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Ireland blitzes Scotland to set up Rugby World Cup quarterfinal with New Zealand

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:18:42 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Top-ranked Ireland confirmed a Rugby World Cup quarterfinal after blitzing Scotland by six tries and 36-14 on Saturday.Ireland topped Pool B ahead of defending champion South Africa, which it beat 13-8 in a titanic contest two weeks ago.This one was never close as Ireland cruised to a 17th straight win — one win behind the tier one world record — and led 36-0 before Scotland’s two tries.The Irish have never passed the quarters and they face three-time champion New Zealand when they return to Stade de France next Saturday.“This is where we want to be now in a quarterfinal against the toughest opposition we could get,” Ireland captain Jonathan Sexton said. “It is the hand that we were dealt and we have to be ready.”France faces the Springboks here the following day.Underdog Scotland had to win and deny the Irish a bonus point to advance at Ireland’s expense. Instead, coach Gregor Townsend’s side slumped meekly to a record-tying ninth straight defeat agai...

Huff throws for pair of touchdowns in Furman’s 28-14 victory over The Citadel

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:18:42 GMT

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Tyler Huff threw for a pair of touchdowns and Furman defeated winless The Citadel 28-14 on Saturday.Huff had 240 of the Paladins’ 345 yards of offense, completing 19 of 24 passes for 146 yards and rushing for 94 more on nine carries. Dominic Roberto added 77 yards rushing on 19 carries, including a 5-yard score.The Paladins (4-1, 2-0 Southern Conference), ranked fourth in the coaches FCS poll, built a 28-0 lead before the Bulldogs scored on Johnny Crawford III’s 5-yard run late in the third quarter and Graeson Underwood’s 1-yard score midway through the fourth.Huff threw a 14-yard TD pass to Luke Shiflett in the first quarter and Myion Hicks went over from the 1 for a 14-0 halftime lead. The lead increased to 28-0 on Roberto’s TD and Huff’s 6-yard pass to Nick Cannon.The Bulldogs (0-6, 0-3) managed only 37 yards rushing. Underwood was 18-of-33 passing for 226 yards but with two interceptions.The Paladins have won three straight i...

Sam Mayer saves NASCAR season with Xfinity Series playoff win at Charlotte

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:18:42 GMT

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Sam Mayer rallied from the verge of elimination into the next round of the Xfinity Series playoffs with a season-defining win Saturday on The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was the third career win for the 20-year-old driver for JR Motorsports, who was ranked 12th and last in the standings as four drivers vied for the five open slots in the round of eight of the playoffs for NASCAR’s second-tier series. All three of Mayer’s wins this season are on road courses. “Our car was so fast, it really felt unbeatable,” Mayer said. “We kicked their tails today and it just feels so great. Winning solves everything, that’s the name of the game. This is our second-chance moment, I think we can make something out of this.”Mayer called it the biggest win of his career. He led a race-high 51 of the 67 laps in his Chevrolet.Justin Allgaier, John Hunter Nemechek and Cole Custer had already locked themselves in to the round of eight before the race on Char...

Stanton scores twice and Samford topples Wofford 31-10

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:18:42 GMT

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — Jay Stanton rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns and Samford defeated Wofford 31-10 on Saturday.Stanton’s scores came on runs of 1 and 9 yards as the Bulldogs (3-3, 2-2 Southern Conference) built a 24-3 halftime lead. Damonta Witherspoon’s 1-yard run finished a 15-play, 97-yard drive for a 31-3 lead late in the third quarter.Ryan Ingram scored Wofford’s only touchdown, his 2-yard run making it 31-10 with under six minutes left in the game.Witherspoon finished with 95 yards rushing as he and Stanton combined for all but 6 of Samford’s 205 yards on the ground. Michael Hiers completed 30 of 42 passes for 239 yards. He had one touchdown and one interception.Wofford (0-6, 0-3) was held to 251 yards, with Pauly Seeley throwing for 114 yards and J.T. Smith Jr. running for 67.It was Samford’s ninth consecutive win in the series.—-AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college...

Luke Bailey throws 2 TD passes and Drake holds off Valparaiso 20-14

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:18:42 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Luke Bailey threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns and Drake held off Valparaiso for a 20-14 victory on Saturday. Valparaiso took over possession at its 23 with 41 seconds to play, but the game ended with the Beacons stranded near midfield. Bailey threw a 57-yard score to Mitchell January in the first quarter and his 2-yarder to Gage Vander Leest in the third stretched the Drake lead to 17-0 midway through the third. Bailey completed 16 of 35 passes and January made two catches for 102 yards for Drake (2-3, 2-0 Pioneer League). Jeffrey Jackson came off the bench and led Valparaiso (1-4, 0-2) on a pair of fourth-quarter scoring drives. Jackson’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Moise Tezzo capped the scoring with 1:50 to play, and the Beacons forced a three-and-out on Drake’s next possession.Jackson finished 5-of-14 passing for 62 yards. Michael Appel Jr. completed 11 of 25 passes for 78 yards for the Beacons. ___ AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/col...

