Monday takeaways: Big 12 still unpredictable; USC, Clemson still searching
Week 8 saw more than its share of close calls for top teams, with Oklahoma and Texas barely hanging on as the best of the Big 12.
We also saw Ohio State make its case as a playoff team with a second statement win of the season — leaving the impression it could get even better — while Washington survived a scare that might help the Huskies in the long run.
On the other side of the spectrum, USC and Clemson both took another one on the chin as their unexpected struggles continued. And Penn State again fell short on the big-game stage.
Then there was a feel-good win for Virginia, which upset unbeaten North Carolina.
Here are our college football reporters’ biggest takeaways from the weekend.
The Big 12’s big swings continue
The Big 12 is once again a conference of unpredictability.
In the past three years, just one team — Oklahoma in 2020 — has returned to the conference title game in consecutive years. Neither Baylor, Iowa State nor Oklahoma State won more than seven games in the season following their appearances. This year is more of the same, with TCU crashing back to earth, sitting at 4-4 with Texas and Oklahoma remaining on the schedule.
Let’s recap some of the twists and turns to this point: Oklahoma State lost 33-7 to South Alabama before later beating Kansas State 29-21. TCU beat Houston 36-13 and BYU 44-11 before losing to Kansas State 41-3. West Virginia beat Pitt, Texas Tech and TCU in consecutive weeks before losing two straight to Houston and Oklahoma State. Baylor rallied from 28 down to beat UCF 36-35 three weeks before the Knights came to Norman and was a 2-point conversion away from tying No. 6 Oklahoma with about a minute left Saturday. The same day, Houston took No. 8 Texas to the wire, missing a fourth-and-1 opportunity at the 8 with 1:08 left and falling 31-24.
Oklahoma and Texas are still the conference front-runners, but the defending champs, K-State, are rounding into form. The Longhorns have BYU and Kansas State coming to town the next two weeks. The Sooners go to Kansas, then to Oklahoma State for an emotional Bedlam finale.
It’s less than ideal for the conference to have two departing teams battling it out for the league title. But in this case it’s also a huge asset, with the Allstate Playoff Predictor giving the league the second-best odds — an 81% chance — to make the College Football Playoff, behind only the Big Ten.
If there’s one thing we can be sure of based on the Big 12’s recent history, though, it’s that nothing is for sure. — Dave Wilson
USC needs to toughen up under Riley
The brilliance of Pete Carroll’s run at USC is that he incorporated the Hollywood element without losing any edge on the field. I remember talking to USC players during Carroll’s heyday who would say practices were often more taxing than the games. The Trojans would line up and beat the hell out of one another while Snoop Dogg or Will Ferrell or [insert celebrity here] looked on.
Those days are over. USC might have captured some glamor in hiring Lincoln Riley as coach and mining the transfer portal for Caleb Williams and other top talents. The program has dived head first into NIL and rightfully played up its location and the incredible resources of having the entertainment industry in its backyard. But on the field, USC lacks the gritty ingredients to become a champion. The Trojans only had to look across the field Saturday night to see what they’re lacking.
Utah quarterback Bryson Barnes, a pig farmer’s son who walked on for the Utes and has been thrust into action for several huge games, went into the Coliseum and eliminated Williams and USC from CFP contention. USC still can’t get the big stops on defense, a theme under Riley at both his current job and his former one (Oklahoma). The Trojans certainly can’t beat Utah, which has a four-game win streak against them.
Riley spoke afterward about his team struggling under the weight of expectations and questioned the narrative of USC being a national contender. He also didn’t have players speak with reporters — a first for a program that, even amid its struggles since Carroll left, always took the required professional approach toward the media in a massive market. Shielding players after a tough loss looks small and soft, two words that are stuck on USC right now.
I thought USC would find a way to beat shorthanded Utah. Now the Trojans could easily be looking at a four- or five-loss season, a gargantuan disappointment given the star power from Williams and others.
Riley is still an excellent coach who could win big at USC, but he has to find the balance between glitz and grit that Carroll perfected, which the program clearly lacks. — Adam Rittenberg
Few answers for slumping Clemson
Times are tough in Death Valley. Clemson is 4-3, with three losses in ACC play for the first time since 2010. The Tigers’ playoff hopes, conference title hopes, hope in general — they’re all gone. Just days after Dabo Swinney suggested a few losses might cull the herd of ungrateful fans on the team’s bandwagon, Clemson fell in overtime to Miami and that bandwagon is just an empty car speeding off a cliff.
