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Trending: Bears try to restore credibility with new coach, GM. (See football section for details).
Trending: Another big offensive night as Cubs top Cardinals again. Carlos Rodon shines again as White Sox top Indians. (See baseball section for details).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Bears try to restore credibility with new coach, GM.
By Andrew Seligman
Chicago Bears head coach John Fox and quarterback Jay Cutler (6) watch as players warm up before an NFL preseason football game against the Cleveland Browns, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
No matter how this overhaul ultimately turns out, the Chicago Bears believe they are at least restoring one thing: their credibility.
They have a new general manager in Ryan Pace. A proven coach in John Fox. And a fresh start.
They also have a big job at hand as they try to put themselves back together following a five-win season that cost former GM Phil Emery and coach Marc Trestman their jobs.
They also have a big job at hand as they try to put themselves back together following a five-win season that cost former GM Phil Emery and coach Marc Trestman their jobs.
''At the end of the day, hopefully if we work as hard as we can, we'll get to where we want to,'' said veteran receiver Eddie Royal, who played for Fox in Denver and signed with Chicago in the offseason.
Pace helped put together a championship team in New Orleans. He spent 14 years working for the Saints, 13 in their player personnel department, but he is in new territory as a GM for the first time.
For Fox, this is familiar territory even if the zip code changed.
Chicago opens against Green Bay at Soldier Field, where the Packers secured their 700th regular-season win a year ago. Here are some things to watch as the Bears begin a new era:
For Fox, this is familiar territory even if the zip code changed.
Chicago opens against Green Bay at Soldier Field, where the Packers secured their 700th regular-season win a year ago. Here are some things to watch as the Bears begin a new era:
TURN IT AROUND: Fox comes to Chicago with a 119-89 regular-season record in 13 years with Carolina (2002-10) and Denver (2011-14), and a history of overseeing quick turnarounds. The Broncos went from 4-12 to the playoffs in his first season even though Tim Tebow was the quarterback, and they got to the Super Bowl two years ago with Peyton Manning leading the way.
Carolina went from 1-15 the year before Fox arrived to the Super Bowl in his second season. But in Chicago, he is facing a huge task trying to help resurrect the Monsters of the Midway.
The new regime took a risk when - with ownership's approval - it signed former San Francisco 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald to a one-year contract despite his legal issues. That move backfired when the Bears released him two months later following a domestic violence arrest. Chicago was also hit hard by injuries, particularly at receiver.
CATCHING PAIN: The Bears are banged-up in particular at receiver, where No. 7 draft pick Kevin White is recovering from left shin surgery and Alshon Jeffery has been sidelined by a left calf injury. Jeffery last completed a practice on Aug. 11 and did not play in the preseason. Fox has repeatedly refused to give any details, saying the former Pro Bowl receiver is ''day to day.'' But the Bears also said the same about White at the start of camp and he might not play this season.
CATCHING PAIN: The Bears are banged-up in particular at receiver, where No. 7 draft pick Kevin White is recovering from left shin surgery and Alshon Jeffery has been sidelined by a left calf injury. Jeffery last completed a practice on Aug. 11 and did not play in the preseason. Fox has repeatedly refused to give any details, saying the former Pro Bowl receiver is ''day to day.'' But the Bears also said the same about White at the start of camp and he might not play this season.
Throw in hamstring injuries to Eddie Royal and Marquess Wilson, and the Bears' top four receivers were damaged. But what he has seen so far of Jeffery has impressed Fox.
''I saw a guy who's a big target, has a way of separating that's a little bit unique. And he's a good ball getter,'' Fox said.
HANG ON: Pace and Fox gave quarterback Jay Cutler a lukewarm endorsement at best by waiting until March to declare him the starter. While his future in Chicago is murky, a more immediate issue for Cutler is cutting down on the mistakes that have defined his career. He led the league with 24 turnovers, including 18 interceptions, last season despite finishing with his highest completion percentage (66 percent) and second-highest passing total (3,812 yards). How he performs in new offensive coordinator Adam Gase's system is a key issue this season.
RESTORING 'D': By hiring Fox to replace the offense-minded Marc Trestman, the Bears are once again committing to defense. They hired one of the most successful coordinators in Vic Fangio to oversee the switch from a 4-3 to 3-4 scheme, hoping to revive a unit that ranked among the worst in franchise history the past two years. But some big holes remain. And the NFL suspended defensive lineman Jeremiah Ratliff for the first three games of the season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
''I saw a guy who's a big target, has a way of separating that's a little bit unique. And he's a good ball getter,'' Fox said.
HANG ON: Pace and Fox gave quarterback Jay Cutler a lukewarm endorsement at best by waiting until March to declare him the starter. While his future in Chicago is murky, a more immediate issue for Cutler is cutting down on the mistakes that have defined his career. He led the league with 24 turnovers, including 18 interceptions, last season despite finishing with his highest completion percentage (66 percent) and second-highest passing total (3,812 yards). How he performs in new offensive coordinator Adam Gase's system is a key issue this season.
RESTORING 'D': By hiring Fox to replace the offense-minded Marc Trestman, the Bears are once again committing to defense. They hired one of the most successful coordinators in Vic Fangio to oversee the switch from a 4-3 to 3-4 scheme, hoping to revive a unit that ranked among the worst in franchise history the past two years. But some big holes remain. And the NFL suspended defensive lineman Jeremiah Ratliff for the first three games of the season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
NEW HOME: With a new scheme comes a new position for Jared Allen. The five-time Pro Bowl defensive end is now playing outside linebacker. He is also trying to show he is still a productive player after a finishing with a career-low 5 1/2 sacks last season, his first in Chicago.
Fox, Bears not answering Packers’ McCarthy smack-talk.
By John Mullin
NFL coaches don’t like it when their players make inflammatory comments toward an opponent. Which made Mike McCarthy’s comments last week at the Green Bay Packers’ annual fan luncheon all the more befuddling:
“We will proudly stand as the 95th team in the history of the Green Bay Packers,” McCarthy said, then adding with emphasis, “when we kick Chicago’s ass!”
The Bears saw and heard.
“Yeah, I saw that,” said offensive lineman Kyle Long. “I mean, a coach is supposed to try and instill confidence in his team, I get that.”
So does the coach of the Bears, in more ways than one.
“Well I looked at the tape,” said John Fox, presumably referring to tape of the Packers, not of his own team. “They should be confident.”
Bears Kyle Long to RT? Alshon Jeffery back? Fox: Wait and see.
By John Mullin
If Kyle Long is the new right tackle for the Bears or Alshon Jeffery is back starting at wide receiver, it may be Sunday before those things are official. Asked Monday if Long’s position is still up in the air, for example, Fox wasn’t: “It depends on what you call up in the air,” Fox said.
The Bears will not release any injury information until Wednesday when it’s required, or lineups until the game with the Green Bay Packers is at hand. That includes where Long plays and who’s the fifth offensive-line starter, or whether left tackle Jermon Bushrod is able to go. Bushrod was not practicing Monday, instead jogging laps around the field as he rests his ailing back.
As far as not knowing, or at least withholding information on full starting lineups going into the week of the first game, “I think it’s fair with our 53-man roster,” Fox said. “All those guys are possibilities, not just this week against Green Bay but late in the season, middle of the season, next week things change. I feel good about where we are and we’ll have to before kickoff activate our 46 just like our opponent will.”
