The Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) adopted significant medical protocols including daily antigen testing, enhanced cardiac screening and an enhanced data-driven approach when making decisions about practice/competition. The COP/C voted unanimously to resume the football season starting the weekend of October 23-24, 2020. The decision was based on information presented by the Big Ten Return to Competition Task Force, a working group that was established by the COP/C and Commissioner Kevin Warren to ensure a collaborative and transparent process.

The Big Ten will require student-athletes, coaches, trainers and other individuals that are on the field for all practices and games to undergo daily antigen testing. Test results must be completed and recorded prior to each practice or game. Student-athletes who test positive for the coronavirus through point of contact (POC) daily testing would require a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to confirm the result of the POC test.

“Everyone associated with the Big Ten should be very proud of the groundbreaking steps that are now being taken to better protect the health and safety of the student-athletes and surrounding communities,” said Dr. Jim Borchers, Head Team Physician, The Ohio State University and co-chair of the Return to Competition Task Force medical subcommittee. 

“The data we are going to collect from testing and the cardiac registry will provide major contributions for all 14 Big Ten institutions as they study COVID-19 and attempt to mitigate the spread of the disease among wider communities.”

Each institution will designate a Chief Infection Officer (CInO) who will oversee the collection and reporting of data for the Big Ten Conference. Team test positivity rate and population positivity rate thresholds will be used to determine recommendations for continuing practice and competition.

All COVID-19 positive student-athletes will have to undergo comprehensive cardiac testing to include labs and biomarkers, ECG, Echocardiogram and a Cardiac MRI. Following cardiac evaluation, student-athletes must receive clearance from a cardiologist designated by the university for the primary purpose of cardiac clearance for COVID-19 positive student-athletes. The earliest a student-athlete can return to game competition is 21 days following a COVID-19 positive diagnosis.

In addition to the medical protocols approved, the 14 Big Ten institutions will establish a cardiac registry in an effort to examine the effects on COVID-19 positive student-athletes. The registry and associated data will attempt to answer many of the unknowns regarding the cardiac manifestations in COVID-19 positive elite athletes.

“From the onset of the pandemic, our highest priority has been the health and the safety of our students.  The new medical protocols and standards put into place by the Big Ten Return To Competition Task Force were pivotal in the decision to move forward with sports in the conference,” said Morton Schapiro, Chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors and Northwestern University President, and Chair of the Return to Competition Task Force Steering Committee. “We appreciate the conference’s dedication to developing the necessary safety procedures for our students and the communities that embrace them.”

“Our focus with the Task Force over the last six weeks was to ensure the health and safety of our student-athletes. Our goal has always been to return to competition so all student-athletes can realize their dream of competing in the sports they love,” said Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren. “We are incredibly grateful for the collaborative work that our Return to Competition Task Force have accomplished to ensure the health, safety and wellness of student-athletes, coaches and administrators.”

The Big Ten Conference will use data provided by each Chief Infection Officer (CInO) to make decisions about the continuation of practice and competition, as determined by team positivity rate and population positivity rate, based on a seven-day rolling average:

Team positivity rate (number of positive tests divided by total number of tests administered):

Population positivity rate (number of positive individuals divided by total population at risk):

Decisions to alter or halt practice and competition will be based on the following scenarios:

Green/Green and Green/Orange: Team continues with normal practice and competition.

Orange/Orange and Orange/Red: Team must proceed with caution and enhance COVID-19 prevention (alter practice and meeting schedule, consider viability of continuing with scheduled competition).

Red/Red: Team must stop regular practice and competition for a minimum of seven days and reassess metrics until improved.

The daily testing will begin by September 30, 2020. 

Eventually all Big Ten sports will require testing protocols before they can resume competition. Updates regarding fall sports other than football, as well as winter sports that begin in the fall including men’s and women’s basketball, men’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and wrestling, will be announced shortly.

The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 14 Big Ten institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to more than 9,800 students for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. The Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, including the addition of men’s ice hockey and men’s and women’s lacrosse since 2013. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597173408062.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Release from Big Ten ConferenceThe Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) adopted significant medical protocols including daily antigen testing, enhanced cardiac screening and an enhanced data-driven approach when making decisions about practice/competition. The COP/C voted unanimously to resume the football season starting the weekend of October 23-24, 2020. The decision was based on information presented by the Big Ten Return to Competition Task Force, a working group that was established by the COP/C and Commissioner Kevin Warren to ensure a collaborative and transparent process.The Big Ten will require student-athletes, coaches, trainers and other individuals that are on the field for all practices and games to undergo daily antigen testing. Test results must be completed and recorded prior to each practice or game. Student-athletes who test positive for the coronavirus through point of contact (POC) daily testing would require a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to confirm the result of the POC test.“Everyone associated with the Big Ten should be very proud of the groundbreaking steps that are now being taken to better protect the health and safety of the student-athletes and surrounding communities,” said Dr. Jim Borchers, Head Team Physician, The Ohio State University and co-chair of the Return to Competition Task Force medical subcommittee. “The data we are going to collect from testing and the cardiac registry will provide major contributions for all 14 Big Ten institutions as they study COVID-19 and attempt to mitigate the spread of the disease among wider communities.”Each institution will designate a Chief Infection Officer (CInO) who will oversee the collection and reporting of data for the Big Ten Conference. Team test positivity rate and population positivity rate thresholds will be used to determine recommendations for continuing practice and competition.All COVID-19 positive student-athletes will have to undergo comprehensive cardiac testing to include labs and biomarkers, ECG, Echocardiogram and a Cardiac MRI. Following cardiac evaluation, student-athletes must receive clearance from a cardiologist designated by the university for the primary purpose of cardiac clearance for COVID-19 positive student-athletes. The earliest a student-athlete can return to game competition is 21 days following a COVID-19 positive diagnosis.In addition to the medical protocols approved, the 14 Big Ten institutions will establish a cardiac registry in an effort to examine the effects on COVID-19 positive student-athletes. The registry and associated data will attempt to answer many of the unknowns regarding the cardiac manifestations in COVID-19 positive elite athletes.“From the onset of the pandemic, our highest priority has been the health and the safety of our students. The new medical protocols and standards put into place by the Big Ten Return To Competition Task Force were pivotal in the decision to move forward with sports in the conference,” said Morton Schapiro, Chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors and Northwestern University President, and Chair of the Return to Competition Task Force Steering Committee. “We appreciate the conference’s dedication to developing the necessary safety procedures for our students and the communities that embrace them.”“Our focus with the Task Force over the last six weeks was to ensure the health and safety of our student-athletes. Our goal has always been to return to competition so all student-athletes can realize their dream of competing in the sports they love,” said Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren. “We are incredibly grateful for the collaborative work that our Return to Competition Task Force have accomplished to ensure the health, safety and wellness of student-athletes, coaches and administrators.”The Big Ten Conference will use data provided by each Chief Infection Officer (CInO) to make decisions about the continuation of practice and competition, as determined by team positivity rate and population positivity rate, based on a seven-day rolling average:Team positivity rate (number of positive tests divided by total number of tests administered):Green 0-2%Orange 2-5%Red &gt;5%Population positivity rate (number of positive individuals divided by total population at risk):Green 0-3.5%Orange 3.5-7.5%Red &gt;7.5%Decisions to alter or halt practice and competition will be based on the following scenarios:Green/Green and Green/Orange: Team continues with normal practice and competition.Orange/Orange and Orange/Red: Team must proceed with caution and enhance COVID-19 prevention (alter practice and meeting schedule, consider viability of continuing with scheduled competition).Red/Red: Team must stop regular practice and competition for a minimum of seven days and reassess metrics until improved.The daily testing will begin by September 30, 2020. Eventually all Big Ten sports will require testing protocols before they can resume competition. Updates regarding fall sports other than football, as well as winter sports that begin in the fall including men’s and women’s basketball, men’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and wrestling, will be announced shortly.The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 14 Big Ten institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to more than 9,800 students for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. The Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, including the addition of men’s ice hockey and men’s and women’s lacrosse since 2013. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.

The Big Ten Conference Adopts Stringent Medical Protocols; Football Season to Resume October 23-24, 2020

AUDIO: Eagle Radio Sports for Wednesday

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State head coach&nbsp;Chris Klieman, along with tight end&nbsp;Briley Moore&nbsp;and defensive tackle&nbsp;Drew Wiley, met with members of the media via Zoom on Tuesday as the Wildcats are in the midst of their first of three in-season byes during the 2020 season. A complete transcript of Klieman’s press conference – which was also streamed live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ – and players are posted below.

Watch:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=12678&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Chris Klieman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;| &nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=12675&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Briley Moore</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;| &nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=12676&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Drew Wiley</a>

Listen:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts" target="_blank">Wildcats Uncut</a>

The Wildcats travel to Norman next Saturday to face Oklahoma. Kickoff from Memorial Stadium is set for 11 a.m., and the game that will be televised by FOX.

“Good afternoon everybody. Boy, a lot of emotions, a lot of things going through my mind with regards to the last six or seven months leading up to us playing a game, and I'll get to the game in a moment. But a couple of things – I really want to thank Matt Thomason, our athletic training staff, Dr. (Kyle) Goerl, Gene Taylor, our administration for allowing the players the opportunity to play. That’s the first thing. We were blessed to be one of the few schools in the country that’s getting the opportunity to play, and that was a really neat thing. I’m happy that we were able to play. I want to thank all the fans for coming out and coming to a football game under some strange circumstances with COVID. I loved the fans that came out. They were loud. They were into it. It was a home game. It was fun to see – and I know we couldn’t fill it up – but it was fun to see everybody, and I can’t thank and appreciate those people enough.

