Sports
Rams hire special teams coach Bubba Ventrone
Cleveland Browns special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone watches the team warmup before an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, Sept. 21, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. The Los Angeles Rams hired two coaches to help fix the team’s issues on special teams which proved costly this past season, including in their NFC Championship Game loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Head coach Sean McVay confirmed Monday that Bubba Ventrone will take over as Rams’ special teams coordinator, while Kyle Hoke will be an assistant coach on special teams.
Ventrone, 43, was a former NFL safety and special teams standout who spent the last three seasons as the Cleveland Browns’ assistant head coach and special teams coordinator. He has been an NFL coach since 2015.
“There is an energy, there is a toughness mentally and physically that he provides,” McVay said of Ventrone. “There is a style of play philosophically with how he believes in coaching, what his units have looked like, where he foundationally learned what he knows about this game.”
Hoke worked under Ventrone with the Browns last season after 13 seasons as a college assistant.
The Rams fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn in December and replaced him with assistant special teams coach Ben Kotwica. It was McVay’s first in-season coaching change in nine seasons with Los Angeles.
Kotwica will not return to the Rams’ staff.
Special teams issues against the Seahawks, in particular, cost the Rams a possible appearance in the Super Bowl. The Rams lost to the Seahawks in a key December game when Seattle returned a punt for a touchdown and Harrison Mevis missed a 48-yard field goal in a 38-37 overtime loss.
The defeat proved costly in the Rams’ quest for the NFC title and they were on the road for the NFC Championship game against the Seahawks. In that game, returner Xavier Smith muffed a punt in the third quarter, leading to a 17-yard Seahawks TD pass one play later in a 31-27 defeat.
Mevis was the second Rams kicker this past season after Joshua Karty struggled. Karty’s potential game-winning kick in a September game against the Philadelphia Eagles was blocked and returned for a touchdown on the final play of the game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jets end skid by beating Rangers in OT
Mar 22, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Winnipeg Jets left wing Kyle Connor (81) passes the puck while defended by New York Rangers defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov (44) during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images Kyle Connor and Gabriel Villardi scored in the first two rounds of the shootout and the visiting Winnipeg Jets ended a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the host New York Rangers on Sunday afternoon.
Connor scored when he got a shot to trickle under rookie Dylan Garand’s pads and his shootout goal occurred after he had 11 shot attempts in regulation and overtime. Vilardi scored when he cut to the right and flicked a wrist shot by Garand.
Backup goalie Eric Comrie stopped Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller in the shootout after making three saves during an interference penalty on Mark Scheifele in overtime.
The Jets (29-29-12, 70 points) snapped their skid after blowing a pair of one-goal leads. Winnipeg began Sunday five points behind the Nashville Predators for the final wild-card spot.
Adam Lowry and Vilardi scored in regulation for the Jets, who could not score during a late power play in overtime. Comrie made 27 saves and prevented the Jets from another loss.
Tye Kartye and Mika Zibanejad scored tying goals in the second period as the Rangers (28-33-9, 65 points) lost their fourth straight. Garand made 35 saves in a solid NHL debut after being called up to replace backup goalie Jonathan Quick (upper-body injury).
Lowry opened the scoring with 6:54 left in the first period when he got a step on New York defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and buried a tap-in after getting to the front of the net. Kartye tied it 41 seconds into the second period after Miller pried the puck away from Vilardi.
Vilardi gave the Jets the lead again with 13:17 left when he finished off a one-timer in between the circle after being left open by Braden Schneider and Kartye. Zibanejad tied when he took a pass from Adam Fox and blasted a one-timer from the right circle past Comrie with 5:57 remaining.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lionel Messi scores as Inter Miami rally past NYCFC
Mar 22, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC midfielder Keaton Parks (55) and New York City FC midfielder Maximiliano Moralez (10) fight for the ball challenged by Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) during the first half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images Micael Dos Santos’ go-ahead goal in the 74th minute lifted Inter Miami to a 3-2 comeback victory over host New York City FC on Sunday afternoon.
