Joel Bitonio acknowledges Browns ‘frustrated’ by losing but not close to being fractured
BEREA, Ohio — “Frustrated” has been the word of the week for the Cleveland Browns. What hasn’t been in their vocabulary is “fractured.” “Yeah, I mean, frustrated is a big point,” left guard Joel Bitonio said. “Obviously, everybody’s frustrated because no one wants to be 1-5, but I think our...
Safety DeShon Elliott joins Steelers in Cincinnati to play vs. Bengals
CINCINNATI – Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott joined his teammates in Cincinnati by early afternoon Thursday and was in unform for that evening’s game against the Bengals. Elliott was not part of the traveling party to Ohio when the Steelers left en masse Wednesday afternoon. The team cited a “personal”...
Rumored Penn State coaching candidate Curt Cignetti signs new 8-year deal with Indiana
Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti signed a new eight-year contract that runs through the end of the 2033 regular season and will pay him an average annual salary of $11.6 million, the school announced Thursday. “At Indiana University, we are committed to performing at the highest levels in everything we...
Joel Bitonio acknowledges Browns ‘frustrated’ by losing but not close to being fractured
BEREA, Ohio — Frustrated has been the word of the week for the Browns. What hasn’t been in their vocabulary is fractured. “Yeah, I mean, frustrated is a big point,” left guard Joel Bitonio said Oct. 16. “Obviously everybody’s frustrated because no one wants to be 1-5, but I think...
West Virginia picked 11th in Big 12 preseason poll
Voters selected West Virginia’s men’s basketball team 11th in the Big 12 preseason poll, which was released Thursday. The Mountaineers finished 19-13 overall last season and 10-10 in the Big 12. They lost to Colorado in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. They are set to open the...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi not taking struggling Syracuse QB Rickie Collins lightlyVideo
College football fans across the country may be looking at Syracuse as a sinking ship, its prospects for a successful season dimmed as a result of quarterback Steve Angeli’s season-ending injury. Angeli went down with a torn Achilles on Sept. 20 against Clemson, and since then, the Orange are 0-2,...
Ethan Grunkemeyer ready for 1st career start at Iowa as Penn State tries to salvage season
UNIVERSITY PARK — Ethan Grunkemeyer was immediately swarmed by reporters as he emerged from the locker room after Penn State practice. As bodies and cameras enveloped him Wednesday night, the quarterback’s eyes glanced back toward his teammates. One shouted, “Yeah Grunk! Man of the hour!” Grunkemeyer, who will make his...
Derrick Harmon making it look easy as rookie in Steelers defense
His assimilation as a rookie into the defense, by all indications, has been seamless. Pittsburgh Steelers teammates and coaches are impressed, and opponents have watched him make at least one “splash” play against them in each of his NFL games. Has playing defensive tackle in the pros progressed as smoothly...
Mark Madden: Tip your cap to Dodgers for not babying pitchers
Something refreshing happened within the context of MLB’s current zeitgeist Monday night: A starting pitcher threw eight innings. No, it’s not a complete game. And the length of Blake Snell’s stay on the mound for Los Angeles was made more palatable because he only threw 103 pitches, less than usual...
First Call: Steelers, Browns took field complaints to NFLPA; injury questions for Steelers-Bengals Thursday night
The latest edition of “First Call” has the injury reports for Thursday night’s Steelers-Bengals game in Cincinnati. We also have an update on those complaints from players about the Acrisure Stadium playing surface. Plus, we talk some hockey as the Penguins get ready to play their next game in Los...
Penguins forward Blake Lizotte is healthy and hanging on to his jobVideo
The start of Blake Lizotte’s second season with the Pittsburgh Penguins is going much better than how he began his first. That’s because he hasn’t been concussed. Not even once. After joining the club during the 2024 offseason by signing a two-year contract, Lizotte didn’t even make it to the...
U mad, bro?: Readers get heated about a Pitt football stadium, Acrisure grass, Mike Tomlin’s press conference
The Steelers are 4-1. The Penguins are actually somewhat entertaining so far. Pitt may have found a quarterback, and Penn State satisfied its fan base by firing James Franklin. Most importantly, we don’t have to watch the Pirates lose until April. Times are good. Well … at least by Pittsburgh...