“From the football game, it didn’t go the way we wanted it to go. A lot of things played into that. You can say COVID played into that. It sure did. You can say the lack of spring ball played into that. It sure did. Lack of summer training. It sure did. Losing time in fall camp, losing players and all that stuff, it did. But, the bottom line is, you have an opportunity to compete. You have an opportunity that you don’t know how many opportunities we’re going to have this year, and we talked about that. Are we going to play nine more or are we going to play two more? None of us know this. So when you have the opportunity to compete, you have to take advantage of your opportunity and your moment. I thought Arkansas State, you can tell they played a game. They were much better prepared than we were since they played a game, and they outplayed us. Our guys have to learn from that. Our guys have to learn that if the first guy goes down, second guy goes down, third guy goes down, it doesn’t matter. You're wearing K-State and you have to make plays. We didn’t make enough plays. Young guys that played, to older guys that have played, to new guys that haven’t played, and so we’ve had a lot of conversation amongst our staff, a lot of conversations with the team. We didn’t practice yesterday. We met for an awful long time with players – leadership council, to team meetings, to unit meetings, to position meetings and really had some tough conversations. I believe moving forward there’s going to be some positive things coming out of those conversations, mainly because we don’t know what 2020 holds. None of us do, and none of us have a crystal ball to see what’s going to happen the rest of the fall of 2020. We need to be better, bottom line.”

“I knew Briley was going to play well. He had a really good camp, and he’s probably one of the hungriest guys we have on the football team. He has a chip on his shoulder because nobody thought he was good enough to play in the Big 12 or at any Power 5. He has come in and gained instant respect from our older guys that have played a lot of football to say, ‘Boy, this kid’s a really good player.’ But more than that, he handles his business. He practices hard. He competes. He holds people accountable. He does all the right things. I think we can get more out of Briley Moore, and that’s what I’m going to challenge Briley to do. He needs to be more for us moving forward, but I was so impressed with how he just came right in and made plays. I know he’s going to have a terrific season.”

On true freshmen getting playing time...

“I was very pleased with the athleticism and the knowledge of the freshman class. We’re a long way to go in our maturity level with the freshman class – not that they can’t get there – to have more guys help us. Will Howard’s a really, really mature kid. Deuce Vaughn’s a really mature kid. T.J. Smith played a little bit for us on Saturday, very mature. I can’t think of all the freshmen that played, but to play the game at the Power 5 level you have to have great maturity and great discipline, and that’s difficult for an 18-year-old. Those two guys you mentioned in Will and Deuce have that, and that’s why they were able to step up and look like they belong is that they have great maturity and discipline. We’re going to continue to practice all these guys, young and old, because, once again going back to my opening statement, you don’t know when your moment will be and you have to take advantage of the opportunities you have.”

On the injuries to offensive lineman Noah Johnson and defensive back Jahron McPherson...

“Neither one will practice this week. It’s not season ending for either one, but it will be a week-to-week basis. Both guys had terrific fall camps. Both are guys that we were all counting on, and unfortunately both guys got injured early on, which allowed other people to have the opportunity. But, we’re a better team with Noah on the field, and we’re a better team with Jahron on the field.”

“Yeah, he needs to play better. He knows that. He made some really, really good throws. He made some really good reads. He was banged up. I think everyone saw that in the second half. But, Skylar will respond. Everybody needs to play better. It doesn’t matter if you're an o-lineman, to the quarterback, to the safeties, to the linebackers, d-line, everybody does. We all need to improve.”

On Tyler Burns not getting as many carries as anticipated…

“Nothing in particular. I think it was more Coach Mess (Courtney) and Coach (Brian) Anderson and how the game was being played out. Then in the second half, we weren’t playing with the lead, so we had to probably rely on throwing the football a little more than we wanted to. We weren’t having great success rushing the football – especially inside – so we thought that Deuce (Vaughn) – and I think that everybody saw that – is a really effective running back on the perimeter. We thought he gave us a better chance on the perimeter with all the backs that we had. Nothing that anybody did, it’s just kind of how the game played out.”

“Well, another guy we were counting on was Ross Elder. Ross has had a terrific camp and has played some football for us, so we hope to get him back in the near future as well. We have to continue to improve at safety, both the free and the strong. We have to continue to build depth so that we have more guys that can play 20 snaps, 30 snaps, and not have to rely on somebody playing 70 snaps. It’s a position where we have some young players that we think are talented. There’s a lot of nuances to playing in the secondary at the college level, and especially in our scheme. Even though we need to simplify it so those guys can play, it’s still – and Coach Klanderman and I have been together for a long time – of understanding are you ready to play in that moment and you have to prove that you’re ready by how you perform at practice and making sure that you do know the reads, and do know the calls, and do know the communication. If guys, in our mind, aren’t comfortable with that in practice, they sure aren’t going to be in the game. That’s why we also have this open week and hopefully everybody will be healthy to practice, and we can get some more guys that are younger players some repetitions.”

On what they saw from Deuce Vaughn in the recruiting process...

“The explosiveness for sure, the quick twitch, the ability for a young man that’s not a great size to break arm tackles. Everybody worries about a smaller back, can they be durable? Can they take those hits? Well, when you’re not getting a square shot on guys because they’re so quick, you’re not taking some of those hits. He came in the summer with his mother, and I knew right then that he was a fit for what we wanted to do and what we wanted to build upon as far as his character and integrity with he and his mom. Then his dad being in the profession of coaching and now scouting in football, I know he’d been around what it’s supposed to be like at the highest level. How you’re supposed to be a professional, and how you’re supposed to act, and how you’re supposed to have great discipline and maturity. We were jumping up and down when we were able to get his commitment because we know that he’s a generational guy. You say that’s a big term to say, that’s a generational guy. I think as much as what he can do off the field for our football team is what he can do on the field.”

On the fans picking up on the energy Deuce Vaughn brought to the game...

“As soon as you saw him run one time, I think everybody did. ‘Holy cow, he’s an electric player.’ Not only is he an electric player, but he’s a better person, which is what I’m so excited about for his future.”

On feeling more or less encouraged after looking back at Saturday’s game....

“It’s hard for me to answer. I’m still frustrated in a number of things, but I have to kind of pause some because this is just one of those years. To think that you’re going to be out as many guys potentially as you are because of COVID, or to get guys back for two days after they’ve been out for 14 days, and then they’re going to practice for a couple of days. I’m not saying any of those things are excuses. They’re not. We need to be better. It’s just from a management standpoint, from the head coach to the assistants to the players, you don’t know who you’re practicing with on a daily basis. Offensively, you don’t know who you’re working with on the o-line or who you’re throwing the ball to. You don’t know if that corner or safety is the same guys. That’s what we are dealt with. If you could say, ‘We’re going to get everyone back and everything is fine,’ I don’t know. I don’t think any of us know. So, once again, there’s no Coaching 101 for this. I’ve talked to head coaches across the country that we’re all dealing with the same stuff. Nobody has the exact answer if this is how we’re supposed to do it. We’re just going to keep learning on the fly and coach the guys that we have for that day really, really hard and really well. When they have the chance to play, they’re ready to play. We may have that guy for two days and get him ready, and then he’s gone. That’s something you don’t think about in college football, but it is right now in college football. Every week we’re going to work with the guys we have – cross our fingers – that we continue to do the right things with hygiene and masking and social distancing so that we can keep guys around.”

On dealing with trick plays and staying aggressive as a defense...

“It goes back to discipline. It doesn’t go back to aggression. It goes back to the rules and principles of the defense. If I follow the rules and principles of the defense and I don’t lose my eyes, I’ll be fine. We have answers for everything. We have an answer for the double pass. We have the answer for the Philly Special throwing it back to the quarterback. If I follow my rules and principles from the framework of the defense, we have somebody assigned to everything. If I don’t follow the rules and principles, not just on a trick play but on a normal play or normal run, you’re not going to be successful. Those are the things that, as a staff, we have to continue to try to keep preaching, preaching, preaching. Whether it’s a young player that’s only had that snap 10 times or an older player that’s had that snap 190 times, if I follow my rules and principles I’ll be fine.”

On if this season is about doing what’s best for the long run instead of a quick fix...

“If I was in year eight, I might say that we should try to throw some gimmicks in there. Let’s try to fool some people. But we’re in year two. We are going to follow our philosophy and rules and principles, even if that is playing at a position where we are down. Even if that’s playing somewhere we aren’t as equipped at other spots because this is an absolute marathon for me here and not a sprint. I’m not sprinting to say that I have to do this so that I can go and get another job or I can do this. We, as a staff, are making sure that this is a marathon so that we, as a staff, are here for the long term. I’m not a quick-fix guy. It would be different if I said, ‘Hey, let’s go get 15 JC’s since we don’t know if we’re going to lose guys. Let’s go get 15 DI transfers.’ That’s not my philosophy. That’s not our philosophy as a program or as a staff. We had this conversation as a staff on Sunday. Do we do the gimmicks? As a staff, we said, ‘This is who we are, and this is who we have been at a previous institution.’ We aren’t going to change that. Are we going to maybe take some lumps periodically this year? We may have to, because I don’t want to say, come spring of 2021, ‘Let’s get back to what we wanted to try to do,’ because now I think you’ve lost a ton of time.”

