the 2000s: Quarterback Peyton Manning (Class of 2021), running back Edgerrin James (Class of 2020) and wide receiver Marvin Harrison (Class of 2016), as well as general manager Bill Polian and head coach Tony Dungy.
Among the other former Colts nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Center Jeff Saturday (1999-2011), safety Bob Sanders (2004-2010), kicker Mike Vanderjagt (1998-2005) and punter Pat McAfee (2009-2016).
Kicker Adam Vinatieri will first be eligible as a modern-era candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.
*********************INDIANS BASEBALL**********************
GONZALES RECORDS FIRST CAREER CYCLE AS INDIANS ROCK RED WINGS WITH 21 HITS IN 19-1 ROUT
INDIANAPOLIS – Nick Gonzales hit a 450-foot, tape-measure home run in the first inning, doubled and tripled during an eight-run sixth and singled through the right side of the infield in the eighth to complete his first career cycle, and the Indianapolis Indians ran away with a 19-1 win over the Rochester Red Wings on Tuesday night at Victory Field.
Hitting was contagious for Indianapolis (67-76, 34-35) from start to finish as eight of nine players in Indy’s lineup hit safely, including a 9-for-19 showing with runners in scoring position. Canaan Smith-Njigba (4-for-6, 2 R, 2B, HR, 5 RBI), Ryan Vilade (5-for-6, 2 R, 2B, 4 RBI) and Vinny Capra (3-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI) joined Gonzales with monster nights at the dish. Gonzales’ cycle was the seventh for Indy since 1996 – six coming at Victory Field – and first by an Indian since Kevin Newman and Jacob Stallings both accomplished the feat on Aug. 7, 2018, vs. Lehigh Valley. Gonzales’ four-hit performance was his fourth of the season and ninth of his career, and he also tied season highs with five RBI and four runs, the latter also matching a career high.
After Rochester (64-77, 30-38) plated the first run of the game in the opening frame on a Derek Hill home run to left, Gonzales leveled the score in the bottom half with his longest home run of the season and second-longest by an Indian this year, trailing only a 466-foot blast by Josh Palacios on July 26 vs. Louisville. The moonshot bounced off the concourse beyond the grass berm in left-center.
Smith-Njigba put Indy in front for good two innings later with a two-run homer, pushing his career-high mark to 14 on the season. He then followed a bases-loaded walk to Gonzales in the fourth with a two-run double to make it 6-1 before hustling home on a two-run single by Vilade that capped the five-run burst.
Leading 8-1 through five, Indy sent 12 batters to the plate to double its run total. Chris Owings singled and took third on Gonzales’ two-bagger before Smith-Njigba singled up the middle. Vilade then reached safely on a run-scoring fielder’s choice that preceded back-to-back fielding errors, loading the bases for Vinny Capra, who drove in two with a single to left. Grant Koch joined the hit parade with a sharp RBI single to right, and Gonzales tagged a bases-clearing triple into the right-center alley. The eight-run frame matched Indy’s largest of the season set on May 31 vs. Toledo.
Vilade doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Domingo Leyba in the seventh, and the Indians tallied two more runs in their final trip to the plate on an RBI single by Vilade and Matt Gorski sacrifice fly.
Smith-Njigba’s four-hit night was his second of the season and sixth of his career. It was also his second five-RBI game of the season and third of his career. Vilade reached the five-hit threshold for the first time this season and third time of his career, and he also logged a career-high tying four RBI.
Indianapolis’ 21 hits marked the club’s most since logging a Victory Field era record 23 on April 27, 2018, at Columbus. The 21-hit total was also Indy’s highest mark at Victory Field since notching 22 on May 31, 2005, vs. Louisville. The Indians’ 19 runs tied the Victory Field mark previously set on May 6, 2004, vs. Charlotte, and the 18-run margin of victory was also the largest ever at Victory Field and second largest since 1996, the biggest being a 21-1 rout at Columbus on July 6, 2017.
Noe Toribio (W, 1-0) – promoted from Double-A Altoona to Indy prior to the game – threw 2.2 scoreless innings in relief of Max Kranick, who yielded one earned run with strikeouts in 3.0 innings pitched. Mitchell Parker (L, 0-1) was charged with seven earned runs in 3.1 innings of work to suffer the loss.
The Indians and Red Wings continue the series on Wednesday at 1:35 PM ET. Rochester will send RHP Tommy Romero (5-6, 5.27) to the bump. Indy has not yet named its starter.
***********************INDY ELEVEN**************************
PREVIEW #PHXVIND
#PHXvIND Preview
Indy Eleven at Phoenix Rising FC
Wednesday, September 20, 2023 – 10:30 p.m. ET
Phoenix Rising Stadium – Phoenix, Arizona
Follow Live
Streaming Video: ESPN+ (click to subscribe)
In-game updates: @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed
Stats: #PHXvIND MatchCenter at USLChampionship.com
2023 USL Championship Records
Phoenix Rising FC: 12W-8L-9D (16), 45 pts; 4th in the Western Conference
Indy Eleven: 11W-10L-8D (5), 41 pts; 6th in Eastern Conference
Community Health Network Sports Medicine Indy Eleven Injury Report
OUT: Y. Oettl (ankle), C. Chapman-Page (quad), A. Quinn (knee)
QUESTIONABLE: TBD
SETTING THE SCENE
The Boys in Blue travel to Phoenix Rising FC for a Wednesday night contest, looking to bounce back.
The Eleven are coming off a 3-2 loss vs New Mexico United and are 3-1-1 in their last five games. With an 11-10-8 record, Indy is sixth in the USLC Eastern Conference. Phoenix is 4-0-1 in its last five matches and is coming off a 5-0 win over Detroit City FC. PHX is fourth in the Western Conference at 12-8-9.
| PHX | IND | |
| 29 | Games | 29 |
| 50 | Goals | 37 |
| 34 | Goals Conceded | 32 |
| 45 | Assists | 25 |
| 117 | SOT | 97 |
| 131 | Shots Faced | 112 |
| 7 | Clean Sheets | 10 |
SERIES VS. PHOENIX
Wednesday marks the first meeting between the two teams. This weekend’s match-up is the lone match of the season between the two teams.
A FAMILIAR FOE
Indy Eleven is no stranger to Phoenix head coach Juan Guerra, who played for the Boys in Blue in 2018, making 15 starts in 25 appearances. The midfielder had a goal and two assists for the club before going on to serve as an assistant coach during the 2019 and 2020 season. Likewise, Phoenix striker Manuel Arteaga played for the Eleven back in 2021 where he scored 10 goals that season and two assists.
On Indy’s side, Solomon Asante played in Phoenix from 2018-2022 where he was a two-time MVP. Similarly, Aodhan Quinn played for Phoenix between 2021-2022.
LAST TIME OUT
NM 3:2 IND
SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
Indy Eleven fell 3-2 at New Mexico United on Friday evening. Indy falls to 11-10-8, while New Mexico improves to 10-13-6.
A 10th-minute corner put the Boys in Blue ahead when Cam Lindley found Sebastian Guenzatti for his team-leading 10th goal of the season. The strike moved him to 69 total in USL Championship action, tied for seventh all-time. The assist was Lindley’s third of 2023.
Before the break, New Mexico was able to equalize as Sergio Rivas found the back of the net to make it a 1-1 game via a Nicky Hernandez assist. Hernandez went on to tally his own goal in the 64’ minute. The match winner came from a penalty kick in the 86’ minute when Justin Portillo put New Mexico up 3-1.
Jesus Vazquez grabbed one back for Indy in stoppage time, his first of the season. However, the comeback was not enough.
USL Championship Regular Season
New Mexico United 3:1 Indy Eleven
Friday, September 15, 2023 – 9:00 p.m. ET
Isotopes Park – Albuquerque, New Mexico
2023 USL Championship Records
New Mexico United: 10W-13L-6D (-3), 36 pts
Indy Eleven: 11W-10L-8D (5), 41 pts
Scoring Summary
IND – Sebastian Guenzatti (Cam Lindley) 10′
NM – Sergio Rivas (Nicky Hernandez) 44′
NM – Nicky Hernandez (Zico Bailey) 64′
NM – Justin Portillo (penalty) 86′
IND – Jesus Vazquez 90+4′
Discipline Summary
NM – Kaylen Ryden (caution) 25′
NM – Justin Portillo (caution) 27′
IND – Jack Blake (caution) 39′
IND – Time Trilk (caution) 84′
IND – Jesus Vazquez (caution) 84′
***************INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL*****************
BIG TEN ANNOUNCES 2023-24 MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Big Ten Conference announced the 2023-24 men’s basketball schedule on Tuesday afternoon. Indiana will open the 20-game league slate on Dec. 1 against Maryland.
Tipoff times and television designations will be announced at a later date.
Indiana will play Purdue, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin twice during the regular season, while playing Iowa, Michigan State, and Northwestern in front of the home crowd at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and Illinois, Michigan, and Rutgers on the road.
The first two games of the conference schedule, against Maryland and at Michigan (Dec. 5), will take place during a stretch in which Indiana plays six of seven games against high-major opponents. The month-long stretch features non-conference matchups in the Empire Classic on Nov. 19 and 20, a Holiday Hoopsgiving tilt with Auburn on Dec. 9, and a return game against Kansas on Dec. 16.
Big Ten play will resume with eight January games beginning with a road matchup against Nebraska (Jan. 3). Indiana will then play three of the next four games at home with games against Ohio State (Jan. 6), Minnesota (Jan. 12), and Purdue (Jan. 16). The lone road game in that stretch comes at Rutgers (Jan. 9). Indiana will hit the road for consecutive games against Wisconsin (Jan. 19) and Illinois (Jan. 27). The month will conclude with a home tilt against Iowa (Jan. 30).
February will feature league games at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall against Penn State (Feb. 3), Northwestern (Feb. 18), Nebraska (Feb. 21), and Wisconsin (Feb. 27). The Hoosiers will be on the road against Ohio State (Feb. 6), Purdue (Feb. 10), and Penn State (Feb. 24).
The Hoosiers will play three games in the month of March to close out the regular season, beginning with a two-game road trip at Maryland (March 3) and at Minnesota (March 6). IU finishes the regular season at home against Michigan State (March 10).
The 2024 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will begin with first-round games on March 13. Teams earning a single bye will begin play on March 14, while double-bye programs will kick off the quarterfinal round on March 15. The Big Ten Tournament champion will be crowned on March 17. All 13 games of the tournament will be played at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
@IndianaMBB
For all the latest on Indiana University men’s basketball, be sure to follow the team at @IndianaMBB on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
#GoIU
2023-24 Indiana Men’s Basketball Schedule
EXHIBITIONS
Oct. 29 (Sunday) – Indianapolis – TBD – TBD
Nov. 3 (Friday) – Marian – TBD – TBD
REGULAR SEASON
Nov. 7 (Tuesday) – Florida Gulf Coast – TBD – TBD
Nov. 12 (Sunday) – Army – TBD – TBD
Nov. 16 (Thursday) – Wright State – TBD – TBD
EMPIRE CLASSIC BENEFITING THE WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT PRESENTED BY CONTINENTAL TIRE
Nov. 19 (Sunday) – vs. UConn – 1 p.m. – ESPN (Madison Square Garden, New York)
Nov. 20 (Monday) – TBD – TBD – ESPNU (Madison Square Garden, New York)
Nov. 26 (Sunday) – vs. Harvard – TBD – TBD (Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis)
Dec. 1 (Friday) – Maryland* – TBD – TBD
Dec. 5 (Tuesday) – at Michigan* – TBD – TBD
HOLIDAY HOOPSGIVING
Dec. 9 (Saturday) – vs. Auburn – TBD – TBD (State Farm Arena, Atlanta)
Dec. 16 (Saturday) – Kansas – TBD – TBD
Dec. 19 (Tuesday) – Morehead State – TBD – TBD
Dec. 21 (Thursday) – North Alabama – TBD – TBD
Dec. 29 (Friday) – Kennesaw State – TBD – TBD
Jan. 3 (Wednesday) – at Nebraska* – TBD – TBD
Jan. 6 (Saturday) – Ohio State* – TBD – TBD
Jan. 9 (Tuesday) – at Rutgers* – TBD – TBD
Jan. 12 (Friday) – Minnesota* – TBD – TBD
Jan. 16 (Tuesday) – Purdue* – TBD – TBD
Jan. 19 (Friday) – at Wisconsin* – TBD – TBD
Jan. 27 (Saturday) – at Illinois* – TBD – TBD
Jan. 30 (Tuesday) – Iowa* – TBD – TBD
Feb. 3 (Saturday) – Penn State* – TBD – TBD
Feb. 6 (Tuesday) – at Ohio State* – TBD – TBD
Feb. 10 (Saturday) – at Purdue* – TBD – TBD
Feb. 18 (Sunday) – Northwestern* – TBD – TBD
Feb. 21 (Wednesday) – Nebraska* – TBD – TBD
Feb. 24 (Saturday) – at Penn State* – TBD – TBD
Feb. 27 (Tuesday) – Wisconsin* – TBD – TBD
March 3 (Sunday) – at Maryland* – TBD – TBD
March 6 (Wednesday) – at Minnesota* – TBD – TBD
March 10 (Sunday) – Michigan State* – TBD – TBD
2024 BIG TEN MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
March 13-17 (Wednesday-Sunday) – Target Center – Minneapolis
All times listed in eastern time. All times and television designations are subject to change.
*****************INDIANA MEN’S SOCCER*******************
SARVER, HOOSIERS SERVE SHUTOUT WIN
BLOOMINGTON — It was derby day delight for Indiana men’s soccer.
The Hoosiers (3-2-2, 0-0-1 B1G) scored early and threatened often in a 1-0 victory over Butler (1-4-1, 1-0-0 BIG EAST) Tuesday (Sept. 19) night on Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
Junior Samuel Sarver broke the tie in the 10th minute after a bit of skill to assist from freshman Collins Oduro.
Indiana earned its fourth clean sheet in seven matches this season, holding Butler to seven shots with none on target. Butler’s season scoring leader, sophomore Palmer Ault, was held without an attempt through the 90 minutes. In comparison, the Hoosiers recorded seven shots on goal from 16 total attempts.
KEY MOMENTS
• 10′ – Oduro used his quickness to get around a defender in the left side of the box a fired a cross around his mark. Sarver split the defenders and finished at the near post.
• 18′ – A Hoosier corner was pushed out of the box but into the path of sophomore Luka Bezerra. He struck first time, and his pacey effort just missed the crossbar high.
• 34′ – Combination play between senior Brett Bebej, Sarver and junior Tommy Mihalic allowed Mihalic a chance of goal. The Bulldog defense did well to put Mihalic on left on a tough angle enough that he fired his shot into the keeper.
• 45′ – IU dominated the first half with 64 percent possession and a 7-2 shots advantage.
• 66′ – A chance on the counter came to the head of senior forward Karsen Henderlong, but he put it wide at the back post.
• 83′ – Freshman Alex Barger found space and took a shot from about 20 yards out that forced a diving save at the back post from Bulldog redshirt senior goalkeeper Caleb Norris.
• 90′ – A turnover led to a Mihalic chance in front of goal, but the junior was unlucky as a Bulldog defender came flying in to deflect the shot.
NOTABLES
• Indiana earned its fourth clean sheet in five matches at home. IU has conceded three goals all season, a goals against average of 0.43, while allowing one goal at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
• IU earned its third straight victory against Butler and fourth straight home win in the derby.
• The Hoosiers have posted double-digit shots in each game this season, averaging 16 shots per match.
• Indiana has allowed two or fewer shots on goal in five of seven matches and has not conceded more than eight in any match.
• Sarver scored his second goal of the season and No. 13 of his career. He leads the team in points with six.
• Oduro recorded his first-career assist, and ranks second on the team in points with five.
UP NEXT
Indiana returns to Big Ten Conference play on Friday when it travels to play undefeated Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
*******************INDIANA VOLLEYBALL*****************
VOLLEYBALL CENTRAL: VS. ILLINOIS
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana Volleyball team (10-3, 0-0) begins the 20-game Big Ten gauntlet on Wednesday (September 20th) evening with a visit from Illinois.
The match will be the first of four for the Hoosiers broadcasted nationally on the Big Ten Network (8:00 PM) with Connor Onion (PxP) and Elena Shkylar (Color) on the call.
IU has won three Big Ten home openers under head coach Steve Aird including the past two in 2021 (Michigan State) and 2022 (Iowa). The Hoosiers are riding a seven-game win streak into Wednesday’s match, the program’s longest since the 2019 campaign.
Five Hoosiers went for double-digit kills in a win last Friday night in Miami (FL) including sophomore opposite Avry Tatum (17) and graduate student middle blocker Kaley Rammelsberg (15).
IU will go for back-to-back wins over the Illini for the first time since (2000). The Hoosiers won the programs’ last meeting on November 23rd, 2022.
