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Archives for September 2024

College Football: Top 25 Roundup

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LEXINGTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Georgia’s RB Trevor Etienne ran for a team-high 79 yards on 19 carries, helping No. 1 Georgia eke out a 13-12 win over Kentucky on Saturday in Kentucky.

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Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC) won its 42nd straight regular-season game as Carson Beck completed 15 of 24 passes for 160 yards, while Dominic Lovett caught six passes for 89 yards in the Bulldogs’ SEC opener.

Former Georgia quarterback Brock Vandagriff was 14 of 27 for 114 yards, while Demie Sumo-Karngbaye ran for a game-high 98 yards as Kentucky (1-2, 0-2) dropped its second straight game and its 15th consecutive game to Georgia. Alex Raynor was 4-for-4 on field-goal attempts, accounting for all of Kentucky’s scoring.

After a Kentucky punt late in the third, Etienne accounted for 51 of Georgia’s 68 yards on the next drive, setting up Branson Robinson’s 3-yard rushing score, giving Georgia a 13-9 lead with 12:20 remaining in the game.

No. 2 Texas 56, UTSA 7

Arch Manning passed for four touchdowns and ran 67 yards for another in relief of the injured Quinn Ewers as the Longhorns flew past the Roadrunners in Austin, Texas.

Manning went 9 of 12 for 223 yards in about two quarters of play in the most extensive action of the highly touted redshirt freshman’s career as the Longhorns (3-0) dominated from start to finish. Ewers was 14 of 16 passing for 185 yards, two TDs and an interception in just over a quarter of play before sustaining a strained abdomen.

Owen McCown led UTSA (1-2) with 132 yards passing while Robert Henry Jr. had 65 yards rushing and a touchdown on six carries.

No. 4 Alabama 42, Wisconsin 10

Jalen Milroe passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more in Madison, Wis., to pace the Crimson Tide to a nonconference rout of the Badgers, who lost starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke on their opening possession.

Milroe completed 12 of 17 passes for 196 yards with touchdowns of 31, 26 and 37 yards. He also ran for a team-high 75 yards on 14 carries. Alabama (3-0) outgained Wisconsin 407-290 and averaged 7.3 yards per play to 4.0 for the Badgers (2-1).

Van Dyke was replaced by redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke, who completed 13 of 26 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Chez Mellusi ran for 66 yards on 11 carries.

No. 5 Ole Miss 40, Wake Forest 6

Jaxson Dart had two scoring passes and a touchdown run and Henry Parrish Jr. ran for two touchdowns as the Rebels rode a strong start against the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Ole Miss (3-0) scored 20 first-quarter points and that set the tone for another comfortable victory. Dart completed 26 of 34 passes for 377 yards with an interception. Parrish gained 148 yards on the ground on 23 carries.

Hank Bachmeier was 22-of-39 passing for 239 yards but couldn’t direct Wake Forest to the end zone. The Demon Deacons (1-2) only scored on a pair of Matthew Dennis field goals.

No. 6 Missouri 27, No. 24 Boston College 21

Missouri’s QB Brady Cook completed 21 of 30 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown as the Tigers outlasted the Eagles in Columbia, Mo.

Cook also rushed for a touchdown for the Tigers (3-0), who erased a 14-3 second-quarter deficit. Blake Craig kicked four field goals for Missouri: two from 38 yards out, one from 31 yards out and one from 56 yards out.

Missouri overcame eight penalties for 78 yards and outgained the Eagles (2-1) 440-295. Thomas Castellanos completed 16 of 28 passes for 249 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions for Boston College.

It was the only game of the day featuring two Top 25 teams.

No. 7 Tennessee 71, Kent State 0

Dylan Sampson rushed for four touchdowns and DeSean Bishop added two during a program-record 65-point first half as the Volunteers steamrolled the Golden Flashes in nonconference play at Knoxville, Tenn.