For the second time this year, Clemson blew a double-digit lead and lost in OT.
For the third time this year, Clemson lost a game Swinney knows his team had no business losing.
For the first time in a long time, there seems to be no clear path forward for a program that dominated the ACC for the past decade.
What’s so frustrating is the underlying metrics largely suggest a very good football team. Clemson is 18th in the Football Power Index (FPI), 19th in SP+, ninth among Power 5 teams in successful play differential and 11th in explosive play differential. Swinney now must fix something that doesn’t really appear to be broken.
“This team is in a position to win,” Swinney said after the loss to Miami. “I don’t have an answer. I just don’t.”
There are ample places to point fingers, but none reveal a true villain.
Swinney has blamed turnovers, and indeed, Clemson has an issue with fumbles. But the Tigers are in the middle of the pack in turnover differential, a margin created by little more than some bad luck and the law of averages.
Fans are rightly upset with quarterback Cade Klubnik after he changed a playcall on fourth down that ended the game in double OT, but since Week 3, he has accounted for 11 touchdowns, just one interception and a 70.7 Total QBR, just a step behind UNC’s Drake Maye.
The defense certainly didn’t live up to expectations given Miami was starting a freshman quarterback (Emory Williams) with little prior experience, but that unit, too, has been one of the most consistently stifling in the country, posting a successful play rate in line with those of Michigan and Alabama.
Garrett Riley’s offensive scheme has frustrated some — too many short throws, not enough big plays. But Clemson averages 10 explosive plays per game, the same rate as ACC leader Florida State.
After last year’s Orange Bowl frustrations, Swinney fired his OC. DJ Uiagalelei, the favored punching bag in each of the past two years, left for Oregon State (where he has been one of the better QBs nationally). The defense is loaded with NFL talent. The Tigers have been in every game.
And yet, here they are — losers of six of their past 11 Power 5 games, with little room to maneuver in another direction. The only plan might be to stay the course, and that’s a plan almost certain to send whatever fans remain on the bandwagon diving for cover. — David Hale
Ohio State rounding into shape
We’ve heard a lot about what Ohio State supposedly isn’t, that the Buckeyes aren’t explosive on offense, that they’re only pedestrian at quarterback with Kyle McCord and that they might not measure up across the board with some of the upper-tier teams in college football.
Ultimately, we’re going to get answers in all those categories.
But as we point toward the final weekend of October, here’s what we know definitively about the Buckeyes: They’re unbeaten (7-0 and 4-0 in the Big Ten). They have the two most impressive wins of the season: a 20-12 home victory last Saturday against then-No. 7 Penn State and a 17-14 road win over then-No. 9 Notre Dame on Sept. 23.
And while the grumbling continues about an offense that has been hit and miss, the best news is that star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is looking like his old self, healthy again and carving apart opposing defenses. He caught 11 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown in the win over Penn State.
The running game needs to be better, but the Buckeyes are hopeful of getting back two of their best playmakers in receiver Emeka Egbuka and running back TreVeyon Henderson.
Defensively, Ohio State is third nationally in scoring (allowing 10 points per game), and defensive end JT Tuimoloau is starting to play his best football.
In short, if the offense can catch up with the defense — and McCord said he thinks the offense is close to breaking through — the Buckeyes are as good a candidate as any to be right there in the national championship conversation come December. — Chris Low
Penn State’s loss a familiar storyline
Penn State’s offense is not top-four worthy. After all of the hype and hoopla that so often surrounds this program in the offseason, the answer was a resounding no, Penn State is not ready to be taken seriously as a playoff contender under James Franklin. Not when it goes 1-for-16 on third downs.
Penn State has no answers at wide receiver, and the Nittany Lions couldn’t get their running game going against a fearsome front for Ohio State. The Nittany Lions were outplayed and outcoached (again), leaving Michigan and Ohio State in the familiar position of representing the Big Ten’s hopes to make the playoff.
