Penguins D Schultz out 4 months with fractured left leg
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz will miss the next four months because of a fractured left leg.
Schultz injured the leg in the first period of a shootout loss to Montreal on Saturday after getting tangled up with Canadiens forward Tomas Plekanec. The team announced Monday that Schultz underwent surgery Sunday and will be out until February.
The 28-year-old Schultz has four assists in four games this season for Pittsburgh.
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Antonio Brown’s late TD sends Steelers over Bengals 28-21
By JOE KAY, AP Sports Writer
CINCINNATI (AP) — Ben Roethlisberger saw the defensive alignment and knew immediately that the Pittsburgh Steelers had a chance for a winning touchdown. All he had to do was get the ball to Antonio Brown right away.
Brown took a few strides, caught the pass and ran behind Justin Hunter’s block for a 31-yard touchdown with 10 seconds left Sunday and yet another improbable — and entirely predictable — victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers’ 28-21 win made it eight straight and counting over their AFC North rival.
“We’ve been in that situation a lot, and I knew we were going to do it,” Brown said.
They always do.
James Conner ran for 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the eve of Le’Veon Bell’s possible return to help the Steelers (3-2-1) get ahead, but they had to pull off their third last-minute rally at Paul Brown Stadium to extend the streak.
Joe Mixon’s 4-yard touchdown run with 1:18 got the Bengals (4-2) thinking they might finally have their breakthrough. Roethlisberger and the Steelers stunned them again.
Big Ben came to the line on the decisive play and saw that the Bengals were set for an all-out blitz with no safeties to guard against a big play. He immediately thought touchdown.
“When you see that look, it’s how fast can I get him the ball,” said Roethlisberger, who is 14-2 in his career at Paul Brown Stadium.
Brown caught the ball in stride, cut Hunter’s block and outran the secondary for the winning score, leaving thousands of Steelers fans twirling their towels in the stands while stunned Bengals fans stood and watched a familiar ending.
The Bengals are 2-16 against the Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium during coach Marvin Lewis’ 16 seasons, including a pair of playoff losses.
“Imagine how we feel,” Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick said. “I imagine how the fans feel.”
These Ohio River rivalry games are usually nasty, and this one had its moments. After Andy Dalton’s final pass fell complete, several players got into a scuffle in front of the Cincinnati sideline.
After a sloppy September, the Steelers have won two in a row and found their stride behind Conner , who became the featured back when Bell decided to hold out. Conner has run for more than 100 yards in each of the last two games, and his pair of 1-yard touchdown runs Sunday put him in the company of a pair of Steelers Hall of Famers.
Conner has seven rushing touchdowns in six games, joining Franco Harris (1976) and Jerome Bettis (2004) as the only Steelers with that accomplishment.
“James was a bowling ball today,” said Roethlisberger, who joked that it was probably the running back’s final game amid reports that Bell would return.
JuJu Smith-Schuster had a spectacular catch — leaping over cornerback Darqueze Dennard and taking the ball way — that set up Conner’s second touchdown.
Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd had a solid game against his hometown team, catching touchdowns of 2 and 14 yards .
Cincinnati linebacker Vontaze Burfict was in the middle of several dustups. He had words with Roethlisberger only 3 minutes into the game. He stepped over Conner on the running back’s first touchdown, prompting a teammate to push him away before the situation could escalate.
Burfict also hit Brown in the head — he wasn’t penalized — after a catch, causing the receiver to leave for a couple of plays. In 2015, Burfict’s hit to Brown’s head helped the Steelers rally for an 18-16 playoff win. On Sunday, Burfict yelled at a reporter in the locker room after the game for asking a teammate about the latest hit on Brown’s head.
“A nasty hit,” Brown said.
SHAZIER’S RETURN
Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier returned to the stadium where he suffered a spinal injury last December. He’s been on the sideline for games this season. His return to Paul Brown Stadium was emotional for all the Steelers.
“He’s inspired us,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “Hopefully he’s inspired many outside of us.”
DALTON MOVES UP
Dalton finished 26 of 42 for 229 yards, moving ahead of Boomer Esiason for second on the Bengals’ career passing list behind Ken Anderson. Dalton fell to 3-12 against the Steelers.
INJURIES
Bengals: RB Giovani Bernard missed a second straight game with a knee injury. LB Nick Vigil left with an injured left knee in the first quarter. Dennard hurt his right shoulder on Smith-Schuster’s catch and didn’t return. S Shawn Williams left in the second half with a concussion.
UP NEXT
Steelers: Have their bye week.
Bengals: Play Sunday night at Kansas City. The Bengals are 0-5 on Sunday night since 2011.
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Hines 3 TD runs power Duquesne past Robert Morris, 48-24
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A.J. Hines ran for 182 yards and three first-half touchdowns as Duquesne snapped a two-game losing streak by rolling over crosstown rival Robert Morris for a 48-24 win in a Northeast Conference battle on Saturday night.
With the victory the Dukes now are 16-4 in night games at Rooney Field.