On if he’s noticed a difference with being the hunter instead of the hunted…

“No, because I did see it from the other side, so I caution the guys about it all the time. Football is football. That’s why Briley Moore played so well. Briley had a chip on his shoulder. He wanted to experience Big 12 football. Some guys just want to be on a Big 12 roster, as opposed to playing big boy, Big 12 football. I’m a big believer – and you guys have heard me say this a thousand times – football is football, and it doesn’t matter what school you’re at, where you’re from, if you’re a five star to a no star like Carson Wentz was. If you have an opportunity to play and have a chance to play this great game, if you don’t have your A-game, you’re going to get beat. We know that in the NFL. You guys see that in the NFL every Sunday. It’s no different in college football, and in an era now where you don’t know who’s going to be around from game one to game two because of some of the issues we’re dealing with, I think it really levels the playing field in the fact of, I wouldn’t want to go into a game saying, ‘These guys are out nine of their starters due to COVID.’ I think guys would probably relax and think that it’s going to be a cakewalk. You’re going to get beat by the backups. It doesn’t matter because if you have a chip on your shoulder and want to prove something to somebody, you’re going to do that. There is so much parity in the game of football.”

On if playing a team who already played a game would happen if it was a different kind of season…

“You would rather not, but it depends. Is it a 12-game year where you can add in a game against someone from a different league? I don’t know, just like everyone else doesn’t know, in the distant future what is going to happen with week zero. Is that going to be a week where a lot of people play? If so, you’re going to be stuck. Sometimes those week zero games become, ‘Hey, let’s get a game going, and then you’ve already got your schedule.’ Shoot, the team you’re playing in week one is already playing in week zero for a money game, and they’re going to do it. Typically no, you wouldn’t want to. You’d want everyone to be in their first game.”

On if the spirit and confidence was shaken following Saturday’s outcome...

“No. Probably going back to all the things we’ve been asked in other questions about spirit and things like that, if you’re not ready to play, you’re going to get beat. I’m not saying we weren’t ready to play. I thought we had a good week of preparation. In the same respect, there are a lot of good football players across the country at every level, so you need to play really well with whoever you have or you are going to get beat. We’ve had a lot of conversations on the football team over the past 48 hours about what we all can do to be better. That’s not just on the field, it’s off the field. It’s doing the little things right. It’s making all of our meals, getting to our tutor sessions on time, being respectful in the academic center, being respectful to our athletic trainers. All the little things, in my mind, come back to bite you. It’s easy to talk about after a loss, but all the little things you don’t do correctly from a discipline standpoint can come back to bite you, and some of those things did on Saturday. So, it was probably more of an awakening. Not to our coaching staff, I think our coaching staff knew that some of these things could happen, but to an older kid or younger kid, we have to tighten our ship a little bit here. That’s the challenge to our guys. I’m excited because we have challenged those guys. I’m looking forward to seeing how guys respond. Not just in a week. You don’t tighten a ship in a week, but in the next few months, whether that’s two games or nine games.”

On how motivated he was to make an impact...

“There was a lot of motivation with everything going on, but I was just trying to control what I could control and do whatever I was asked to do. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to come out with a win, so it’s time to evaluate ourselves and see what more of an impact we can have on the next one.”

On what he did best and areas he can improve...

“There’s a couple of technique things that I think, towards the end of the game, whether it was fatigue or whatever, that I kind of need to work on and continue to get better at. Overall, game one knowing schemes and stuff, I felt comfortable out there. I felt the coaching staff did a great job of preparing us to know what our schemes were. When it came to those, I felt comfortable, so that was a good thing for game one in a new offense.”

“It was actually a check, and from the point that he checked the play, I knew it was coming to me. Skylar (Thompson) did a great job of putting the ball outside of where the defender could catch it, and it made it an easy catch for me. That just shows the type of football player and leader and commander of the offense that Skylar is to be able to go up there on 4th&nbsp;and two and make a check and a big time throw to keep the chains moving.”

On the trust level between him and Skylar Thompson...

“It’s a pretty good indicator of, not just me and him, but the comfort level there is overall with our players. It happened to be me and him on that specific play, and it shows he’s comfortable putting the ball in people’s hands. If there was someone else in that situation, he would’ve done the same thing, but I think it really shows his comfort level and his confidence that he has in our offense.”

On his relationship on the field with Skylar Thompson...

“I think it’s a product of a relationship that is much longer than my few months here. Like we’ve talked about many times, it’s growing up knowing each other as well as working out in the summers and not realizing that we were going to have an opportunity to make plays together on the same field. His leadership from the moment I got here, really the moment I decided to transfer here, of walking me through what we do on this scheme, and we watched film together last week and got on the same page on certain things. Being on the same page on the field makes things like the fourth down conversion easier because I know what he’s seeing and he knows what I’m seeing. So, I’m looking forward to improving things like that and our comfort level and that area moving forward.”

On what he sees in the freshman class...

“One of the biggest aspects is maturity. These guys aren’t coming in here as immature freshmen that don’t care. They are coming in here bought in. The main product of that is, as we’ve seen, is Deuce (Vaughn). He had a great game, some explosive plays, and he has some things you can’t teach. For him to come in game one as a true freshman and do the things he did just shows how mature he is, how much he has bought in and how much film he watched during the week, things that you might not see from a lot of guys at that age.”

“Honestly, it was unreal. I knew the play call that there was potential to be a touchdown, and from the moment that I saw the ball released from Skylar’s hand to getting back to the sideline after he tackled me, it was just honestly unreal, felt amazing, and I wish we could’ve done more to come out with a victory so we could actually celebrate the first touchdown. But, in the moment, it was absolutely amazing. Skylar gave a great ball in the soft spot behind the defense. It was an unreal experience.”

“I can’t remember the exact moment in the game, but I think it was a third down for Arkansas State that it honestly caught me off guard how loud it actually got out there with just 20 percent capacity or whatever that number may be. So, I thought about it at that time and I can’t imagine what this place is like at full capacity and everybody going crazy on third down. We’re thankful for the fans that came out and supported and all the fans that watched, and we are going to do our best to get this ship going in the right direction for everybody.”

On the biggest challenge blocking up front with the injuries…

“Guys stepped up. When you get in the heat of the battle in a game like that – especially with everything going on that’s unlike any other year – I’d really say guys did a great job of stepping up and being ready whenever their number was called. With the outcome and the way it went, we saw no matter who it is, whether it’s a starter or a backup or the third string that came in, we have to be better from top to bottom. Going in there with guys who didn’t get reps with the first team going into the week, I’d say guys competed whenever their name was called.”

DREW WILEY, SENIOR DEFENSIVE TACKLE

On how he and Eli Huggins played...

“I think it was, for me at least, an amazing opportunity. It means a lot that Coach Mike Tuiasosopo had that kind of trust in us to go out there and make plays. Hopefully we were able to make a couple plays, and obviously there are places I need to improve and I know Eli would say the same thing if he was up here. I think for both of us, it was a really good opportunity and we are just trying to make the most of it. There are places where we are going to get better.”

On how he felt like he graded out and how he can become better...

“Being honest, it kind of sucked watching the film after that game. There were some things that I felt like I did alright at, but there were some things, like getting off the ball more explosively, getting some better feet movement, like keeping my feet going was a big thing that I noticed on Saturday. My pass rush is something that I’m always trying to work on and improve. Those are the things that stuck out to me after watching the film.”

On the foundation that he was able to build going forward into the season...

“I think that was a good starting point. A place where I can look forward to and be excited about future opportunities to build off of what we were able to do on the defensive line on Saturday.”

On the changing point from the first to second half...

“I’m not sure in my mind I can tell you when I felt the changing point. I felt like, for me, it was pretty consistent. I felt like their offensive line played pretty well. It’s a pretty veteran group with a lot of seniors in that group, and I thought they played pretty well. Obviously they had quite a bit of success against us, especially in the second half and put up quite a few points.”

On the cohesion level of the defensive line...

“Cohesion is one of our strong suits on the defensive line. We are all really close. I think we play well together. You talk about Wyatt Hubert and Eli (Huggins) and Bronson (Massie) and Khalid Duke, we understand each other. Even with the younger guys, I think it’s a great group of guys and we all trust each other. We know we are going to take care of business, so I think cohesion is one of our strong suits as a d-line.”

“We have a lot of young talent. Felix (Anudike) is a big, strong, fast kid, and he came in with a chip on his shoulder. He’s going to be a great player here. Ronald Triplette is a freshman defensive tackle who we have in our room who’s worked really hard and is going to be a good player here. You mentioned TJ Smith, he's obviously going to be a very good player. We have a lot of young guys on defense. Tee Denson, there are a lot of guys who are going to be contributors here in the not so (distant) future, and we’ve seen some of that last Saturday. I’m excited for what those guys can do.”

🎥 K-State holds weekly press conference

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich broke out of his slump with a home run and three hits, Ryan Braun also went deep and the Milwaukee Brewers romped to an 18-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. Keston Hiura and Daniel Vogelbach also homered for the Brewers. Well after the game was out of hand, both managers were ejected following a catcher's interference call on Yadier Molina that led to a tense confrontation in front of the Brewers' dugout. Milwaukee jumped on St. Louis early, a night after the teams combined for only eight runs in splitting a doubleheader in which both games went to extra innings.

DETROIT (AP) — Miguel Cabrera hit a homer and a double to help the Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 6-0. Matthew Boyd bounced back with a strong performance, throwing five-plus scoreless innings and giving up just two hits. Boyd allowed seven runs over three-plus innings in his previous start as Milwaukee beat Detroit 19-0 last week. Jakob Junis started in place of Danny Duffy, who missed the team's flight to Detroit. Junis gave up five runs and seven hits. Detroit had lost three straight and 10 of 13 games. Kansas City had won six straight.

