Mississippi State coach optimistic about QB Taylor after injury in Duke's Mayo Bowl

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby expressed optimism that Kamario Taylor escaped serious injury after the freshman quarterback was carted off the field in the final moments ofMississippi State's 43-29 loss to Wake Foreston Friday night in the Duke's Mayo Bowl.

With the Bulldogs trailing by 14 with under three minutes to play, Taylor was scrambling for extra yardage and his leg was hit awkwardly as he was tackled.

It appeared gruesome at the time and he writhed in obvious pain as play stopped and teammates gathered around him on one knee. A few moments later a cart came on the field to take Taylor, who is viewed as the team's promising young future quarterback, to the locker room.

"Initial reports have been good, so we'll continue to evaluate and get more information," Lebby said.

Lebby wouldn't say immediately after the game what part of the body Taylor injured, or if he broke any bones or tore any ligaments.

"I feel good about getting in the locker room, being able to talk, talk to our medical staff, and being able to see Kamario again," Lebby added. "We'll continue to evaluate."

However, his Taylor's mother, LaQuandra Conner,took to Facebook after the gameposting a picture of her and her son, saying "thanks everyone for the prayers it was his ankle but NOTHING is torn or broken GOD had MY BABY covered and for that I say THANK YOU LORD."

Taylor was making his second career start for the Bulldogs (5-8) after a promising initial appearance in a loss to No. 6 Ole Miss.

He finished 13 of 22 for 241 yards and a touchdown against Wake Forest. He also ran for 63 yards and another score in when he took a shotgun snap, ran forward and dove over a pile of players and extended the ball over the goal line.

"A ton of toughness and there's a ton of things to be excited about," Lebby said about Taylor. "... For what he was able to get out of this bowl experience with 15 extra practices, the ability to go play in another game against a really good opponent, to me that is huge for us as we're continuing to build this thing."

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byCristiano Ronaldo

in

January 03, 2026

Mississippi State coach optimistic about QB Taylor after injury in Duke's Mayo Bowl

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby expressed optimism that Kamario Taylor escaped serious injury a...

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Rangers ride Mika Zibanejad's hat trick to Winter Classic win over Panthers

Mika Zibanejad recorded the first-ever hat trick in a Winter Classic and logged two assists while leading the New York Rangers to a 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Friday night in Miami.

A sellout crowd of 36,153 attended the game at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins.

Artemi Panarin chipped in with two goals and an assist while Alexis Lafreniere dished a career-high three assists for New York, which snapped a three-game losing streak (0-2-1). Vincent Trocheck added two assists and Igor Shesterkin made 36 saves for the win.

Zibanejad opened the scoring on a power play at 15:09 of the first period. It was his 116th power-play goal for the Rangers, tying him with Camille Henry and Chris Kreider for the most in franchise history.

The Rangers are now 6-0-0 all-time in outdoor games. They also lead the NHL in road wins this season (15-8-2).

Sam Reinhart scored on a power play and Sergei Bobrovsky made 15 saves for the Panthers, who lost their second straight game. They are 2-3-1 over their past six games.

Panthers defenseman Seth Jones -- who is set to represent the U.S. in the Olympics next month -- took a puck to his neck/shoulder area in the first period. He didn't return.

New York went up 1-0 when Lafreniere threaded a pass to a charging Zibanejad, who redirected the puck in from point-blank range.

The Rangers doubled the lead 64 seconds later as Panarin's shot from the point got through several bodies that screened Bobrovsky's vision.

New York made it 3-0 on Zibanejad's second goal, this one just 58 seconds into the second period. The play started when Trocheck lost his edge but managed to pass the puck from the seat of his pants. Lafreniere then dished to Zibanejad, who hit the open left side of the net.

Trocheck nearly made it 4-0 with 9:59 left in the second, but his goal was disallowed because he batted the puck in with a high stick.

Florida got on the board 2:20 into the third. The play started when New York tried to clear the puck. Aaron Ekblad made a great move to keep the puck in, and that led to Sam Bennett feeding Reinhart for his power-play goal.

Panarin tacked on a power-play tally at 12:25, and Zibanejad scored a short-handed empty-netter with 1:28 remaining to complete the hat trick.

