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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

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Sept 8

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While We’re Young (Ideas) | On the Paris ’24 Paralympics

The 2024 Paris Paralympics came to an amazing finish (Photo by Reuters)

By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief, Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – On August 10th, this column stated: “fighting against every ounce of common sense in my mind and keeping to an iron-clad rule of never, ever stating that the most recent occurrence is the “best,” there’s a constant thought and growing conviction to call the 2024 Paris Summer Games the very best of my lifetime.”

It turned out to be a true statement of – not just opinion – but fact. The 2024 Olympics (July 26 – August 11) were tremendous. Paris is going to be very tough to beat and that’s because it’s a gift that kept on giving. The ‘24 Paralympics (August 28 – September 8) came to a close with the same joy and sense of accomplishment as its big brother.

There were approximately 4,400 athletes competing in the Paralympics, hailing from 168 delegations and a few Neutral Paralympic Athletes (NPA) (88 from Russia and 8 from Belarus) to round-out the competition. That means there were 4,400 amazing stories to be told from the Paralympics alone.

Here’s just one.

Ali Truwit grew up in bucolic Darien, Connecticut where she swam on her local swim club and was good enough to follow in the freestyle and backstrokes of her mother and uncle who each swam for Yale’s swimming team, an accomplished team in the IVY League.

Truwit worked and planned and dreamt of studying for her MBA at Harvard Business School as she worked a summer job at McKinsey & Company. She even ran a marathon. Her affluent upbringing allowed for family vacations and trips to Caribbean hot spots like Turks & Caicos where she swam and snorkeled near the pristine, crystal blue shoreline and beautiful, sandy beaches.

Ali Truwit – Yale

In late May of 2023, Truwit and her friend, Sophie Pilkinton, a 2019 Yale grad, went swimming and snorkeling off a local boat at a Turks and Caicos beach area Truwit knew quite well. As they were swimming, a shark came upon them.

“Sophie saw it before I did,” said Truwit to Yale Alumni Magazine, “and it came from behind, and then up next to us. The next thing I knew, it was underneath us. Pretty quickly, it had my leg in its mouth,” she said.

“I remember thinking in my head, am I crazy, or do I not have my foot right now? And I turned around to see,” Truwit remembers. “That was really one of the hardest images that stuck with me for a long time, just seeing my footless leg bleeding in the clear blue water.”

Pilkinton, a medical school grad, wrapped a tourniquet around Truwit’s leg to help limit the flow of blood. The injury was, quite obviously, very serious and, eventually, Truwit required a medevac flight to a Miami hospital.

As Yale Magazine wrote: “On her 23rd birthday, eight days after the attack, a portion of her leg was amputated so that she could, some time down the road, wear a prosthetic. This was the new reality.

“When the texts began to fly and news about Truwit’s attack spread through the Yale swimming community, support poured in. Truwit’s mother’s teammates took turns sending her flowers every week. Her former Yale teammate Duncan Lee ’20, now working at MIT with a noted prosthetist, got in touch about how to start the journey to using a prosthetic. When Truwit was being moved into her parents’ first-floor guest bedroom to recover, another teammate decorated the place with photographs from Yale swimmers and other friends, to make it feel welcoming and warm.”

The story does not end there as it must weave it way to Paris and the Summer of ‘24.

In October 2023, Truwit began to train 90 minutes a day, four days a week with a goal to attend a meet in December staged by USA Paralympics Swimming. After two months of training, she went to the US Paralympics Swimming Nationals meet and swam well.

Training for the ‘24 Paralympics meant competing at swim meets on a regular basis and all over the USA. Truwit swam and competed alongside athletes whose achievements bolstered her confidence. “It was so huge for me to be able to see all of these incredible athletes just conquering obstacles and doing incredible things in the water,” Truwit told Yale Magazine. “I think it just gave me so much hope and so much strength for my own journey.”

In June, Truwit headed to Minneapolis and qualified for the Paris games, just over a year after she was attacked. The only setback came when her meets were televised and she caught a glimpse of the mobile camera on a track at poolside. To say the least, it spooked her.

To combat that fear, Truwit had to swim faster and faster to gain a starting block in the center of the pool rather than the outside lanes. She succeeded once again, and in the ‘You can’t make this up’ category of sport, Truwit swam and earned a silver medal this past Thursday in the women’s 400-meter freestyle.

