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Review: Ed Sheeran smashes all-time attendance record at Levi’s Stadium

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:14:50 GMT

Ed Sheeran paused to remember how it all began, thinking back to the time when he debuted “The A Team” in an English pub and nobody paid any attention.Of course, that song turned out to be a true gamechanger for the U.K, singer-songwriter, launching him down a career path that would result in fame, fortune and — on Saturday night (Sept. 16) — the single largest crowd ever to assemble at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.“It’s mad now to have 80,000 people singing (‘The A Team’) back to me,” remarked Sheeran, who said the he was informed by stadium officials prior to taking the stage that his show had set the all-time attendance record at the home of the San Francisco 49ers.The previous recordholder, in terms of concerts, was set in June 2015 by Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead, which featured surviving members of the Dead and other musicians long associated with the band and drew nearly 76,000 per night...

Keene throws 2 TDs, Fresno State forces 8 turnovers in 29-0 win over Arizona State

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:14:50 GMT

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford took a couple moments after the game to greet some of the fans who had made the road trip to watch the Bulldogs dominate a team from the Pac-12.It wasn’t a hard thing to do. Those clad in Fresno State gear were basically the only people left in the stadium.Mikey Keene threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns, Fresno State’s defense forced eight turnovers and the Bulldogs rolled to a 29-0 win over Arizona State on Saturday night.“There’s nothing like, at the end of games, when you have more fans than they do,” Tedford said. “That’s really cool for our fans to travel, to be here for us. Just really happy they got to see a good game.”It was Fresno State’s second win over a Power Five team in three weeks after also beating Purdue 39-35 on Sept. 2. The Bulldogs (3-0) have a 12-game winning streak, dating back to last season, which is the second-longest in the FBS behind No. 1 Georgia.Arizona State (1-2) was s...

De Laura’s 3 touchdown passes leads Arizona to 31-10 win over UTEP

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:14:50 GMT

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — One of Jedd Fisch’s top priorities when he took over as Arizona’s head coach was to rebuild one of the FBS’ worst defenses.Through recruiting and the transfer portal, the Wildcats are faster, stronger and deeper — as UTEP found out.Jayden de Laura threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns, and Arizona’s defense shut down the Miners for a 31-10 win on Saturday night.“I’m really, really proud of the way our defense is playing,” Arizona coach Jedd Fisch said. “Our defense is really stepping up.”The Wildcats (2-1) bounced back from an overtime road loss to Mississippi State last week with a dominating defensive performance. Arizona forced the Miners (1-3) into a fumble, a turnover on downs and seven punts in 10 drives before scoring a late touchdown.The Wildcats poured it on offensively after some shaky early moments, pushing an 11-point halftime lead to 28 early in the fourth quarter. De Laura led the way after throwing four...

No. 1 Georgia rallies from 11-down to beat South Carolina 24-14

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:14:50 GMT

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Carson Beck passed for 269 yards, Daijun Edwards, Dillon Bell and Cash Jones ran for second-half touchdowns, and No. 1 Georgia rallied from 11 points down to beat South Carolina 24-14 on Saturday.The two-time reigning national champion Bulldogs won their 20th consecutive game in uncharacteristic fashion, trotting off to a smattering of boos from their home fans and facing their biggest halftime deficit in nearly three years.But Georgia (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) played like a champ after the teams returned to the field on a soggy, gloomy day between the hedges.The defense totally shut down Spencer Rattler and the Gamecocks (1-2, 0-1), who couldn’t build on their 14-3 lead at the break. They managed just 129 yards over the final two quarters, with Rattler held to 6 of 24 passing for 104 yards with two interceptions.FLORIDA 29, No. 11 TENNESSEE 16GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Trevor Etienne ran for a career-high 172 yards and a touchdown, Montrell Johnson scored ...

Hastings throws two TD passes, Ridley kicks 3 FGs to help UC Davis beat Southern Utah 23-21

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:14:50 GMT

DAVIS, Calif. (AP) — Miles Hastings threw two touchdown passes, Lan Larison finished with eight receptions for 106 yards, including a 73-yard TD, and UC Davis beat Southern Utah 23-21 Saturday night. Hastings completed 21 of 37 passes for 236 yards with no interceptions and Larison added 60 yards rushing on 14 carries for UC Davis (2-1). Hastings connected with Josh Gale for a 14-yard touchdown that gave the Aggies a 13-0 lead with 6 minutes to go in the third quarter. Justin Miller threw a 3-yard TD pass to Isaiah Wooden about 5 minutes later to get Southern Utah on the scoreboard and, after Larison answered with a 73-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, Miller hit Wooden for a 66-yard TD that trimmed the deficit to 20-14 with 10:49 to play. Hunter Ridley, who made field goals of 43 and 22 yards in the first quarter, kicked a 24-yarder that gave the Aggies a nine-point lead with 2:27 remaining. Miller hit Zack Mitchell for a 13-yard TD that capped a 10-pl...