--Field Level Media

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

January 03, 2026

Rangers ride Mika Zibanejad's hat trick to Winter Classic win over Panthers

Mika Zibanejad recorded the first-ever hat trick in a Winter Classic and logged two assists while leading the New York...

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Canadiens, Blues set to face off minus key roster pieces

The first half of the season gave the Montreal Canadiens' organizational depth a severe test. The Canadiens passed it, overcoming myriad injuries to earn 50 points in their first 40 games.

"You're not going to go through this season with 23 guys," Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. "You're probably 30 deep, and that's for every team in the league ... and if you're 30 deep, it's good, because it could be way worse than that."

The Canadiens may face more lineup shuffling when they continue their seven-game road trip Saturday afternoon against the St. Louis Blues.

Key defenseman Mike Matheson missed Montreal's 7-5 victory at Carolina on Thursday night with an upper-body injury but practiced on Friday. Forward Josh Anderson exited the game against the Hurricanes with an undisclosed injury.

The Canadiens were already playing without defenseman Kaiden Guhle and forwards Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook and Jake Evans due to their long-term injuries.

Adam Engstrom replaced Matheson in the lineup against the Hurricanes. Arber Xhekaj stepped up with six hits and a blocked shot as the Canadiens earned their first victory in Carolina since April 7, 2016.

"I felt good," Xhekaj said. "When your best defender goes down, you have to step up. There's no excuses. You can't be sitting here after the game saying, 'Oh, Mike (Matheson) wasn't playing.' It's, 'Mike's not playing and it's time to go, it's time to step up.'

"Your team needs you to step up, and it doesn't matter how young you are, how many games you have."

The Blues won the previous meeting 4-3 on Dec. 7 in Montreal. Captain Brayden Schenn led the way with two goals and an assist, and Dylan Holloway added a goal and two assists.

St. Louis heads into the rematch without three injured forwards who played in that contest: Holloway, Pius Suter and Nick Bjugstad.

The Blues snapped a two-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the visiting Vegas Golden Knights on Friday afternoon.

"New year, new us," winger Alexey Toropchenko told the FanDuel Sports Network.

The depleted Blues got a much-needed lift from their fourth line, with Toropchenko and Oskar Sundqvist scoring goals by driving the net. They combined with linemate Mathieu Joseph to produce six points.

Coach Jim Montgomery had challenged the Blues to play with more grit after they took an ugly 6-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on Wednesday.

"The main thing tonight we talked about was just having a response," Schenn said after scoring the winning goal vs. the Golden Knights with 1:33 to play. "We felt we got embarrassed last game, and you have to respond with at least a good effort. They're a good team over there, Vegas, with a lot of high-end talent. I thought we did a good job."

The fourth line led the way with a rare offensive outburst. Toropchenko and Sundqvist each had a goal and an assist, and Joseph notched two assists.

"(We) just worked hard, played hard, play with heart, right, and just be good everywhere, try to be your best when you step on the ice," Toropchenko said. "Make everything you do for the team to win."

--Field Level Media

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

January 03, 2026

Canadiens, Blues set to face off minus key roster pieces

The first half of the season gave the Montreal Canadiens' organizational depth a severe test. The Canadiens passed...

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Olympic medalist Katharina Liensberger suffers serious knee injuries in training crash

ST. MICHAEL, Austria (AP) — Olympic slalom silver medalist Katharina Liensberger of Austria sustained serious knee injuries in a crash in training that effectively ends her season, skiing's governing body said on Friday.

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation said the 28-year-old slalom specialist sustained a fracture of the tibial plateau — where the shin bone meets the knee — along with a meniscus tear and a medial collateral ligament injury in her right knee.

It said the fall occurred during a giant slalom training in St. Michael, Austria ahead of the weekend's World Cup races in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.

FIS said Liensberger was due to undergo surgery on Friday and wished her a successful recovery from the injuries that rule her out of theWinter Olympicsin Italy next month, where she won two world titles five years ago.

It leaves Mikaela Shiffrin without one of her main rivals in slalom at the Milan Cortina Winter Games, and is the latest training crash involving a top skier.

Three of Switzerland's reigning Olympic champions have also been injured in training recently;Michelle Gisin,Lara Gut-BehramiandCorinne Suter.

At the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, Liensberger won gold in the team event for Austria and individual silver in the slalom. She became the world slalom and parallel event champion the previous year in Cortina D'Ampezzo.

