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THE SPORTSPAGE
SPORTSPAGE DECEMBER 2, 2020
Dec 2, 2020 | BASKETBALL, BIG 10 NEWS, BIG 10 SPORTS, COLLEGE BASKETBALL, COLLEGE FOOTBALL, Football, High School, NBA, NFL NEWS, Polls, Previews, SPORTS NEWS AND SCORES, The Sports Page | 0 comments
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL- NCC/AREA
Fishers 95 Muncie Central 52
Indianapolis Tech 107 Indianapolis Tindley 95
Logansport 59 Lewis Cass 53
Wes-Del 53 Union City 42
Beech Grove 58 Franklin County 48
Delta at Winchester postponed
Tipton at Monroe Central postponed
STATE SCOREBOARD
Andrean 93 Hammond Morton 62
Argos 54 Tippecanoe Valley 48
Bloomington Lighthouse 79 Martinsville Tabernacle 19
Bloomington South 55 Milan 35
Brownstown Central 73 Salem 49
Crown Point 80 Illiana Christian 51
Culver 61 West Central 39
Eastbrook 67 Southern Wells 58
Eastern (Pekin) 69 Scottsburg 58
Elkhart 76 South Bend Washington 60
Evansville Mater Dei 71 Tecumseh 44
Evansville Memorial 53 Mount Vernon (Posey) 49
Fort Wayne Blackhawk 98 Fort Wayne North 48
Fort Wayne Concordia 48 Bellmont 46
Fort Wayne Snider 66 East Noble 46
Fort Wayne Wayne 58 Lakewood Park 37
Franklin Central 82 Lawrence Central 81
Homestead 64 Huntington North 50
Indianapolis Attucks 100 Purdue Poly Englewood 52
Indianapolis Riverside 94 MTI Knowledge 46
Indianapolis Shortridge 76 Liberty Christian 71
Marquette Catholic 91 Portage Christian 41
Michigan City 105 Lighthouse CPA 55
Mishawaka Marian 63 Goshen 32
Mississinewa 71 Norwell 53
Mount Vernon (Fortville) 81 Decatur Central 51
North Posey 48 North Knox 41
Owen Valley 68 West Vigo 59
Pike 75 Plainfield 50
Rossville 92 Traders Point Christian 38
Silver Creek 78 Charlestown 31
South Bend Adams 69 Bowman Academy 54
South Bend Career 58 Trinity Greenlawn 53 OT
South Bend Riley 83 Jimtown 38
South Spencer 72 Evansville Harrison 48
INDIANA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL – NCC/AREA
Tri 82 Lincoln 39
Cowan 48 Union Modoc 32
New Palestine 78 New Castle 38
Shenandoah 60 Connersville 39
Bedford North Lawrence 52 Jennings County 44
Beech Grove 47 Indianapolis Herron 36
Blue River 67 Wapahani 34
Brownsburg 47 Tri-West 41
Carroll (Flora) 80 Twin Lakes 61
Carroll (Fort Wayne) 63 DeKalb 25
Cascade 68 Western Boone 31
Central Noble 32 Goshen 28
Charlestown 47 New Washington 36
Clinton Prairie 58 Fountain Central 28
Columbus East 60 Bloomington North 34
Cowan 48 Union (Modoc) 32
Crown Point 69 Lowell 40
Culver Academy 50 LaCrosse 24
Decatur Central 53 Brebeuf Jesuit 30
Edinburgh 45 Oldenburg Academy 33
Fairfield 42 Angola 32
Faith Christian 43 North Montgomery 36
Forest Park 36 Southridge 26
Fort Wayne Concordia 69 Leo 22
Fort Wayne Dwenger 66 Columbia City 50
Gibson Southern 53 Vincennes Lincoln 40
Guerin Catholic 64 Indianapolis Shortridge 22
Hagerstown 54 Morristown 47
Indianapolis HomeSchool 65 Indianapolis Attucks 30
Indianapolis Ritter 48 Monrovia 38
Indianapolis Roncalli 61 Whiteland 41
Knightstown 56 Irvington Prep Academy 21
Lake Central 57 Munster 46
Lakeland 46 East Noble 37
Lawrence North 43 Carmel 40
Martinsville Tabernacle 69 Bloomington Lighthouse 45
Michigan City 52 Kankakee Valley 36
Mishawaka Marian 81 New Prairie 30
Mishawaka 48 LaVille 42
Mooresville 48 Terre Haute North 47
North Judson 59 Morgan Twp. 33
North Putnam 66 Cloverdale 41
Northeast Dubois 89 Cannelton 14
Northridge 73 Westview 30
Park Tudor 56 Traders Point Christian 23
Penn 69 South Bend Adams 27
Portage 74 Hobart 25
Prairie Heights 51 Lakewood Park 44
Seymour 56 Bloomington South 48
Silver Creek 54 Jeffersonville 31
South Bend St. Joseph 44 Bremen 40
South Bend Washington 56 Elkhart 25
Southern Wells 62 Muncie Burris 55
Switzerland County 55 Milan 30
Tippecanoe Valley 59 Argos 39
Tri 82 Cambridge City Lincoln 39
Trinity Lutheran 69 Indianapolis Lutheran 36
Warren Central 63 Pike 44
Warsaw 68 NorthWood 34
West Noble 42 Wawasee 36
West Vigo 41 South Vermillion 32
Whitko 38 Fort Wayne Canterbury 18
Winamac 49 West Central 20
Yorktown 69 Lapel 46
MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL-TOP 25
#17 Texas 66 Indiana 44
#15 Virginia 76 St. Francis PA 51
#14 North Carolina 67 Stanford 63
#9 Creighton 94 Omaha 67
#12 Villanova 87 Hartford 53
#4 Wisconsin 82 Green Bay 42
#8 Michigan State 75 #6 Duke 69
#7 Kansas 65 #20 Kentucky 62
Purdue 93 Oakland 50
USC 79 BYU 53
UC Riverside 57 Washington 42
Louisville 75 Western Kentucky 54
Navy 78 Georgetown 71
Dayton 66 Eastern Illinois 63
Illinois Chicago 66 Valparaiso 50
Florida International 96 Central Michigan 76
Oklahoma State 70 Marquette 62
Providence 63 Davidson 62
Toledo 70 Cleveland State 61
Hampton 82 George Washington 78
Grand Canyon 88 Mississippi Valley 49
Winthrop 75 North Carolina Greensboro 67
Nebraska 76 South Dakota 69
Alabama 86 UNLV 74
WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL-TOP 25
#4 Baylor 67 S. Florida 62
Tulane 77 S. Alabama 73
St. John's 85 St. Peter's 47
Virginia Tech 92 George Washington 57
Florida State 81 Florida 75
Akron 70 Northern Kentucky 60
George Mason 77 Longwood 65
Campbell 42 North Carolina Greensboro 38
Central Arkansas 74 Arkansas Pine Bluff 70
Auburn 97 Gardner Webb 61
Liberty 76 Norfolk State 53
Murray State 84 Evansville 61
Tennessee 67 Eastern Tennessee 50
Northern Colorado 75 Denver 74
Playoff Selection Committee Poll
Rankings as of 12/1/2020
Rank School Prev
1 Alabama (8-0) 1
2 Notre Dame (9-0) 2
3 Clemson (8-1) 3
4 Ohio State (4-0) 4
5 Texas A&M (6-1) 5
6 Florida (7-1) 6
7 Cincinnati (8-0) 7
8 Georgia (6-2) 9
9 Iowa State (7-2) 13
10 Miami (FL) (7-1) 10
11 Oklahoma (6-2) 11
12 Indiana (5-1) 12
13 BYU (9-0) 14
14 Northwestern (5-1) 8
15 Oklahoma State (6-2) 23
16 Wisconsin (2-1) 16
17 North Carolina (6-3) 19
18 Coastal Carolina (9-0) 20
19 Iowa (4-2) 24
20 USC (3-0) 18
21 Marshall (7-0) 21
22 Washington (3-0) NR
23 Oregon (3-1) 15
24 Tulsa (5-1) 25
25 Louisiana (8-1) NR
COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Thursday, Dec. 3
Louisiana Tech at North Texas | 6 p.m. | CBSSN
Air Force at Utah State | 9:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Friday, Dec. 4
Louisiana at Appalachian State | 7 p.m. | ESPN2
Boise State at UNLV | 9:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Southern Miss at UTEP — CANCELED
Saturday, Dec. 5
Ohio State at Michigan State | 12 p.m. | ABC
Texas at Kansas State | 12 p.m. | FOX
Oklahoma State at TCU | 12 p.m. | ESPN2
Nebraska at Purdue | 12 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Western Carolina at North Carolina | 12 p.m. | ACC Network
Penn State at Rutgers | 12 p.m. | BTN
Arkansas at Missouri | 12 p.m. | SEC Network
Kansas at Texas Tech | 12 p.m. | FS2
Rice at Marshall | 12 p.m. | ESPN+
Memphis at Tulane | 12 p.m. | ESPN+
Kent State at Miami (Ohio) | 12 p.m. | CBSSN
FIU at Charlotte | 12 p.m. | ESPN3
Toledo at Northern Illinois | 12 p.m. | ESPN3
Liberty at Coastal Carolina | 2 p.m. | ESPNU
Bowling Green at Akron | 2 p.m. | ESPN3
Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
Troy at South Alabama | 2 p.m. | ESPN3
Syracuse at Notre Dame | 2:30 p.m. | NBC
UL Monroe at Arkansas State | 3 p.m. | ESPN3
Florida at Tennessee | 3:30 p.m. | CBS
Maryland at Michigan | 3:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
West Virginia at Iowa State | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN
Indiana at Wisconsin | 3:30 p.m. | ABC
Iowa at Illinois | 3:30 p.m. | FS1
Boston College at Virginia | 3:30 p.m. | RSN
Buffalo at Ohio | 3:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Tulsa at Navy | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Stanford at Washington | 4 p.m. | FOX
Vanderbilt at Georgia | 4 p.m. | SEC Network
Georgia Tech at NC State | 4 p.m. | ACC Network
Hawai'i at San Jose State | 4 p.m. | Spectrum Sports
Ball State at Central Michigan | 5:30 p.m. | ESPNU
Florida Atlantic at Georgia Southern | 6 p.m. | ESPN3
Oregon at Cal | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Colorado State at San Diego State | 7 p.m. | CBSSN
Colorado at Arizona | 7 p.m. | FS1
Clemson at Virginia Tech | 7:30 | ABC
South Carolina at Kentucky | 7:30 p.m. | SEC Network
Alabama at LSU | 8 p.m. | CBS
Miami at Duke | 8 p.m. | ACC Network
Baylor at Oklahoma | 8 p.m. | FOX
Houston at SMU | 9 p.m. | ESPNU
UCLA at Arizona State | 10:30 p.m. | FS1
Oregon State at Utah | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN
Wyoming at New Mexico | 10:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Fresno State at Nevada | 10:30 p.m. | FS2
Florida State at Duke — POSTPONED
Northwestern at Minnesota — CANCELED
Sunday, Dec. 6
UAB at Middle Tennessee State | 2:30 p.m. | TBD
Washington State at USC | 9 p.m. | FS1
INDIANA MEN'S BASKETBALL
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – When shots aren't falling, it's difficult to win basketball games. And the Hoosiers simply couldn't get shots to fall against Texas.
Indiana shot just 23.9 percent from the field overall and went 2-of-10 from 3-point range in a 66-44 loss to the Longhorns in the semifinals of the Camping World Maui Invitational in Asheville, N.C. The Hoosiers were led by sophomore Trayce Jackson-Davis, who scored 17 points, but no other IU player scored more than eight points in the defeat.
"Give Texas credit," head coach Archie Miller said. "Texas stunned our guys in the first four or five minutes of the game. (There was an) inability to reverse the ball, inability to connect on a screen, inability to do what we wanted to do. They imposed early on how physical and how tough they were going to play, and I thought that played a role and knocked us on our heels."
The Longhorns jumped out to a 6-0 lead thanks to a 3-point field goal from Courtney Ramsey, a layup off a steal by Matt Coleman, and a free throw from Jericho Sims. Despite some early shooting struggles, the Hoosiers whittled away at the lead thanks to Jackson-Davis, who scored on a three-point play to pull IU within 8-6 with 14:21 left in the half. Both teams' defense turned up the intensity with only Texas scoring a bucket in the next four minutes, but a 3-pointer from Brock Cunningham allowed the Longhorns to push the lead to 13-6 with just under 10 minutes to play.
IU then ran off five straight points to pull within 13-11, but Texas answered with a 10-0 run that pushed the lead to double digits. The Longhorns went into halftime with a 31-19 lead.
Indiana went 5-of-23 from the field in the first 20 minutes and turned the ball over nine times, helping the Longhorns score 15 points in transition.
"I'm not going to say every shot we took was tough because, right now, we're missing some easy ones around the rim," Miller said. "For us, to give easy baskets, to give up second shots and turn it over… we did all three in the first half."
Texas' length continued to bother the Hoosiers after the break, and Indiana could never capitalize on some mistakes the Longhorns made along the way. The lead grew to 15 early in the second half after a dunk by Texas' Kai Jones and a 3-pointer from Andrew Jones, but Jackson-Davis answered with a three-point play off an assist from Armaan Franklin, and Franklin's 3-pointer with 16:49 to play pulled the Hoosiers within 38-27.
IU enjoyed a solid sequence with 11:21 to play when Race Thompson blocked a 3-point attempt from Coleman, and his outlet pass found Jackson-Davis, who threw down a dunk to bring the lead to 46-31. Texas answered with an 8-0 run that pushed the lead to 23 points with 8:52 to play, and the Hoosiers never got closer.
Guard Aljami Durham scored eight points on 2-of-7 shooting, but he suffered an injury in the second half and needed help off the floor. Franklin finished with six points on 2-of-7 shooting, and Thomson added four points and six rebounds. The Hoosiers got just six points off the bench—four of them from Jerome Hunter.
"I think, in general, we learned a good lesson today," Miller said. "As hard as we played last night, they played harder today and imposed more will on us today. We've got to find a way to respond. I also think that it's early in the year, and as the season starts, you're trying to find that rotation and chemistry, and we're not there yet. It's not for a lack of our players wanting to or preparing. It wasn't like we got real high after last night and didn't work at it. We had a quick turnaround just like Texas. I thought Texas' defense, number one, really frustrated us. And I think, number two, over the course of the game, not being able to keep it in reaching distance, eventually broke us. But we're better than we played today."
PREVIEW VS. STANFORD
(IU SI)
OPENING TIP
Indiana University begins its 121st season of competition in men's basketball and opens the doors of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for the 50th season. IU is coming off a 79-58 win over Providence in the first round of the Camping World Maui Invitational followed by a loss to Texas on Tuesday. IU is 12-9 all-time in the Maui Invitational. The Hoosiers advanced to the semifinals for the first time since winning the event in 2002. The Texas game was the the first of possibly 15 games against teams ranked in the AP Preseason Poll (Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan State, Texas, North Carolina, Florida State, Ohio State, Rutgers, Michigan). IU is currently 33-20 all-time against PAC-12 teams. The Hoosiers will play a team from the PAC-12 for the first time since taking on UCLA on March 17, 2007 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Wednesday, Dec. 2 • 1:30 p.m.
Harrah's Cherokee Center • Asheville, NC
TV: ESPN (Jason Benetti and Bill Walton)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, Joe Smith) | TuneIn
Series History: Indiana leads, 4-0
Last Meeting: IU 84, SU 73; 11/20/88
Indiana Coach Archie Miller is in his fourth season of guiding the Cream and Crimson and is 57-44 with the Hoosiers. He is 196-107 in nine+ years as a head coach, which includes six years at the University of Dayton. His Flyer teams made NCAA Tournament appearances in each of his last four seasons, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2014. Jerrod Haase is in his 5th year at Stanford. He is 71-61.
JACKSON-DAVIS EARNS PRESEASON HONORS
Sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, a Preseason All-Big Ten pick, has been named to several Preseason All-American teams and is on the watch lists for the Wooden, Naismith and Malone Award. He was named third team All-Big Ten and also selected to the All-Freshman team. He had 12 double-doubles, the most since D.J. White had 20 in 2007-08. Davis, a native of Greenwood and a graduate of Center Grove High School, was just one of four freshman nationally a year ago to lead his team in scoring, rebounds, FG percentage, FT made and FT attempted and blocked shots. He is averaging 18.3 points and 7.3 rebounds early in the season. He had his 13th career double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds against Tennessee Tech. The Hoosiers are 12-1 when he records a double-double.
IU returns seven of its top nine scorers, including four starters. Last year, IU was on the brink of earning its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2016 before the COVID-19 pandemic halted post season play after one game. The Hoosiers finished the season with a 20-12 record. Redshirt junior Race Thompson had a career-night against Providence. He finished with his first career double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds. He is abveraging 10.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in the first 3 starts of his career. The duo has shot 40 free throws in three games. Jackson-Davis is 15 for 22 (68.2%) and Thompson is 9 of 18 (50.0%). Thompson has 12 offensive rebounds and Jackson-Davis has 11.
Senior guard Aljami Durham left the Texas game with an injured left ankle and his availability has not been determined. He is averaging 12.0 points and 4.7 rebounds. He had 19 points and six rebounds against Texas. Junior guard Rob Phinisee had 11 points and 5 assists against Providence and has 8 assists without turnover in 3 games. Sophomore Armaan Franklin is averaging 7.3 points and has averaged 4.7 rebounds. Freshman Trey Galloway is the top scorer off the bench averaging 6.3 points and 3.3 rebounds. IU is holding opponents to 22.4% shooting from long range after 3 games.
PURDUE BASKETBALL
(PURDUE SU)
Purdue improved to 2-1 with a 93-50 win over Oakland in the home opener Tuesday afternoon.
The Boilermakers improved to 15-1 all-time in home openers under head coach Matt Painter.
Purdue has won eight straight home openers by a combined 255 points (31.9 points per game).
Purdue is now 3-0 against Oakland all-time.
Purdue improved to 41-2 all-time against current members of the Horizon League, and won its 21st straight game against a team currently in the Horizon League.
Matt Painter is 17-0 all-time as a coach against the Horizon League.
Purdue won its 102nd straight game when scoring 90 or more points, dating to Nov. 24, 1987.
Purdue's freshman class continues to excel, scoring 44 points on 15-of-23 (.652) shooting from the field … through three games, the class is averaging 41.0 points per game and shooting 47-of-79 (.595) from the field.
Purdue's 17 3-pointers tied for the fifth most in a game in school history … Purdue is shooting 35-of-71 (.493) from deep in three games this year and 90-of-171 (.526) from the field.
Purdue's 1.45 points / possession tied for the fourth-highest total in school history.
Brandon Newman (21) and Sasha Stefanovic (20) became the first Purdue players to each score 20 points in the same since March 28, 2019, vs. Tennessee (Carsen Edwards- 29; Ryan Cline – 27).
Brandon Newman's 21 points equal the most for a Purdue freshman since Caleb Swanigan had 26 points against Wisconsin (March 5, 2016) … Carsen Edwards also had 21 against Auburn (11-23-16).
Sasha Stefanovic scored 20 points with a career-high seven assists … he becomes the first Purdue player to have at least 20 points and seven assists since Carsen Edwards had 20 points and seven assists against Indiana on Jan. 19, 2019.
Purdue had three players with at least six assists (Sasha Stefanovic – 7, Ethan Morton – 6, Isaiah Thompson – 6) for the first time since Dec. 3, 2016, vs. Morehead State (Vince Edwards – 8, Caleb Swanigan – 6, P.J. Thompson – 6).
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Brandon Newman and Sasha Stefanovic combined for 41 points, going 10 of 17 from 3-point range, and Purdue rolled to a 93-50 win over Oakland in its home opener on Tuesday.
Newman, a redshirt freshman, was 7-of-11 shooting, 4 of 17 from 3-point range, for 21 points, and Stefanovic was 6 of 9, all behind the arc, for 20 points and handed off seven assists as the Boilermakers had 27 helpers on 33 baskets.
Zach Edey added 13 points for Purdue (2-1), which went 17 of 32 from distance and shot 55% overall. Trevion Williams grabbed 14 rebounds to go with eight points as the Boilermakers had a 40-21 rebounding advantage.
Jalen Moore had 14 points for the Grizzlies (0-5), who finished 3 of 21 from 3-point range.
Midway through the first half and trailing 17-16, Stefanovic hit a 3-pointer to start a 12-0 run and the Boilermakers never let up in racing to a 49-27 halftime lead. Newman had 16 points and Stefanovic 15. Purdue was 10 of 18 from distance, shooting 56% overall, while Oakland shot 35%.
MORE THAN A GAME
The More Than A Game campaign was launched in August, in partnership with the John Purdue Club, to help the athletics department navigate the financial ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic and position Boilermaker athletics for future success.
Boilermakers and friends can make a contribution to the More Than A Game campaign by contacting their Boilermaker Athletics Representative or by visiting JPCMoreThanAGame.com. Fans can purchase a special More Than A Game t-shirt from Legends and the Purdue Team Store, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the More Than A Game campaign. To purchase the t-shirt, click here or go to PurdueTeamStore.com.
Purdue Athletics is one of only a handful of Division I athletics departments that is entirely self-sustaining: it does not receive any taxpayer dollars, general fund support from Purdue University, or student fees. John Purdue Club memberships are directed to funding the $12 million scholarship cost for student-athletes and this separate fund will help offset Purdue Athletics' 2020-21 budget shortfall.
WEEK 13 NFL PREVIEW
AS NFL TURNS CALENDAR TO DECEMBER
Pro Football Hall of Famer VINCE LOMBARDI once said there is only one way to succeed in anything, and that's to give it everything.
And as the 2020 season enters December, the time to give it everything has arrived.
Week 13 kicks off with a dozen games on Sunday, all 14 playoff berths up for grabs and memories to be made. But first, the BALTIMORE RAVENS conclude Week 12 at the PITTSBURGH STEELERS (Wednesday, 3:40 PM, NBC). It will mark the third Wednesday NFL game since 1941. On Sept. 5, 2012, the Dallas Cowboys defeated the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, 24-17, to kick off the season. And, on Sept. 22, 1948, the Los Angeles Rams opened their season with a 44-7 home win over the Detroit Lions.
DECEMBER CONTENDERS: Fifteen NFL teams turn the calendar with a record of .500 or better, including the BALTIMORE RAVENS (6-4), KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (10-1)and NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (9-2). Since 2017, those teams have consistently ranked among the best over the final quarter of the season.
The teams with the best regular-season records in December and January over the past three seasons:
TEAM W L T PCT
Kansas City Chiefs 12 3 0 .800
Baltimore Ravens 12 3 0 .800
Philadelphia Eagles 11 4 0 .733
Atlanta Falcons 10 4 0 .714
New Orleans Saints 9 4 0 .692
