Sports
Top 25 roundup: No. 14 Texas A&M sinks No. 8 LSU, goes atop SEC
Oct 26, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies linebacker Taurean York (21) reacts after catching the ball for an interception in the fourth quarter against the LSU Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images. Backup quarterback Marcel Reed rushed for three second-half touchdowns on Saturday night and No. 14 Texas A&M took sole possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference with a 38-23 win over No. 8 LSU in College Station, Texas.
Reed scored on a pair of 8-yard runs in the third quarter after relieving starter Conner Weigman, giving the Aggies (7-1, 5-0 SEC) the lead for good at 21-17.
Reed added a 4-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, then answered a Tigers score with his fourth straight touchdown march. Le’Veon Moss made it 35-23 with 8:09 left on a 3-yard TD run, his second score of the night.
Randy Bond added a 26-yard field goal with 3:44 remaining to cap Texas A&M’s seventh straight win.
Garrett Nussmeier completed 25 of 50 passes for 405 yards and two touchdowns but also tossed three interceptions for the Tigers. LSU (6-2, 3-1) saw its six-game winning streak end.
No. 1 Oregon 38, No. 20 Illinois 9
Dillon Gabriel threw for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth in the first half as the Ducks blew by the Fighting Illini in Eugene, Ore.
In addition to leading Oregon (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) to its first win as the nation’s No. 1 team since Dec. 4, 2010, Gabriel climbed into second place on the FBS’ all-time charts for passing touchdowns (143) and passing yards (17,236). The Ducks rolled up 527 total yards, including 363 in the first half.
Illinois (6-2, 3-2) never found its footing in its first game against a No. 1 team since 2007. Quarterback Luke Altmyer completed 17 of 35 passes for 161 yards and his second and third interceptions of the season. Aidan Laughery rushed for 69 yards.
No. 3 Penn State 28, Wisconsin 13
Starting quarterback Drew Allar exited the game with an apparent injury, but backup Beau Pribula completed 11 of 13 passes and tossed a touchdown to help the Nittany Lions beat the Badgers in Madison, Wis.
Penn State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) remained undefeated behind a stingy defense and an offensive attack that came alive in the second half.
Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2) got its lone touchdown of the game from running back Tawee Walker, who ran for 59 yards on 22 carries. Braedyn Locke completed 22 of 42 passes for 217 yards.
No. 4 Ohio State 21, Nebraska 17
Will Howard had three touchdown passes, including a late, go-ahead score, as the Buckeyes rallied to defeat the Cornhuskers in Columbus, Ohio.
Howard’s 9-yard TD pass to Quinshon Judkins with 6:04 to play gave the Buckeyes (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) the lead after the offense had stalled in the third quarter with 23 total yards and no first downs. Jordan Hancock sealed the win with an interception at the Ohio State 45 with 1:16 left.
Nebraska (5-3, 2-3) had gone ahead 17-14 with 10:47 remaining on a 1-yard scoring run by Dante Dowdell and a two-point conversion catch by Nate Boerkircher. The Cornhuskers went 74 yards in nine plays for their first fourth-quarter lead against a top-five team since playing Texas in 2009.
No. 5 Texas 27, No. 25 Vanderbilt 24
Quinn Ewers threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns and the Longhorns’ defense held the Commodores to 269 total yards as Texas prevailed in SEC play at Nashville.
The Longhorns entered the day ranked No. 1 in scoring defense (9.7 points allowed per game) and total defense (237.3 yards allowed per game), and it showed, as Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia had a season-worst day (16-of-29 passing, 143 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions). Vanderbilt (5-3, 2-2 SEC), which had turned it over just twice all season, had three giveaways.
Wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. caught two first-half touchdowns for Texas (7-1, 3-1), which never trailed after the first quarter.
No. 6 Miami 36, Florida State 14
Cam Ward threw for 208 yards and also caught a touchdown pass as the Hurricanes remained unbeaten with a win over the Seminoles in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Hurricanes running back Damien Martinez rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Miami (8-0, 4-0 ACC), which entered the game ranked No. 2 in the nation in scoring (48.3 points per game), was forced to settle for three Andres Borregales field goals.