AP Top 25 Takeaways: Alabama is unrecognizable, raising the question: Will the Tide stay ranked?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:14:50 GMT

Week 3 was about just getting through it for most of the highly ranked teams.No. 1 Georgia, facing its first opponent with a prayer to challenge the two-time defending champs, needed a half to find a groove against South Carolina on Saturday.No. 2 Michigan had to work around four turnovers to beat Bowling Green.No. 3 Florida State fought through early lethargy and second-half sloppiness at Boston College to hang on for dear life.No. 4 Texas used a 21-point fourth quarter to shake Wyoming.No. 7 Penn State needed five takeaways to win ugly at Illinois.No. 18 Colorado made a miraculous comeback to beat Colorado State in overtime.And then there was No. 10 Alabama, which went through two quarterbacks and needed almost three quarters just to get into the end zone at South Florida. The Tide was unrecognizable, even in victory.As unsettling as last week’s loss at home to Texas might have been Alabama fans, this had to feel just as ominous.“I’m really proud of our players for the way t...

Grasso retains belt after split draw with Shevchenko at UFC Fight Night 227

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:14:50 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Some of the greatest rivalries in combat sports have delivered spectacular trilogies.UFC flyweights Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko are poised for an addition to that list.Grasso retained her flyweight title after coming away with a split draw against Shevchenko on Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 227.A spirited crowd of 18,766 turned out for UFC’s first-ever main card on Mexican Independence Day, keeping in tradition for combat sports to hold big fights on Sept. 16.“It was amazing,” Grasso said. “I love that people came out to support all the Mexicans.”It was a long-anticipated rematch from March 4, when Grasso pulled off the stunning upset with a fourth-round submission after Shevchenko missed badly when she led her attack with a back kick. Grasso quickly moved in for the takedown and eventually was able to apply a rear naked choke to win the belt.Saturday, neither fighter made many mistakes but rather made the most of advantageous situations. It took a str...

Neal runs for 3 TDs, Hinshaw Jr. adds runs for another to help Kansas beat Nevada 31-24

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:14:50 GMT

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw Jr. combined for 137 rushing yards and four touchdowns, Jalon Daniels threw for 298 yards, and Kansas pulled away from Nevada in the fourth quarter for a 31-24 victory Saturday night at Mackay Stadium.The game was tied at 24-all when Daniels went 4-for-4 for 55 yards, leading to Neal’s third touchdown on a 3-yard run and a 31-24 lead with 6:20 left to play.Nevada was not able to cross midfield on its final two possessions.“We found a way,” Jayhawks coach Lance Leipold said. “We did not play our sharpest. We had too many penalties.“But at the same time, I’m proud of our team for persevering and finding a way. In the end, we found a way to get a big stop and come away here with a win. And road wins aren’t easy.”The Jayhawks (3-0) were a 28-point favorite at Nevada sports books.The Wolf Pack (0-3) was looking to end the nation’s longest losing streak. The now 13-game skid under second-year coach Ken Wilson is also the longest in program hi...

Kyle Schwarber hits his 44th homer and lifts Phillies to 6-1 win over Cardinals

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:14:50 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Kyle Schwarber hit his 44th homer, sparking the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6–1 victory Saturday night over the St. Louis Cardinals.“There’s always a chance when you go up to the plate,” Schwarber said. “I don’t worry about numbers. I’ve just got to keep going up there and taking quality at-bats.”Schwarber’s three-run homer came on a 2-2 pitch in the fifth inning, extending the Phillies’ lead to 5-1. The homer snapped an 0-for-16 slump for Schwarber, who sports a .197 season average. He hiked his RBIs total to 97.“That was a big home run,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. ”For whatever reason, he typically doesn’t hit well against the Cardinals.”Schwarber drilled a 114.1 mph line drive that cleared the wall in right field, making it the hardest-hit home run at Busch Stadium this season and his second-hardest-hit homer of the year.It was his fifth homer at Busch Stadium. He has 22 hits in 136 at-bats in 37 career games in St. Louis.“No,...

MLB notes: Who could be candidates to succeed Chaim Bloom as Red Sox baseball boss?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:14:50 GMT

The Chaim Bloom era in Boston is officially over, and in the coming weeks the Red Sox will undertake what club CEO Sam Kennedy promised would be a broad search for a new baseball boss.Who will be the next person to run the Red Sox baseball operation? What title will they hold? Will the Red Sox hire one person or two? Kennedy said all options are on the table, other than former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, who is presumably more interested in tackling new challenges than revisiting old ones at this stage in his career.We’ll no doubt learn more about the club’s preferences as the search unfolds, but for now there are a handful of people around baseball who seem like obvious candidates at first blush. Whether any of these individuals emerge as actual candidates remains to be seen, but here are a few names to watch and why they might be a good fit for the Red Sox going forward.Sam Fuld, Phillies GMAs of this writing Fuld is the betting favorite to become Boston̵...