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Archives for November 2022

Seahawks Prep for Munich Trip

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MUNICH – (Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) – Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was asked about this week’s trip to Germany to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday as part of the NFL’s International Series.

“To me, it’s like a (college) bowl game,” said Carroll, who guided USC to several, including a Bowl Championship Series title, before returning to the pros over a decade ago. “Everything around it, there is somewhat of a celebration everywhere you go as you travel and at the airport. It just seems like there is an added level of attention to it that makes it fun.”

It will be the first NFL game played at Allianz Arena, the home of the FC Bayern Munich soccer team, and will feature a pair of division leaders.

The surprising Seahawks (6-3) have won four consecutive games to move atop the NFC West, while Tom Brady and the Buccaneers (4-5) are tied for first with Atlanta in the NFC South.

Carroll said his players are excited about the trip.

“They are really pumped up about it,” Carroll said. “We are going to try and put on a show, make them see our football, and experience it in a way they never have before. It’s an honor to do that, and we will respect the heck out of every aspect of this.”

This will be the Seahawks’ second European trip in four years — they defeated the then-Oakland Raiders 27-3 in London in 2018 — so they have a feel for what’s ahead.

“Really, we are going to get on the bus, get on the plane, we will sleep a little bit longer, and we will be in a different country,” Carroll said. “It’s really not that big of a deal.”

The Seahawks won 31-21 at Arizona last week as Geno Smith shook off a pick-six to throw for 275 yards and two touchdowns while rookie Kenneth Walker III rushed for 109 and two more scores.

The Buccaneers, meanwhile, had to rally to defeat the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams 16-13 at home to end a three-game skid. Brady completed 5 of 6 passes for 60 yards on the winning drive, the record 55th of his career, and hit rookie tight end Cade Otton with a 1-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds remaining.

“We have not played the way we’re capable. Just some things have kind of not really fallen our way at all,” said Brady, who became the first NFL quarterback to throw for more than 100,000 career yards, including regular season and playoffs. “Hopefully we can get a win (Sunday), get to 5-5 and then the whole season is ahead of us.”

Added Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles: “It’s a lot easier to fly overseas after you win a game than when you lose a game. We’ve just got to start putting (victories) together.”

Brady’s options might be diminished Sunday as several of his receivers were listed on the injury report this week. Wideouts Julio Jones (knee) and Russell Gage (hamstring) have missed practice, while Mike Evans (ribs/ankle) has been a limited participant. Guards Shaq Mason (ankle) and Luke Goedeke (foot) have also sat out, as has linebacker J.J. Russell (hamstring).

The Seahawks are relatively healthy, with nose tackle Al Woods and defensive end Poona Ford both missing practice because of illnesses and linebacker Cullen Gillaspia sidelined with a knee injury.

–Field Level Media

District Sues Commanders, Snyder

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WASHINGTON DC – The attorney general for the District of Columbia, Karl Racine, filed a lawsuit against the Washington Commanders, team owner Daniel Snyder and the NFL for “colluding to deceive District residents.” The lawsuit comes amid a federal criminal probe launched earlier this month into alleged financial improprieties by Snyder and the team.

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Racine’s lawsuit contends the Commanders, in lock step with the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell, misled fans about steps they were taking to rectify the “toxic workplace culture” within the organization in order to keep them coming to games.

“Faced with public outrage over detailed and widespread allegations of sexual misconduct and a persistently hostile work environment at the Team, Defendants made a series of public statements to convince District consumers that this dysfunctional and misogynistic conduct was limited and that they were fully cooperating with an independent investigation,” the suit reads.

“These statements were false and calculated to mislead consumers so they would continue to support the Team financially without thinking that they were supporting such misconduct.”

Racine alleges that the hiring of attorney Beth Wilkinson to conduct an independent investigation into those workplace allegations was all part of the deception – contending the Commanders didn’t cooperate with the probe they paid to have done.

“Snyder and the Team launched a campaign to interfere with and obstruct the investigation,” the lawsuit states. “Snyder and the Team attempted to prevent witnesses from talking to Wilkinson through payoffs and intimidation and engaged in aggressive, abusive litigation to dig up information on victims and the journalists who reported on Defendants’ misconduct.