STRENGTH VS. STRENGTH: In a battle of 8-3 teams in the AFC, the CLEVELAND BROWNS travel to meet the TENNESSEE TITANS on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS). The Browns are off to their best start since they were also 8-3 in 1994, while the Titans have their best record through 11 games since they were 10-1 in 2008.
Cleveland, which boasts the league's top rushing offense (161.4 yards per game), faces the Titans' DERRICK HENRY, who leads the NFL with 1,257 rushing yards.
In fact, the contest will feature three of the NFL's nine leading rushers, including the Browns' NICK CHUBB (719 rushing yards, tied for sixth) and KAREEM HUNT (706, ninth). The Cleveland duo is on pace to become the first pair of Browns players to each top 1,000 rushing yards in the same season since EARNEST BYNER (1,002) and KEVIN MACK (1,104) in 1985.
Henry, who paced the NFL with 1,540 rushing yards in 2019, seeks to become the first player to lead the league in rushing yards in consecutive seasons since Pro Football Hall of Famer LADAINIAN TOMLINSON in 2006-07.
Last week, Henry rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns in the Titans' 45-26 win at Indianapolis. Henry is the fourth player in NFL history with three games of at least 175 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in his first five seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers JIM BROWN (five games) and LADAINIAN TOMLINSON (three), as well as ADRIAN PETERSON (three).
The Titans have the league's fewest giveaways this season with five.
MAHOMES, HILL BACK IN PRIMETIME: The KANSAS CITY CHIEFS take on the DENVER BRONCOS on Sunday Night Football at Arrowhead Stadium (8:20 PM ET, NBC). The Chiefs have won 19 of their last 20 games, including the postseason.
Last week in a win at Tampa Bay, PATRICK MAHOMES became the first player with at least 30 completions and 300 passing yards in four consecutive games in league annals. He completed 37 of 49 attempts (75.5 percent) for 462 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions for a 124.7 rating in the victory.
Mahomes has five career games with at least 400 passing yards and three touchdowns, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (six games) as the only players with at least five such games in their first four seasons in league annals. Mahomes also has 15 career games with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdowns, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (15 games) for the second-most such games by a player in his first four seasons in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer KURT WARNER (17 games) has more.
Kansas City wide receiver TYREEK HILL had a career-high 13 receptions for a career-best 269 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday. Hill had 203 receiving yards in the first quarter and became the third player since 1980 with at least 200 receiving yards in a single quarter, joining QADRY ISMAIL (210 receiving yards in third quarter on Dec. 12, 1999) and LEE EVANS (205 in first quarter on Nov. 19, 2006).
Hill, who had 10 receptions for 215 yards and two touchdowns in Week 11 of the 2018 season, is the sixth player with two career games of at least 10 receptions, 200 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in NFL history, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers DON HUTSON and JERRY RICE, as well as AMARI COOPER, CHAD JOHNSON and ART POWELL.
SAINTS, NFL TEAMS WINNING ON ROAD: Two of the league's hottest teams meet at Mercedes-Benz Stadium when the ATLANTA FALCONS host the NEW ORLEANS SAINTS on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX). New Orleans has won eight straight games while the Falcons have won four of their last six under coach RAHEEM MORRIS.
On the road, New Orleans is 4-1 this season and, over a longer stretch, is 17-3 over its last 20 road games.
In a trend that started last season, road teams are winning more often. Last year, road teams were 123-132-1 (.482), the NFL's best single-season mark since 1972 (87-90-5, .492). This year with one game remaining in Week 12, road teams are 85-90-1 (.489).
Last week at Denver, New Orleans quarterback TAYSOM HILL rushed for two touchdowns in the Saints' win. Hill, who had two rushing touchdowns in his first career start at quarterback in Week 11, is the second player with at least two rushing touchdowns in each of his first two career starts at quarterback in the Super Bowl era, joining ERIC HIPPLE (1981).
New Orleans has the NFL's No. 1-ranked defense, allowing 284.9 yards per game. The Saints have allowed fewer than 10 points in three of their past four games.
HOPE FOR THE STRETCH RUN: In 15 of the past 17 seasons, at least one team has won its division the season after finishing in last or tied for last place. Of the 48 teams in league history to go from "worst-to-first," 25 of them have done so in the past 17 years (2003-19), including an NFL-record three such teams in 2005 and 2006. Two teams during that span, the 2009 New Orleans Saints and the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles, won the Super Bowl after finishing in last place in their divisions the season before.
One of the teams with an opportunity to advance from last to first in its division is the MIAMI DOLPHINS (7-4), who host the CINCINNATI BENGALS on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS). Miami ranks fifth in the NFL with a plus-six turnover ratio. Cornerback XAVIEN HOWARD leads the NFL with seven interceptions, while defensive end EMMANUEL OGBAH is tied for seventh with eight sacks.
In 14 of the past 16 seasons, at least one team with a losing record after 11 games has qualified for the playoffs. Last week, three teams – the MINNESOTA VIKINGS, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS and SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS – each won close games to improve to 5-6 on the season.
The teams with a losing record after 11 games that advanced to the playoffs, since 2004:
YEAR TEAM W L T
2019 Philadelphia 5 6 0
2016 Green Bay 5 6 0
2015 Washington 5 6 0
2014 Carolina 3 7 1
2013 San Diego Chargers 5 6 0
2010 Seattle 5 6 0
2009 New York Jets 5 6 0
2004 St. Louis Rams 5 6 0
EVERY NFC WEST TEAM IN PLAYOFF HUNT: Sunday features a key NFC West matchup at State Farm Stadium when the LOS ANGELES RAMS travel to play the ARIZONA CARDINALS (4:05 PM ET, FOX).
Rams defensive lineman AARON DONALD has recaptured the NFL lead with 10 sacks, having reached double figures in sacks for a fourth consecutive season. In his past four games at Arizona, Donald has eight combined sacks. He also aims for his fifth in a row at State Farm Stadium with 1.5-or-more sacks.
Arizona wide receiver LARRY FITZGERALD has 195 receptions against both the Rams and Seahawks. No other player in NFL history has more catches against a single opponent.
DK TOPS 1K: Second-year wide receiver DK METCALF, who had 10 catches for a career-high 177 yards in Seattle's Week 12 win, has captured the NFL lead with 1,039 receiving yards. He has five games of at least 100 receiving yards this season, tied for most in the league. Metcalf and the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS host the NEW YORK GIANTS, who've won three straight games, on Sunday (4:05 PM ET, FOX).
Thanks in part to Metcalf's nine touchdown receptions, the Seahawks rank third in the NFL with 31.0 points per game.
This year, the highest-scoring season on record through 12 weeks (with one game to play), the NFL already has 1,001 touchdowns, with No. 1,000 coming in Seattle's Week 12 win at Philadelphia.
The fastest the NFL had reached 1,000 touchdowns in any previous season was Week 13, in both 2015 and 2018. The single-season league record is 1,371 touchdowns, in 2018.
The seasons with the most total points and most touchdowns scored through 12 weeks in NFL history:
YEAR TOTAL POINTS YEAR TOUCHDOWNS
2020 8,738* 2020 1,001*
2018 8,502 2018 980
*One game remaining in Week 12
BILLS, NINERS IN ACTION MONDAY NIGHT: Two playoff hopefuls engage in an intriguing matchup on Monday Night Football when the BUFFALO BILLS travel to play the SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (8:15 PM ET, ESPN). The game will be played at Arizona's State Farm Stadium.
Guided by defensive coordinator ROBERT SALEH, San Francisco's defense ranks fourth in the NFL in pass defense (206.5 yards allowed per game) and sixth in total defense (315.2 yards allowed per game).
Last week, Buffalo quarterback JOSH ALLEN recorded his 15th career game with both a passing touchdown and rushing touchdown in the Bills' win. Allen joined CAM NEWTON (20 games) as the only players with at least 15 games with both a passing and rushing touchdown in their first three seasons in NFL history.
DOUBLE-DIGIT COMEBACKS EVERY WEEK: The MINNESOTA VIKINGS, who overcame an 11-point deficit to win last week, host the JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS).
With one game remaining in Week 12, there have been 35 games in which a team has overcome a deficit of at least 10 points to win this season, the most through Week 12 in NFL history.
Last week, Minnesota quarterback KIRK COUSINS passed for 307 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions for a 115.7 rating. Cousins has 16 career games with at least 300 passing yards, three touchdown passes and a rating of 115-or-higher, surpassing DREW BREES (15 games) and AARON RODGERS (15) for the most such games by a quarterback in his first nine seasons in NFL history.
Four Minnesota players – CHAD BEEBE (seven receptions for 63 yards and one touchdown), JUSTIN JEFFERSON (seven receptions for 70 yards and two touchdowns), BISI JOHNSON (seven receptions for 74 yards) and KYLE RUDOLPH (seven receptions for 68 yards) – each had at least seven receptions and 60 receiving yards in last week's win. Before last week, only one team in NFL history – the 2012 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (Week 16) – had four players each register at least seven receptions and 60 receiving yards in the same game.
Jacksonville rookie running back JAMES ROBINSON totaled a career-high 159 scrimmage yards (128 rushing, 31 receiving) and a rushing touchdown last week. Robinson has six games with at least 100 scrimmage yards this season, tied with PHILLIP LINDSAY (six games in 2018) for the second-most by an undrafted rookie in the common-draft era. Only CLARK GAINES (seven games in 1976) has more. Robinson has 1,170 scrimmage yards this season, the third-most by an undrafted rookie in the common-draft era. Only DOMINIC RHODES (1,328 scrimmage yards in 2001) and PHILLIP LINDSAY (1,278 in 2018) have more.
HERBERT WITHIN REACH OF HISTORY: When the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS travel to meet the LOS ANGELES CHARGERS on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, CBS), Chargers quarterback JUSTIN HERBERT has an opportunity to reach seven 300-yard passing games and establish the NFL's rookie record. Herbert, who passed for 316 yards and a touchdown last week, is tied with ANDREW LUCK, who had six such games in 2012, for the most by a rookie in NFL history.
Herbert has 3,015 passing yards this season and joined PATRICK MAHOMES (3,185 passing yards) as the only players in league annals with at least 3,000 passing yards in their first 10 career games.
The Chargers have the league's third-ranked offense, averaging 397.8 yards per game.
WEEK 13 NFL SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, SUNDAY, MONDAY & TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 6-8
Sunday, December 6
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons 1:00 PM FOX
Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears 1:00 PM FOX
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans 1:00 PM CBS
Cincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins 1:00 PM CBS
Jacksonville Jaguars at Minnesota Vikings 1:00 PM CBS
Las Vegas Raiders at New York Jets 1:00 PM CBS
Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans 1:00 PM CBS
Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals 4:05 PM FOX
New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks 4:05 PM FOX
Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers 4:25 PM CBS
New England Patriots at Los Angeles Chargers 4:25 PM CBS
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs 8:20 PM NBC
Washington Football Team at Pittsburgh Steelers 5:00 PM (TBD)
Buffalo Bills at San Francisco 49ers* 8:15 PM ESPN
Dallas Cowboys at Baltimore Ravens 8:05 PM FOX/NFLN/AMAZON
NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL
Williams Named to FWAA Fresh Four
NOTRE DAME, Indiana — Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams was tabbed for the Football Writers Association of America "Fresh Four" list for his performance against No. 19 North Carolina. The list honors four true or redshirt freshmen with standout showings from the previous week. Williams, a redshirt freshman, totaled 144 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in the 31-17 win over the Tar Heels.
Posting 23 rushes for 124 yards and two touchdowns, Williams, also named ACC Running Back of the Week, added four receptions for 20 yards and a touchdown. His three total touchdowns ranked tied for third among all FBS players on the weekend. He was the only FBS player with three or more touchdowns this weekend to have at least one receiving touchdown and one rushing touchdown. His three touchdowns tied for most by a single ACC player (non-quarterback) on the weekend.
Williams' 144 all-purpose yards were the most among any ACC running back on the weekend, and were the fourth-most among all ACC players. Ranking 16th among FBS running backs with his 144 all-purpose yards, Williams is the only running back who posted 122 or more all-purpose yards who also scored a receiving touchdown. Friday marked William's fifth 100-yard rushing performance of the season, which ties for most in the ACC.
No FBS freshman had more than William's 18 points on the weekend. Williams posted the most all-purpose yards (144) of any Power 5 freshman running back, and ranked third in all-purpose yards among all FBS freshman players on the weekend.
Williams and the Irish will again take the field Saturday, December 5, to close out their home schedule as they welcome Syracuse (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC).
INDIANA FOOTBALL
(IUSI)
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana redshirt sophomore quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was one of 35 quarterbacks named to the Davey O'Brien QB Class of 2020, the Davey O'Brien Foundation announced on Tuesday afternoon. Each member of the group is an official candidate to win the 2020 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award.
A point scoring model was used to determine the quarterbacks in the Class of 2020. Points were awarded to players based on their overall performance as well as inclusion on the Davey O'Brien Preseason Watch List, weekly Great 8 lists and National Quarterback of the Week winners.
Penix, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury against Maryland on Saturday, completed 124-of-220 (56.4 percent) for 1,645 yards with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions, and he rushed for a pair of TDs in 2020.
Entering the Terrapins game, he led the league in passing yardage, passing yardage per game (312.2, 9th nationally), passing scores, completions, attempts, 60-yard passing plays (4, T-2nd), 50-yarders (6, T-7th), 40-yarders (tied 6, T-33rd) and 30-yarders (11, T-39th).
Penix owns a 10-2 record as a starter and is 255-of-414 (61.6, 2nd in program history) for 3,258 yards with 25 touchdowns, eight INTs and a 143.8 pass-efficiency rating in 15 games. He has 189 yards on the ground on 47 attempts (4.0 average) with four TDs.
The Class of 2020 consists of players from all 10 FBS conferences as well as football independents. The Atlantic Coast Conference has the most honorees with seven, followed by the Southeastern Conference and American Athletic Conference with five. The list is made up of 13 seniors, nine juniors, nine sophomores and four freshmen.
The next step in the process will be to select the award's 16 semifinalists from these 35 quarterbacks. On Monday, Dec. 7, the semifinalists will be named based on voting from the Davey O'Brien National Selection Committee as well as the first round of the Davey O'Brien Fan Vote, which will run through Sunday, Dec. 6.
The Fan Vote is instituting a major change in its format in 2020. This year, fans will vote via three social media platforms—Instagram, Twitter and Facebook—and the top vote getter on each platform will each receive the equivalent of two additional committee member ballots for that voting period. Fan voting will be done by liking the quarterback's photo from the original post on the official Davey O'Brien social media account.
Following the naming of the semifinalists, the next round of fan voting will take place from Monday, Dec. 7 to Sunday, Dec. 20 with the three finalists named on Tuesday, Dec. 22. The final round of fan voting will occur from Tuesday, Dec. 22 until Wednesday, Dec. 30. The winner will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 7 on the 30th annual The Home Depot College Football Awards, which will be held virtually from 7-8:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN.
The Davey O'Brien Foundation was created in 1977, and the National Quarterback Award, the oldest and most prestigious college quarterback award, was first issued in 1981. Over its time, the Davey O'Brien Foundation has given away more than $1.2 million in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life.
BIG 10 FOOTBALL THIS WEEK
• Northwestern leads the West Division with a 5-1 Big Ten record, followed by Iowa at 4-2 and Wisconsin at 2-1. Ohio State stands atop the East Division standings with a 4-0 record, with Indiana close behind at 5-1 and Maryland in third at 2-2 in conference play.
• The Buckeyes remained undefeated on the season with a victory over nationally ranked and previously undefeated Indiana on Nov. 21, extending their home win streak to 23 games and their conference home win streak to 21 games, the second-longest in Big Ten history.
• In the win, Ohio State reached the 40-point mark for the 27th time (in 46 games) since Ryan Day's arrival with the program in 2017 (58.6 percent). The Buckeyes have scored 40 or more in three of four games this year and are averaging 45.2 points per game. Only two other teams – Clemson and Oklahoma – have reached 40 or more points in a higher percentage of their games during that time span.
• Ohio State continues to boast one of the best offenses in the country, ranking second in relative total offense and fifth in relative scoring offense. Quarterback Justin Fields is on pace to set single-season FBS and Big Ten records for completion percentage (79.6 percent).The Buckeyes continue to lead the Big Ten with 535.3 yards of offense per game and are the only team in the conference to average more than 300 yards passing and 200 yards rushing per game.
• Indiana's Stevie Scott III scored a career-high three touchdowns to lead Indiana to a 5-1 record in conference play for the first time since 1987 following a 27-11 win against Maryland. The Hoosiers have clinched a second consecutive season with a winning record in Big Ten play, something the program has not accomplished since 1987-88. Scott became the first Hoosier with three rushing touchdowns in a game since Jordan Howard in 2015, has scored at least one touchdown in 16 of his last 22 games and has 26 total touchdowns in that span.
• Indiana leads the nation with 16 interceptions this season, recording multiple interceptions in eight consecutive contests. The Hoosiers have 18 total takeaways on the season.
• After dropping its first two games by a combined five points, Iowa has won its last four games, outscoring its opponents 151-55 and averaging 37.8 points per game during the winning streak. The Hawkeyes' points per game during their four-game winning streak is the most for the program over a four-game stretch since 2002.
• The Hawkeyes have held their last 20 opponents under 25 points, a streak that includes all six games this season, all 13 games last season and the final game of the 2018 campaign.
• In the win over Michigan, Sean Clifford became the 12th Penn State quarterback to reach the 4,000-yard career passing mark and moved into fifth place in school history in rushing yards by a quarterback with 654. The 2020 team captain also ranks third in career passing efficiency rating (144.2) and career completion percentage (58.9 percent).
• Penn State's Parker Washington is one of two FBS freshmen this season with at least 30 receptions, 340 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in their first six games. Washington is the only Penn State freshman with those totals through six games since 2000. Against Michigan, Washington made a career-high nine catches, the most by a PSU true freshman in program history.
• On Oct. 23, the Big Ten Conference announced the launch of the 'United As One' social justice campaign. 'United As One' is among several conference-wide Equality Coalition initiatives dedicated to constructively and collectively recognizing and eliminating racism and hate in our society by creating resources for inclusion, empowerment and accountability.
• The Big Ten Conference established the Equality Coalition in 2020 with 227 members including presidents and chancellors, directors of athletics, coaches, student-athletes, conference and school administrators, alumni, families and friends representing all 14 institutions.
INDIANA FOOTBALL GAME NOTES VS. WISCONSIN
Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. CDT/3:30 p.m. EDT Date: Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020 Location: Camp Randall Stadium (Field Turf) – Madison, Wis. TV: ABC: Joe Tessitore (p-b-p), Greg McElroy (analyst) & Holly Rowe (sideline) Radio: IU Radio Network; Sirius 132, XM 196, Internet 958: Don Fischer, Buck Suhr & Joe Smith