Fox’s reasoning is simple: “It’s all about matchups,” he told CSNChicago.com. If he looks at the latest personnel alignments of an opponent, he assumes his counterparts do, (and from every indication over the years, they do.). If he knows a backup will start at a position, the defensive coach in him schemes to attack that weakness, or at least test the new guy early and often.
If Long is the right guard, Packers coordinator Dom Capers can be expected to assault the new right tackle with blitz schemes requiring instantaneous decisions from a player still possibly assimilating the offense. If two-time Pro Bowl’er Long is at right tackle, the Bears are by definition weaker at right guard, and Capers’ attack point likely shifts.
“I don't know how [others] do it but we put jersey numbers on guys on our scout team and kind of simulate a game as well as we can in preparation for the game,” Fox said. “I think they probably have a lot of offenses and defenses they've not used in the preseason just like we have and everybody in our business does. I don't think it serves you well to advertise what you're going to do, personnel or plays.”
Bears sign 10 to practice squad.
By Larry Mayer
The Bears on Monday signed 10 players to their practice squad, including six who they waived Saturday in reducing their roster to 53.
The returnees include defensive linemenBrandon Dunn and Terry Williams , receiver Ify Umodu , tight end Gannon Sinclair , cornerback Jacoby Glenn and linebacker Jonathan Anderson .
Fox, Bears not answering Packers’ McCarthy smack-talk.
By John Mullin
NFL coaches don’t like it when their players make inflammatory comments toward an opponent. Which made Mike McCarthy’s comments last week at the Green Bay Packers’ annual fan luncheon all the more befuddling:
“We will proudly stand as the 95th team in the history of the Green Bay Packers,” McCarthy said, then adding with emphasis, “when we kick Chicago’s ass!”
The Bears saw and heard.
“Yeah, I saw that,” said offensive lineman Kyle Long. “I mean, a coach is supposed to try and instill confidence in his team, I get that.”
So does the coach of the Bears, in more ways than one.
“Well I looked at the tape,” said John Fox, presumably referring to tape of the Packers, not of his own team. “They should be confident.”
Bears Kyle Long to RT? Alshon Jeffery back? Fox: Wait and see.
By John Mullin
If Kyle Long is the new right tackle for the Bears or Alshon Jeffery is back starting at wide receiver, it may be Sunday before those things are official. Asked Monday if Long’s position is still up in the air, for example, Fox wasn’t: “It depends on what you call up in the air,” Fox said.
The Bears will not release any injury information until Wednesday when it’s required, or lineups until the game with the Green Bay Packers is at hand. That includes where Long plays and who’s the fifth offensive-line starter, or whether left tackle Jermon Bushrod is able to go. Bushrod was not practicing Monday, instead jogging laps around the field as he rests his ailing back.
As far as not knowing, or at least withholding information on full starting lineups going into the week of the first game, “I think it’s fair with our 53-man roster,” Fox said. “All those guys are possibilities, not just this week against Green Bay but late in the season, middle of the season, next week things change. I feel good about where we are and we’ll have to before kickoff activate our 46 just like our opponent will.”
Fox’s reasoning is simple: “It’s all about matchups,” he told CSNChicago.com. If he looks at the latest personnel alignments of an opponent, he assumes his counterparts do, (and from every indication over the years, they do.). If he knows a backup will start at a position, the defensive coach in him schemes to attack that weakness, or at least test the new guy early and often.
If Long is the right guard, Packers coordinator Dom Capers can be expected to assault the new right tackle with blitz schemes requiring instantaneous decisions from a player still possibly assimilating the offense. If two-time Pro Bowl’er Long is at right tackle, the Bears are by definition weaker at right guard, and Capers’ attack point likely shifts.
“I don't know how [others] do it but we put jersey numbers on guys on our scout team and kind of simulate a game as well as we can in preparation for the game,” Fox said. “I think they probably have a lot of offenses and defenses they've not used in the preseason just like we have and everybody in our business does. I don't think it serves you well to advertise what you're going to do, personnel or plays.”
Bears sign 10 to practice squad.
By Larry Mayer
The returnees include defensive linemen
Dunn originally signed with the Bears last year as an undrafted free agent from Louisville. He spent most of the season on the practice squad before appearing in three games, recording three tackles.
Williams is an undrafted rookie from East Carolina who performed well in the preseason finale against the Browns, registering four tackles, two tackles-for-loss and one quarterback hit.
Umodu is an undrafted rookie from Northern Arizona. He scored touchdowns in the Bears’ final two preseason games, blocking a punt and returning it eight yards against the Bengals and catching a 16-yard pass fromDavid Fales versus the Browns.
Williams is an undrafted rookie from East Carolina who performed well in the preseason finale against the Browns, registering four tackles, two tackles-for-loss and one quarterback hit.
Umodu is an undrafted rookie from Northern Arizona. He scored touchdowns in the Bears’ final two preseason games, blocking a punt and returning it eight yards against the Bengals and catching a 16-yard pass from
The Bears claimed Sinclair off waivers from the Cardinals last Tuesday. He signed with Arizona in May as an undrafted free agent from Missouri State, where he caught 29 passes for 361 yards and 10 touchdowns the past two seasons.
Glenn is an undrafted rookie from Central Florida. As a redshirt sophomore last season, he was named second-team All-American after recording 48 tackles and seven interceptions.
Anderson is an undrafted rookie from TCU, where he teamed with Bears sixth-round pickTayo Fabuluje . Anderson excelled in the preseason finale against the Browns, registering five tackles, two sacks, three tackles-for-loss, one quarterback hit and one forced fumble.
Newcomers on the Bears practice squad are running back/fullbackPaul Lasike , receiver Jalen Saunders , tackle Nick Becton and linebacker Lamin Barrow .
Lasike is an undrafted rookie who was waived by the Cardinals. He grew up playing rugby in New Zealand before being introduced to football at BYU, where he rushed for 843 yards and 10 touchdowns on 171 carries, caught 31 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns and returned 15 kickoffs for 301 yards in three seasons.
Saunders was selected by the Jets in the fourth round of the 2014 draft out of Oklahoma. He appeared in nine games as a rookie with the Jets and Saints, catching one pass for seven yards. Saunders also spent time on the practice squad with the Cardinals and Seahawks. He was traded from the Saints to the Patriots last Tuesday and waived by New England on Saturday.
Becton has appeared in one game in two seasons with the Chargers, Giants and Saints after entering the NFL with San Diego in 2013 as an undrafted free agent from Virginia Tech.
Barrow was selected by the Broncos in the fifth round of the 2014 draft out of LSU. He appeared in all 16 games with one start as a rookie, recording nine tackles while playing for current Bears coach John Fox.
Glenn is an undrafted rookie from Central Florida. As a redshirt sophomore last season, he was named second-team All-American after recording 48 tackles and seven interceptions.
Anderson is an undrafted rookie from TCU, where he teamed with Bears sixth-round pick
Newcomers on the Bears practice squad are running back/fullback
Lasike is an undrafted rookie who was waived by the Cardinals. He grew up playing rugby in New Zealand before being introduced to football at BYU, where he rushed for 843 yards and 10 touchdowns on 171 carries, caught 31 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns and returned 15 kickoffs for 301 yards in three seasons.
