EAST LANSING (AP) — Michigan State University is dropping swimming and diving teams for men and women after the 2020-21 season, officials said Thursday. “MSU athletics is facing a financial crisis unlike any we’ve ever seen in college athletics,” athletic director Bill Beekman and ...
By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer ATLANTA — Todd Gurley saw a tantalizing path to the end zone and couldn’t help himself. He tried to fall down, but it was too late. Gurley landed on the goal line for a touchdown that, as it turned out, led to another stunning loss for the Atlanta ...
By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer EAST LANSING — Greg Schiano’s return to Rutgers paid immediate dividends. Already, the Scarlet Knights are assured their best Big Ten season in at least three years. Isaih Pacheco ran for two first-half touchdowns, and Rutgers snapped a 21-game Big Ten ...
By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS — After playing sparingly for Michigan as a backup his first two years and waiting for this virus-shortened season to start seven weeks late, Joe Milton’s time at quarterback had finally come. The enormity of the moment hit him in the locker ...
By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons actually have a shot at a winning streak. Ditto for the Detroit Lions, who haven’t won back-to-back games in more than a year. At the moment, that’s the sole focus for these struggling teams. Two in a row. “I stopped ...
EAST LANSING (AP) — Michigan high school winter sports will start on time in November. Face coverings are required for athletes practicing and competing in basketball, competitive cheer, hockey and wrestling, the Michigan High School Athletic Association said Friday after its Representative ...
ALLEN PARK (AP) — The Detroit Lions put rookie defensive end Julian Okwara on injured reserve Wednesday and signed free agent cornerback Chris Jones. Okwara limped off the field with a leg injury in Sunday’s victory at Jacksonville. The Lions also announced Wednesday that defensive end ...
By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS — Michigan hasn’t left Minnesota with a loss since 1977. This time, the only fans in the seats will be family members of the players, drastically reducing the disadvantage for the visitors. This is a much different Gophers team than most of ...
By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer Mel Tucker is starting a new challenge at Michigan State. Greg Schiano is resuming an old one at Rutgers. With so much change this past offseason, neither coach necessarily knows what to expect in Saturday’s opener. “As I keep telling the team, whether ...
By TIM REYNOLDS and BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writers Stan Van Gundy is headed to the New Orleans Pelicans, where he’ll take over a promising team that includes 2019 No. 1 overall draft pick Zion Williamson and reigning Most Improved Player Brandon Ingram. Van Gundy agreed to a four-year ...
By STEVE BROWNLEE Journal Sports Editor EAST LANSING — The MHSAA has outlined some changes in procedures for the high school football playoffs that begin on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30-31. The biggest change this season is that nearly every team — it will be all of them in 11-player and ...
By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer Mel Tucker’s success in his first season as Michigan State’s coach may be determined in large part by who is playing quarterback. Right now, there’s no indication of who that’s going to be. “We won’t be announcing a quarterback today,” Tucker ...
EAST LANSING (AP) — Merritt Norvell Jr., the first Black athletic director at Michigan State, has died. He was 79. A spokesman at the University of Nevada confirmed Wednesday that football coach Jay Norvell, who is Merritt Norvell’s son, took some time away from the team because of his ...
By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer DETROIT — Forgive Detroit fans if they rolled their eyes after the Lions took an early 14-3 lead against Jacksonville. On too many occasions lately, those double-digit advantages have slipped away. Not this time. The Lions looked recharged after their open ...
EAST LANSING (AP) — Michigan State linebackers Luke Fulton and Charles Willekes are currently suspended after being charged with assault early last month. A spokesman for the football team said Monday that Fulton and Willekes have been suspended from the program indefinitely. According to ...
By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer ANN ARBOR — Usually, college football coaches at major programs have many years on their contract that helps them persuade recruits to sign with the school. Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh enters his sixth season as coach with just two years left on his deal that ...
By MARK LONG AP Pro Football Writer JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Matthew Stafford finally got his first touchdown pass against Jacksonville. It helped the Detroit Lions build a lead even they couldn’t squander. Rookie D’Andre Swift ran for a career-high 116 yards and two touchdowns, Stafford ...
By MARK LONG AP Pro Football Writer JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Take the over. Detroit and Jacksonville have two of the NFL’s worst defenses, unable to stop anyone, anywhere, any week. The Lions (1-3) rank last in the league in rushing yards allowed, giving up more than 170 yards a game. The ...
By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer Bill O’Brien went first. Dan Quinn was next. There will be others. The firing line for NFL head coaches is heavily populated. O’Brien, who also was Texans general manager, lasted four games, all defeats. Quinn got one more week in Atlanta — and ...
EAST LANSING (AP) — Tailgating and alcohol are banned on football Saturdays at Michigan State University, campus police said Wednesday. Parking lots will also be closed, all in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Certain rules are typically suspended for home football games, ...