Von Miller set to make season debut after Bills activate him from PUP list for game against Jaguars

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:18:42 GMT

Buffalo Bills edge-rusher Von Miller is set to play against Jacksonville on Sunday in what would be his first game since tearing a ligament in his right knee 10 months ago.The Bills (3-1) activated the NFL’s all-time active sacks leader from the reserve-physically unable to perform list on Saturday, a day after arriving in London for their “home” game against the Jaguars (2-2) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. And it comes after Miller on Friday called it a “safe bet” that he would play following three straight days of practicing on a limited bases.The 34-year-old has been sidelined since being hurt a 28-25 win at the Detroit Lions on Nov. 24. He was cleared for practice in late August, but the Bills elected to provide him more time to recover by placing him on PUP to start the season, guaranteeing he would miss the first four weeks.Miller is expected to be eased in and limited to playing in obvious pass-rushing situations. His activation coincides with Buffalo already ruling out ...

The North Dakota defense holds winless Western Illinois to just 206 total yards in 49-10 victory

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:18:42 GMT

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — Ted Mullin returned an interception for a 33-yard touchdown and the North Dakota defense held winless Western Illinois to just 206 total yards in a 49-10 victory on Saturday.Mullin’s touchdown was North Dakota’s only score of over 10 yards. The Fighting Hawks scored on runs of 1, 5, 6, 10, 8 and 4 yards. Gaven Ziebarth had a team-high 78 yards rushing and Simon Romfo scored twice. Luke Skokna, Grant Romfo, Tommy Schuster and Quincy Vaughn also scored on the ground as nine rushers combined for 28 carries and 224 yards.Schuster was 17-of-23 passing for 206 yards for North Dakota (3-2, 1-1 Missouri Valley Conference Football). Trey Feeney and Simon Romfo also completed two passes apiece.Matt Morrissey threw for 145 yards for Western Illinois (0-5, 0-2). The Leathernecks were limited to just 2 yards in the opening quarter.North Dakota was coming off a 42-21 loss to top-ranked South Dakota State last weekend after being limited to just 234 yards of to...

Hamas surprise attack out of Gaza stuns Israel and leaves at least 250 dead in fighting, retaliation

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:18:42 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Backed by a barrage of rockets, dozens of Hamas militants broke out of the blockaded Gaza Strip and into nearby Israeli towns, killing dozens and abducting others in an unprecedented surprise early morning attack during a major Jewish holiday Saturday. A stunned Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza, with its prime minister saying the country is now at war with Hamas and vowing to inflict an “unprecedented price.”In an assault of startling breadth, Hamas gunmen rolled into as many as 22 locations outside the Gaza Strip, including towns and other communities as far as 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the Gaza border. In some places, they roamed for hours, gunning down civilians and soldiers as Israel’s military scrambled to muster a response. Gunbattles continued well after nightfall, and militants held hostages in standoffs in two towns and occupied a police station in a third.Israeli media, citing rescue service officials, said at least 250 people were killed and 1,500 w...

Airlines cancel flights to Israel amid attacks

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:18:42 GMT

New York (CNN) — Airlines scrambled to cancel flights into Israel early Saturday after Palestinian militants launched a surprise attack, firing thousands of rockets from Gaza into nearby Israeli towns during a Jewish holiday.As of Saturday afternoon, about 16% of flights were canceled and 23% were delayed to Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel’s international hub, located just outside of Tel Aviv.Some Israel-bound flights were diverted to other airports around the globe. United Airlines flight 954 left San Francisco International Airport on Friday night and diverted over Greenland about seven hours into the more than 13-hour-long journey, according to flight tracking site FlightAware. The flight would later return to San Francisco.“The safety of our customers and crews is our top priority,” the airline said in a statement. “We are closely monitoring the situation and we are adjusting flight schedules as required.”FlightAware data also show Delta Air Lines and American Airl...

Israel’s Netanyahu vows ‘mighty vengeance’ against Hamas after attack

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:18:42 GMT

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed “mighty vengeance” against Hamas after the Palestinian militant group launched a massive surprise attack on Saturday, killing more than 250 Israelis and taking numerous captives.In a brief video address late Saturday, Netanyahu said Hamas would be held responsible for the well-being of the captives and said Israel would settle the score with anyone who harmed the country or its citizens. Israel already started launching retaliatory air strikes on targets in Gaza early Saturday.“We will take mighty vengeance for this black day,” Netanyahu said. “All the places where Hamas hides, operates from — we will turn them into cities of ruins.” He said Israel is preparing for a long conflict. The massive assault unleashed by Iran-backed Hamas early Saturday combined a barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel and dozens of heavily armed gunmen attacking the country’s south from Gaza. It came a da...