Franklin knew the big-picture question about what the loss meant for his program was a fair one, but he didn’t want to answer it postgame. His record in the big games arguably answers it for him. He is now 3-16 against AP top-10 opponents (0-10 on the road) while at PSU. — Heather Dinich
Virginia pulls off historic victory
It is hard to truly understand what the Virginia coaching staff, players and community have endured over the past 11 months, let alone the families of the three Cavaliers players shot and killed last November. They have lived through unimaginable circumstances that tested them. As Tony Elliott said of his players, “They have been taken down to their knees.” Yet they kept pushing forward, always thinking about teammates Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler, always playing to honor them and their legacy.
0:22
Drake Maye throws INT, Virginia completes massive upset
Virginia upsets No. 10 North Carolina on the road after Drake Maye throws an interception in the final minute.
Not many gave the Cavaliers a chance against rival North Carolina on Saturday. Not after an 0-5 start. Not with North Carolina undefeated, with real College Football Playoff chances. But those who have followed Virginia this season knew this team was a few plays away from a winning record — last-minute losses in three games having shown that if they could put it all together, results would follow.
Elliott saw it most of all. Rather than get down over such close losses, the team kept believing. To hit that point harder going into the North Carolina game, Elliott showed his team a video of the late Kobe Bryant, to illustrate the mindset of what it takes to compete and win at the highest level.
“In that video, he talked about one of his championship teams, where they had to overcome some adversity, and the way that he phrased it is: ‘The lion stared us in the face, and we stared back,'” Elliott told ESPN on Sunday. “That was a message that, ‘Hey, there’s a lion that’s staring us in our face, and at some point, you’re going to have to stand up and fight that lion, and you can’t flinch.’
“That’s what you saw in the guys. My hope is that I want that to become a part of our DNA. I want us to have that mentality, that we’re not going to flinch. We’re not playing to what the scoreboard says, but we’re playing every single snap like it’s our last. And if you do that, collectively, then you’ll win enough snaps to be able to have the scoreboard in your favor at the end.”
Virginia beat No. 10 North Carolina 31-27, the school’s first win on the road against a top-10 opponent. The journey does not get much easier from here, with another road game at Miami on Saturday, in addition to games against No. 18 Louisville and No. 20 Duke. Elliott wants his team to build off the victory over the Tar Heels because the biggest goal remains in play — making it to a bowl game.
The Cavs will have to dig out of a deep hole to get there, but as running back Mike Hollins pointed out after the UNC victory, “This team is full of fighters. There’s no quit anywhere in the program.” — Andrea Adelson
Washington survives scare
Any given Saturday. Pac-12 After Dark. Call it whatever you want, but Washington might well be better off for what it endured late against Arizona State on Saturday night in Seattle.
Kalen DeBoer’s team couldn’t breathe a sigh of relief until junior cornerback Mishael Powell‘s 89-yard pick-six with 8:11 left in regulation put the Huskies in front for the first time, and they held on for a 15-7 win. It was a shock to the system to watch Heisman front-runner Michael Penix Jr. struggle to find his rhythm (27-of-42 passing) against the Sun Devils’ defense, as Penix threw for a season-low 275 yards and turned the ball over three times (two interceptions). The Huskies’ offense was held to 288 total yards, the first time in DeBoer’s tenure Washington didn’t reach the 300-yard mark. It also was the first time the Huskies did not have an offensive touchdown under DeBoer and OC Ryan Grubb.
Arizona State was the last team to hand Washington a defeat (45-38 on Oct. 8, 2022, in Tempe), and Washington owns the nation’s second-longest active winning streak at 14. Great teams find ways to win when they don’t play well, and that’s what the Huskies did Saturday. A trip to USC, a home game with two-time defending conference champ Utah and a visit to Oregon State begins the November slate as the program looks for its first Pac-12 title since 2018. If the Purple Reign navigate those waters successfully and get to Vegas for the conference championship Dec. 1, they might have Arizona State to thank for it. — Blake Baumgartner
Week 4 is here as we dive into another weekend of college football madness.
The biggest story going into Saturday’s slate of games is if Arch Manning will get his first college start. After capturing the attention of fans, he’ll have a lot to live up to in the spotlight as Texas faces UL Monroe.
USC will be making an appearance at the Big House for the first time in over 60 years as its visit will kick off conference play for the Trojans. Elsewhere in the Big Ten, No. 24 Illinois visits No. 22 Nebraska where one Illinois receiver lives out a different version of a dream he once had.
