Sports
No. 2 Ohio State looks to avoid getting tripped up by Purdue
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) celebrates a first down run beside Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Kobe King (41) during the NCAA football game at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa. on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. Ohio State won 20-13. Purdue’s impressive five victories over Ohio State this century, including an all-time upset in 2018, have one thing in common — they were played in West Lafayette, Ind.
The struggling Boilermakers (1-7, 0-5 Big Ten) won’t have that luxury in Columbus on Saturday against the Buckeyes, who are ranked No. 2 in the season’s first College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday.
In the first-ever CFP poll in 2014, Ohio State ranked 16th because of a home loss to Virginia Tech. Two months later, the Buckeyes defeated Oregon in the national title game.
The Buckeyes (7-1, 4-1) have the same destination in mind this season after a 20-13 victory at No. 6 Penn State on Saturday gave them a clear path to the Big Ten title game and a possible rematch with No. 1 Oregon, which edged the visiting Buckeyes 32-31 on Oct. 12.
Ohio State needs to win its final four regular-season games and can’t afford a slip-up against the Boilermakers before playing Northwestern (at Wrigley Field), and No. 8 Indiana and rival Michigan, both in Columbus.
“We’re just focused on Purdue,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday. “No matter what happened the game before, that game is over with. Whatever the rankings are, we’ve always said, the ones that matter are the ones at the end of the year.”
Purdue coach Ryan Walters knows his team is a heavy underdog at Ohio Stadium, where the Boilermakers haven’t won since 1988. But he will try to draw inspiration from six years ago, when the unranked Boilermakers humbled the second-ranked Buckeyes 49-20, albeit in a home game.
“It’s going to be a big challenge,” Walters said Monday. “Looking forward to playing in a venue that’s as historic as Ohio State and looking forward to going and competing against the best. That is why you play in this conference. That’s why you come to a school like Purdue, to be able to go compete with and give your all against some of the better teams in the country.”
However, in the two most recent matchups in 2023 and 2021, they were outscored 100-38, and there’s reason to believe another beatdown is in the offing.
The Boilermakers have been outscored 295-113 by FBS opponents following a season-opening 49-0 win over Indiana State of the FCS.
Add the fact Ohio State has future NFL picks throughout the lineup and it could be a long day.
“You look at their team in its entirety; very, very talented roster,” Walters said. “You couple the talented roster with the level of coaching that is at Ohio State, I’ve got a lot of respect for a lot of those guys on the staff there. That’s why you get a team like Ohio State.”
Will Howard leads the way at quarterback for the Buckeyes, throwing for 1,977 yards and 19 touchdowns this season, with Emeka Egbuka catching 46 passes for 577 yards and seven touchdowns and Jeremiah Smith hauling in 39 passes for 678 yards and eight scores.
The Buckeyes will look to build off their performance at Penn State, where they denied the Nittany Lions a late potential game-tying touchdown despite a first-and-goal from the 3.
That was followed by the Buckeyes starting from their 1 with 5:13 left and running 11 straight times, including a kneel-down, for 58 yards and four first downs to end the game.
But Day is done talking about that.
“I think Purdue’s offense is playing well,” Day said. “If our guys think that they’re just going to go out there and play this Saturday, they’re wrong. (The Boilermakers) are a much better team than their record shows.
“If anybody in this building here is thinking about last week, that they’re distracted, that can’t happen.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Iowa finalizing 6-year deal with coach Ben McCollum
Mar 22, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum calls a timeout against the Florida Gators in the second half during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Ben McCollum is finalizing a deal with Iowa that would keep him as the Hawkeyes basketball coach for the next six years, ESPN reported Friday.
McCollum is coming off his first season at the helm in Iowa, when he took the Hawkeyes on their deepest NCAA tournament run in almost 40 years.
Compiling a 24-13 record, the Storm Lake, Iowa, native led the No. 9 Hawkeyes on a run to the Elite Eight that included a 73-72 second-round upset win over top-seeded Florida and another win over No. 4 Nebraska before being eliminated by Illinois in the regional final.