“The NFL was fully aware of this intimidation campaign. The course of Defendants’ conduct suggests the NFL was never serious about overseeing a thorough and complete investigation into Snyder and the Team’s misconduct,” the suit goes on.

Snyder’s wife, Tanya, has been in charge of day-to-day operations since July 2021 when the NFL fined the team $10 million for fostering a toxic workplace culture.

A separate federal criminal probe centers on alleged financial improprieties. Investigators from the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia are looking into the team’s finances, The Washington Post reported.

The discovery of potential financial misconduct came amid the investigation into reported sexual harassment within Washington’s workplace. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform began to look at the financials after combing through 80,000 pages of documents and witness interviews regarding sexual harassment, The Post reported on March 31.

The Snyders hired Bank of America Securities to help with a potential sale of the team earlier this month.

–Field Level Media

NFL Desk: NFL Sunday Round-Up

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EAST RUTHERFORD – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – Rookie Ahmad Gardner broke up Josh Allen’s final pass with 33 seconds remaining as the New York Jets rallied for a dramatic 20-17 victory over the Buffalo Bills Sunday afternoon in New Jersey.

The Jets (6-3) took their three-point lead after Greg Zuerlein kicked a 28-yard field goal with 1:43 remaining, capping a 13-play drive where New York ran nine times and forced Buffalo (6-2) to use its three remaining timeouts.

On the Bills’ final possession, New York defensive end Bryce Huff hit Josh Allen’s right arm resulting in a 19-yard loss and a fumble recovered by Buffalo’s Ryan Bates at the 14-yard line. After the fumble, Allen made a low throw to Stefon Diggs and was seen holding his arm. The game then ended when Gardner kept pace with Gabe Davis along the left sideline and broke up Allen’s pass.

New York quarterback Zach Wilson completed 18 of 25 passes for 154 yards and a 7-yard touchdown pass to James Robinson in the third quarter. His final completion was a 12-yard slant to Denzel Mims that set up the game-winning field goal. Allen rushed for two TDs in the first half as Buffalo built a 14-3 lead. He completed 18 of 34 passes for 205 yards while gaining 86 yards on nine rushes.

Chiefs 20, Titans 17 (OT)

Harrison Butker kicked a 28-yard field goal with 4:04 left in overtime and Patrick Mahomes passed for 446 yards as Kansas City recorded an overtime victory over visiting Tennessee.

Mahomes established career highs of 43 completions and 68 attempts to help the Chiefs (6-2) end their four-game losing streak versus the Titans. He passed for one touchdown and one interception and also rushed for a career-best 63 yards while scoring once on the ground.

Derrick Henry rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns for Tennessee, which had a five-game winning streak halted. Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill missed his second straight game due to an ankle injury. Rookie Malik Willis completed just 5 of 16 passes for 80 yards in his second career start.

Chargers 20, Falcons 17

Fill-in kicker Cameron Dicker booted a 37-yard field goal as time expired in his debut with Los Angeles, which earned the victory at Atlanta.

Austin Ekeler rushed for one touchdown and caught another. Justin Herbert passed for 245 yards, one score and one interception as the Chargers (5-3) won for the fourth time in the past five games.

Cordarrelle Patterson rushed for two touchdowns and Marcus Mariota passed for 129 yards for Atlanta (4-5). Tyler Allgeier had 123 yards from scrimmage, including 99 on the ground.

Dolphins 35, Bears 32

Tua Tagovailoa passed for 302 yards and three touchdowns and Tyreek Hill had 143 receiving yards and a score as Miami won in Chicago. Tagovailoa completed 21 of 30 passes while connecting with Hill, Jaylen Waddle and recent acquisition Jeff Wilson for touchdowns.

Miami (6-3) notched its third straight victory, despite a strong effort from Chicago (3-6) quarterback Justin Fields, who passed for three touchdowns, ran for another and accounted for 301 yards of total offense. Fields’ 178 rushing yards broke Michael Vick’s record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a regular-season game.

Chicago finished with 252 yards on the ground, as the Bears joined the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers as the only franchises in the Super Bowl era to run for 225-plus yards in four straight games.