Match Info
Wednesday, September 20, 2023 | vs. Illinois | 8:00 PM ET
TV: Big Ten Network
Live Stats
Hoosier News and Notes
Team Breakdown
• The Hoosiers opened their 2023 campaign at the Indiana Invitational, sweeping New Hampshire, Southern Indiana and Radford in commanding victories.
• IU tested itself early in the season with a trip to the Long Beach Invitational. A tough weekend at The Beach, which featured three defeats and eight of nine set loss by four of fewer points, was a strong litmus test for the Hoosiers in the early going of the season.
• With a straight sweep of opponents at the Stacheville Challenge and four wins at the 305 Challenge, IU has now won seven-straight contests heading into Big Ten play.
• 12 players from last year’s roster return including All-Big Ten junior setter Camryn Haworth, junior outside hitter Mady Saris, senior outside hitter Morgan Geddes and senior middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede.
• IU adds Cincinnati transfer Avry Tatum (OPP) as well as talented freshmen Ramsey Gary (L), Ava Vickers (MB) and Luca Fickell (S) to the roster.
The Hoosiers
• IU closed out non-conference play with four wins in Miami at the 305 Challenge including an impressive five-set thriller over Miami (FL) on its home court.
• Graduate student Kaley Rammelsberg as well as Haworth and Saris were All-Tournament selections at the Stacheville Challenge (Sept. 8-9) as IU handled opponents in three easy sweeps.
• Haworth followed that up by winning the program’s first Big Ten weekly honor of the season (Setter of the Week) after an impressive showing at the 305 Challenge (Sept. 15-16).
• A perfect weekend in Miami ensured the Hoosiers 10 wins in the non-conference for the first time since 2019 and be the fourth season since the turn of the century the program brought 10+ wins and at least one power five victory home out of the preseason.
• Steve Aird became the first coach in program history with multiple seasons of 10+ wins in non-conference with at least one true road win over Power Five team (2019 and 2023).
• IU’s nine victories by sweep in the non-conference were the most since winning nine during the 2010 preseason.
• As a team, the Hoosiers are 1st in the Big Ten and 9th nationally with 2.28 aces per set. In total, IU has 98 aces on the season including 33 from Haworth (tied No. 1 in Big Ten).
• The Hoosiers are 23rd in the NCAA and 2nd in the Big Ten in total team blocks, racking up 113.0 stuffs across the first 13 matches of the season.
• IU is holding opponents to just .150 hitting offensively which ranks third in the Big Ten this season.
Building on Momentum
• The Hoosiers took a massive step forward in the 2022 season, playing to 16 total wins including nine in the conference. IU finished eighth in the conference after being picked 13th to begin the season.
• IU won nine conference games in 2022 compared to four in 2021 which marked a five-win increase, tied for the second-biggest jump in program history.
• An overall jump from 10 to 16 wins in 2022 was tied for the third-biggest improvement between seasons in program history.
Returning Numbers
• IU returns a strong core of athletes from its 2022 team including six of seven starters. Coming along with that includes a large majority of team statistics from last year that return for another go-around. The Hoosiers return 98.4% of kills and 96.8% of blocks from last year’s roster.
• Four different players on IU’s roster last year had 200+ kills and all four athletes return including Saris, Geddes, Kjolhede and sophomore outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles.
Player Watch
#10 Haworth, Camryn
• Haworth was 4th in the Big Ten in assists (1,111), 6th in assists per set (9.03) and 1st in aces (49) in 2022. So far in 2023, she is No. 1 in the Big Ten in assists (423) and aces (33).
• She became the first IU athlete to earn First Team All-Big Ten honors since 2010 (Ashley Benson) and was named to the 2023 Preseason All-Big Ten team.
• The Fishers, Ind. native became the 11th player in program history to record 2,000 assists, crossing the mark in a 33-assist effort against Jacksonville on September 16th.
• She is third all-time in aces during the rally era (124) and could challenge for the rally-era ace record (130) this season across IU’s 33 matches. She is one of just 19 IU players all-time to have ever recorded 100+ aces. Overall, she is 8th all-time in program history with 124 aces.
• For her career, Haworth has 2,038 assists, 541 digs and 124 aces. She is just the fourth player in program history with 2,000+ assists, 500+ digs and 100+ aces in an IU uniform.
• She matched her career high with 51 assists in a win at Miami (FL), the third time in her career she’s recorded 50+ assists in a single match. She has had four or more aces on seven occasions in her time at IU including a five-ace performance over Stetson last weekend.
• The junior was named the conference’s setter of the week after her performance in Miami, becoming the first IU player to win a Big Ten weekly award in consecutive seasons since Ashley Benson (2009-10).
#4 Saris, Mady
• Mady Saris finished 6th in the Big Ten in kills (427) last year, 8th in kills per set (3.47) and 6th in points (489) as the Hoosiers’ top offensive weapon in 2022.
• Saris is in line to become the next member of the 1,000 kill club at IU. She has 825 kills through two seasons and would become the 20th athlete to eclipse the mark in an IU uniform.
• She reached double-digit kills in all three games at the Indiana Invitational including 14 in a victory over Southern Indiana. For her career, she’s reached 10+ kills on 48 occasions across three seasons.
• The junior has started and contested in all 77 matches of her collegiate career. She was named to the Stacheville Challenge All-Tournament team after recording 38 kills in three matches.
• A six-rotation outside hitter for the Hoosiers, Saris is IU’s first choice on offense and has been a consistent rock in the lineup since arriving in 2021.
#18 Rammelsberg, Kaley
• The graduate student had the most productive weekend of any Hoosier this season, earning Tournament MVP honors at the Stacheville Challenge after putting away 25 kills and blocking 23 shots.
• For her career, between stops at IU and High Point, Rammelsberg has 842 kills, 340 blocks and 1065.5. points while hitting a collective .342 with 1821 attempts.
• IU’s all-time hitting percentage list is based on athletes with over 1,000 career attempts in the Cream and Crimson. In three seasons, she has hit .318 which is second in program history.
• Her 23 blocks across the three-game Stacheville Challenge were the most in a three-match span by an IU athlete since the 2014 campaign.
• She followed up her impressive weekend with a 15-kill effort in the win over Miami (FL) just one from matching her career high set at Georgia Tech in 2021. Rammelsberg is top-10 in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.391) and total blocks (45.0) this season.
#15 Kjolhede, Savannah
• The Colleyville, Texas native was one of the Big Ten’s best blockers last year and is 8th among active Big Ten players in blocks (294).
• She is 14th all-time in blocks at IU and is only six away from becoming the 14th athlete with 300+ blocks in an IU uniform. It would take 325 total stuffs to crack the top-10 in IU’s all-time ranks.
• The veteran middle has played in 93 games of her college career and has started 90 of those including all 18 during her freshman campaign which was shortened by COVID-19. The only games she missed was the opening against Radford and Lindenwood in which she was a healthy, unused sub.
• She and Rammelsberg have combined to play 208 matches, put away 1,373 kills and reject 634 shots during their collegiate careers: making them one of the most veteran duos in college volleyball. Duke’s middle blocker duo (229 career matches) and Dayton’s (226) are the only ones confirmed to have played more.
#32 Gary, Ramsey
• One of the top-rated prep liberos in the 2023 class, Gary has lived up to the billing early in her college career. She has 167 digs across 13 matches including three 15+ dig efforts over the weekend in Miami
• Her 167 digs are most among Big Ten freshmen and most among Power Five freshmen in the NCAA this year ahead of Illinois’s Lily Barry (144) in both categories.
BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL
Hoosiers among middle group of teams.
• IU was picked 8th in the Big Ten Preseason Volleyball poll, its highest mark since the conference begin ranking all 14 teams.
• Camryn Haworth made the Preseason All-Big Ten team, IU’s first such honor since the 2010 season (Ashley Benson).
Opponent Breakdown: Illinois
Series History: 18-74-1 (Illinois leads) | Last Meeting: 11/23/22 (W, 3-1)
• The Illini open the Big Ten slate at 5-5 after dropping a pair of five-set matches to USC and UCF last weekend.
• All-Big Ten outside hitter Raina Terry is Illinois’ preferred attacker, leading the team with 185 kills (4.63 per set).
• Freshman Lily Barry has 144 digs on the season while sophomore Brooke Mosher runs the team’s offense.
****************PURDUE FOOTBALL********************
(WISCONSIN NOTES)
BADGERS OPEN BIG TEN PLAY: The Wisconsin Badgers open their 128th season of Big Ten play on Friday night when they travel to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on Purdue. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT and will be televised live by FS1. Wisconsin has won 16 consecutive meetings with Purdue and has claimed the last 9 games in West Lafayette. The Badgers have not lost at Purdue since 1997. With Big Ten play beginning, UW owns a 54-22 (.711) record in regular season conference play since the Big Ten went to its current format in 2014. Only Ohio State owns a higher winning percentage in the Big Ten and just five Power 5 schools have posted a better regular season conference clip than the Badgers over that span. The Badgers own a 40-12 (.769) record vs. the Big Ten West since the league moved to its current divisions in 2014.
KEY NOTES TO CONSIDER: Phil Longo directs Wisconsin’s offense for his first season on Fickell’s staff. With the Air Raid touching down in Madison, the Badgers have still found success on the ground. RBs Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi have helped UW to 5.71 yards per carry clip, the highest in the Big Ten. No Big Ten team has more rushing TDs than the Badgers’ 10 this season. Wisconsin’s 35 points in its win over Georgia Southern were its most when not throwing for a touchdown since a 35-14 win over Michigan on Sept. 21, 2019 Last season, Allen ran for 1,242 yards and 11 touchdowns as the Badgers’ lead back during his sophomore campaign, becoming the 5th Badger in program history to run for 1,000 yards as both a freshman and a sophomore. Wisconsin’s pair of leading tacklers from 2022, LB Maema Njongmeta and LB Jordan Turner, return to bolster the center of the Badger defense. Njongmeta, a third-team All-Big Ten selection, logged 95 tackles, 12.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks and an INT in 2022. His 89.9 PFF grade last season was the highest among active P5 LBs. S Hunter Wohler has been a playmaker all over the field in DC Mike Tressel’s system. Wohler earned Big Ten defensive player of the week honors after picking off two passes and making 10 tackles, including a sack, in Wisconsin’s win over Georgia Southern. Wohler has now collected 10+ tackles in three straight games, becoming the first Badger to do so since Leo Chenal in 2021. Wohler leads the Badgers and ranks 2nd in the Big Ten with 34 tackles this season. No Power 5 player has more solo tackles than his 26. Wohler’s two INTs contributed to UW’s 5 in the win, the most in a single game for the Badgers since at least 1988. QB Tanner Mordecai, who joined the Badgers after two record-setting seasons at SMU, has weapons at his disposal in the new-look offense. New wideouts Bryson Green (Oklahoma State), Will Pauling (Cincinnati) and C.J. Williams (USC) have already made an impact in the passing game and Chimere Dike returns after leading the Badgers with 47 catches for 689 yards and 6 TDs in 2022.
BIG TEN BEGINNINGS: The Badgers are 54-22 (.711) in regular season conference play over the last 9 seasons (2014-22), since the Big Ten went to its current divisional alignment. Only Ohio State (70-6, .921) has a better record over that span. The Badgers’ 54-22 mark is the sixth best regular season conference record of any Power Five team during that time frame.
(PURDUE NOTES)
• With non-conference games in the books, Purdue Football begins Big Ten play with a Friday night matchup under the lights of Ross-Ade Stadium. The Boilermakers host Wisconsin in the first conference game under head coach Ryan Walters. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on FS1. • In 135 seasons of Purdue Football, the Boilermakers have never hosted a Big Ten opponent on a Friday. This week’s contest will be the 13th Friday game in school history. • Purdue and Wisconsin have split the all-time matchups in September, winning three times apiece. • The Boilermakers enter conference play as the reigning Big Ten West champions after going 6-3 a season ago. • Purdue is in the middle of a three-game homestand, as four of the Boilermakers’ five September games are at home. • The Boilermakers began the 2022 campaign 1-2 before winning seven of their next nine games and claiming the Big Ten West outright. • The Purdue defense has forced an interception in seven straight games, dating back to last season’s win over Illinois (Nov. 12, 2022). • Purdue’s Air Raid offense makes a Big Ten-best 24 completions per game and ranks second in passing offense with 275.0 yards per game. • Mel Gray will be Purdue’s honorary captain for Friday night’s matchup. The former Boilermaker tailback rushed for 1,765 yards over two seasons (1982-83) before becoming a three-time First Team All-Pro return specialist for the Detroit Lions. • Purdue has had a different leading receiver in all three games this season: Deion Burks vs. Fresno State (152 yards), Max Klare at Virginia Tech (64 yards), AbdurRahmaan Yaseen vs. Syracuse (114 yards). • With 127 total receiving yards in this first three years as a Boilermaker, Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen nearly equaled that total with career highs in catches (10) and yards (114) against Syracuse. He holds the team lead in receptions with 18 this season, and his 6.0 receptions per game lead the Big Ten. • Ranking 14th nationally with 10.3 tackles per game, including a nation’s best 8.7 tackles per game, freshman Dillon Thieneman has paced Purdue in tackling in all three games. He recorded a career-high 14 tackles last week versus Syracuse. • Cam Allen and Dillon Thienemen lead the team with two INTs apiece to top the Big Ten and rank ninth nationally. • Redshirt-freshman tight end Max Klare is the nation’s leading freshman tight end in receptions (15), receptions per game (5.0) and receiving yards (151).
****************PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL******************
BIG TEN ANNOUNCES 2023-24 MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Big Ten Conference announced its 2023-24 composite schedule, releasing the dates of the Boilermakers’ 20-game conference slate. The announcement completes Purdue’s 31-game regular-season schedule that tips off Nov. 6, against Samford, in Mackey Arena
Times and TV designations will be released at a later date.
In its seventh straight year playing a 20-game league schedule, the Boilermakers will once again open Big Ten play prior to the holiday break. Purdue opens league play on the road for the first time since the 2017-18 season when it travels to face last year’s Big Ten runner-up, Northwestern, on Friday, Dec. 1. The Boilermakers will then close out the initial Big Ten stretch by hosting Iowa on Monday, Dec. 4.
In the previous six years under the current format, Purdue went 2-0 just twice (2017-18; 2022-23).
Following their final four non-conference games, the Boilermakers will then resume conference play, opening the New Year on Jan. 2, by traveling to face a strong Maryland squad. Following the game with the Terrapins, Purdue hosts Illinois on Jan. 5, travels to Nebraska on Jan. 9, then returns home to host Penn State on Jan. 13.
The Boilermakers will then begin their only two-game road trip on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at Indiana and Saturday, Jan. 20, at Iowa.
Purdue closes out the first half of the Big Ten schedule on Jan. 23, when it hosts Michigan, and then heads to New Jersey on Sunday, Jan. 28, to battle Rutgers.
Similar to last year, Purdue will have only four home games in its first half of the league schedule, before having the bulk of its home games in February.
Northwestern travels to Mackey Arena to begin the second half of league play on Wednesday, Jan. 31. After a game at Wisconsin on Feb. 4, Purdue returns home for its only two-game league homestand, by hosting Indiana on Saturday, Feb. 10, and Minnesota on Feb. 15.
A trip to Ohio State on Sunday, Feb. 18, and a home game against Rutgers on Thursday, Feb. 22, sets up a Michigan stretch. The Boilermakers travel to Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 25, then will have six days to prepare for a key March 2 (Saturday), showdown with Michigan State in Mackey Arena.
Purdue closes out the regular season on Tuesday, March 5, at Illinois and on Sunday, March 10, when it hosts Wisconsin on Senior Day.
The Big Ten Tournament will be held at the Target Center in Minneapolis, from March 13 to 17.
For its home conference slate, Purdue will have a game in Mackey Arena on every day of the week and five weekend games (Friday through Sunday). On the road, Purdue will play four games on Tuesday and four road games in a row on Sunday (Jan. 28 – Rutgers; Feb. 4 – Wisconsin; Feb. 18 – Ohio State; Feb. 25 – Michigan). It will play six road weekend games (Friday through Sunday).
Mackey Arena has been sold out for 57 straight games dating to the 2018-19 season and the Boilermakers are 73-12 against Big Ten teams in Mackey Arena since the 2014-15 season, the league’s best record by a whopping six games.
Purdue is ranked in the top five of almost every “early” top-25 national polls after posting a 29-6 record and winning the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles a year ago. The Boilermakers have been ranked in the AP top five in 16 straight weeks entering the season.
*****************BUTLER VOLLEYBALL***********************
BUTLERVB SET TO HOST XAVIER AND CREIGHTON FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF BIG EAST ACTION
INDIANAPOLIS – The BIG EAST conference play is set to begin this week! The Bulldogs will open the conference competition in consecutive matches at home inside Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler will face off with Xavier on Wednesday night at 6 PM, for the first time since the Musketeers knocked the Bulldogs out of the BIG EAST tournament last season. The weekend will come to a close with a Friday night matchup against nationally-ranked Creighton at 6 PM.
Bulldog Bits
– The Bulldogs completed the non-conference play with a 6-5 record and rank seventh in the conference standings.