McCollum, 45, came to Iowa last spring after one season at Drake, which he led to the NCAA Tournament after guiding the Bulldogs to the Missouri Valley regular season and conference tournament titles in his first year with the program. Drake finished with a 31-4 record after falling to Texas Tech in the second round of the 2025 NCAA tournament.
He previously spent 15 seasons with NCAA Division II power Northwest Missouri State University, helping his alma mater capture four national championships (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022).
During his 17-year coaching career, McCollum has amassed a record of 450-108.
McCollum was reportedly pursued by North Carolina in their search for a head coach to replace Hubert Davis, who was fired after five seasons. Former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone was ultimately hired to coach the Tar Heels.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao agree to rematch
May 2, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Floyd Mayweather (right) talks with Manny Pacquiao as celebrates after his welterweight championship bout at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao have agreed to terms on an amended deal for a proposed boxing match on Sept. 25 in Las Vegas.
Manny Pacquiao Promotions CEO Jas Mathur told The Ring magazine on Friday that the sides reached terms to go ahead with the anticipated bout at T-Mobile Arena. The fight will stream live on Netflix.
The initial plan was for the bout to be held at The Sphere in Las Vegas on Sept. 19, however that fell through. The rock band The Eagles are performing on that date as part of their residency at the venue.
Mayweather could be rather busy given that he has exhibition bouts lined up against Mike Tyson and Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis. The Tyson fight does not have a specific date or location, while the Zambidis bout is set for June 27 in Athens, Greece.
Mayweather, 49, and Pacquiao initially fought in 2015 after years of buildup, with the former winning by unanimous decision. That bout wound up being the highest grossing boxing event of all time.
Pacquiao, 47, retired from boxing in September 2021 as the only eight-division world champion in boxing history before coming out of retirement last year for a WBC welterweight title fight against Mario Barrios, which ended in a majority draw.
Mayweather, who has a perfect 50-0 career record and won 15 world titles, hasn’t fought competitively since his highly controversial boxing match against UFC legend Conor McGregor in August of 2017.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Coaches share spotlight as slumping Red Bulls visit Fire
Jan 27, 2019; Glendale, AZ, USA; USA head coach Gregg Berhalter (left) greets midfielder Michael Bradley after being pulled from the game against Panama during an international friendly soccer match at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images When Chicago hosts New York on Saturday, it will be a reunion of former U.S. men’s national team members Gregg Berhalter, now the coach of the Fire, and Michael Bradley, who is in his first season guiding the Red Bulls.
In 2019, which was the final season of Bradley’s 14-year playing career on the USMNT, Berhalter was the head coach of the Stars and Stripes.
Seven years later, their respective MLS teams are going in opposite directions. While Chicago (5-3-2, 17 points) has collected 13 points in its last six games, New York (3-5-3, 12 points) is winless over its last five MLS matches.
After opening with wins in his first two games as an MLS coach, it has been a struggle for Bradley.
“He probably doesn’t need my advice, but you know coaching is a journey and he’s a smart guy,” Berhalter said. “And for him, it’s just a continual journey to keep learning and keep improving.”
The journey has been filled with success for Berhalter. In five seasons with the Columbus Crew, he guided them to four playoff berths. Last year, in his first season with the Fire, Berhalter helped them end an eight-year postseason drought.
“The way he sees the game, the way he sets up training sessions, the tone that he has with the group, his way of leading — you take little bits of that and you try to use it in a way that can help you,” Bradley said.
The Red Bulls have failed to score in their last two MLS matches, including a 2-0 loss at home last Saturday to FC Dallas.
Getting on the scoreboard won’t be easy against Chicago keeper Chris Brady who has recorded five clean sheets, including four at home.
Eighteen-year-old forward Julian Hall (six goals, two assists) has emerged as the top threat for New York, while Chicago is paced by forward Hugo Cuypers, who is tied for the league lead with 10 goals after scoring a brace in each of the Fire’s last three MLS matches.
“They have speed. They’re a quite big, physical team. We’re not gonna shy away from that,” Red Bulls keeper Ethan Horvath said. “We’re gonna go out. We’re gonna attack the game head on and try to give Chicago a really tough time.”
–Field Level Media
Reports: Iowa finalizing 6-year deal with coach Ben McCollum
Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao agree to rematch
