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CFP championship game matches Penix’s prolific passing against Michigan’s best-in-nation defense

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:41:30 GMT

Michael Penix Jr. hasn’t faced a defense like Michigan’s, and the Wolverines certainly haven’t faced a quarterback like the Heisman Trophy runner-up from Washington.The matchup will be the most intriguing in the College Football Playoff championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston on Jan. 8. That much was assured after the performances of Penix and Michigan’s best-in-the-nation defense in the CFP semifinals Monday.Penix threw for 430 yards and two touchdowns in the Huskies’ dramatic 37-31 win over Texas in the Sugar Bowl. Michigan harassed Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe most of the afternoon and stopped him short on fourth-and-goal at the Wolverines 3 to finish a 27-20 overtime win in the Rose Bowl.Michigan-Washington will be the third all-time meeting between 14-0 teams. The Wolverines are listed as a 4 1/2-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.Washington will give the disintegrating Pac-12 a chance to go out in a blaze of glory. Ten of the...

Former Australian Open champion Kenin upset by 113th-ranked Rodionova at Brisbane International

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:41:30 GMT

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Former champion Sofia Kenin had a setback to her preparations for the Australian Open with an upset 7-5, 7-6 (7) loss Tuesday to No. 113-ranked Arina Rodionova in the second round of the Brisbane International. The 2020 Australian Open winner was constantly under pressure on her serve despite having chances in both sets against Rodionova, a 34-year-old Australian who has never been ranked in the top 100.Kenin was seeded 14th in Brisbane, a key tune-up tournament for the Australian Open starting Jan. 14 in Melbourne.Rodionova got a crucial break in the 11th game and then held at love, clinching the first set with an ace.Kenin dictated terms at the start of the second and wasted a set point at 5-3, then gave Rodionova a break point with a wide forehand down the the line.Three games later, Kenin had the court wide open but swung a forehand wide and then sent another long as the set went into a tiebreaker.In the opening match of the day on the covered Pat Raft...

Michigan beats Alabama 27-20 in OT at the Rose Bowl, will face Washington in national title game

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:41:30 GMT

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Blake Corum rushed for a 17-yard touchdown on the second snap of overtime, and top-seeded Michigan advanced to its first College Football Playoff championship game with a 27-20 victory over fourth-seeded Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Monday.Michigan’s defense ended only the second overtime game in the 110 editions of the Rose Bowl when Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe was emphatically stopped as he attempted to sneak up the middle on fourth down from the Michigan 3.Coach Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines (14-0) will play for their school’s first national title since 1997 against Washington on Monday night in Houston, but only after a late comeback and a dramatic finish.Roman Wilson made a 4-yard TD catch with 1:34 left in regulation for the Wolverines, who hadn’t scored in the second half until that gritty 75-yard drive led by J.J. McCarthy.Corum needed only two snaps to score in the first overtime period.Milroe found Jermaine Burton at the Michigan 3 on third-and-goal...

ESPN apologizes for showing video of woman flashing breast during Sugar Bowl broadcast

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:41:30 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — ESPN apologized Monday night for a video clip of a woman bearing her breast that was shown during the broadcast of the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.It was aired coming out of a commercial during the second half of Washington’s 37-31 victory over Texas in a semifinal game of the College Football Playoff. A clip of people wandering on Bourbon Street in New Orleans showed a woman pulling down her top to expose her breast.“We regret that this happened and apologize that the video aired in the telecast,” ESPN’s Bill Hofheimer said in a statement to The Associated Press.___AP sports: https://apnews.com/sportsSource

Ewers, Texas, produce high drama, but come up just short in Sugar Bowl CFP semifinal

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:41:30 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Quinn Ewers and the Texas Longhorns were one 13-yard completion away from pulling off a stunning, game-winning drive in their College Football Playoff semifinal against Washington in the Sugar Bowl on Monday night.Taking possession of the ball, down 37-31, with just 45 seconds left, Ewers marched the third-seeded Longhorns from their own 31 to the Washington 12 in 30 seconds, highlighted by 41-yard completion to Jordan Whittington and a 16-yarder to Jaydon Blue.That gave Texas four quick plays to try to get into the end zone against a Washington defense that looked to be reeling with the game on the line.A swing pass to Blue lost a yard before he got out of bounds. Then came three straight attempts to the end zone — two intended for Adonai Mitchell, who was playing in his fifth CFP and had touchdown catches in all five.The second-seeded Huskies completed their narrow escape when the last of those passes sailed too far toward the sideline for Mitchell to come down ...