For everyone who witnessed the Olympics and Paralympics this summer, “We’ll always have Paris.”

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Last week, the PGA Tour put on the finishing touches with Scottie Scheffler’s win at the TOUR Championship. This weekend, pro tennis calls it a summer with the closing weekend of the United States Open, the fan-friendly, only-in-New York, boisterous, crazy, hectic and ultra-competitive tennis tournament every player just loves to play. … With the two summer sports folding the deck and Baseball heading into the home stretch, it’s time for the NFL to dominate the airwaves. But first, let’s look at the …

US OPEN: Aryna Sabalenka, the amazing, strong, humble and eloquent (in both Russian and English) women’s pro tennis player defeated American Jessica Pegula (7-5, 7-5) in straight sets to take her first United States Open women’s singles title, to be added to her 2023 and 2024 Australian Open championships to begin her claim as the best women’s tennis player in the world. Sabalenka – currently ranked No. 2 in the world – also reached the semifinals of the 2023 French Open and Wimbledon (where she also made the 2021 semis). Pegula, the daughter of Terry Pegula (owner of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Sabres) and Kim Pegula, a Korean-born American businesswoman and president of Pegula Sports & Entertainment – the parent company of the sports entities. Kim Pegula suffered a severe stroke in 2022 and was legally declared incapacitated in 2023, but has worked her way back through physical therapy. The 26-year Sabalenka calls Boca Raton, Florida home as she’s not able to return to her hometown of Minsk (Belarusia) during wartime. Both women provided U.S. Open fans with some of the best tennis to be played as No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland and American favorite Coco Gauff were eliminated. … Sunday (2:00pm ET) brings the men’s final between Italy’s Jannik Sinner, ranked No. 1, vs. American Taylor Fritz.

TIDBITS AND GOLDEN NUGGETS: We always preview the NFL season with the annual Strat-0-Matic predictions for the pro football season. This year in the Stratosphere? The Dallas Cowboys finished the regular season at 12-5, first in the NFC East and second best in the NFL. … The Cowboys were the prediction to go on to win the Super Bowl, according to the Strat-O-Matic simulators. … Specifically, Dallas won the title with a 27-16 victory over the KC Chiefs. The second-seeded Cowboys defeated New Orleans, Detroit and Chicago to advance to the Super Bowl. … By the way, please, please stop the political ads targeting New Hampshire. … Break-up the Boston College Eagles. One week after their upset victory over nationally ranked Florida State, Boston College blanked visiting Duquesne, 56-0, in the 2024 home opener at Alumni Stadium Saturday. The Eagles compiled 563 total yards of offense, including 306 yards on the ground. … With the win, BC opened the season at 2-0 for the first time since the 2021 season. … Shortstop Trevor Story started and batted seventh for the Boston Red Sox Saturday night against the Chicago White Sox. Story, 31, started at shortstop in each of the Sox’ first eight games this season before being placed on the Injured List on April 6 with a left shoulder dislocation. … Originally selected by the Colorado Rockies in Competitive Balance Round A of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, the two-time All-Star (2018-19) and two-time Silver Slugger Award recipient (2018-19) has hit .265 (892-for-3,368) with an .834 OPS, 177 home runs, and 124 stolen bases in 890 career games with the Rockies (2016-21) and Red Sox (2022-24).

Week 1: Top 25 College Football

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Northern Illinois Upsets No. 5 Irish

SOUTH BEND – Northern Illinois’ Kanon Woodill drilled a 35-yard field goal with 31 seconds remaining, and the Huskies blocked a field goal as time expired to stun No. 5 Notre Dame with a 16-14 victory on Saturday at Notre Dame’s Indiana home field.

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Antario Brown finished with 225 yards (99 rushing, 126 receiving) and a touchdown for Northern Illinois (2-0), which was a 28.5-point underdog. Huskies players poured off the sidelines and onto the field as time expired to celebrate the biggest upset in school history.

Riley Leonard completed 20 of 32 passes for 163 yards and two interceptions, including a costly pick in the fourth quarter, for Notre Dame. Jeremiyah Love rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown for the Fighting Irish (1-1).

Before Saturday, Northern Illinois had never defeated a top-10 opponent. The highest-ranked team the Huskies previously beat was No. 15 Maryland in 2003.

No. 1 Georgia 48, Tennessee Tech 3

Carson Beck completed 18 of 25 passes for 242 yards and five touchdowns, helping lead the Bulldogs to a rout of the visiting Golden Eagles.