INDIANA GAME NOTES:
INDIANA STAT LEADERS
Michael Penix Jr.: 124-220, 1645 Yds, 14 TD, 4 INT
Stevie Scott III: 119-405, 8 TD, 3.4 Avg
Ty Fryfogle: 33-652, 7 TD, 19.8 Avg
LB Micah McFadden: 43 T, 3 S, 6.5 TFL, 2 INT, 3 QBH
CB Tiawan Mullen: 32 T, 2.5 S, 3.5 TFL, 3 INT, 2 PBU
S Jamar Johnson: 30 T, 1 S, 3.5 TFL, 3 INT, 1 FF
WISCONSIN STAT LEADERS
Graham Mertz: 55-84, 605 Yds, 8 TD, 3 INT
Jalen Berger: 30-180, 1 TD, 6.0 Avg
Jake Ferguson: 18-181, 4 TD, 10.1 Avg
LB Jack Sanborn: 20 T, 1 S, 1 TFL, 2 QBH
LB Leo Chenal: 13 T, 1 S, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 6 QBH
LB Nick Herbig: 9 T, 1 S, 5 TFL, 2 QBH, 1 PBU
SETTING THE SCENE • No. 10/11 Indiana (5-1, 5-1 B1G East) heads to No. 18/19 Wisconsin (2-1, 2-1 B1G West) on Saturday, Dec. 5. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CDT/3:30 p.m. EDT at Camp Randall Stadium (Field Turf) on ABC. • IU is ranked for the sixth-consecutive week, its longest stretch since 1987 (6 weeks), coming in at No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25 and at No. 11 in the Amway Coaches Poll presented by USA Today Sports. • This marks its third week in the Top 10 in 2020, the most for the program since 1967 (5 weeks). • The Hoosiers entered the College Football Playoff rankings on Nov. 24 for the first time in school history at No. 12. • Indiana collected its first Top-10 ranking in the Nov. 8 AP Poll (No. 10) since Sept. 22, 1969 (No. 10), and its No. 9 rating from Nov. 15 was its best in the AP Poll since Nov. 27, 1967 (No. 4). • The Hoosiers 5-1 record is their best overall start since 2007 and their best conference start since 1987 (5-1). • Indiana is 13-6 overall and 10-5 in league play since the start of the 2019 campaign. • With its win over Maryland, IU clinched a winning Big Ten record in consecutive seasons for first time since 1987-88 and for the sixth time overall (1967-68, 1944-46 and 1936-37). • The Hoosiers five B1G victories are tied for the third-most in program history (2019, 1993, 1991, 1988, 1979, 1945) behind six-win campaigns in 1967 and 1987. • Indiana matched a school-record with five-straight conference wins (1967) before losing at No. 3 Ohio State and has won 10 of its last 13, its most successful stretch in Big Ten games since a 10-3 mark from Oct. 3, 1987-Oct. 29, 1988. • IU opened 4-0 for the first time since 2015 (4-0) and the seventh time in program history (1990, 4-0; 1986, 4-0; 1985, 4-0; 1967, 8-0; 1910, 5-0). It went 4-0 to start league play for just the third time (1987, 4-0; 1967, 5-0). • The Hoosiers defeated Michigan State, 24-0, to reclaim the Old Brass Spittoon for the first time since 2016 and earn their first victory in East Lansing since 2001. Indiana has both of its rivalry trophies, the Spittoon and the Old Oaken Bucket (Purdue). • IU's 38-21 victory over No. 23 Michigan was its first over the Wolverines since Oct. 24, 1987 (14-10). • The Hoosiers 36-35, overtime win against No. 8 Penn State in the season opener was the sixth against a Top-10 opponent in school history, with the last coming at No. 9 Ohio State (31-10) on Oct. 10, 1987. • It marked Indiana's first Top-10 victory at Memorial Stadium since Nov. 25, 1967 (No. 3 Purdue, 19-14). • IU has defeated PSU, U-M and MSU in the same season for the first time in program history and beaten the Wolverines and Spartans in the same year for the first time since 1967. • The Hoosiers have downed two ranked teams for the sixth time in school history and for the first time since 2004. The 1945 team holds the program record with three ranked wins in one year.
• Indiana and Wisconsin will meet in Madison for the first time since 2013. • The Badgers hold a 41-18-2 advantage in the all-time series, including a 23-9-1 edge in Madison. • IU's last win vs. UW came in 2002, the second of consecutive victories. The Hoosiers knocked off No. 23 Wisconsin, 32-29, at Memorial Stadium (Oct. 12), following a 63-32 triumph at Camp Randall Stadium in 2001 (Oct. 6). • Redshirt freshman wide receiver Da'Shaun Brown (Racine) is the lone Hoosier from the state of Wisconsin. • Indiana is first in the Big Ten (T-3rd nationally) in takeaway margin (+9), interceptions (16, 1st) and takeaways (15, T-5th). • The Ohio State game (Nov. 21) marked IU's first regular season Top-10 showdown in program history and just the second overall (1968 Rose Bowl, No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 1 Southern Cal). • Prior to their loss at No. 3 OSU, the Hoosiers won three straight Big Ten road games for the first time since 1982 and earned victories in their first two league games away from home for the first time since 1993. • With their win at Michigan State, Indiana earned its first triumph as a Top-10 team since Nov. 11, 1967, also in East Lansing (14-13). • IU set its largest margin of victory on the road in the MSU series, blanked the Spartans for the first time since 1993, and recorded its first road shutout since Oct. 23, 1993, at Northwestern (24-0). • With its victory over No. 8 Penn State, the Hoosiers have won 15 of their last 17 season openers. Indiana is 43-18 in Memorial Stadium openers with wins in 17 of its last 19 and 34 of its last 39. IU's previous win over a ranked opponent came against No. 17 Michigan State in Bloomington, 24-21, in overtime on Oct. 1, 2016. This also marked the Hoosiers last win in a conference opener. Indiana improved to 5-7 in OT games with two-straight wins (44-41 double OT at Purdue – Nov. 30, 2019). • IU's all-time record as a ranked team is 27-22-1.
WISCONSIN GAME NOTES:
The Badgers are back in action after their rivalry matchup with Minnesota, set for Nov. 28, was canceled due to the spread of COVID-19 in the Gophers' program. Wisconsin has seen 3 of its first 6 scheduled games canceled. Wisconsin has won 10 straight meetings with Indiana dating to 2003, the Badgers' fourth-longest win streak over a Big Ten opponent. Saturday's game will mark just the fifth meeting over the last 10 seasons between the Badgers and Hoosiers, with UW claiming the last 4 games by an average of 43.0 points per contest. The Badgers are in their 6th season under the leadership of head coach Paul Chryst, who is 54-17 (.761) as head coach at his alma mater. The two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year has led the Badgers to a 36-11 (.766) conference record. Chryst is in his 15th season overall on the Badgers' coaching staff. Allowing just 28 offensive points through three games, Wisconsin owns the nation's No. 3 scoring defense (11.7 ppg) and ranks No. 1 in the FBS in total yards allowed (233.3 ypg).
Wisconsin and Indiana will meet as ranked foes for just the second time. In the only other matchup in which both teams were ranked, No. 16 Wisconsin blasted No. 25 Indiana by a score of 62-13 at Camp Randall Stadium on Sept. 24, 1994. The Badgers' 10 straight wins over Indiana matches the 3rd-longest active win streak by a Big Ten team over a conference foe.
OHIO STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Ohio State Set to Host Morehead State & Alabama A&M This Week
No fans, but both games televised on BTN and broadcast on 97.1 The Fan
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men's basketball team enters Week 2 of the young season seeking to stay undefeated with a pair of home games against non-conference opponents Morehead State University (Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Covelli Center) and Alabama A&M (Saturday at 7 p.m. at Value City Arena).
The Buckeyes are 2-0 after cruising to a win in the season opener last Wednesday over Illinois State, 94-67, and then having to come from behind in the second half Sunday to grind out a 10-point win against UMass Lowell and its troublesome, matchup zone defense, 74-64.
Ohio Valley Conference member Morehead State is 1-2 with losses to Kentucky and Richmond and a victory over Arkansas State. The Eagles are under the direction of fourth-year coach, Preston Spradlin (49-78 at MSU).
Alabama A&M, from Huntsville, Ala., and members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, is 1-0 on the season with a last-second victory Sunday over Samford on the road, 78-76. The Bulldogs are coached by Dylan Howard, who is 14-49 in his third year with the program.
Both games this week will be televised on the Big Ten Network. Paul Keels and Ronnie Stokes will have the radio calls for the games on the Ohio State Sports Network, 97.1 The Fan.
Head Coach Chris Holtmann
Chris Holtmann is 68-34 in his fourth season as Ohio State's coach and he is 182-119 overall in his 10th season as a collegiate head coach with prior stops at Butler and Gardner-Webb.
No Fans
Ohio State has played before empty arenas so far. This the result of the Department of Athletics determining that family members of the players and coaching staffs of teams competing this fall will not be permitted into any university sporting event. The decision aligns with the Columbus Department of Health's stay at home advisory, which was issued Nov. 18 and remains in place for 28 days.
10 Notes for Starters:
§ Ohio State men's hockey hosted Michigan State last Sunday – a 4-2 win – and hosts Wisconsin Thursday at Value City Arena … thus the hoops games being played at the Covelli Center, which is a really fine 3,700-seat venue that opened last year and is home to volleyball, gymnastics and wrestling teams. Saved our event management staff time and effort covering and uncovering the ice.
§ Oops! Didn't realize it at the time, but that 21 points by Duane Washington Jr. to lead the win over UMass Lowell represented his career high, topping the 20 he had reached three times previously.
§ Senior point guard C.J. Jackson has scored in double figures eight consecutive games, the longest stretch of his collegiate career, which includes two seasons – 2016-18 – at Florida State.
§ Kyle Young, second on the team in rebounding last season, has quickly asserted himself on the boards by leading the team with 16 rebounds, including 13 defensive, in the first two games.
§ Justice Sueing is averaging a team-high 17.0 points with 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals after his first two games played in Scarlet & Gray.
§ Sophomore E.J. Liddell is also filling up the stat sheet with averages of 13.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game.
§ Ohio State has won all five meetings with Morehead State on the hardwood, including an 87-71 victory the last time the two teams played, Dec. 13, 2014 at Value City Arena.
§ The game Saturday will be the first on the hardwood between Ohio State and Alabama A&M. Ohio State has played Alabama four times (2-2 in those games) but not since 1979, and it has played Alabama State once (a win in 1996).
§ Alabama A&M coach Dylan Howard spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Morehead State, from 2012-17, prior to taking over the Bulldogs program.
§ Ohio State is 25-2 in non-conference home games under Chris Holtmann. The Buckeyes have won 13 consecutive non-conference home games since a loss in 2018-19 to Clemson. Two huge wins: over Cincinnati and Villanova last year.
INDIANA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Ali Patberg Earns Spot On John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 30
LOS ANGELES, Calif.– Indiana senior guard Ali Patberg has been named to the 2021 John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy's women's basketball preseason top 30. The list is comprised of 30 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball, the Wooden Award All American Team™ and Most Outstanding Player Award.
Patberg is coming off a 2019-20 season where she earned All-Big Ten First Team honoree and WBCA All-American honorable mention selection. She returns for her sixth season of eligibility this season after an impressive junior campaign in which she led the team in scoring with 15.6 points per game. She also led the program with 5.3 assists per game (third in the Big Ten) and averaged 4.6 rebounds while shooting 49 percent from the floor. As a junior, she was a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award in 2019-20 and was featured on watch lists including the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and Ann Meyers Drysdale Award. In the 2020-21 season opener, Patberg went 7-for-11 from the floor for 18 points, three assists and two rebounds.
The Columbus, Ind. native has also garnered attention already this preseason as a preseason All-Big Ten honoree, 2021 Nancy Lieberman Award watch list, 2021 Naismith Trophy watch list and 2021 Wade Trophy watch list.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2021 John R. Wooden Award Women's Player of the Year presented by Wendy's. Players not chosen to the preseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ midseason list, late season list, and the National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2021 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy's following the NCAA Tournament in April.
John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy's
Women's Basketball Preseason Top 30
Name School Conference Height Class Position
Aliyah Boston South Carolina SEC 6-5 So. F
Paige Bueckers Connecticut Big East 5-11 Fr. G
Charli Collier Texas Big 12 6-5 Jr. F/C
Zia Cooke South Carolina SEC 5-9 So. G
Elissa Cunane NC State ACC 6-5 Jr. C
Rennia Davis Tennessee SEC 6-2 Sr. G/F
Chelsea Dungee Arkansas SEC 5-11 Sr. G
Dana Evans Louisville ACC 5-6 Sr. G
Vivian Gray Texas Tech Big 12 6-1 Sr. G
Arella Guirantes Rutgers Big Ten 5-11 Sr. G
Naz Hillmon Michigan Big Ten 6-2 Jr. F
Rhyne Howard* Kentucky SEC 6-2 Jr. G
Lexie Hull Stanford PAC-12 6-0 Jr. G
Rickea Jackson Mississippi State SEC 6-2 So. F
Ashley Joens Iowa State Big 12 6-0 Jr. G/F
N'dea Jones Texas A&M SEC 6-2 Sr. F
Ayoka Lee Kansas State Big 12 6-6 So. C
Kiara Lewis Syracuse ACC 5-8 Sr. G
Tiana Mangakahia Syracuse ACC 5-6 Sr. G
Aari McDonald Arizona PAC-12 5-6 Sr. G
Olivia Nelson-Ododa Connecticut Big East 6-5 Jr. F
Michaela Onyenwere UCLA PAC-12 6-0 Sr. F
Ali Patberg Indiana Big Ten 5-11 Sr. G
Lindsey Pulliam Northwestern Big Ten 5-10 Sr. G
Destiny Slocum Arkansas SEC 5-7 Sr. G
NaLyssa Smith Baylor Big 12 6-2 Jr. F
Unique Thompson Auburn SEC 6-3 Sr. F
Evina Westbrook Connecticut Big East 6-0 Jr. G
Christyn Williams Connecticut Big East 5-11 Jr. G
Kiana Williams Stanford PAC-12 5-8 Sr. G
BIG 10 MEN'S HOCKEY
Notre Dame and Ohio State Standouts Honored as Three Stars
Fighting Irish's Bischel earns first star after posting .948 save percentage in sweep of No. 4/3 Michigan
Ryan Bischel, Notre Dame
G – So. – Medina, Minn.
Backstopped the Fighting Irish to a sweep of No. 4/3 Michigan with a .948 save percentage
Held the Wolverines scoreless for over 57 minutes in the final game of the series
Stopped 55 of 58 shots through 120 minutes of play last weekend, averaging 1.50 goals against
Earns his first career weekly award
Last Notre Dame honoree: Cale Morris (Second Star) on Feb. 15, 2020
Last Notre Dame First Star: Cale Morris on Jan. 7, 2020
Second Star
Tommy Nappier, Ohio State
G – Sr. – St. Louis, Mo.
Led the NCAA with 84 saves as the No. 10/10 Buckeyes picked up four points against Michigan State
Finished the series with a .944 save percentage, third among goalies with two starts last weekend
In the final game of the series, Nappier collected 20 of 21 shots to preserve the Buckeyes' first win of the season
Claims his ninth career weekly award and first of the season
Last Ohio State honoree: Tanner Laczynski (Second Star) on Jan. 21, 2020
Third Star
Travis Treloar, Ohio State
F – Fr. – Fredrikstad, Norway
Recorded a team-high three points, ranking second among Big Ten skaters last weekend
Tallied his first goal as a Buckeye on Saturday to force overtime against Michigan State
In the final game of the series, he tallied a team-high two assists including the primary assist on the game winner
The second edition of this season's College Football Playoff Top 25 was unveiled Tuesday with few significant changes from last week's initial list.
The top seven remained unchanged, as Alabama slotted in at No. 1 for the second straight week. The Crimson Tide are followed by Notre Dame, Clemson, and Ohio State. The Buckeyes kept a spot in the top four despite not playing against Illinois on Saturday due to COVID-19 concerns.
RANK TEAM RECORD
1 Alabama 8-0
2 Notre Dame 9-0
3 Clemson 8-1
4 Ohio State 4-0
Texas A&M and Florida rounded out the top six after earning trouble-less wins Saturday. The Aggies defeated LSU in their first game since Nov. 7, while the Gators rolled past Kentucky. Led by quarterback Kyle Trask, Florida now has five consecutive wins.
5 Texas A&M 6-1
6 Florida 7-1
The committee considered moving the Aggies up to No. 4, but the Buckeyes' offensive firepower secured the spot, said CFP chair Gary Barta, according to Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated.
"There is a discrepancy sometimes between a team that plays eight or nine games and a team that's played three or four games, and frankly that's a problem," Barta added, per Bryan Fischer of Athlon Sports.
Cincinnati – the highest-ranked Group of 5 team – kept the seventh ranking, while BYU moved up one spot to No. 13. The Cougars were disappointed with their ranking last week after posting a 9-0 record.
Iowa State became the best Big 12 team on the rankings at No. 9, four spots better than last week. The Cyclones, on a four-game winning streak, booked their tickets to the Big 12 championship game after beating Texas on Friday.
At No. 20, USC is the best Pac-12 representative on the list.
Here's how the rest of the rankings shake out:
7 Cincinnati 8-0
8 Georgia 6-2
9 Iowa State 7-2
10 Miami 7-1
11 Oklahoma 6-2
12 Indiana 5-1
13 BYU 9-0
14 Northwestern 5-1
15 Oklahoma State 6-2
16 Wisconsin 2-1
17 North Carolina 6-3
18 Coastal Carolina 9-0
19 Iowa 4-2
20 USC 3-0
21 Marshall 7-0
22 Washington 3-0
23 Oregon 3-1
24 Tulsa 5-1
25 Louisiana 8-1
Rocket Watts scored 20 points and Julius Marble had a career-high 12 to help No. 8 Michigan State beat No. 6 Duke 75-69 on Tuesday night in the Champions Classic.
The Spartans (3-0) trailed by 10 early in the game but closed the first half with a 13-4 surge to take a 37-33 lead at halftime.
Michigan State maintained control in the second half, leading by as many as 16, with balance on offense to go with aggressive defense and rebounding.
The Blue Devils (1-1) rallied late and pulled within five in the final minute. They started strong and led 13-3 before struggling to make shots or get stops. Duke shot just 32% from the field and allowed five Spartans to score in double figures.
Joey Hauser had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Michigan State. Aaron Henry had 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks. Malik Hall added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Matthew Hurt had 21 points and 13 rebounds for Duke, but freshman Jalen Johnson was limited to 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting after scoring 24 in his college debut.
Jaemyn Brakefield scored 11 and Jordan Goldwire had 10 points for the Blue Devils.
COLLEGE SOCCER
The United States women's soccer team landed a victory Tuesday in its ongoing battle against gender discrimination, striking a deal with U.S. Soccer that ensures equal travel arrangements, hotel accommodations, and working conditions.
The settlement doesn't include an agreement over equal pay.
A federal judge threw out the USWNT's gender discrimination lawsuit in May, ruling the women's players were paid more "on a cumulative and an average per-game basis" than the men's from 2015 to 2019. The women's team, which was seeking more than $66 million in damages, contested the ruling.
However, U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner allowed the women to pursue claims over discriminatory working conditions.
Cindy Parlow Cone, who replaced Carlos Cordeiro as U.S. Soccer's president in March, said the USWNT is now likely to proceed with the appeals process. A full appeal of Klausner's ruling had been pending the resolution of the team's outstanding claims about working conditions.
"This is an important and welcomed moment for U.S. Soccer and the women's national team players," Cone said in a statement. "Earlier this year, I stepped into the role as president, and shortly after we hired Will Wilson as our new CEO. We, and the rest of the leadership team at U.S. Soccer, are focused on taking a new approach at the federation in handling all matters.
"I believe our approach helped us reach this agreement and demonstrates the commitment of U.S. Soccer's new leadership to find a new way forward with the USWNT. This settlement is good news for everyone and I believe will serve as a springboard for continued progress."
The USWNT won the Women's World Cup in 2019 against the backdrop of a fierce legal battle against U.S. Soccer and Cordeiro, its president at the time.
Joe Biden, then a presidential candidate for the United States, tweeted his support for the women's side.
"To USWNT: don't give up this fight. This is not over yet. To (U.S. Soccer): equal pay, now," he wrote. "Or else when I'm president, you can go elsewhere for World Cup funding."
The U.S. is set to host the 2026 men's World Cup, along with Canada and Mexico.
The 2020-21 NBA regular-season schedule is starting to come together.
A showdown between the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks headlines the league's tentative five-game Christmas Day slate, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Below is the provisional Dec. 25 schedule.
MATCHUP TIME (ET)
Pelicans vs. Heat 12:00 p.m.
Warriors vs. Bucks 2:30 p.m.
Nets vs. Celtics 5:00 p.m.
Mavericks vs. Lakers 8:00 p.m.
Clippers vs. Nuggets 10:30 p.m.
Individual player workouts began Tuesday while group workouts are scheduled to start Sunday.
The upcoming campaign will tip off Dec. 22.