Saunders was selected by the Jets in the fourth round of the 2014 draft out of Oklahoma. He appeared in nine games as a rookie with the Jets and Saints, catching one pass for seven yards. Saunders also spent time on the practice squad with the Cardinals and Seahawks. He was traded from the Saints to the Patriots last Tuesday and waived by New England on Saturday.
Becton has appeared in one game in two seasons with the Chargers, Giants and Saints after entering the NFL with San Diego in 2013 as an undrafted free agent from Virginia Tech.
Barrow was selected by the Broncos in the fifth round of the 2014 draft out of LSU. He appeared in all 16 games with one start as a rookie, recording nine tackles while playing for current Bears coach John Fox.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Patrick Kane grand jury postponed; settlement talks occurring?
CSN Staff
Patrick Kane (Photo/csnchicago.com)
Three different law enforcement sources with knowledge of the legal case against Patrick Kane say a grand jury investigation has been "abruptly postponed," the Buffalo News reported Tuesday.
Two of the sources told the newspaper's Lou Michel that "the reason for the delay appears to involve the possibility of ongoing settlement talks between attorneys for Kane and the victim."
The friend of the alleged victim, who claims Kane raped her in his Hamburg, N.Y., home last month, was subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury this afternoon at 2 p.m. ET.
Kane has not been arrested or charged with a crime. Blackhawks training camp begins in 10 days, though it's unknown whether Kane will be in South Bend.
Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman to be inducted into Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame.
By C. Roumeliotis
Stan Bowman (Photo/csnchicago.com)
Blackhawks vice president and general manager Stan Bowman will be inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame on Sept. 16, the University of Notre Dame announced.
Former Notre Dame football star Tim Grunhard will also be inducted. The ceremony will take place at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney/Cicero, Ill.
Bowman, a 1995 Notre Dame graduate, is entering his 15th season with the Blackhawks, where he's helped revitalize hockey in Chicago, a city that's seen three Stanley Cups since 2010. He's also the first general manager to win multiple championships in the salary cap era.
Bowman joined the Blackhawks in 2001, and served as a special assistant to the general manager during his first four years. He spent the next two seasons (2005-07) as the director of hockey operations before being promoted to assistant general manager.
In 2009, Bowman was named the ninth general manager in franchise history and the Blackhawks haven't looked back since.
Among the former Blackhawks that headline the list of Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame inductees: Tony Esposito, Glen Hall, Keith Magnuson, Stan Mikita, Denis Savard, Al Secord, and Dale Tallon (for his role as a player and general manager).
CSN's Blackhawks play-by-play announcer Pat Foley was also inducted in 2002.
The Blackhawks will return to Bowman's Alma Mater on Sept. 17 to kick off training camp.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... NBA to seed playoff teams in each conference by record.
AP - Sports
The NBA will now seed playoff teams solely by their record, throwing out the top-four protection for teams who win their divisions.
The expected change was unanimously approved Tuesday by the league's Board of Governors. Teams in each conference will be seeded from one to eight by their won-loss record.
Previously, division winners were guaranteed no worse than the No. 4 seed, a rule that became heavily criticized last season when Portland ended up No. 4 in the powerful Western Conference despite the sixth-best record in the conference.
The league also changed the tiebreaker procedures, making head-to-head results the first tiebreaker for seeding and home-court advantage, and whether a team won its division second. A division winner previously got the home-court advantage if it met a team with the same record in the playoffs.
Another big offensive night as Cubs top Cardinals again.
Previously, division winners were guaranteed no worse than the No. 4 seed, a rule that became heavily criticized last season when Portland ended up No. 4 in the powerful Western Conference despite the sixth-best record in the conference.
The league also changed the tiebreaker procedures, making head-to-head results the first tiebreaker for seeding and home-court advantage, and whether a team won its division second. A division winner previously got the home-court advantage if it met a team with the same record in the playoffs.
Another big offensive night as Cubs top Cardinals again.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/Daily Gammons)
The Cubs don’t need to make a statement in early September when the computers give them a 90-something percent chance to make the playoffs.
And the balance of power won’t tilt overnight when the St. Louis Cardinals have 11 World Series flags flying here at Busch Stadium.
But the Cubs are playing with so much confidence now, scoring the first 17 runs in this series and rolling to an 8-5 victory on Tuesday night, cutting the deficit to 6 1/2 games in their long-shot hope to catch the Cardinals and win the National League Central.
Anthony Rizzo got it started with the 100th home run of his career — a two-run shot off Michael Wacha in the first inning. The Cubs knocked out Wacha — an All-Star this year and the 2013 NLCS MVP — after four innings.
Jason Hammel (8-6, 3.59 ERA) submitted a quality start, easing some concerns about the back end of the rotation. The Cubs also saw the return of Kyle Schwarber (rib) as a pinch-hitter and added Neil Ramirez to the bullpen after another stay on the disabled list.
“They do it year in, year out,” Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said. “That’s the point we have to get to. I like the fact that our guys want to play down here. They want the challenge that represents. But to really match these guys and to take it to their place means year in, year out. Not any one year, one series, one half-season, whatever.
“Our goal is to get to the place where we can look at these guys across the field and know that year in, year out we can go toe-to-toe.”
Carlos Rodon shines again as White Sox top Indians.
By Dan Hayes
(Carlos Rodon)
Carlos Rodon continues to look like he’ll be the one to fill out the No. 2 spot in the 2016 White Sox rotation.
The rookie left-hander put together another fantastic outing on Tuesday night, working out of early trouble en route to seven strong innings. Rodon struck out eight and allowed one run and Rob Brantly and Jose Abreu homered as the White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 7-4 at U.S. Cellular Field. Trayce Thompson also singled twice, walked and drove in two runs in support of Rodon’s sixth straight quality start.
In his last six starts, Rodon has lowered his earned-run average from 5.00 to 3.94.
All it has taken him to accomplish the reduction is a stretch in which he has allowed 10 runs (eight earned), 27 hits with 15 walks and 41 strikeouts in 41 innings (1.76 ERA).
One of the keys to Rodon’s success is improved command, which has led to a lowered walk rate. Whereas he walked an average of 5.32 batters per nine over his first 84 2/3 innings, Rodon has lowered his average to 3.29 in the past 41 innings.
Over the first few months, Rodon often walked himself into trouble.
His only patch of trouble Tuesday came via two base hits and a two-out error by Mike Olt. But Rodon pitched out of the jam as he got Jason Kipnis to ground out to second to strand the bases loaded. That began a stretch in which Rodon retired 16 of 19 batters and he didn’t issue a walk until the sixth inning.
Cleveland didn’t get on the scoreboard until the fifth inning and by that time Rodon already had a five-run lead.
Brantly got Rodon headed in the right direction with athree-run homer in the second inning. Abreu homered off Carlos Carrasco in the second inning and added an RBI single in the fifth to make it 5-0.
Thompson, who singled and walked in his first two trips, singled in two more in the seventh inning to put the White Sox ahead by six runs.
Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer for Cleveland off Nate Jones and Jose Ramirez had a pinch-hit solo shot off Zach Duke.