NEW YORK (AP) — Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are on top of the first AP Pro32 poll of the season. Fellow AFC contender Baltimore followed at No. 2. NFC powers New Orleans, Seattle and Green Bay rounded out the top five. The Chiefs have been riding high since winning the Super Bowl in February and opened the 2020 season with a win over the Houston Texans. Baltimore began with a rout of the Cleveland Browns. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers debuted in the poll at No. 14 in Brady's first season outside New England.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire showed the NFL that his skill set translates quite nicely to the sped-up world of pro football. The first-round pick ran 25 times for 138 yards, highlighted by a 27-yard touchdown scamper, in leading Kansas City to a 34-20 victory over Houston last week. And while he failed to catch a pass, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes targeted him twice in a sign of just how comfortable he is in the passing game. Now, the challenge for Edwards-Helaire will be to show that he can put together those kinds of performances on a week-to-week basis.

Nuggets do it again...Heat beat Celts in OT to take opener

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Denver Nuggets have advanced to the NBA's Western Conference finals by storming back from a three-games-to-one deficit for the second straight series.

The Nuggets trailed by two before allowing just 33 points in the second half of a 104-89 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Denver's comeback follows its rally against Utah in the first round and puts the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2009.

Jamal Murray poured in 40 points and Nikola Jokic (nih-KOH'-lah YOH'-kihch) had a triple-double of 22 rebounds, 16 points and 13 assists. Gary Harris and Jerami Grant each had 14 points in the win.

The Nuggets limited Kawhi (kah-WY') Leonard and Paul George to a combined 24 points, with Leonard scoring 14. Montrezl (MAHN'-trehz) Harrell had a team-high 20 points off the bench for the Clippers, who were trying to reach the conference finals for the first time in franchise history.

The Nuggets now prepare for the Lakers. Los Angeles comes off a five-game series win over the Rockets.

Earlier Tuesday, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo (ad-ah-BY'-oh) have helped the Miami Heat take Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against Boston.

Butler converted a three-point play with 12 seconds left in overtime to put the Heat ahead for good in a 117-114 triumph over the Celtics. Adebayo blocked Jayson Tatum's dunk attempt in the final seconds to seal the win.

Goran Dragic (DRAH'-gihch) had 29 points, Jae Crowder scored 22 and Butler finished with 20 for Miami.

The Celtics outscored the Heat 27-10 over the final 8:17 of the third quarter and led by 14 early in the fourth. Tatum scored 30 points and Marcus Smart had 26 for Boston.

TORONTO (AP) — Head coach Nick Nurse and the Toronto Raptors have announced a multiyear extension without divulging the terms. 

Nurse has won the Atlantic Division title in each of his first two seasons at the helm. The Raptors captured the NBA title last year before finishing with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference this season.

Nurse was originally signed to a three-year deal in June 2018 to lead the club.

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The New York Islanders will spend at least two more days in the Edmonton bubble after extending the Eastern Conference final to a sixth game.

Jordan Eberle scored on a 2-on-1 break 12 ½ minutes into double-overtime to give the Isles a 2-1 win over the Lightning. Anders Lee lugged the puck deep into the Tampa Bay zone before sliding a pass to Eberle in the slot.

Semyon Varlamov (SEHM'-yahn vahr-LAH'-mahv) was superb at times while stopping 36 shots, with some of his best stops coming in OT.

The Islanders ended an 0-13 skid on the power play when Ryan Pulock blasted a shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy (vah-sih-LEHV'-skee) 15:41 into the game. New York maintained the lead until Victor Hedman's goal four minutes into the second period.

Vasilevskiy finished with 22 saves for the Lightning, who are the road team for Game 6 on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Capitals have hired a Stanley Cup-winning head coach for the first time in their history.

Veteran bench boss Peter Laviolette is replacing Todd Reirden, 14 years after winning a Cup with the Hurricanes. He also led the 2010 Flyers and 2017 Predators to the Cup final.

The 55-year-old Laviolette became an NHL head coach with the Islanders in 2001, guiding them to playoff berths in each of his two seasons at Uniondale. He spent 5 1/2 seasons with Nashville before being dismissed in January.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman Jonas Brodin (YOH'-nuhs broh-DEEN') to a seven-year, $42 million contract extension. 

The 27-year-old native of Sweden had a career-high 26 assists in 69 games during the virus-shortened season. 

UNDATED (AP) — Ryan Yarbough won for the first time in 16 appearances while helping the Tampa Bay Rays stay four games ahead of the second-place Yankees in the American League East.

Yarbrough gave up one run and five hits over 5 2/3 innings in the Rays' 6-1 downing of the Nationals. It was his first win since Aug 11, 2019 at Seattle.

Nate Lowe belted a solo homer and worked out a bases-loaded walk as the Rays improved to 3-4 in a seven-game stretch against last-place opponents.

— DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit drove in five runs apiece as the Yankees ripped the Blue Jays, 20-6. Voit smacked two of the Yanks' five home runs and Gary Sanchez added a three-run blast with four ribbies in New York's sixth straight win.

— The White Sox have a three-game lead in the AL Central after Tim Anderson and James McCann homered in Chicago's 6-2 win versus the second-place Twins. Dane Dunning limited Minnesota to one earned run and three hits while fanning seven over seven innings.

— Antonio Senzatella fired a six-hitter and Elias Diaz smacked a go-ahead, two-run homer that pushed the Rockies past the Athletics, 3-1. It was Colorado's first complete game since German Marquez went the distance in April 2019. 

— George Springer and Martín Maldonado (mahr-TEEN' mal-doh-NAH'-doh) homered for the Astros, but Alex Bregman hit a go-ahead two-run single in the seventh to lead Houston past the Rangers, 4-1. José Urquidy (ur-KEE'-dee) allowed three hits and a run in seven innings for his first win of the season.

— Miguel Cabrera homered and doubled as the Tigers beat the Royals, 6-0 to end a three-game skid. Matthew Boyd bounced back from a rough outing with a strong performance, throwing five-plus scoreless innings and giving up just two hits. 

— Tony Gonsolin worked seven innings and Edwin Rios homered for the Dodgers in a 3-1 win over the Padres. Justin Turner had three singles in his return from the injured list, including an RBI single in the first. Los Angeles ended San Diego's eight-game winning streak and regained a 2 ½-game lead in the NL West. 

— Huascar Ynoa (WAHS'-kahr ee-NOH'-ah) combined with three relievers on a four-hitter as the Braves topped the Orioles, 5-1. Freddie Freeman laced a pair of RBI doubles and Adam Duvall smacked his 15th home run to help the NL East leaders move 3 1/2 games ahead of second-place Miami. 

— Boston's Tanner Houck gave up just two singles over five innings to win his major league debut, 2-0 over the Marlins. Jackie Bradley Jr. broke up a scoreless game with an opposite-field double off Miami starter Sandy Alcantara (al-KAN'-tah-rah) in the sixth.

— Didi Gregorius (DEE'-dee greh-GOHR'-ee-uhs) belted a two-run homer and Adam Haseley supplied a two-run single for the Phillies in a 4-1 verdict over the Mets. Jake Arrieta worked 5 1/3 innings before leaving the game with a hamstring injury.

— Willson Contreras and Cameron Maybin were plunked by consecutive pitches from Nick Wittgren in the ninth inning, forcing home the winning run in the Cubs' 6-5 triumph over the Indians. Javier Baez homered for Chicago, which withstood a two-run homer in the ninth by Francisco Lindor (lihn-DOHR') to increase its lead in the NL Central to five games.

— Keston Hiura (HEER'-uh) and Daniel Vogelbach each homered and drove in four runs as the Brewers destroyed the Cardinals, 18-3. Christian Yelich (YEH'-lihch) and Ryan Braun also provided longballs to support Brett Anderson, who allowed two runs over six frames.

— Tucker Barnhart homered and Brian Goodwin prevented one with a leaping catch as the Reds earned their season-high fourth straight win, 4-1 against the Pirates. Michael Lorenzen was sharp in a spot start for Cincinnati, allowing one run and four hits while striking out six over five innings.

— The Diamondbacks coughed up a seven-run lead before David Peralta hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning to give them a 9-8 victory over the Angels. Longtime Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun had two homers, three hits and a career-high five RBIs in his return to Angel Stadium.

— The Giants-Mariners two-game series scheduled to begin Tuesday in Seattle has been postponed due to smoky skies caused by the West Coast wildfires. The teams will now play Wednesday and Thursday at Oracle Park in San Francisco, with game times to be determined.

World Series to take place in Texas; bubble plans announced

UNDATED (AP) — Major League Baseball has announced the ballparks that will serve as neutral sites for the upcoming division series, league championship series and World Series.

Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, will host the World Series as part of a bubble agreement between MLB and the union. The bubble is designed to minimize exposure to the coronavirus. 

The AL Championship Series will be at San Diego's Petco Park and the NL at Globe Life, a retractable roof stadium with artificial turf that opened this year. The ALDS will be at Petco Park and Dodger Stadium, while the NLDS will play out in Arlington and Houston's Minute Maid Park.

The wild-card round will be held in the stadium of the top-seeded teams. 

The playoffs were expanded from 10 to 16 teams due to the shortened regular-season.

UNDATED (AP) — The New York Yankees have activated designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, third baseman Gio Urshela (ur-SHEH'-luh) and right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga from the 10-day injured list.

Stanton missed 32 games with a strained left hamstring, Urshela was out with a bone spur in his right elbow and Loaisiga was sidelined with a medical condition the team did not specify.

Right fielder Aaron Judge is expected to be activated later this week. He's been limited to one game since Aug. 11 because of a strained right calf. 

— Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner has been activated from the 10-day injured list after missing 13 games with a strained left hamstring. Turner entered Tuesday's action batting .282 with two homers and 20 RBIs in 32 games during the shortened season. 