text:
Couple finds a home, work in Missouri fields
By Francisco Vara-Orta/For The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting | November 7, 2016
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Alvaro Porras Loza, 50, and Maricruz Martinez Hernandez, 41, at their seasonal home in New Haven, Missouri, on June 25, 2016. Photo by Darrell Hoemann/Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
Francisco Vara-Orta
Newlyweds Alvaro Porras Loza and Maricruz Martinez Hernandez moved in early June from the Kansas City area to work the farm fields of New Haven, a town that hugs the banks of the Missouri River and stationed about an hour west of St. Louis.
The couple lives in a blue two-story house with six rooms, dark original hardwood floors and central air conditioning. The house sits in the middle of a neighborhood block with historic homes owned by permanent residents. It's modestly furnished, but spacious.
Trailers with window units are often the norm for migrant workers in Missouri.
Loza, 50, and his wife of roughly a year, Hernandez, 41, took jobs in the New Haven area picking zucchini, cabbage and cucumbers. They will harvest eggplants, corn, peppers and tomatoes into early winter, they said.
"If you work on the farm or the field, I just say to look for a good place to stay, good housing, and good salary and ask for the farmer to treat you nice," Loza said in English. "We came to this country to work. But we are not animals, we are humans and we deserve fair treatment."
Loza is among Missouri's estimated 15,000 migrant workers who work in the orchards and fields that make up the state's $9 billion agriculture industry. Because he has family in Missouri, he's also among other workers who try to stay in the area nearly year-round.
Maricruz Martinez Hernandez, 41, answers a reporter's questions at her seasonal home in New Haven, Missouri on June 25, 2016.
Loza and Hernandez call Missouri home nowadays, but it's a world away from Mexico, their birthplace.
In June, when the couple was interviewed, they said that they each worked anywhere between 55 to 60 hours per a week and had Sundays off. During many workdays, they said, the heat index would push close to 100 degrees late some afternoons.
Loza and Hernandez said that they made about $11.50 an hour and earned bonuses if they continued working on the farm until the end of the harvesting season. The bonus: an extra $1 for each hour they worked.
"I don't like to work inside, like in a factory. I like to work outside," Loza said in fluent English. "I grew up on the farm and used to pick melons and worked for hours."
He added that getting used to the heat is usually the hardest part and the most common complaint he hears about the job, to which Hernandez nodded in agreement.
In late June, the couple only had two housemates: Ryan Wilson, a 22-year-old white man from Lexington, and Moises Salvador Santoyo, a 25-year-old family friend from Michoacán, Mexico.
By the end of August, the four were joined by six to eight other workers as the season started to pick up for harvesting. That would bring the household to a total of 10 to 12 people at times.
Still, the housing was one of the more luxurious living arrangements when it comes to field work, Loza said.
Alvaro Porras Loza, 50, his wife and several others live seasonally in this home in New Haven, Missouri. Photo taken on June 25, 2016.
"This place and the orchard area is better, but I have family in other parts of Missouri and the country and it's rough," Loza said.
The pay is usually better in Missouri than in the Southwest and home countries, Loza added.
Some workers have reported that jobs in the Midwest pay hundreds of dollars more per week and have more perks such as free housing. As part of their agreement to work in New Haven, Loza and Hernandez do not have to pay rent or utilities, and they are provided a car for transportation and a room to themselves.
Loza said that he has been in migrant labor long enough to know where he can work best and, through trial and error, has found that Missouri has better jobs than other states closer to Mexico.
Loza first came to the U.S. from Guanajuato in 1980 to pick carrots, onions, watermelons and melons in Texas. He was 14 years old, he said. He gained citizenship in 1986 through the bipartisan Immigration Reform and Control Act that Republican President Ronald Reagan signed into law.
"It only cost $75, and then that was expensive," Loza chuckled. Then, he worked in farms in California picking lettuce, broccoli, asparagus and grapes.
In 1994, he took a job near Lexington, where he was hired by a local orchard to pick apples and recruit other labor – sometimes as many as 100 people. There, he also fell in love, got married and had four children.
During the decade he worked at Kerr Orchards, the farm owner housed Loza and his family in their own apartment with a washer and dryer.
Loza was in charge of making sure that all the living quarters for the workers on site were in good shape. It was something he said he took pride in while recruiting others, given the poor conditions workers face in other parts of the industry he had seen.
Motivated by a change in management, Loza then pivoted from working in the fields to working in maintenance at football stadiums in Missouri. That led to Loza exploring contract jobs for landscaping companies laying sod at venues throughout the Midwest.
After a divorce three years ago, Loza moved to Iowa for work. Shortly thereafter, while on a visit to see his kids in Lexington, he met Hernandez at a party. She came from Monterrey, Mexico, to work in the Lexington fields.
"This place and the orchard area is better, but I have family in other parts of Missouri and the country and it's rough." - Alvaro Porras Loza
Eventually, the two reconnected in Iowa working on a farm. They fell in love, traveled together while working and got married in August 2015.
But the pair has experienced several hardships.
A Kansas City-area employer broke several promises, Loza said. Those broken promises included paying lower wages than agreed upon and issuing deductions for rent in place of free housing. The same employer housed Loza and Hernandez with several single men.
Hernandez, who worked in housekeeping for the owner instead of in the fields, initially was told she would have a separate room because she was the only woman.
But it could have been worse, Loza said.
"I have the advantage of knowing where else to look and who to speak with," he said.
Loza has been able to avoid some of the more exploitative behavior he's heard about from colleagues. And like others, he declined to name employers with bad behavior over concerns that he won't get hired for future jobs.
"When you talk to the owner, you have to say, this is what I am looking for, and if they can't offer it, then it's time to go," Loza said.
More recent immigrants often don't have that privilege, Hernandez said adding in Spanish that they often experience abusive behavior.
Loza has since returned to his roots working in the fields, this time in New Haven.
A contact in the industry called him offering work and asking for help recruiting others.
Loza said that often white male owners who seek migrant labor and his help in recruiting workers specifically ask for "Spanish people" because, he's been told, Latinos are generally less demanding and more productive than other groups they hire. Migrant advocates interviewed about the claim said farm owners' mentalities could also result from other groups better knowing their workers' rights and being able to push back on exploitation.
In winter, the couple will migrate to Loza's sister's home in Bakersfield, California, to work and await the next season in Missouri.
With no children together, they have some mobility.
Wilson, Loza's white housemate, jokes he is spiritually half-Mexican because he loves working with the Latino community. He wanted to earn some extra cash as he and his fiancé have a baby on the way.
"El gringo loco," Loza said with a laugh, explaining that is Wilson's nickname on the farm, a non-derogatory name which translates to a person, usually an American, who is not of Latino descent.
"He's like my adopted dad," Wilson said of Loza. Wilson explains his interest in migrant work: "It's humbling. It's God's work; it's spiritual in a way."
Amid today's political climate, Wilson said mainstream America doesn't understand the contributions that farmworkers of Mexican descent make to the agriculture industry. He has seen those contributions up close, Wilson said.
"These people work hard," he said.
About Francisco Vara-Orta | Francisco Vara-Orta has worked for 15 years in professional newsrooms throughout the Southwest covering a variety of topics from crime to education and business for outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Business Journal, Austin Business Journal, and San Antonio Express-News, his hometown newspaper. He is now working for Investigative Reporters and Editors and will complete his master's program focused on data and investigative journalism at the Missouri School of Journalism in May 2017. He knows that narrative storytelling can enliven any document or data, and ultimately hasn't lost faith in the power of journalism.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A classic route along the Haute Route Pyrenenne (HRP) and justifiably one of our most popular ski tours. Stunning mountains, no tracks, good huts and great skiing with lots of opportunity to peak bag along the way. You ski for six days through remote valleys and climb to the highest peak in the French Pyrenees, the Vignemale (3289m), as well as the mythical Mont Perdu – hidden behind the dramatic Cirque of Gavarnie and accessed through the natural rock doorway on the Spanish border known as the Breche de Roland.
You weave your way West to East, criss-crossing the French – Spanish border at several key points: the Col de la Fache, the Port du Marcadau, the Col des Mulets as well as the Breche de Roland. Many of these crossings have been used as trade routes for centuries but more recently were used as escape routes over the Pyrenees in the Spanish Civil War and World War Two.
Price: 1395€pp includes seven nights accommodation, all dinners, breakfasts and picnic lunches.
Meeting Point: Lourdes (flights to Lourdes or Toulouse + train).
Extras: Lift passes, hire gear, transfers Lourdes-Luz (15€ shuttle from airport or 8.60€ bus from train station).
Day One: We collect you from Lourdes airport or Lourdes SNCF train station and transfer you to our valley base of Luz St Sauveur. We spend the evening checking equipment and picking up hire gear if necessary.
Day Two: The first day's touring takes us to the Respumoso refuge in Spain via the Col de la Pierre St Martin, just east of the famous Balaitous mountain. The Balaitous was first climbed by the military surveyors Peytier and Hossard. However they did not disclose their ascent and the route to the summit remained a secret for 37 years. In fact it was not even known that the mountain had been climbed until the Pyrenean explorer and historian Charles Packe set out on his second attempt to find a route in 1864. When he finally found a way to reach the summit he found that a cairn had been placed there.
Day Three: We cross eastwards to the Wallon Refuge (Marcadau Valley) through the Col de la Fache. It was through this pass that many allied pilots escaped Nazi forces during the Second World War, but it was also the pass through which Republican forces fled from Franco in the Spanish Civil War. Just after the pass is our first opportunity to ski a peak – the Pene d'Aragon, before skiing the 1200 metres or so down to Refuge Wallon.
Day Four: From Refuge Wallon we make tracks up through the Arratille Valley to reach the Col d'Arratille and the Spanish border. We cross here, ski down for a few hundred metres and then climb back to France at the Col des Mulets. Then there is a great ski down to the Oulettes Refuge below the daunting north face of the Vignemale… the objective of the next day.
Day Five: You leave the Oulettes Refuge early and climb first to the Horquette d'Ossoue before making a short descent down to the Baysallance Refuge. From there you cross past Henry Russell's caves before climbing up the long glacier and reaching the summit of the Vignemale at 3298m. From the summit we ski back down the glacier before heading east through canyons and gorges following the snow out to the Barages d'Ossoue. A long gentle ski brings us out to the road head where we meet our transport to Gavarnie and a comfortable bed.
Day Six: We set off heading back to Spain via the Breche de Roland, a huge natural doorway through cliffs on the border and the subject of much French folklore and legend. After the Breche we ski down to the Goriz Refuge early in the afternoon.
Day Seven: Today is the longest and most challenging on the tour. You leave the hut early and head up steep slopes to the Lago Helado and the Col du Cylindro. A fit group can climb to the summit of the Mont Perdu from here on crampons 400 metres above the pass. Most groups though decide instead to cross to the north face of the mountain to get the most out of the ski descent. A great ski is interrupted by a small abseil over steep slopes on a cliff face. You then carry on skiing to the bottom of the Breche de Tuquerouye, another extremely impressive 'breach' in the mountain. You then climb again, but this time on foot for just 150 metres before putting your skis back on to ski down a steep (40 degrees) slope into France and the Cirque of Estaube. This can be a great ski in good conditions. From Estaubé we put the skins back on and climb 400 metres to the Hourquette d'Alans before the final 1200 metres ski on north west facing slopes back to the village of Gavarnie and our transport back to Luz St. Sauveur.
Day Eight: You are transferred back to Lourdes Airport or Lourdes SNCF to connect with flights home.
To book you can use the on-line booking system below - select the start date and the end date and then proceed. The system will ask for a deposit which you pay using PayPal. Or, if you prefer, you can email us directly (sian@pyrenees-mountains.com), ring directly on +33 5 62 92 81 52, or Skype at sian.grigg.


