College category, Page 65
Penn Hills grad Stephens hoping JUCO route leads to more Division-I basketball opportunities
During his senior season, Daivon Stephens led the Penn Hills boys basketball team to the 2018 WPIAL Class 6A title, the program’s first title since 2003. Stephens’ performance earned him an offer from Eastern Michigan, where he later committed to attend last season. After getting minimal playing time at Eastern...
Penn Hills grad Hollis Mathis makes impact as freshman at William & Mary
Heading into his freshman season at William & Mary, Hollis Mathis wasn’t sure how his game would translate to the collegiate level. A record-setting season provided answers to his doubts. Mathis, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound quarterback, threw for 976 yards and four touchdowns for William & Mary (5-7, 3-5) this season....
Defending champ Stanford, Wisconsin reach NCAA volleyball finals
Kathryn Plummer had 26 kills and defending champion Stanford swept Minnesota, 25-19, 25-22, 25-22, on Thursday night to reach the NCAA women’s volleyball final. Stanford (29-4) will face Wisconsin on Saturday night, seeking its third title in four years and ninth overall. The Cardinal also beat the Gophers (27-6) in...
LSU’s offense, Georgia’s defense makes SEC title game contrast in stylesVideo
ATLANTA — LSU is perfectly comfortable in an offensive shootout, throwing caution to the wind and lighting up the scoreboard with big play after big play. Georgia would prefer a defensive quagmire, the sort of knock-‘em-back stalemate that puts a premium on old-school concepts like field position and turnovers. In...
Clemson wants to prove its playoff-worthy in ACC title gameVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is happy his players finally can prove they are a championship-caliber team. The third-ranked Tigers (12-0, No. 3 CFP) take on No. 22 Virginia (9-3, No. 23 CFP) for the ACC championship Saturday night, knowing a win cements their fifth consecutive appearance in...
All eyes on No. 5 Utah in Pac-12 title game against OregonVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Pac-12 championship game largely has been an afterthought for the rest of the country the past two seasons with the conference mostly out of contention when it comes to the all-important College Football Playoff. That will be far from the case this year when there...
Ohio State QB Justin Fields will go ’60 minutes’ in Big Ten championship gameVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The first real hero moment for Justin Fields came in the third quarter last Saturday, a display of toughness destined to live in the lore of the Ohio State-Michigan game. The first-year starter who had led the Buckeyes to a perfect record went down and couldn’t get...
Similar paths for coaches at Clemson, VirginiaVideo
CLEMSON, S.C. — Bronco Mendenhall only had said a few words and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney realized the new Virginia coach was more than a colleague. This was someone who understood how to lead a team to success. Mendenhall and the 22nd-ranked Cavaliers (9-3, No. 23 College Football Playoff) will square...
Clemson’s Travis Etienne earns ACC player of year honorVideo
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Clemson running back Travis Etienne once again is the ACC’s player of the year, and North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell is the league’s top rookie. The ACC on Wednesday announced its individual awards as determined by a panel of 46 media members and 14 coaches. Etienne also...
Former role players in SEC title game spotlight for GeorgiaVideo
ATHENS, Ga. — Tyler Simmons’ role as the senior leader of No. 4 Georgia’s wide receivers has never been more important. The Bulldogs lost top receiver Lawrence Cager after ankle surgery. The depth at the position took another blow when freshman George Pickens, who shares the team lead in receptions...
Don’t overlook Clemson, Virginia defenses in ACC championship gameVideo
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The offenses deservedly are getting a lot of attention heading into Saturday night’s clash between Clemson and Virginia in the ACC championship game. But the defenses shouldn’t be overlooked. They are among the conference’s best and will play a role in who walks off the field with...
Undersized Marquette star Markus Howard finds ways to dominate
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Markus Howard continues to find ways to dominate basketball games despite his undersized stature. The 5-foot-11 Marquette preseason All-American and reigning Big East player of the year leads the nation in scoring at 26 points a game. “We need Markus to be the player and...