Before all of this plays out, Appalachian State gets things started as it hosts South Alabama on Thursday.
Our college football experts give insight on players, sound and storylines going into Week 4.
Jump to a section:
Texas QB depth | Illinois’ Pat Bryant | Must needs to win
New conference enemy | Quotes of the week
Stacked QB rooms are nothing new at Texas
Todd Dodge has a unique vantage point to the hysteria around Arch Manning, who made a national splash in his first extensive playing time at Texas after starter and Heisman Trophy candidate Quinn Ewers sustained an oblique injury.
Dodge, a quarterback guru and legendary Texas high school coach with seven state championships — including three-peats at two different schools — lived in the burnt orange spotlight himself. As the first Texas high school quarterback to throw for more than 3,000 yards in a season in 1980, he was a star recruit for the Longhorns who started as a celebrity backup himself.
“The most popular guy in any college town is the No. 2 quarterback,” said Dodge, now the coach at Lovejoy High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. “I’ve been the No. 2 where I couldn’t buy my own dinner and everybody wanted to let me know how much they thought I ought to be playing. And I’ve been the No. 1 who’s played well, who was probably over-fawned-over and then I’ve been the No. 1 when the team lost and I didn’t play well and I’m the biggest bum in three counties.”
He said fans often assume a quarterback room is filled with jealousy or back-biting, but in his career, he has found it to be the opposite, which Steve Sarkisian reiterated Monday when he said nothing changes if Manning starts. The bond between Ewers and his backup is evident, Dodge said. And he is familiar with both players and their families, namely Ewers, because his son Riley, was Ewers’ head coach at Southlake Carroll.
“They’re very, very talented young men that both could be playing almost anywhere in the country, but the No. 2’s family [the Mannings] put tremendous value in development and patience,” he said. “To me, that takes a little bit of the angst off of me as the starter knowing that I don’t have a backup who’s out there just every waning minute trying to convince people that he ought to be the guy.”
Greg Davis, too, experienced the attention in his time in Austin. In 1998, Major Applewhite went 8-2 as the starter, was selected Big 12 Freshman of the Year, then Texas landed the No. 1 prospect in the country, Chris Simms, the well-pedigreed son of New York Giants legend Phil Simms. For the next three years, Simms and Applewhite both had their high points, and both served as co-starters. How do you manage that situation?
“Obviously you don’t live in a vacuum,” according to Davis, offensive coordinator under Mack Brown. “You’re aware of what they say in the grocery store.” Davis has ties to the Mannings himself. He recruited Eli alongside Simms, recruited Peyton at Arkansas and offered Arch’s dad, Cooper, when he was coaching at Tulane.
Davis said the pressure inside the building doesn’t come from attention or fans in the grocery store. It comes from picking the player who had the best chance to win. For Dodge, there’s no question, especially after seeing Ewers beat Oklahoma, then Alabama and Michigan in huge road victories.
“Gosh, all of us Texas fans are fired up about what Arch did the other day,” Dodge said. “But in the big picture, there’s a reason why Quinn Ewers is the starter. When you start having to face Georgia and people like that, well, it doesn’t mean that Arch Manning can’t have a bang-up game against a Georgia or an Alabama. It’s just that Quinn Ewers has already done it.” — Dave Wilson
Illinois’ Bryant dreams big after being molded through tragedy
Tattoos are filling up Pat Bryant’s body, memorializing those whose lives once ran parallel to his but diverged and ended far too soon.
Bryant, the star senior wide receiver for No. 24 Illinois, now has four tattoos honoring his friends from Jacksonville, Florida, who have died in recent years. One of the most painful came only two days after Bryant and the Illini played in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, when Bryant’s best friend, Alim Denson, nicknamed “Twin,” died while in prison.
“A lot of those guys, I grew up playing sports with, we all had the same dream,” Bryant said. “Being able to reach my dream, knowing they’re looking down on me, they’re very, very proud. Also, for the kids of the community, I want to show them that there’s more to life than gun violence, drugs. I just want to be a great role model for my community.”
Bryant, who leads Illinois with 235 receiving yards and four touchdowns this season, has contributed to a new community, far from home. He was named a team captain last month, as he prepared for his third season as a starter.