– BU holds a 7-17 record all-time against Xavier. The Bulldogs last win came in a four-set victory on Nov. 21, 2021.
– The Musketeers knocked Butler out in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST tournament last season in four sets.
– Creighton has dominated the Bulldogs holding an 18-1 all-time record. Butler won the first meeting in four sets against the Blue Jays on Oct. 4, 2013, but have since lost the last 18 matches.
– Since joining the BIG EAST in 2013, the Bulldogs are just 3-7 in conference openers. All three wins came on the road, including a win over DePaul in four sets last season.
– As a team, Butler ranks third in the BIG EAST with 12.21 assists per set and 15.60 digs per set while also ranking second in total digs with 671.
– The Bulldogs rank third nationally with 38.07 attacks per set totaling 1637 attacks this season.
– Jaymeson Kinley currently holds a conference-best 5.05 digs per set, which ranks 17th in NCAA after reaching 217 digs this season.
-Kinley moved up to fifth on the Butler all-time list for career digs after her career total reached 1,671 digs last weekend.
– Cora Taylor leads the BIG EAST with 10.47 assists per set totaling 450 assists on the season.
– Mariah Grunze and Abby Maesch were both named to the Dayton Beavercreek Invitational All-Tournament team last weekend.
– Three Bulldogs tallied 15 or more kills in the last match against Cincinnati including Abby Maesch (21) Elise Ward (17) and Mariah Grunze (15).
– Taylor set a new career-high 56 assists last weekend against Cincinnati, which is the third most in a match this season by any BIG EAST setter.
SCOUTING XAVIER: The Musketeers arrive in Indianapolis to play for the first time since they bested the Bulldogs in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST tournament last season. Xavier began their 2023 campaign with a 7-4 record that included plenty of ups and downs. The Musketeers went undefeated in the opening tournament beating Indiana State (3-1), Cincinnati (3-1) and Alabama State (3-0) before failing to win a set in their next three matches against Colorado (3-0), Northern Colorado (3-0) and Charlotte (3-0). Xavier got back on track in their final five matches going 4-1 with wins against Buffalo (3-2), Bellarmine (3-0), Northern Kentucky (3-1) and Kennesaw State (3-0). Their lone setback came against Missouri (3-2) during this stretch.
Xavier was picked to finish third in the BIG EAST preseason coaches poll.
SCOUTING CREIGHTON: The Blue Jays have looked like the team to beat in the BIG EAST this season as the team is currently ranked 11th nationally in the AVCA Top 25 Poll headed into the matchup this weekend with a 9-2 record. Creighton won all four tournaments they attended with victories over two ranked opponents including #18 Purdue in four sets along with a sweep against #9 Minnesota. Their two losses came against Duke (3-2) and #4 Nebraska (3-1), but the Blue Jays have regained their footing and are currently riding a four game winning streak.
The Blue Jays’ offense currently ranks in the top 10 nationally in three different categories, including kills per set (4th), assists per set (6th) and attacks per set (7th). Creighton was selected to place second in the 2023 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches Poll.
TOP DAWGS: Five different Bulldogs were selected to the All-Tournament team during the first four tournaments of the season. Jaymeson Kinley was named to the Dayton Flyer Classic All-Tournament team while Elise Ward and Cora Taylor were selected to the MSU Comfort Inn-Vitational All-Tournament team. Last weekend, Mariah Grunze and Abby Maesch were recognized at the Dayton Beavercreek Invitational.
Kinley, Grunze and Maesch all made the 2023 Bulldog Brawl All-Tournament team with Kinley taking home the MVP honors.
LEGENDARY LIBERO: The two-time BIG EAST Libero of the Year Jaymeson Kinley has picked up right where she left off totaling a conference-high 217 digs (5.05 digs per set) this season. Kinley is coming off another record-breaking season after her 618 digs and 5.42 digs per set became the best marks in program history. She entered the 2023 season on the Preseason All-BIG EAST team for just the second time in program history and was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 28.
Kinley moved up to fifth on the Butler all-time list for career digs after her career total reached 1,671 digs last weekend. She is now just eight digs away from reaching fourth and is currently on pace to become Butler’s all-time career leader in digs this season.
SUPERSTAR SETTER: Setter Cora Taylor has become one of the nation’s top setters, tallying 450 total assists (10.47 assists per set) this season, which currently leads the BIG EAST and 10th in the country. The former BIG EAST All-Freshman team selection amassed 992 assists along with 9.36 assists per set, which ranked fifth in the conference last season. She currently sits at 1,442 career assists and is on pace to crack the top 10 of Butler’s all-time career assist leaders this season.
Taylor set a new career-high 56 assists last weekend against Cincinnati, which is the third most in a match this season by any BIG EAST setter.
BULLDOGS ATTACK: As a team, the Bulldogs have begun to click on offense to start the season. Butler currently ranks third in the nation with 38.07 attacks per set while their 1637 total attacks rank 48th in the country. Junior Mariah Grunze was targeted 461 times on offense this season, which leads the BIG EAST and ranks 38th in the nation while the Georgia transfer Abby Maesch has racked up 396 attacks.
Grunze and Maesch are the only duo in the BIG EAST to each have at least 395 total attacks this season. The pin hitting duo has combined 855 attacks, which is the most in the BIG EAST and 11th in the nation.
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will resume the BIG EAST action next week on the road with consecutive matches against Georgetown and Villanova.
The Bulldogs will compete against Georgetown on Sept. 29 at 7 PM followed by a match against Villanova on Sept. 30 at 7 PM.
********************BUTLER MEN’S SOCCER**********************
BULLDOGS DROP NON-CONFERENCE MATCH AT INDIANA
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Butler men’s soccer team stepped away from BIG EAST play and suffered a 1-0 loss to Indiana on Tuesday night. The Hoosiers (3-2-2, 0-0-1 Big Ten) put one in early and then held off the Bulldogs (1-4-1, 1-0-0 BIG EAST) through full time. Butler produced five shots and three corner kicks after the break but was unable to find an equalizer.
Key Moment
10′ | Indiana’s Collins Oduro carries into the left side of the box. He finds Samuel Sarver open in front of the goal, and Sarver is able to redirect the ball into an open net. Hoosiers take an early, 1-0, lead.
Bulldog Bits
Jack Streberger and Ernesto Osornio each had a pair of shots, leading the Bulldogs on offense.
Caleb Norris made four saves in the match.
Up Next
Butler will look to remain perfect in BIG EAST competition as it returns to the Sellick Bowl on Saturday evening to host No. 23 Marquette in an important conference clash.
***********************BUTLER VOLLEYBALL************************
BUTLERVB SET TO HOST XAVIER AND CREIGHTON FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF BIG EAST ACTION
INDIANAPOLIS – The BIG EAST conference play is set to begin this week! The Bulldogs will open the conference competition in consecutive matches at home inside Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler will face off with Xavier on Wednesday night at 6 PM, for the first time since the Musketeers knocked the Bulldogs out of the BIG EAST tournament last season. The weekend will come to a close with a Friday night matchup against nationally-ranked Creighton at 6 PM.
Bulldog Bits
– The Bulldogs completed the non-conference play with a 6-5 record and rank seventh in the conference standings.
– BU holds a 7-17 record all-time against Xavier. The Bulldogs last win came in a four-set victory on Nov. 21, 2021.
– The Musketeers knocked Butler out in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST tournament last season in four sets.
– Creighton has
– Creighton has dominated the Bulldogs holding an 18-1 all-time record. Butler won the first meeting in four sets against the Blue Jays on Oct. 4, 2013, but have since lost the last 18 matches.
– Since joining the BIG EAST in 2013, the Bulldogs are just 3-7 in conference openers. All three wins came on the road, including a win over DePaul in four sets last season.
– As a team, Butler ranks third in the BIG EAST with 12.21 assists per set and 15.60 digs per set while also ranking second in total digs with 671.
– The Bulldogs rank third nationally with 38.07 attacks per set totaling 1637 attacks this season.
– Jaymeson Kinley currently holds a conference-best 5.05 digs per set, which ranks 17th in NCAA after reaching 217 digs this season.
-Kinley moved up to fifth on the Butler all-time list for career digs after her career total reached 1,671 digs last weekend.
– Cora Taylor leads the BIG EAST with 10.47 assists per set totaling 450 assists on the season.
– Mariah Grunze and Abby Maesch were both named to the Dayton Beavercreek Invitational All-Tournament team last weekend.
– Three Bulldogs tallied 15 or more kills in the last match against Cincinnati including Abby Maesch (21) Elise Ward (17) and Mariah Grunze (15).
– Taylor set a new career-high 56 assists last weekend against Cincinnati, which is the third most in a match this season by any BIG EAST setter.
SCOUTING XAVIER: The Musketeers arrive in Indianapolis to play for the first time since they bested the Bulldogs in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST tournament last season. Xavier began their 2023 campaign with a 7-4 record that included plenty of ups and downs. The Musketeers went undefeated in the opening tournament beating Indiana State (3-1), Cincinnati (3-1) and Alabama State (3-0) before failing to win a set in their next three matches against Colorado (3-0), Northern Colorado (3-0) and Charlotte (3-0). Xavier got back on track in their final five matches going 4-1 with wins against Buffalo (3-2), Bellarmine (3-0), Northern Kentucky (3-1) and Kennesaw State (3-0). Their lone setback came against Missouri (3-2) during this stretch.
Xavier was picked to finish third in the BIG EAST preseason coaches poll.
SCOUTING CREIGHTON: The Blue Jays have looked like the team to beat in the BIG EAST this season as the team is currently ranked 11th nationally in the AVCA Top 25 Poll headed into the matchup this weekend with a 9-2 record. Creighton won all four tournaments they attended with victories over two ranked opponents including #18 Purdue in four sets along with a sweep against #9 Minnesota. Their two losses came against Duke (3-2) and #4 Nebraska (3-1), but the Blue Jays have regained their footing and are currently riding a four game winning streak.
The Blue Jays’ offense currently ranks in the top 10 nationally in three different categories, including kills per set (4th), assists per set (6th) and attacks per set (7th). Creighton was selected to place second in the 2023 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches Poll.
TOP DAWGS: Five different Bulldogs were selected to the All-Tournament team during the first four tournaments of the season. Jaymeson Kinley was named to the Dayton Flyer Classic All-Tournament team while Elise Ward and Cora Taylor were selected to the MSU Comfort Inn-Vitational All-Tournament team. Last weekend, Mariah Grunze and Abby Maesch were recognized at the Dayton Beavercreek Invitational.
Kinley, Grunze and Maesch all made the 2023 Bulldog Brawl All-Tournament team with Kinley taking home the MVP honors.
LEGENDARY LIBERO: The two-time BIG EAST Libero of the Year Jaymeson Kinley has picked up right where she left off totaling a conference-high 217 digs (5.05 digs per set) this season. Kinley is coming off another record-breaking season after her 618 digs and 5.42 digs per set became the best marks in program history. She entered the 2023 season on the Preseason All-BIG EAST team for just the second time in program history and was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 28.
Kinley moved up to fifth on the Butler all-time list for career digs after her career total reached 1,671 digs last weekend. She is now just eight digs away from reaching fourth and is currently on pace to become Butler’s all-time career leader in digs this season.
SUPERSTAR SETTER: Setter Cora Taylor has become one of the nation’s top setters, tallying 450 total assists (10.47 assists per set) this season, which currently leads the BIG EAST and 10th in the country. The former BIG EAST All-Freshman team selection amassed 992 assists along with 9.36 assists per set, which ranked fifth in the conference last season. She currently sits at 1,442 career assists and is on pace to crack the top 10 of Butler’s all-time career assist leaders this season.
Taylor set a new career-high 56 assists last weekend against Cincinnati, which is the third most in a match this season by any BIG EAST setter.
BULLDOGS ATTACK: As a team, the Bulldogs have begun to click on offense to start the season. Butler currently ranks third in the nation with 38.07 attacks per set while their 1637 total attacks rank 48th in the country. Junior Mariah Grunze was targeted 461 times on offense this season, which leads the BIG EAST and ranks 38th in the nation while the Georgia transfer Abby Maesch has racked up 396 attacks.
Grunze and Maesch are the only duo in the BIG EAST to each have at least 395 total attacks this season. The pin hitting duo has combined 855 attacks, which is the most in the BIG EAST and 11th in the nation.
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will resume the BIG EAST action next week on the road with consecutive matches against Georgetown and Villanova.
The Bulldogs will compete against Georgetown on Sept. 29 at 7 PM followed by a match against Villanova on Sept. 30 at 7 PM.
******************IUPUI VOLLEYBALL**********************
JAGS FALL IN #HLVB OPENER TO CLEVELAND STATE, 3-0
INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI volleyball team opened Horizon League play in the Jungle on Tuesday night when they fell to Cleveland State in three sets. Freshman Maia Long led the attack with nine kills.
In the opening set, the Vikings jumped out to a 15-8 lead before the media timeout. Service errors and service receive mistakes led to the Vikings’ early lead. Cleveland State finished out the first set at 25-16.
The Jags once again got off to a slow start in the second set when the Vikings took a 8-3 to force the IUPUI timeout. After a few more Viking points, the Jags regrouped to fight to get back in it with a kill by
Emily Alan
Emily Alan to pull the lead within six at 17-11. Cleveland State took the momentum back after a service error and closed out the match at 25-18.
With the match on the line, the Vikings held on to the momentum for most of the third set until the Jags went on a 7-2 run at 24-20 but it was too late. Cleveland State closed out the match with a kill at 25-20.
Freshman Long led with nine kills while Alan added seven and Kate White and Ava Harris each added five. Grace Purichia collected 22 assists with five digs and two kills while Addie Evans and Briana Brown each totaled ten digs and one service ace.
The Jags are now 6-6 overall and 0-1 in the conference. They travel to Wisconsin this weekend for back-to-back matches at Milwaukee (Friday, Sept. 22) and Green Bay (Saturday, Sept. 23). Both games can be watched on ESPN+.
*******************BALL STATE WOMEN’S GOLF****************
WOMEN’S GOLF EARNS BRITTANY KELLY CLASSIC TITLE
YORKTOWN, Ind. – – It was another beautiful day at The Players Club at Woodland Trails, and the Ball State women’s golf team took advantage by shooting a final-round 291 (+3) to win the second annual Brittany Kelly Classic Tuesday afternoon.
“I am extremely proud of the way we battled this week,” head coach Cameron Andry said. “We played another solid round. It was not always our best stuff, but we found a way to get the job done.”
Ball State finished the 54-hole event with a team score of 875 (+11), 14 strokes better than second place UIC’s 889 (+25).
Leading the way on the final day for the Cardinals, which picked up its first 54-hole tournament victory since the 2019 Cardinal Classic (Sept. 16-17) also played at The Players Club at Woodland Trails, was sophomore Jasmine Driscoll who shot a 69 (-3). The effort, which helped her climb from 12th entering the day to a tie for third overall at 218 (+2), included an eagle on the final hole. It was Ball State’s lone eagle of the tournament.
“Jasmine told me at the start of the round that it might not be pretty today, but I’ll get the job done,” Andry said. “It’s a beautiful mentality to have and a part of her game she’s really been working to develop. She relied a lot on her short game and putting, which has improved drastically over the last year, and towards the end the ball striking caught up. Making an eagle on the last hole was a highlight and a really good way to finish off her tournament.”
Overall, senior Kiah Parrott led the way for the Cardinals in the tournament and finished second overall with a 215 (-1). She followed rounds of 74 (+2) and 69 (-3), with an even 72 Tuesday. UIC’s Dasa Urbankova won the event at 211 (-5), with the pair being the only players in red numbers.
“You know what you are going to get with Kiah when she’s out there,” Andry said. “She’s going to give you everything she’s got and going to post a solid score. She led the way for us like a senior should and was a huge part of us being able to get the win as a team.”
As a team, the Cardinals held the edge on both Par 3s and Par 4s over the course of the two-day event, averaging 2.98 (-1) and 4.16 (+28), respectively. Ball State also finished second on Par 5s at 4.96 (-2). BSU also led all teams with 42 birdies, with UIC in second at 34.
“I was really impressed with the composure with which we competed,” Andry concluded. “Monday didn’t get off to a super-fast start, but we hung in there. If you were out there watching, you would have never known. In the morning when we were not playing well and in the afternoon when we were rolling, it all looked the same. Today, they were relaxed and came out and played. We did a lot of the right things and hopefully we can build on this moving forward.”
The next opportunity comes Sept. 25-27 when the Cardinals compete at the Golfweek Red Sky Golfweek Challenge at the Red Sky Golf Club in Vail, Colorado.
