PALO ALTO, Calif. – The New England Patriots returned to Stanford Stadium for a final time on Saturday afternoon to take a team photo and spend time with their family and friends ahead of Super Bowl LX.

Quarterback Drake Maye was the first player on the field to take photos. Players wore the white jerseys and white pants they will don on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. A team photographer took photos of each position group in front of a backdrop before players lined up in numerical orders on the bleachers for the official Super Bowl photo.

After a couple of quick snaps, players were free to mingle with their families and friends. Assistant coaches chased toddlers around the field, while a group of older children took turns hurling themselves into a tackling dummy. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels pulled both Maye and receiver Stefon Diggs aside to take photos with McDaniels’ kids, who range in age from 13 to 21.

“I want them to enjoy this time with their families,” head coach Mike Vrabel said. “You can see how many people care about us and helped us get to this position, and this is all part of being able to celebrate it.”

Vrabel was planning to speak with the team later Saturday at their hotel in Santa Clara. He planned to remind players about the team’s path here, and the identity they built along the way.

“Everybody talked about getting to this point, and hoped for it to happen at the beginning of the year. Now it’s real,” Vrabel said. “That’s what I think has been pretty cool.”

The Patriots made two roster moves on Saturday, elevating defensive lineman Leonard Taylor III and running back D’Ernest Johnson off the practice squad.

–Pro Football Writers of America

Chauncey Wiggins scored 22 points and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with just under two minutes left on his 21st birthday to help Florida State win its third straight game, 82-79 over Notre Dame on Saturday in Atlantic Coast Conference play at South Bend, Ind.

Florida State (11-12, 4-6) led by as many as 18 in the first half, 41-32 at halftime and by 11 early in the second half. However, the Seminoles shot 37.9% from the field in the second half while Notre Dame (11-13, 2-9) shot 51.5% to work back and take a 75-74 lead on Logan Imes’ 3-pointer with 2:07 remaining.

Then Wiggins, who went 5 of 10 from beyond the arc, knocked down a deep 3-pointer left of the top of the arc with 1:52 to go that put the Seminoles ahead for good.

Notre Dame forward Carson Towt missed four attempts from the foul line down the stretch. Florida State’s Alier Maluk hit two free throws with 9.3 seconds remaining to reach the final margin and send the Seminoles to their fourth win in five games.

Braeden Shrewsberry had 18 points and Jalen Haralson scored 15 before fouling out with 2:33 left for the Fighting Irish, who have lost four straight games and nine of 10 to remain in jeopardy of missing the ACC tournament.

Florida State came out hot, scoring 17 of the game’s first 19 points. The Seminoles’ first 15 points came via two 3-pointers apiece from Wiggins and Rod McCray V (15 points), and the other from Lajae Jones.

The visitors opened 6 of 10 from long distance and 8 of 13 overall from the field en route to building a 27-9 lead. However, Florida State went 3 of 12 from beyond the arc the rest of the half and 6 of 23 from the floor.

Notre Dame shot just 32.3% from the field in the opening half but used a 10-0 run to get back in the contest. Sir Mohammed’s 3-pointer with 1:01 left before the break got the Irish to 36-30 before the Seminoles scored the next five points for more breathing room entering halftime.

Florida State hit 15 of 37 from long range for the game.

–Field Level Media

MILAN — Ilia Malinin made his anticipated Olympic debut at the Milan Cortina Games on Saturday and despite being upstaged by Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, the U.S. extended their lead in the team event thanks to the ice dancing of Madison Chock and Evan Bates.

Going on to the ice last in the men’s short program, Malinin executed two soaring quadruple jumps and a crowd-pleasing backflip but his performance was far from flawless.

The American, who is expected to become the first competitor ever to land a quadruple Axel at the Olympics when the men’s individual competition begins on Tuesday, opted to play it safe by executing a triple Axel – but even that did not go to plan as he failed to land it cleanly.

The 21-year-old looked stunned when his score of 98.00 points flashed up on the big screen, leaving him well behind his closest rival Kagiyama, who delivered an exhilarating performance for 108.67 points.

But a sensational skate by ice dance veterans and team leaders Chock and Bates lifted the U.S. as they notched a season-best score of 133.23, prompting a beaming Malinin to wrap his arms around the couple in the Kiss and Cry area.

The U.S. lead the standings with a total of 44 points, followed by Japan (39), Italy (37), Canada (35), and Georgia (32). Medals will be decided after the final three events on Sunday.

France, South Korea, China, Britain and Poland were eliminated from the competition earlier in the day.

PACING HIMSELF

Malinin sought to downplay the upset, saying he was building up to the individual competition, where the two-time world champion is the runaway gold-medal favorite.

“I presumed to come into this team competition with only 50% of my full potential,” he told reporters.

“So that’s what I felt like here today. That’s the way I paced myself leading up to the individual.”

Asked about some of his landings being shaky, he said: “It’s Olympic ice. I’m sure a lot of people would feel that.”

Kagiyama could not contain his excitement, leaping to his feet when his score was posted and enthusiastically embracing his teammates.

“I did a perfect performance,” the 2022 Beijing Games silver medalist said.

“I did well today, so I’m satisfied, but for the individual competition, I have to make it even better.”

Thanks to his quad-heavy programs and explosive style, Malinin is one of the Games’ top draws.

But the Vienna, Va., native also comes into his first Olympics shouldering a heavy weight of expectation after winning 14 competitions in a row and going undefeated since Nov. 2023.

CHOCK AND BATES SHINE

Chock and Bates, who won a gold in the team event in Beijing four years ago, sent a message that they are coming for gold in their individual event with an aggressive dance to an instrumental version of the Rolling Stones’ classic “Paint it Black.”

“I believe in momentum. I think it’s proven to work in sports, and it feels like there’s something special out there in that atmosphere, on Olympic ice,” Bates said.

“We’re really happy with how we skated so far at this event, and especially happy to contribute meaningfully to the team.”

Sunday’s team finale will feature pairs, women’s and men’s free skates.

Malinin did not know whether he would perform on Sunday.

“I haven’t decided yet,” he said.

“I’ll go back and talk with a lot of people and really just make a decision whether it’s going to be worth it for me.”

Chock, who is competing in her fourth and possibly final Games with husband Bates, said she was confident in the team regardless of who takes the ice on Sunday.

“I think our team is incredibly strong, arguably as strong as it’s ever been,” she told reporters.

“I have the utmost faith in them, and I’ll be proud of them no matter what the outcome is.”

–Reuters, special to Field Level Media