The rookie left-hander put together another fantastic outing on Tuesday night, working out of early trouble en route to seven strong innings. Rodon struck out eight and allowed one run and Rob Brantly and Jose Abreu homered as the White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 7-4 at U.S. Cellular Field. Trayce Thompson also singled twice, walked and drove in two runs in support of Rodon’s sixth straight quality start.
In his last six starts, Rodon has lowered his earned-run average from 5.00 to 3.94.
All it has taken him to accomplish the reduction is a stretch in which he has allowed 10 runs (eight earned), 27 hits with 15 walks and 41 strikeouts in 41 innings (1.76 ERA).
One of the keys to Rodon’s success is improved command, which has led to a lowered walk rate. Whereas he walked an average of 5.32 batters per nine over his first 84 2/3 innings, Rodon has lowered his average to 3.29 in the past 41 innings.
Over the first few months, Rodon often walked himself into trouble.
His only patch of trouble Tuesday came via two base hits and a two-out error by Mike Olt. But Rodon pitched out of the jam as he got Jason Kipnis to ground out to second to strand the bases loaded. That began a stretch in which Rodon retired 16 of 19 batters and he didn’t issue a walk until the sixth inning.
Cleveland didn’t get on the scoreboard until the fifth inning and by that time Rodon already had a five-run lead.
Brantly got Rodon headed in the right direction with athree-run homer in the second inning. Abreu homered off Carlos Carrasco in the second inning and added an RBI single in the fifth to make it 5-0.
Thompson, who singled and walked in his first two trips, singled in two more in the seventh inning to put the White Sox ahead by six runs.
Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer for Cleveland off Nate Jones and Jose Ramirez had a pinch-hit solo shot off Zach Duke.
Golf: I got a club for that..... Fowler reels in Stenson to claim Deutsche Bank crown.
Fowler overturned a three-shot deficit with eight holes to play at TPC Boston to pip Stenson, carding a three-under-par 68 to finish on 15 under, one shot clear of the Swede.
Fowler's round contained an eagle, three birdies and two bogeys, but it was an error-free performance on the back nine which enhanced the 26-year-old Californian's growing reputation as a nerveless finisher.
Stenson meanwhile was left ruing a double-bogey on the 16th which ultimately cost him victory.
The Swede, who had started the day one shot clear of Fowler, carded a one-under-par 70 to finish on 14 under.
"I really just hung in there today, put myself in a position, hit some good shots made a couple of good putts to keep myself in it," Fowler said.
"Henrik made a couple of mistakes, but it's pretty special to fight it out the way I did."
Three shots behind Stenson on 11 under was Charley Hoffman, who carded a four-under-par 67, one ahead of a clutch of five players -- Jim Furyk, Patrick Reed, Hunter Mahan, Sean O'Hair and Matt Jones -- tied for fourth on eight under.
Earlier, Fowler got off to a dream start, picking up two shots swiftly with a superb eagle on the par-five second with a monster 33-foot putt.
Yet his scintillating start was undone by consecutive bogeys on the third and fourth, before a birdie on the seventh put him back to one under for the day.
Three shots behind Stenson on 11 under was Charley Hoffman, who carded a four-under-par 67, one ahead of a clutch of five players -- Jim Furyk, Patrick Reed, Hunter Mahan, Sean O'Hair and Matt Jones -- tied for fourth on eight under.
Earlier, Fowler got off to a dream start, picking up two shots swiftly with a superb eagle on the par-five second with a monster 33-foot putt.
Yet his scintillating start was undone by consecutive bogeys on the third and fourth, before a birdie on the seventh put him back to one under for the day.
Stenson meanwhile had kept his nose in front on the front nine, opening with back-to-back birdies on the first two holes.
A bogey on the fourth was cancelled out by a further birdie on the fifth to leave Stenson two shots clear of Fowler at the turn.
A further birdie at the 10th, with the Swede draining a 14-foot birdie putt left Stenson three clear.
But momentum looked to have shifted on the par-three 11th when Stenson bogeyed and then watched as Fowler sank a 13-foot putt for birdie, suddenly putting the American back to within one shot.
Yet Stenson hit back on the next hole, the par-four 12th, with his fifth birdie of the day, sinking a 36-footer to restore his two-shot cushion with six to play.
Both men made comfortable pars on the 13th but Fowler then produced jaw-dropping 38-foot birdie putt on the 14th to halve Stenson's lead.
Further pars on 15 left the difference at one shot but drama unfolded on the par-three 16th when Stenson's decision to opt for a seven iron off the tee proved costly after Fowler had struck a six iron to within 23 feet.
Stenson's club selection left him short of the green and his ball bounced back into the water hazard forcing him to take a drop.
Fowler duly two-putted for par, and when Stenson missed a 12-foot putt for a bogey four, the American was suddenly in the lead for the first time, up by one shot heading to the 17th.
Pars on the penultimate hole left Fowler ahead as they arrived at the 18th.
Tension mounted as both men missed the green with their approaches. Stenson recovered but then missed a long birdie putt, leaving Fowler to two-putt from 10 feet to win.
Fowler duly two-putted for par, and when Stenson missed a 12-foot putt for a bogey four, the American was suddenly in the lead for the first time, up by one shot heading to the 17th.
Pars on the penultimate hole left Fowler ahead as they arrived at the 18th.
Tension mounted as both men missed the green with their approaches. Stenson recovered but then missed a long birdie putt, leaving Fowler to two-putt from 10 feet to win.
Jordan Spieth is your new world No. 1, but only for a week.
By Ryan Ballengee
A week ago, Jordan Spieth lost his world No. 1 ranking while Rory McIlroy was on the sidelines. This week, Spieth will earn it back.
Despite missing a second consecutive PGA Tour cut at the Deutsche Bank Championship on Saturday, Spieth will resume the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking on Tuesday because two things didn't happen: Jason Day didn't win the second leg of the playoffs and McIlroy, who was No. 1 this week, didn't finish solo 10th or better at TPC Boston.
However, Spieth shouldn't get too comfortable in the top spot for a third week out of the last four.
However, Spieth shouldn't get too comfortable in the top spot for a third week out of the last four.
The FedEx Cup playoffs take a one-week break next week, putting a gap in the four-event series. Since both Spieth and McIlroy will be idle, neither will earn points. As the math goes, that benefits McIlroy, who will regain the top spot heading into the third leg at the BMW Championship, thanks to finishing better than 44th this week.
Spieth didn't seem all that concerned about the distinction at this point and neither did McIlroy, who closed with 5-under 66 on Monday.
"It'll be like that until one of us separates ourselves a little bit," McIlroy said of himself, Spieth and Day. "Those two guys, the week off next week will do them good, and it will give me a chance to reassess where I'm at and work on things."
NASCAR; Power Rankings: How far does Carl Edwards climb?
By Nick Bromberg
2. Joey Logano (LW: 2): Logano finished one spot ahead of Harvick and therefore gets to be one spot behind him again in Power Rankings. Yeah, we know. We make a lot of sense sometimes. Logano led 29 laps and came off pit road on the final restart in fourth. That's where he finished, but we kind of gave that away with the first sentence. He's now heading to Richmond, a track where both he and Harvick have been very good at lately.