Dos Santos headed home a beautiful ball from fellow defender Noah Allen, which found its way past NYCFC keeper Matt Freese and gave Inter Miami (3-1-1, 10 points) its first MLS win since March 7.
Lionel Messi scored his 901st career goal and Gonzalo Lujan scored his first career MLS goal for Inter Miami, which bounced back after being eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday after a pair of draws against Nashville and that side advancing on the away goals tiebreaker.
NYCFC (3-1-1, 10 points) suffered its first defeat of the season and snapped a three-game winning streak despite goals from Nicolas Fernandez Mercau and Agustin Ojeda.
Maxi Moralez delivered his own stellar assist to Ojeda in the 59th minute to put NYCFC briefly ahead 2-1.
Moralez sent a great ball through traffic down the middle of the field to Ojeda, who was uncontested, and flipped the ball past Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.
But two minutes later, Inter Miami earned a free kick and Messi delivered. His shot deflected off NYCFC’s Hannes Wolf and redirected past Freese (five saves) to tie the game at 2.
Messi nearly had a multi-goal match as he came close on several chances. He hit the post in the 31st minute and the crossbar in the 42nd minute. He also had a late opportunity to pad Miami’s lead but missed wide.
German Berterame appeared to extend Miami’s lead in the 79th minute, but what would have been his first goal with his new club was nullified after he was ruled offside.
After Lujan scored in the fourth minute, NYCFC leveled the match on a fantastic free kick goal by Fernandez Mercau, who lifted a high shot that bounced just under the crossbar and in, freezing St. Clair in place in the 17th minute.
NYCFC used Moralez as a decoy, having him approach as if he would take the shot and then Fernandez Mercau ran up and booted it.
St. Clair (three saves) made a huge save late in stoppage time to preserve Inter Miami’s win.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Women's NCAA roundup: North Carolina, Michigan advance to Sweet 16
Mar 7, 2026; Duluth, GA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Elina Aarnisalo (17) shoots against the Louisville Cardinals in the second quarter at Gas South Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Elina Aarnisalo poured in 21 points — one shy of her career high — and Lanie Grant had 20 points as North Carolina pulled out a 74-66 victory against Maryland in the Fort Worth Region 1 second-round game Sunday afternoon in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Fourth-seeded North Carolina (28-7) goes to the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row. The Tar Heels will take on Monday’s Syracuse-Connecticut winner later in the week in Fort Worth, Texas.
Nyla Harris had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Tar Heels while Indya Nivar shrugged off foul trouble to finish with 11 points.
Oluchi Okananwa racked up 21 points for fifth-seeded Maryland (24-9), but she was just 3-for-11 on free throws. Addi Mack had 13 points, Mir McLean supplied 12 points and 14 rebounds and Kyndal Walker notched 10 points.
The Terrapins shot 3-for-23 from 3-point range and 17 of 31 at the line, so even collecting 21 offensive rebounds wasn’t enough.
North Carolina led 42-33 at halftime, but Maryland scored the first basket of the fourth quarter to claim a 52-50 lead.
No. 2 Michigan 92, No. 7 NC State 63
Olivia Olson had 27 points and Syla Swords pumped in 26 points as the second-seeded Wolverines benefited from a huge second half to pull away in the Fort Worth Region 3 second-round game at Ann Arbor, Mich.
Mila Holloway contributed 13 points and nine rebounds for Michigan (27-6), which faces the winner of Monday’s Alabama-Louisville game later in the week.
Zamareya Jones recorded 16 points, nine assists and four blocks for NC State (21-11), which she also committed seven of the Wolfpack’s 22 turnovers that Michigan turned into 35 points. Khamil Pierre added 15 points for NC State and Devyn Quigley notched 11 points.
NC State played without All-Atlantic Coast Conference guard Zoe Brooks, who was out with a lower-body injury. The Wolfpack were denied a third consecutive spot in the Sweet 16.
Michigan led 28-25 at halftime before cranking out 32 points in both the third and fourth quarters.
Swords finished with four of Michigan’s 10 baskets from 3-point range. The Wolverines committed only six turnovers.
Michigan won for the 16th time in 17 home games this season.
–Field Level Media