BALL STATE INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
2nd – Kiah Parrott – 215 (-1): 74-69-72
T3rd – Jasmine Driscoll – 218 (+2): 75-74-69
T8th – Sabrina Langerak – 222 (+6): 76-70-76
T11th – JJ Gregston – 223 (+7): 70-76-77
T15th – Madelin Boyd (i) – 227 (+11): 79-75-73
T15th – Sarah Gallagher – 227 (+11): 77-76-74
T25th – Payton Bennett (i) – 229 (+13): 77-74-78
T38th – Jenna Estravillo (i) – 231 (+15): 81-76-74
T56th – Madelyn Young (i) – 236 (+20): 83-75-78
Team Standings
1st – Ball State, 875 (+11)
2nd – UIC, 889 (+25)
3rd – Western Michigan, 902 (+38)
4th – Loyola, 904 (+40)
5th – UNC Asheville, 9-9 (+45)
6th – IUPUI, 910 (+46)
7th – Ohio, 911 (+47)
T8th – Cleveland State, 915 (+51)
Eastern Michigan, 915 (+51)
10th – Dayton, 920 (+56)
11th – Purdue Fort Wayne, 932 (+68)
12th – Valparaiso, 938 (+74)
13th – Western Illinois, 947 (+83)
********************NOTRE DAME MEN’S SOCCER*****************
DOWD’S MASTERCLASS HIGHLIGHTS 0-0 DRAW AT #4 AKRON
AKRON, Ohio — The No. 15 Fighting Irish men’s soccer team came away with a 0-0 draw on the road against No. 4 Akron on Tuesday evening at FirstEnergy Stadium. Notre Dame now has a record of 4-1-3 on the year.
The story of the night for Notre Dame was the play of senior goalkeeper Bryan Dowd, who turned in the best performance of his Fighting Irish career. The shot-stopper made a career-high 12 saves to keep the clean sheet intact.
The shutout marks Notre Dame’s fourth of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Notre Dame was under duress for most of the first half, as the Zips’ attack created all the chances in the opening 45 minutes of play. Fortunately for the Irish, Dowd was up to the task, making eight saves in the first half to keep the match scoreless heading into the halftime break.
The second stanza was much more evenly played, as the Irish settled into the match. Although Notre Dame was unable to generate great scoring chances, it did a much better job at limiting the hosts at creating shots. After 90 minutes of action, the match ended scoreless and the points were shared.
McFARLAND FAMILY MEN’S HEAD SOCCER COACH CHAD RILEY’S TAKE
On the performance…
“Overall I’m pleased with the resilience the team showed and the response as Akron was very good. Credit to them, they are a top team and well-deserving of the ranking they have right now but I loved how our team got tougher tonight. They hung in together. Obviously Bryan Dowd had another great performance for us and I’m overall pleased with the fight and the toughness the team showed tonight.”
On the play of Dowd…
“He was locked in from minute one. Sometimes that can be hard to do and they created some good moments early and he was ready right away which is a huge credit to him.”
On getting a draw on the road against a top-five team…
“Hope this makes us a little bit tougher and we get a little bit stronger in our togetherness and we look to build on this.”
UP NEXT
The Irish return to South Bend for a pivotal ACC matchup against Virginia at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 22 at Alumni Stadium. Notre Dame fans are encouraged to wear green as part of the Irish Wear Green initiative for the weekend. The match will air on ACCN.
*******************PURDUE FT. WAYNE VOLLEYBALL*****************
BETTS RECORDS CAREER-HIGH 31 DIGS AGAINST OAKLAND
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – LonDynn Betts set a career-high of 31 digs on Tuesday night (Sept. 19) as Purdue Fort Wayne women’s volleyball fell to Oakland 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-21).
Betts is the first Mastodon since Rachael Crucis on October 19, 2019 to cross the 30-dig threshold. She had 15 of her digs in the final frame.
Oakland took the first set by two points. Panna Ratkai had five of her team-high 11 kills in the opening set. Ratkai had two more kills in the second set, but couldn’t hold off the Golden Grizzlies in the second as Oakland took the set 25-15. The ‘Dons held the Golden Grizzlies to .081 hitting in the second set.
Trailing 23-19 in the third set, the ‘Dons scored two points in a row, including a kill from Ratkai. But Oakland held off the ‘Dons to collect the final two points and clinch the three-set win. Joanna Larsen had five kills in the third set.
Ainsley Guse and Patti Cesarini had nine kills for Oakland.
Ratkai had a double-double with 11 kills and 16 digs, her seventh of the season.
The ‘Dons fall to 5-8, 0-1 Horizon League. Oakland improves to 7-6, 1-0. Purdue Fort Wayne travels to Green Bay on Friday to continue Horizon League play.
****************EVANSVILLE MEN’S SOCCER*****************
UE MEN’S SOCCER COMES UP SHORT AGAINST NO. 10 LOUISVILLE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The University of Evansville men’s soccer team kept one of the top teams in the country scoreless for over 70 minutes in a 2-0 loss on Tuesday night.
Seven different players registered a shot for the Purple Aces in a tough 90-minute battle with No. 10 Louisville Tuesday evening. But two goals in the final 12 minutes from the Cardinals pushed them past UE for Evansville’s fourth loss of the season. Midfielder Ola Arntsen was one of three players to record multiple shots and was the only one to put two on goal. Forward Kai Phillip and defender Nacho Diaz-Caneja also recorded two shots with one on goal a piece while winger Nkosi Graham had the best on-goal opportunity for the Aces in the 73rd minute. Goalkeeper Jacob Madden made three saves over 90 minutes for the Aces.
“It was disappointing to lose, especially giving up a goal in the last 15 minutes,” said Interim Head Coach following the match. “That’s the fourth time we’ve done that this year, all four losses have happened that way. That was really disappointing but I thought that the amount of effort that our guys put in was incredible. I don’t think we could have asked any more from them.
“The things that we spoke about in our game prep, they executed for the most part. I thought we really grew into the game and started creating some pretty good chances. But once we extended ourselves, I think Louisville’s quality showed and that happened with the two goals. We’re running out of moral victories but I think that we can take some positives from this game. We talked about choosing to fight before the match and with our backs up against the wall, we did that. I’m proud of our guys for how we played tonight, and how we responded to certain things that happened. But we need to learn the lesson and start getting some wins on the board.”
It was a slow first half on both sides as the teams traded fouls through the first 25 minutes. Louisville picked up offensively in the 26th minute, taking four shots in 12 minutes. UE had its best opportunity of the half in the final five minutes as midfielder Nate Roberts found himself alone on the left side of the goal during a corner kick. Roberts got a foot on the ball but sent it high over the net. Diaz-Caneja added the last shot of the first half in the final second outside of the penalty box that went wide right.
The Cardinals quickly pressed to start the second half with two shots in under three minutes. But Evansville found its offense right after, responding with a close shot from winger Auden Engen Vik that hit the right side of the net. It became a back-and-forth battle over the next 22 minutes. Graham had an open opportunity for the Aces in the 73rd minute with a header right in front of the goal that forced Louisville’s goalkeeper to make a diving save left. But the Cardinals found their opportunity in the 79th minute with a goal from the left side of the penalty box that beat Madden in the upper right corner. Louisville tacked on the final goal of the night on a penalty shot in the final five seconds after Madden took down a player on a breakaway in the box.
Evansville returns to conference action this weekend against new MVC addition Northern Illinois. UE is set to take on the Huskies at Arad McCutchan Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 23. Kick-off against NIU is scheduled for 7 p.m.
*******************SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S SOCCER***************
EAGLES POST THRILLING 3-2 VICTORY
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Soccer got into the win column for the first this season with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Northern Kentucky University Tuesday night at Strassweg Field. The Screaming Eagles rise to 1-6-0, while NKU goes to 1-3-3.
The victory was the first for USI over NKU since 2003 when both teams were a part of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. USI’s win also evened the series which dates back to the 1980s at 15-15-1.
USI senior midfielder Nick Faddis (St. Louis, Missouri) gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead with 2:07 left in the first half on a penalty kick. Faddis’ first goal of the season put USI into the lead for the first time in 2023 and snapped the five game/500-plus minute scoreless drought.
The Eagles’ defense also stood out in the first half as the Norse had possession of the ball for 28 of the first 45 minutes and had seven shots at the USI goal.
In the second half, USI quickly expanded first half lead to 2-0 when freshman midfielder Pablo Juan (St. Louis, Missouri) recorded his first collegiate goal at 53:05. Juan was assisted on the play by senior midfielder Marky Lara (Evansville, Indiana) and junior midfielder Garland Hall (Evansville, Indiana).
After USI went a man down due to a second yellow card by junior midfielder Fabrice Remy (Coral Springs, Florida), the Norse rallied to knot the match at 2-2 with tallies at 69:48 and 74:57.
The Eagles responded and regained the lead, 3-2, at 77:09 when Hall posted his first collegiate goal for the eventual game winner. Hall was assisted by Faddis, who sent a free kick to him in the box.
USI held off the NKU offensive attack for the remaining 13 minutes to preserve its first victory of the season.
Eagles freshman Andrew Klott (St. Charles, Missouri) posted his first collegiate win in the match. Klott allowed two goals and made four saves in 77:09 minutes of action.
Junior goalkeeper Braden Matthews (Princeton, Indiana) finished the game in goal for the Eagles and preserved the victory without facing a shot in the final 12:51.
NEXT UP FOR USI:
The Eagles conclude the four-game homestand September 28 when they open Ohio Valley Conference action for the first time by hosting Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at Strassweg Field. The match is slated for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
SIUE is 4-0-2 to start the year and is slated to play Webster University September 22 before visiting USI. The Cougars were 1-0-1 last week, posting a 1-0 win over Western Illinois University and a 1-1 tie at Bradley University.
The Cougars leads the all-time series with the Eagles, 13-3-1, and in conference play, 12-1-1 (GLVC). Two of USI’s three victories over SIUE came during the Eagles’ first move to Division I in 1993 (4-2 at Strassweg Field) and 1994 (4-0 at SIUE). The Cougars won last year’s match-up in Edwardsville, 5-1, and have taken the last five meetings, dating back to 2002 GLVC Tournament.
******************VALPO MEN’S GOLF**********************
A record-setting performance by Caleb VanArragon (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) helped him cruise to medalist honors with an eye-popping margin of victory at this week’s Valpo Fall Invitational, hosted by the Valparaiso University men’s golf program at the par-72, 7054-yard Sand Creek Country Club course in Chesterton, Ind. VanArragon’s historic showing helped the Beacons roll to the team crown in the nine-team, 63-player event, which wrapped up on Tuesday with the participants battling wet and rainy conditions.
How It Happened
There was little doubt about VanArragon taking medalist honors, which he closed out by carding a 68 (-4) on Tuesday. His glowing 54-hole score of 201 (-15) was 16 strokes better than the next closest competitor, runner-up Artemiy Yalovenko of DePaul. VanArragon had the best 18-hole score in the tournament field in each of the three rounds.
The Beacons hoisted team championship hardware after finishing the 54 holes with a stroke count of 869 (+5). The team battled its way to a 292 (+4) while facing difficult weather conditions for Tuesday’s final round. The hosts outdid runner-up Evansville by 13 strokes for the team title. Bradley rounded out a top three that featured all Missouri Valley Conference programs.
Sophomore Owen Sander (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) completed an incredibly consistent tournament by producing another 84 (+2) in Tuesday’s round. That was his score in each of the three rounds, adding up to 222 (+6) to help him achieve a top-10 finish at t-9.
The second-best round by a Beacon behind only VanArragon on Tuesday came courtesy of Sam Booth (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel), who had his best showing of the tournament with a 73 (+1) to climb to t-14 on the player leaderboard. Freshman Adam Melliere (Zionsville, Ind. / Zionsville) joined him at t-14 as both golfers finished the event at 226 (+10).
Valpo battled through adversity to earn the tournament crown with both the weather and lineup absences wreaking havoc. Two of the team’s top three golfers were sidelined this week as Anthony Delisanti (illness) and Mason Bonn (injury) did not compete.
Inside the Rounds
Inside the Rounds
VanArragon lifted an individual medalist trophy for the second time in as many tournaments this season just a week after winning Air Force’s Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational. He won medalist honors for the fourth time in his collegiate career.
VanArragon finished in the top two in a tournament for the 13th time in his career while also achieving his 21st top-5 finish and 31st top-10 finish. He has finished in the top 10 in 15 of his last 17 tournaments.
The Beacons defended their home tournament crown, winning the event for the second straight year. Last year’s Valpo Fall Invitational also marked the squad’s most recent team title prior to Tuesday, but they notched three team runner-up finishes last season as well.
VanArragon’s 54-hole score in relation to par of -15 shattered the previous program record of -13, which was set by Delisanti at the 2023 MVC Championship and matched by VanArragon last week at Air Force.
VanArragon’s 54-hole tournament score of 201 ranks second in program history, a single stroke behind Delisanti’s 200 at the 2023 MVC Championship.
The team’s 54-hole score of +5 ranks tied for 10th in program history.
Valpo led the field in both par-4 scoring (4.21) and par-5 scoring (4.70).
VanArragon led the tournament on all three variations of holes, averaging 2.92 on Par 3s, 3.80 on Par 4s and 4.33 on Par 5s.
Valpo produced 42 birdies, tied for the most in the tournament with Evansville.
VanArragon accounted for a tournament-most 16 of those birdies.
VanArragon eagled the par-5 first hole in Round 3.
Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring
“The sweetness of winning never gets old! The entire team channeled all of its preparation and abilities into our home tournament and we were blessed with a team victory that we will remember for a long time. With a couple of our players out of our lineup with sickness and injury, we had others totally step up to play very well for us. We showcased the depth that we have on our team the last couple of days, along with the determination to play well on our home course. This is one of the most gratifying victories that I have been a part of in my 13 years as head coach. Despite another day of steady rain and wet conditions, each one of our players really wanted this team championship, and they played with a lot of heart and grit in each round.”
“Out of the three rounds, the golf course played the most difficult in today’s round. The pin positions were very challenging, and the guys managed the course well to put themselves in positions to attack those pins. Our birdie production was lower today than the first two rounds, but we still made a lot of important pars and kept our margin against Evansville. I was very pleased with how we kept ourselves out of big scores on holes and how we played the Par 3s. We had another solid start to our final round, maintained a good margin during the middle of the round and finished the tourney with some steady pars.”
“What a tremendous tournament by Caleb! Coming off an emotional medalist victory at Air Force, Caleb wanted to finish his final home tournament with a victory, and he did it in resounding fashion. I’m not sure if I have ever seen an individual player lead every scoring statistic in a tournament. He led every player stat category (Par 3, Par 4 and Par 5), showcasing the incredible balance in his game. While his ball-striking actually wasn’t his best, his chipping and putting were exemplary and that led to his birdie production. Our team was thrilled for his victory, our team victory and we already can’t wait to compete in our next tournament.”
Up Next
The Beacons will have a week off from tournament play before taking part in the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational beginning on Monday, Oct. 2 at Colorado National GC in Erie, Colo.
*****************VALPO WOMEN’S GOLF*******************
KEIL LEADS VALPO ON FINAL DAY AT BALL STATE
The Valparaiso University women’s golf team was led by Madison Keil (LaGrange, Ind. / Lakeland) on Tuesday in the third and final round of The Brittany Kelly Classic, a 13-team, 81-player competition hosted by Ball State at the par-72, 6226-yard Players Club in Yorktown, Ind. Keil and Anna Fay (Ada, Mich. / Forest Hills) both cracked the program record book with their performances this week, while the team put together one of its all-time best 54-hole tournament scores.
How It Happened
Keil stroked a 73 (+1) on Tuesday, the best round by a member of the Beacons during the season so far. That helped her climb into the top 20 at t-20 with a 54-hole output of 228 (+12).
Keil was joined at t-20 by Fay, who posted scores of 77 or better in each of her three rounds including a 77 (+4) to close out the event on Tuesday.
Seeing the first action of her collegiate career and golfing as an individual this week, Katelyn McCoy (Chesterton, Ind. / Chesterton) had the third-best Round 3 score by a Beacon. She closed out her debut tournament with a personal-best 80 (+8) on Tuesday.
Valpo carded a team score of 314 (+26) in Round 3, finishing the event at 938 (+74). The Brown & Gold outdid Western Illinois on the team leaderboard to claim 12th and finished just six strokes in back of Purdue Fort Wayne for 11th.
The host Cardinals won the event at 875 (+11), while Dasa Urbankova of UIC took medalist honors at 211 (-5).
Inside the Round
Keil’s 73 tied for the best 18-hole score of her collegiate career as it marked the fifth time in her Valpo tenure that she has turned in a 73. She ranks tied for eighth in the program record book with that score.
Keil had her fourth career round of +1 on Tuesday, tying for seventh in program history for 18-hole score in relation to par.
Keil and Fay both tied for the fifth-best 54-hole tournament score in program history at 228. In relation to par, their 54-hole score of +12 tied for fourth in program history.
Valpo’s team score of 938 ranked fourth in program history for 54-hole tournament low. The team’s top four 54-hole tournament performances since the program was formed in 2009 have all come over the last three seasons.
The team’s 54-hole score in relation to par of +74 ranks third in program history, behind only the 2021 Redbird Invitational (+67) and the 2022 Cardinal Classic (+72).