Trevor Etienne, making his Bulldog debut, ran the ball five times for 78 yards, as Georgia (2-0) won its 41st straight regular season game, and extended its home winning streak to 26. Arian Smith, who led the Bulldogs with 73 receiving yards, was one of five Georgia receivers to catch a touchdown.

After last week’s 34-3 win over then-No.14 Clemson, the Georgia defense has yet to allow a touchdown through two games. Tennessee Tech (0-2) mustered just 134 total yards, as quarterback Jordyn Potts was 5 of 8 for 18 passing yards and Aidan Littles led the Golden Eagles with 45 rushing yards.

No. 2 Ohio State 56, Western Michigan 0

Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson rushed for two touchdowns apiece as the Buckeyes rolled to a shutout victory over the Broncos in Columbus, Ohio.

Will Howard threw for 292 yards and a touchdown and Jeremiah Smith had another big receiving game for the Buckeyes (2-0). Ohio State led 35-0 at the half with the help of a pair of 23-yard touchdown runs by Judkins while Howard contributed two scores — one passing, one running.

Broncos quarterback Hayden Wolff completed 8 of 15 passes for 71 yards and was sacked three times.

No. 3 Texas 31, No. 10 Michigan 12

Quinn Ewers threw three touchdown passes and the Longhorns snapped the Wolverines’ nation-best, 16-game winning streak at Ann Arbor, Mich.

Ewers completed 24 of 36 passes for 246 yards. Gunnar Helm caught seven passes for 98 yards and a touchdown for the Longhorns (2-0). Matthew Golden had six receptions for 41 yards and a score.

The defending national champions also saw their 29-game regular-season winning streak and 23-game home winning streak end. Michigan (1-1) was held to 284 total yards in its first regular-season loss since October 2021.

No. 4 Alabama 42, South Florida 16

Jalen Milroe passed for two touchdowns and rushed for two to help the Crimson Tide slide past the Bulls in nonconference play at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Jam Miller rushed for 140 yards and one score, Justice Haynes added a rushing touchdown and Kobe Prentice and Ryan Williams each caught touchdown passes for the Crimson Tide (2-0). Milroe completed 17 of 27 passes for 199 yards for Alabama, which scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to break open a close affair.

Byrum Brown completed 15 of 35 passes for 103 yards and rushed for 108 yards on 23 carries for South Florida (1-1). Ta’Ron Keith rushed for a touchdown for the Bulls, who were outgained 393-309.

No. 6 Ole Miss 52, Middle Tennessee 3

Henry Parrish Jr. ran for four touchdowns, Jaxson Dart set a school record for consecutive completions, and the Rebels roared past the Blue Raiders in Oxford, Miss.

In his second stint at Ole Miss (2-0), Parrish toted the ball 14 times for 165 yards but left briefly after getting shaken up early in the second half following a 42-yard dash.

In first-year coach Derek Mason’s return against an SEC opponent after a coaching sabbatical, the Blue Raiders (1-1), a 42 1/2-point underdog, saw quarterback Nicholas Vattiato go 21 of 33 for 209 yards and an interception.

No. 7 Oregon 37, Boise State 34

On Atticus Sappington’s 25-yard field goal with no time left on the clock, the Ducks survived the Broncos’ upset bid in Eugene, Ore.

In a wild, back-and-forth game that saw Oregon (2-0) score twice on long returns on special teams and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty run the ball 25 times for 192 yards with three touchdowns, the Ducks had the ball at the end of the game and quarterback Dillon Gabriel engineered the winning drive.

Gabriel was 18-for-21 passing for 243 yards and two touchdown passes and running back Jordan James rushed for 102 yards on 17 carries. Boise State (1-1) outgained Oregon 369 to 352. The Broncos ran 16 more offensive plays and forced two turnovers, but the Ducks extended the nation’s longest active nonconference home win streak to 34 games.

No. 8 Penn State 34, Bowling Green 27

Drew Allar threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Nittany Lions rallied in the second half to beat the Falcons in State College, Pa.

Allar completed 13 of 20 passes for 204 yards with an interception. He gave the Nittany Lions (2-0) a 27-24 lead with 6:13 left in the third quarter on a 14-yard scoring strike to Nicholas Singleton. Singleton added the clinching touchdown with 4:09 left in the fourth quarter on a 41-yard touchdown run, the highlight of his 119-yard effort in 13 carries.