3. Kyle Busch (LW: 3): Busch finished seventh Sunday night. But most importantly, he's guaranteed to be in the Chase no matter what because it's mathematically impossible for Busch to fall out of the top 30. As he went on his four wins in five races tear, the odds of Busch missing the Chase went down dramatically. But it wasn't guaranteed until Sunday. He's one of the favorites for the Chase, unless you believe the Chase still has a mind-hex on Busch and he'll flame out early (again).
4. Carl Edwards (LW: 10): It was a perfect night for Edwards. One of the low-downforce advocates won a low-downforce race and he had this to say after the race was over. "Pack racing" reference, anyone? "I really think we're at a bigger crossroads than most people realize," Edwards said. "I think this is an opportunity for the sport to go in one of two directions. They can go the direction of making the sport competitive because the cars are easy to drive and everyone's car is about the same and we can basically have Talladega every week, or they can go the direction of making the cars extremely hard to drive and showing the massive talent of the drivers, the crew chiefs and the pit crews, and I hope that they take the latter. I hope they really keep going this direction."
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 6): Add Junior to the list of drivers who said he was having fun Sunday night. He finished eighth and said "I love the package" (get your mind out of the gutter) and "The car was a lot of fun to drive all night." He said that also with the caveat that his team wasn't very good when it arrived at Darlington and spent the weekend searching for the right balance. If drivers' silence after Michigan said something, their compliments should speak even louder.
6. Brad Keselowski (LW: 8): How about this. Instead of a late caution to set up drama during the final 10 Chase races, we hope that we don't have any cautions at all within the last 40 laps and instead have the three best cars at the end of the race trade passing attempts over a long green flag run to see who wins. Anyone else in favor of this? Because man, the final laps could have been epic on old tires without that last caution. Keselowski finished second, by the way.
7. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 7): Truex ended up finishing ninth. While we appreciated the teal-themed car that Truex ran in support of Ovarian cancer and his girlfriend Sherry Pollex, the teal words on his black car were a bit hard to read. It would have been awesome if he would have run a teal car. Because when you're running a teal car, everyone knows you're running a teal car.
8. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 5): Anyone else surprised Johnson didn't have a good night? After spinning and dropping back in the pack, Johnson ended up finishing 19th. But if you look at it from the wide view, does a bad finish at Darlington really mean anything when it comes to the Chase? No, it doesn't. These rules aren't going to be used for the next 11 weeks. So don't go saying Johnson isn't a contender because of what you saw on Sunday night.
9. Matt Kenseth (LW: 4): Kenseth had a fast car. Well, it looked like had a fast car in the early laps of the race. There really wasn't much time to make a judgment until he got loose off the corner and smacked into the wall. He hit at such an angle that it completely demolished the right-rear quarter panel and knocked the deck lid off the car too. He had to pit under green but since the incident came so early in the race, his team was able to get back on the lead lap for a 21st-place finish.
10. Denny Hamlin (LW: 9): Bumping Hamlin down a spot after finishing third seems cruel. But the two drivers ahead of him already had fallen three and five spots respectively and everyone else in the top 10 also finished in the top 10. Sorry, Denny. We're also wondering what the odds are going to be of the four Gibbs cars making it to the final round of the Chase. They're not going to be large by any means, but they're going to exist.
11. Kurt Busch (LW: 11): Here's another guy who went for a slide during Sunday night's race. He fought back to finish sixth, one spot ahead of his brother. Busch said his car was a race-winning car and also said that he could still feel the difference between clean and dirty air with the lower spoilers on the cars. “Definitely still where you struggle is in dirty air," Busch said. "There needs to be less differential between clean air and dirty air. I ran second most of the race, third, when we did get to the lead it was like the car found another gear. The package in general is a nice balance of slip sliding around and being on the edge."
12. Ryan Newman (LW: 12): We were looking for another candidate for the final spot, but Newman quickly ended that search. Kyle Larson, Aric Almirola and Kasey Kahne finished 10th-12th and were options for this spot. But Newman was 13th. Sorry guys, Newman gets to stay here. He's also pretty much guaranteed into the Chase, barring a catastrophe or tire manipulation penalty at Richmond. KEEP THOSE TIRES PRISTINE, RCR.
Lucky Dog: Let's give it to Landon Cassill, who got his third top-20 of the season.
The DNF: Danica Patrick finished 42nd.
Dropped Out: None
NASCAR considering two rules packages in 2016 with low downforce as primary.
By Nate Ryan
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
NASCAR likely will have two variations of rules for the Sprint Cup Series next season with the highly acclaimed low-downforce package used most often.
Executive vice president and chief racing development officer Steve O’Donnell said in a Tuesday interview on SiriusXM’s NASCAR channel that different rules might be used at larger speedways.
“There are still a couple of outliers we’re looking at,” O’Donnell told Sirius Speedway host Dave Moody. “We’ll spend the next two weeks sitting down with everybody. The low downforce matched with the tires has a lot of momentum, and we’ve seen really good things, and I think you’ll see it at a number of races next year. There are outliers at some of the bigger tracks, (such as) Michigan, California.
“As closely as we can stick to two packages, maybe a low downforce and something different, that’s what we’d like to do. The majority of the races we feel are headed in the low-downforce direction. We just want to have additional discussions with some of the race teams, get their feedback and finalize it by the end of (September).”
After a successful debut at Kentucky Speedway two months ago, the low downforce drew virtually universal acclaim from drivers in Sunday’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Green flag lead changes (24) were up 60 percent from last year’s race on the 1.366-mile oval.
Winner Carl Edwards lobbied NASCAR to use low downforce again during the Chase for the Sprint Cup. NASCAR announced in mid-August that it would stick with the 2015 rules for the final 11 races of the season, and O’Donnell reiterated that stance Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, there’s not” a chance of using low downforce again in ‘15, O’Donnell said. “I love Carl’s passion. He’s a big fan of this package. Prior to Darlington, we met as an industry and talked about what was the most fair package to put together and what did we think would produce good racing in the Chase. Ultimately, we wanted to stick with 2015.
“We felt teams put a ton of time into testing those cars. Goodyear’s tires had matched up that package for the final 10 races. We all felt that was the best way to go. We can take the proper time to evaluate all the things we’ve looked at for ’16 and really dial that in for the ’16 package, knowing that a lot of things have been done for ’15, and teams have really prepared for the Chase already.”
SOCCER: USMNT 1-4 Brazil: Neymar and Co. throttle answer-less Yanks at Foxboro.
Executive vice president and chief racing development officer Steve O’Donnell said in a Tuesday interview on SiriusXM’s NASCAR channel that different rules might be used at larger speedways.
“There are still a couple of outliers we’re looking at,” O’Donnell told Sirius Speedway host Dave Moody. “We’ll spend the next two weeks sitting down with everybody. The low downforce matched with the tires has a lot of momentum, and we’ve seen really good things, and I think you’ll see it at a number of races next year. There are outliers at some of the bigger tracks, (such as) Michigan, California.
“As closely as we can stick to two packages, maybe a low downforce and something different, that’s what we’d like to do. The majority of the races we feel are headed in the low-downforce direction. We just want to have additional discussions with some of the race teams, get their feedback and finalize it by the end of (September).”
After a successful debut at Kentucky Speedway two months ago, the low downforce drew virtually universal acclaim from drivers in Sunday’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Green flag lead changes (24) were up 60 percent from last year’s race on the 1.366-mile oval.