Valpo drained 25 birdies during the tournament, 10 of which came courtesy of Fay. She was one of six golfers in the tournament with double-figure birdie production.
Thoughts from Head Coach Jill McCoy
“I’m very proud of Maddie and Anna this week. They are really starting to play solid and consistent. It’s a lot of fun to watch boring golf!”
Up Next
Valpo will be off from competition next week before returning to the course to take part in the Butler Fall Invitational beginning on Monday, Oct. 2 at Highland GC in Indianapolis.
****************VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL*****************
VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ANNOUNCES NONCONFERENCE SLATE
A pair of 20-win teams from a season ago and an NCAA Tournament participant are among the nine opponents for the Valpo women’s basketball team in its 2023-24 regular season nonconference schedule.
The Beacons open the regular season Sunday, Nov. 12 at Eastern Illinois, which won 21 games last season. Six days later, on Saturday, Nov. 18, Valpo takes to the floor of the ARC for its home opener, welcoming Western Illinois to town.
A stretch of four consecutive road games follows, beginning with a Nov. 21 visit to Southern Miss, which won 21 games and shared the Sun Belt regular season title in 2022-23. On the other side of Thanksgiving, Valpo takes on UAB Nov. 25 before returning to the Midwest to play at Western Michigan Nov. 29. The four-game swing concludes Dec. 3 at Purdue, which won 19 games last year, finished with a winning record in Big Ten play and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Beacons return to the ARC for a brief step away from regular season action Thursday, Dec. 7 as they host IU Northwest in an exhibition game. Two days later, on Saturday, Dec. 9, Valpo hosts Chicago State. Following final exams, the nonconference slate wraps up with a pair of games at Stetson, where the Beacons face off with Bethune-Cookman Dec. 19 and the host Hatters Dec. 20.
Valpo returns eight letterwinners, including three of its top four scorers, from last year’s squad, while also welcoming in a talented group of seven newcomers.
***************VALPO WOMEN’S SOCCER*****************
SOCCER OPENS MVC PLAY AT EVANSVILLE, INDIANA STATE
Valparaiso (4-2-2, 0-0-0 MVC)
Thursday, Sept. 21 – at Evansville (0-3-4, 0-0-1 MVC) – 6 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 24 – at Indiana State (1-2-6, 0-0-1 MVC) – noon CT
Next Up in Valpo Soccer: The road to defending the Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship begins this weekend for Valpo, as the Beacons open Valley play with a pair of road matches against their in-state foes: Thursday evening at Evansville and Sunday afternoon at Indiana State.
Previously: Valpo’s last weekend of nonconference action featured a 2-0 win at Youngstown State and a 1-1 draw at Eastern Michigan. The Beacons had a bye on the first match day of the MVC schedule.
Looking Ahead: Valpo returns home for the first time in nearly a month next weekend, welcoming Missouri State (Sept. 28) and Murray State (Oct. 1) to Brown Field.
Following the Beacons: Both of this weekend’s matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Links for the live video and live stats can be found at ValpoAthletics.com.
Head Coach John Marovich: In his 16th season at the helm of the Valpo program, John Marovich holds a 125-114-44 (.519) record both overall and at Valpo as a head coach. The 2014 Horizon League Coach of the Year and the head of the 2022 MVC Coaching Staff of the Year, Marovich holds Valpo’s all-time records for both victories and winning percentage.
Series Notes: Evansville – One of Valpo’s most common opponents of all time, the Purple Aces hold an 11-5-4 advantage in the all-time series. But Valpo has had the better of the series of late, with a 3-1-2 edge since the start of the 2019 campaign. One of those three wins came in last season’s meeting, a 3-0 Beacons win on Brown Field on Oct. 9. Molly O’Rear’s goal in the 26th minute was the eventual match-winner that day, while Addy Joiner and Abbey Hillman added insurance tallies. Nikki Coryell made four saves in that match to earn the shutout.
Indiana State – Valpo owns a commanding 13-3-2 lead in the all-time series over the Sycamores, including a 6-1-0 advantage since joining the Valley. The Beacons carry a W4 streak into Sunday’s fixture, including a 4-1 win on Brown Field on Oct. 23 last season in the regular season finale which helped Valpo clinch the MVC regular season title. Molly O’Rear and Addy Joiner netted Valpo’s first two goals, with Andrea Garcia adding a brace to finish things off.
Scouting the Opposition: Evansville – The Purple Aces enter Thursday’s match at 0-3-4 on the season, with a draw in their MVC opener against Illinois State thanks to an 82nd minute goal from Amy Velazquez – UE’s first goal of the season. Myia Danek has seen most of the action in goal and owns a 1.08 GAA and an .811 save percentage.
Indiana State – The Sycamores come into the week at 1-2-6 overall and played to a scoreless draw at Belmont in their MVC opener. Maddie Helling has scored a team-best two of ISU’s six goals on the season, while Maddie Alexander owns a 0.94 GAA and an .822 save percentage in goal.
Valpo Picked Second
Valpo Picked Second in Preseason Poll: The Beacons were chosen to finish in second place in preseason polling of the MVC head coaches. Valpo, which picked up one first-place vote and tallied 107 points in the polling, trailed only Missouri State in the voting. The Beacons far outpaced third-place UIC, which totaled 92 points. Notably, the program has matched or surpassed its preseason projection in each of its first six seasons in the Valley.
Quartet of Preseason Honorees: Plenty of individual standouts have helped Valpo get to the point where it is regarded as one of the Valley’s top programs, and four of them were honored with preseason All-MVC accolades. Fifth-year Nicole Norfolk joined seniors Lindsey DuSatko and Nikki Coryell as preseason First Team All-MVC selections, while junior Addy Joiner picked up Honorable Mention accolades.
Looking Back at Last Season: Valpo’s journey up the MVC table over the last few years culminated last season with a dramatic final day of the regular season which saw the Beacons emerge with the MVC regular season championship – Valpo’s first team title in any sport since joining the Valley. The Beacons finished the season with an 8-7-4 overall record, including a 7-1-2 mark in MVC action to claim the regular season crown. Nikki Coryell was named MVC Goalkeeper of the Year for a third straight season, while John Marovich, Brianne Barnes and Noah Smith were honored as the Valley Coaching Staff of the Year. Nicole Norfolk was named a Third Team All-Region honoree as well.
Regular Season Champions: Trailing by two points entering the final match day, Valpo needed a win and some help to earn the 2022 MVC regular season title, and got both. Molly O’Rear’s goal in the 36th minute against Indiana State not only gave the Beacons a lead they would not surrender, it put Valpo atop the live conference table for good, as Illinois State led Missouri State at that point, 2-0, en route to a 4-2 win. For Valpo, it was the program’s fourth regular season conference championship. Valpo previously won Mid-Continent Conference regular season crowns in back-to-back seasons in 2005 and 2006, and posted a perfect record to claim the 2014 Horizon League regular season title.
Who’s Back and Who’s New: Valpo returns 18 letterwinners, including nine starters, from last year’s squad which claimed the MVC regular season title. The returnees accounted for 16 of the Beacon’s 19 goals and 17 of their 18 assists in Valley play last season. 11 newcomers round out the 2023 roster – nine incoming freshmen, one transfer and one redshirt.
Incremental Improvement: Since finishing joint sixth in the MVC table and missing out on the conference tournament via tiebreaker during the 2018 season, Valpo has improved its position in the final Valley standings each of the next four seasons. Valpo closed out the regular season in fifth place in 2019, finished tied for third in the spring of 2021 and were regular season runners-up in the fall of 2021 before claiming the regular season crown last fall.
Defense Stands Tall: Valpo’s success in conference play the last few years starts in the back with the strong play of three-time MVC Goalkeeper of the Year Nikki Coryell and the Beacons’ defense. Last season’s championship side surrendered just five goals in 10 Valley regular season matches and did not give up more than one goal in any conference fixture. In fact, dating back to the start of the spring 2021 campaign, Valpo has surrendered one goal or fewer in 25 out of 26 MVC matches – the lone exception being the fall 2021 regular season finale at Loyola.
Strong Nonconference Record: With their win at Youngstown State and draw at Eastern Michigan, the Beacons finished nonconference play with a 4-2-2 record. This year’s side is the first Valpo team to finish above .500 in nonconference action since the 2017 squad went 6-5-0 outside of Valley play. It is the program’s best nonconference record since going 4-1-4 in 2014.
A Long Road Stretch: This weekend’s pair of matches conclude a stretch of five consecutive true road matches for hte Beacons, as it will be 28 days between home games on Brown Field. It is just the third time in the last 22 seasons that Valpo plays five straight road matches – the last instance coming in a similar time frame in 2017, when the program closed the preconference schedule with four road matches and then opened MVC play on the road.
A Lengthy Respite: Valpo enters its MVC opener against Evansville on Thursday evening coming off a lengthy break, as due to its bye on the first match day of the conference slate, the Beacons will go 11 days between matches. The 11 days between fixtures is the longest stretch between regular season matches in program history.
Joiner Just Keeps Scoring: One season after pacing Valpo in the goal-scoring department, junior Addy Joiner has continued her prolificacy in 2023. She netted just the eighth hat trick in program history on August 31 against Chicago State, and eight days later found the back of the net again for the eventual match-winner at Youngstown State. Joiner has scored a team-high five goals this year, tied for second in the Valley, and has 15 career goals to rank tied for eighth in program history.
Just Another Player of the Week: It’s become like clockwork to expect a conference Player of the Week announcement for the Valpo soccer program on a seemingly weekly basis the last few years. Joiner was named MVC Offensive Player of the Week following her Chicago State hat trick, Valpo’s second honoree this year after Allie Anderson earned the same award following three goal involvements on opening weekend. In all, 10 players on the 2023 squad have combined for 23 MVC weekly accolades since the start of the spring 2021 campaign.
Scoring and Creating: Senior Lindsey DuSatko entered the August 31 match versus Chicago State without a point on the season and having never been involved in multiple goals in the same match in her career. Fast-forward four matches, she ranks second on the team with seven points, having tallied two goals and three assists in that stretch. DuSatko assisted on the opening goal and then scored on the eventual match-winner versus Chicago State, assisted on the match-winner and scored an insurance tally in the win at Youngstown State and capped it off with an assist on the late equalizer at Eastern Michigan.
A Late Equalizer: Fifth-year midfielder Allie Anderson came up with a clutch goal last time out at Eastern Michigan, volleying one home from the center of the box in the 86th minute to tie the match at 1-1. The goal, Anderson’s second of the season, was the latest regulation equalizer for Valpo since Tahelah Noel netted a goal 75 seconds from the end of regulation to force extra time in an eventual win over Eastern Illinois on Sept. 1, 2017. It was the latest equalizer in a draw for Valpo since Sept. 10, 2004 at Toledo, when Kelly Faulkner scored at the 87:06 mark in a 1-1 tie with the Rockets.
Making Debuts: Six players have made their first appearances in the Valpo uniform this season, five of those collegiate debuts. DePaul transfer Aubrey Ramey started and played all 90 minutes at right back in both matches on opening weekend, tallying an assist in the opener against Eastern Illinois. Freshman Anna Cup also played all 180 minutes on opening weekend, slotting in immediately at center back. Freshman Daisy Boardman debuted with a 55-minute stint off the bench against EIU and then made her first collegiate start against NIU, going 58 minutes. Freshman Julianna De Simone saw her first collegiate action with a 26-minute shift on the front line versus NIU. Freshman Eve Miller made her collegiate debut with 20 minutes off the bench at Purdue, while most recently, freshman Hannah Gabriel came in for a 30-minute stretch in the win over Chicago State.
Three-Time Goalkeeper of the Year: Senior goalkeeper Nikki Coryell has quite simply been the Valley’s top goalkeeper throughout her career, as she has been honored as the MVC Goalkeeper of the Year in each of her three seasons. Last season, Coryell posted an 8-5-4 record with a 0.91 GAA and an .800 save percentage, posting seven clean sheets. Coryell and the Valpo defense surrendered just five goals in 10 MVC matches last season and posted five shutouts – matching the program record for the most clean sheets within conference play in a single season. In her three Goalkeeper of the Year campaigns, Coryell has posted a cumulative GAA of 0.59 and a save percentage of .878 in conference play. In 26 MVC fixtures, she holds a 16-4-6 record and has recorded 14 shutouts, giving up one goal or fewer in 25 of those 26 matches.
Running Up Top: Senior forward Lindsey DuSatko enters the 2023 campaign having earned All-Conference honors in each of the last two seasons, as she was a Second Team honoree in 2021 and a First Team choice last season. The pacey forward was tied for second among Valley players with four assists in MVC-only play in 2022, picking up a helper apiece in four of Valpo’s regular season conference wins, and scored a goal as well. DuSatko assisted on the match-winning goal in the Beacons’ win at Murray State and scored the game-tying goal in Valpo’s draw with Southern Illinois.
Locking Down the Back Line: Fifth-year center back Nicole Norfolk has been the linchpin in the Valpo defense ever since stepping onto campus prior to the 2019 season. The stalwart in the back was a First Team All-MVC honoree in 2022 after earning Second Team recognition the previous year. Valpo’s record holder for consecutive minutes played by a field player, Norfolk played all but 14 minutes of Valpo’s first 15 matches of the 2022 season before suffering an injury in mid-October. With Norfolk on the field during Valley regular season play, Valpo surrendered just one goal in 544 minutes of play. Norfolk added Third Team All-Midwest Region honors to her resume as well last season.
Joiner Just Keeps Scoring: Junior forward Addy Joiner was more than just a spark off the bench in 2022 – she was an assassin in front of goal. A First Team All-MVC honoree, Joiner finished the regular season with a Valley-high seven goals on the year and eventually concluded the season in second place with her seven tallies. The two-time MVC Offensive Player of the Week scored six of her seven goals in Valley play, one apiece in six of Valpo’s seven MVC Victories. Her six goals in conference play were the most by a Valpo player in league action since Jackie Kondratko netted six goals in Horizon League matches in 2009.
Wait, There’s More!: The aforementioned four First Team All-MVC honorees from a season ago represent just over half of the total number of honorees from last season’s regular season champions. Fifth-year midfielder Allie Anderson picked up Second Team All-MVC recognition in 2022, while junior left back Abby White was a Third Team All-MVC choice. Sophomore Molly O’Rear rounds out last year’s award winners, as she claimed a spot on the MVC All-Freshman Team.
Even More on Last Year’s Awards: Valpo’s four First Team honorees in 2022 set a program record for postseason honors, as the program previously boasted three First Team All-League recipients on three occasions. The Beacons have had multiple First Team All-MVC honorees each of the last three seasons, and also have had at least one representative on the MVC All-Freshman Team in each of their six seasons in the conference.
*****************VALPO FOOTBALL********************
FOOTBALL TO HOST PFL OPENER ON HOMECOMING SATURDAY
Valparaiso (0-2, 0-0 PFL)
at Marist (0-2, 0-1 PFL)
Game #3 Saturday, Sept. 23, Noon CT
Brown Field (5,000) – Valparaiso, Ind.
This Week in Valpo Football: The Pioneer Football League opener is always a big deal. The first home Valparaiso University football game of the season is an even bigger deal. And the homecoming football game is the biggest deal of all. This year, all three of those dates are wrapped up into one as part of a Brown Field extravaganza on Saturday as Marist comes to town for a high noon kickoff and a big game for the Beacons, who are coming off a bye week. The program will also honor the past this week as homecoming weekend represents a 20-year anniversary celebration for the 2003 Pioneer Football League championship team.
Previously: Prior to a week off from game action, Valpo fell 24-22 at Indiana Wesleyan on Sept. 9 in a game where a late rally fell just shy. Tytus Ragle had three big catches in the second half including a 14-yard touchdown from Michael Appel Jr. with seven seconds left to cut the lead to two. That set up a 2-point conversion attempt to tie the game, and the pass was completed but the Valpo player was tripped up shy of the goal line, allowing the Wildcats to hold on for the two-point win. Valpo nearly overcame a minus-five turnover disparity and six giveaways thanks in part to stout defense, led by eight tackles apiece from Sam Hafner and Evan Annis. Valpo scored the game’s first touchdown on a 32-yard heave to Solomon Davis, while kickers Patrick Oliva and Ryan Hawk combined to go 3-for-3 on field goals.
Series Notes: Valpo went to Marist and picked up a 45-24 victory last season, the program’s first-ever win in Poughkeepsie. That helped Valpo improve to just 2-9 all-time against the Red Foxes. Marist came into Brown Field and spoiled homecoming in 2021 by pulling out a 27-24 overtime win over the Beacons. The road team has won three straight in this series. Valpo led 24-3 at halftime en route to the road win at Tenney Stadium a year ago. Running back Aaron Dawson rambled for 199 yards in his home state, while Kolton Sherman set a program record for longest interception return with a 95-yard pick six.
Following the Beacons: Saturday’s game will air on ESPN+ with legendary Valpo voice Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and Valpo Athletics Hall of Famer Tom Byrne (analyst) on the call. In addition, the radio commentary will be available on 95.1 FM WVUR, The TuneIn Radio App and ValpoAthletics.com. For in-game updates, follow @valpoufootball on Twitter. Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on ValpoAthletics.com.
