KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas State coach Chris Klieman plans to use both veteran Will Howard and freshman Avery Johnson at quarterback going forward. He announced that decision Tuesday after watching Johnson come on against Texas Tech and lead the Wildcats from a third-quarter deficit to a 38-21 win. Johnson matched a school record with five touchdown runs, and he remains the only player in the Football Bowl Subdivision with that many in a game this season. Howard led the Wildcats to the Big 12 title last season. Kansas State plays TCU on Saturday in a rematch of the conference championship game.
UNDATED (AP) — The four newcomers in the Big 12 are off to a bad start. BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF are a combined 2-10 in league games. It's a far cry from their recent histories. Cincinnati went to the College Football Playoff in 2021. BYU won 10 games twice in the past three years. Houston is two years removed from a 12-win season. And UCF had at least nine victories in five of the last six years. So far, UCF and Cincinnati are winless in Big 12 play and the Bearcats have lost four straight.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Big 12 is preparing to play a 20-game conference schedule in men’s basketball, and an 18-game women’s schedule, when the league loses Texas and Oklahoma but welcomes four additions from the Pac-12 beginning next season. The arrival of Arizona, Arizona State and Utah along with former Big 12 member Colorado from the latest round of conference realignment has created new challenges in scheduling. The league will stretch across all four time zones and result in some long and time-consuming road trips. But Yormark said the league will prioritize geography along with competitive balance, historic matchups and rivalries when it is determining future schedules.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Big 12 women's basketball tournament will be played at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City the week before the men's event beginning this season. The women for years have played at Municipal Auditorium, a building built during the 1930s with a much smaller capacity and far fewer amenities. That was so that the two tourneys could run concurrently, and traveling fans could see both of their teams on the same trip. Now, the women's tournament will be held the week before the men in March. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark says the women deserve to be in a better venue.
UNDATED (AP) — During a Senate hearing, NCAA President Charlie Baker shifted the focus of college sports’ need for federal legislation away from regulating how athletes can be compensated for their fame to the looming possibility of the players being deemed employees of their schools. Baker, Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick were among the witnesses appearing in front of the House Judiciary Committee. This was the 10th hearing on college sports to be held on Capitol Hill since 2020. Baker said in his opening statement that college sports are “overdue for change.”
UNDATED (AP) — Halfway through the 2023 season, the national championship race feels more wide open than it has been in years. Seems like a great time for a 12-team College Football Playoff but that will have to until 2024. For now, the playoff is still a four-team bracket. At midseason, No. 16 Duke is the most pleasant surprise and Clemson isthe biggest disappointment, according to AP College Football Writer Ralph Russo. He also likes LSU's Jayden Daniels for the Heisman Trophy and Utah's Kyle Whittingham as the top coach so far.
NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL is looking to eliminate the hip-drop tackle and will again discuss the “tush push” in the offseason. League executive Jeff Miller said Tuesday the hip-drop tackle increases risk of injury by 25 times the rate of a standard tackle. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith briefly left a game against the Giants in Week 4 after getting hurt by a hip-drop tackle. The league made the horse-collar tackle illegal several years ago because a defender’s body weight ends up on the legs of the ball carrier, enhancing risk of injury. Rich McKay, the chairman of the NFL’s competition committee, called the hip-drop tackle a “cousin” of the horse collar.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kyle Schwarber hit two of Philadelphia’s three solo homers off Merrill Kelly, and the sweet-swinging Phillies pounded the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-0 for a 2-0 lead in the NL Championship Series. Trea Turner also connected and J.T. Realmuto had two hits and three RBIs as Philadelphia improved to 7-1 in the playoffs, moving closer to a second straight World Series appearance. Aaron Nola tossed three-hit ball and struck out seven in six innings. Game 3 is Thursday at Chase Field.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Max Scherzer is getting back on the mound for the Texas Rangers with a chance to put them up 3-0 in the AL Championship Series against the Houston Astros. Scherzer has been out a month because of a muscle strain in his shoulder. The three-time Cy Young Award winner made only one more start after allowing seven runs on three homers in three innings against Houston on September 6. That was the end of a three-game series in Arlington when the Astros hit 16 homers and outscored them 39-10. Cristian Javier starts for the Astros. The Rangers have won all seven of their playoff games. This will be only their second one at home.
TUESDAY SCORES
NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Philadelphia 10 Arizona 0
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Philadelphia 2 Vancouver 0
Final Minnesota 5 Montreal 2
Final N-Y Islanders 1 Arizona 0
Final OT Buffalo 3 Tampa Bay 2
Final Los Angeles 5 Winnipeg 1
Final Edmonton 6 Nashville 1
Final Colorado 4 Seattle 1
Final Carolina 6 San Jose 3