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Pac-12 rewind: Great escapes, breakout performances, October regressions and title race clarity dominate Week 7

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:56:46 GMT

Recapping the Week 7 action across the Pac-12 …Theme of the week I: Conference clarityThe first weekend of the second half of an epic Pac-12 season did not disappoint as Stanford and Washington won thrillers, USC got exposed, Arizona showed its worth, UCLA and Washington State dropped off the top tier and Oregon State and Utah quietly rolled on. As we cross-match the current standings with the second-half schedule, one thing is abundantly clear: Each of the contenders has at least one difficult road game ahead. In our view, Oregon and UW are best equipped to navigate hostile ground.Theme of the week II: Plot twistsIn a 20-hour period, Stanford and Washington won games in which their win probability, per ESPN’s analytics, was less than 5% in the final minutes and/or overtime. (Two jaw-droppers, although the details were different.) Also, Arizona won by 38 points on the road as an eight-point underdog, and USC lost by 28 to an opponent, Notre Dame, that was coming off a lo...

49ers-Browns pregame: Fight erupts; Dre Greenlaw out, Elijah Mitchell returns

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:56:46 GMT

CLEVELAND — A brief but feisty brawl erupted along the 49ers sideline as players came out for warmups, about 40 minutes before kickoff against the host Browns.About 15 players from both teams gathered near midfield, and Trent Williams was the first to rush in to shove Browns wide receiver Elijah Moore away from 49ers’ Deebo Samuel. Moore’s helmet came off upon Williams’ side impact.No punches were visible, and officials did not appear to eject any players for their actions. It appeared that Aiyuk and Samuel initially riled up the Browns, then pushing and shoving ensued. Aiyuk had to be pulled back by Fred Warner and Colton McKivitz.The 49ers huddled up as a team shortly thereafter, and it wasn’t just Fred Warner in the middle as usual but an animated Aiyuk hyping up his teammates.49ers headed into locker room after warmups with some Browns defenders standing guard with officials as shields pic.twitter.com/ZpPS2IvfIT— Cam Inman (@CamInman) October ...

England’s title defense in trouble at Cricket World Cup after stunning loss to Afghanistan

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:56:46 GMT

DELHI, India (AP) — England’s title defense at the Cricket World Cup is in real trouble after losing to Afghanistan by 69 runs on Sunday in one of the biggest shocks in the tournament’s history.Afghanistan was dismissed for 284 with one ball of its innings remaining in Delhi, but bowled out England for 215 with 9.3 overs left. Only Harry Brook offered serious resistance with a 61-ball 66 at Arun Jaitley Stadium.The ninth-ranked Afghans celebrated only their second-ever win at the World Cup, the other coming against Scotland in 2015 in their first appearance.England has lost two of its opening three group games, having been thrashed by New Zealand in the tournament opener.It was Afghanistan’s first-ever ODI win against England.Off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman spun his side to victory with a stunning return of 3-51 in 10 overs. He had also scored a quick-fire 28 off 16 balls in an impressive all-round display.Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz had smacked the English bowling for 80 off...

Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore tries to tone down revenge talk vs. Cowboys

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:56:46 GMT

COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) — Kellen Moore has been under the spotlight since he was hired as the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator in late January.Considering this week’s opponent, the glare has been brighter than usual.The Chargers host the Dallas Cowboys — otherwise known as the team where Moore spent eight years before coming to Southern California — on Monday night. Moore joined the Cowboys for the final three seasons of his playing career (2015-17) before moving to the coaching staff. He was the quarterbacks coach in 2018 and offensive coordinator from 2019 through last season.Los Angeles’ hiring of Moore was announced less than 24 hours after Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said Moore would not return. At the time, McCarthy, who has taken over as the offensive play-caller, said the move was “a mutual decision to part ways.”Moore said it will be fun to see familiar faces again, but his familiarity with the Cowboys or how much information he could share this week is overr...

SAS Championship Par Scores

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:56:46 GMT

SaturdayAt Prestonwood CCCary, N.C.Purse: $2.1 millionYardage: 7,237; Par: 72Second RoundRod Pampling66-68—134-10Steven Alker67-68—135-9Vijay Singh67-68—135-9Paul Broadhurst68-67—135-9John Huston71-65—136-8Retief Goosen67-69—136-8Robert Karlsson68-68—136-8Jerry Kelly67-69—136-8Richard Green70-67—137-7Ernie Els67-70—137-7Thongchai Jaidee67-70—137-7Mike Weir68-69—137-7David Duval68-69—137-7Rob Labritz67-71—138-6Darren Clarke71-67—138-6Bernhard Langer69-69—138-6Brian Gay67-72—139-5Jesper Parnevik67-72—139-5Y.E. Yang71-68—139-5Mario Tiziani70-70—140-4K.J. Choi68-72—140-4Paul Goydos68-72—140-4Rocco Mediate70-70—140-4Harrison Frazar70-70—140-4Joe Durant68-72—140-4Wes Short69-71—140-4Lee Janzen71-69—140-4Ken Tanigawa69-72—141-3Stuart Appleby72-69—141-3Alex Cejka71-70—141-3Keith Horne73-68—141-3Jeff Maggert69-72—141-3Timothy O’Neal71-70—141-3Corey Pavin73-68—141-3Boo Weekley74-67—141-3Billy Mayfair69-72—141-3Padraig Harrington70-71—141-3Carlos Franco71-70—141-3Brian Cooper70-72—142-2A...