Bengals 42, Panthers 21

Joe Mixon tallied a career-best five touchdowns, four of which came in the first half, as Cincinnati dominated Carolina in a home rout.

Mixon recorded 171 of his 211 total yards in the first half. Quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 206 yards and also recorded a rushing touchdown for the Bengals (5-4).

Panthers quarterback PJ Walker threw for nine yards in the first half until previous starter Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes in relief. The Panthers (2-7) recorded a meager 228 yards of total offense.

Lions 15, Packers 9

Jared Goff threw two touchdown passes and host Detroit snapped a five-game losing streak while handing Green Bay its fifth straight loss.

Goff threw for 137 yards, while Jamaal Williams gained 81 yards on 24 carries. Shane Zylstra and James Mitchell scored the first touchdowns of their careers for the Lions (2-6).

Aaron Rodgers threw for 291 yards and a touchdown for the Packers (3-6), but was intercepted three times. Allen Lazard caught four passes for 87 yards and a score.

Jaguars 27, Raiders 20

Travis Etienne Jr. rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns as Jacksonville rallied to beat Las Vegas after trailing 17-0 at home.

Trevor Lawrence, who threw for 235 yards, found Christian Kirk for a 7-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Etienne scored on the first play of the fourth quarter to give Jacksonville (3-6) its first lead of the game.

Las Vegas (2-6) star receiver Davante Adams recorded 146 yards on 10 catches. Derek Carr threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns as Las Vegas fell to 0-5 on the road.

Patriots 26, Colts 3

Matthew Judon and Josh Uche recorded three sacks apiece to headline a stellar defensive effort in New England’s home rout of Indianapolis.

New England (5-4) totaled nine sacks as a team and Jonathan Jones recorded a punt block. New England quarterback Mac Jones threw for 147 yards and a touchdown pass to running back Rhamondre Stevenson that put the game out of reach.

Indianapolis quarterback Sam Ehlinger finished with 103 passing yards and an interception in his second-career start replacing veteran Matt Ryan. Indianapolis (3-5-1) recorded eight first downs and 121 yards of total offense.

Vikings 20, Commanders 17

Greg Joseph converted a 28-yard field goal with 12 seconds left as Minnesota rallied from a 17-7 fourth-quarter deficit to top Washington in Landover, Md.

Joseph’s game-winning kick came four plays after he made a 22-yarder with 1:52 remaining to break the tie. But Washington was flagged for unnecessary roughness for contact with the long snapper. That enabled Minnesota (7-1) to burn most of the remaining time and tee up the deciding kick.

Kirk Cousins completed 22 of 40 passes for 265 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in his first game in Washington since leaving the franchise five years ago. His 12-yard scoring strike to Dalvin Cook with 7:46 on the clock evened the score at 17. Taylor Heinicke hit 15 of 28 passes for 149 yards with two scores and a pick for the Commanders (4-5). He put them ahead 17-7 on a 6-yard touchdown pass to Dax Milne just 46 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Seahawks 31, Cardinals 21

Geno Smith threw two touchdown passes while overcoming a pick-6 to lead Seattle past Arizona in Glendale, Ariz.

Rookie Kenneth Walker III rushed for a game-high 109 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns for the NFC West-leading Seahawks (6-3), who won their fourth consecutive game. Smith completed 26 of 34 passes for 275 yards and added 38 rushing yards on six carries.

The last-place Cardinals (3-6) lost their second in a row and for the fourth time in their past five games. Arizona’s Kyler Murray was 25-of-35 passing for 175 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for a team-high 60 yards on eight attempts.

Buccaneers 16, Rams 13

Tom Brady became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 100,000 yards — counting playoff games — and led a last-minute drive to push host Tampa Bay to a win over Los Angeles.

Brady drove Tampa Bay (4-5) 60 yards in 35 seconds with no timeouts, finding rookie tight end Cade Otton for a 1-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds remaining. Brady completed 36 of 58 passes for 280 yards as the Buccaneers moved into a tie with Atlanta for first place in the NFC South. Ryan Succop kicked three field goals for Tampa Bay.

Matthew Stafford connected on just 13 of 27 attempts for 165 yards and a touchdown for the Rams (3-5).