Connor Bazelak completed 25 of 39 passes for 254 yards with two scores and two interceptions for the Falcons (1-1). Jackson Kleather nailed a 42-yard field goal with 47 seconds remaining in the game to draw Bowling Green within seven points. But Penn State recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock.

No. 9 Missouri 38, Buffalo 0

Brady Cook rushed for two touchdowns and Theo Wease Jr. had a career night as the Tigers cruised to a victory over the Bulls in nonconference play at Columbia, Mo.

Luther Burden III, Nate Noel and Jamal Roberts added rushing scores while Wease established career highs of 13 receptions and 149 yards for the Tigers (2-0). Cook completed 28 of 36 passes for 228 yards and one interception and added 62 yards on five rushes.

C.J. Ogbonna was just 6-of-20 passing for 55 yards and one interception for Buffalo (1-1), while Jacqez Barksdale rushed for 67 yards on 15 rushes. Shaun Dolac racked up a career-best 16 tackles and Charles McCartherens had an interception.

No. 11 Utah 23, Baylor 12

Cam Rising threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter before exiting early in the Utes’ win over the Bears in Salt Lake City.

Rising’s two early scores helped the Utes (2-0) build a 23-0 lead in the second quarter, but Rising later left the game after crashing into the sidelines on a run out of bounds. The seventh-year quarterback was holding his right hand when he stood back up. Without Rising, Utah’s offense struggled and was shut out in the second half.

The Bears (1-1) didn’t get much offense going until their final drive of the first half, but they made a game of it in the second half after another Hankins field goal and a 47-yard TD pass from Dequan Finn to Josh Cameron cut the deficit to 23-12 in the third quarter. But the Bears’ final two drives ended with a three-and-out and an advance to the Utes’ 40 before losing the ball on downs.

No. 12 Miami 56, Florida A&M 9

Cam Ward threw for 304 yards and three touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead the host Hurricanes to a comfortable victory over the Rattlers in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Ward completed 20 of 26 passes for the No. 12 Hurricanes (2-0), who beat the Rattlers (2-1) for the 11th consecutive time since losing the first meeting between the two schools in 1979. Miami followed up its convincing win over Florida last week by scoring touchdowns on its first three drives and a field goal on its fourth series.

Damien Martinez ran for 90 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, and Mark Fletcher Jr. and Jordan Lyle each scored touchdowns and combined for 82 rushing yards. Xavier Restrepo caught four passes for 104 yards and a touchdown to lead all Miami receivers.

No. 13 USC 48, Utah State 0

Miller Moss passed for 229 yards and one touchdown as the Trojans notched their first shutout in nearly 13 years while rolling to a shutout victory over the Aggies in nonconference play at Los Angeles.

Woody Marks rushed for 103 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries and Quinten Joyner added 84 yards and two scores on 10 rushes for the Trojans (2-0). Moss completed 21 of 30 passes, including a scoring toss to Makai Lemon. The shutout was the first for USC since a 50-0 trouncing of UCLA on Nov. 26, 2011.

Backup quarterback Jayden Maiava scored his first career touchdown for the Trojans, who had advantages of 544-190 in total yards of offense and 28-10 in first downs. Bryson Barnes was 18-of-27 passing for 103 yards and one interception for the Aggies (1-1). Ike Larsen and Jordan Vincent had 11 tackles apiece for Utah State.

No. 14 Tennessee 51, No. 24 NC State 10

Dylan Sampson ran for two touchdowns and 132 yards and Will Brooks returned an interception for a touchdown as the Volunteers trounced the Wolfpack at Charlotte, N.C.

Nico Iamaleava added 211 passing yards with two touchdown tosses despite two interceptions. He ran for a touchdown as part of his 65 rushing yards as the Volunteers (2-0) racked up 249 yards on the ground.

NC State (1-1) was held to 143 yards of total offense and 10 first downs. Grayson McCall threw for 104 yards and an interception in his first college game in his hometown. He also lost two fumbles.

No. 15 Oklahoma 16, Houston 12

Gracen Halton brought down Stacy Sneed in the end zone for a safety in the final two minutes to help the Sooners eke out a win over the Cougars in Norman, Okla.