Winner Carl Edwards lobbied NASCAR to use low downforce again during the Chase for the Sprint Cup. NASCAR announced in mid-August that it would stick with the 2015 rules for the final 11 races of the season, and O’Donnell reiterated that stance Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, there’s not” a chance of using low downforce again in ‘15, O’Donnell said. “I love Carl’s passion. He’s a big fan of this package. Prior to Darlington, we met as an industry and talked about what was the most fair package to put together and what did we think would produce good racing in the Chase. Ultimately, we wanted to stick with 2015.
“We felt teams put a ton of time into testing those cars. Goodyear’s tires had matched up that package for the final 10 races. We all felt that was the best way to go. We can take the proper time to evaluate all the things we’ve looked at for ’16 and really dial that in for the ’16 package, knowing that a lot of things have been done for ’15, and teams have really prepared for the Chase already.”
SOCCER: USMNT 1-4 Brazil: Neymar and Co. throttle answer-less Yanks at Foxboro.
By Nicholas Mendola
Is debacle too strong a word for a friendly?
Brazil took the United States’ barely-functioning midfield and awful-looking defense apart, dispiriting an already-frustrated USMNT on Tuesday in New England.
That’s the basic gist of the USMNT’s 4-1 loss to Brazil at Gillette Stadium in the last U.S. game before the pivotal Confederations Cup playoff against Mexico next month.
Neymar had a pair of goals as a second-half sub, and Rafinha and Hulk also scored for Brazil against a U.S. back line of Michael Orozco, Tim Ream, Michael Orozco and Geoff Cameron.
Danny Williams had a laser-strike in stoppage time to give the States something. Jonathan Spector had the assist.
John Brooks was kept from the Starting XI with injury, while Fabian Johnson and DaMarcus Beasley didn’t make the trip. Clint Dempsey was also absent for the States.
Brazil improved to a 14-1-1 since the 2014 World Cup.
Hulk found Brazil’s opener before the clock struck nine, as Brad Guzan was beaten by a chipped Willian cross that hit the post. The rebound fell between a mess of U.S. defenders, but Zenit’s big striker found the ball, took a touch, and hammered it past Guzan.
Altidore had a half-chance snuffed out when DeAndre Yedlin created an opportunity down the right side with his speed.
Really, the first 20 minutes was about Brazil possessing the heck out of the ball, and Willian was its danger man when needed.
Marquinhos came in for Miranda after just 22 minutes due to a bloody mouth.
Brazil improved to a 14-1-1 since the 2014 World Cup.
Hulk found Brazil’s opener before the clock struck nine, as Brad Guzan was beaten by a chipped Willian cross that hit the post. The rebound fell between a mess of U.S. defenders, but Zenit’s big striker found the ball, took a touch, and hammered it past Guzan.
Altidore had a half-chance snuffed out when DeAndre Yedlin created an opportunity down the right side with his speed.
Really, the first 20 minutes was about Brazil possessing the heck out of the ball, and Willian was its danger man when needed.
Marquinhos came in for Miranda after just 22 minutes due to a bloody mouth.
Yedlin earned another chance for the States when his speed sucked in a trio of Brazil defenders, and the former Seattle Sounders man cut the ball back to Michael Bradley, whose off-balance shot through traffic was saved.
Jurgen Klinsmann explained the Bedoya for Williams sub, saying the States needed to be more compact and that Bedoya hadn’t settled into the game.
At halftime, the States brought on Bobby Wood. Brazil brought on Neymar.
The latter move would pay dividends, as David Luiz played a stunning diagonal ball over the U.S. defense, finding Neymar. The Barcelona star cut back on Geoff Cameron, and went down on contact. An easy-enough penalty call, and Neymar converted. 2-0 in the 51st.
The U.S. had a chance moments after Roberto Firmino flashed a header over Guzan’s goal, as Tim Ream dribbled deep into the Brazil half before playing a square ball for Bradley. Alas, the captain’s bounding shot was scooped up by Marcelo Grohe.
Brazil would strike again in the 64th minute. with Rafinha scoring a classy, clever goal. After a blazing counter from the visitors, Rafinha somehow wrapped his foot around Tim Ream to poke a loping shot over Guzan. 3-0.
And Neymar added Brazil’s fourth with a sly dribble through the 18.
Mix Diskerud and Jonathan Spector got a chance to put in 20 minutes each for Jermaine Jones and Geoff Cameron, the former of whom angrily stormed past Klinsmann.
When the States finally got a point-blank chance in the 84th minute, Diskerud’s hard shot went straight to Grohe.
Williams broke through when Spector found the Reading midfielder in acres of space. His bullet didn’t miss.
Jurgen Klinsmann concerned about development of young US strikers.
By Joe Prince-Wright
Jurgen Klinsmann is a worried man.
Despite seeing his side rally from a goal down to beat Peru 2-1 in Washington D.C. last Friday, Klinsmann is thinking more long-term.
Speaking to ESPN ahead of the clash with Brazil at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday, the head coach of the U.S. national team revealed he is concerned about the lack of development of young attacking players from the USA.
These comments from Klinsmann come off the back of ProSoccerTalk sitting down with his assistant coach and the head coach of the U.S. U-23 Olympic team, Andi Herzog, who also spoke about the “risky” stockpiling of foreign Designated Players in the attacking areas of the pitch.
“It is good if you bring in a lot of superstars like Kaka and all these guys, but most of time they play in key positions and how do you want to give a young forward in MLS a chance to improve and get starting time if the best players are in those positions?” Herzog said. “On one side it’s good to bring the superstars into the league and on the other side, at least for the national team, it is a little bit risky, because if they play in the key positions and the young talented players aren’t able to play in positions like striker or the No. 10 role, then in a couple of years we will not have enough players in those positions. The pool of players for the U.S. will have no experience playing in this positions. It is a little bit of a dangerous situation which a couple of nations in Europe have had problems with already.”
So, with young strikers like Rubio Rubin (who we spoke to in-depth, here), Morris, Julian Green, Zardes, Alonso Hernandez, Maki Tall, Mario Rodriguez and Jerome Keisewetter around, are any of those guys ready to step in and deliver for the U.S. in the coming years?
By Joe Prince-Wright
Jurgen Klinsmann is a worried man.
Despite seeing his side rally from a goal down to beat Peru 2-1 in Washington D.C. last Friday, Klinsmann is thinking more long-term.
Speaking to ESPN ahead of the clash with Brazil at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday, the head coach of the U.S. national team revealed he is concerned about the lack of development of young attacking players from the USA.
“What I’m worried in the longer run is to find strikers that on a international level give you a goal every second game at least. This is something where we have problems,” Klinsmann said. “We have problems to develop a young generation of strikers consistently scoring — in their club teams and then coming into the national team, in the national team environment.
“And this is why it’s so important to have a healthy Clint Dempsey then being back with us against Mexico and that’s why we leave him out right now because he’s not 100 percent. And why it is important to have 100 percent Jozy Altidore being fit, being positive and being full of confidence.”When you look around the current U.S. squad, only Altidore and Gyasi Zardes play in Major League Soccer, while young Jordan Morris is at Stanford University.