UNDATED (AP) — The New York Jets will play at least three games without running back Le'Veon Bell after he injured a hamstring during Sunday's loss to the Bills. 

Head coach Adam Gase said Monday he didn't want to put a timetable on Bell's return, but said it was possible it could take some time because it's a soft-tissue injury.

The Jets also announced they have placed rookie wide receiver Denzel Mims and second-year linebacker Blake Cashman on IR.

— Drue Tranquill has been placed on injured reserve by the Chargers . The second-year linebacker broke his left ankle during the first quarter of Sunday's 16-13 victory at Cincinnati. 

— The Bengals claimed former Browns kicker Austin Seibert off waivers but expect Randy Bullock to be ready to play in Cleveland on Thursday. Bullock missed a 31-yard field goal with 2 seconds left Sunday when his left calf cramped.

— The 49ers have agreed to a one-year contract with free agent receiver Mohamed Sanu (sah-NOO'). He had 26 catches for 207 yards in eight games with New England last season.

— The 49ers are seeking to identify the fan who sent racist messages to Arizona safety Budda Baker. The team says it will ban the person from future games and events. Baker tweeted a screenshot of the derogatory messages on Monday that came after his hit Sunday injured All-Pro tight end George Kittle. 

Wisconsin chancellor: Big Ten football still on hold

UNDATED (AP) — The University of Wisconsin chancellor says Big Ten football will remain on hold until there are answers to questions about COVID-19 testing and tracing, along with possible long-term heart issues related to the coronavirus. 

Big Ten leaders are reconsidering a fall season after a weekend of meetings about a plan to begin play as soon as mid-October. 

Wisconsin chancellor Rebecca Blank would not predict which way a vote to return to play would go. She says once Big Ten university leaders have their questions and concerns addressed, "we will try to plan a delayed season."

— Arkansas State's home football game against Central Arkansas has been pushed back from Saturday to Oct. 10. Arkansas State announced Tuesday that the team cannot assemble a full two-deep depth chart at a specific position group due to player unavailability. The statement did not reveal if the postponement was COVID-19 related, but the program said the "health and safety of our student-athletes will always come first."

— UAB quarterback Tyler Johnston III is out indefinitely with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. Johnston has thrown for 293 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in the first two games against Central Arkansas and Miami. 

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich broke out of his slump with a home run and three hits, Ryan Braun also went deep and the Milwaukee Brewers romped to an 18-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. Keston Hiura and Daniel Vogelbach also homered for the Brewers. Well after the game was out of hand, both managers were ejected following a catcher's interference call on Yadier Molina that led to a tense confrontation in front of the Brewers' dugout. Milwaukee jumped on St. Louis early, a night after the teams combined for only eight runs in splitting a doubleheader in which both games went to extra innings.DETROIT (AP) — Miguel Cabrera hit a homer and a double to help the Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 6-0. Matthew Boyd bounced back with a strong performance, throwing five-plus scoreless innings and giving up just two hits. Boyd allowed seven runs over three-plus innings in his previous start as Milwaukee beat Detroit 19-0 last week. Jakob Junis started in place of Danny Duffy, who missed the team's flight to Detroit. Junis gave up five runs and seven hits. Detroit had lost three straight and 10 of 13 games. Kansas City had won six straight.NEW YORK (AP) — Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are on top of the first AP Pro32 poll of the season. Fellow AFC contender Baltimore followed at No. 2. NFC powers New Orleans, Seattle and Green Bay rounded out the top five. The Chiefs have been riding high since winning the Super Bowl in February and opened the 2020 season with a win over the Houston Texans. Baltimore began with a rout of the Cleveland Browns. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers debuted in the poll at No. 14 in Brady's first season outside New England.KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire showed the NFL that his skill set translates quite nicely to the sped-up world of pro football. The first-round pick ran 25 times for 138 yards, highlighted by a 27-yard touchdown scamper, in leading Kansas City to a 34-20 victory over Houston last week. And while he failed to catch a pass, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes targeted him twice in a sign of just how comfortable he is in the passing game. Now, the challenge for Edwards-Helaire will be to show that he can put together those kinds of performances on a week-to-week basis.<h2>Update on the latest sports</h2>NBA PLAYOFFS-SCHEDULENuggets do it again...Heat beat Celts in OT to take openerLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Denver Nuggets have advanced to the NBA's Western Conference finals by storming back from a three-games-to-one deficit for the second straight series.The Nuggets trailed by two before allowing just 33 points in the second half of a 104-89 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Denver's comeback follows its rally against Utah in the first round and puts the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2009.Jamal Murray poured in 40 points and Nikola Jokic (nih-KOH'-lah YOH'-kihch) had a triple-double of 22 rebounds, 16 points and 13 assists. Gary Harris and Jerami Grant each had 14 points in the win.The Nuggets limited Kawhi (kah-WY') Leonard and Paul George to a combined 24 points, with Leonard scoring 14. Montrezl (MAHN'-trehz) Harrell had a team-high 20 points off the bench for the Clippers, who were trying to reach the conference finals for the first time in franchise history.The Nuggets now prepare for the Lakers. Los Angeles comes off a five-game series win over the Rockets.Earlier Tuesday, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo (ad-ah-BY'-oh) have helped the Miami Heat take Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against Boston.Butler converted a three-point play with 12 seconds left in overtime to put the Heat ahead for good in a 117-114 triumph over the Celtics. Adebayo blocked Jayson Tatum's dunk attempt in the final seconds to seal the win.Goran Dragic (DRAH'-gihch) had 29 points, Jae Crowder scored 22 and Butler finished with 20 for Miami.The Celtics outscored the Heat 27-10 over the final 8:17 of the third quarter and led by 14 early in the fourth. Tatum scored 30 points and Marcus Smart had 26 for Boston.Game 2 is Thursday.NBA-RAPTORS-NURSENurse gets extensionTORONTO (AP) — Head coach Nick Nurse and the Toronto Raptors have announced a multiyear extension without divulging the terms. Nurse has won the Atlantic Division title in each of his first two seasons at the helm. The Raptors captured the NBA title last year before finishing with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference this season.Nurse was originally signed to a three-year deal in June 2018 to lead the club.NHL-STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFSIsles beat Bolts in 2OTEDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The New York Islanders will spend at least two more days in the Edmonton bubble after extending the Eastern Conference final to a sixth game.Jordan Eberle scored on a 2-on-1 break 12 ½ minutes into double-overtime to give the Isles a 2-1 win over the Lightning. Anders Lee lugged the puck deep into the Tampa Bay zone before sliding a pass to Eberle in the slot.Semyon Varlamov (SEHM'-yahn vahr-LAH'-mahv) was superb at times while stopping 36 shots, with some of his best stops coming in OT.The Islanders ended an 0-13 skid on the power play when Ryan Pulock blasted a shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy (vah-sih-LEHV'-skee) 15:41 into the game. New York maintained the lead until Victor Hedman's goal four minutes into the second period.Vasilevskiy finished with 22 saves for the Lightning, who are the road team for Game 6 on Thursday.NHL-CAPITALS-LAVIOLETTECapitals hire Laviolette as coachWASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Capitals have hired a Stanley Cup-winning head coach for the first time in their history.Veteran bench boss Peter Laviolette is replacing Todd Reirden, 14 years after winning a Cup with the Hurricanes. He also led the 2010 Flyers and 2017 Predators to the Cup final.The 55-year-old Laviolette became an NHL head coach with the Islanders in 2001, guiding them to playoff berths in each of his two seasons at Uniondale. He spent 5 1/2 seasons with Nashville before being dismissed in January.NHL-WILD-BRODINWild sign BrodinST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman Jonas Brodin (YOH'-nuhs broh-DEEN') to a seven-year, $42 million contract extension. The 27-year-old native of Sweden had a career-high 26 assists in 69 games during the virus-shortened season. MLB-SCHEDULEUNDATED (AP) — Ryan Yarbough won for the first time in 16 appearances while helping the Tampa Bay Rays stay four games ahead of the second-place Yankees in the American League East.Yarbrough gave up one run and five hits over 5 2/3 innings in the Rays' 6-1 downing of the Nationals. It was his first win since Aug 11, 2019 at Seattle.Nate Lowe belted a solo homer and worked out a bases-loaded walk as the Rays improved to 3-4 in a seven-game stretch against last-place opponents.Elsewhere on the major league schedule:— DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit drove in five runs apiece as the Yankees ripped the Blue Jays, 20-6. Voit smacked two of the Yanks' five home runs and Gary Sanchez added a three-run blast with four ribbies in New York's sixth straight win.— The White Sox have a three-game lead in the AL Central after Tim Anderson and James McCann homered in Chicago's 6-2 win versus the second-place Twins. Dane Dunning limited Minnesota to one earned run and three hits while fanning seven over seven innings.— Antonio Senzatella fired a six-hitter and Elias Diaz smacked a go-ahead, two-run homer that pushed the Rockies past the Athletics, 3-1. It was Colorado's first complete game since German Marquez went the distance in April 2019. — George Springer and Martín Maldonado (mahr-TEEN' mal-doh-NAH'-doh) homered for the Astros, but Alex Bregman hit a go-ahead two-run single in the seventh to lead Houston past the Rangers, 4-1. José Urquidy (ur-KEE'-dee) allowed three hits and a run in seven innings for his first win of the season.— Miguel Cabrera homered and doubled as the Tigers beat the Royals, 6-0 to end a three-game skid. Matthew Boyd bounced back from a rough outing with a strong performance, throwing five-plus scoreless innings and giving up just two hits. — Tony Gonsolin worked seven innings and Edwin Rios homered for the Dodgers in a 3-1 win over the Padres. Justin Turner had three singles in his return from the injured list, including an RBI single in the first. Los Angeles ended San Diego's eight-game winning streak and regained a 2 ½-game lead in the NL West. — Huascar Ynoa (WAHS'-kahr ee-NOH'-ah) combined with three relievers on a four-hitter as the Braves topped the Orioles, 5-1. Freddie Freeman laced a pair of RBI doubles and Adam Duvall smacked his 15th home run to help the NL East leaders move 3 1/2 games ahead of second-place Miami. — Boston's Tanner Houck gave up just two singles over five innings to win his major league debut, 2-0 over the Marlins. Jackie Bradley Jr. broke up a scoreless game with an opposite-field double off Miami starter Sandy Alcantara (al-KAN'-tah-rah) in the sixth.— Didi Gregorius (DEE'-dee greh-GOHR'-ee-uhs) belted a two-run homer and Adam Haseley supplied a two-run single for the Phillies in a 4-1 verdict over the Mets. Jake Arrieta worked 5 1/3 innings before leaving the game with a hamstring injury.— Willson Contreras and Cameron Maybin were plunked by consecutive pitches from Nick Wittgren in the ninth inning, forcing home the winning run in the Cubs' 6-5 triumph over the Indians. Javier Baez homered for Chicago, which withstood a two-run homer in the ninth by Francisco Lindor (lihn-DOHR') to increase its lead in the NL Central to five games.— Keston Hiura (HEER'-uh) and Daniel Vogelbach each homered and drove in four runs as the Brewers destroyed the Cardinals, 18-3. Christian Yelich (YEH'-lihch) and Ryan Braun also provided longballs to support Brett Anderson, who allowed two runs over six frames.— Tucker Barnhart homered and Brian Goodwin prevented one with a leaping catch as the Reds earned their season-high fourth straight win, 4-1 against the Pirates. Michael Lorenzen was sharp in a spot start for Cincinnati, allowing one run and four hits while striking out six over five innings.— The Diamondbacks coughed up a seven-run lead before David Peralta hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning to give them a 9-8 victory over the Angels. Longtime Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun had two homers, three hits and a career-high five RBIs in his return to Angel Stadium.— The Giants-Mariners two-game series scheduled to begin Tuesday in Seattle has been postponed due to smoky skies caused by the West Coast wildfires. The teams will now play Wednesday and Thursday at Oracle Park in San Francisco, with game times to be determined.MLB-WORLD SERIESWorld Series to take place in Texas; bubble plans announcedUNDATED (AP) — Major League Baseball has announced the ballparks that will serve as neutral sites for the upcoming division series, league championship series and World Series.Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, will host the World Series as part of a bubble agreement between MLB and the union. The bubble is designed to minimize exposure to the coronavirus. The AL Championship Series will be at San Diego's Petco Park and the NL at Globe Life, a retractable roof stadium with artificial turf that opened this year. The ALDS will be at Petco Park and Dodger Stadium, while the NLDS will play out in Arlington and Houston's Minute Maid Park.The wild-card round will be held in the stadium of the top-seeded teams. The playoffs were expanded from 10 to 16 teams due to the shortened regular-season.MLB-NEWSStanton activated after missing 32 gamesUNDATED (AP) — The New York Yankees have activated designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, third baseman Gio Urshela (ur-SHEH'-luh) and right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga from the 10-day injured list.Stanton missed 32 games with a strained left hamstring, Urshela was out with a bone spur in his right elbow and Loaisiga was sidelined with a medical condition the team did not specify.Right fielder Aaron Judge is expected to be activated later this week. He's been limited to one game since Aug. 11 because of a strained right calf. Also around the majors:— Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner has been activated from the 10-day injured list after missing 13 games with a strained left hamstring. Turner entered Tuesday's action batting .282 with two homers and 20 RBIs in 32 games during the shortened season. NFL-INJURIESJets shelve BellUNDATED (AP) — The New York Jets will play at least three games without running back Le'Veon Bell after he injured a hamstring during Sunday's loss to the Bills. Head coach Adam Gase said Monday he didn't want to put a timetable on Bell's return, but said it was possible it could take some time because it's a soft-tissue injury.The Jets also announced they have placed rookie wide receiver Denzel Mims and second-year linebacker Blake Cashman on IR.In other NFL news:— Drue Tranquill has been placed on injured reserve by the Chargers . The second-year linebacker broke his left ankle during the first quarter of Sunday's 16-13 victory at Cincinnati. — The Bengals claimed former Browns kicker Austin Seibert off waivers but expect Randy Bullock to be ready to play in Cleveland on Thursday. Bullock missed a 31-yard field goal with 2 seconds left Sunday when his left calf cramped.— The 49ers have agreed to a one-year contract with free agent receiver Mohamed Sanu (sah-NOO'). He had 26 catches for 207 yards in eight games with New England last season.— The 49ers are seeking to identify the fan who sent racist messages to Arizona safety Budda Baker. The team says it will ban the person from future games and events. Baker tweeted a screenshot of the derogatory messages on Monday that came after his hit Sunday injured All-Pro tight end George Kittle. COLLEGE FOOTBALL-NEWSWisconsin chancellor: Big Ten football still on holdUNDATED (AP) — The University of Wisconsin chancellor says Big Ten football will remain on hold until there are answers to questions about COVID-19 testing and tracing, along with possible long-term heart issues related to the coronavirus. Big Ten leaders are reconsidering a fall season after a weekend of meetings about a plan to begin play as soon as mid-October. Wisconsin chancellor Rebecca Blank would not predict which way a vote to return to play would go. She says once Big Ten university leaders have their questions and concerns addressed, "we will try to plan a delayed season."Also around college football:— Arkansas State's home football game against Central Arkansas has been pushed back from Saturday to Oct. 10. Arkansas State announced Tuesday that the team cannot assemble a full two-deep depth chart at a specific position group due to player unavailability. The statement did not reveal if the postponement was COVID-19 related, but the program said the "health and safety of our student-athletes will always come first."— UAB quarterback Tyler Johnston III is out indefinitely with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. Johnston has thrown for 293 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in the first two games against Central Arkansas and Miami.