Florida State (1-7, 1-6), meanwhile, was held to 248 yards of total offense, 75 of them on its final drive. Ward completed 22 of 35 throws with no touchdowns. In every other game this season, he had at least 300 yards and two TD passes.
No. 11 BYU 37, UCF 24
Jake Retzlaff threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for another score, to lead the Cougars over the Knights in Big 12 play in Orlando.
Retzlaff had his fourth straight game with 200 passing yards to help BYU (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) continue its best start since 2020. LJ Martin racked up 101 yards and a touchdown on the ground for his second straight 100-yard rushing game.
RJ Harvey rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Knights. Jacurri Brown threw for 96 yards and two interceptions. Dylan Rizk passed for 102 yards and a TD. UCF (3-5, 1-4) trailed wire to wire en route to a fifth straight loss.
No. 12 Notre Dame 51, No. 24 Navy 14
Riley Leonard passed for two touchdowns and rushed for one more and the Fighting Irish rolled to a blowout win over the Midshipmen in East Rutherford, N.J.
Jeremiyah Love added 12 carries for 102 yards and two touchdowns for Notre Dame (7-1), which won its sixth game in a row. Beaux Collins and Kris Mitchell had one touchdown reception apiece, Kedren Young rushed for a score and Jaylen Sneed had a fumble recovery for a defensive touchdown.
Blake Horvath completed 7 of 13 passes for 88 yards and an interception for Navy (6-1), but he proved effective on the ground with 14 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown. The Midshipmen finished with six turnovers.
No. 13 Indiana 31, Washington 17
D’Angelo Ponds intercepted two passes, returning one for a touchdown, as the Hoosiers remained undefeated with a victory against the Huskies in a Big Ten game in Bloomington, Ind.
Justice Ellison rushed for a game-high 123 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries for the Hoosiers (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten). Indiana has opened a season 8-0 for the first time since 1967. Quarterback Tayven Jackson, making his first start of the season for the injured Kurtis Rourke, completed 11 of 19 passes for 124 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and he also rushed for a score.
Jonah Coleman gained 104 yards on the ground for the Huskies (4-4, 2-3). Will Rogers III was 19-of-26 passing for 202 yards with two first-half interceptions.
No. 15 Alabama 34, No. 21 Missouri 0
Jalen Milroe passed for 215 yards and rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown as the Crimson Tide defeated the Tigers in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Milroe completed 16 of 26 passes as Alabama (6-2, 3-2 SEC) outgained Missouri (6-2, 2-2) 486-239. Justice Haynes rushed for 79 yards and one touchdown and Jam Miller rushed for 50 yards and two TDs for the Tide.
Missouri quarterback Brady Cook, playing with an ankle injury, was 7-of-12 passing for just 30 yards before exiting with a hand injury. Drew Pyne replaced Cook and was 6-for-12 passing for 43 yards and three interceptions.
No. 16 Kansas State 29, Kansas 27
Chris Tennant tied his career long with a 51-yard field goal in the final two minutes, helping the Wildcats to a victory over the in-state rival Jayhawks in Manhattan, Kan.
Kansas State extended its winning streak over Kansas to 16 games. Avery Johnson was 19-of-34 passing for 253 yards and two touchdowns for the Wildcats (7-1, 4-1 Big 12). He also had a rushing touchdown.
Kansas (2-6, 1-4) got a 24-yard rushing touchdown from Devin Neal, the 44th touchdown of his career, making him the all-time TD leader in Jayhawks history.
No. 18 Ole Miss 26, Oklahoma 14
Jaxson Dart threw for 311 yards and a touchdown, heating up in the second half as the Rebels beat the Sooners in Oxford, Miss.
Ole Miss (6-2, 2-2 SEC) took the lead for good on its first drive of the second half, with Dart capping the possession with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Caden Prieskorn. Dart finished 22-of-30 passing for the game. The Rebels’ defense also turned it on in the second half, holding Oklahoma to just 94 yards after allowing 235 before the break.
After going 7-for-9 on third down in the first half, the Sooners (4-4, 1-4) were just 1-for-9 in the second. Jackson Arnold was a big part of that successful first half, tossing two touchdown passes to stake Oklahoma to a 14-10 lead at the break.