These comments from Klinsmann come off the back of ProSoccerTalk sitting down with his assistant coach and the head coach of the U.S. U-23 Olympic team, Andi Herzog, who also spoke about the “risky” stockpiling of foreign Designated Players in the attacking areas of the pitch.
“It is good if you bring in a lot of superstars like Kaka and all these guys, but most of time they play in key positions and how do you want to give a young forward in MLS a chance to improve and get starting time if the best players are in those positions?” Herzog said. “On one side it’s good to bring the superstars into the league and on the other side, at least for the national team, it is a little bit risky, because if they play in the key positions and the young talented players aren’t able to play in positions like striker or the No. 10 role, then in a couple of years we will not have enough players in those positions. The pool of players for the U.S. will have no experience playing in this positions. It is a little bit of a dangerous situation which a couple of nations in Europe have had problems with already.”
So, with young strikers like Rubio Rubin (who we spoke to in-depth, here), Morris, Julian Green, Zardes, Alonso Hernandez, Maki Tall, Mario Rodriguez and Jerome Keisewetter around, are any of those guys ready to step in and deliver for the U.S. in the coming years?
NCAAFB: AP poll keeps Ohio State unanimous No. 1, SEC sets record with 10 ranked teams.
By Kevin McGuire
Unlike the coaches poll released earlier in the day, Ohio State remains the unanimous number one in the latest AP Top 25 poll. The Buckeyes received all 61 of the possible number one AP votes in the first poll of the regular season the day after turning aside Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. There was some movement within the top 10 though, as No. 2 Alabama swapped positions with No. 3 TCU just as they did in the coaches poll. Notre Dame also crept into the top 10 after moving up from No. 11 to No. 9 after demolishing Texas in South Bend. No. 10 Georgia dropped down one spot as the Irish passed them but the Bulldogs round out the latest AP top 10.
In all, a total of 10 teams from the SEC appear in the AP top 25 poll this week. That is a new record for a single conference, which will surely get some play as the week unfolds. The previous record of eight teams was held by the SEC in the preseason ranking.
In all, a total of 10 teams from the SEC appear in the AP top 25 poll this week. That is a new record for a single conference, which will surely get some play as the week unfolds. The previous record of eight teams was held by the SEC in the preseason ranking.
In tight Top 25, Sam Houston State is new No. 1
By CRAIG HALEY
The prospect of a wide-open national race reflected Monday in the STATS FCS Top 25.
An unusually high 10 teams gained first-place votes, but none more so than the new No. 1, Sam Houston State.
The diverse voting occurred after six of the preseason top 10 teams opened with losses to FBS opponents and only two won opening games - both by three points.
In the absence of a decisive No. 1 was a deep mix that is jockeying for elbow room in the national media poll.
Sam Houston State, the Southland Conference favorite, collected 31 of the 144 first-place votes and 3,132 points. The Bearkats, third in the preseason poll, began their season Saturday with a 59-45 loss to Big 12 member Texas Tech despite gaining 671 yards - the third-highest single-game total in school history. Donovan Williams rushed for four touchdowns and Jared Johnson and Jeremiah Briscoe split 36 pass completions in the defeat.
"I told the kids there are no moral victories for us ... (that) you are as good as they are in our eyes," said Sam Houston coach K.C. Keeler, whose team has a bye this week before playing its conference and home opener Sept. 19 against Lamar.
Sam Houston last held the top ranking in the poll released Sept. 3, 2012.
While the Bearkats won't want to give up the top spot, perhaps the tone for the FCS season was set two weekends ago when Montana knocked off four-time defending national champion North Dakota State. Or perhaps it occurred Saturday when Montana fell to Cal Poly one week after its big win.
North Dakota State (0-1) fell from the top spot in the preseason to No. 2, slightly behind Sam Houston with 22 first-place votes and 3,123 points. The Bison, off this past weekend after the 38-35 loss to the Grizzlies, return to action Saturday by hosting Weber State.
Coastal Carolina (1-0) moved up two spots to No. 3, garnering 24 first-place votes and 3,115 points. The Big South power beat Furman 38-35 in its opener.
Illinois State (0-1) got 20 first-place votes but fell two spots to No. 4 following a 31-14 loss to Iowa. Jacksonville State (1-0) moved up two spots to fifth on the heels of a 23-20 win at Chattanooga in a meeting of top 10 teams. The defending Ohio Valley Conference champion had 24 first-place votes.
Also receiving first-place votes were No. 6 Villanova (0-1), six; No. 7 Eastern Washington (0-1), six; No. 8 Montana (1-1), two; No. 9 South Dakota State (1-0), eight; and No. 18 Cal Poly, one.
Tenth-ranked Chattanooga (0-1) was the highest team not to have a first-place vote.
Montana State (1-0) led the next 10 at No. 11, followed by New Hampshire (0-1), James Madison (1-0), Northern Iowa (0-1), Liberty (1-0), Fordham (1-0), Youngstown State (0-1), previously unranked Cal Poly at No. 18, Eastern Kentucky (1-0) and Southeastern Louisiana (1-0).
Rounding out the Top 25 were Indiana State (1-0); Richmond (0-1); Idaho State (1-0); Portland State (1-0), which was unranked in the preseason but beat Pac-12 member Washington State 24-17; and Harvard (0-0).
Stephen F. Austin and McNeese State, among the contenders with Sam Houston State in the Southland Conference, fell from the rankings.
The Big Sky and MVC tied for the national lead with six Top 25 teams. CAA Football had four, and nine of the 13 conferences had at least one team in the rankings.
A national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries select the STATS FCS Top 25. A first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote 24 points, all the way down to one point for a 25th-place vote.
The Top 25 is released every Monday afternoon during the regular season, except for Sunday morning, Nov. 22, prior to the selection of the 24-team FCS playoff field. A final Top 25 will follow the FCS championship game, which will be held Jan. 9 in Frisco, Texas.
Tennessee State rallies, beats Alabama State 24-14.
AP - Sports
Patrick Smith, Tom Smith and Telvin Hooks scored fourth-quarter touchdowns on Sunday night, helping Tennessee State rally past Alabama State 24-14 in the season opener for both teams.
The Tigers trailed by 11 going into the fourth quarter before Patrick Smith caught Oshay Ackerman-Carter's 19-yard TD pass with 14:22 to go.
Latrelle Lee forced an Alabama State fumble three plays later and Javon Brandon recovered for Tennessee State on the Hornets 36. Tom Smith's 12-yard TD run gave the Tigers a 17-14 lead with 12:01 left.
Brandon recovered another Alabama State fumble on the next drive, and Hooks scored an insurance touchdown on a 5-yard run with 6:15 to play.
Daniel Duhart was 20-of-25 passing for 225 yards for the Hornets including an 82-yard TD pass to Josh Davis in the first quarter. Duhart ran for another score midway through the third that gave Alabama State a 14-3 lead.
NCAABKB: Reigning champs Duke visit President Obama at the White House.
The Tigers trailed by 11 going into the fourth quarter before Patrick Smith caught Oshay Ackerman-Carter's 19-yard TD pass with 14:22 to go.
Latrelle Lee forced an Alabama State fumble three plays later and Javon Brandon recovered for Tennessee State on the Hornets 36. Tom Smith's 12-yard TD run gave the Tigers a 17-14 lead with 12:01 left.