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Brady Surpasses 100,000 Career Yards

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TAMPA/St. PETERSBURG – (Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) –  Tom Brady became the first player in NFL history to rack up 100,000 career passing yards across the regular season and playoffs Sunday.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback entered Sunday’s home game against the Los Angeles Rams standing at 99,836 total yards. He surpassed 100,000 on a fourth-quarter pass to running back Leonard Fournette, who went 15 yards on a third-down play.

“I think for me it’s a credit to all the guys that I’ve played with, and who have blocked for me, who have caught passes,” Brady said after the game. “I think I can’t do (expletive) in this league without guys doing what they are amazing at, too.”

Brady made sure the milestone happened in a winning effort. He engineered a 60-yard drive in 35 seconds with no timeouts and connected with rookie tight end Cade Otton on 1-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds remaining to lift Tampa Bay over the Rams, 16-13. That play gave Brady 280 passing yards for the game and 100,116 for his career.

It marked another NFL record — Brady’s 55th career game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime, breaking a tie with Peyton Manning.

Brady already owns the career regular-season passing yards record, which he took from Drew Brees last season. Brees is a distant second on the list for regular-season plus postseason yardage, at 85,724.

–Field Level Media

NFL Desk: Brady Mounts Comeback Win

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TAMPA/St. PETERSBURG – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – Tom Brady became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 100,000 yards — counting playoff games — and led a last-minute drive Sunday to pace the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 16-13 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Brady drove Tampa Bay (4-5) 60 yards in 35 seconds with no timeouts, finding rookie tight end Cade Otton for a 1-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds remaining. Otton’s 28-yard catch over the middle on the drive’s first play pushed the Bucs into Los Angeles territory and a pass interference call in the end zone set up a first-and-goal.

Brady completed 36 of 58 passes for 280 yards as the Buccaneers won for just the second time in seven games and moved into a tie with Atlanta for first place in the NFC South.

Matthew Stafford connected on just 13 of 27 attempts for 165 yards and a touchdown for the Rams (3-5), who now trail Seattle by 2 1/2 games in the NFC West. Los Angeles has been outscored 71-10 in the fourth quarter this year.

Ryan Succop kicked three field goals for Tampa Bay, its only points until Brady assured his record-setting effort would come as part of a much-needed win.

In a rematch of January’s NFC Divisional Round classic — won by Los Angeles on a last-play field goal by Matt Gay — the teams spent the first half demonstrating why neither is anywhere near that level in 2022.

Tampa Bay initiated scoring on its first possession, controlling the ball for more than 6 1/2 minutes before settling for Succop’s 20-yard field goal at the 7:16 mark of the first quarter.

The Rams didn’t run a single play from the Buccaneers’ half of the field in the first half of play, but still made one big play to take a lead into halftime. That was Stafford’s 69-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp just over two minutes into the second quarter. Kupp broke open down the numbers on the right side and Stafford hit him in stride for his sixth score in eight games.

Gay made a 35-yard field goal with nine seconds left in the third quarter to give the Rams a 13-6 lead before Tampa Bay’s comeback.

–Field Level Media

Bruins Part Ways with Mitchell Miller

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BOSTON – Two days after signing controversial defenseman Mitchell Miller to an entry level NHL contract, “the Boston Bruins have decided to part ways with Miller, effective immediately,” said team president Cam Neely.

“The decision to sign this young man was made after careful consideration of the facts as we were aware of them: that at 14-years-old he made a poor decision that led to a juvenile conviction,” said Neely in a prepared written statement. “We understood this to be an isolated incident and that he had taken meaningful action to reform and was committed to ongoing personal development. Based on that understanding we offered him a contract.

“Based on new information, we believe it is the best decision at this time to rescind the opportunity for Mitchell Miller to represent the Boston Bruins. We hope that he continues to work with professionals and programs to further his education and personal growth.

“We owe it to our fans, players, staff, partners and community to make sure that our practices and protocols are in keeping with the ethos that we demand from ourselves and as an organization. As such, we will be reevaluating our internal processes for vetting individuals who wish to earn the privilege of playing in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins.

“We are sorry that this decision has overshadowed the incredible work the members of our organization do to support diversity and inclusion efforts. We will continue to stand against bullying and racism in all of its forms.