No. 22 SMU 28, Duke 27 (OT)
Brashard Smith ran 24 yards for a touchdown on the second play of overtime and the Mustangs stopped the Blue Devils’ two-point conversion pass attempt in Durham, N.C.
SMU (7-1, 4-0 ACC) committed six turnovers but survived because of Duke’s kicking woes. Smith finished with 117 rushing yards and two scores on 26 carries. Kevin Jennings threw for 258 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions in the win.
Duke (6-2, 2-2) was trying to rally from a double-digit, second-half deficit. Maalik Murphy threw for three touchdowns and 295 yards on 27-for-48 passing.
–Field Level Media
Sports
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Oct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images LAS VEGAS — Entering her eighth season in the WNBA, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson is poised to build on what was arguably the most dominant individual campaign in league history.
Wilson joined Cynthia Cooper (1997) as the second player in league history to win a unanimous MVP award and joined an exclusive club as the fourth player to win the award three times. She averaged 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game last season and set the all-time single-season mark for points (1,021) and rebounds (451).
Unfortunately for Las Vegas, injuries and fatigue from their two previous championship runs mounted and resulted in the team’s worst regular-season record (27-13) since 2019. The Aces’ three-peat hopes ended with a 76-62 home loss to the New York Liberty to drop their semifinal series 3-1.
It’s that loss on her home floor that served as Wilson’s motivation this offseason.
“Losing sucks, especially on your home court,” Wilson said “It still kind of burns a little bit, but I’ve used that as fuel to help my teammates understand how hard it is to win in this league. Yes, we can celebrate the two championships. They were great. But for us to move forward, we have to understand how hard this league is and value the basketball and the little things. I think that’s what we lacked last season, so we’re going to make sure that we can show up better than we did.”
While the Aces appeared to be on top of the world heading into their potential three-peat campaign in 2024, the reality inside the locker room was that both the internal and external pressure to win another championship had become suffocating. A common theme across media day was the fact that the team feels less pressure entering the 2025 season, a sentiment Wilson shared as the unquestioned leader of the team.
“(Three-peat talks) obviously impacted us, because it’s like, y’all think we don’t want to win? We’re trying as well,” Wilson said.
“I would definitely say it’s refreshing this year. I feel like this is one of my only years where it feels like there’s no weight. There’s a lot of weight to be defending champs. It’s a lot of weight to be trying to win one. We don’t have that. We actually have a clean slate to really dial into getting back to who we are culturally, like, in our system and everything.”
Leading the Aces back to the top of the mountain for a third time in four years is one of a few historically significant achievements Wilson can collect this upcoming season. Wilson could also become the first four-time MVP in league history, though the meaning of that is something she hasn’t quite allowed herself to ponder yet.
“I haven’t given it much thought, but it would be a blessing to have my name in that conversation,” Wilson said. “Every year, I try to be better than I was the year before just to give myself a chance in this league. Because the league is getting better. We’re growing. At this point, you just want to maintain your stamina. You want to maintain your mental, all of that, because the season gets hard. I can’t think too much about that just yet, but I’m definitely going to try to be better than I was last year.”
As Aces coach Becky Hammon put it, fans can expect to see an even better version of Wilson this season.
“What I see is, she went and got better,” Hammon said. “Which is hard to do when you’re already the best, but it speaks to her work ethic, her desire and her mindset this whole offseason. We talked a lot this offseason. She’s a busy lady, but I can tell you what she always does is her workouts. She’s always getting her workouts in. That comes first and foremost, she never gets her priorities jumbled up.”
When Hammon was asked what a player like Wilson would possibly need to improve after last season’s campaign, the coach did not feel like revealing too much.
“There was (something for Wilson to improve), and she did,” Hammon said. “I’m not going to tell you what it was. Actually, there were two things.”
–Will Despart, Field Level Media
Sports
Jacob Wilson joins Aaron Judge in spotlight for Yankees-A's series
May 5, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) throws to first for an out against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images The top two hitters in the majors square off Friday night when the New York Yankees face the Athletics in the opener of a three-game series in Sacramento, Calif.