Bishop rushed for 120 yards on seven carries and Sampson had 101 on 13 attempts as the Volunteers (3-0) annihilated the Golden Flashes over the first 30 minutes. Tennessee’s 37-point first quarter was a program record for any period and the Volunteers followed it with 28 points in the second quarter. Tennessee also set a school mark with 740 yards of total offense.

Nico Iamaleava completed 10 of 16 passes for 173 yards and one touchdown before leaving with Tennessee leading by 51 midway through the second quarter. Devin Kargman completed 9 of 15 passes for 58 yards for Kent State (0-3). Rocco Nicholl had 10 tackles.

No. 9 Oregon 49, Oregon State 14

Visiting Oregon (3-0) scored on eight possessions and turned an eight-point lead into a blowout for its first win at Oregon State since 2018. Dillon Gabriel finished 20-of-24 passing for 291 yards with two touchdown passes and added another touchdown on the ground.

Jordan James had 86 yards on 12 carries, including a touchdown in each half, and Noah Whittington added 64 rushing yards, including a 27-yard touchdown run in the fourth. Tysheem Johnson reeled in seven catches for 110 yards as the Ducks gained 546 yards of total offense against a defense that had allowed 15 points combined in its first two games.

Oregon won for the 14th time in the last 17 meetings.

No. 10 Miami 62, Ball State 0

Cam Ward passed for 346 yards and a career-high five touchdowns as the Hurricanes blasted the Cardinals in Miami Gardens.

Lightning in the area on Saturday delayed the start of the game by 2 1/2 hours, but that didn’t stop Miami (3-0), which set a school record with 750 yards of total offense. Miami’s stars included Jacolby George (six catches 109 yards, one TD), Xavier Restrepo (three catches, 47 yards, two TDs) and Ajay Allen (104 rushing yards, one TD).

Ball State (1-1) was led by Kadin Semonza, who finished 16-of-26 passing for 111 yards. He was intercepted once.

No. 12 Utah 38, Utah State 21

Isaac Wilson threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start to lead the Utes over host Utah State in Logan, Utah.

Wilson, who was picked off once, filled in for Cameron Rising, who sat out after suffering an injury to his right (throwing) hand against Baylor last week. Wilson had his first career 200-yard game and helped Utah (3-0) beat Utah State for the 12th time in 13 games in the teams’ rivalry series.

Utah State’s Bryson Barnes threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns in his first game against his former team. Barnes also tossed a pair of interceptions. The Aggies (1-2) got 115 rushing yards on 19 touches from Rahsul Faison.

No. 13 Oklahoma State 45, Tulsa 10

Alan Bowman threw for 396 yards and five touchdowns as the Cowboys roared out to a 28-point halftime lead on their way to a road rout of the Golden Hurricane.

Bowman completed 24 of 31 passes with an interception as the Cowboys improved to 3-0. Oklahoma State outgained the Golden Hurricane 560-352 in its final nonconference tune-up before opening Big 12 play next week at home against Utah.

Kirk Francis hit 14 of 31 passes for 153 yards with an interception for Tulsa (1-2), which came into the contest averaging 43 points per game. The aggressive Cowboys notched seven tackles for loss, including a pair of sacks, and permitted just 5 of 16 third-down conversions.

No. 15 Oklahoma 34, Tulane 19

Jackson Arnold threw for 169 yards and a touchdown and ran for 97 yards and two scores for the Sooners in Norman, Okla.

Oklahoma was in a precarious position in the fourth after Tulane pulled within five. But then Billy Bowman Jr. pulled down a redirected Darian Mensah pass for an interception, giving Oklahoma the ball in Tulane territory.

Then the Sooners (3-0), who had come up empty on four consecutive drives, finally showed some life. Arnold broke off a 24-yard touchdown run to give Oklahoma some breathing room. Darian Mensah was 14-of-32 passing for 166 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Green Wave (1-2).

No. 17 Michigan 28, Arkansas State 18

Kalel Mullings rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries as the Wolverines defeated the Red Wolves at Ann Arbor, Mich.