Sports Headlines for Wednesday

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

		San Francisco	at	Seattle	9:45 p.m.	(Postponed)

WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS

		San Francisco	at	Seattle	9:40 p.m.	(Postponed)

		Miami	at	New York City FC	7 p.m.	(Canceled)

		Colorado	at	Nashville	8 p.m.	(Canceled)

		Los Angeles FC	at	Houston	8:30 p.m.	(Canceled)

		San Jose	at	Seattle	10:30 p.m.	(Canceled)

AP-Scorecard<h2>Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:</h2>___INTERLEAGUE		San Francisco	at	Seattle	9:45 p.m.	(Postponed)Final	Boston	2	Miami	0	Final	Tampa Bay	6	Washington	1	Final	Atlanta	5	Baltimore	1	Final	Colorado	3	Oakland	1	Final	Chicago Cubs	6	Cleveland	5	Final	Arizona	9	L.A. Angels	8	___AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	N.Y. Yankees	20	Toronto	6	Final	Detroit	6	Kansas City	0	Final	Houston	4	Texas	1	Final	Chicago White Sox	6	Minnesota	2	___NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	Cincinnati	4	Pittsburgh	1	Final	Philadelphia	4	N.Y. Mets	1	Final	Milwaukee	18	St. Louis	3	Final	L.A. Dodgers	3	San Diego	1	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFSFinal OT	Miami	117	Boston	114	Final	Denver	104	L.A. Clippers	89	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFSFinal 2OT	N-Y Islanders	2	Tampa Bay	1	___WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFSFinal	Connecticut	94	Chicago	81	Final	Phoenix	85	Washington	84	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___INTERLEAGUE		Washington	at	Tampa Bay	1:10 p.m.			Oakland	at	Colorado	3:10 p.m.			Boston	at	Miami	6:40 p.m.			Atlanta	at	Baltimore	7:35 p.m.			Cleveland	at	Chi Cubs	8:15 p.m.			Arizona	at	L-A Angels	9:40 p.m.			San Francisco	at	Seattle	9:40 p.m.	(Postponed)___AMERICAN LEAGUE		Toronto	at	N-Y Yankees	7:05 p.m.			Kansas City	at	Detroit	7:10 p.m.			Minnesota	at	Chi White Sox	8:10 p.m.			Texas	at	Houston	8:10 p.m.	___NATIONAL LEAGUE		L-A Dodgers	at	San Diego	4:10 p.m.			St. Louis	at	Milwaukee	5:10 p.m.			Pittsburgh	at	Cincinnati	6:40 p.m.			N-Y Mets	at	Philadelphia	7:05 p.m.			St. Louis	at	Milwaukee	8:40 p.m.	___MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER		Miami	at	New York City FC	7 p.m.	(Canceled)		Colorado	at	Nashville	8 p.m.	(Canceled)		Los Angeles FC	at	Houston	8:30 p.m.	(Canceled)		Colorado	at	FC Dallas	8:30 p.m.			Montreal	at	Vancouver	9:30 p.m.			Portland	at	San Jose	9:30 p.m.			San Jose	at	Seattle	10:30 p.m.	(Canceled)___

Sports Scores from Tuesday

DETROIT (AP) — Miguel Cabrera hit a homer and a double to help the Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 6-0. Matthew Boyd bounced back with a strong performance, throwing five-plus scoreless innings and giving up just two hits. 

Boyd allowed seven runs over three-plus innings in his previous start as Milwaukee beat Detroit 19-0 last week. Jakob Junis started in place of Danny Duffy, who missed the team’s flight to Detroit. Junis gave up five runs and seven hits. Detroit had lost three straight and 10 of 13 games. Kansas City had won six straight.