Hines scored from the 2 with :27 left in the first quarter to tie the game at 7-7 and his two 10-yard dashes to the end zone in the second quarter helped Duquesne take a 31-14 lead at intermission.
Daquan Worley had second half touchdown runs of 23- and 52-yards and finished with 96 yards on seven carries for the Dukes (4-3, 1-1).
Jimmy Walker was 19 of 31 for 262 yards and three touchdowns to lead Robert Morris (1-5, 0-3), but was picked off twice. Terence Stephens carried 16 times for 112 yards.
Byron, Drouin lead Canadiens past Penguins in shootout
MONTREAL (AP) — Antti Niemi felt good after his first start of the season — and a win.
Niemi made 25 saves, and Paul Byron and Jonathan Drouin scored in the shootout to lead the Montreal Canadiens to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.
Niemi, getting the start with Carey Price out with the flu, also stopped both shots in the shootout — on Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby.
“It was a tough first half, didn’t see many pucks and I gave up a few goals,” Niemi said. “Not what you normally want to see. In the third, I started seeing a few more pucks and I was feeling good.
“I have to be really happy with my night.”
With the score tied 3-3, the Canadiens’ goalie made 14 stops in the third period and another three in a frantic overtime period that saw Montreal fail to score on a 4-on-3 power play.
After Byron scored first in the shootout for Montreal, Niemi forced Malkin to the outside and completely took away his shooting angle. Following Drouin’s goal, Crosby needed to score to send it to a third round but the Penguins’ captain found Niemi’s glove instead.
“Stay with them, get a good gap and go from there,” Niemi said of his shootout saves. “Nothing special.”
Tomas Tatar had two goals and an assist, and Brendan Gallagher had a goal and an assist for the Canadiens.
Dominik Simon, Kris Letang and Phil Kessel scored in regulation for the Penguins, and Casey DeSmith had 37 saves through overtime.
Making the 13th start of his NHL career, the 27-year-old DeSmith made big saves when it mattered most to help Pittsburgh earn a point.
With seven minutes left in the game, DeSmith robbed Artturi Lehkonen twice to keep the teams tied. In overtime, DeSmith frustrated Max Domi from in close.
“That was wild,” said DeSmith, who made 35 saves in a 4-2 win over Vegas on Thursday. “Really exciting game for the fans. Happy we got a point but I hate losing as much as everyone else. I was seeing the puck really well tonight. Happy with how my game’s progressing.”
Added Penguins coach Mike Sullivan of his goalie: “I thought he was terrific.”
Montreal also defeated Pittsburgh 5-1 last Saturday.
Simon and Letang scored in the first period to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead. Daniel Sprong fed Simon in front of the goal with a one-handed scoop pass and the 24-year-old beat Niemi on the backhand at 3:13. Letang doubled Pittsburgh’s lead with 4:44 left with a shot on Niemi’s blocker side.
The Canadiens came out buzzing in the second period, scoring three straight goals before Kessel tied it again. Montreal outshot Pittsburgh 19-4 in the second.
Just 11 seconds into the middle period, Tatar beat Letang to a loose puck in front of the net, then fired past DeSmith for his first in a Canadiens uniform.
Gallagher tied it 2-2 at 7:38 after jumping on a rebound of Jeff Petry’s point shot.
Tatar got his second of the game, on the power play, by firing the puck off DeSmith and in from the side of the net at 8:51 to push Montreal ahead.
“We knew we weren’t good enough in the first and we talked about how we needed to be better,” said Tatar, who joined Montreal in the offseason trade that sent former captain Max Pacioretty to Vegas. “We got a pretty good jump at the start of the second period.
“Everyone played well in the second period and we had a lot of pressure. We all deserve the credit.”
With the Penguins on a man advantage, Kessel made it 3-3 from the slot at 11:14.
Montreal failed to score on a 5-on-3 power play that lasted 1:49 to end the second period.
It looked like the Canadiens had taken a 4-3 lead in the third period when defenseman Victor Mete put the puck past DeSmith, but the goal was called back for goaltender interference on Andrew Shaw after a challenge by Sullivan.
NOTES: Montreal also had a goal overturned in its previous, also due to goalie interference against Shaw, in its 3-0 loss to Los Angeles. … Pittsburgh D Justin Schultz left the game in the first period and did not return. Schultz’s leg folded awkwardly as fell to the ice after taking a hit by Tomas Plekanec, who was making his 999th career start.
Click the play button below to hear a recap of the game from the Penguins Radio Network…
UP NEXT
Penguins: Host Vancouver on Tuesday night.
Canadiens: Host Detroit on Monday night.
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Book, Boykin bail out No. 5 Notre Dame in 19-14 win vs Pitt
By JOHN FINERAN, Associated Press
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Wide receiver Miles Boykin had a message for quarterback Ian Book after No. 5 Notre Dame remained unbeaten, coming from behind and then holding off Pittsburgh.
“I told him winning is fun, but let’s not win like this again,” the 6-foot-4 Boykin said after he caught the game-winning, 35-yard touchdown pass from Book with 5:43 remaining in the fourth quarter Saturday to secure the 19-14 win.