Donovan Edwards ran for 82 yards and a score on 17 carries for Michigan (2-1), which outgained Arkansas State 301-58 on the ground. Davis Warren completed 11 of 14 passes for 122 yards but was intercepted three times. Alex Orji tossed a touchdown pass after replacing Warren.

Jaylen Raynor completed 19 of 33 passes for 140 yards with an interception for the Red Wolves (2-1). Timmy McClain threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Reginald Harden Jr. after the Wolverines led by 25 points.

No. 16 LSU 36, South Carolina 33

Caden Durham rushed for two touchdowns and Josh Williams ran 2 yards for a winning touchdown with 1:12 remaining as the Tigers rallied to edge the Gamecocks in Columbia, S.C.

Garrett Nussmeier passed for 285 yards and two touchdowns and drove the Tigers (2-1, 1-0 SEC) 55 yards to the winning score. Backup QB Robby Ashford drove South Carolina to the LSU 31, but Alex Herrera missed a 49-yard field goal as time expired.

The Gamecocks (2-1, 1-1) passed for just 155 yards as starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers (9-for-16 passing, 113 yards) injured his right ankle on the second-to-last play of the first half and played just one possession in the second half.

No. 18 Notre Dame 66, Purdue 7

Riley Leonard rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns, Jeremiyah Love rushed for 109 yards and another score, and the Fighting Irish crushed the Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Ind.

Jadarian Price and Kenny Minchey also rushed for a touchdown for Notre Dame (2-1), which bounced back from a stunning loss against Northern Illinois one week earlier. Leonard completed 11 of 16 passes for 112 yards before he gave way to backup Steve Angeli, who completed 6 of 9 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

Hudson Card completed 11 of 24 passes for 124 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for Purdue (1-1). Notre Dame ran for 362 yards and posted its highest point total since Sept. 14, 2019, when it tallied a 66-14 home win against New Mexico.

No. 23 Nebraska 34, Northern Iowa 3

Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns to guide the Cornhuskers to a victory over the Panthers in Lincoln, Neb.

The Cornhuskers (3-0) scored touchdowns on their first three possessions to win their first game as a ranked team since 2019. Dante Dowdell rushed six times for 55 yards as Nebraska finished with 423 total yards to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2016.

For Northern Iowa (2-1), which entered the night ranked 21st in the FCS poll, quarterback Aidan Dunne completed 13 of 25 passes for 117 yards and rushed for a team-high 49 yards before getting knocked out of the game with 10 minutes to go.

–Field Level Media

 

Devers Delivers vs Cole, Yanks

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BRONX – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s 3B Rafael Devers hit a two-run single with the bases loaded in the fifth inning to continue his dominance of New York’s SP Gerrit Cole and the Red Sox snapped a seven-game road losing streak with a 7-1 victory over the host Yankees on Saturday afternoon in New York.

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The Red Sox (75-74) avoided falling under .500 for the first time since June 11 after opening the series with a pair of one-run losses.

Cole (6-5) hit Devers with a pitch in the first inning and intentionally walked the slugger with one out in the fourth to set up a three-run inning. According to YES Network (sourcing stathead.com), it was on record the earliest intentional walk with the bases empty ever issued by the Yankees.

In the fifth, Cole was forced to face Devers after grazing Jarren Duran with a pitch. Devers improved to 14-for-40 in the regular season off Cole by lining a 1-0 curveball to right field that allowed Trevor Story and Danny Jansen to score and give the Red Sox a 5-1 cushion.

Masataka Yoshida started Boston’s comeback with a tying RBI ground-rule double in the fourth, two batters after Devers drew his free pass. In the fifth, Yoshida followed Devers’ hit with a two-run single after Cole hit Tyler O’Neill with a pitch.

OF Wilyer Abreu put the Red Sox ahead 3-1 in the fourth with a two-run single. Earlier, Abreu made a strong throw from right field to throw out Alex Verdugo at second in the third inning.