She finished fourth in her last World Cup slalom in Semmering, Austria on Sunday.

AP Olympics:https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

January 02, 2026

Olympic medalist Katharina Liensberger suffers serious knee injuries in training crash

ST. MICHAEL, Austria (AP) — Olympic slalom silver medalist Katharina Liensberger of Austria sustained serious knee injuri...

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Rory McIlroy would welcome Bryson DeChambeau back to PGA Tour, says LIV players have 'paid their consequence'

Rory McIlroy would welcome back former PGA Tour stars who left for LIV Golf, saying those players have "paid their consequence."

The reigningMasters champion was a guest on this week's "Overlap" podcastand said that while Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has helped elevate the majors and Ryder Cup — making those events the only times during the year where the best players are all together — the sport needs them together more often in order to be relevant.

McIlroy's comments come nearlytwo weeks after five-time major winner Brooks Koepka announcedhe would step away from LIV Golf for the 2026 season. That decision leaves open the question of whether he will pursue a return to the PGA Tour.

Should Koepka attempt a return, McIlroy believes that no punishment is needed as it would be in the best interests of the PGA Tour.

"They've made the money but they've paid their consequence when you talk about their reputation and some of the things that they've lost by going over there," McIlroy said. "If it made the overall tour stronger to have Bryson DeChambeau back and whoever else, I would be okay with it. But, it's not just me, and I recognize that not everyone's in my position. It would be up to the collective group of PGA Tour members to make that decision."

FellowPGA Tour member Billy Horschel had a similar response earlierthis week, saying that he was once in favor of a punishment for any LIV players who want to return, but now sees it as a betterment of the product.

Koepka, DeChambeau, along with Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson were the biggest names to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. Their departures created tension between the tours and players, with some arguing there should be a consequence in order to return.

The PGA Tour has indicated that a pathway back from LIV would require a player to sit out at least a year after playing in a non-sanctioned event. LIV's final event ended on Aug. 25, 2025; a year's delay would make Koepka ineligible to play until at least the PGA Tour's fall events. He could potentially play on the DP World Tour.

McIlroy has been one of thebiggestanti-LIV voiceson the PGA Tour since its inception. He doesn't like what it's done to golf and the fractures that it has created.

Those feelings have softened, however, with McIlroy saying that he felt his earlier comments were "too judgmental" and that he realized other players are in a different position than him or Tiger Woods.

"You get this offer and what do you do?"McIlroy said in Jan. 2024. "We all turned professional to make a living playing the sports that we do and I think that's what I realized over the past two years, I can't judge people for making that decision."

LIV Golf has made changes for 2026, including the biggest decision ofmoving from 54 holes to the traditional 72in order to better its chances of players receiving Official World Golf Rankings points.

Will that be enough for LIV Golf to gain relevancy? In McIlroy's eyes, time is running out.

"If LIV is failing to capture the imagination and they've spent so much money on this venture and it isn't making a return for them I don't know how much longer they can keep it going," McIlroy said.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

January 02, 2026

Rory McIlroy would welcome Bryson DeChambeau back to PGA Tour, says LIV players have 'paid their consequence'

Rory McIlroy would welcome back former PGA Tour stars who left for LIV Golf, saying those players have "paid their consequence." ...

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Anthony Joshua's driver charged over fatal car crash in Nigeria

Authorities in Nigeria have charged the driver of former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua with causing the car crash that killed two of his team members and injured the boxer.

Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, was charged at theSagamu Magistrate Court in Africaon Friday.

"The Ogun State Police Command wishes to inform the general public that the driver of the Lexus SUV involved in the Anthony Joshua accident case, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode (male), aged 46, was charged to the Sagamu Magistrate Court today," authorities said in a statement on social media.

Kayode faces four counts: driving causing death, reckless and negligent driving, driving without due care and attention causing bodily harm and damage to property, and driving without a valid national driver's license.

Joshua was a passenger in the Lexus with Kayode, his personal trainer, Latif Ayodele, and Sina Ghami, his strength coach, when the vehicle struck a stationary truck in Ogun State, near Lagos, Africa's largest city.

The 36-year-old Joshua was taken to the hospital with injuries following the accident and was discharged on Wednesday.

Kayode was granted bail in the amount of 5,000,000 Naira, the equivalent of nearly $3,500 U.S. dollars, and the Ogun State Police Command said his case has been adjourned until January 20.

