Sports
Top 25 roundup: No. 4 Alabama edges No. 2 Georgia in wild contest
Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Members of the Alabama Crimson Tide defensive celebrate after a pass interception by defensive back Zabien Brown (2) to seal a victory over the Georgia Bulldogs during the fourth quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images Jalen Milroe passed for two touchdowns and rushed for two more and Zabien Brown made a game-saving interception as No. 4 Alabama recorded a wild 41-34 victory over No. 2 Georgia on Saturday night in a Southeastern Conference showdown at Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Alabama blew a 28-point second-quarter lead and fell behind late before notching the winning points on Milroe’s 75-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Williams with 2:18 remaining. Brown’s interception of Carson Beck in the end zone with 43 seconds left secured the victory.
It was the Crimson Tide’s ninth win in the past 10 meetings with the Bulldogs.
Milroe completed 27 of 33 passes for 374 yards and one interception and rushed for 117 yards on 16 attempts to fuel the Crimson Tide (4-0, 1-0 SEC). Williams caught six passes for 177 yards, Germie Bernard rushed for a touchdown and Jamarion Miller caught one for Alabama.
Beck threw three second-half touchdown passes and finished 27-of-50 passing for 439 yards and three interceptions to go along with a lost fumble for Georgia (3-1, 1-1), which had its 42-game regular-season winning streak halted.
No. 1 Texas 35, Mississippi State 13
Arch Manning passed for 324 yards and two touchdowns, both to DeAndre Moore Jr., and ran for another score to defeat the Bulldogs in Austin, Texas, in the Longhorns’ first Southeastern Conference game as a member of the league.
The Longhorns (5-0, 1-0 SEC) sputtered a bit in their second week as the nation’s top-ranked team, but they turned it on late. Manning started for the second consecutive game in place of erstwhile starter Quinn Ewers. Manning finished 26-of-31 and connected with 10 receivers. Moore Jr. had four of those receptions for 103 yards.
True freshman Michael Van Buren Jr. passed for 144 yards and ran for a TD in his starting debut at quarterback for Mississippi State (1-4, 0-2 SEC). Johnnie Daniels rushed for 75 yards on 15 carries for the Bulldogs, who lost their fourth straight game.
No. 3 Ohio State 38, Michigan State 7
Jeremiah Smith ran for a touchdown and made two spectacular catches in the first half as the Buckeyes defeated the Spartans in East Lansing, Mich.
Quarterback Will Howard tossed two touchdowns and added a rushing score for the Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten). After his 19-yard rushing score midway through the second quarter, Smith, the No. 1 ranked recruit in the 2024 class, produced a pair of highlight-reel catches to help Ohio State take a 24-7 halftime lead.
Smith’s touchdown catch in the second quarter came from backup Devin Brown, who had entered the game after Howard was hurt. Howard re-entered the game in the third quarter and finished 21 of 31 for 244 yards with an interception. Aidan Chiles was 13 of 19 for 167 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Spartans (3-2, 1-1).
Kentucky 20, No. 6 Ole Miss 17
Brock Vandagriff completed a 63-yard pass on fourth down, Josh Kattus scored the game-winner on a fumble recovery, and the Wildcats shocked the host Rebels in Oxford, Miss.
With Kentucky trailing 17-13 with 3:51 left and backed up at its own 20, Vandagriff heaved a 63-yarder to Barion Brown. Gavin Wimsatt then fumbled on a keeper and tight end Kattus caught the ball and fell two yards for the winning TD with 2:25 left. Ole Miss kicker Caden Davis hooked a 48-yard field goal with 48 seconds left that would have forced overtime.
In their first road game this season, the 17-point underdog Wildcats (3-2, 1-2 SEC) won for the first time in Oxford since 1978. Vandagriff was 18 of 28 for a career-high 243 yards with a touchdown. Dane Key caught eight passes for 105 yards and a score. The FBS’ top-scoring squad at 55 points per game, Ole Miss (4-1, 0-1) saw Jaxson Dart go 18 of 27 for 261 yards and a TD, with receiver Tre Harris notching 176 yards and a score on 11 receptions.
No. 8 Oregon 34, UCLA 13
Dillon Gabriel completed 31 of 41 passes for 280 yards with three touchdown passes, and the Ducks cruised to their first Big Ten victory in school history, a win over the Bruins at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
Tez Johnson caught two of Gabriel’s touchdowns, one for 52 yards in the second quarter and another for 12 yards early in the fourth quarter that sealed the Ducks’ fifth consecutive win over UCLA and 11th in the past 12 meetings with their former Pac-12 rivals. Oregon (4-0,1-0 Big Ten) improved to 16-3 against UCLA since 2000.
