w Page 4 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Florida State QB Tommy Castellanos petitions NCAA for extra season
Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos is petitioning the NCAA to reconsider his request for an extra season of eligibility.,Castellanos contends he should be granted a fifth season since he played in only five games in 2022 as a freshman third-stringer at UCF. One was a spot appearance as an i...

Report: Penn St. working to finalize deal with Matt Campbell
Penn State's lengthy process to determine its next football coach appears to be nearing an end, with On3.com reporting that the program is working to finalize a deal to hire Iowa State's Matt Campbell.,Campbell reportedly became the Nittany Lions' focus after BYU's Kalani Sitake and Louisville's Jef...

Commanders turn back to QB Jayden Daniels vs. Vikings
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will make his first start in a month when he faces the host Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in Minneapolis, head coach Dan Quinn announced Friday.,Daniels last started for Washington on Nov. 2 when he sustained a dislocated left elbow during the late stag...

Draw held for '26 World Cup: 'Like 104 Super Bowls'
The 48 nations participating in the biggest FIFA World Cup ever next summer in North America were placed into 12 groups on Friday.,The drawing ceremony took place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where U.S. President Donald J. Trump, Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian prime m...

Virginia faces Dayton to open huge day for Cavaliers' fans
In an appetizer for Virginia fans, the Cavaliers will look to follow up their biggest win of the season on Saturday afternoon when they meet Dayton on a neutral floor in Charlotte. ,Eight hours after tip-off at Spectrum Center, the 17th-ranked Virginia football team will play Duke across town in the...

Cardinals rule out Kyler Murray for season; future in doubt
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray's season is over, igniting debate about whether he might ever play in Arizona again.,Head coach Jonathan Gannon did not commit to Murray when asked if he'd be the team's quarterback in 2026. ,"I'm worried about the Rams," Gannon said Friday before Arizona's final p...

Providence set for 'fiery' game vs. Rhode Island in Ocean State Rivalry
December is the season for nonconference rivalry games in college basketball, but due to increasing roster turnover, players on Rhode Island and Providence are much less accustomed to their rivalry than the schools' fans.,Coach Kim English and Providence (5-4) will try to avoid a repeat of last year...

Georgia Tech aims to shake off slump vs. Monmouth
In the midst of its longest nonconference losing streak in eight years, Georgia Tech looks to bounce back against Monmouth on Saturday afternoon in Atlanta.,Georgia Tech (5-4) has dropped three in a row to DePaul, Drake and Mississippi State, marking the first time the Yellow Jackets have fallen to ...

UAB removes interim tag, names Alex Mortensen as football coach
Alex Mortensen was named head football coach at UAB on Friday.,Mortensen, 40, had been the Blazers' offensive coordinator since 2022 before being named interim head coach for the final six games of the 2025 season.,He replaced Trent Dilfer, who was fired after a 2-4 start to the season and a 9-21 ov...

Darius Acuff Jr., No. 25 Arkansas set for rested Fresno State
No. 25 Arkansas will follow its most complete performance of the season with a matchup against Fresno State on Saturday in North Little Rock, Ark.,Saturday's game features old coaching friends John Calipari and Vance Walberg.,The Razorbacks (6-2) blitzed No. 6 Louisville on Wednesday, opening a 20-p...

Avs looking to start new streak vs. red-hot Rangers
For the first time in more than a month, the Colorado Avalanche did not make enough good things happen to earn at least a point.,After taking their first regulation loss since Oct. 25, the Avalanche continue a four-game road trip Saturday afternoon when they visit the New York Rangers, who are seeki...

Reports: Ex-NBA champ Elden Campbell died by drowning
Elden Campbell, who won an NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons, died earlier this week in Florida by drowning, multiple outlets reported Friday.,His death was announced Wednesday with no cause given.,People magazine reported that Thomas Steinkamp, the chief of investigative services for Browar...

WR Calvin Russell III signs, gives Syracuse highest-ranked class ever
Five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell III signed his letter of intent to play at Syracuse.,He held a signing party Thursday night, a day after he said he needed a bit more time to put pen to paper. Committed to the Orange since July, Russell faced a late push from Miami and Michigan.,Russell's sign...

Report: Lions fear S Brian Branch has Achilles injury
Detroit Lions standout safety Brian Branch is feared to have sustained an Achilles injury during their win Thursday against the Dallas Cowboys, NFL Network reported on Friday morning.,Branch appeared to get injured in the first half but played into the fourth quarter, when he exited on a cart. He wa...

Rutgers encounters second straight strong test in No. 3 Michigan
There certainly has been no easy entry into Big Ten play for Rutgers. ,On Tuesday, the Scarlet Knights opened their conference schedule at home against No. 1 Purdue and lost 81-65.,So what's next for Rutgers? A game on Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor, Mich., against No. 3 Michigan (7-0, 0-0), which ...

No. 6 Louisville rides strong backcourt into clash vs. No. 22 Indiana
With both schools coming off their first loss of the season, sixth-ranked Louisville and No. 22 Indiana will face a challenge getting back to their winning ways when they square off Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis.,The Cardinals (7-1) and Hoosiers (7-1) played their first true road games on Wedne...

No. 1 Purdue eager to continue balanced scoring vs. No. 10 Iowa State
Top-ranked Purdue began Big Ten play with a splash, beating Rutgers 81-65 on Tuesday.,Before diving back into conference play, the Boilermakers (8-0) have another marquee non-conference game on the docket for Saturday afternoon when they face No. 10 Iowa State (8-0) at West Lafayette, Ind. ,It will ...

Kevin Porter Jr., undermanned Bucks set sights on 76ers
The Milwaukee Bucks will begin another extended stretch of games without their cornerstone piece in Giannis Antetokounmpo as they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night., ,Antetokounmpo is expected to miss two to four weeks after he went down with a right calf strain just under three minutes in...

Raptors know no lead is safe when opposing Hornets
The visiting Charlotte Hornets will aim to continue their role as pests buzzing around the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.,The teams split their previous two meetings this season.,Charlotte overcame a 17-point first-quarter deficit at home on Saturday to earn a 118-111 overtime win that ended Toron...

Knicks focus on 48-minute effort ahead of meeting with Jazz
After watching a 22-point fourth-quarter lead get reduced to single digits Wednesday night, the New York Knicks probably didn't need any reminding of the importance of playing a complete game.,The Utah Jazz provided one Thursday night anyway.,Utah will look to build off an impressive comeback victor...