Ileane has been a steady blogger at Basic Blog Tips since July of 2009, and recently she has taken on a new show via Spreaker to go along with it. On Ms. Ileane Speaks, she presents easy to follow how-tos on various tools and methods to help you promote your blog.
Learn how to use Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, YouTube, and CommentLuv efficiently and make the most out of your social media experience. Building strong connections in the blogosphere is important, and through social media, guest posting, and community involvement you can gain steady and faithful followers.
No matter what you blogging goals are, Ileane presents various strategies and applications that will help you gain more followers and an even more active community. She also gives thorough reviews of the myriad of web applications that the internet has to offer.
Ileane helps you reach your goals and have some fun along the way. An open and informed user, she's available for any questions and comments, so don't hesitate to email her at ileane@basicblogtips.com, and of course check out her blog .
Wow, thanks so much on featuring me this week. That's very kind of you. I'll be sure to mention this on my blog too. Thanks!


text:
What's in the Kat Box?
Wicked Pissa.
Shit don't stink.
Big Ohy Gooy Mess.
Kat Of All Arts Under RECONSTRUCTION
GHOASTWRITER Kathleen Shepherd-Segura
The Luck of the Kat, Short Story by Kathleen Shepherd-Segura
kemscom2 April 2, 2019 December 12, 2019 0 comment
Kat left that afternoon to find her brother Paul, she hadn't seen him for more than twenty-four hours, he owed her money, and she thought maybe he was at her aunt Milly's new house on Washington Street in Haverhill helping her with the house. The drive to Haverhill from Merrimac was uneventful in her 1982 white Subaru Wagon, except for the occasional pothole and the faint sound of the flapping of the silver duct tape, which held the rusted door panels down and away from catching on Kat's clothes every time she got in the car. Now Kat was a very simple-minded person, and good things happened for her at unexpected moments. Finding a treasure was an enjoyable experience that didn't often happen to just anyone; it did occur to Kat now and then. She had a knack for finding valuable trinkets, usually when she wasn't even looking. Trinkets like a gold rose stick pin she discovered in the crack of a New York City sidewalk after getting off at the wrong train station, or like the twenty-five-cent piece someone once gave her for change, a coin dating back to the year 1915. And that day, the day she drove to Aunt Milly's looking for her brother Paul was one of those days for Kat.
While driving along Kat thought about a better way to draw the jacket sketch, she was working on for a class at The Art Institute of Boston. She thought about drawing at the Army Navy store while she worked on Sunday, but it was too busy there, so maybe she could borrow one of the mannequins. It was late afternoon, and she wasn't sure exactly which house was Aunt Milly's, so she drove up and down Washington Street looking for Aunt Milly's car, or Paul's old truck. Aunt Milly's car was an old maroon rambler that smelt of stale cigarettes and pine air freshener, and Paul's was a beat-up Chevy truck he had put together from parts found at the junkyard down on Brandy Brow Road. He managed to get it running, and it had a blue flatbed and red cab. If he were there, that truck would stand out. She could hardly see because the sun was in her eyes. She had to drive to the end of the street to read the sign. And that's when she spotted a mannequin on the side of the road.
"Wow!" she whispered to herself, her eyes widening as she felt her heartbeat pulsating in her ear. Her foot released the gas pedal and moved to the brake.
"What was that on the side of the road? It must be a hallucination, or maybe I ate too many wild mushrooms with Eric. I knew those mushrooms behind his mother's house were too orange, but maybe it was a real mannequin, maybe someone died, and the house was being cleaned out, and none of the family wanted it." she thought to herself and shook her head.
She turned her car around and pulled over to the curb. She jumped out, opened the hatchback and stuffed the mannequin inside. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an old woman in an apron watching her from behind a rose bush across the street.
"Oh, hello," Kat said to the old woman.
The old woman stopped pruning the roses smiled and said, "Good afternoon, I see you're taking the mannequin, and I would not do that if I were you."
Looking puzzled Kat said, "Yes it's just what I need, and it's in such great shape, who would throw away such a lovely mannequin?"
"Who indeed." said the old woman, "If only it could talk it would have a lifetime of stories to tell." And the old woman began pruning the roses again.
"Really, like what?" Kat asked. "It seems like an entirely innocent mannequin to me and just what I need to dress up and sketch different outfits."
Kat walked across the street to get closer to the old woman, and a man waved his fist in the air as his car's tires screech to a stop, and nearly miss hitting Kat.
"Watch it! Kat yelled at the driver.
"The sun was in my eyes lady!" The driver yelled back and drove off.
"See, it's started already." Said the old woman.
"What?" Kat replied.
"You'll see. What's your name anyway?" the old woman asked.
"Kat. What's yours?"
"Abby Rose." The old woman said and wiped her hands on her apron then extended her hand to Kat.
"Nice to meet you, Abby Rose," Kat said as they shook hands. "Have you lived here long?" Kat asked.
"Forty-seven years and I've seen a lot, and that mannequin could be dangerous, I would put it back on the curb where you found it if I were you."
"Really? It looks so innocent, and I need one, so it's in my car now." Kat replied, as she waved and walked back to her car.
Kat slowly drove up the street and continued her search for Paul. Abby Rose made the sign of the cross and muttered three Hail Mary's as she continued pruning her roses. The sun was behind the hill now, and she spotted Paul's red and blue truck. She pulled up alongside the curb behind Paul's truck and watched Paul mowing the lawn for a moment, and then got out of the car and lifted the hatchback to look at the mannequin. I can't believe it's real she thought. Then just as Paul came around close to the curb on the rider lawn mower, Kat closed the hatchback and began to walk toward the front door. At the same time, the paperboy delivering the evening news on his bike started to toss a paper at Aunt Milly's driveway, and a rock flew from under the lawn mower and hit his elbow knocking him off his bike. Aunt Milly was watching out the window and opened the door for Kat. "Is he, all right?" Aunt Milly said as she rushed past Kat toward the paperboy.
"Is who all right?" Kat replied unaware of the paperboy behind her.
Kat turned around to find Aunt Milly helping the paperboy up off the ground. "Oh, no. What happened?!" Kat shouted.
Aunt Milly helped him up, and he continued his paper route on foot and pushed his bike with his good arm. "While we're out here look at the mannequin I found on the side of the road up the street," Kat said to Aunt Milly.
Kat lifted the hatchback, and Aunt Milly peered inside at the mannequin.
"Oh, look at that 1930 is printed on the chest. That's the year I was born." Aunt Milly said.
"What are you talking about it says 1965. The year I was born." Kat said.
"Whatever you say, but it looks like 1930 to me." Aunt Milly said.
Kat closed the hatchback, and they walk toward the front door.
"Come in, and take a load off." Aunt Milly said.
Okay but, I'm here because Paul owes me $50 and he promised he would pay me yesterday. Kat and Aunt Milly disappear behind the front door into the parlor. Just then Paul begins to holler, but no one can hear him over the sound of the mower. The lawnmower loses control, and he has hurled down a hill over a wall and is catapulted his headfirst into the Merrimac River below.
Kat and Aunt Milly are sipping Tea in the kitchen at the table and a half hour passes. "Well I have to get back home soon, and where is Paul," Kat said.
"I don't know, and now that you mention it I don't hear the mower." Aunt Milly said, and she got up and looked out the window toward the river. Then Paul hobbled up the hill and into the back door off the kitchen. Kat and Aunt Milly were startled, and Paul had weeds in his hair and was dripping water all over the kitchen floor.
"You better tie down that mannequin." Paul sputtered.
"What, happened to you?" Kat said, and Aunt Milly ran into the hall closet and came back with a towel. "You better tie down that mannequin." Paul sputtered again. "Why? It's in the back of my wagon." Kat said with a worried look on her face. "No, the goddam thing just appeared in front of the mower and caused me to lose control of the mower down the hill and the mower crashed into the wall and hurled me into the river," Paul said as Aunt Milly handed him a towel.
"What do you mean, do you see things? Oh, my God, Aunt Milly told me it had 1930 written on its chest, but when I looked I saw 1965, so something is up with that mannequin. The old Woman warned me about it, and I thought she was joking." Kat said, and she ran to the car and opened the hatchback to find the mannequin innocently lying in the back. Kat grabbed the Mannequin and walked it a block up the street to a big white church, and there she left the mannequin on the curb and ran back to Aunt Milly's, hopped in the Subaru, and laid her head on the steering wheel. Oh, my god, she thought then waved to Paul and Aunt Milly who was watching from the driveway. She drove away back to Merrimac without the mannequin, or the $50. I'm just going to have to draw curtains again she thought with a deep sigh.
kemscom2
GRADUATION COMENCEMENT LESLEY UNIVERSITY
RUMORS a free read short short story and part of a novel in progress. by Kathleen Shepherd-Segura
KatOfAllArts aka Kathleen tries her hand at the art of Comedy. Follow the link to watch.
kemscom2 September 20, 2019 0 comment
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Copyright police on duty 24-7 | TA Newspaper By Themesarray.


