Sports
No. 25 UNLV begins tough stretch by hosting Syracuse
Sep 13, 2024; Kansas City, Kansas, USA; UNLV Rebels head coach Barry Odom looks on during the first half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Children’s Mercy Park. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Every team faces challenges over the course of a long season, but No. 25 UNLV absorbed a major dose of adversity last week.
The Rebels passed their first test following the departure of starting quarterback Matthew Sluka and will look to ace another challenge Friday when Syracuse visits Las Vegas for an intriguing nonconference matchup.
UNLV (4-0) is ranked for the first time in program history, but it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for the Rebels.
They won their first three games behind Sluka, who racked up six passing touchdowns while running for a team-high 253 yards. However, Sluka left the team last Tuesday after a disagreement over unfulfilled NIL promises.
The sudden departure left UNLV coach Barry Odom scrambling to get Hajj-Malik Williams ready to start against Fresno State, although that contest turned into a one-sided affair with the Rebels prevailing 59-14. Williams, a transfer from Campbell, threw three touchdowns and ran for a score. He finished 13-of-16 for 182 yards and added 12 carries for 119 yards.
“It’s tough any time you’re playing against someone like Hajj who can run and throw,” Syracuse coach Fran Brown said. “It’s a nightmare for the defensive coordinator and the head coach. You think about it all week.”
Odom, meanwhile, does not want his team to be satisfied with sitting at the end of the rankings. After Friday’s contest, the Rebels play three of their next four games on the road with the only home date being a matchup against No. 21 Boise State.
So UNLV has little margin for error with the tough stretch looming.
“I think it is exactly where UNLV football should be,” Odom said, referring generally to the national rankings. “That’s our goal — one of our goals — is to be in the top 25 and continue to climb and have a position where every single week, on the national stage, we have a place (in the rankings).”
Ricky White has been up and down through UNLV’s first four contests. In Weeks 1 and 3 against Houston and Kansas, respectively, he totaled five catches for 15 yards without a score. In the other two games vs. Utah Tech and Fresno State, he racked up 15 catches for 238 yards and five touchdowns.
White certainly will be part of the focus as Syracuse (3-1) develops its game plan defensively. The Orange limited Holy Cross to 203 total yards and 2-of-14 third-down conversions in last week’s 42-14 romp.
Still, Brown — like his UNLV counterpart — isn’t close to satisfied.
“I don’t think we’re nowhere near where we can be,” Brown said postgame. “We’ve just got to keep growing.”
Kyle McCord has been picked off twice in each of the last two games, but he has generally been impressive in his first season with Syracuse. The Ohio State transfer had 1,459 passing yards and 14 touchdowns through four contests, throwing for at least 339 yards in every game.
Trebor Pena leads the team in catches (26), receiving yards (316) and touchdown grabs (five), although various Syracuse receivers have taken turns shining offensively over the last month.
Jackson Meeks was in the spotlight against Holy Cross, registering 10 grabs for 161 yards and a score.
“My mentality is always the same — attack, attack, attack,” Meeks said.
This is the first ever meeting between the teams.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lando Norris captures first race as F1 champion
May 24, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; McLaren driver Lando Norris (1) during the Lenovo Grand Prix Du Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images Defending 2025 Formula One champion Lando Norris won the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, finally capturing his first victory of 2026.
Norris was the pole sitter in Mogyorod, Hungary, but quickly lost the top spot when his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, capitalized on a chance to overtake him at Turn 2 of the opening lap.
Norris and Piastri accounted for much of the race drama, with Norris unsuccessfully asking McLaren to call off Piastri. Norris had his first chance at clear sailing when McLaren pulled Piastri in for his second pitstop.
The owner of seven victories in 2025, Norris was forced to watch from behind until Piastri emerged from the pitstop and collided with the car of Williams driver Carlos Sainz Jr. The short delay was enough for Norris to overtake Piastri.
Norris took his first race as the champion ahead of four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull and points leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes.
“I don’t know what happened, to be honest,” Norris said of the faulty Turn 2. “I just kept losing the rear. I had like three or four big snaps. It felt horrible and of course Oscar did a good job to get the cutback and get back past, so I think I was just a bit wide in the dirt — game over for the first lap.
“But man, I was pushing like hell to try and force him into a mistake or something. My pace today was probably some of the best pace I’ve ever had. The car was beautiful to drive and I felt very confident, so a great race.”
