Penn State is still chasing elite under coach James Franklin

Playing in a national championship game that attracted a record television audience and bringing back the star player who transcends the sport has taken Iowa women’s basketball to unprecedented levels of popularity in the state

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson admitted he “feels sorry” for opponents Newcastle, who could lose summer signing Sandro Tonali to a lengthy ban depending on the outcome of an investigation into alleged betting offences. Eddie Howe on Friday confirmed his midfielder, who joined in a £55million move from AC Milan this summer, would be available for Saturday’s contest, where the injury-plagued Eagles will be boosted by the return of several key players. While Hodgson initially claimed not to have “any reaction at all” to the news Tonali could feature, he subsequently expressed some empathy surrounding the situation still unfolding at St James’ Park. He said: “It’s nothing to do with me. One way or the other, I feel sorry for him, I feel sorry for Newcastle facing this situation. “It must be a bitter blow to sign somebody that you believe in as much as they obviously do believe in Sandro Tonali, and then to find after paying a lot of money that maybe you can’t use him for a long period of time. “That must be a very difficult situation for Eddie Howe and [sporting director] Dan Ashworth, for the club to deal with. But it doesn’t affect us one way or the other, if Newcastle want to play him then good luck to him. If they decide they don’t, then that’s their decision.” Howe has already vowed that Tonali, who is subject to investigation by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office and Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in relation to illegal betting activity, has a future at his club. Plans are in place for the Premier League to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of teams’ matchday shirts from the start of the 2026-2027 season, though it is understood betting companies will still be allowed to advertise on sleeves. The Eagles previously had a gambling company, W88, as their shirt-front sponsor but signed a multi-year deal with car company Cinch ahead of last season. Hodgson’s men still wear a betting brand on their sleeves, however, after the club announced a deal with Asian sportsbooks brand Kaiyun Sports in May. Hodgson said: “We know that gambling is a problem in our society, and we don’t really help it in sport because we promote betting. “I think it’s a problem that we should take more seriously perhaps than we have done. We’ve certainly made big strides with drugs, with alcohol, maybe gambling and betting will be the next subject to take on because I’m not just talking football, now I’m talking about society in general. Footballers still sometimes get caught up in it, and unfortunately for them when they do get caught up for it the punishments are very strict Roy Hodgson “So it’s not surprising with all the problems that gambling does bring to our society that footballers still sometimes get caught up in it, and unfortunately for them when they do the punishments are very strict.” Perhaps no one welcomed the international break as much as Hodgson, who had two more players, Jeffrey Schlupp and Jairo Riedewald, forced off in their goalless draw with Nottingham Forest last time out. The Palace boss should see midfield duo Jefferson Lerma and Cheick Doucoure return to his matchday squad this weekend alongside 19-year-old Brazilian summer signing Matheus Franca, healthy for the first time this season, though it is still too soon for Schlupp and long-term casualties Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze. Defender James Tomkins is now out with a calf injury. Read More Mikel Arteta showing he is ‘one of the best’ – Mauricio Pochettino New state-of-the-art Bradford venue can help take barriers down, says ECB chief Pep Guardiola believes both Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi deserve Ballon d’Or Tottenham reveal Rodrigo Bentancur injury update as key midfielder nears return Victor Lindelof ready despite ‘exhausting’ experience with Sweden – Erik ten Hag Jack Harrison says working with Frank Lampard and Marcelo Bielsa has boosted him

Labeled more than 20-point underdogs, the Colorado Buffaloes stunned the critics and the TCU Horned Frogs in Deion Sanders' coaching debut for the Buffs.