EPIC Group specialises in real estate investments and management, predominantly in Western Europe, with Switzerland, France and UK being the core markets.
Our main focus is on commercial yield producing properties in strong and stable economies, with an effective balance of strong covenants and long leases to mitigate risk, combined with potential opportunity for value creation through management and technical expertise. Our key sectors are retail and office buildings with additional investments in logistics/distributions centres.
Switzerland, France, Czech Republic and the UK. This local presence helps us achieve sustainable long-term outperformance through hands-on management, quick reaction time and local market/sector expertise.


Begutachter / Begutachterin Klien, Harald C.
The European construction industry is the biggest industrial employer in Europe. It is of major importance for the European economy. Around 50 million workers depend directly or indirectly on the construction sector. Austrian construction companies play a major role in the construction industry in Central and Eastern Europe and there are a lot of opportunities through Mergers & Acquisitions to increase their involvement and even more, their share in the market. This study analyses the different markets in Eastern Europe and tries to find out different opportunities for the Austrian construction players to expand further to the East. The study clearly shows that there are a lot of opportunities in almost every Eastern European country. Some are more risky than others, but there are opportunities which should not be overlooked. The crisis has not affected the construction industry as hard as others, because of the strong support by the states and international institutions, which is obviously a big advantage. The work includes an analysis of the five biggest Austrian construction companies and an analysis of the Eastern European markets and especially their construction market and a conclusion. The charts and descriptions explain and support the arguments why any given country could be attractive for one of the Austrian players.