Boston’s SP Brayan Bello (14-7) allowed one run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings and retired Aaron Judge three times after the slugger hit a go-ahead grand slam on Friday. Bello struck out two, walked two in improving to 4-2 in his past six starts.

Four relievers followed Bello, including left-hander Zach Penrod, who made his major league debut and retired Anthony Rizzo with two on to end the eighth.

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Before using four fingers on his right hand to signal he wanted to put Devers on, Cole retired nine of the first 10 hitters. After hitting Devers, he got O’Neill to bounce into a double play to end the first.

Cole was lifted after Yoshida’s single in the fifth and heard some boos while coming off the mound.

The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner was tagged for a season-high seven runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. He has allowed 11 runs on 12 hits in 8 2/3 innings during his two starts against the Red Sox this season.

New York’s Gleyber Torres hit an RBI single in the third for the Yankees (86-63), whose magic number to clinch a playoff spot remained at four.

–Field Level Media

 

Paxton to Retire at Season’s End

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston Red Sox left-handed pitcher James Paxton announced he will retire at the conclusion of this season. Paxton, 35, made three starts following a trade from the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 26. The Ladner, British Columbia native has been on the injured list since Aug. 12, one day after he sustained a strained right calf while attempting to cover first base in a game against the Houston Astros.

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“I’m hoping that we can squeak into the post-season and I can get the opportunity to pitch again,” Paxton said on the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast. “But I think after this season [I’m] going to be retiring and moving on to the next chapter.
“It was tough. Obviously, I think that I can still do it. I can still go out there and compete and help a team win. But I just think with where my family’s at and what they need right now, they need me home, and I feel a duty and a responsibility to be at home with my family. And I’m looking forward to being at home with my family and spending more time with them, too.”
Paxton is 9-3 with a 4.40 earned-run average in 21 starts this season with the Dodgers and Red Sox.
He is a 73-41 with a 3.77 ERA in 177 regular-season starts for the Seattle Mariners (2013-18, 2021), New York Yankees (2019-20), Red Sox (2023, 2024) and Dodgers (2024).

Can Red Sox Stop Yankees’ Streak

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BRONX – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New York Yankees have not relied on a prolific offense of late, but rather are doing just enough to eke out wins and widen their lead in the American League East. After game-ending hits by Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Juan Soto, the Yankees seek a third straight win when they host the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.

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The Yankees (85-62) are 5-2 in their past seven games after dropping six of their previous nine against the Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals. Four of those wins are by three runs or fewer and the Yankees have scored more than four runs only once in those contests.

Chisholm got the game-winning single in the 11th inning in Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals and Soto gave the Yankees a 2-1 win over the Red Sox with a single in the 10th on Thursday. The Yankees are two games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East, equaling their largest lead since regaining the division lead Aug. 21.

“Guys are playing really well,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We haven’t had a lot of offense in us there the last few nights but (we’re) doing enough. I thought we had some good at-bats tonight.

The Yankees earned their last two wins despite going 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranding 17. Before Soto’s game-winner, New York left the bases loaded in the fourth and sixth.

New York is getting these wins despite Aaron Judge being stuck on 51 homers. Since hitting two homers against the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 25, Judge is homerless in a career-high 16 straight games and is hitting .207 (12-for-58).

Boston (74-73) has lost three straight to New York and is 4 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the third and final AL wild card.

Danny Jansen hit a tying homer in the fifth but the Red Sox were held to four hits and struck out 14 times. The Red Sox have stuck out 50 times in their past four games and at least 10 times in 14 games since Aug. 18.

Rafael Devers was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts Thursday and is homerless in 14 games. Since his last homer on Aug. 25, Devers is 9-for-54 (.167).

“I’m not going through my best moments right now but that’s part of baseball,” Devers said through an interpreter. “There are some times when you’re going to go through this stretch and that’s what’s happening to me right now. I’m not perfect and that’s just baseball.”