Jarrad Branthwaite has just helped PSV Eindhoven to Champions League qualification and the Dutch Cup, but the defender was just six weeks away from not having a football career. The 20-year-old spent last season on loan at the Eredivisie club from Everton and excelled, playing 36 times in all competitions and leaving with silverware, which was enough to earn him a call-up for the England Under-21s squad for this summer’s Euro 2023 tournament in Romania and Georgia. But it could have been so different just four years ago when his boyhood club Carlisle gave him a six-week ultimatum to prove he was worthy of a professional contract. Branthwaite, whose development was hindered by knee condition Osgood-Schlatter, felt close to giving up but it was his dad Paul who pushed him. “When I was at Carlisle at 16, it was a scholarship and they said to me that I had six weeks to prove that I wanted to get a professional contract,” he said. “I went through a stage where I was like ‘do I really want to do it?’ And he said ‘yeah, come on, you have to do it’. So I think he’s influenced me to get to where I am today. “I would probably say I was close to giving up. They said they didn’t think I had it in me to get a professional contract so they gave me six weeks. “My dad Paul gave me a training programme to do and after the six weeks, I got given a contract. The programme was just to work on my fitness and things and strength to give myself the best chance to get that contract. “It was back at home in the gym and stuff to make sure that if I looked back and had regrets, it would kick me, you know? So it was to make sure I gave my all and even if I didn’t get it, I could say I tried my best. “I told him thanks for it. It’ll be a proud moment for him if I play for England here at a major tournament.” His career path has sky rocketed since then and he has become hot property, with a host of top European clubs reported to be interested in signing him this summer. But he has hinted that a return to Goodison Park could be on the cards as he eyes a Premier League career. I would probably say I was close to giving up. They said they didn't think I had it in me to have get a professional contract so they gave me six weeks Jarrad Branthwaite “You’ve got to set your goals. To play in the Premier League continuously is a big thing for every player,” he added. “When I left Carlisle for Everton, it was my goal to play in the Premier League. I think every kid’s goal is to play in the Premier League. That would be my main ambition. Just to solidify myself in a team in the Premier League at Everton and play as many games as I can. “It’s just about hard work. You’ve got to keep working hard every day, give yourself the best possible chance and perform on the pitch. “It’s been a good, successful year for me. I moved abroad to PSV and was just looking to play games and to develop as a player. “Over the year I’ve done that. I’ve played 36 games overall so it was a good learning curve for me, getting regular game time which is the first time in my career I’ve done that. I really enjoyed my time there. It was a good experience.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele set record-breaking pace at US Open Joselu fires Spain to Nations League final with late winner against Italy Rickie Fowler hits 62 at US Open to equal lowest score in men’s major history

Marco Asensio has matched the La Liga scoring tally of Zinedine Zidane. Here's how their Real Madrid scoring charts compare.

Real Madrid have confirmed the signing of Arda Guler from Fenerbahce, just an hour after Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain announced the arrival of Spanish winger Marco Asensio.

A marauding Faf du Plessis and emerging power-hitters including Rinku Singh have helped make team totals over 200 the new normal in this high-scoring edition...

The Toronto Blue Jays cut pitcher Anthony Bass on Friday, one day after the right-handed reliever said he didn’t think an anti-LGBTQ+ social media post he shared last month was hateful