“To Isaiah (the victim of Miller’s misguided activities) and his family, my deepest apologies if this signing made you and other victims feel unseen and unheard. We apologize for the deep hurt and impact we have caused.

“Finally, as a father, I think there is a lesson to be learned here for other young people. Be mindful of careless behaviors and going with the group mentality of hurting others. The repercussions can be felt for a lifetime.”

Miller, 20, skated in 60 games with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL in 2021-22, recording 39 goals and 44 assists for 83 points with a plus-43 rating. The 5-foot-10, 189-pound blueliner was named the USHL’s Player of the Year and Defenseman of the Year after the season in which he set league records for goals and points by a defenseman. Miller has appeared in 154 career USHL games with Tri-City and Cedar Rapids from 2017-22, totaling 51 goals and 82 assists for 133 points with a plus-54 rating. The Sylvania, Ohio native was originally selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the fourth round (111th overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Nov 6

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While We’re Young (Ideas) | Looks at the NCAA Hoops Top 10

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – If there’s any sign from anyone or anything that Gonzaga will not be the 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Champion, stand up and be counted. Shout your reasonings from the highest mountain in the West Coast Conference.

The naysayers are coming: West Virginia coach and recent inductee to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Bob Huggins questioned Gonzaga’s chops, claiming in a backhanded way just how tough it is and what a toll the Big 12 schedule would take on the Zags.

“I would think it would be a tremendous awakening for Gonzaga [to join the Big 12],” Huggins told reporters this week, almost daring Zags coach Mark Few to take the bait as newly crowned Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark lures Gonzaga to join his conference in all sports. Yormark’s task is an attempt to make the Big 12 recognized amongst the top level of college basketball conferences in the land, a la the ACC, Big Ten, BIG EAST or the SEC.

Of course, it’s a long “bus ride” home from Morgantown, West Virginia to Spokane, Washington for the women’s tennis or rowing team or the Mountaineers’ men’s golf team from West Virginia to the State of Washington, but – so be it – in this business of college athletics where boundaries may be limitless in the interest of any revenue producing sport.

The University of Connecticut found out the hard way when their (previously local) schedules – against the likes of Providence, Seton Hall, St. John’s, or a train ride to DC to take on the Georgetown Hoyas – became lengthy flights to SMU (Dallas, Texas), Tulane (New Orleans, Louisiana) or Memphis (Tennessee) for its teams. Those long hauls kept the precious and guarded student athletes far away from campus on weekday school nights. Oh, the shame.

UConn, as originally reported by our Digital Sports Desk sister site, returned to their home in the BIG EAST, lauding the advantages of conference opponents close to home to allow those priority No. 1 student-athletes and their parents a reasonable ride to witness competition at its best.

Another naysayer for a Gonzaga ‘23 title is the bible. No, not The Bible but the College Basketball bible, as in Chris Dortch’s Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.

Blue Ribbon picked North Carolina as its No. 1 selection with Gonzaga rated No. 2. The Zags’ review/preview highlighted the loss of 7-footer Chet Holmgren but also noted the commitment to return to college and forego the pros by 6-10 Drew Timme and 6-7 Julian Strawther who started 31 of the Zags’ 32 games last season.

Dortch and the college basketball guru consensus rated blue bloods Kentucky (3) and Duke (5) with Houston in between to round out the Top 5.

Here is the Top 10 of Blue Ribbon’s Top 25:

  1. North Carolina
  2. Gonzaga
  3. Kentucky
  4. Houston
  5. Duke
  6. Arkansas
  7. Kansas
  8. UCLA
  9. Baylor
  10. Tennessee

TL’s NCAA Basketball Top 10:

Not too much of a difference from Blue Ribbon or the other polls, except at the top.

  1. Gonzaga
  2. North Carolina
  3. Kentucky
  4. Kansas
  5. Houston
  6. Arkansas
  7. UCLA
  8. Baylor
  9. Duke
  10. Tennessee

Duke’s lower rating reflects the loss of Coach Mike Krzyzewski, but is not a negative comment on the Blue Devils’ new head coach Jon Scheyer who is under tremendous pressure to produce in his first season. To his credit, Scheyer’s familiarity with the Duke system and its recruits are the reason for a Top 10 mention.