The Cougars got the ball back with 1:46 remaining at their own 5 with a chance to drive for the win. But on first down, Halton cut right through the Houston offensive line and brought down Sneed for the safety. The play was the last in a string of big defensive stops by the Sooners (2-0). Jackson Arnold threw for 174 yards and two touchdowns for the Sooners, who ran for just 75 yards.

Houston (0-2) outgained the Sooners 318-249. The Cougars’ Donovan Smith was 24-of-28 passing for 260 yards and a touchdown.

No. 16 Oklahoma State 39, Arkansas 31 (2OT)

Ollie Gordon scored on a 15-yard run in double overtime as the Cowboys rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to earn a victory over the Razorbacks in Stillwater, Okla.

After both teams missed field goals on their opening overtime possessions, Gordon ran for a score and caught a 2-point conversion pass from Alan Bowman for an eight-point lead. The Cowboys sealed the victory when Arkansas’ Rodney Hill was stopped on a fourth-down run from the 6-yard line. The Cowboys won despite being outgained 648-385.

Bowman was 27-of-48 passing for 326 yards and a touchdown for Oklahoma State, while Brennan Pressley had nine catches for 91 yards, with a 3-yard TD run. Taylen Green was 26-of-45 passing for 416 yards and a touchdown for Arkansas, while Ja’Quinden Jackson had 24 carries for 149 yards and three first half TDs.

No. 17 Kansas State 34, Tulane 27

Avery Johnson threw two touchdown passes and Jack Fabris’ 60-yard fumble return produced the winning touchdown as the Wildcats rallied past the Green Wave in New Orleans.

Johnson completed 15 of 23 passes for 181 yards, with one of his scoring passes going to DJ Giddens, who added 114 rushing yards on 19 carries for the Wildcats (2-0). Fabris’ return broke a tie midway through the fourth quarter.

Tulane’s Darian Mensah was 19-of-29 passing for 342 yards and two touchdowns, but his fumble led to the decisive score. Mekhi Hughes rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown and Mario Williams had 128 receiving yards for the Green Wave (1-1).

No. 18 LSU 44, Nicholls 21

Garrett Nussmeier threw six touchdown passes, three of which went to Kyren Lacy, and the Tigers shook off the Colonels for a big victory in Baton Rouge, La.

Nussmeier completed 27 of 37 passes for 302 yards and Lacy finished with five catches for 65 yards as the Tigers (1-1) rebounded from a season-opening loss to USC in Las Vegas six days earlier.

Collin Guggenheim rushed 25 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns to lead the FCS Colonels (0-2).

Illinois 23, No. 19 Kansas 17

Kaden Feagin plunged for the go-ahead touchdown with 9:34 left and the Illini forced four turnovers to earn a victory over the Jayhawks in front of a sellout crowd in Champaign, Ill.

Xavier Scott picked off two passes from Jalon Daniels — and returned one for a touchdown — while Luke Altmyer threw for 192 yards and Zakhari Franklin caught nine passes for 99 yards for Illinois (2-0).

Daniels completed 18 of 32 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns but also threw a career-high three interceptions. Devin Neal rushed for 101 yards for the Jayhawks (1-1), who limited the Illini to 149 yards during the first three quarters before surrendering 122 yards and 10 points in the fourth.

No. 20 Arizona 22, Northern Arizona 10

Kedrick Reescano scored on a 56-yard run to give the Wildcats some breathing room in the fourth quarter as they rallied in the second half to top the Lumberjacks in Tucson, Ariz.

Arizona (2-0) outscored the Lumberjacks (1-1) 16-0 in the second half, extending the nation’s longest winning streak to nine games. The defense, coming up with a safety and a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter, made up for an off night for the offense.

Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita completed 18 of 26 passes for 173 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Quali Conley rushed for 112 yards on 17 carries. Tetairoa McMillan, who caught 10 passes for 304 yards and four TDs last week against New Mexico, was limited to two catches for 11 yards against NAU.

Iowa State 20, No. 21 Iowa 19

Kyle Konrardy converted a 54-yard field goal with six seconds left, capping an the Cyclones’ comeback from a 13-point halftime deficit to beat the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.

Iowa State (2-0) drove 42 yards in five plays after taking possession at its 22 with 34 seconds left. The big play was Rocco Becht’s 30-yard completion to Jaylin Noel that got Iowa State to the Hawkeyes’ 38. Two plays later, Konrardy hit the game-winner.

