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Utah running back Micah Bernard, who started 11 games over the past two seasons for the Pac-12 champion Utes, has entered the transfer portal as a graduate student.

Bernard started for Utah on Monday in the Rose Bowl against Penn State, and had 59 rushing yards on 11 carries in the Utes’ 35-21 loss.

He finished the season with 533 rushing yards and four touchdowns, to go along with 314 receiving yards on 34 catches.

The 6-foot, 202-pound Bernard had 1,132 rushing yards, 590 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in three years at Utah. Bernard started at cornerback against Ohio State in the 2022 Rose Bowl, recording a team-high 10 tackles.

ESPN rated Bernard as a three-star recruit in the 2019 class, coming out of Cerritos, California. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

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Knights score with 0.4 left to stun Oilers in Game 3

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Knights score with 0.4 left to stun Oilers in Game 3

EDMONTON, Alberta — Reilly Smith scored with 0.4 seconds left on a shot that deflected in off Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl‘s stick to give the Vegas Golden Knights a stunning 4-3 victory in Game 3 on Saturday night.

Smith’s goal is tied for the latest game winner in regulation in Stanley Cup playoffs history along with Nazem Kadri‘s goal for the Colorado Avalanche in 2020 and Jussi Jokinen’s goal for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2009, according to ESPN Research.

“Honestly, I’ve seen [Vegas forward William Karlsson] use that play a few times where he forechecks and spins it out in front of the net, jumping off the bench,” Smith said when asked about the play. “I think there was around seven seconds. I just tried. And being first on it. … So I thought there was a chance. And once it popped out I saw a lot of guys sell out. So I just hope that I had enough time to kind of pump-fake and find a lane and, you know, worked out.”

The game-winning goal came after Oilers star Connor McDavid tied it with 3:02 to go with a centering pass that went in off defender Brayden McNabb‘s skate.

“We didn’t sort it out very well to let the puck get into the slot. After that, it’s unlucky, it’s unfortunate,” Draisaitl said of the game-winning goal. “It goes off my stick, and I’m just trying to keep it out of the net. It’s just a bad bounce.”

After Corey Perry gave Edmonton an early 2-0 lead, Nicolas Roy and Smith tied it with goals in a 54-second span late in the first period. Karlsson put the Golden Knights in front with 2:55 left in the second, beating goalie Stuart Skinner off a give-and-go play with Noah Hanifin. And Adin Hill made 17 saves for Vegas.

The Golden Knights’ win Saturday cut Edmonton’s lead to 2-1 in the Western Conference semifinal series. Game 4 is Monday night in Edmonton.

“Before the series starts, if you were to tell us that we were gonna be up 2-1 after three, we’d be happy,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We’d be pleased with that, not only up 2-1, but Game 4 at home.”

Vegas rallied in the first period after Golden Knights forward Mark Stone left because of an upper-body injury.

“Big win for our team,” Smith said. “We need to use the momentum in front of us to push forward, but focus one game at a time. That’s kind of always been the mindset for this group. We have a lot of resiliency. So as long as you focus on that next game and get a little bit better every night.”

Roy, playing a day after being fined but not suspended for cross-checking Trent Frederic in the face in overtime in Game 2, cut it to 2-1 off a rebound with 4:43 left in the first. Smith then slipped a backhander through Skinner’s legs with 3:49 to go in the period.

Skinner stopped 20 shots, taking over in goal for the injured Calvin Pickard. Pickard appeared uncomfortable and was seen shaking out his left leg after Vegas forward Tomas Hertl landed on his left pad in Game 2.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Trout progressing, aims to start running soon

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Trout progressing, aims to start running soon

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout intends to resume running next week as the Los Angeles Angels slugger ramps up his recovery from a bone bruise in his left knee.

The 33-year-old Trout confirmed Saturday that he won’t be back in the Halos’ lineup when he is immediately eligible to come off the injured list Sunday, but the three-time AL MVP remains confident he won’t miss an extended period of time with his latest injury.