The Judengasse is a narrow lane in the Old Town or Altstadt of Salzburg. It is an extension of the Getreidegasse and links the Alter Markt square with the Waagplatz square. The Judengasse is a shopping lane full of expensive boutiques and among the most touristy corners of Salzburg. There are several buildings in the Judengasse that are of historic significance; many of them are linked with the Medieval Jewish community of Salzburg. Judengasse means "Jews′ Lane". For details, have a look at our article on the Jewish History of Salzburg.
The Judengasse was the Jewish quarter of Salzburg until the second Jewish pogroms in 1404. The most significant of the Judengasse buildings is the former Höllbräu or house number 15, today′s Radisson hotel. Its foundations can be tracked back to a military building once erected by Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa before 1270. In 1370, the building was recorded to be home to the local synagogue, even though this claim is disputed.
In any case, the current house number 15 was definitely mentioned in 1423. In 1449, the building was reported to house a brewery - the second brewery in the lane; in the following years, the city walls gradually moved towards the Salzach River and the Höllbräu house was supplemented with some side-wings.
In the 18th century, the Höllbräu had grown into a typical Salzburg brewery of regional significance. It remained a player in the local gastronomic scene until the city saw the rise of industrially brewed and distributed beer in the early 20th century. In 1922, the Höllbräu closed its brewery down. In 1992, the building was renovated and became a hotel.
The renovation was done very carefully and won an award; several sections from various eras were preserved, including a branch of the Almkanal, once used for power generation in the brewery, parts of the ancient city walls and two Medieval water reservoirs.
Today, the Judengasse is popular for its many shops, including one that specialises on Easter eggs and Easter ornaments. Note also that many of the pubs and bars at the Rudolfskai can be accessed from the Judengasse, which makes it part of the nightlife and party hood of Salzburg. Franz Schubert once lived in the Judengasse during an extended stay in Salzburg.