Creighton (11th) rates as the top BIG EAST team in preseason polls and Villanova (16) drops to the middle of the Top 25 pack, much due to the loss of head coach Jay Wright. Former Fordham coach and ‘Nova assistant, Kyle Neptune, takes over for Wright and faces similar pressure to that of Scheyer.

Next week, this reporter will take a stab at a preseason full bracket prediction.

CFP: On the College Football front, here are the Top 6 going into this weekend’s play, as rated by the College Football Playoff committee:

  1. Tennessee
  2. Ohio St.
  3. Georgia
  4. Clemson

On the outside, looking up were:

  1. Michigan
  2. Alabama

Note: The College Football Playoff will match the No. 1 ranked team vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl Game. This season’s Playoff Semifinals will take place Saturday, December 31, 2022 at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Los Angeles will host the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, January 9, 2023, at SoFi Stadium.

GEORGIA UP TOP: On a rainy night in Georgia, the Bulldogs dominated Tennessee and will gain the top rung of the CFP ladder when voting is conducted this week. While home field advantage certainly played a part in the Georgia win, the fact of the matter is that Georgia looks to be the best college football team in the country. The Bulldogs – with remaining games at Mississippi St. and Kentucky, then at home in Athens to close the regular season out vs. Georgia Tech. … It’s reasonably expected that Georgia will enter the SEC championship game as the No. 1 team in the country.

Earlier in the week, Boo Corrigan, the chairman of the selection committee, said there was quite a debate on all of the Top 25 rankings, but particularly for the top three slots, “The debate over the Top 25 rankings were extensive and very animated, particularly at the top,” he said. A case was made for Ohio State to be No. 1, for Georgia and for Tennessee, and there were good arguments for each one of the schools.

At the end of the debate, the committee voted Tennessee No. 1 because of their impressive road win at LSU and their victory over Alabama, and Alabama is a team that the committee respects highly. Ohio State has a powerful offense and a very solid defense, with an impressive win last week over Penn State. Georgia has been dominant this season, which has been plain to see, in particular the win over Oregon at the start of the season.

But Tennessee’s two wins against those two strong opponents really made a difference,” concluded Corrigan, the Director of Athletics at North Carolina State.

Those views will be altered as Georgia held court to defeat the Volunteers, 27-13.

No. 4 Clemson lost to Notre Dame Saturday night, 35-14, certainly removing Dabo Swinney’s Tigers from the Top 4 ranks. Michigan will get bumped up after a 52-17 shellacking of Rutgers.

Next week, we’ll be looking at:

  1. Georgia
  2. Ohio St.
  3. Michigan
  4. TCU

The outside looking up?

5. Tennessee

6. Clemson

BOWLING for DOLLARS: Duke became college bowl eligible when the Blue Devils came to Chestnut Hill and defeated Boston College, 38-31, on a balmy Friday night in New England. Duke is now (6-3 Overall/3-2 in ACC) and has three games remaining – Virginia Tech next week, then at Pittsburgh and a finale hosting a tough Wake Forest team on November 26th. … On Saturday, Kansas upset No. 16 Oklahoma St. and became bowl eligible for the first time since 2008. After winning their first five games of the season, Kansas had a three-game skid until Saturday’s win. The Jayhawks have three games remaining, all tough match-ups. The games to play: @Texas Tech, vs Texas and @Kansas State.

Astros Clinch ’22 World Series

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HOUSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Yordan Alvarez did what he had done twice before this postseason, drilling a game-altering home run that ultimately sent the Houston Astros to victory. But in all three instances, Alvarez delivered on the heels of a rookie shortstop coming through in the clutch.

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Alvarez bashed a three-run home run to straightaway center field with one out in the sixth inning to support another strong effort from Framber Valdez as the Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 in Game 6 on Saturday to claim their second World Series title in six seasons.

Alvarez clubbed his homer off Phillies left-hander Jose Alvarado, who was summoned from the bullpen to face the left-handed-hitting Alvarez. Facing a 2-1 count, Alvarez drilled a 98.9-mph sinker 450 feet over the batting eye in center to score Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena, whose single off Phillies starter Zack Wheeler facilitated the decisive pitching change.