The 6-foot-3 Bryant received 33 scholarship offers in high school, including all the in-state schools, except the one he truly wanted, Florida, where both of his parents attended. Bryant committed to Illinois in June 2020, essentially sight unseen, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But in mid-December, just before the end of a delayed and shortened season, Illinois fired coach Lovie Smith. The first high school signing day was just three days away. Wide receivers coach Andrew Hayes-Stoker called Bryant and encouraged him to sign anyway, which he did. Three days later, Illinois hired Bret Bielema to replace Smith.
When Bryant finally visited Champaign, there was some confusion.
“I flew in, thinking the University of Illinois was in Chicago,” Bryant said. “I get off the plane, we get in an Uber, they’re taking us to the dorm, and I’m just waiting to see the big skyline. And I see corn field after corn field. I was like, ‘There’s no way,’ but I adapted to where I was. Great college town.”
Bryant has built a strong connection to Champaign. Earlier this month, he and two teammates pooled their NIL earnings to donate backpacks and school supplies to local children. Bryant’s desire to give back stems in part from his father, Patrick, the athletic director of the Police Athletic League of Jacksonville, which places officers to help with youth sports programs around the city. Pat Jr. played basketball and flag football in the league.
“He’s been nothing but a class example of everything we believe in here,” Bielema said.
After seven touchdown catches in 2023, Bryant is on pace for a breakout season, which continues Friday night at No. 22 Nebraska. Bielema has received good reviews from NFL scouts on Bryant, who also excels with run blocking. Bryant’s path reminds Bielema of the Atlanta Falcons’ Casey Washington.
At a morning meeting after Illinois’ second win, Bielema recognized Bryant as the team’s top overall performer.
“He lives a routine every day that gives him an advantage,” Bielema said. “We talked about how he’s in the building by 5:15 a.m., he doesn’t have to be checked in by 6:30. It’s just an awesome thing to witness. He knows where he’s at, he knows how to take care of himself. Unfortunately, he’s had some tragedy in his life and it helps motivate him for the future.”
Bryant plays for Denson and the other friends he has lost, but he’s also focused on his current teammates.
“I feel like I have a powerful voice, I can relate to everyone on the team,” he said. “I feel people respect me, not only because of my game but because of the kind of person I am.” — Adam Rittenberg
What teams need to capitalize on to win
Utah: Any sort of analysis about this game for the Utes has to begin with the status of quarterback Cam Rising. There hasn’t been an official update about whether he will play, but it’s hard not to interpret the fact that he spoke to reporters this week about the game as an indicator he will be available — unless it’s an elaborate form of gamesmanship, which cannot be ruled out. After falling behind 14-3 to Utah State last week, the Utes were able to come back and win comfortably, but it’s important the Utes don’t follow that script again. Independent of whether Rising plays, the Utes are at their best when the running game does the heavy lifting, and it does not suit their strengths to go into catch-up mode. This is especially true against an explosive offense like Oklahoma State. The best-case scenario here for the Utes is if Rising plays, they establish Micah Bernard early and neutralize Ollie Gordon II to a reasonable degree. — Kyle Bonagura
Oklahoma State: With back-to-back games against Utah and Kansas State to begin the 2024 Big 12 slate, Oklahoma State is about to enter a season-defining stretch. What better way for the Cowboys to make a statement in the Big 12 title hunt than by figuring out the running game and unleashing reigning Doak Walker Award winner Gordon in Week 4?
Coach Mike Gundy says he’s “not concerned” about Oklahoma State’s start on the ground this seasos. But through Week 3, the Cowboys rank 105th in rushing among FBS offenses and Gordon is averaging 3.5 yards per carry, down from 6.1 in 2023 when Gordon finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting. Oklahoma State leaned on its passing game to storm past Tulsa last Saturday when Gordon carried 17 times for just 41 yards. Relying so heavily on quarterback Alan Bowman won’t be as easy this weekend against Utah’s 26th-ranked pass defense. The Cowboys’ broader College Football Playoff aspirations probably hinge on finding a way to get Gordon and the run game going. Saturday against Utah is a good place for them to start. — Eli Lederman
Get to know your new conference enemy
With so much anticipation heading into this season about the new West Coast additions of the Big Ten playing matchups like this one, it’s hard to believe how much USC and Michigan have already switched roles.