Head Coach Landon Fox: Landon Fox (14-29) is in his fifth season as the head coach of the Valparaiso University football program in 2023. Over the last three seasons, Fox has led Valpo to 12 Pioneer Football League victories, the most in a three-year period in program history. The program finished with a PFL record of .500 or better for a third consecutive season in 2022, the first time that has occurred since 1998-2000. Prior to that, Valpo had not had a stretch of three straight years with a league record of .500 or better since 1961-1964. The program won four PFL games in the same season just once in the 26 seasons prior to Fox’s arrival. Now, the program has reached that threshold in three straight seasons and three of the first four years under his direction (Spring 2021, Fall 2021, 2022). During his four years in charge of the program, Valpo has boasted 43 All-PFL honorees and 22 academic all-PFL selections. During his second season at the helm in Spring 2021, Fox was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award – which is presented annually to the FCS National Coach of the Year – after guiding Valpo to its best winning percentage since 2003 and tying for the squad’s best winning percentage since 1999. He led his team to Pioneer Football League runner-up honors, the program’s highest finish in the league standings since the PFL championship season of 2003. Fox’s defensive roots paid dividends on that side of the football in his second year at the helm, as the team enjoyed its best defensive season in four decades. Valpo held opponents to 283.3 yards per game, the program’s best total defense in the last 40 years. In Year 1 of the Fox Era in 2019, Valpo ranked in the Top 5 in the PFL in scoring defense (32.0, fifth), total defense (381.6, fourth), rushing defense (184.2, fourth) and passing defense (197.3, fifth). After spending the previous 11 seasons as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at the University of Dayton, Fox was named the head football coach at Valpo prior to the 2019 season. He helped the Flyers finish with 10 winning seasons in his 11 years on staff and guided a defensive backfield that produced one All-American, four Academic All-Americans, two PFL Special Teams Players of the Year and three corners who were invited to NFL Rookie Minicamp. Prior to joining Dayton’s staff, Fox served as the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Wayne State University in Detroit from 2005-2007. He also spent time as a defensive graduate assistant at Ball State University (2004), Dayton (2002-2003) and Lakeland College (2001). Fox began his coaching career as an assistant varsity coach at Preble Shawnee High School in Camden, Ohio during the 2000 season. During his playing days, Fox was a team captain and all-conference performer at Defiance College in Defiance, Ohio from 1995-1999 and graduated with a degree in physical education and health in May 2000 before earning his master’s degree in education from Lakeland in May 2002.
Valpo in PFL Openers
Valpo will attempt to open the league portion of the season with a victory for the fourth consecutive season.
The Beacons went on the road to beat Butler to start the Spring 2021 season before kicking off the 2022 league slate with a 24-21 win at Drake. Last season, PFL play started with a 28-21 win over San Diego at Brown Field.
Prior to the Spring 2021 PFL-opening victory, Valpo’s last win to begin league play was in 2016 vs. Davidson.
Valpo owns wins in three straight PFL openers for the first time since the league was founded in 1993. This marks the team’s first stretch of three straight conference-opening wins since starting Heartland Collegiate Conference play on the right foot in three straight years from 1985-1987 under the late Bill Koch.
With a win on Saturday, Valpo would own a four-game winning streak in conference openers, the program’s longest such streak since starting Indiana Collegiate Conference action with a win in four straight years from 1958-1961.
Homecoming Cliffhangers
Last season’s 28-21 victory over San Diego snapped a three-game losing streak in homecoming games.
Each of the last six Valpo homecoming games have been decided by seven points or fewer. Valpo enjoyed tight wins in 2016 (24-20 vs. Davidson) and 2017 (27-24 vs. Stetson) before close losses in 2018 (40-35 vs. Davidson), 2019 (19-13 vs. University of Charleston) and 2021 (27-24 in OT vs. Marist).
Valpo has not had a homecoming game decided by more than seven points since 2015, a 38-6 loss to San Diego.
Home at Last
Valpo started the season with back-to-back road games for the seventh time in the last 15 years. For the sixth straight season in which Valpo has started with back-to-back road tilts, the Beacons enter the home opener at 0-2.
Because last week was an early bye week, Sept. 23 represents a late start to the home slate. This will mark Valpo’s latest home opener since 2009 (Sept. 26).
Valpo will look to start the home docket with a win for the second straight season. Last year’s home opener was a 20-17 win over Indiana Wesleyan.
Prior to last season, Valpo had dropped five straight Brown Field lidlifters dating back to 2016.
With a win on Saturday, Valpo would start the home portion of the season in victorious fashion in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2007 and 2008.
***************U OF INDY WOMEN’S GOLF*****************
HOUNDS FOURTH, DY ALL-TOURNAMENT AT LOADED DBU CLASSIC
DENTON, Texas—Facing a stacked field for the second straight week, the UIndy women’s golf team took fourth place at Dallas Baptist Classic, held Sunday through Tuesday at Wildhorse Golf Club in Denton, Texas. The field featured 16 talented teams, including five that advanced to the quarterfinals at last May’s NCAA DII Championships.
INs & OUTs
Anci Dy continued the hot start to her junior campaign. The Traverse City, Mich., native finished 54 holes at four-under par, taking fifth place overall to earn all-tournament accolades for the second consecutive week. Her first-round 68 was good for a collegiate low.
Sophomore Alice Webb took 13th place at even par. Like Dy, Webb’s week was highlighted by a four-under 68, a round that featured a remarkable six birdies on the back nine.
One stroke back of Webb was classmate Ava Ray, whose 72-71-74 was good for a score of +1 and a share of 14th place. Freshman Jess Haines (+2) fired a second-round 69 before tying for 16th.
Freshman Caroline Whallon finished at +13 and senior Matilda Cederholm settled at +20.
UP NEXT
The Greyhounds have a couple weeks off from competition before heading to Findlay, Ohio for the annual William Beal Fall Classic Oct. 2-3.
************U OF INDY MEN’S SOCCER*******************
GREYHOUNDS RISE SEVEN SPOTS IN LATEST COACHES POLL
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The UIndy men’s soccer team rose seven spots to No. 11 in the latest United Soccer Coaches DII poll, announced Tuesday.
The Greyhounds have opened the 2023 campaign with a 4-0-1 record, including a pair of victories to begin GLVC play over the weekend. Led by a balanced offense, 10 players have recorded at least one point, including Michael Tselios with a team-best six tallies. The senior has scored twice, while assisting on a pair of scores.
UIndy hosts Rockhurst this Friday at Key Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. It will mark the home opener for the Hounds this season.
UNITED SOCCER COACHES
UNITED SOCCER COACHES DII POLL
| RK | SCHOOL | PREV | REC |
| 1 | Franklin Pierce University | 1 | 4-0-0 |
| 2 | California State University-Los Angeles | 2 | 5-0-0 |
| 3 | Colorado State University-Pueblo | 4 | 5-0-1 |
| 4 | Florida Tech | 3 | 4-0-2 |
| 5 | California State University Chico | 8 | 6-0-0 |
| 5 | Midwestern State University | 6 | 5-0-1 |
| 7 | Gannon University | 9 | 6-0-0 |
| 8 | Limestone University | 11 | 4-0-1 |
| 9 | Southern New Hampshire University | 10 | 4-0-2 |
| 10 | Lynn University | NR | 5-0-0 |
| 11 | University of Indianapolis | 18 | 4-0-1 |
| 12 | Maryville University of St. Louis | 7 | 4-1-1 |
| 13 | Rogers State University | 13 | 3-1-2 |
| 14 | Cal Poly Pomona | 15 | 3-0-2 |
| 15 | Rollins College | 12 | 2-0-3 |
| 16 | Clayton State University | RV | 5-1-0 |
| 16 | St. Mary’s University (Texas) | 20 | 4-1-1 |
| 18 | West Chester University | NR | 4-0-1 |
| 19 | Mercyhurst University | 17 | 4-0-0 |
| 20 | Post University | 19 | 2-1-2 |
| 21 | California State University-San Bernardino | 21 | 3-0-2 |
| 22 | Northeastern State University | 23 | 2-1-2 |
| 23 | Tusculum University | NR | 5-1-0 |
| 24 | University of Illinois-Springfield | NR | 4-1-1 |
| 25 | University of Colorado-Colorado Springs | 14 | 3-1-2 |
************MARIAN MEN’S TENNIS******************
MARIAN BOUNCES BACK TO WIN COLUMN WITH SWEEP OF SPRING ARBOR
INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian men’s tennis team bounced back in the win column on Tuesday afternoon with the 7-0 sweep over Spring Arbor. Marian’s win is their fourth of season, moving their record to 4-2 on the year.
Andrew Ilett and Marc Soriano got the Knights started off right in doubles play with their 6-3 win over Caleb Kaytar and Bret Bently at the No. 1 spot. However, Spring Arbor evened the score with a 6-2 win at No. 3 doubles as Ashwin Bhat and Shadi Al Tori fell to Jaume Riera Galindo and Ryan Loganadhan. James Ashworth and Jones McNamar were the deciding factor for the doubles point, clinching the 6-2 win over Sebastian Smith and Fernando Espinosa at the No. 2 spot.
In singles action, Ilett got things going again for the Knights with his 6-2, 6-2 win against Espinosa at No. 4 singles, while Ashworth added another win with his 6-4, 6-3 victory against Smith. Marian officially won the match after Jan Bartolome took down Bently 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) at the No. 3 spot. With the win at hand, the Knights didn’t back off as Luis Sobanski captured the 6-2, 7-5 win over Galindo at No. 2 singles, before Jona Henze won 6-2, 6-0 over Loganadhan at the No. 5 spot. Soriano rounded out the Knights lineup at the No. 6 spot, as he won against Walter Ebert 6-3, 6-1.
Marian will return to the courts September 21 as they travel to Goshen for a 4 p.m. contest.
*******************MARIAN WOMEN’S TENNIS*******************
Knights Extend Win Streak to Four with 6-1 Win Over Spring Arbor
INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian women’s tennis team extended their win streak to four consecutive after defeating Spring Arbor 6-1 on Tuesday afternoon at the MU Tennis Courts. Marian’s win improves their overall record to 4-2 on the season.
Marian took advantage from the start with Ana Barbosa Fernandez and Michelle Irigoyen winning 6-3 over Moorea McNalley and Olivia Creech at No. 2 doubles, before Paloma Caceres Villalba and Isadora Muller won 6-4 at the No. 3 spot against Belle Sexton and Maddie Dell.
Yasmin Imamniyazova
Yasmin Imamniyazova and Katharina Bopst fell 7-5 to Tori Herrington and Kenzi Sells at No. 1 doubles, but it was still the Knights claiming the doubles point.
The Knights continued to dominate in singles action, as Irigoyen made quick work against Sells at the No. 3 spot, winning 6-1, 6-1. At No. 1 singles, Imamniyazova defeated McNalley 6-4, 6-4, while Emma Chrome picked up the 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) victory over Creech at No. 4 singles and clinched the win for Marian. Harrington captured Spring Arbor’s only win on the day, winning in three sets 6-1, 5-7, 1-0 (10-4) at the No. 2 spot against Barbosa Fernandez. Caceres Villalba finished the day off for the Knights with her 7-5, 6-0 victory over Dell at No. 6 singles.
Marian will be back in action September 21 as they travel to Goshen for a 1 p.m. match.
****************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
******MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STANDINGS*******
| American League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Y-Baltimore | 93 | 56 | .624 | – | 45 – 30 | 48 – 26 | 30 – 18 | 20 – 8 | 19 – 10 | 5 – 5 | W 2 |
| Y-Tampa Bay | 92 | 59 | .609 | 2 | 50 – 25 | 42 – 34 | 26 – 18 | 23 – 9 | 16 – 13 | 7 – 3 | L 2 |
| Toronto | 83 | 67 | .553 | 10.5 | 41 – 34 | 42 – 33 | 15 – 25 | 22 – 10 | 16 – 16 | 6 – 4 | W 3 |
| NY Yankees | 76 | 74 | .507 | 17.5 | 39 – 36 | 37 – 38 | 19 – 27 | 17 – 12 | 19 – 13 | 6 – 4 | L 1 |
| Boston | 74 | 76 | .493 | 19.5 | 38 – 38 | 36 – 38 | 22 – 24 | 18 – 11 | 14 – 15 | 2 – 8 | L 4 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Minnesota | 79 | 71 | .527 | – | 43 – 32 | 36 – 39 | 13 – 19 | 29 – 23 | 16 – 10 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| Cleveland | 72 | 78 | .480 | 7 | 39 – 36 | 33 – 42 | 14 – 14 | 22 – 24 | 17 – 15 | 5 – 5 | W 3 |
| Detroit | 70 | 79 | .470 | 8.5 | 32 – 43 | 38 – 36 | 7 – 25 | 30 – 16 | 13 – 15 | 7 – 3 | W 4 |
| Chi White Sox | 57 | 93 | .380 | 22 | 30 – 45 | 27 – 48 | 9 – 19 | 23 – 29 | 12 – 21 | 3 – 7 | L 1 |
| Kansas City | 48 | 102 | .320 | 31 | 28 – 47 | 20 – 55 | 7 – 23 | 17 – 29 | 8 – 20 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Houston | 84 | 66 | .560 | – | 38 – 37 | 46 – 29 | 15 – 15 | 14 – 14 | 30 – 19 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| Texas | 82 | 67 | .550 | 1.5 | 45 – 30 | 37 – 37 | 18 – 11 | 19 – 13 | 23 – 19 | 6 – 4 | L 3 |
| Seattle | 81 | 68 | .544 | 2.5 | 41 – 33 | 40 – 35 | 13 – 18 | 20 – 13 | 26 – 13 | 3 – 7 | L 3 |
| LA Angels | 68 | 82 | .453 | 16 | 35 – 40 | 33 – 42 | 13 – 16 | 17 – 12 | 19 – 27 | 4 – 6 | L 5 |
| Oakland | 46 | 103 | .309 | 37.5 | 24 – 50 | 22 – 53 | 8 – 24 | 11 – 14 | 13 – 33 | 4 – 6 | L 4 |
| National League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| X-Atlanta | 96 | 53 | .644 | – | 47 – 25 | 49 – 28 | 30 – 12 | 19 – 9 | 21 – 12 | 5 – 5 | L 3 |
| Philadelphia | 81 | 68 | .544 | 15 | 43 – 31 | 38 – 37 | 18 – 24 | 17 – 11 | 18 – 15 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| Miami | 78 | 72 | .520 | 18.5 | 43 – 32 | 35 – 40 | 24 – 22 | 14 – 13 | 14 – 17 | 6 – 4 | W 3 |
| NY Mets | 69 | 80 | .463 | 27 | 39 – 36 | 30 – 44 | 19 – 20 | 13 – 19 | 18 – 14 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| Washington | 66 | 84 | .440 | 30.5 | 31 – 43 | 35 – 41 | 16 – 29 | 14 – 19 | 15 – 16 | 3 – 7 | W 1 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Milwaukee | 84 | 65 | .564 | – | 45 – 30 | 39 – 35 | 17 – 12 | 26 – 16 | 13 – 19 | 7 – 3 | L 1 |
| Chi Cubs | 78 | 72 | .520 | 6.5 | 41 – 34 | 37 – 38 | 11 – 17 | 28 – 18 | 14 – 16 | 2 – 8 | L 5 |
| Cincinnati | 78 | 73 | .517 | 7 | 36 – 39 | 42 – 34 | 15 – 17 | 19 – 27 | 18 – 14 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Pittsburgh | 70 | 80 | .467 | 14.5 | 38 – 40 | 32 – 40 | 14 – 13 | 21 – 25 | 16 – 15 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| St. Louis | 66 | 83 | .443 | 18 | 32 – 42 | 34 – 41 | 14 – 18 | 17 – 25 | 12 – 17 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| X-LA Dodgers | 91 | 57 | .615 | – | 48 – 26 | 43 – 31 | 17 – 14 | 19 – 14 | 27 – 14 | 7 – 3 | W 3 |
| Arizona | 79 | 72 | .523 | 13.5 | 41 – 35 | 38 – 37 | 14 – 18 | 20 – 12 | 27 – 23 | 6 – 4 | W 3 |
| San Francisco | 76 | 74 | .507 | 16 | 43 – 32 | 33 – 42 | 13 – 18 | 20 – 13 | 23 – 17 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| San Diego | 72 | 78 | .480 | 20 | 39 – 36 | 33 – 42 | 16 – 16 | 9 – 20 | 22 – 24 | 6 – 4 | W 4 |
| Colorado | 56 | 93 | .376 | 35.5 | 34 – 40 | 22 – 53 | 14 – 20 | 13 – 14 | 12 – 33 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
***********WILD CARD STANDINGS***************
| AL Wild Card Standings | |||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | Last 10 | Streak | |
| Y-Tampa Bay | 92 | 59 | .609 | +9.0 | 50-25 | 42-34 | 7-3 | L 2 | |
| Toronto | 83 | 67 | .553 | +0.5 | 41-34 | 42-33 | 6-4 | W 3 | |
| Texas | 82 | 67 | .550 | – | 45-30 | 37-37 | 6-4 | L 3 | |
| Seattle | 81 | 68 | .544 | 1.0 | 41-33 | 40-35 | 3-7 | L 3 | |
| NY Yankees | 76 | 74 | .507 | 6.5 | 39-36 | 37-38 | 6-4 | L 1 | |
| Boston | 74 | 76 | .493 | 8.5 | 38-38 | 36-38 | 2-8 | L 4 | |
| Cleveland | 72 | 78 | .480 | 10.5 | 39-36 | 33-42 | 5-5 | W 3 | |
| Detroit | 70 | 79 | .470 | 12.0 | 32-43 | 38-36 | 7-3 | W 4 | |
| LA Angels | 68 | 82 | .453 | 14.5 | 35-40 | 33-42 | 4-6 | L 5 | |
| Chi White Sox | 57 | 93 | .380 | 25.5 | 30-45 | 27-48 | 3-7 | L 1 | |
| Kansas City | 48 | 102 | .320 | 34.5 | 28-47 | 20-55 | 4-6 | L 1 | |
| Oakland | 46 | 103 | .309 | 36.0 | 24-50 | 22-53 | 4-6 | L 4 |
| NL Wild Card Standings | |||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | Last 10 | Streak | |
| Philadelphia | 81 | 68 | .544 | +3.5 | 43-31 | 38-37 | 4-6 | L 1 | |
| Arizona | 79 | 72 | .523 | +0.5 | 41-35 | 38-37 | 6-4 | W 3 | |
| Miami | 78 | 72 | .520 | – | 43-32 | 35-40 | 6-4 | W 3 | |
| Chi Cubs | 78 | 72 | .520 | – | 41-34 | 37-38 | 2-8 | L 5 | |
| Cincinnati | 78 | 73 | .517 | 0.5 | 36-39 | 42-34 | 5-5 | L 1 | |
| San Francisco | 76 | 74 | .507 | 2.0 | 43-32 | 33-42 | 6-4 | W 1 | |
| San Diego | 72 | 78 | .480 | 6.0 | 39-36 | 33-42 | 6-4 | W 4 | |
| Pittsburgh | 70 | 80 | .467 | 8.0 | 38-40 | 32-40 | 5-5 | W 1 | |
| NY Mets | 69 | 80 | .463 | 8.5 | 39-36 | 30-44 | 5-5 | W 1 | |
| St. Louis | 66 | 83 | .443 | 11.5 | 32-42 | 34-41 | 5-5 | W 1 | |
| Washington | 66 | 84 | .440 | 12.0 | 31-43 | 35-41 | 3-7 | W 1 | |
| Colorado | 56 | 93 | .376 | 21.5 | 34-40 | 22-53 | 5-5 | L 1 |
Y – Clinched Playoff Spot
*************NFL STANDINGS************
| American Football Conference | |||||||||||||