DETROIT (AP) — Miguel Cabrera hit a homer and a double to help the Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 6-0. Matthew Boyd bounced back with a strong performance, throwing five-plus scoreless innings and giving up just two hits. <div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W10nO3Keg8Q" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Boyd allowed seven runs over three-plus innings in his previous start as Milwaukee beat Detroit 19-0 last week. Jakob Junis started in place of Danny Duffy, who missed the team’s flight to Detroit. Junis gave up five runs and seven hits. Detroit had lost three straight and 10 of 13 games. Kansas City had won six straight.

🎥 Miguel Cabrera homers to help Tigers beat Royals 6-0

The Hutch High volleyball team took its first loss of the year on Tuesday, losing to Derby in two games before bouncing back to beat Salina South in three at the Salthawk Activity Center. The Salthawks are 9-1

Halstead beat Nickerson in three and Nickerson swept Haven in Nickerson on the volleyball court. The Panthers are 10-3 on the year.

Buhler swept El Dorado and Winfield in a volleyball triangular Tuesday to go to 8-1 on the season.

Trinity Catholic beat Ell-Saline in three in volleyball Tuesday, as well.

On the soccer pitch, Buhler beat Towanda Circle 11-0, while Hutch High lost to Valley Center 1-0.

Hutch High varsity girls golf earned a 3rd place team finish at the Newton Invitational. Individually <a href="https://twitter.com/reaghannnn">R</a>eagan Martin finished 6th and Riley Lusk finished tied for 7th.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Hutch High volleyball team took its first loss of the year on Tuesday, losing to Derby in two games before bouncing back to beat Salina South in three at the Salthawk Activity Center. The Salthawks are 9-1Halstead beat Nickerson in three and Nickerson swept Haven in Nickerson on the volleyball court. The Panthers are 10-3 on the year.Buhler swept El Dorado and Winfield in a volleyball triangular Tuesday to go to 8-1 on the season.Trinity Catholic beat Ell-Saline in three in volleyball Tuesday, as well.On the soccer pitch, Buhler beat Towanda Circle 11-0, while Hutch High lost to Valley Center 1-0.Hutch High varsity girls golf earned a 3rd place team finish at the Newton Invitational. Individually <a href="https://twitter.com/reaghannnn">R</a>eagan Martin finished 6th and Riley Lusk finished tied for 7th.&nbsp;&nbsp;

High school results from September 15, 2020

A good day for Buhler Girls Golf, History for the Sun Belt conference, and audio from Coach Andy Reid and a Royals preview in sports Tuesday...

A good day for Buhler Girls Golf, History for the Sun Belt conference, and audio from Coach Andy Reid and a Royals preview in sports Tuesday...<div><iframe title="BW Radio Sports 09-15-2020" height="122" width="100%" style="border: none;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/xs9yk-eba10e?from=pb6admin&download=1&version=1&auto=0&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Helvetica&skin=1&pfauth=&btn-skin=107"></iframe></div>

BW Radio Sports 09-15-2020

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Paul DeJong knocked in the go-ahead run with a two-out single in the ninth inning as the St. Louis Cardinals edged the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 to salvage a split of their doubleheader Monday. Both games went to extra innings after being scheduled for seven. The Brewers won the opener 2-1 when Keston Hiura hit a sacrifice fly to score Avisail Garcia with the winning run in the eighth. Monday's doubleheader opened a three-day, five-game series between these NL Central rivals who were facing each other for the first time this season.&nbsp;

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The Sun Belt Conference went 3-0 against the Big 12 over the weekend, a stunning performance highlighted by Louisiana's romp over then-No. 23 Iowa State. Arkansas State also won at Kansas State and Coastal Carolina won at Kansas. It may have been the best day in the history of the league. In the latest Top 25, Louisiana-Lafayette landed at No. 19 and Appalachian State is tied with Kentucky at No. 23 following its win over Charlotte. Arkansas State received the sixth-most votes of schools that are just outside the weekly rankings.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs threw the adage that defense wins championship right on the ol' barbecue and cooked it till it was charred last season, relying instead on their dynamic offense to win their first Super Bowl in 50 years. They also leaned on it to win their season opener against Houston. That game to kick off the NFL's season on Thursday night, though, may have illustrated just how exceptional their offense can be. They used balance in the run game and the pass game to blow out a team that has Super Bowl aspirations of their own this season.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Ben Roethlisberger (RAWTH'-lihs-bur-gur) looked like his former self on Monday after missing the final 14 games of last season following elbow surgery.

Roethlisberger threw for three touchdowns as the Pittsburgh Steelers opened their schedule with a 26-16 win over the New York Giants. The Giants led 10-3 until Roethlisberger hit JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington for scores in the second quarter.

It remained 16-10 when Daniel Jones engineered a 19-play drive that got the Giants near the goal line. But Bud Dupree deflected the final pass of the drive, allowing Cam Heyward to come up with the interception.

Bennie Snell rushed for 113 yards on 19 carries, his first 100-yard performance in his second NFL season. He received the bulk of the carries while James Connor battled an injury.

The Steelers also bottled up Saquon (SAY'-kwahn) Barkley, who was held to six yards on 15 carries. 

Jones threw for 279 yards and a touchdown but was picked off twice for the Giants.

UNDATED (AP) — The NFL is reminding team personnel on the sidelines about the rules for wearing face coverings. There were several games Sunday in which team members other than players were not using them. 

Troy Vincent oversees the league's football operations. He sent a memo to the 32 clubs on Monday saying teams "must remain vigilant" about following protocols set not only by the league, union and clubs, but by state and local governments. Otherwise, he says, the season could be "at risk."

— Colts starting running back Marlon Mack will miss the rest of this season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon. Mack suffered the injury on a 3-yard catch midway through the second quarter Sunday. 

— The Titans have placed starting cornerback Adoree Jackson on injured reserve and replaced him by signing corner Tye Smith to the active roster from the practice squad. ackson was added to the injury report Friday after being limited by a knee issue. 

— The Browns have switched kickers after one game, waiving Austin Seibert and signing Cody Parkey. Seibert missed an extra point and field goal in Sunday's 38-6 loss at Baltimore. 

— Jets running back Le'Veon Bell could miss a few weeks after injuring his left hamstring in the team's season-opening loss at Buffalo. Coach Adam Gase says Monday he doesn't want to put a timetable on Bell's return, but says it could take some time because it's a soft-tissue injury. 

— The Jaguars placed starting safety Jarrod Wilson on injured reserve with a left hamstring injury. He's expected to miss at least a month. 

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Dallas Stars have advanced to the Stanley Cup final for the first time in 20 years.

The Stars erased a two-goal deficit in the last half of the third period before Denis Gurianov (goor-ee-AH'-nahf) scored on a one-timer during a power play 3:36 into overtime to give the Stars a 3-2 triumph over Vegas. The Stars are 5-0 in overtime this postseason. They also won 3-2 in Game 3 against Vegas, when Alexander Radulov scored 31 seconds into OT. 

Reilly Smith scored just 15 seconds into the third period to put the Golden Knights ahead, 2-0. The lead held until Jamie Benn scored for the first time in 11 games, beating Robin Lehner (LEH'-nur) midway through the third. Rookie Joel Kiviranta (yool kih-vah-RAHN'-tah) tied it on a power play with 3:47 remaining in regulation.

Anton Khudobin (hoo-DOH'-bihn) had 34 saves to help the Stars close out the Western Conference final in five games.

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — The Calgary Flames have removed the "interim" tag from Geoff Ward's job and made him the NHL club's head coach. Ward was promoted from associate coach Nov. 29. Calgary was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in six games by the Dallas Stars.

UNDATED (AP) — Kyle Lewis showed the Oakland Athletics why he's being touted as an AL Rookie of the Year candidate.

Lewis belted a two-run homer and walked with the bases loaded in the sixth inning to help the Mariners top Oakland, 6-5 in the opener of a doubleheader. The center fielder ended the game with a .293 average, 10 home runs and 27 RBIs.

Seattle trailed 5-0 after home runs by Sean Murphy and Marcus Semien off Marco Gonzales. Tim Lopes' third double of the game drove in Phillip Ervin with two outs, tying it at 5 in the sixth. 