The defending national champion has not looked the part after losing its head coach in Jim Harbaugh, but also plenty of talent on the field such as quarterback J.J. McCarthy and running back Blake Corum, among several others. After losing 31-12 to Texas at home and struggling on offense last week against Arkansas State, this isn’t exactly looking like the encore Wolverines fans envisioned.
Now, USC comes to town for its first marquee Big Ten game, looking far removed from the bitter end it had to the Caleb Williams era last year. After firing defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, Lincoln Riley revamped the defensive staff with former UCLA coordinator D’Anton Lynn, and after a statement win over LSU in the opener and a shutout of Utah State at home, the Trojans are coming off a bye week and look to be on the way up.
Despite any momentum USC might have, the concept of playing — and winning — a road game in the Big House looms large on any opponent, especially one that hasn’t been there since 1958. Though USC players keep harping on their improved physicality in the trenches being the deciding factor in this game, Riley has remained adamant over the past week that despite its struggles, Michigan is a really good team with NFL-caliber players. You can see how much he is trying to will his team to not view itself as the favorites, even if the odds say so.
“Everybody wants to write the story after a couple of games in the season for everyone,” Riley said this week. “And it’s a long season, man. That’s a good football team that we have a lot of respect for. To have anything less would be a mistake on our part.” — Paolo Uggetti
Quotes of the week
-
“Yeah, there’s an old quarterback from Muleshoe, Texas that’s going to come out of retirement, can see if his legs still got it,” Lincoln Riley, smiling, when asked if USC has someone on the scout team that can replicate what Michigan QB Alex Orji does on the ground. “No, we got a couple of guys that we’re trying to use a little bit. But he’s a really good athlete. I told people last night I was familiar with him. We recruited him a little bit coming out of high school, remember, I have a lot of respect for him as a player and an athlete.”
-
“I thought that they were trying to make it hard on us, to be honest with you,” Mike Gundy said Monday with Oklahoma State staring down back-to-back meetings against conference favorites Utah and Kansas State to open Big 12 play. “Commissioner [Brett Yormark] is my buddy, but he doesn’t do the scheduling. So, I’ve sent the wrong guy pecans for Christmas. I should’ve sent the scheduling guy pecans for Christmas.”
NEW YORK — Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their third consecutive playoff appearance Friday night with a 12-2 victory over the New York Mets.
Assured at least a National League wild card, the Phillies can secure their first NL East title since 2011 with one more win this weekend against the second-place Mets at Citi Field.
With the division crown so close, Philadelphia planned a mellow celebration following Friday night’s game — hoping to let loose soon with a boozy clubhouse bash after locking up first place.
Seeking their third World Series championship, the Phillies overtook Atlanta for the division lead on May 3 and haven’t trailed since. Their victory coupled with the Braves’ 4-3 loss in Miami eliminated Atlanta from contention for the NL East crown — ending its six-year reign atop the division.
Alec Bohm had four hits and four RBIs, including a three-run homer, in Friday night’s blowout. Nick Castellanos had three hits and two RBIs, J.T. Realmuto added a two-run homer and the Phillies extended their NL East lead to seven games over the second-place Mets (85-69) with eight to play.
Philadelphia stole five bases — four in a six-run fourth inning capped by Bohm’s homer off reliever Adam Ottavino. Johan Rojas had a two-run double off starter David Peterson (9-3), who was pulled after just 64 pitches and 3 2/3 innings — his shortest start of the season.
Cristopher Sanchez (11-9) overcame a shaky start and five walks in five innings for the win. Philadelphia outhit the Mets 17-4.
Philadelphia (92-62) has the best record in the major leagues and is on track for a first-round bye in the playoffs. It’s the third time the Phillies have reached the postseason three years in a row (1976-78 and 2007-11).
Philadelphia won five straight NL East titles from 2007-11, then went 10 years without making the playoffs. A wild-card entry each of the past two postseasons, the Phillies put together consecutive October runs that ended in heartbreak.
They reached the 2022 World Series, losing to Houston in six games, and dropped a seven-game NL Championship Series to Arizona last year after leading the underdog Diamondbacks 2-0 and 3-2.
So this time, the Phillies are looking to go all the way and finally finish the job.
Philadelphia’s only World Series championships came in 1980 and 2008.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports6 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports11 months agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Environment1 year agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Environment1 year agoTesla advances Powerwall pilot project with German electric company