Joshua was in Nigeria visiting relatives for New Year celebrations, according to the BBC, following his Dec. 19 fight with YouTuber-turned-boxer, which he won in a sixth-round knockout.

Highlights from Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Anthony Joshua's driver faces four charges over fatal car crash

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

January 02, 2026

Anthony Joshua's driver charged over fatal car crash in Nigeria

Authorities in Nigeria have charged the driver of former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua with causing the car crash t...

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The 10 Greatest Upsets in NCAA Volleyball Tournament History

The NCAA volleyball tournament rewards preparation, depth, and consistency, yet it still finds ways to surprise people every season. Upsets typically arise from matchup problems, timing, travel, pressure, and moments when favored teams lose control.

These games mattered because expectations leaned heavily in one direction before the opening serve. The results shifted conversations about conference strength and tournament balance.

2010 First Round

Credit: Instagram

Northern Iowa entered the tournament with a 30–2 record, a fifth seed, and the fourth-best RPI in the country. Missouri barely earned its spot in the field. Playing at home, Northern Iowa expected a clean opening match, but the opposing team commanded rallies early and did not allow the Panthers to settle.

2012 Regional Final

Credit: Instagram

This match happened in California against the team holding the top RPI in the nation. Michigan entered the tournament unseeded, having suffered 11 regular-season losses, and garnered little national attention. Stanford was dependent on efficiency and depth throughout the year, but Michigan disrupted its timing and won in four sets. Stanford struggled to settle in defensively once Michigan gained confidence.

2015 First Round

Credit: Instagram

One of the clearest examples of a ranking gap collapsing under tournament pressure came in the 2015 first round, when unseeded American swept heavily favored Kentucky. Kentucky entered the tournament with a far stronger national profile, but the match never tilted their way. American dictated play from the start, using clean passing and precise execution to remove any chance of a comeback.

2011 Second Round

Credit: Facebook

Nebraska nearly suffered an early tournament exit despite entering as the No. 2 seed after winning the Big Ten in its first season. Kansas State, ranked 26th in RPI, extended rallies and kept the match tight by staying composed in long stretches of play. Nebraska avoided the upset by adjusting its approach late

2014 National Semifinal

Credit: Instagram

This run remains historic because no unseeded team had ever reached the NCAA championship match before BYU's 2014 performance. After beating Arizona, Florida State, and Nebraska, BYU qualified for the semifinal against second-seeded Texas. Texas had only two losses and looked like a clear favorite, but was unable to adjust defensively.

2019 Third Round

Credit: Instagram

At the time, fans were thrilled because Texas dominated the regular season and never lost at home. However, Louisville arrived with confidence and won the first two sets at Gregory Gymnasium. Texas pushed the match to a fifth set, but the competition closed. Aiko Jones finished with 23 kills, and Texas struggled to contain Louisville's outside attack.

2013 Second Round

Credit: Instagram

Duke was unable to recover against an American team that dictated every phase of the match. They came in as a national seed with a higher RPI, but couldn't match Americans' pace or precision. The straight-set sweep sent American to the regional semifinals.

2002 Second Round

Credit: Instagram

Penn State rarely drops tournament matches on its home court, especially in the early rounds. That made Temple's 2002 second-round win at Rec Hall all the more significant. Inconsistent rotations hurt the Nittany Lions, who never regained momentum. Temple advanced to the regional semifinals and hasn't returned to the tournament since.

2000 First Round

Credit: Instagram

No RPI data exists to show just how wide the gap may have been between Southeast Missouri State and North Carolina. Still, expectations heavily favored North Carolina, the ACC's automatic qualifier. Southeast Missouri State, with a shaky nonconference record, entered as Ohio Valley champions, managed to close out rallies, and forced UNC into uncomfortable situations.

2007 First Round

Credit: Instagram

No Big Sky team has advanced past the first round of the NCAA tournament since Sacramento State pulled it off in 2007. They won in four sets by applying steady serve pressure and staying composed in long rallies. It remains one of the few high points for a conference that does not normally see postseason success.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

January 02, 2026

The 10 Greatest Upsets in NCAA Volleyball Tournament History

The NCAA volleyball tournament rewards preparation, depth, and consistency, yet it still finds ways to surprise people ev...

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