Sports
Buffalo looks to keep rolling vs. Liberty in Bahamas Bowl
Buffalo safety Marcus Fuqua (10) and linebacker Shaun Dolac (52) take down Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen (0) during the first quarter of the game on Saturday September 2, 2023 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. Most teams that go to bowl games these days must deal with multiple opt-outs and players hitting the transfer portal, thinning out the depth chart for the year’s last game.
Not so at Buffalo.
“Our team is largely intact going into the bowl game,” first-year coach Pete Lembo said. “Very few guys going into the portal, so that’s great. I think it’s a sign that the guys have bought into what we’re doing.”
So is the Bulls’ 8-4 record, which is why they got the call to take on Liberty (8-3) in Saturday’s Bahamas Bowl in Nassau.
Buffalo went 6-2 in the Mid-American Conference, highlighted by a 23-20 overtime win on Sept. 21 at then-No. 23 Northern Illinois. The Huskies were two weeks removed from their stunning upset at Notre Dame, which won 12 straight games after that, including Thursday’s Sugar Bowl victory over No. 2 Georgia in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
The Bulls rolled through November with four straight high-scoring wins, closing the regular season with a 43-7 rout of winless Kent State. Senior quarterback C.J. Ogbonna, who started his career at Southeast Missouri State, nearly doubled his yards-per-game average over the season’s second half from 125 to 249 — with 14 touchdown passes in that span.
But the marquee names on Buffalo’s roster belong to the defense. Linebackers Shaun Dolac and Red Murdock combined for a whopping 302 tackles, ranking 1-2 in FBS. Dolac collected 159 stops to become the program’s first consensus All-America pick.
While the Bulls will end the year with most of their key faces still on their roster, the Flames must take the field without their star quarterback. Kaidon Salter hit the portal after the regular season to join Colorado, where he might get the chance to replace Shedeur Sanders next year.
After leading Liberty to its first New Year’s Six bowl berth last season, Salter encored by throwing for 1,886 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 587 yards and seven scores on the ground. He’ll be replaced by Ryan Burger, an Appalachian State transfer who will make his first start since getting the call for the Mountaineers’ season opener in 2023.
Burger will at least have the comfort of the nation’s second-ranked rushing attack at his disposal. While Quinton Cooley (and his 1,254 yards and 13 touchdowns) opted out, Billy Lucas is sticking around. Lucas rushed for 663 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
Coach Jamey Chadwell said his team has scrimmaged frequently and done a lot of individual work in the four weeks leading up to the game to keep them sharp.
“I think we’re in a pretty good place as far as guys looking at the opportunity to get better,” Chadwell said. “But everybody’s going to the bowl games with a shell of a team, except our opponent. That’s just the way it is.
“Everybody’s lost players, and that’s not the best look for college football.”
The Flames have won all three prior meetings with Buffalo, including a 55-27 decision last year in Buffalo.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Steelers owner has Ravens' fan seating moved at Pittsburgh draft
Apr 21, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; A general overall aerial view of Acrisure Stadium, the site of the 2026 NFL Draft. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Brotherly love is not in the air in Pittsburgh, where Steelers owner Art Rooney II ceases to give the franchise rivalry with the Baltimore Ravens a day off.
Rooney surveyed the stage and draft layout ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft in his home city and was surprised to find the chart called for Ravens fans to be seated in front of the hometown Steelers fans positioned outside of Acrisure Stadium.
He asked the NFL to do something about it.
“On the normal seating chart, I noticed that the Ravens fans were sitting in front of the Steeler fans in one section of the draft theater,” Rooney said in a radio interview with WDVE 102.5 FM. “So I asked (the NFL) to make that change — and they agreed to make that.”
The Steelers and Ravens both changed head coaches in the offseason but the rivalry remains intense.
Baltimore lost a virtual division championship game in the stadium where the draft is held starting Thursday and will pick 14th overall. The Ravens attempted to trade that pick and more to the Las Vegas Raiders for Maxx Crosby, but general manager Eric DeCosta backed out of the deal for what he claimed were concerns with Crosby’s physical.