Jordan James had 103 yards on 20 carries, including a 2-yard touchdown run, while Gabriel moved into second place in NCAA career total yards with 17,168. UCLA (1-3, 0-2) lost its third straight game. The Ducks racked up 433 yards of total offense and held the Bruins to 172. UCLA was just 1-of-10 on third downs and ran 30 fewer plays than the Ducks.
No. 9 Penn State 21, No. 19 Illinois 7
Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen each rushed for second-half touchdowns as the Nittany Lions toppled the Fighting Illini in State College, Pa., in a battle of Big Ten Conference unbeatens.
Singleton snapped a 7-7 tie by rushing for a 4-yard score on Penn State’s first drive of the second half, capping a 12-play march that lasted more than six minutes. Allen added the clinching touchdown on a 5-yard run up the middle with 1:55 left in the game. Drew Allar hit 15 of 21 passes for 135 yards for the Nittany Lions (4-1, 1-0).
Luke Altmyer completed 16 of 25 passes for 185 yards and a score for Illinois (4-1, 1-1) while being sacked seven times.
Arizona 23, No. 10 Utah 10
Noah Fifita threw a 35-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and the Wildcats’ defense came up with four fourth-down stops as they won their Big 12 debut by upsetting the Utes in Salt Lake City.
Arizona (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) — which was previously 5-32-1 all-time against AP Top 10 teams on the road — was up by six points in the fourth quarter when Fifita rolled right and threw deep into the end zone for Keyan Burnett for a 23-10 lead with 8:13 left.
The Wildcats stopped the Utes (4-1, 1-1) in the red zone on their first two drives. Utah also turned the ball over on downs late in the third after reaching the Arizona 44 when trailing 16-3. And a fourth-and-13 pass came up short at the Utah 38 with 5:15 left. Utah, which had won 33 of its past 35 home games, was playing its third game without starting quarterback Cam Rising (finger). Freshman Isaac Wilson stepped in again, completing 20 of 40 passes for 280 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions.
No. 12 Michigan 27, Minnesota 24
Kalel Mullings rushed 24 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns as the Wolverines hung on to beat the Golden Gophers in Big Ten Conference play at Ann Arbor, Mich.
Alex Orji hit 10 of 18 attempts for 86 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Michigan (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten), which led 24-3 entering the fourth quarter. Mullings scored the Wolverines’ first two touchdowns and Dominic Zvada made two field goals, the latter for a 27-17 lead with 4:33 left.
Max Brosmer completed 27 of 40 passes for 258 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Minnesota (2-3). Darius Taylor rushed for two of the Golden Gophers’ three fourth-quarter touchdowns.
No. 13 USC 38, Wisconsin 21
Miller Moss threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth as the Trojans outscored the Badgers 28-0 in the second half in Los Angeles to record their first-ever Big Ten Conference win.
Moss tossed two of his touchdowns after halftime, including a go-ahead, 8-yard score to Duce Robinson late in the third quarter. The redshirt junior quarterback finished 30-of-45 passing for 308 yards with an interception for USC (3-1, 1-1 Big Ten). Ja’Kobi Lane hauled in 10 passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
Braedyn Locke was 13-of-26 for 180 yards with a touchdown and the interception in his first start for Wisconsin (2-2, 0-1). He was replacing Tyler Van Dyke, who sustained a torn ACL in the Badgers’ Sept. 14 loss to Alabama.
No. 14 LSU 42, South Alabama 10
Garrett Nussmeier had two touchdown passes and a pair of touchdown runs as the Tigers defeated the Jaguars in a nonconference game in Baton Rouge, La.
Freshman Caden Durham had 128 rushing yards and a touchdown on just seven carries and 89 receiving yards and a touchdown on three catches for LSU (4-1) before sitting out the second half with a foot injury.
South Alabama (2-3), which came into the game averaging 504 yards and 48.3 points per game, finished with 333 total yards compared with 667 for LSU.
No. 16 Notre Dame 31, No. 15 Louisville 24
Riley Leonard passed for two touchdowns and ran for one more, and the Fighting Irish held off the Cardinals in South Bend, Ind.
Leonard completed 17 of 23 passes for 163 yards for Notre Dame (4-1), which avenged a loss at Louisville one season ago. Leonard also rushed 13 times for 52 yards.
Tyler Shough completed 24 of 41 passes for 264 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for Louisville (3-1). Ja’Corey Brooks caught two touchdown passes and Isaac Brown hauled in the other one.