Kaleb Johnson starred in defeat for the Hawkeyes (1-1), rushing for 187 yards and both of Iowa’s touchdowns on 25 carries. Quarterback Cade McNamara hit just 13 of 29 passes for 99 yards and tossed two interceptions.

No. 22 Louisville 49, Jacksonville State 14

Five different players rushed for a touchdown and Tyler Shough threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns as the Cardinals cruised past the visiting Gamecocks.

Maurice Turner, Donald Chaney Jr., Keyjuan Brown, Duke Watson and Duane Martin all scored rushing touchdowns for Louisville (2-0).

Jacksonville State (0-2) was led by quarterback Tyler Huff, who ran 18 times for 101 yards and one TD and completed 17 of 27 passes for 160 yards and one TD.

Syracuse 31, No. 23 Georgia Tech 28

Kyle McCord threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns as the host Orange defeated the No. 23 Yellow Jackets in Atlantic Coast Conference action.

McCord, a highly regarded transfer from Ohio State, finished 32 of 46 without a turnover, while finding Oronde Gadsden II and Trebor Pena for two scores apiece. Gadsden racked up six catches for 93 yards for the Orange (2-0, 1-0 ACC), while Pena finished with six receptions for 88 yards.

Playing as a ranked team for the first time since 2015, the Yellow Jackets (2-1, 1-1) were led by dynamic quarterback Haynes King, who threw for 259 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 67 yards and two scores.

No. 25 Clemson 66, Appalachian State 20

Cade Klubnik accounted for seven touchdowns in just one half to lead the Tigers to a convincing victory over the visiting Mountaineers in nonconference play.

Klubnik completed 24 of 26 passes for 378 yards and a career-best five touchdowns and tacked on two rushing scores for the Tigers (1-1), who scored the game’s first 42 points and led 56-13 at halftime. The 56 points are a school record for first-half points.Phil Mafah rushed for 118 yards and one score on 10 carries for Clemson.

Jake Briningstool caught seven passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers. Bryant Wesco Jr. (130 receiving yards), Antonio Williams and T.J. Moore also had scoring receptions for Clemson. Joey Aguilar completed 18 of 41 passes for 214 yards and one touchdown for Appalachian State (1-1).

–Field Level Media

12 Runs, 17 Hits, 3 Errors vs 0 Hits

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Chicago’s starting pitcher Shota Imanaga threw the first seven innings of a combined no-hitter as the hometown Cubs recorded a 12-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.

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Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge each tossed a perfect inning to complete the 18th no-hitter in franchise history.

Imanaga (12-3) struck out seven and walked two while throwing 95 pitches for the Cubs (72-68).

Chicago’s last no-hitter was another combined effort, when Zach Davies, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin and Craig Kimbrel beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 on June 24, 2021. The Pirates were held hitless for the first time since they were stymied by the Chicago White Sox’s Lucas Giolito on Aug. 25, 2020.

The Cubs authored the fourth no-hitter in the majors this season, the first since the San Francisco Giants’ Blake Snell no-hit the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 2.

Hodge induced three groundouts to shortstop to end the game, the last from Oneil Cruz, to salvage the finale of a three-game series against the Pirates (65-74).

Dansby Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong each homered as part of a three-hit, three-RBI performance.

Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds reached on the first of three errors by third baseman Isaac Paredes before being erased on an inning-ending double play in the first. Imanaga retired the side in order in the third, fourth, fifth and seventh innings.

The Cubs wasted little time getting the early jump on the Pirates, as Reynolds’ error in left field allowed Happ to score on Seiya Suzuki’s single in the first inning.

Crow-Armstrong’s RBI double and Happ’s two-run single extended Chicago’s lead to 4-0 in the second. In the third, Swanson deposited a 0-2 curveball from Domingo German (0-1) over the wall in left field. The homer was Swanson’s 14th of the season and second in three games.

Crow-Armstrong immediately followed by sending a 1-0 curveball from German over the wall in center field to stake Chicago to a 7-0 lead. It was Crow-Armstrong’s eighth homer of the year.

German permitted seven runs (six earned) on nine hits in three innings. He struck out three and walked one.

Swanson and Crow-Armstrong each drove in a run in the fifth inning before Bellinger drilled a first-pitch fastball from Kyle Nicolas over the center field wall in the sixth. The homer was Bellinger’s 15th of the season.

–Field Level Media