SPORTS HEADLINES

Penn State opens the College Football Playoff by steamrolling mistake-prone SMU in 38-10 rout

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Dominic DeLuca and Tony Rojas returned interceptions for touchdowns and Penn State toyed with mistake-prone SMU in a 38-10 victory in the opening round of the College Football Playoff. The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions (12-2) advanced to face third-seeded Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve with the win. Penn State hounded SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings into three first-half turnovers, including a pair of ill-advised throws in the first half that DeLuca and Rojas converted into Pick-6s to give the Nittany Lions a lead they never came close to squandering. Penn State will have some history on its side when it faces Boise State. The Nittany Lions are 7-0 all-time in the Fiesta Bowl.

Texans WR Tank Dell carted off with knee injury after TD catch vs Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Texans wide receiver Tank Dell was carted off the field with what appeared to be a severe left knee injury that he sustained while hauling in a 30-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud early in the second half against the Chiefs. Dell was coming across the back of the end zone and made a spectacular catch before colliding with Houston teammate Jared Wayne as he was going to the ground. Dell remain there for several minutes while trainers huddled around him, and eventually he was placed on a stretcher and loaded onto the covered medical cart for a trip to the locker room.

Senate passes RFK Stadium land bill, giving the Washington Commanders a major off-the-field win

The Washington Commanders’ path to returning to nation’s capital is clear after an on-again, off-again saga in Congress ended with a late reprieve. The U.S. Senate passed a resolution early Saturday to transfer the land including old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia. A provision to do so was included in Congress’ initial short-term spending bill before it was torpedoed by President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The House’s slimmed-down bill didn’t include the measure. The land transfer paves the way for the NFL team to potentially build a stadium on the site of the franchise’s former home. The Commanders are also considering other places in the district, Maryland and Virginia to build a stadium in the coming years.

Man City crisis deepens after another loss and Arsenal closes gap on Liverpool

Manchester City’s stunning slump has deepened after losing at Aston Villa 2-1 in the Premier League. Goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers at Villa Park consigned the four-time defending champion to nine defeats and just one win in 12 games on Saturday. Third-place Arsenal has closed the gap on league leader Liverpool to three points with a 5-1 win at Crystal Palace, but has played two games more. City dropped to sixth in the standings, nine points below Liverpool. Villa has climbed to fifth. While City looks unlikely to win a fifth straight title, a place in the top four and Champions League qualification could also be in jeopardy.

Lindsey Vonn takes a low-risk approach and places 14th in her return to World Cup skiing at age 40

ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) — Lindsey Vonn has finished 14th in a super-G to mark her return to World Cup skiing at age 40. Vonn crossed the line 1.18 seconds behind Austrian winner Cornelia Huetter. It’s the American standout’s first World Cup race after nearly six years of retirement. Vonn says it was “the perfect start” to her comeback as she just wanted “a solid result.” She is planning to race another super-G in St. Moritz on Sunday. Vonn had to cut her career short in 2019 due to a series of crashes and injuries but then she had knee replacement surgery in April and decided to come back.

Knueppel scores 18 points as No. 5 Duke romps to 82-56 win over Georgia Tech

ATLANTA (AP) — Kon Knueppel scored 18 points, Cooper Flagg celebrated his 18th birthday by chipping in 13 and No. 5 Duke romped to an 82-56 victory over Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils improved to 10-2 and led by double figures much of the game against the 5-7 Yellow Jackets. Even though the game was in Atlanta, it sounded more like Cameron Indoor Stadium with all the blue-clad Duke fans roaring for their team. They certainly had plenty to cheer about. Knueppel led Duke’s fabulous freshmen class, which also got 15 points from Khaman Maluach. Baye Ndongo led Georgia Tech with 14 points.

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid working through injuries and mental health struggles

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid is trying to believe in the good that can come from asking someone for help. The native of Cameroon who once never believed in seeking help from others had decided over time to shake the once-taboo stigma of therapy and go all-in on the process to steer him through turbulent times in his professional career. Embiid has openly talked at times over the last year of feeling depressed from time on the shelf. Embiid says he’s learned to try and stop feeling bad about himself and just live day-by-day. Embiid is a two-time NBA scoring champion and 2023 MVP for the Philadelphia 76ers.

NBA fines Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla $35,000 for postgame comments toward officials

NEW YORK (AP) — Joe Mazzulla’s Christmas greetings were costly. The NBA fined the Boston Celtics coach $35,000 on Saturday “for aggressively pursuing and directing inappropriate language toward a game official” at the end of his team’s loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. Mazzulla’s outburst followed Boston getting whistled for three technical fouls in the fourth quarter of that loss. When time expired, Mazzulla seemed to have some angry words for referee Justin Van Duyne. Mazzulla said he was just trying to spread holiday cheer to the referee crew.

History looms in NCAA volleyball championship with female coaches poised as first to win a title

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Players and coaches who will make history in Sunday’s NCAA volleyball championship still find it hard to believe that a female coach hasn’t won one already. Penn State’s Katie Schumacher-Cawley — who’s recovering from breast cancer surgery — and Louisville’s Dani Busboom-Kelly embrace the opportunity. They helped build the sport as championship players and coaches. Schumacher-Cawley won the 1999 title as a player at Penn State, while Busboom-Kelly was key to Nebraska’s 2006 championship. The NCAA title game on Sunday will play out in a sold-out arena before a national TV audience, the latest example of volleyball’s popularity.

Notre Dame protects home field in new postseason era with 1st playoff win, 27-17 over Indiana

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Jeremiyah Love tied the Notre Dame record with a 98-yard touchdown run, Riley Leonard added two more scores and the Fighting Irish shut down the highest-scoring team in the College Football Playoff, overwhelming Indiana 27-17 on Friday night. The seventh-seeded Fighting Irish (12-1) won their 11th straight — and their first playoff victory. They’ll face second-seeded Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1. Tenth-seeded Indiana (11-2) completed a magical season by finishing with its second fewest points this season on a cold, brisk night in the first CFP game ever played on a campus site. Both of the Hoosiers’ losses came to top-five opponents. Indiana hasn’t won at Notre Dame since 1898.