Pena finished 2-for-4 and added World Series MVP honors to his American League Gold Glove and AL Championship Series MVP awards. When Alvarez hit key homers against the Seattle Mariners in Games 1 and 2 of the AL Division Series, Pena had reached ahead of him both times.

“Shoutout to my teammates. They took me in since Day 1,” said Pena, who batted .400 in the World Series. “They gave me the confidence to go out and play my game. This is special.”

Houston added an insurance run three batters later when Christian Vazquez greeted Phillies reliever Seranthony Dominguez with a single to left that scored Alex Bregman, who worked a walk off Alvarado following the Alvarez homer. Two of the three batters Alvarado faced scored.

Valdez (3-0) carried a shutout into the seventh inning while recording nine strikeouts in Game 2. He was equally effective in his third start against the Phillies in one month, allowing two hits and two walks while again posting nine strikeouts. He fanned five consecutive batters bridging the third and fourth innings and retired 10 consecutive batters entering the top of the sixth inning.

At that point, Valdez had matched zeroes with Wheeler, but Kyle Schwarber delivered the Phillies a 1-0 lead by driving a 2-2 sinker from Valdez out to right field for his sixth postseason homer.

Valdez responded by retiring Rhys Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper in order to complete his outing, and Alvarez took Valdez off the hook soon thereafter.

Wheeler (1-3) was exceptional before running into trouble in the sixth.

He had surrendered just three baserunners through five innings and faced only two batters over the minimum before plunking Martin Maldonado with a pitch to open the sixth. Pena added a single two batters later before Alvarado entered to face Alvarez and the tide immediately turned.

“I thought Wheels still had really good stuff. It wasn’t about that,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of the decision to pull Wheeler. “It was just I thought the matchup was better with Alvarado on Alvarez at that time.

“I’m sure he (Wheeler) was (surprised). Yeah, I’m sure he was. I mean, he still had his good stuff. I just thought that that was a key moment in the game and that was a momentum swing that I thought Alvarado had a chance to strike him out.”

Houston right-handers Hector Neris, Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly held the lead with aplomb, with Neris and Abreu retiring the Phillies in order in the seventh and eighth and Pressly needing only seven pitches to notch his sixth save of the postseason.

After bashing five home runs in their 7-0 victory in Game 3, the Phillies amassed only three runs over the final three games of the series. Their silenced bats offered a reflection of the Astros’ excellent pitching and the adroit handling of that staff by Houston manager Dusty Baker, whose 25-year managerial career was missing a World Series championship before Saturday.

“I tried to have faith and perseverance in knowing that with the right team and the right personnel and the right everything that this was going to happen,” Baker said. “Had this happened years ago I might not even be here.

“Maybe it wasn’t supposed to happen so that I can hopefully influence a few young men’s lives and families and a number of people in the country and show them what perseverance and character can do for you in the long run.”

NFL Desk: Thursday Round-Up

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MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota QB Kirk Cousins threw for three touchdowns, including the game-winner to Adam Thielen, as the Vikings earned a 33-26 win over the New England Patriots on Thursday night.

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Cousins, who capped the scoring with a 15-yard TD pass to Thielen with 9:34 left to play, completed 30 of 37 passes for 299 yards and an interception for the Vikings (9-2). Justin Jefferson hauled in nine catches for 139 yards and a touchdown, and Dalvin Cook rushed 22 times for 42 yards.

Jefferson finished the night with 4,248 receiving yards, the most ever for a receiver in his first three NFL seasons. The old mark was set by another Viking, Randy Moss, who amassed 4,163 receiving yards from 1998-2000.

Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was also impressive, finishing with a career-high 382 yards and two touchdowns on 28-for-39 passing, as New England (6-5) saw its three-game winning streak come to an end.

Cowboys 28, Giants 20

Dak Prescott tossed two touchdown passes to Dalton Schultz and Ezekiel Elliott added 96 rushing yards and a score to help Dallas notch a victory over visiting New York at Arlington, Texas.

Prescott completed 21 of 30 passes for 261 yards and overcame two interceptions for Dallas (8-3), which moved into sole possession of second place in the NFC East. Peyton Hendershot added a rushing score, CeeDee Lamb caught six passes for 106 yards and Micah Parsons registered two sacks to raise his season total to 12.