Humanity is expanding to the stars and old Earth and the original Colonies are tired and are inward looking. Anyone with a dream can go forth. And so can anyone looking to fleece said dreamers.
This is the story of how the civilization we came to know in Campbell's Lost Fleet series came into being.
A Geary is on Glenlyon and forced to protect it, understaffed and undercut by the very politicians who placed the burden on his shoulders. He must defend his planet from another star system that wants to claim jump and take over. He must also make an Alliance [yes, the beginning of THE Alliance] with another star system for mutual benefit and protection.
Mele Darcy is a former Earth Marine who is tasked with protecting Glenlyon on the ground. With a volunteer force, she must take over the enemies base and stop their incursion before it is too late.
Both are successful. And at the end of the book, given their hat, a pat on the shoulder and a "thank you but we no longer need your services" speech from the damnable politicians whose asses they just saved.
I actually had to put this down at one point because I was so pissed off at the politicians in the book AND the main characters. Campbell, a former military man, is very big on having his good characters play by the rules even when others are doing everything to bend or break those rules. Intended or not, it has always come across to me as "the rules are the rules so we keep them because they are rules" and not because of any deeper meaning BEHIND the rules. Laws are simply social constructs and outside of a few moral laws, I consider laws to be neither inherently good or evil. So when one group dismisses the laws, that contract is now null and void between me and them.
Example: Shooting someone is illegal. But if someone breaks into my place, they have broken that compact and I have every right to pull out my shotgun and shoot them. If I see someone breaking a window into my place and I yell out, "Hey, get the heck out of here" and they don't leave, I have the right to shoot them.
Campbell argues, through his characters, that you don't have the right to shoot them UNTIL they are fully in your house and pawing through your underwear drawer.
Obviously I am being a bit hyperbolic there, but it gets my point across. It makes for very ethical characters which is nice to read about but it can also be incredibly frustrating if your philosophy is different. I am a huge home defense advocate and am unabashedly an American Nationalist and should things ever go into space, I'd be a planetist 🙂 But that's another discussion.
There was just as much ground pounder action as there was space fighting and I really enjoyed that. Campbell can write some engaging battles and it is fun to read. I'll be reading the rest of the series as they come out but I don't think I'll be buying these. I've bought all the Lost Fleet, Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier and Lost Stars books but this one, it wasn't good enough to buy.
I'm not sure if coming into this new or having the whole Lost Fleet under your belt would be better. I suspect having all of his previous books would make this a better read, as you're invested in characters whose ancestors you're now reading about in the Genesis Fleet books.


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Il Premio Roma per le Nuove Varietà di Rose è un premio internazionale di giardinaggio nato nel 1933 che si tiene a Roma nella stagione primaverile nel mese di maggio. È il secondo più antico concorso di rose al mondo, il primo infatti è quello di Bagatelle, vicino a Parigi, istituito nel 1907.

Storia
Fu promosso e istituito dalla contessa Mary Gayley Senni che fu la curatrice delle varie edizioni e fece parte della giuria fino al 1954 in rappresentanza dell'American Rose Society.

Inizialmente la manifestazione si teneva sul Colle Oppio ma nel 1940 fu interrotta per gli eventi bellici. Dopo l'interruzione dovuta alla guerra, riprese nel 1951 sul Colle Aventino nell'attuale sede del Roseto comunale di Roma.

Disciplina
Il concorso è riservato alle più belle varietà di rose, apre la stagione internazionale delle manifestazioni europee come quelle di Barcellona in maggio, Parigi (Concours international de roses nouvelles de Bagatelle) e Ginevra in giugno, Vienna, Dublino, l'Aja (Westbroekpark) e Hague in luglio e Glasgow (Tollcross Park) in agosto; si tratta di un avvenimento di grande importanza nel campo della coltivazione di questo fiore. La manifestazione è promossa e organizzata dall'Assessorato all'Ambiente del Comune di Roma.

Due anni prima della manifestazione le diverse varietà a concorso arrivano da ogni parte del mondo al Roseto Comunale Romano dove vengono curate dai tecnici del Roseto e controllate da una speciale Giuria Permanente che valuterà vari aspetti come il portamento della pianta, al resistenza alle malattie, la rifiorenza, ecc. definendo un punteggio tecnico per ciascuna varietà.

Un punteggio estetico viene dato il giorno del concorso da una giuria internazionale, dichiarando vincitrice una rosa per ogni categoria in gara.

A livello internazionale il premio è riconosciuto come "International Trials for New Varieties".

Categorie delle varietà in gara

 Floribunde
 Mini
 Coprisuolo
 Sarmentose
 Ibridi di Tea (H.T.)
 Arbustive da Parco

Premi speciali
 Premio Fragranza
 Rosa dei Bambini
 Rosa degli Angeli senza Ali
 Rosa Moderna Color Rosa più Bella
 Rosa dei Pittori

Note

Voci correlate
Roseto comunale di Roma
Rosa (botanica)
Specie di Rosa
Associazione Italiana della Rosa

Collegamenti esterni

Rose

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