The Book-to-Boykin combination is beginning to etch itself in Notre Dame lore. They have had memorable moments before, including the 55-yard touchdown with 1:28 in the Citrus Bowl last Jan. 1 that provided the Irish with a 21-17 victory over LSU.
Their latest TD combo helped to improve the Irish to 7-0 for the first time since 2012, the year they went to the BCS title game for coach Brian Kelly, who was feeling a little better after the Irish held off the upset bid by the Panthers (3-4).
“Proud of our guys and their grit — they hung in there and found a way to win,” Kelly said. “We were not sharp mentally, we didn’t execute efficiently. They weren’t at their best and Pittsburgh played well. We still found a way.”
Pitt led 14-12 thanks to a long first-quarter touchdown drive and a 99-yard kickoff return by Maurice French to start the second half.
But the Irish, who were held to 80 yards rushing, prevailed behind Book, who is 4-0 as a starter since replacing Brandon Wimbush. Book was intercepted twice, but finished with 264 yards passing. He was 13 of 14 for 158 yards in the second half, no reception bigger than the scoring toss.
“I didn’t even see (Book) throw it,” Boykin said after finishing with four receptions for 84 yards. “I just saw the ball up there and thought I have to catch up to this. It was a dime. (Ian’s) a baller. He’s always calm and poised.”
As far as Book is concerned, it’s mutual admiration.
“(Miles is) really rangy, so I just got to put it up there and give him a chance,” Book said. “Day in and day out, he works so hard. I think our chemistry is starting to come along a little bit.”
Pat Narduzzi’s Panthers were looking to upset a top-five team for the third straight season after knocking off No. 3 Clemson in Death Valley during the 2016 season and No. 2 Miami last November in Pittsburgh.
“I feel bad for our kids in the locker room,” Narduzzi said. “I’m disappointed for them. They fought their tails off. We were ahead almost the entire game. Sometimes you can’t control what you can’t control. We went toe-to-toe with a top-five team and we didn’t pull it off in the end.”
Kenny Pickett was 19 for 28 for 126 yards, and was sacked by Khalid Kareem — Notre Dame’s only sack of the game — for a loss of 14 yards on Pitt’s final possession to set up a fourth-and-long the Panthers could not convert. Pitt also ran a strange faked punt, inserting third-string quarterback Jeff George Jr. as the punter and having him throw, on its second-to-last drive around midfield that failed.
“(Trying) to get a first down,” Narduzzi said. “That certainly wasn’t the game.”
TAKEAWAYS
Pittsburgh: The Panthers gained just 12 yards on their last three drives of the first half. Their first, however, was a thing of beauty: 17 plays, 88 yards, six first downs, consuming 9:43 of the clock and ending with Ollison taking a direct snap, faking an end-around handoff and running into the end zone on second-and-goal from the Irish 9.
Notre Dame: The Irish trailed for the first times after the first quarter (7-0), at halftime (7-6) and after three quarters (14-12), and they were their own worst enemy with turnovers, quarterback sacks and penalties at inopportune times.
UPSET PANTHERS
This is the 11th time in the last 12 games between the two teams that the winning margin was in single digits. The Panthers won 28-21 in 2013 and 27-22 in 2009, both at home. Pitt last win at Notre Dame Stadium was a 36-33 four-overtime affair in 2008.
The Irish also prevailed at home 29-26 in triple overtime in 2012 in a game in which the Panthers missed a possible game-winning field goal in the second extra period.
“The message to the kids is sometimes you can’t control what you can’t control,” Narduzzi said. “For whatever reason, we didn’t pull it out at the end.”
UP NEXT
Pittsburgh: Off next week and plays host to Duke Oct. 27.
Notre Dame: Off next week and plays Navy in San Diego Oct. 27.
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(Freedom Pa.) It was homecoming for Freedom High School as the Bulldogs hosted the Neshannock Lancers. WBVP and WMBA’s Tom Hays and Bruce Frey had the call of this WPIAL Class 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference high school football game as the Bulldogs battled the Lancers.
In a game that Freedom got off to a hot start taking a 21-0 lead. The Lancers wouldn’t go down easy making it a 21-7 game at the half. With no scoring taking place. Freedom lead off the fourth with a touchdown making it 28-7 and their defense held strong and they win by a final of 28-7.
Listen toTom Hays recap here:
If you would like hear the broadcast of the game again click on the Trib-Live Sports Network logo below…
Geneva College were huge underdogs when they went to Washington and Jefferson Saturday afternoon. The Presidents were 6-0/5-0 in the Presidents Athletic Conference and are ranked eighth in the country. 93-points and 13 touch downs after 60 minutes W-&-J survived 50-43 over the Golden Tornados. A Adams to Wolfe 18-yard pass with 30 seconds to go sealed the deal for the Presidents 50-43. W-&-J moves to 7-0 6-0 in the PAC. Geneva is now 2-4 2-3 in the PAC. Geneva hosts Case Western Reserve next Saturday.