Powerful earthquakes leave at least 48 dead, destroy buildings along Japan's western coast

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:41:30 GMT

WAJIMA, Japan (AP) — A series of powerful earthquakes hit western Japan, leaving at least 48 people dead and damaging thousands of buildings, vehicles and boats, with officials warning people in some areas on Tuesday to stay away from their homes because of a risk of more strong quakes.Aftershocks continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas a day after a magnitude 7.6 temblor slammed the area on Monday afternoon. Forty-eight people were confirmed dead in Ishikawa, officials said. Sixteen others were seriously injured, while damage to homes was so great that it could not immediately be assessed, they said. Japanese media reports said tens of thousands of homes were destroyed. Government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi said 17 people were seriously injured and gave a slightly lower death tally, while saying he was aware of the prefecture's tally. Water, power and cellphone service were still down in some areas, and residents expressed sorrow about their destroyed homes and ...

Stock market today: Asian markets are mixed on the first trading day of 2024

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:41:30 GMT

Asian markets were mostly lower Tuesday following the release of data showing more signs of weakness in the Chinese manufacturing and property sectors. U.S. futures were higher and oil prices gained more than $1 a barrel. Japan’s markets were closed for a holiday.The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong sank 1.5% to 16,788.55 and the Shanghai Composite index dropped 0.4% to 2,962.28. Investors were selling property developers like debt-laden China Evergrande, which fell 6%, and LongFor Group Holding, which lost 6.9%. Sino-Ocean Holding declined 4.6%. The December survey of the official purchasing managers index, or PMI, in China fell to 49 for the third consecutive month, signaling weak demand and underscoring the challenging economic conditions in the world’s second-largest economy. That contrasted private-sector survey, by financial publication Caixin, which registered a slight improvement in the manufacturing PMI to 50.8, driven by increased output and new orders. However, it showe...

$842 million Powerball ticket sold in Michigan, 1st time the game has been won on New Year’s Day

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:41:30 GMT

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Someone in Michigan has won an $842.4 million Powerball jackpot on the first day of 2024, the first time it has been won on New Year’s Day since the game’s start in 1992.The winning numbers drawn were: 12, 21, 42, 44, 49 and red Powerball: 1. Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot beyond its earlier estimate of $810 million to $842.4 million at the time of the drawing, making it the fifth-largest Powerball jackpot and 10th-largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever won. Before the big win on New Year’s, the jackpot had been growing since mid-October.The chance of winning the Powerball jackpot is 1 in 292.2 million.The lucky ticket holder will have the choice between an annuitized prize of $842.4 million, payable over 30 years, or a lump sum payment of $425.2 million. Both prize options are before taxes.Other top-winning tickets include four sold in California, Connecticut, Florida and Maryland, that matched all five white balls to win $1 million prizes. Two tickets...

Russian ballistic missiles strike Ukraine’s largest cities, killing at least 2 people

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:41:30 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s two largest cities came under heavy Russian ballistic missile attacks Tuesday, killing at least two people and injuring dozens as the war approached its two-year milestone and the Kremlin’s forces stepped up their winter bombardment of urban areas.Oleh Syniehubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, said one person died and 41 were injured in at least six strikes with Kinzhal missiles that hit the center of Kharkiv city and other areas. In Kyiv, the capital, five areas of the city were hit in strikes that killed an older woman and injured at least 27 people, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. More than 100 people were evacuated from a burning apartment block, he said.The barrage extended Russia’s escalated attacks on Ukraine that began Friday with its largest single assault on Ukraine since the war started, in which at least 41 civilians were killed. The next day, shelling of the border city of Belgorod, Russ...

Daily horoscope for January 2, 2024

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:41:30 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or important decisions from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST today (3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. PST). After that, the Moon moves from Virgo into Libra.Happy Birthday for Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024:You are intuitive, sensitive and aware of your surroundings. Because you’re observant, you know what makes people tick. This year is slower paced. It’s time to rejuvenate your energy. It’s also time to focus on your closest relationships while you take time for yourself.ARIES(March 21-April 19)★★★Today you’re determined to accomplish something. This strong focus might apply to your job or your health. It might even relate to your pet. Whatever the case, you want to introduce some improvements, even though someone, perhaps a teacher or an expert, might not agree. Tonight: Be cooperative.TAURUS(April 20-May 20)★★★Avoid arguments with kids today. Start this year off on a positive note. Take the high road. You might see better ways to teach them, a better way to ap...