Pittsburgh has pick No. 21 in the first round Thursday but will be readily apparent Friday during a stretch in the second and third rounds in which the Steelers hold four picks between selections Nos. 53 and 99.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Led by CJ McCollum, Hawks look to seize series lead vs. Knicks
Apr 20, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) and New York Knicks guard Jose Alvarado (5) are separated by referee Zach Zarba (15) during the third quarter of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images CJ McCollum is filling the exact role the Atlanta Hawks had in mind when they acquired him in January. The veteran is not only scoring plenty of points, but he’s also providing an experienced presence for a young team.
McCollum scored 32 points on Tuesday to spark Atlanta’s fourth-quarter comeback and 107-106 road win against the New York Knicks. The best-of-seven first-round series is tied 1-1 and shifts to Atlanta on Thursday for Game 3.
“I really liked CJ’s leadership as much as the shot making,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “CJ’s leadership was really good with the ball in his hands.”
The Knicks had been 40-1 in the postseason since the advent of the shot clock in 1954-55 when leading by 12 or more points after three quarters. The only loss was when Reggie Miller scored 25 points in the fourth for Indiana in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference finals.
“It’s something that we’ve talked about over the course of the last couple of months,” Snyder said. “It’s a different type of leadership in my mind than he’s had at other times, because he’s got to find a balance of communicating and talking to the guys but still not losing his aggressiveness scoring the basketball.”
The mild-mannered McCollum also stepped into an unfamiliar role as villain. The crowd at Madison Square Garden, turned their vitriol — formerly directed at ex-Hawk Trae Young — toward McCollum. He just shrugged it off.
“I ain’t no villain, I’m a nice guy with two kids and a wife,” McCollum said. “I think it’s admiration. Great passionate fans in a really hostile environment. It’s fun, it’s basketball, it’s the playoffs.”
The Knicks lost the game despite 29 points from Jalen Brunson. He scored 10 of the team’s 15 fourth-quarter points when New York shot just 5-for-22 from the floor.
“We got the ball in the right people’s hands down the stretch and we didn’t convert,” New York coach Mike Brown said.
Brunson has been outstanding in both games. He scored 28 in the series opener. But Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 25 in the first game, scored only 18 — and none in the fourth quarter in Game 2. Brown blamed 14 turnovers, which led to 18 Atlanta points, and shooting 63 percent (17-for-27) at the line.
“At the end of the day we’ve got to lock in at the free-throw line, and we’ve got to take care of the ball,” Brown said. “And in that fourth quarter you could tell they were playing with a level of desperation. They got three of four 50-50 balls in the fourth quarter, which is what we use to measure the level of aggression in a game. In that fourth quarter their aggression stepped up.”
The competition between the teams has been close all season. New York won the first playoff game 113-102, the most lopsided score this year. The Knicks won two of the three regular-season games by three points, while Atlanta had a two-point win.
“Atlanta did what they wanted to do. They came in here and took one from us at home,” Brown said. “In my opinion, you’ve got to be able to win on the road if you expect to get where you want to do. So, for us, we’ve got to go win on the road.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Florida coach Todd Golden shoots down NBA rumors
Mar 22, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden looks on against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the first half during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images Florida coach Todd Golden shot down reports linking him to a potential vacancy with the Golden State Warriors.
“I’m definitely planning on coaching the Gators,” he told reporters Wednesday when asked if he would be back in Gainesville next season.
Multiple reports this week suggested that the Warriors could target Golden if they decide to move on from Steve Kerr, whose contract is up after 12 seasons and four NBA championships.
Golden, 40, coached at the University of San Francisco from 2019-22 before taking over at Florida and winning the national championship in 2024-25.
He is 103-41 with the Gators, who lost in the second round of this season’s NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed.
Golden’s comments come one day after potential NBA lottery pick Thomas Haugh announced he was returning to Florida for his senior season in 2026-27. Two other starters from this year’s squad also are coming back in fellow forward Alex Condon and guard Boogie Fland. Starting center Rueben Chinyelu announced on Monday that he is maintaining his eligibility throughout the NBA draft process.
Golden has no NBA coaching experience, having served as an assistant at Columbia (2012-14), Auburn (2014-16) and San Francisco (2016-19) before compiling a 57-36 record in three seasons leading the Dons.
–Field Level Media
Steelers owner has Ravens' fan seating moved at Pittsburgh draft
Led by CJ McCollum, Hawks look to seize series lead vs. Knicks