SAS Championship Tour Scores

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:56:46 GMT

SaturdayAt Prestonwood CCCary, N.C.Purse: $2.1 millionYardage: 7,237; Par: 72Second RoundRod Pampling66-68—134Steven Alker67-68—135Vijay Singh67-68—135Paul Broadhurst68-67—135John Huston71-65—136Retief Goosen67-69—136Robert Karlsson68-68—136Jerry Kelly67-69—136Richard Green70-67—137Ernie Els67-70—137Thongchai Jaidee67-70—137Mike Weir68-69—137David Duval68-69—137Rob Labritz67-71—138Darren Clarke71-67—138Bernhard Langer69-69—138Brian Gay67-72—139Jesper Parnevik67-72—139Y.E. Yang71-68—139Mario Tiziani70-70—140K.J. Choi68-72—140Paul Goydos68-72—140Rocco Mediate70-70—140Harrison Frazar70-70—140Joe Durant68-72—140Wes Short69-71—140Lee Janzen71-69—140Ken Tanigawa69-72—141Stuart Appleby72-69—141Alex Cejka71-70—141Keith Horne73-68—141Jeff Maggert69-72—141Timothy O’Neal71-70—141Corey Pavin73-68—141Boo Weekley74-67—141Billy Mayfair69-72—141Padraig Harrington70-71—141Carlos Franco71-70—141Brian Cooper70-72—142Andrew Johnson71-71—142Glen Day75-67—142Mark Hensby73-69—142Kirk Triplett67-75—1...

Chiefs defense dominant while Mahomes and the offense goes through ‘growing pains’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:56:46 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs managed to win the Super Bowl last season thanks primarily to their high-octane offense, which so often outscored opponents when a young but fast-improving defense had trouble slowing them down.Now it’s the defense that is bailing out the offense.While the Chiefs continue to go through what Patrick Mahomes called “growing pains” after Thursday night’s 19-8 win over the Broncos, their defense has quietly become one of the best in the NFL. They held Denver quarterback Russell Wilson to 95 yards passing, the Broncos to 197 yards as a team and did not allow any points until late in the fourth quarter.Asked if his defense could possibly be playing any better, Chiefs coach Andy Reid replied: “Not tonight.”“I thought they did a nice job. The guys played well,” he added. “We’re doing OK.”That’s an understatement.The Chiefs (5-1) already had a top-10 defense coming into the game, and that ranking could well improve after ...

Scherzer and Gray added to ALCS roster as Rangers starters against Astros

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:56:46 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Texas Rangers starters Max Scherzer and Jon Gray were included on the roster for the AL Championship Series against the Houston Astros starting Sunday night.Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, has been out since Sept. 12 because of a muscle strain in his shoulder.Scherzer, who was traded from the Mets this summer, said he was “ready to go” after throwing a bullpen session and doing fielding drills Friday.Gray returns after last playing for the Rangers on Sept. 25. He had been dealing with tightness in his right wrist.For the Astros, their only change from the Division Series was replacing outfielder Jake Meyers with right-handed reliever Ronel Blanco. Manager Dusty Baker announced Saturday that reliever Kendall Graveman would not be on the roster as he continues to deal with discomfort in his right shoulder.To make room for Scherzer and Gray, the Rangers removed left-hander Brock Burke and right-hander Matt Bush from the roster.Scherzer is 7-7 with a 3.58 ER...

Blinken warned US lawmakers Azerbaijan may invade Armenia in coming weeks

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:56:46 GMT

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned a small group of American lawmakers last week that his department is tracking the possibility that Azerbaijan could soon invade Armenia, according to two people familiar with the conversation.The call indicates the depth of concern in the administration about Azerbaijan’s operations against a breakaway region in the west of the country and the possibility of the conflict spreading.Azerbaijiani President Ilham Aliyev has previously called on Armenia to open a “corridor” along its southern border, linking mainland Azerbaijan to an exclave that borders Turkey and Iran. Aliyev has threatened to solve the issue “by force.”In an Oct. 3 phone call, lawmakers pressed Blinken on possible measures against Aliyev in response to his country’s invasion of the Nagorno-Karabakh region in September, the people said, who were granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive call.Blinken responded that the State Department was looking at avenues to hold Az...

Ravens nearly fully healthy and with just five inactive players for Titans showdown in London

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:56:46 GMT

The Ravens enter Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as healthy as they have been since the start of the season with just one player (outside linebacker David Ojabo) listed as out, and that is reflected in their list of inactive players as well.Baltimore has just five players inactive: cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis, guard Sala Aumavae-Laulu, tackle Daniel Faalele, outside linebacker Odafe Oweh and quarterback Josh Johnson, who is the third/emergency quarterback.With rookie running back Keaton Mitchell not among the inactives as expected, that means the popular undrafted free agent out of East Carolina will be making his NFL debut. He is behind Justice Hill and Gus Edwards in the pecking order, but it’s likely he’ll see snaps on special teams after being activated from injured reserve Saturday.The speedy Mitchell had missed the first five games of the season after suffering a shoulder injury in the Ravens’ second preseas...