No. 17 Clemson 40, Stanford 14
Cade Klubnik threw touchdown passes to three different receivers over a 5:33 span bridging the third and fourth quarters, helping the Tigers pull away from the visiting Cardinal for an Atlantic Coast Conference football victory.
Klubnik finished with four touchdown passes and a 34-yard TD run for the Tigers (3-1, 2-0 ACC), who have outscored opponents 165-69 since a 34-3 opening loss to Georgia.
Micah Ford rushed 15 times for a game-high 122 yards for Stanford (2-2, 1-1), which was playing on the East Coast for the second consecutive week in its first two ACC games.
No. 18 Iowa State 20, Houston 0
Rocco Becht completed 17 of 28 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown, and the Cyclones earned a shutout on the road over the Cougars.
Abu Sama III finished with 11 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown for Iowa State (4-0). The Cyclones’ defense limited the Cougars to 241 total yards and stopped nine of 10 third-down attempts.
Stacy Sneed had 10 carries for 79 yards to lead Houston (1-4). Cougars quarterback Donovan Smith completed 8 of 12 passes for 71 yards and an interception.
No. 23 Kansas State 42, No. 20 Oklahoma State 20
Avery Johnson accounted for five touchdowns as the Wildcats dismantled the Cowboys in a pivotal Big 12 matchup in Manhattan, Kan.
Johnson was 19-of-31 for 259 yards and three touchdowns passing. He added two touchdowns on the ground. DJ Giddens rushed for 187 yards on just 15 carries (12.5 yards per rush) for the Wildcats (4-1, 1-1 Big 12), who outgained Oklahoma State 300-126 on the ground.
The Cowboys (3-2, 0-2 Big 12) were hurt by three turnovers by Alan Bowman. Bowman threw for 364 yards, but he had two picks and lost a fumble.
No. 21 Oklahoma 27, Auburn 21
Kip Lewis returned an interception 63 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter as the Sooners rallied to beat the Tigers in an SEC matchup in Auburn, Ala.
With just over four minutes remaining and Auburn leading 21-16, Tigers quarterback Payton Thorne looked to Cam Coleman over the middle before throwing his only interception of the game. Coleman nearly chased Lewis down, but the Sooners linebacker dove for the end zone, giving Oklahoma (4-1, 1-1) its first lead since the second quarter.
Thorne finished 21 of 32 for 338 and three touchdowns. The interception was his sixth of the season. Michael Hawkins Jr., making his first career start after replacing a struggling Jackson Arnold in last week’s loss to Tennessee, finished 10 of 15 for 161 yards and ran for 69 yards and a touchdown.
No. 22 BYU 34, Baylor 28
The Cougars took an early three-touchdown lead before holding off the Bears in Waco, Texas, to win and achieve their first road victory in the Big 12 in their second year in the conference.
The Cougars (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) withstood a comeback attempt by Baylor (2-3, 0-2) after taking a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. BYU’s Jake Retzlaff was 17 of 31 for 216 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Retzlaff’s top target, Darius Lassiter, had eight receptions for 120 yards with a touchdown.
Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson completed 27 of 48 pass attempts for 324 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Josh Cameron finished with seven receptions for 125 yards with two touchdowns.
No. 24 Texas A&M 21, Arkansas 17
Marcel Reed accounted for three scores and remained perfect as starting quarterback for the Aggies, who topped the rival Razorbacks in the final Southwest Classic held in Arlington, Texas.
Reed went 11-for-22 for 163 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another score. He is 3-0 filling in for Conner Weigman (shoulder sprain). Noah Thomas caught six passes for 109 yards and a score as Texas A&M (4-1, 2-0 SEC) improved to 12-1 in the past 13 series meetings.
Taylen Green was 23 of 41 for 279 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Arkansas (3-2, 1-1). The SEC’s leading rusher at 118 yards per game, Ja’Quinden Jackson, had just 37 yards on 10 carries and a score. Isaac TeSlaa had five catches for 120 yards and a touchdown.
No. 25 Boise State 45, Washington State 24
Ashton Jeanty rushed for 259 yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries to lead the Broncos past the Cougars in nonconference play in Boise, Idaho.
Jeanty scored on runs of 64, 59, 14 and 2 yards while recording the third-best single-game yardage amount in Boise State (3-1) history. He set the school mark of 267 earlier this season against Georgia Southern, surpassing Cedric Minter (261 vs. Northern Michigan in 1978).
John Mateer was 26-of-37 passing for 327 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for Washington State (4-1).
–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
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