Brandon recovered another Alabama State fumble on the next drive, and Hooks scored an insurance touchdown on a 5-yard run with 6:15 to play.
Daniel Duhart was 20-of-25 passing for 225 yards for the Hornets including an 82-yard TD pass to Josh Davis in the first quarter. Duhart ran for another score midway through the third that gave Alabama State a 14-3 lead.
NCAABKB: Reigning champs Duke visit President Obama at the White House.
By Matt Norlander
Duke visited the White House on Tuesday. (Screencap via White House YouTube account)
For the second time during his presidency, Barack Obama welcomed in the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball program to the White House. As is custom with every national champion in myriad major American sports, a tour and quick press conference of congratulations were in order.So the celebration of Duke's 2014-15 season went down in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.
"We thought about inviting the Cameron Crazies here, but I didn't want any blue paint smudging my walls," Obama joked.
And the jokes were flying. The jovial, 20-minute ceremony included back-and-forth banter between the most powerful man in the world and (arguably) the most powerful man in college basketball.
"We've been to your house twice, and you've never been to our house," Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "We'll have to correct that in about a little over a year."
Obama agreed on a future visit to Cameron Indoor. He also received an invite from Krzyzewski to play in Duke's annual basketball fantasy camp. Unlike most 35-and-older participants, he won't have to pay, though. Krzyzewski said he'd be Duke's guest -- on "scholarship."
"I'll dominate," Obama said.
While praising the 2014-15 national champions, Obama name-checked all the Duke stars -- referring to former Duke star frosh point guard/Final Four MOP Tyus Jones by his superior moniker, "Tyus Stones" -- and even flashing a look at Grayson Allen.
Current NBAers Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow were also on hand.
"You've been an amazing leader for our country," Krzyzewski told Obama, which is notable, given Krzyzewski has previously spoken out about some of the President's tactics re: the global fight against ISIS.
Obama also made mention of Krzyzewski's career 1,000-win achievement, a threshold he eclipsed at the beginning of last season.
"Somehow he did it without every saying a bad word to a referee," Obama said.
A smiling Coach K quickly replied, "That's true, that's true."
The festivities came less than 24 hours after Duke received its national championship rings, by the way. They were on display, locked onto players' and coaches' knuckles.
"Thanks for sharing that with me," Krzyzewski told his team on Tuesday. "It was amazing. And to the guys coming back ... if you could do that again ..."
Hey, it's the offseason. You'll never see Krzyzewski more loose and engaging than this.
Serena outlasts Venus to move on to semifinals.
By Danielle Elliott
Serena Williams reacts after winning a point against Venus Williams during a quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
With a powerful ace, Serena Williams capped her biggest win of the tournament.
She'll have to win two more in order to complete the calendar Grand Slam and tie Steffi Graf with 22 Grand Slam titles, but the atmosphere inside Arthur Ashe Stadium Tuesday night felt like a U.S. Open final.
She'll have to win two more in order to complete the calendar Grand Slam and tie Steffi Graf with 22 Grand Slam titles, but the atmosphere inside Arthur Ashe Stadium Tuesday night felt like a U.S. Open final.
Playing in front of a sell-out crowd, Serena outlasted older sister Venus in just under two hours, 6-2, 1-6, 6-2.
The quarterfinal match drew all of the attention deserved of what was, for at least a decade, sports’ greatest rivalry. The crowd showed mixed loyalty. If anything, Venus was the favorite, if only because they all seemed to know that this match would not define Serena in that same way that it could define Venus.
The loudest cheers erupted when Oprah Winfrey and comedian Aziz Ansari appeared on the big screen. When Donald Trump’s face flashed across, the entire stadium finally seemed to be in agreement, booing even louder than they’d cheered at any point in the match.
Serena earned her first break-point opportunity in the very first game, but failed to convert. She’d finally do so in the fifth game to take the 3-2 advantage, and again in the seventh, to lead 5-2. A quick hold, and she’d taken the first set. It looked like she'd cruise to a quick win.
Neither moved particularly fast at any point in the match, each playing more defensively than they had in their respective third-round wins. It was as though all of the attention paid this match had worn them out before they even took the court.
When Venus earned a break-point opportunity at 2-1 in the second set, the crowd roared its approval. During play, it was silent enough to hear the subway cars braking on the 7-track just outside the grounds. Venus earned the break, her first of the night. Then she earned another.
After playing so solidly in the first, Serena fell apart in the second. But in the third, first-set Serena returned. A massive ace saved break-point at 2-0. It was soon 5-2. There were few spectacular points or memorable moments in this match. It was a routine Serena win, watched by more celebrities that Ashe has hosted in the past week combined. Venus owned one set, but the match was clearly Serena's.
It’s a really great moment. She’s the toughest person I’ve ever played in my life and the best person I know," Serena said in her on-court interview after the win. "It was really difficult today."
After playing so solidly in the first, Serena fell apart in the second. But in the third, first-set Serena returned. A massive ace saved break-point at 2-0. It was soon 5-2. There were few spectacular points or memorable moments in this match. It was a routine Serena win, watched by more celebrities that Ashe has hosted in the past week combined. Venus owned one set, but the match was clearly Serena's.
It’s a really great moment. She’s the toughest person I’ve ever played in my life and the best person I know," Serena said in her on-court interview after the win. "It was really difficult today."
Memoriesofhistory.com
1898 - In Omaha, NE, Tommy Fleming of Eau Claire, WI won the first logrolling championship.
1950 - Sal Maglie of the New York Giants pitched a fourth consecutive shutout. Only four other pitchers in the National League had ever accomplished this feat.
1965 - Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched the eighth perfect game in major league baseball history.
1971 - Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings retired from the National Hockey League (NHL).
1979 - Tracy Austin, at 16, became the youngest player to win the U.S. Open women’s tennis title.
1984 - Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears broke Jim Brown’s combined yardage record when he reached 15,517 yards.
1987 - Nolan Ryan (Houston Astros) got his 4,500th strike out.
1992 - Robin Yount became the 17th major league baseball player to reach 3,000 hits.
1994 - Los Angeles prosecutors announced that they would not seek the death penalty against O.J. Simpson.
1998 - The New York Yankees officially clinched the American League East title. It was the earliest in AL history. The Yankees ended the season 20 1/2 games ahead of second-place Boston.
2001 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco) hit three home runs to give him 63 for the season.
1950 - Sal Maglie of the New York Giants pitched a fourth consecutive shutout. Only four other pitchers in the National League had ever accomplished this feat.
1965 - Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched the eighth perfect game in major league baseball history.
1971 - Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings retired from the National Hockey League (NHL).
1979 - Tracy Austin, at 16, became the youngest player to win the U.S. Open women’s tennis title.
1984 - Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears broke Jim Brown’s combined yardage record when he reached 15,517 yards.
1987 - Nolan Ryan (Houston Astros) got his 4,500th strike out.
1992 - Robin Yount became the 17th major league baseball player to reach 3,000 hits.
1994 - Los Angeles prosecutors announced that they would not seek the death penalty against O.J. Simpson.
1998 - The New York Yankees officially clinched the American League East title. It was the earliest in AL history. The Yankees ended the season 20 1/2 games ahead of second-place Boston.
2001 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco) hit three home runs to give him 63 for the season.
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