Sports
No. 6 Oregon welcomes old friend Jonathan Smith, Michigan State to Eugene
Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning is all smiles during the fourth quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images Sixth-ranked Oregon is new to the Big Ten, although the Ducks are familiar with struggling Michigan State.
The Spartans take on a second consecutive top 10 team in a trek to Eugene, Ore., to challenge the Ducks (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) on Friday night.
Oregon put together its most complete game of the season Saturday in beating UCLA 34-13. The Spartans (3-2, 1-1) attempt to bounce back from a 31-point loss to Ohio State under the watch of former Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith.
Smith does know the feeling of beating the highly ranked Ducks. Most recently he orchestrated the upset in 2022 when he was Pac-12 Coach of the Year with the Beavers and bagged a 38-34 win over then-No. 10 Oregon in the game referred to in the state as the Civil War.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning said he sees some similarities in the Spartans and past Smith-coached teams.
“Yeah, there’s definitely some similar pieces,” Lanning said. “I think they always do a good job of challenging you in the run game, creating different pictures than maybe what you see across college football. They always do a great job of that. Defensively, a little bit different than what they were last year at Oregon State, but still really, really sound and do some things that challenge you as well.”
Oregon is chasing its first Big Ten home win and plays at Autzen Stadium for the first time since Sept. 7. The Ducks opened as a 23.5-point favorite and are 42-3 at home since 2017.
“Quick turnaround, but guys are attacking it really well,” Lanning said, noting Oregon is 6-0 in Friday night games. “Certainly excited to get back in front of our fans. Been a while since we’ve been here, so getting in front of Autzen (Stadium fans) will be quite the challenge and a good opportunity for us to see where we’ve improved and continue to get better.”
Lanning is especially pleased with a linebacker corps instrumental in holding UCLA without an offensive touchdown and limiting the Bruins to 172 yards of total offense.
“A lot of credit goes to those guys and the work that they put in,” Lanning said. “And then certainly a ton of credit goes to coach (Brian) Michalowski, and the job he’s done in developing those guys and getting them ready. Our scheme isn’t necessarily the easiest thing for linebackers, so having a guy that can coach them really well is very important, and Brian’s done a great job with those guys. But that’s also one of the hardest-working groups on our team. One of the most accountable groups on our team. They hold themselves to a higher standard as well.”
The Spartans are coming off a 38-7 loss to No. 3 Ohio State and will be looking to win their first regular-season, non-bowl game on the West Coast since beating Cal 19-0 in October 1957.
Michigan State has struggled offensively through its first five games. The rushing offense is ranked 97th nationally with an average of 132.4 yards per game and the scoring offense is 104th at 21.8 points per game. The Spartans have been plagued with turnovers, tied for the third most with 13 in five games.
Smith, who took over the Spartans last November after six seasons at Oregon State, called Friday’s game “a big-time challenge.” He has taken notice of Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel and the offense.
“When you look at Oregon, explosive offensively,” Smith said. “Quarterback’s a good player, accurate with the ball and might be leading the country in completion percentage. And they’ve got some athletes that he’s throwing it to.
“Flip it around, and they’ve got a solid defense. I look at those guys and they just continue to improve. From game one to game four, those guys have continued to improve and played real, real well.”
Smith said he’s not going to let his return to Oregon affect his approach to Friday’s game.
“Once the thing’s kicked off, your approach as a coach is preparing the guys,” Smith said. “You get locked in on the game. And it’s not just myself, we have some other guys with connections to the place and all that. Once it’s kicked off, it’s a college football game. You kind of emotionally approach it the same.”
Oregon and Michigan State last met in the 2018 Red Box Bowl. The Ducks won 7-6 on Justin Herbert’s fourth-quarter TD pass to Dillon Mitchell.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Vikings agree to deal with veteran LB/S Jamal Adams
Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Jamal Adams against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Three-time Pro Bowl linebacker/safety Jamal Adams is headed to his sixth NFL team after agreeing to terms with the Minnesota Vikings on Monday.
The 30-year-old veteran confirmed his decision with a post on X that said “Year 10 #skol”.
Adams spent last season with the Las Vegas Raiders, amassing 45 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in 17 games (four starts) as a linebacker.
Adams also previously played for the New York Jets (2017-19), Seattle Seahawks (2020-23), Tennessee Titans (2024) and Detroit Lions (2024). Adams earned his Pro Bowl appearances as a safety from 2018-20.
It remains to be seen which position the versatile Adams will play for the Vikings. However, his addition comes as safety Harrison Smith mulls retirement.