New York’s Clarke Schmidt (5-3, 2.34 ERA) will make his second start since returning from a lengthy injured list stint. Schmidt missed 86 games due to a strained right lat and pitched 4 2/3 innings of four-hit ball in Saturday’s 2-0 win over the host Chicago Cubs, marking his third scoreless start this season.

Schmidt is 0-1 with a 4.23 ERA in eight career appearances (four starts) against the Red Sox. He last faced them Sept. 14 of last season, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings of a no-decision in Boston.

Tanner Houck (8-10, 3.24), who was scratched from his last scheduled start due to a shoulder ailment on Sunday, will pitch for the first time since allowing four runs on five hits in an 8-3 loss on Sept. 4 to the host New York Mets.

Houck is 0-4 with a 4.78 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star break after scattering two hits in six innings against the Oakland Athletics on July 11 in his final start before the break.

Houck is 3-3 with a 2.38 ERA in 14 career appearances (nine starts) against the Yankees.

–Field Level Media

 

BC to be Tested at Mizzou

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COLUMBIA – No. 6 Missouri reached rarified air this week. The Tigers, after all, haven’t been ranked this high in the Associated Press poll since 2013.

And the Tigers (2-0) will have a chance to validate that standing when they host No. 24 Boston College (2-0) on Saturday in Missouri.

Meanwhile, the Eagles upset then-No. 10 Florida State 28-13 on the road in head coach Bill O’Brien’s Boston College debut. Then they handled Duquesne 56-0 at home, which vaulted them into the AP Top 25 for the first time since the 2018 season.

“I think it’s great for BC, but really that’s not our focus at all,” O’Brien said. “It’s really about one day at time, really trying to get better.”

Missouri has rolled up 1,007 yards in its blowout victories while emptying the bench in both games.

Quarterback Brady Cook is 48-of-67 passing for 456 yards and a touchdown, and he has rushed for 84 yards and three touchdowns. Missouri alternates running backs Nate Noel (121 yards, two touchdowns on 23 carries) and Marcus Carroll (97 yards, one touchdown, 18 carries).

Preseason all-America wide receiver Luther Burden III has been quiet, catching seven passes for 64 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 21 yards and a TD in two games. He was limited by illness against Buffalo.

Wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. became Cook’s main target while catching 13 passes for 149 yards against the Bulls.

“Quarterback Brady Cook — very, very good player, can throw and run, two really good running backs and very, very good at wide receiver,” O’Brien said of the upcoming opponent. “At least three or four of them can play in the NFL. So we have a big challenge ahead of us, big, big challenge.”

While Missouri was unable to connect on deep passes during the first two weeks, coach Eli Drinkwitz wasn’t concerned.

“You’d rather be on ‘SportsCenter’ for that rather than for three yards and a cloud of dust or five-yard hitches,” he said. “But the reality of what we’re figuring out is that teams don’t really want to give up explosive plays versus our wide receiver corps. So, we have to be willing to make them defend us in a different manner.”

The Tigers could once again be without tight end Brett Norfleet, who suffered a shoulder injury in the opener and sat out Week 2. Guard Cam’Ron Johnson could return after sitting out the Buffalo game following an injury in practice.

Drinkwitz also wants to see his offense cut down on the offensive penalties. The Tigers had 17 in two games.

“Alignment penalties are embarrassing and that’s on me as head coach,” Drinkwitz said. “The holding penalties. We’ve got to learn to let go. When the ball is out-leveraged, just when a defender is broken away, we cannot continue to engage with the jersey of the defender. There were three of those that were clear calls, easy calls that are something that we have to correct.”

Boston College’s dual-threat quarterback Thomas Castellanos has completed 19 of his 26 pass attempts for 340 yards and six touchdowns. He has run for 81 yards and a TD.