Trout swung a bat in the cage for the third straight day, and he hopes to test his knee with some running when the Angels travel for a series in San Diego to begin next week, calling it “a good possibility.”

“It’s been great,” Trout said. “I was worried in the beginning, but the sharpness [of pain] I was feeling after that day in Seattle is gone.”

Trout hasn’t played since April 30, when he left the game against the Mariners with knee soreness which was eventually diagnosed as a bone bruise. He had two operations last year on the knee after tearing his meniscus.

After playing in all of the Angels’ first 29 games this season, Trout missed his ninth consecutive game Saturday night when Los Angeles hosted the Baltimore Orioles.

Trout has missed 387 of the Angels’ 646 games — almost 60% — since May 17, 2021, when he tore his calf muscle and was sidelined for the rest of that season.

He missed five weeks of the 2022 season with a back injury, and he missed half of the 2023 season after his hand was broken by a pitch. He missed all but 29 games last season, not even making it out of April healthy.

Trout’s current injury does not appear to be anywhere close to season-ending — and for a superstar whose ascent has been derailed by five years of injuries, that’s a huge relief.

“I don’t have a day [for a return], but I feel great,” Trout said. “I feel good. Talking to the doctors, it’s kind of like a scab kind of thing. We’re just adding exercises each and every day, and [continuing] if it’s feeling good … but [there’s] no soreness, so we’ll keep progressing like that.”

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Judge goes deep twice, pushes MLB HR lead to 14

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Judge goes deep twice, pushes MLB HR lead to 14

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Aaron Judge celebrated his return to the Sacramento area by hitting two home runs Saturday in a losing effort for the New York Yankees against the Athletics to extend his major league leading total to 14.

Judge is playing in the Sacramento area for the first time since college in New York’s first visit to the A’s temporary home near California’s capital.

Judge was born in Sacramento and grew up not far away in Linden and had many friends and family in the crowd of 12,113 at the minor league park that is hosting the A’s.

“It just felt like being home,” Judge said after the Yankees’ win Friday night. “Any time we play the A’s, that’s always something that’s familiar to me and close to home to me. It was special.”

After going 1-for-4 with a walk and two near homers in the series opener, Judge granted A’s owner John Fisher his wish Saturday in an 11-7 victory for the home team.

He led off the fourth inning with a homer off JP Sears and then connected again to lead off the sixth against Justin Sterner to the delight of the Yankees fans in attendance, many of whom chanted “MVP! MVP!”

“Not surprising,” Yankees starter Carlos Rodon said. “Once again putting on great swings like he always does. Really good player.”

The second homer gave Judge 14 on the season and gave him 41 career multihomer games — fourth most in Yankees history.

Judge leads the majors in batting average (.396), on-base percentage (.486), slugging percentage (.772) homers and RBIs (37).

When the A’s announced their plans last season to play in this minor league park, Fisher said he was excited to see what players like Judge could do in a stadium known for offense.

“We’re excited to be here for the next three years playing in this beautiful ballpark but also being able to watch some of the best players in baseball, whether they be Athletics players or Aaron Judge and others launch home runs out of this very intimate, the most intimate ballpark in all of Major League Baseball,” he said.

The ball carried well for everyone with the teams combining for six homers — including a go-ahead, three-run shot by Shea Langeliers for the A’s that pitcher Fernando Cruz was shocked carried over the wall.

Cruz said he went to back up home plate, assuming it would be a potential sacrifice fly only to see the ball carry out.

“It’s the same for all of us,” Cruz said. “It’s the same for the other team, the same for me, the same for my other teammates. Just have to come back tomorrow and do the same thing, pitch and locate a little better.”

Games at this stadium that had previously been solely used in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League have had a combined 2.75 home runs per game — up more than 40% from the rate of homers hit last season at the Oakland Coliseum.

“I’m sure as the summer builds up and the heat builds up, the PCL is known for that,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said about the way the ball carries. “I’d be speaking out of turn if I said I knew how this place is going to play throughout. Today was a little different throughout.”

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