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EVANSTON, Ill. — Cam Porter scored a pair of rushing touchdowns to help Northwestern become bowl-eligible with a 23-15 win over Purdue on Saturday.

After starting the season under the cloud of a hazing scandal and subsequent firing of longtime coach Pat Fitzgerald, the Wildcats (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) are writing an unlikely but happy ending for the school.

David Braun, made the interim head coach this summer after Fitzgerald’s dismissal, got his first win as head coach after being promoted Thursday.

Ben Bryant (13-of-24 passing, 230 yards) hit Cam Johnson in stride for a 52-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to retake the momentum after Purdue (3-8, 2-6) scored to cut the lead to 9-7.

Porter (17 carries, 95 yards) gave Northwestern the lead in the first quarter with a 7-yard touchdown on its first possession and added a 34-yard scamper early in the fourth quarter.

The Boilermakers scratched starting quarterback Hudson Card hours before kickoff and rarely caught a break against a Northwestern defense that came up big when most needed. The Wildcats stopped a pair of fourth-down tries and had a pair of takeaways in the first half to lead 6-0 at halftime then recovered a muffed punt early in the second half that led to a short field goal. Linebacker Xander Mueller sealed the victory with an interception of Ryan Browne at the Northwestern 30 with 19 seconds left.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. had 160 yards on 16 carries and scored a touchdown for Purdue, which has lost five of six.

THE TAKEAWAY

Purdue: Card’s absence hurt, but the Boilermakers twice failed to convert fourth-and-1 chances deep in Northwestern territory in the opening half. Purdue had the ball for more than 19 minutes but went to halftime with nothing to show for it.

Northwestern: The Wildcats won consecutive games for the first time this season and head to in-state rival Illinois next weekend without the added pressure of needing a win to lock up a bowl trip.

UP NEXT

Purdue: Ends its season next Saturday against visiting Indiana.

Northwestern: Plays at Illinois next Saturday.

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NHL trade grades: Report cards for the Trent Frederic swap, Seth Jones blockbuster, other major deals

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NHL trade grades: Report cards for the Trent Frederic swap, Seth Jones blockbuster, other major deals

The NHL trade deadline for the 2024-25 season is not until March 7, but teams have not waited until the last minute to make major moves.

For every significant trade that occurs during the season, you’ll find a grade for it here, the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks swapping goaltenders, Cam Fowler to the St. Louis Blues, Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken, the blockbuster deal sending Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes and Martin Necas to the Avalanche, J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Rangers, and the Canucks staying busy and getting Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

March 1 featured three big trades, with Ryan Lindgren headed to the Colorado Avalanche, the Minnesota Wild adding Gustav Nyquist, and Seth Jones joining the Florida Panthers.

Read on for grades from Ryan S. Clark and Greg Wyshynski, and check back the next time a big deal breaks.

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Reports: Brewers add depth with lefty Quintana

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Reports: Brewers add depth with lefty Quintana

Veteran left-handed pitcher Jose Quintana is joining the Milwaukee Brewers on a one-year, $4.25 million deal with $1 million in potential bonuses, according to multiple reports.

Quintana, 36, is coming off a 2024 season in which he went 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA in 31 starts for the New York Mets. He struck out 135 and walked 63 in 170⅓ innings. Over his past six regular-season starts, Quintana gave up four runs — three earned — in 36 1/3 innings.

He started the deciding game of New York’s NL Wild Card Series matchup with the Brewers and pitched six shutout innings in the Mets’ 4-2 victory, though he received no decision. Quintana had a total of three postseason starts, allowing six runs — five earned — over 14 1/3 innings.

Quintana now will compete for a spot in a Brewers rotation that returns right-handers Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers and Aaron Civale. The two-time defending NL Central champions also added left-hander Nestor Cortes in a trade that sent two-time NL reliever of the year Devin Williams to the New York Yankees.

The Brewers could use some rotation depth as two-time All-Star Brandon Woodruff and Robert Gasser come back from injuries. Woodruff missed all of 2024 while recovering from shoulder surgery, and he won’t be ready for the start of the season. Gasser, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, isn’t expected to be available until late in the season.

Milwaukee got more bad news Monday night when left-hander Aaron Ashby, a candidate for a rotation spot, left his start against the Cincinnati Reds with an injury. Murphy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Ashby appeared to have an oblique issue and would undergo an MRI.

When he makes his Brewers debut, Quintana will have pitched for every team in the NL Central. He was with the Chicago Cubs from 2017-20 and split the 2022 season between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals.

Quintana owns a 102-103 record and 3.74 ERA in 359 career appearances, including 333 starts. He’s also had stints with the Chicago White Sox (2012-17), Los Angeles Angels (2021), San Francisco Giants (2021) and Mets (2023-24). He was selected to the All-Star Game in 2016.

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Bad Bunny agency announces deal with Tatis

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Bad Bunny agency announces deal with Tatis

MIAMI — Rimas Sports, the agency co-owned by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny whose leaders have been suspended by the baseball players’ union, announced a management deal Tuesday with San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr.

Rimas said it will oversee marketing, brand relations and other services, working to “expand his portfolio as an athlete, businessman and philanthropist.”

Tatis and the Padres agreed in 2021 to a $340 million, 14-year contract negotiated by MVP Sports, an agency headed by Dan Lozano.

Rimas Sports says it is a partnership among Bad Bunny and executives Noah Assad and Jonathan Miranda. The company says it represents the Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr., the Colorado Rockies’ Ezequiel Tovar and the New York Mets’ Francisco Alvarez.

Although Rimas Sports is prohibited from negotiating contracts with teams, the agency is allowed to strike marketing deals with players.

The Major League Baseball Players Association revoked the agent certification of Rimas’ William Arroyo last April and denied certification to Assad and Miranda, citing a $200,000 interest-free loan and a $19,500 gift. The union issued a $400,000 fine for misconduct.

Arbitrator Ruth M. Moscovitch last October upheld the union’s five-year suspensions of Assad and Miranda and cut Arroyo’s suspension to three years.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer H. Rearden in Manhattan set a Feb. 18 deadline for Assad, Miranda and Arroyo to file a response to the union’s motion to confirm the decision, but no response has been filed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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