“I’m just happy to be back and see the number one again,” the 26-year-old Brit added.
Piastri had completed 55 of the 70 laps when he was forced to end his day because of a problem with his gearbox.
Technical problems in shifting to the 2026 car specifications allowed Ferrari and Mercedes to pull ahead of McLaren this season after its dominant 2025.
Norris has complained plenty about his car this season but had compliments Sunday.
“The team has put so much work in to making a car that can finally win again. It’s nice to be able to do it for them,” Norris said.
“If we want to come back, we need a lot more of these and we need to continue putting pressure on our competition. This weekend was a perfect weekend for us but it’s going to be tough, so we’ll keep pushing and keep working hard.
“I owe the team a lot. They’ve done an amazing job to even get back to winning races at this point, so I’m proud.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Hamilton fell to fifth place following a penalty for speeding during pitstops. A seven-time season champion, Hamilton is second to Antonelli in the driver standings, trailing by 50 points.
Mercedes leads the team standings with Ferrari second. McLaren is a distant third.
Formula One is now on its summer break until it resumes with the Dutch Grand Prix on Aug. 23.
–Field Level Media
Sports
MLB Best Bets for Sunday's Rockies vs. Brewers, Yankees vs. Phillies
Mar 28, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland (21) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports Watching baseball is a great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. So, why not make it even better by getting in on the action? To help you do just that, I’ve combed through the data, odds, and trends for today’s games to find the MLB Best Bets of the day.
Here are my picks:
Colorado Rockies vs. Milwaukee Brewers
The pitching disparity in this game makes it relatively easy to make a pick. Colorado is going with Kyle Freeland, who is 0-6 in nine road starts with an 8.28 ERA and a .330 OBA. The Rockies lineup, which has hit .243 over the last week, will face one of the best pitchers in the game, Jacob Misiorowski.
Misiorowski is 10-4 with a 1.57 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP. Milwaukee’s lineup has only been hitting .236 over the last week. However, that will change with Freeland taking the mound for the Rockies.
My Pick: Milwaukee -1.5 (-125, FanDuel)
I’d feel better if the Brewers were hitting better right now, but Freeland may be one of the most hittable pitchers in the game. The Milwaukee lineup will wake up against him and lead the Brewers to a runaway victory.
Our Current Best Offers
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New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies
We saw seven hits and one run scored in Friday’s game. Saturday’s saw a little more hitting with each team recording seven, but still only four runs scored. So, it is safe to say neither team is hitting the ball really well at the moment (over the last seven days, Yankees– .197 and Phillies– .216).
Don’t expect them to do so today; Will Warren (7-4, 4.00 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) will get a few good innings under his belt before getting pulled for the best bullpen in the league (3.01 ERA). Between the two, the Phillies will not generate much offense.
Philadelphia is set to start Cristopher Sanchez (12-4, 2.71 ERA, 1.19 WHIP), who has been phenomenal at home (8-1, 1.15 ERA).
My Pick: Under 8 at -107 (DraftKings)
Both teams have been terrible at the plate over the last week, and it is unlikely either lineup wakes up against these pitchers.
Our Current Best Offers
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Sports
Yankees place Cody Bellinger (hamstring) on IR, recall Spencer Jones
Jul 22, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) hits a double against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images The New York Yankees’ injury luck continues to get worse as the team placed All-Star outfielder Cody Bellinger on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a hamstring strain.
Bellinger left Saturday’s 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies after injuring himself while rounding first base in the top of the eighth inning. He initially stayed in the game but was seen limping back to the dugout between innings.
Bellinger’s RBI single in the sixth inning proved to be the winning run for New York. He has been a much needed boost for the Yankees, who already are down Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton due to injuries.
Bellinger has appeared in 102 games for the Yankees this season, batting .259 with 11 home runs, 53 RBIs and a .770 OPS. Just 12 days ago Bellinger was named the All-Star Game MVP.
In a corresponding move, the Yankees called up outfielder Spencer Jones from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Jones has appeared in 31 games for the Yankees this season, batting .224 with two home runs and seven RBIs.
–Field Level Media
Lando Norris captures first race as F1 champion
MLB Best Bets for Sunday's Rockies vs. Brewers, Yankees vs. Phillies