It’s no surprise to see Yankees star Aaron Judge off to a superb start after winning American League MVP honors last season. He has a major league-best .400 batting average and entered Thursday’s play tied for the big-league lead with 12 homers and 34 RBIs.
But who had Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson ranking second in the majors at .357 as the season nears the quarter pole? Wilson has played in just 64 career games and quickly has solidified himself as a future All-Star, perhaps even this season.
Sharing the marquee board with Judge seems quite surreal for the 23-year-old shortstop who was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2023 draft.
“It’s a great feeling, for sure,” Wilson said of his name being mentioned with Judge. “Obviously, everybody has seen what he is doing. It’s pretty incredible watching him do his thing on a daily basis. To be up there with him is pretty cool for me.
“I’m excited to play against him this week and see what it looks like in person.”
Wilson had his first career four-hit game during Wednesday’s 6-5 home loss against the Seattle Mariners and has six multi-hit outings in the past eight games. He went 8-for-14 with one game-winning hit in the three-game series against the Mariners and is 16-for-34 (.471) with four walks during the eight-game stretch.
The hot hitting led to Athletics manager Mark Kotsay moving Wilson to the leadoff spot on Wednesday. Kotsay indicated Wilson may be sticking at the top of the lineup.
“I think you’ll see Jacob up there now,” Kotsay said. “Jacob’s earned it. … Jacob has shown enough over the last week. He’s walking and taking pitches, and, obviously, swinging the bat really well.”
Judge arrives in Sacramento in the midst of a four-game funk in which he is 2-for-15.
The two-time MVP just went 1-for-10 in a three-game home series against the San Diego Padres, but the one hit was a homer.
Judge grew up 50 miles south of Sacramento in Linden and starred for Linden High but wasn’t highly sought by major league teams. The then-Oakland Athletics selected him in the 31st round in 2010.
Judge instead went the college route and starred for Fresno State. He was chosen in the first round (32nd overall) by the Yankees in the 2013 draft.
Trent Grisham was one of the heroes of Wednesday’s 4-3, 10-inning win over the Padres. He hit a tying two-run pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning.
Grisham had two homers and five RBIs in the series against the Padres — one of his former teams — and already has 10 long balls in just 89 at-bats. He hit just nine last season in 179 at-bats.
“I’m having fun with the guys, I would say that more than anything,” Grisham said. “The clubhouse is really good in here, led by Cap (Judge). So, I would say the guys have been the most enjoyable part.”
New York is starting right-hander Will Warren (1-2, 5.65 ERA) in Friday’s series opener. Right-hander Osvaldo Bido (2-2, 4.71) will be on the mound for the Athletics.
Warren, 25, struck out a career-high eight in 4 2/3 innings while losing to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. He gave up five runs (three earned) and seven hits. Warren hasn’t previously faced the Athletics.
Bido, 29, received a no-decision against the Miami Marlins last Saturday when he gave up four runs on three hits over five innings. He is winless (0-1) over his last three starts. Bido hasn’t faced the Yankees.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement
Aug 21, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada; Manny Pacquiao (right) fights Yordenis Ugas in a world welterweight championship bout at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao plans to end his retirement and return to the ring on July 19 against Mario Barrios in Las Vegas, ESPN reported Thursday.
Pacquiao, 46, will be fighting for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.
The fight will be for Barrios’ WBC welterweight championship belt. Barrios turns 30 on May 18.
Pacquiao is an eight-division champion who is slated to be inducted into the boxing Hall of Fame in June. He reportedly will formally announce his return to boxing next week. The report stated that Pacquiao has been cleared to compete by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
In recent years, Pacquiao has been focusing on his political career in the Philippines.
The boxer nicknamed “PacMan” has a 62-8-2 record with 39 knockouts during his career. He won his first major title — the WBC flyweight crown — at age 19 in 1998.
Pacquiao was 54-3-2 prior to turning 33 and 8-5 afterward. One of those losses was to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via unanimous decision in 2015, a bout that reportedly drew nearly $400 million in pay-per-view sales.
Barrios (29-2-1, 18 knockouts) fought to a 12-round, split-decision draw against Abel Ramos last November. This will be his third defense since winning the title by beating Ugas in 2023.
–Field Level Media
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