The Eagles have rushed for 569 yards and five touchdowns in two games, led by Treshaun Ward (132 yards on 20 carries), Kyle Robichaux (112 yards, 25 carries) and Turbo Richard (102 yards on 19 carries).

Offensive tackle Logan Taylor returned to action after missing the first game and helped the unit dominate against Duquesne.

“Great to have him back,” O’Brien said. “Tough guy, big guy, athletic guy, very important to have him back. He’s my type of guy.”

–Field Level Media

Bills Crush Dolphins; Tua Hurt

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MIAMI GARDENS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Buffalo’s RB James Cook tallied three touchdowns, Ja’Marcus Ingram grabbed the first two interceptions of his career and the Bills trounced the Miami Dolphins 31-10 on Thursday in Florida.

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Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was intercepted three times, including a pick-6 by Ingram that blew the game open early in the third quarter. Tagovailoa later sustained a concussion when he collided with Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin and left the game under his own power.

Skylar Thompson finished out the game at quarterback for Miami. De’Von Achane led the Dolphins with 96 rushing yards on 22 carries, seven catches for 69 yards and a receiving score.

Cook — who had two rushing touchdowns all of last year — ran for two scores and caught another on Thursday while gaining 78 yards on the ground for the Bills (2-0). Josh Allen completed an efficient 13 of 19 passes for 139 yards and one TD.

Buffalo defeated Miami (1-1) for the 12th time in their past 13 meetings (regular season and playoffs).

On Miami’s first possession of the second half, Tagovailoa was under duress and tried to throw a pass out of bounds, but it didn’t reach the far sideline and Ingram fielded it for an easy 31-yard pick-six.

 

Pac-12 Reloads with Four Schools

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SAN RAMON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Mountain West representatives Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State will join the Pac-12 in the 2026-27 academic year, the latter conference announced Thursday morning.

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The Pac-12 board of directors unanimously approved the additions of the four schools to join Oregon State and Washington State, the last two remaining schools after an offseason that saw 10 members jump to other power conferences. Oregon, Washington, UCLA and Southern California moved to the Big Ten; Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State shifted to the Big 12; and Cal and Stanford joined the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State officially will join the Pac-12 on July 1, 2026.

“For over a century, the Pac-12 Conference has been recognized as a leading brand in intercollegiate athletics,” Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement. “We will continue to pursue bold cutting-edge opportunities for growth and progress, to best serve our member institutions and student-athletes. I am thankful to our board for their efforts to welcome Boise State University, Colorado State University, California State University, Fresno, and San Diego State University to the conference. An exciting new era for the Pac-12 Conference begins today.”

The NCAA gave the Pac-12 until July 2026 to have a minimum of eight universities if the league is to remain part of the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Mountain West additions still leave the league two short, although officials are pursuing additional options.

The four schools joining the Pac-12 would have to pay an exit fee of $18 million. The Pac-12 also would owe the Mountain West $43 million for taking schools away, part of the deal it reached to arrange scheduling of football matchups for Oregon State and Washington State this year.

MWC commissioner Gloria Nevarez released a statement late Wednesday to address reports that the four schools were exiting the conference.

“The Mountain West Conference is aware of media reports regarding the potential departure of several of our members, and we will have more to say in the days ahead,” Nevarez said. “All members will be held to the Conference bylaws and policies should they elect to depart. The requirements of the scheduling agreement will apply to the Pac-12 should they admit Mountain West members. Our Board of Directors is meeting to determine our next steps. The Mountain West has a proud 25-year history and will continue to thrive in the years ahead.”

Colorado State and San Diego State have been in the Mountain West since the league’s founding in 1999. Boise State joined the conference in 2011, and Fresno State followed in 2012. One of those four schools won or shared the league’s football championship in 10 of the past 12 seasons.

“We are ecstatic to be joining the Pac-12 Conference,” San Diego State athletic director John David Wicker said. “While we are grateful to be a founding member of the Mountain West with 26 years of success in the conference, we are excited at what lies ahead with these new opportunities. We will continue to compete for conference championships on the field and to graduate leaders in the community.”