Louisville is new No. 1 in AP poll; unranked Michigan goes to No. 4
Louisville is the latest No. 1 following an unexpected loss by Duke. Michigan has matched a record by debuting at No. 4. A season of parity is taking a toll in the AP Top 25. Louisville became the fourth team in five weeks to claim the top spot, receiving 48...
Ohio State beats Michigan for record run
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Ohio State has turned what is known as The Game into Its Game, making one of the greatest rivalries in sports a one-sided series with little suspense. Chasing a national championship, not simply beating the Wolverines, is how the Buckeyes measure a successful season. And under...
Franklin Regional grad Todd Summers catching on with Villanova football
His first reception for Franklin Regional went for a touchdown. So did his first two at Villanova. Todd Summers knows a few things about making a strong initial impression, but those events pale in comparison to what first-year Villanova offensive coordinator Chris Boden thought when he first saw the redshirt...
Talent disparity overshadows Ohio State-Michigan rivalry
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Ohio State has turned one of the greatest rivalries in sports into a one-sided series against Michigan by simply having more talent. That seems to be true throughout the rosters, and it makes the largest difference on the offensive and defensive lines. The Buckeyes (11-0, 8-0...
Penn Hills grad Adia Brisker hits ground running at Niagara
When Adia Brisker committed to play basketball at Niagara last fall, she didn’t think she would find herself in the starting lineup as a freshman. However, when the Purple Eagles wrapped up camp, Brisker was part of the starting five for Niagara’s season opener at St. Bonaventure. In her first...
CV grad Marquis takes winding road to become D coordinator at Wittenberg
During his days as a football player at Chartiers Valley, Dave Marquis, by his own admission, didn’t apply himself perhaps as much as he should have. That revelation might be surprising considering his background. Marquis’ father, Gus, was the football coach (1988-94) and athletic director (1988-2006) at Chartiers Valley, so...
Memphis star freshman James Wiseman has temporary restraining order to playVideo
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The feel-good season for No. 14 Memphis plunged into uncertainty Friday after the school said second-year coach and former NBA star Penny Hardaway gave more than $11,000 to the family of top prospect James Wiseman, who got a court order allowing him to play while the school...
Ex-Norwin soccer standout Emily Harrigan makes impact for nationally ranked Rutgers
Norwin played North Allegheny for the WPIAL Class AAAA girls soccer championship Thursday night, and Emily Harrigan intently watched the match from East Brunswick, N.J. When broadcasters mentioned Norwin’s 2017 state championship team, Harrigan took notice. After all, she played a key role in the run, earning Tribune-Review Player of...
NCAA board approves athlete compensation for image, likeness
The NCAA Board of Governors took the first step Tuesday toward allowing amateur athletes to cash in on their fame, voting unanimously to permit them to “benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness.” The United States’ largest governing body for college athletics realized that it “must embrace...
Kansas State deals blow to Oklahoma’s CFP hopes
MANHATTAN, Kan. — There was never a moment of uncertainty on Kansas State’s sideline when fifth-ranked Oklahoma raced to an early lead or when the wounded Sooners began to mount a frantic fourth-quarter comeback. There might have been just a bit when they recovered an onside kick. “It was a...
Penn-Trafford grad John Gay finding his stride with Lafayette football team
When running back John Gay started putting up big numbers at Penn-Trafford, colleges took notice. Lafayette, an FCS school in eastern Pennsylvania, was among them. As Gay’s performances continued to surge, more colleges took notice. Bigger colleges. Once FBS schools came knocking, Gay said, many of the smaller schools backed...
Michigan State begins season as No. 1 in AP college basketball pollVideo
There isn’t much Michigan State has yet to accomplish under Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo, from Big Ten titles and Final Four trips to winning a national championship. The Spartans can add another milestone to the list: They are No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 men’s college...
Historically black colleges play significant role in NFL’s 1st 100 years
NFL rosters are crowded with players who performed in the national spotlight at major colleges: Notre Dame, Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, etc. Sprinkled throughout, however, are players from schools such as North Carolina A&T, Howard and South Carolina State. Those schools, identified as historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), aren’t...