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Alex Albon has a habit of leaving no stone unturned. Another victim of Red Bull’s brutal driver merry-go-round in 2021, dropped as Max Verstappen’s team-mate for Sergio Perez, the British-Thai driver was desperate for a race seat for 2022. Aware of George Russell’s impending move to Mercedes, Albon approached then-Williams CEO Jost Capito with a list of resources: a CV and an Excel spreadsheet, comparing his superior lap times to his rivals. Suitably impressed by both his determination and statistics, a deal was agreed. “Albono” was back on the grid. So to now, and the rebirth of the 27-year-old at a team rejuvenated. Albon has carved out 21 points in the first 14 races of this season at a team who managed only 39 points from 2018-2022. A five-year period where they were bottom of the pile, the wooden spoon holders, in four of those five years. Sunday’s seventh-place finish at the Italian Grand Prix was Albon’s best performance yet for Williams, more impressive than an identical result in Montreal in June. A display of crisp driving to qualify sixth on Saturday was coupled with dogged defensive work lap after lap on Sunday, even with his tyres dropping off in the final stages in Monza. Though the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull of Sergio Perez had too much pace, Albon had the McLarens on his gearbox for most of the afternoon. But using exquisite car placement and intimate driver nous, that’s exactly where Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri stayed. First to acknowledge Albon’s display was Williams team principal James Vowles, whose influence on this team in his first six months cannot be overstated. Arriving after years of success and experience as Mercedes’ chief strategist, the highly astute 44-year-old was ready to step out of Toto Wolff’s shadow. Tasked with rebuilding a team whose level and morale was rock bottom – the years of title triumphs under Sir Frank Williams in the 1990s a very distant memory now – Vowles was under no illusions to the scale of the challenge. “The main thing is this: what I want to see is positive progress and it won’t be weeks or months, it will be more than that – it’s on a years [long] timescale,” Vowles said, back in March. “There are no short-term solutions, everything is long-term.” Yet if this is what short-term progress looks like, how far can Vowles take this sleeping giant of the sport in the long-term? Williams are currently seventh in the constructors’ standings and a clear seventh at that, leapfrogging Alfa Romeo, Haas and AlphaTauri this season. In Albon, they have a driver who is flourishing as a clear No 1 in the garage. And in Vowles they have an experienced head whose obsession with F1 means, much like his driver, every ounce of effort and second of lap-time will be eked out to the maximum. For example, he was attuned to McLaren’s “dummy” pit-stop late in the day at Monza, with the papaya even shuffling out their mechanics in an attempt to trigger Williams to pit Albon instead. Vowles, who has seen such moves numerous times in his 12 years at Mercedes, could not help but laugh about it afterwards. He also stole a march on Alpine – next up the road, sixth in the standings – by poaching Pat Fry in July to be Williams’ new Chief Technical Officer. The straight-line speed of the FW45 has contributed to top-10 finishes in Bahrain, Silverstone and Zandvoort this year. Even Lewis Hamilton was bemoaning Williams’ pace in qualifying on Saturday – who could have predicted that a few years back? There are still issues to solve, the most prescient their second seat currently occupied by Logan Sargeant. Albon’s sturdy points-tally is in stark contrast to the American rookie, languishing at the bottom of the standings. Point-less after 14 races, another glimpse of a top-10 finish went astray for Sargeant on Sunday. Speculation is rife that Mercedes reserve Mick Schumacher could be thrust into the seat for 2024. Sargeant has eight races left, including two in the US, to prove his worth to Vowles and keep a seat which will be highly sought after if Williams continue in the same direction. Race wins and championships are still some way off. The tally of nine constructors’ crowns and seven drivers’ titles will not change anytime soon. But the gradual renaissance of one of Formula 1’s staple teams – who celebrated their 800th grand prix earlier this year – is one of 2023’s feel-good sub-plots in a season dominated by Red Bull and Max Verstappen. Albon has committed until at least the end of 2024 and is likely to extend further should the top-dogs not come calling. Vowles is, quite clearly, in it for the long-haul. How quick the ascension can arrive remains unclear in the unrelenting arms race that is F1, but both driver and team principal have reinvigorated all personnel in the famed dark blue kit both in the pit-lane and back at base in Oxfordshire. What’s more, neither want to seal the sole limelight. There is no room for overinflated ego. Is this an Alex Albon story? Is it a James Vowles story? What is abundantly clear is that it is a bit of both. Read More The moment McLaren failed with a ‘dummy’ pit-stop over shrewd Williams Max Verstappen breaks new ground with record victory at Italian Grand Prix ‘It was totally my fault’: Lewis Hamilton admits mistake in Italian Grand Prix Carlos Sainz chases down thieves and recovers £500,000 watch in scary Milan incident ‘Box to overtake’: The moment McLaren failed with a ‘dummy’ pit-stop over Williams ‘It was totally my fault’: Lewis Hamilton admits mistake in Italian Grand Prix