| East Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Miami Dolphins | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 60 | 51 | 0-0-0 | 2-0-0 | 2-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 2 W | |
| New York Jets | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 1.0 | 32 | 46 | 1-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1 L | |
| Buffalo Bills | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 1.0 | 54 | 32 | 1-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 1-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 1 W | |
| New England Patriots | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 2.0 | 37 | 49 | 0-2-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 2 L | |
| West Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Las Vegas Raiders | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 0.0 | 27 | 54 | 0-0-0 | 1-1-0 | 1-1-0 | 1-0-0 | 1 L | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 0.0 | 37 | 30 | 0-1-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 W | |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 58 | 63 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-2-0 | 0-0-0 | 2 L | |
| Denver Broncos | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 49 | 52 | 0-2-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 2 L | |
| North Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Baltimore Ravens | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 52 | 33 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 2-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 2 W | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 1.0 | 33 | 52 | 1-1-0 | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1 W | |
| Cleveland Browns | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 1.0 | 46 | 29 | 1-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 1-1-0 | 1-1-0 | 1 L | |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 2.0 | 27 | 51 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-2-0 | 0-2-0 | 2 L | |
| South Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 0.0 | 40 | 38 | 0-1-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-1-0 | 1-0-0 | 1 L | |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 0.0 | 52 | 51 | 0-1-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-1-0 | 1-1-0 | 1 W | |
| Tennessee Titans | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 0.0 | 42 | 40 | 1-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 W | |
| Houston Texans | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 29 | 56 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-2-0 | 0-1-0 | 2 L | |
| National Football Conference | |||||||||||||
| East Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Dallas Cowboys | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 70 | 10 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 2 W | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 59 | 48 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 2 W | |
| Washington Commanders | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 55 | 49 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 2 W | |
| New York Giants | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 1.0 | 31 | 68 | 0-1-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 1 W | |
| West Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| San Francisco 49ers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 60 | 30 | 0-0-0 | 2-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 2 W | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 1.0 | 53 | 43 | 0-1-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-1-0 | 1-1-0 | 1 L | |
| Seattle Seahawks | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 1.0 | 50 | 61 | 0-1-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 1 W | |
| Arizona Cardinals | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 2.0 | 44 | 51 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-2-0 | 0-0-0 | 2 L | |
| North Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 0.0 | 62 | 45 | 0-0-0 | 1-1-0 | 1-1-0 | 1-0-0 | 1 L | |
| Detroit Lions | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 0.0 | 52 | 57 | 0-1-0 | 1-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 L | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 45 | 54 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-2-0 | 0-0-0 | 2 L | |
| Chicago Bears | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 37 | 65 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-2-0 | 0-1-0 | 2 L | |
| South Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Atlanta Falcons | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 49 | 34 | 2-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 2-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 2 W | |
| New Orleans Saints | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 36 | 32 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 2 W | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 47 | 34 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 2-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 2 W | |
| Carolina Panthers | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 2.0 | 27 | 44 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-2-0 | 0-2-0 | 2 L | |
X – Clinched Playoff Spot, Y – Clinched Division, Z – Clinched Home Field Advantage
***********TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY************
1902 The White Sox’s first no-hitter in franchise history is tossed by Jim Callahan when he defeats the Tigers, 2-0. The right-handed utility player, called Nixey by his teammates, will accumulate 99 victories on the mound but will pitch in only eight of his 13 seasons in the major leagues.
1907 Nick Maddox no-hits the Dodgers at Exposition Park in Pittsburgh, 2-1. The Pirates hurler becomes the youngest pitcher and the second rookie to throw a no-hitter, accomplishing the feat at 20 years and ten months.
1908 In the bottom of the ninth inning at South Side Park, Freddy Parent, while being walked intentionally by Eddie Plank, reaches out and pokes a shallow sac fly to right field. The unexpected sacrifice scores the winning run in the White Sox’ 1-0 walk-off victory over the A’s and gives Frank Smith, who held the A’s hitless, his second career no-hitter.
1911 Bill Bergen ends his major league career with the lowest lifetime batting average for a position player in major league history by hitting an anemic .170 during his 11-year tenure with the Reds and Dodgers. The 33-year-old backstop, who had only one year of batting above .200, also holds the record for lowest season batting average for a regular season, hitting .139 in 1909 for Brooklyn, including the longest streak of at-bats without a hit (46 in 1909), a mark since surpassed by Chris Davis, who goes 0-for-54 over 2018-2019 with Orioles.
1912 Smoky Joe Wood, losing to Detroit, 6-4, fails to break the mark of 16 consecutive victories, established by Walter Johnson earlier in the season. Joe Lake gets the win, pitching the last five innings after replacing starter Bill Covington, who allowed only one hit through four innings when he was tossed out of the game by the umpire in the fifth.
1919 On Babe Ruth Day in Boston, the Bambino scores the winning run in both ends of the doubleheader when the Red Sox sweeps Chicago, 4-3 and 5-4. Ironically, the contests mark the last time the future Hall of Famer player dons a Red Sox uniform in Fenway Park before being dealt to the Yankees in the off-season.
1924 The 37-year-old righty Grover Cleveland Alexander goes the distance to earn his 300th victory when the Cubs beat the Giants in 12 innings, 7-3. ‘Old Pete’ will collect 373 wins during his 20-year career with National League teams, including stops in Philadelphia and St. Louis.
1931 For the first time in 19 years, Gabby Street appears in a major league game. The 48-year-old Cardinal skipper is 0-for-1, but the backstop displays his old catching skills when he nails Brooklyn runner Babe Herman trying to steal a base.
1932 The Cubs clinch the National League pennant when they beat Pittsburgh, 5-2, thanks to Kiki Cuyler’s seventh-inning bases-loaded triple. The Wrigley Field contest features rookie second baseman Billy Herman’s 200th hit of the season.
1951 Ford Frick, replacing “Happy” Chandler, is selected by the owners as the sport’s third commissioner. The former National League president, best remembered for suggesting the single-season home run records of Babe Ruth and Roger Maris be listed separately based on the season’s length, will hold the position for fourteen years.
1953 Gene Baker, the other half of the Kansas City Monarchs double-play duo along with Ernie Banks, joins his former Negro League teammate, making his major league debut with the Cubs as a pinch-hitter against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. In 1961, Pittsburgh will name the former Chicago second baseman as the Class D Batavia Pirates (NY) skipper, making him the first black manager in organized baseball.
1954 The Giants clinch the pennant when they beat the Dodgers at Ebbets Field, 7-1. The National League champs, finishing the season five games ahead of second-place Brooklyn, will sweep Cleveland in the Fall Classic.
1954 At Cleveland Stadium, fans support their once embattled GM Hank Greenberg by wearing “We’re Witcha Hank” buttons. Anyone donning the silver plastic ball charm, distributed by a local laundry earlier in the season, received two tickets for tonight’s game, the Tribe’s 11th consecutive victory and the 109th win overall for the eventual American League champs.
1955 Willie Mays becomes the seventh player to hit fifty home runs in a season when he connects off Pittsburgh’s Vern Law for the second time in the Giants’ 14-8 victory at the Polo Grounds. The round-tripper is the 24-year-old center fielder’s seventh in six consecutive games.
1958 Thanks to Gus Triandos’ eighth-inning home run, recently acquired Oriole knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm no-hits the Yankees at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, 1-0. The contest will mark the last time the Yankees’ will fail to get a hit in a game in this century.
1959 The San Francisco Giants, bowing to the Dodgers, 8-2, play their last game at Seals Stadium. The transplanted New York team, who compiled a 163-145 record in their two-year stay in the former PCL park, will move to the newly constructed Candlestick Park next season.
1961 In a 13-inning contest, Sandy Koufax goes the distance, beating the Cubs, 3-2, in the last regular-season game played at the LA Memorial Coliseum, a venue originally built for the 1932 Olympics. The Dodgers are leaving the only home they have known since moving from Brooklyn four seasons ago to play in a brand new stadium in Chavez Ravine, located a few miles from downtown Los Angeles.
1966 The Mets’ 3-0 victory over Houston, their 63rd win, assures the team will lose less than a hundred games in a season for the first time in the franchise’s five-year history. The Amazins’, who will finish in ninth place with a 66-95 record, averaged 113 losses a season during their first four years in the National League.
1966 In his second major league game, Tom Phoebus hurls his second straight shutout in the Orioles’ 4-0 victory over the A’s. In his major league debut five days ago, the 24-year-old right-handed rookie also blanked the Angels, earning a 2-0 complete-game victory at Memorial Stadium.
1966 Sandy Koufax becomes the first National League hurler in 31 years to record 25 or more victories in two straight seasons when he goes the distance in LA’s 11-1 rout over the Phillies at Dodger Stadium. In 1935, Cardinals’ right-hander Dizzy Dean posted a 28-12 record after winning 30 of 37 decisions in the previous campaign.
1968 Mickey Mantle hits his final home run, finishing an 18-year major league career third on the all-time home run list with 536 round-trippers behind only Babe Ruth and Willie Mays when he retires at the end of the season. Jim Lonborg gives up the homer in a 4-3 loss to the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.
1969 Giving the Pirates their third win in two days against the eventual World Champs, Bob Moose no-hits the first-place Mets at Shea Stadium, 4-0. The 21-year-old right-hander will compile a 14-3 record with a 2.91 ERA for the third-place Bucs this season.
1971 In completing a suspended game that started in Cleveland six days ago, the ‘visiting’ Senators beat the Indians in Washington DC, 8-6. The 20-inning victory at RFK Stadium will be the team’s final ‘road’ win before the franchise shifts to Texas next season.
1972 After scoring all their runs in the second inning, the Braves put it on cruise control, beating the Astros, 13-6. Only 2,062 fans are on hand at Atlanta Stadium to enjoy the big inning, which features the team collecting a dozen hits off five Houston hurlers.
1972 With a 6-2 complete-game victory over Montreal at Wrigley Field, Milt Pappas wins his 200th major league game. The Cubs’ right-hander becomes the first hurler to reach the milestone without benefiting from a single 20-win season.
1973 The Pirates miss scoring in the top of the 13th inning when Dave Augustine’s ‘home run’ bounces off the top of the fence into the glove of left fielder Cleon Jones, who relays the ball to Wayne Garrett in time for the third baseman to nail Richie Zisk at the plate. Mets rookie catcher Ron Hodges ends the Shea Stadium contest in the bottom of the frame, which will become known as the ‘Ball on the Wall Game,’ with a one-out single off Bucs’ reliever Dave Giusti, plating John Milner for the 4-3 victory.
1973 After sharing the news on the Today Show, Willie Mays officially announces his retirement at a press conference held at Shea Stadium’s Diamond Club. The Mets will honor the aging superstar in five days with a pre-game ceremony at the ballpark.
1973 Billy Jean King’s brother, Randy, is not in attendance to watch her win the 100,000 winner-take-all tennis match against Bobby Riggs at the Astrodome. Moffit is at another ballpark, getting a key out in relief when the Giants beat the first-place Reds at Candlestick Park.
1980 The Yankees dedicate a bronze plaque in memory of Thurman Munson in the ballpark’s Memorial Park. The 32-year-old team captain Munson died last season while attempting to land his Cessna Citation at Akron-Canton Airport.
1980 Baltimore hurler Steve Stone ties a club record for the most wins in a season when he beats the Blue Jays for his 24th victory. The Orioles’ right-hander matches the 1970 totals of both Mike Cuellar and Dave McNally.
1983 In the first inning of a 14-1 rain-shortened five-inning victory over the Orioles, the Tigers stroke ten consecutive hits and score 11 runs. Detroit’s opening offense ties the American League record for runs scored to start a game established by the Boston Americans in 1901.
1984 With a 5-4 victory over San Francisco at Jack Murphy Stadium, the Padres win their first division crown. In addition to winning the clincher, Tim Lollar hits a three-run home run in the second inning to help his cause.
1986 Padres outfielder Tony Gwynn becomes only the fifth player since 1900 to steal five bases in a game in the team’s 10-6 loss to Houston at the Astrodome. During his 20-year career, the .338 lifetime hitter will average only 16 stolen bases per season.
1988 Wade Boggs becomes the first player in this century to get 200 hits in six consecutive years. The 30-year-old Red Sox third baseman, who also joins Lou Gehrig by collecting 200 hits and 100 base-on-balls for three straight seasons, will extend the streak to seven campaigns in 1989 with 205 hits.
1992 Phillies’ second baseman Mickey Morandini catches Jeff King’s line drive, steps on second, doubling up Andy Van Slyke, and tags Barry Bonds to complete an unassisted triple play in a 3-2 loss to the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium. The triple killing is the first in the National League since 1927 when Cubs’ shortstop Jimmy Cooney accomplished the rare feat in a contest against the Pirates.
1995 The Rockies, who collect 23 hits, equal a franchise record for runs scored when the team routs the Padres, 20-1. Colorado outfielder Matt Holliday also ties a club mark, accomplished three times previously, with an eight-RBI day, homering twice in the Coors Field contest.
1995 The Padres play their one-thousandth home game without having a rainout. The streak, which began on April 20, 1983, will end on May 12, 1998, with 1,184 contests over 15 years.
1996 Michael Lasky buys Eddie Murray’s 500th home run ball for $280,000, and it could be worth as much as $500,000 thanks to a 20-year annuity. The new owner, the Psychic Friends Network founder, plans to put the Camden Yards souvenir on public display for “the people of Baltimore.”
1998 “Let’s end it in the same place it started. In my home state. In front of friends and family. In front of the best fans in the world.”- Cal Ripken, JR., commenting on ending his consecutive streak. After nearly 16 years of not missing a game, Cal Ripken, quietly and without fanfare, takes himself out of the lineup after playing in a major-league record 2,632 consecutive games. In a nationally televised ESPN Sunday night game, the Orioles shortstop’s consecutive streak ends when Baltimore drops a 5-4 decision to the Yankees at Camden Yards.
