Florida turns to Steve Spurrier for advice before playing No. 1 Georgia in the 'Cocktail Party'
When Florida coach Billy Napier started looking for someone to motivate his team before facing two-time defending national champion and top-ranked Georgia, he turned to the Head Ball Coach
2023-10-27 03:18
Ollie Watkins continues red-hot form as Aston Villa ease past AZ Alkmaar
Ollie Watkins continued his red-hot form as Aston Villa cruised to a statement 4-1 Europa Conference League win at AZ Alkmaar. The striker netted his 10th goal of the season and fourth in Europe this season on Thursday. Leon Bailey and Youri Tielemans – his first for Villa – put them in control in AZ Stadium after less than 25 minutes. Vangelis Pavlidis wasted the hosts’ best chances but Watkins and John McGinn added more goals after the break in Holland before Ibrahim Sadiq grabbed a consolation. It was the second time in two games Villa had scored four after their 4-1 Premier League win over West Ham on Sunday. Unai Emery celebrated a year in charge on Tuesday and victory underlined the progress his side have made, having been floundering in 14th and three points above the relegation zone 12 months ago. Villa host Alkmaar in two weeks knowing victory would see them take a giant leap to the knock-out stages, especially following an opening 3-2 defeat at Legia Warsaw in September. After two games in Group E, all four teams were locked on three points but Villa moved to remedy that quickly, opening the scoring just 13 minutes in. Watkins seized on a loose pass from Yukinari Sugawara and, while Boubacar Kamara’s ball was cut out, it fell for Bailey to control and rifle in low from the edge of the box. Alkmaar cried handball but the goal stood and 10 minutes later, the hosts were 2-0 down. Another poor pass, this time from Sven Mijnans, went straight to McGinn and his angled pass found Tielemans to bag his first Villa goal. Yet, 90 seconds later, the hosts should have pulled a goal back when Pavlidis fired over with just Emi Martinez to beat after Kamara was dispossessed on the edge of the box. Pavlidis had a goal disallowed for offside soon after but Villa regrouped and extended their lead six minutes after the break. AZ were picked apart by Watkins, Tielemans and Bailey, who saw his shot saved by Matt Ryan but it fell perfectly for Watkins to tap in the rebound. Five minutes later McGinn added a fourth when he turned in Bailey’s low cross at the near post. Sadiq pulled a surprise goal back with 25 minutes left when he latched onto Bruno Martins Indi’s crossfield pass and drilled the ball into the corner from the edge of the box. Tiago Dantas came close to a second, Tielemans deflecting his drive behind, with a comeback never on the cards. Read More West Ham suffer first European loss in 18 matches at hands of Olympiacos Brodie Retallick wins second-row start for New Zealand in World Cup final Ben Youngs ‘so content’ to sign off England career in bronze final at World Cup Sandro Tonali needs ’empathy and support’ after being banned for 10 months Jos Buttler: My future as captain out of my hands as England near World Cup exit Maro Itoje praises ‘courageous’ Tom Curry for reporting Mbongeni Mbonambi
2023-10-27 03:16
Alvin Kamara, Jonathan Taylor rounding into form as the Saints and Colts square off
Alvin Kamara missed the New Orleans Saints' first three games because of a suspension
2023-10-27 03:15
California's struggling defense prepares for tough test against No. 24 USC's Caleb Williams
California coach Justin Wilcox spent the week off for the Golden Bears trying to fix a defense that has been one of the worst in the Pac-12
2023-10-27 02:58
Coach Prime brings rested and reeling Colorado into Rose Bowl for matchup against No. 23 UCLA
Deion Sanders and Colorado remain a box office attraction, even though they are reeling on the field
2023-10-27 02:57
Miller and Márquez joined by 5 first-time World Series umpires for Fall Classic
Bill Miller and Alfonso Márquez will be joined by five first-time World Series umpires when the Texas Rangers play the Arizona Diamondbacks
2023-10-27 02:56
Derrick Henry, Chase Young, Brian Burns are among several star NFL players who could be on the move
The best team in the NFC already added an All-Pro to the secondary
2023-10-27 02:51
Dusty Baker hopes to find a new calling after retiring as Astros manager
As Dusty Baker officially ended one notable chapter in his illustrious career, he said Thursday he feels an obligation to do more around the game with his next one
2023-10-27 02:48
Falcons visit Titans with Derrick Henry poised to test Atlanta's run defense
The Atlanta Falcons are looking to cap a two-game road swing with a second straight victory after snapping an eight-game skid away from home
2023-10-27 02:45
No. 5 Washington looks to get offense back on track against Stanford
The high-powered offense that carried No. 5 Washington for most of the season went mysteriously missing against the Sun Devils
2023-10-27 02:21
Maryland looks to bounce back against Northwestern after week off following back to back losses
Maryland looks to bounce back against Northwestern following back to back losses
2023-10-27 01:59
Pacers keeping coach Rick Carlisle on board with multiyear contract extension
Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him in Indianapolis for the foreseeable future
2023-10-27 01:58