Overall during his pro career, Adams has tallied 546 tackles, 22.5 sacks, four interceptions, 36 passes defended, eight forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
Adams is joining a stingy Vikings defense that ranked third in the NFL in yards allowed per game last season (282.6).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ali Sanchez's first homer helps Yankees complete rally vs. White Sox
Jul 27, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Spencer Jones (78) hits an RBI-ground out against the Chicago White Sox during the fourth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Jazz Chisholm Jr. had two hits and two RBIs and Ali Sanchez blasted his first major league homer in the eighth inning to break the game open as the visiting New York Yankees defeated the Chicago White Sox 9-5 on Monday.
New York overcame an early three-run deficit for its fourth win in five games. The Yankees moved within 2 1/2 games of the idle Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the American League East.
AL Central-leading Chicago committed three errors as its lead over the second-place Cleveland Guardians fell to two games. The White Sox have lost three of their past four.
The Yankees scored a total of five runs in the seventh and eighth innings and navigated two errors in the ninth to hold on.
Ben Rice delivered a go-ahead single in the seventh, and New York maintained the lead in the bottom half when Colson Montgomery was erased at the plate while trying to score on a Chase Meidroth double.
Chisholm had a bunt single in the eighth that resulted in a run thanks to a throwing error. He scored when Sanchez connected against Sean Newcomb for a three-run shot three batters later. Sanchez was playing in his 75th major league game with six teams across five seasons.
Montgomery went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
Jasson Dominguez and Rice contributed two hits each for New York.
Brent Headrick (6-1) delivered 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the victory. David Bednar entered with runners on the corners and two outs in the ninth, and he fanned Meidroth to notch his 21st save.
Chicago reliever Bryan Hudson (3-4) allowed one run and two hits in the seventh.
The White Sox stormed to a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Yankees starter Max Fried. Colson Montgomery drove in the game’s first run with a single, and Meidroth added a sacrifice fly before Braden Montgomery punctuated the rally with an RBI triple.
White Sox rookie left-hander Noah Schultz retired the next six Yankees before control issues prompted an early exit. New York opened the fourth with two walks and a single to load the bases. Schultz departed after Anthony Volpe produced an RBI groundout but was charged with two more runs when Chisholm greeted reliever Chris Murphy with a double to right-center.
Chisholm scored the go-ahead run on a Spencer Jones groundout, but Chicago tied the game at 4-all in the fifth on an RBI single from Colson Montgomery.
Schultz permitted three runs and two hits in 3 1/3 innings with two walks and five strikeouts. Fried allowed three runs and five hits in three innings, walking two and striking out four.
–Field Level Media
Sports
ATP roundup: Terence Atmane upsets Frances Tiafoe in Washington
Jul 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Terence Atmane (FRA) hits a backhand against Frances Tiafoe (USA) (not pictured) on day one of the Mubadala DC Open 2026 at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images France’s Terence Atmane avenged a first-round Wimbledon loss to Frances Tiafoe, prevailing 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Monday in the first round of the Mubadala DC Open in Washington.
Tiafoe, a Washington-area native, was the tournament’s sixth seed.
Atmane got the decisive service break in the next-to-last game, then served out the match.
Earlier in the day, third-seeded Taylor Fritz swept his service games and rolled to a 6-3, 6-4 win over Belgium’s Zizou Bergs.
Fritz saved all four break points he faced while converting two of his four break opportunities. The California native was playing his first match since losing in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon to Germany’s Alexander Zverev.
Fourth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti won an all-Italian matchup when Matteo Arnaldi retired while trailing 6-0, 3-1. Musetti was returning from injury issues that kept him out since early May.
Also advancing to the second round were Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic, Japan’s Kei Nishikori and Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo.
Mifel Tennis Open
Australia’s Bernard Tomic was nearly perfect in the first round at Los Cabos, Mexico, powering to a 6-1, 6-0 win over Mexico’s Alex Hernandez.
Hernandez, a 27-year-old qualifier who is ranked No. 498 in the world, held serve while trailing 5-0 in the first set to avoid a double bagel. Tomic, a 33-year-old who is ranked 171st, made the main draw as a lucky loser from qualifying.
In other first-round action, U.S. qualifier Tristan Boyer downed Canada’s Gabriel Diallo 7-5, 6-2. The night slate included fifth-seeded Cameron Norrie of the United Kingdom facing Aleksandar Kovacevic, and Hong Kong’s Chak Lam Coleman Wong opposing Darwin Blanch.
–Field Level Media
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Vikings agree to deal with veteran LB/S Jamal Adams