1998 At Milwaukee’s County Stadium, Mark McGwire extends his home run record to 65, missing his 66th when the umpires rule his fly ball a ground-rule double, which video replays clearly show fan interference as the wrong call. The Cardinals’ first baseman first inning round-tripper, his 32nd hit as a visiting player, breaks George Foster’s 1977 National League and ties 1927 Babe Ruth’s records for home runs hit on the road.
2002 Oriole infielder Mike Bordick sets a major league record when he plays his 102nd successive game at shortstop without committing an error. The Mets’ middle infielder Rey Ordonez had established the previous mark over the 1999-2000 seasons.
2002 With a 9-3 victory over the Astros at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals clinch the Central Division of the National League. An emotional on-field celebration includes Albert Pujols carrying Darryl Kile’s #57 jersey onto the field, paying tribute to the pitcher who died unexpectedly in June.
2003 Unlike this season, when the Expos played twenty-five percent of its home games in San Juan, the players vote to play their entire 2004 home schedule in Montreal. The MLB owners, who collectively own the franchise, have been considering moving the team permanently to Washington, D.C., Portland (Oregon), or Monterrey (Mexico) or continuing the present format by having the club split home games between different locations (Puerto Rico or Mexico and Montreal).
2003 When Marcus Giles sends Brad Penny’s 3-2 pitch into the stands, the Braves tie the National League record by having six players hit at least 20 home runs in a season. The Atlanta infielder joins Javy Lopez, Gary Sheffield, Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, and Vinny Castilla to equal the mark established by the 1965 Milwaukee team; Eddie Mathews (32), Hank Aaron (32), Joe Torre (27), Felipe Alou (23), Mack Jones (31), and Gene Oliver (21).
2005 At Coors Field, the Rockies tie a franchise record established in 2003 for runs scored in their 20-1 rout of the Padres, who endure the most lopsided loss of their 36 years of existence. Matt Holliday leads Colorado’s 23-hit attack with two home runs, driving in eight runs to equal a team record shared by three players.
2006 KC skipper Buddy Bell, after a Royals 3-0 loss to the Angels, announces he needs to take a medical leave to treat a growth in his tonsils and will be replaced in the dugout by bench coach Billy Doran. The manager’s wife, Gloria, has also battled tonsil cancer.
2006 Although the team bows to the Blue Jays at the Stadium, the Yankees capture their ninth consecutive AL East title thirty minutes later when the Twins defeat second-place Red Sox. This week, the Bronx Bombers become the second team in the Big Apple to pop the champagne, joining the Mets, who clinched the NL East Division two days ago.
2007 With his 4-for-4 performance and HBP with the bases loaded, 23-year-old rookie catcher J.R Towles establishes a franchise-record eight RBIs when the Astros rout the Cardinals, 18-1. The September call-up’s outstanding offensive output, who started the season with the Single-A Salem Avalanche, helps Houston produce its most lopsided victory in team history.
2008 With a 5-4 win over the Cardinals at Wrigley Field, the Cubs clinch their second straight National League Central Division championship. The victory marks the club’s first appearance in consecutive postseasons since the 1906-08 teams played in the World Series.
2008 At the Ballpark in Arlington, Francisco Rodriguez, facing one batter, extends his major league record when he saves his 60th game, getting Nelson Cruz to fly out for the final out in the ninth inning. The Angels’ 7-3 victory over the Rangers assures the 95-59 team of having the home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
2009 The Cubs suspend Milton Bradley for the rest of the year, a day after the turbulent outfielder criticized the team in a newspaper interview, citing there wasn’t a “positive environment” in the organization, and he could see why the club hadn’t won a championship in the last century. According to manager Lou Piniella, Chicago’s decision to bring back the 32-year-old, with two years remaining on a three-year free-agent $30-million contract he signed last offseason, will be general manager Jim Hendry’s call.
2010 The Bronx Bombers pay tribute to George Steinbrenner, unveiling a 7-by-5-foot, 760-pound monument of bronze atop a granite base in Monument Park. Estranged former manager Joe Torre, making his first visit to the new Yankee Stadium, attends the ceremony honoring the late Yankee owner.
2010 Matt Diaz subdues a teenage fan wearing a red spandex suit with a red mask after the intruder runs onto the field and eludes a security guard during the Braves-Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park. The Atlanta left fielder tackles the costumed 17-year-old released from juvenile detention tomorrow afternoon with the parents apologizing for their son’s actions.
2011 Clayton Kershaw becomes the Dodgers’ first 20-game winner since Ramon Martinez accomplished the feat in 1990. Allowing just one run in 7.1 innings, the southpaw earns the victory when the team beats the visiting Giants, 2-1.
2012 The White House announces President Barack Obama’s approval of the ‘Let Teddy Win’ movement. The 44th Chief Executive, a long-time fan of Theodore Roosevelt, lends his bipartisan support in response to Republican Senator John McCain’s call for a congressional investigation about the mascot for Teddy Roosevelt never winning the race among the presidents at National Park.
2012 Washington secures a playoff spot when they beat the Dodgers at Nationals Park, 4-1. The last time postseason baseball happened in the nation’s capital occurred 79 years ago when player-skipper Joe Cronin and the Senators lost to the Giants in five games in the 1933 World Series.
2013 Yankee designated hitter Alex Rodriguez establishes a major league record with his 24th career grand slam, going deep off George Kontos in the team’s 5-1 victory over the Giants in the Bronx. The two-out seventh-inning bases-loaded round-tripper surpasses the mark established in 1938 by fellow Bronx Bomber Lou Gehrig.
2014 Oliver Perez records the first four-strikeout inning in Diamondback history when a dropped third strike allows the first batter to reach base in the seventh frame of the team’s 5-1 loss to Colorado at Coors Field. The 33-year-old Arizona southpaw becomes the 69th different major league hurler to accomplish the feat.
2019 In the Mets’ 8-1 victory at Great American Ball Park, Pete Alonso goes deep in the eighth inning against Reds’ reliever Sal Romano for his major-league-leading 50th home run. The 24-year-old right-handed slugging first baseman, who is two homers shy of Yankees Aaron Judge’s 2017 rookie record, is the first player to hit 50 round-trippers during his major league debut season.
*****************FOOTBALL HISTORY******************
September 20, 1933 – The Pittsburgh Steelers franchise, who were known as the Pirates from 1933 through the 1940 seasons, played their very first game. The home team Pirates that day lost 23-2 to the New York Football Giants at old Forbes Field. It wouldn’t take the upstart team long to find victory though as the very next week the Pittsburgh Professional Football Club defeated the Chicago Cardinals 14-13 in the friendly confines of Forbes Field. Art Rooney Sr. applied for entry of his proposed franchise on May 19, 1933 and less than two months after that on July 8, 1933 then National Football League President, Joe Carr announced via a newsletter that Rooney was approved to join the 10 team league in the fall of 1933 to fill a vacancy caused by the withdrawal of the Staten Island franchise. The team had to play early and night time weekday games until a new Pennsylvania law would allow them to play games on Sundays. The team suffered through some dreadful losing seasons including two during World War II where they had to join forces with the Cardinals and Eagles respectively due to player shortages, for over 40 seasons until Mr. Rooney would finally have a winner. Art Rooney’s Steelers would go on to win 4 Super Bowls in the 1970’s and then add a couple more in later decades. The Rooney family still holds the majority stake of the franchise and still call the Steel City their home.
September 20, 1986 – According to the National Football Foundation, the Miami University Redhawks from Ohio upset LSU, 21-12 in Baton Rouge! The big play was a long scoring strike from quarterback Terry Morris to receiver Andy Schillinger in the 3rd quarter. This was the ninth time that the Redhawks faced an SEC team and at the time it gave Miami a 8-0-1 record against the South-Eastern Conference teams.
September 20, 1987 – Wide Receiver Dwight Clark of the San Francisco 49ers has his NFL record streak of 105 consecutive games with a reception end. Despite Clark not having a catch in the game, the visiting Niners still managed to squeak out a 27-26 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
September 20, 1987 – The great Walter Payton helped the Chicago Bears earn a 20-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as he scored an NFL record career 107th rushing touchdown.
September 20, 2003 – An NCAA Division I touchdown reception record is reached when Oklahoma State’s Rashaun Woods caught 7 against a porous SMU defense per the National Football Foundation. Wood’s great day helped his Ok State Cowboys leave Dallas with a 52-7 win. The record for TD catches at all levels and divisions of NCAA football is 8 scoring catches from DIvision II’s Paul Zaeske of North Park University in 1968.
HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS FOR SEPTEMBER 20
September 20, 1935 – Jim Taylor was a fullback that hailed from LSU during the late 1950’s. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Jim Taylor in 1976
September 20, 1943 – Tommy Nobis was a former guard and linebacker from the University of Texas that played from 1963 through the 1965 seasons. Nobis as a sophomore was one of the starters of the Longhorn team that won the University’s very first National Championship in 1963. During his final two seasons Nobis was an All-American. Tommy also won the Maxwell Award as the nation’s best player as well as the Outland Trophy for being the top interior lineman in the country. In 1965 the Atlanta Falcons made Tommy their very first pick in franchise history. He played for the Falcons for 11 seasons and led the team in tackles in nine of them. He was named as an All- Pro twice and played in 5 Pro Bowls. Both the Falcons and the University of Texas retired his number 60 jersey. Tommy Nobis was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981.
September 20, 1973 – Ronald McKinnon was a linebacker from the University of North Alabama from 1992 through the 1995 seasons. The three-time consensus First Team All-American helped lead the North Alabama Lions to 3 consecutive NCAA Division II National Championships! Ronald is the only defensive player in the history of the award to have won the Harlon Hill Trophy. Ronald McKinnow went on to have a fruitful NFL pro career after college, starting for the Arizona Cardinals for 9 seasons and then playing a final year with the New Orleans Saints. Mr. McKinnon was a volunteer in his football community too as he provided his service and conducted many youth football clinics in both Arizona and Alabama. The National Football Foundation placed Robert McKinnon into their College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
*************NUMBERS IN SPORTS*************
4 – 14 – 25 – 32 – 15 – 9 – 7 – 38 – 15 – 87 – 34 – 41 – 26 – 13 –
September 20, 1902 – Chicago White Sox pitcher Jimmy Nixey Callahan no-hits Detroit Tigers, 3-0
September 20, 1907 – Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Nick Maddox threw a no-hitter against the Brooklyn Superbas, in 2-1 Pirates home win at Exposition Park
September 20, 1908 – Chicago White Sox Frank Smith 2nd no-hitter, beats Philadelphia 1-0
September 20, 1919
September 20, 1919 – Legendary baseball slugger Babe Ruth tied Ned Williamson‘s MLB mark of 27 home runs with a 9th inning blast in Boston Red Sox 4-3 win against Chicago White Sox
September 20, 1922 – St. Louis Cardinals future Baseball Hall of Fame infielder Rogers Hornsby ends hitting streak of 33 games
September 20, 1924 – Carl Mays became the 1st pitcher to win 20 games seasons for 3 different teams
September 20, 1924 – Chicago Cub’s Grover Cleveland Alexander beats NY Giants to win 300th game
September 20, 1931 – New York Yankee’s Number 4, Lou Gehrig‘s 4 RBIs break his old RBI mark of 175 en route to 184
September 20, 1933 – Pittsburgh Steelers, as the Pittsburgh Pirates, played their first NFL game. The new franchise lost 23-2
September 20, 1953 – Cubs Ernie Banks, Number 14 hits his 1st major league HR
September 20, 1955 – Willie Mays (Giants Number 25) homered off of Pittsburgh Pirates pitching ace Vern Law (Number 32) in both ends of DH. With these, Mays became the 7th MLB player to reach 50 home runs in a season.
September 20, 1958 – Baltimore Oriole knuckleball pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm, Number 15 tossed a no-hit performance versus the New York Yankees to provide a 1-0 Orioles win.
September 20, 1961 – Roger Maris, Number 9 hit a home run # 59 and barely misses reaching his 60th in game 154 of the season. Yanks clinch pennant #26
September 20, 1968 – Mickey Mantle, Number 7 of the New York Yankees hit his final career home run, for a total of 536.
September 20, 1969 – Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher Number 38, Bob Moose no-hits NY Mets, 4-0
September 20, 1980 – Bronze plaque dedicated to memory of catcher Thurman Munson, Number 15 unveiled at Yankee Stadium. Munson died in plane crash in 1979
September 20, 1987 – San Francisco wide receiver Number 87, Dwight Clark‘s NFL record streak of 105 consecutive games with a reception ends in 49ers 27-26 victory in Cincinnati
September 20, 1987 – Chicago Bears running back Number 34, Walter Payton scored his NFL record career 107th rushing touchdown in the Bears’ 20-3 victory over Tampa Bay
September 20, 1988 – Detroit first baseman Darrell Evans, Number 41 hit a home run in Tigers’ 4-3 loss to Cleveland Indians. It was Evans’ 400th MLB career HR
September 20, 1988 – Boston Red Sox Number 26, Wade Boggs is 1st player to get 200 hits for 6 consecutive seasons
September 20, 2013 – Alex Rodriquez, Number 13 of the New York Yankees, set a new ML record with 24 Grand Slam home runs
September 20, 2021 – Kansas City Royals’ Salvador Perez hits his 46th home run to break Hall of Famer Johnny Bench‘s MLB record for most in a season by a catcher, in Royals 7-2 win in Cleveland
*****************TV WEDNESDAY****************
| MLB REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Philadelphia at Atlanta | 12:20pm | MLBN NBCS-PHI Bally Sports |
| Minnesota at Cincinnati | 12:35pm | MLBN Bally Sports |
| Chi. White Sox at Washington | 1:05pm | NBCS-CHI MASN/2 |
| Boston at Texas | 2:05pm | Bally Sports NESN |
| Baltimore at Houston | 2:10pm | MASN/2 ATTSN-SW |
| Cleveland at Kansas City | 2:10pm | Bally Sports |
| Seattle at Oakland | 3:37pm | NBCS-CA Root Sports |
| San Francisco at Arizona | 3:40pm | MLBN NBCS-BAY Bally Sports |
| Colorado at San Diego | 4:10pm | MLBN ATTSN-RM Bally Sports |
| LA Angels at Tampa Bay | 6:40pm | Bally Sports |
| NY Mets at Miami | 6:40pm | SNY Bally Sports |
| Toronto at NY Yankees | 7:05pm | Sportsnet YES |
| Pittsburgh at Chi. Cubs | 7:40pm | ATTSN-PIT MARQ |
| Milwaukee at St. Louis | 7:45pm | MLBN Bally Sports |
| Detroit at LA Dodgers | 10:10pm | MLBN Bally Sports Spectrum |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid vs Union Berlin | 12:45pm | Paramount+ |
| UEFA Champions League: Galatasaray vs København | 12:45pm | Paramount+ |
| UEFA Champions League: Bayern München vs Manchester United | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
| UEFA Champions League: Arsenal vs PSV | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
| UEFA Champions League: Real Sociedad vs Internazionale | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
| UEFA Champions League: Benfica vs Salzburg | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
| UEFA Champions League: Sporting Braga vs Napoli | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
| UEFA Champions League: Sevilla vs Lens | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Barracas Central vs Banfield | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Defensa y Justicia vs Tigre | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Vélez Sarsfield vs Arsenal | 5:30pm | Paramount+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Estudiantes vs San Lorenzo | 5:30pm | Paramount+ |
| Brasileirão: Goiás vs Flamengo | 6:00pm | Paramount+ |
| MLS: New York City vs Orlando City SC | 7:30pm | MLS Pass |
| MLS: New York RB vs Austin | 7:30pm | MLS Pass |
| MLS: Charlotte vs Philadelphia Union | 7:30pm | MLS Pass |
| MLS: Inter Miami vs Toronto FC | 7:30pm | MLS Pass |
| MLS: CF Montréal vs Cincinnati | 7:30pm | MLS Pass |
| MLS: DC United vs Atlanta United | 7:30pm | MLS Pass |
| MLS: Columbus Crew vs Chicago Fire | 7:30pm | MLS Pass |
| Argentina Primera División: Instituto vs Colón | 8:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Racing Club vs Newell’s Old Boys | 8:00pm | Paramount+ |
| MLS: Sporting KC vs Nashville SC | 8:30pm | MLS Pass |
| MLS: Houston Dynamo vs Vancouver Whitecaps | 8:30pm | MLS Pass |
| MLS: St. Louis City vs Los Angeles FC | 8:30pm | MLS Pass |
| Brasileirão: São Paulo vs Fortaleza | 8:30pm | Paramount+ |
| Brasileirão: Fluminense vs Cruzeiro | 8:30pm | Paramount+ |
| MLS: Real Salt Lake vs Dallas | 9:30pm | MLS Pass |
| MLS: Colorado Rapids vs Seattle Sounders FC | 9:30pm | MLS Pass |
| MLS: Portland Timbers vs SJ Earthquakes | 10:30pm | MLS Pass |
| MLS: LA Galaxy vs Minnesota United | 10:30pm | MLS Pass |
| WNBA PLAYOFFS | TIME ET | TV |
| Connecticut at Minnesota | 8:00pm | ESPN |