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>MILWAUKEE (AP) — Paul DeJong knocked in the go-ahead run with a two-out single in the ninth inning as the St. Louis Cardinals edged the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 to salvage a split of their doubleheader Monday. Both games went to extra innings after being scheduled for seven. The Brewers won the opener 2-1 when Keston Hiura hit a sacrifice fly to score Avisail Garcia with the winning run in the eighth. Monday's doubleheader opened a three-day, five-game series between these NL Central rivals who were facing each other for the first time this season.&nbsp;LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The Sun Belt Conference went 3-0 against the Big 12 over the weekend, a stunning performance highlighted by Louisiana's romp over then-No. 23 Iowa State. Arkansas State also won at Kansas State and Coastal Carolina won at Kansas. It may have been the best day in the history of the league. In the latest Top 25, Louisiana-Lafayette landed at No. 19 and Appalachian State is tied with Kentucky at No. 23 following its win over Charlotte. Arkansas State received the sixth-most votes of schools that are just outside the weekly rankings.KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs threw the adage that defense wins championship right on the ol' barbecue and cooked it till it was charred last season, relying instead on their dynamic offense to win their first Super Bowl in 50 years. They also leaned on it to win their season opener against Houston. That game to kick off the NFL's season on Thursday night, though, may have illustrated just how exceptional their offense can be. They used balance in the run game and the pass game to blow out a team that has Super Bowl aspirations of their own this season.<h2>Update on the latest sports</h2>NFL-SCHEDULESteelers ride Big Ben, Snell to victoryEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Ben Roethlisberger (RAWTH'-lihs-bur-gur) looked like his former self on Monday after missing the final 14 games of last season following elbow surgery.Roethlisberger threw for three touchdowns as the Pittsburgh Steelers opened their schedule with a 26-16 win over the New York Giants. The Giants led 10-3 until Roethlisberger hit JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington for scores in the second quarter.It remained 16-10 when Daniel Jones engineered a 19-play drive that got the Giants near the goal line. But Bud Dupree deflected the final pass of the drive, allowing Cam Heyward to come up with the interception.Bennie Snell rushed for 113 yards on 19 carries, his first 100-yard performance in his second NFL season. He received the bulk of the carries while James Connor battled an injury.The Steelers also bottled up Saquon (SAY'-kwahn) Barkley, who was held to six yards on 15 carries. Jones threw for 279 yards and a touchdown but was picked off twice for the Giants.NFL-NEWSNFL reminds team about mask requirementsUNDATED (AP) — The NFL is reminding team personnel on the sidelines about the rules for wearing face coverings. There were several games Sunday in which team members other than players were not using them. Troy Vincent oversees the league's football operations. He sent a memo to the 32 clubs on Monday saying teams "must remain vigilant" about following protocols set not only by the league, union and clubs, but by state and local governments. Otherwise, he says, the season could be "at risk."Elsewhere in the NFL:— Colts starting running back Marlon Mack will miss the rest of this season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon. Mack suffered the injury on a 3-yard catch midway through the second quarter Sunday. — The Titans have placed starting cornerback Adoree Jackson on injured reserve and replaced him by signing corner Tye Smith to the active roster from the practice squad. ackson was added to the injury report Friday after being limited by a knee issue. — The Browns have switched kickers after one game, waiving Austin Seibert and signing Cody Parkey. Seibert missed an extra point and field goal in Sunday's 38-6 loss at Baltimore. — Jets running back Le'Veon Bell could miss a few weeks after injuring his left hamstring in the team's season-opening loss at Buffalo. Coach Adam Gase says Monday he doesn't want to put a timetable on Bell's return, but says it could take some time because it's a soft-tissue injury. — The Jaguars placed starting safety Jarrod Wilson on injured reserve with a left hamstring injury. He's expected to miss at least a month. NHL-STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFSStars finish off KnightsEDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Dallas Stars have advanced to the Stanley Cup final for the first time in 20 years.The Stars erased a two-goal deficit in the last half of the third period before Denis Gurianov (goor-ee-AH'-nahf) scored on a one-timer during a power play 3:36 into overtime to give the Stars a 3-2 triumph over Vegas. The Stars are 5-0 in overtime this postseason. They also won 3-2 in Game 3 against Vegas, when Alexander Radulov scored 31 seconds into OT. Reilly Smith scored just 15 seconds into the third period to put the Golden Knights ahead, 2-0. The lead held until Jamie Benn scored for the first time in 11 games, beating Robin Lehner (LEH'-nur) midway through the third. Rookie Joel Kiviranta (yool kih-vah-RAHN'-tah) tied it on a power play with 3:47 remaining in regulation.Anton Khudobin (hoo-DOH'-bihn) had 34 saves to help the Stars close out the Western Conference final in five games.NHL-FLAMES-WARDWard named coach of FlamesCALGARY, Alberta (AP) — The Calgary Flames have removed the "interim" tag from Geoff Ward's job and made him the NHL club's head coach. Ward was promoted from associate coach Nov. 29. Calgary was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in six games by the Dallas Stars.MLB-SCHEDULELewis leads Mariner comebackUNDATED (AP) — Kyle Lewis showed the Oakland Athletics why he's being touted as an AL Rookie of the Year candidate.Lewis belted a two-run homer and walked with the bases loaded in the sixth inning to help the Mariners top Oakland, 6-5 in the opener of a doubleheader. The center fielder ended the game with a .293 average, 10 home runs and 27 RBIs.Seattle trailed 5-0 after home runs by Sean Murphy and Marcus Semien off Marco Gonzales. Tim Lopes' third double of the game drove in Phillip Ervin with two outs, tying it at 5 in the sixth. The A's easily earned a split as Mike Minor picked up his first victory of the year with a two-hitter in a 9-0 rout of Seattle. Jake Lamb homered in his first game since Oakland acquired him from Arizona earlier in the day. Mark Canha (KAN'-ah) added a two-run homer and three RBIs to the win.Elsewhere around the majors:— Adam Engel delivered a tiebreaking pinch-hit single in the eighth inning to lead the White Sox to their ninth win in 10 games, 3-1 over the Twins. Tim Anderson had three hits, including an RBI single that capped the scoring. The outcome allowed the Pale Hose to open a two-game lead over the Twins in the AL Central.— Jorge Ona's (OHN'-yuhz) tiebreaking, RBI double sparked a five-run seventh as the Padres knocked off Los Angeles, 7-2 to get within 1 1/2 games of the NL West-leading Dodgers. The Padres also scored in the seventh on a pair of fielder's choices and an RBI grounder en route to their eighth win in a row. Winning pitcher Dinelson Lamet (dih-NEHL'-suhn lah-MEHT') struck out 11 while limiting the Dodgers to a run and three hits over seven innings. — DJ Stewart, Ryan Mountcastle and Jose Iglesias all homered while the Orioles erupted for nine runs in the third inning of a 14-1 drubbing of the Braves. Pat Valaika also homered and Jorge Lopez allowed a run and five hits over seven innings for Baltimore. Lopez blanked Atlanta until Freddie Freeman homered in the sixth.— Pablo Lopez allowed one run in seven innings with the help of flashy defense by right fielder Matt Joyce, pitching the Marlins to a 6-2 win over the Phillies. Lopez allowed only three hits and retired his final 13 batters to help the Marlins beat the Phils for the fifth time in the just-concluded seven-game series. Jesus Aguilar put the Marlins ahead with a two-run double in the third inning before Miguel Rojas and Starling Marte homered off David Phelps. — Keston Hiura's (HEER'-uhz) sacrifice fly in the eighth inning gave the Brewers a 2-1 decision over the Cardinals in Game 1 of their twinbill. St. Louis took the lead in the eighth, but Ryan Braun laced an RBI double that also put the winning run on third.— Game 2 in Milwaukee also went extra innings before Paul DeJong's (deh-YUHNGZ') RBI single in the top of the ninth gave the Cardinals a 3-2 victory and a split of the doubleheader. Tyler O'Neill and Brad Miller also provided run-scoring singles for the Redbirds.— The Reds took Game 1 of their doubleheader by beating the Pirates, 3-1 on rookie Tyler Stephenson's two-run, walk-off home run in the seventh inning. Trevor Bauer led 1-0 and retired 14 straight batters before Colin Moran led off the seventh with his eighth homer. Bauer was trying for his third seven-inning shutout of the pandemic-shortened season.— Cincinnati completed a sweep as Mike Moustakas (moos-TAH'-kahs) slammed a three-run homer in a 9-4 win over the Bucs. Brian Goodwin and Joey Votto (VAH'-toh) also homered for the Reds.MLB-NEWSBuy the Mets, buy the Mets, step right up and buy the MetsNEW YORK (AP) — Billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen has agreed to buy the New York Mets from the Wilpon and Katz families, a deal that's subject to the approval of Major League Baseball owners. Cohen also entered negotiations to buy the Mets last year, but the deal fell apart in February. Sportico reported Cohen will own 95% of the team, with the rest staying with the Wilpon and Katz families. The deal reportedly values the franchise at about $2.4 billion.Former major league star Alex Rodriguez and fiancee Jennifer Lopez also attempted to buy the team, but they dropped out of the bidding last month.Fred Wilpon purchased a piece of the Mets 1980 as part of an investment group headed by Nelson Doubleday. Wilpon and Saul Katz bought out Doubleday in 2002.GOLF-US OPEN-HORSFIELDHorsfield out of Open after positive testMAMARONECK, N.Y. (AP) — Sam Horsfield of England is the second player in as many days to withdraw from the U.S. Open because of a positive result from a coronavirus test. Horsfield had a negative result Thursday from a pre-travel test. Upon landing in New York, he tested positive without having symptoms.TENNIS-FRENCH OPENMurray gets wild card for ParisPARIS (AP) — Andy Murray has received a wild card into the French Open. The former No. 1 was the only non-Frenchman to be given a free pass into the men's main draw of the grand slam which starts in 13 days. Murray was also awarded a wild card into the U.S. Open after pelvic and shin injuries, and went two rounds. Tsvetana Pironkova (sveh-TAH'-nah pih-RAHN'-koh-vah) of Bulgaria and Eugenie Bouchard of Canada were the only non-Frenchwomen to receive wild cards. COLLEGE FOOTBALL-OHIO STATE DEPARTURESTired of waiting: Ohio State stars opt out, move on to draftCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State stars Shaun Wade and Wyatt Davis got tired of waiting for a decision on the football season and chose to opt out and begin preparing for the NFL draft. Wade was a preseason All-American cornerback and Davis is an offensive guard. Both are likely to be first-round picks in the 2021 draft. All eyes will now be on quarterback Justin Fields, who could be one of the top picks in the 2021 draft regardless of whether he plays another down of football for the Buckeyes.HORSE RACING-HONOR A.P.Derby horse retired by injuryARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — Honor A.P. has been retired because of an injury suffered while completing a fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby this month.The 3-year-old colt will stand at stud for next year's breeding season at Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky.Honor A.P. had two wins in six career starts and earnings of $532,200, according to Equibase.