Steelers vs. Bengals: Get ready for 2025 Week 7 rivalry matchup
For the first time this season, the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) will play under the lights when they visit Paycor Stadium to play the Cincinnati Bengals (2-4) on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Prime Video, and simulcast locally on WTAE-TV, with Al Michaels...
PIAA notebook: New policy lets some private school students play sports at home public school district
Students attending a “faith-based” private school can play sports at their home public school district under a new PIAA policy. The policy — adopted to settle a federal lawsuit brought by a religious rights group — applies only when the students’ faith-based private school doesn’t offer a particular sport that...
Homers abound as Blue Jays rout Mariners in ALCS Game 3
From utter futility to a startling fusillade: That’s the story of the Toronto Blue Jays in this American League Championship Series. And after two games of punchless offense was followed by a lineup uprising in Game 3, they are still very much in it. The Blue Jays annihilated Seattle Mariners...
Colts LB Zaire Franklin says JuJu Smith-Schuster ‘needed his (expletive) whooped’
The NFL suspended Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch for one game after he punched Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to spark a brawl at the end of the Chiefs vs. Lions “Sunday Night Football” game in Week 6. Branch’s postgame punch was met by condemnation from Detroit’s coach...
Steelers 4 Downs: Nick Herbig statistically rates as best pass rusher in football
1. ‘Herb’ is the word Nick Herbig started the season — and remains — the third option for the Pittsburgh Steelers at outside linebacker. By one respected measure, though, he’s No. 1 in the NFL. A third-year former fourth-round pick, Herbig is the best in the league among edge rushers...
Australian freshman Roman Siulepa aims to bring rugby-style physicality to Pitt basketballVideo
Roman Siulepa’s summer commitment to Pitt came somewhat shrouded in mystery, as fans debated what to make of the 19-year-old Australian who’d caught the eye of coach Jeff Capel. Turns out, Panthers fans were far from the only ones who had questions about the situation, with both Capel and Siulepa...
Safety DeShon Elliott doesn’t travel to Cincinnati with Steelers, listed as questionable to play
Safety DeShon Elliott did not travel with the Pittsburgh Steelers to Cincinnati on Wednesday and is questionable to play in their game Thursday night against the Bengals. Elliott did not travel because of personal reasons. Elliott and linebacker Malik Harrison are listed as questionable. Harrison is on injured reserve with...
Rory McIlroy as European Ryder Cup captain? ‘Hopefully that’s not in 2027’
There aren’t many guarantees in golf, though Rory McIlroy one day captaining the European Ryder Cup team is probably one of them. The 36-year-old just helped the European team win for the second time on foreign soil, topping the Americans 15-13 at Bethpage Black in New York. It was a...
Dodgers’ Tyler Glasnow eager to keep Brewers’ bats quiet in NLCS Game 3
LOS ANGELES — After charging through America’s Dairyland with a pair of beefed-up pitching performances, the Dodgers play host to the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. Six victories away from becoming the first team to win back-to-back World Series titles in 25...
Why Penn State’s 2025 season still matters after disastrous start
To many, Penn State’s season is a complete wash. Quarterback Drew Allar is out for the season, James Franklin is out as coach and the team has lost three straight games. A preseason national championship favorite could realistically miss out on a bowl game for the first time since 2020....
Pitt football notebook: Offensive efficiency gives Panthers latitude to be bold on 4th down
It didn’t take long for Pat Narduzzi to roll the dice boldly in Pitt’s road upset over 25th-ranked Florida State last weekend. Three plays into the Panthers’ opening possession, they faced a fourth-and-1 from their own 34-yard line, and Narduzzi opted to go for it. By the end of the...
PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi to retire as state’s top high school sports administrator
High school sports have changed in many ways since Bob Lombardi joined the PIAA nearly four decades ago, including a few troubling trends he shared Wednesday while discussing his plans to retire as executive director. He was dismayed by a lack of sportsmanship, an unwillingness to adhere to rules and...
Pitt basketball adds another 4-star 2026 recruit in power forward Chase Foster
Jeff Capel and Pitt men’s basketball struck again Wednesday, landing a second four-star Class of 2026 prospect this weekend in power forward Chase Foster. Foster, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound recruit out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., joins his teammate, guard Jermal Jones, who announced a commitment to the Panthers on...