Daniel Jones completed 21 of 35 passes for 228 yards and one touchdown for the Giants (7-4), who lost for the third time in four games. Saquon Barkley rushed for a touchdown but had just 52 scrimmage yards (39 rushing, 13 receiving).

Bills 28, Lions 25

Tyler Bass kicked a 45-yard field goal with two seconds left, giving Buffalo a victory at Detroit. The Lions’ Michael Badgley kicked a tying 51-yard field goal with 23 seconds left to tie it, but Josh Allen’s 36-yard pass to Stefon Diggs set up the game-winner.

Allen passed for 253 yards and two scores and was intercepted once and also rushed 10 times for 78 yards and another touchdown. Isaiah McKenzie caught six passes for 96 yards and a touchdown for the Bills (8-3). Buffalo linebacker Von Miller was carted off late in the first half with a knee injury.

Jared Goff passed for 240 yards and two touchdowns for the Lions (4-7), who had a three-game winning streak snapped. Jamaal Williams rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, while Amon-Ra St. Brown caught nine passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.

–Field Level Media

Patriots Await Struggling Colts

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) – It’s pretty safe to assume that the Indianapolis Colts will still be navigating through a number of personnel changes when they travel to New England for a meeting with the Patriots. Over the past two weeks, the Colts (3-4-1) have benched quarterback Matt Ryan, parted ways with offensive coordinator Marcus Brady and traded running Nyheim Hines to the Buffalo Bills.

“I’m not naming an interim coordinator. I’ll handle those duties, I’m the play caller,” Indianapolis coach Frank Reich said. “Ultimately the offense falls on my shoulders. It’s a collaborative effort for sure, but myself and the coordinator always are central to that game planning process and play calling is obviously my deal.”

To say things are hectic in Indianapolis right now would be an understatement.

All that change comes at a time when QB Sam Ehlinger, who took over for Ryan under center, is trying to find his footing in the NFL.

Ehlinger made his first career start last Sunday against the Washington Commanders and completed 17 of 23 passes for 201 yards. Hines provided the Colts’ only touchdown in what ended up being a 17-16 loss.

Indianapolis’ offense continues to struggle, and the Colts have only scored more than 20 points in one game this season. A lot of those hardships stem from the Colts’ failure to effectively run the ball behind running back Jonathan Taylor.

Taylor put up gaudy numbers in 2021, rushing for 1,811 yards (106.5 per game) and 18 touchdowns. But this season, he’s been limited to 77.0 yards per game (462 total) and has found the end zone just once.

Zack Moss will be joining Taylor in the backfield after coming over from Buffalo in the Hines trade, but Taylor is going to have to shoulder the load if the Colts’ offense is to enjoy a resurgence.

However, Taylor is working through the ankle injury that held him out of Wednesday’s practice and two games earlier this season. He re-aggravated the ankle against Washington last Sunday.

Despite usually being equipped with a formidable defense that is anything but kind to the run, the Patriots (4-4) have allowed the 11th-most rushing yards per game (126.0).

That average was even higher before they suffocated the New York Jets’ ground attack during last Sunday’s 22-17 victory. Four ball carriers combined for just 51 yards on 15 carries in what ended up being Bill Belichick’s 325th win (regular and postseason), making him the second-winningest coach of all-time behind former Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Colts great Don Shula (347).

While that’s quite the accomplishment, the time for celebration is over, and New England’s attention has shifted to Sunday’s contest with Indianapolis.

“It’s a well-balanced team,” Belichick said of the Colts. “I think they’ve put together a solid roster that has good players in pretty much every position. … It obviously starts with Taylor, and (Michael) Pittman, the offensive line, coach Reich, play calling, scheme — they do a good job.”

The Patriots could be without center David Andrews (concussion) and running back Damien Harris (illness), as both missed Wednesday’s practice. Wide receiver DeVante Parker was also a non-participant with a knee injury.

Safeties Kyle Dugger (ankle) and Adrian Phillips (shoulder) were limited.

Former New England cornerback Stephon Gilmore (rib) was one of eight Colts who didn’t practice Wednesday. Linebacker Grant Stuard (pectoral) was also out.

–Field Level Media