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: Fall Swing Begins

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NAPA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The eight-event FedEx Cup Fall slate tees off with this week’s Procore Championship at Silverado Resort in Northern California.

Formerly the Fortinet Championship, the event begins the race to secure PGA Tour cards and status for next season for the majority of the field. There is a smattering of marquee names in the field, and our golf experts preview the event while providing their favorite prop picks and best bets to win this week.

PROCORE CHAMPIONSHIP
Location: Napa, Calif., Sept. 12-15
Course: Silverado Resort, North Course (Par 72, 7,123 Yards)
Purse: $6M (Winner: $1.08M)
Defending Champion: Sahith Theegala
FedEx Cup Leader: Scottie Scheffler

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday: 6-9 p.m. ET; Friday-Saturday: 6:30-9:30; Sunday: 6-9 p.m. (All times Golf Channel)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., 6:30-9:30 p.m. ET; Friday: 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
X: @ProcoreChamp

PROP PICKS
–Luke Clanton To Make Cut (-360 at DraftKings): The potential payout isn’t great, especially when considering Clanton is still an amateur. But he’s not your typical amateur on tour, either. Clanton has made six previous starts on tour this year, missing only one cut while posting three top-10s and making the weekend at the U.S. Open. The top-ranked amateur in the world, Clanton should fare well against a relatively soft field.

–Wyndham Clark & Corey Conners Both to Finish Top 20 (+185 at FanDuel): Both are in this week’s field in part to stay sharp for the Presidents Cup. Clark finished 38th here two years ago while Conners missed the cut. But they’re also two of the top three pre-tournament favorites and both enter the week in solid form of late.

–Min Woo Lee Top Oceania Player (-200 at DraftKings): It has been a difficult first full year on tour for Lee, who enters with two missed cuts in his past three stroke-play events. He did make the first round of the playoffs, finishing T22 at the FedEx St. Jude, and tied for second at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He’s also going against modest competition in this prop pitting him against Aaron Baddeley (+360), Tim Wilkinson (+1000) and Jeffrey Guan (+1000).

2024 Prop Picks Record: 43-50-1

BEST BETS
–Theegala (+1200 at DraftKings) is defending his maiden title on tour, having won by two shots over S.H. Kim. He leads the field with 9 percent of the total bets and 13 percent of the money backing him to win.
–Wyndham Clark (+1200) has six top-15s in his past seven starts, including a T8 at the Tour Championship. He is second with 6 and 10 percent of the action, respectively.
–Corey Conners (+1400) is coming off a T22 at the BMW Championship in his most recent start and is one of the most accomplished players in the field.
–Maverick McNealy (+2000) played less than two hours away at Stanford. He missed the cut here two years ago but does have a decent track record on the West Coast and is third in the field with 8 percent of the money backing him to win his first PGA Tour event.
–Max Homa (+2200) hasn’t posted a top-10 since May, but is a two-time event champion (2021-22) and finished seventh last year. The California native has been backed by 7 percent of the money.

NOTES
–The FedEx Cup Fall schedule finalizes the top 125 players who will retain exempt status for 2025. Nos. 126-150 after the fall will retain conditional status. Players who finished Nos. 51-70 in the FedEx Cup have secured their tour cards, but are competing for spots in the first two signature events after the season-opening The Sentry.
–Theegala will defend his title, but at No. 3 in the FedEx Cup he has already secured his exempt status into all signature events in 2025.
–Top-ranked amateur Luke Clanton is in the field on a sponsor exemption. He has already posted three top-10 finishes in six PGA Tour events this year. Other sponsor exemptions include Neal Shipley, the low amateur at this year’s U.S. Open, along with Wenyi Ding, the fourth-ranked amateur in the world.

–Field Level Media

Patriots “ON” in Cincinnati

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CINCINNATI – New England avoided typical early-season mistakes and controlled the ball to upset the hometown Cincinnati Bengals, 16-10, and the Patriots earned rookie head coach Jerod Mayo’s first win in his NFL debut on Sunday afternoon.

Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries and Keion White had 2.5 sacks, leading a strong defensive effort that stunted Cincinnati’s big-pay offense.

Joey Slye converted three field goals, including two in the second half that prevented the Bengals from closing within more than six points. New England sacked Burrow three times and capitalized on two turnovers.

Joe Burrow was held to 164 yards on 21-of-29 passing and no touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase had six catches on six targets for 62 yards.

Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett completed 15 of 14 passes for 121 yards.

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Following a team-record 80-yard punt from rookie Ryan Rehkow, the Patriots marched down the field for the first points of the game, a 3-yard Stevenson run into the end zone untouched for a 7-0 Patriots lead on the first play of the second quarter.

Tanner Hudson caught a Burrow pass and was running toward the goal line when Patriots safety Kyle Dugger stripped the ball at the Patriots 2. Marcus Jones returned it to the New England 18. The Patriots pushed the ball to the Cincinnati 14 over the final five minutes of the half and added to their lead with a 32-yard Slye field goal to grab a 10-0 advantage.

Slye added another field goal and gave the Patriots a 13-0 lead after recovering a fumble by Patriots return man Charlie Jones.

The Bengals finally broke through with a nine-play, 90-yard drive in the third quarter. Running back Zack Moss plunged in for a 5-yard score up the middle after Burrow had last a fumble at the 10, recovered by the Patriots. But Burrow was ruled down before the ball came out.

Burrow dropped to 1-4 in season openers.

–Field Level Media

White Sox Five Run 9th Beats Boston

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – A five-run ninth inning propelled the visiting Chicago White Sox to a 7-2 win over the Boston Red Sox, salvaging the finale of a three-game series on Sunday.

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Chicago (33-111) broke open a 2-2 game with five runs on five hits against Boston reliever Zack Kelly (6-3), who recorded just one out while facing seven batters in the ninth.

Singles by Andrew Vaughn and Lenyn Sosa, who both went 2-for-4, put two aboard with one out before Dominic Fletcher knocked in the go-ahead run on a double inside the left-field line.

Jacob Amaya’s knock into right two batters later plated an insurance run. Zach DeLoach’s hard grounder to right scored two more and Luis Robert Jr., who had three hits, delivered a deep sacrifice fly.

Fraser Ellard (2-2) got the win in relief for the White Sox, who had lost 20 consecutive starts by Chris Flexen.

Flexen struck out six and allowed two runs on two solo home runs across six innings.

Connor Wong (3-for-4) and Wilyer Abreu (2-for-4) each doubled and homered to lead the Red Sox (72-71).

Richard Fitts, who allowed two unearned runs on six hits in a 5 2/3-inning start, and Luis Guerrero both made their MLB debuts on the mound for Boston.

The Red Sox went scoreless in the first after Jarren Duran was tagged out at home on a relay and Abreu was caught stealing third base to end the threat. Wong’s two-out homer an inning later did get Boston on the board.

Fitts faced just a batter over the minimum through the first three innings, having picked off a runner in the first and worked around Vaughn’s leadoff single to post another zero in the second.

The White Sox had something brewing with two hits to begin the fourth, but Fitts and shortstop Trevor Story combined to start a 1-6-3 double play to escape trouble.

DeLoach’s grounder eluded Boston first baseman Triston Casas for an error and rolled into the right-field corner to begin Chicago’s sixth inning against Fitts.

Robert’s single and Benintendi’s RBI grounder tied the score, then Lee’s chopper through the infield landed just past relief pitcher Greg Weissert’s reach to give the White Sox a 2-1 lead.

Boston tied it when Abreu crushed his 15th homer of the season to right-center field to make it 2-2 in the home sixth. The damage could have been greater if not for right fielder Fletcher’s dive to rob Rafael Devers of an extra-base hit towards the gap.

–Field Level Media