James Franklin shot at Penn State. Chiefs back to .500 as fight breaks out; Mariners take a 1-0 ALCS lead

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Hello everyone and happy Monday. It’s Shanna McCarriston here with a recap of all things sports for the past three days. A major college football program has finally seen enough, as the WNBA has been crowned champion, MLB championship runs are underway, and several other injuries have struck key players in the NFL before fighting broke out after the Chiefs-Lions game.

There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s dive into it.

🤕 Five things to know on Monday

1. Expect disciplinary action following the Lions-Chiefs postgame fight. The typical NFL post-game handshake turned ugly last night after Detroit’s Brian Branch started a brawl on the field. Many jabs were thrown after Kansas City’s 30-17 win that got the Chiefs back to .500. Both coaches spoke about the incident that occurred in them Kansas City’s JuJu Smith-Schuster is injured after being hit in the face.
2. It’s been a miserable weekend for Penn State. on saturday, Midfielder Drew Allard suffered a season-ending injury In a 22-21 home loss to Northwestern. The injury ended Alar’s collegiate career, since he is a senior and has no eligibility remaining. On Sunday, Penn State Coach James Franklin fired after Spiral three games. Assistant coach Terry Smith will lead the Nittany Lions for the remainder of the season while the school conducts practices Search for a long-term successor.
3. The NLCS will begin in Milwaukee and the ALCS will play Game Two. The Mariners had a wild weekend, playing the equivalent of roughly two games on Friday night before advancing to the ALCS, with Seattle beating host Toronto in the first game.Check out what we have to say about that series.) And in the National League, the first game between the Dodgers and Brewers begins tonight. (We have predictions for this series as well.)
4. The 49ers, Rams and Colts have all taken serious hits on the injury front. San Francisco lost a star linebacker Fred Warner suffered a fracture and dislocation of his ankle for the rest of the season. While Los Angeles is the recipient Puka Nakoa suffered an ankle injuryHowever, the seriousness of his condition was not known last night. Other serious injuries included ponies Charvarius Suite (concussion) and Anthony Richardson (Orbital fracture) who were injured before the match.
5. Mark Sanchez was released from the hospital and made his first public comments. After being released from Indianapolis Hospital. Sanchez was booked and had his photo taken at the Marion County Jail. Sanchez, who faces a felony battery charge following the alleged attack on a 69-year-old truck driver, thanked the first responders who, he said, saved his life before adding that his primary focus is on his recovery and reuniting with his family.

🏈 A wild weekend for college football

The big news of the weekend was Pennsylvania J shootingAmes Franklin after Nittany LionsThe season went completely sideways. Penn State, which recently ranked a respectable No. 2 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, finds itself 0-3 in Big Ten play. The third loss in a row came at home to… Northwestand lost 22-21 after Vegas called them three favorites. They are the first FBS team since 1978 to lose back-to-back games as at least 20-point favorites. The numbers certainly didn’t paint a pretty picture“, notes Brad Crawford. And John Talty has a great five-minute read How Franklin’s personnel movements left Pennsylvania with no other choice.

• rich: “What Franklin and Penn State taught us is that there is a price for doing everything in one season: When you finally get everything you asked for, leaving no excuses, and you still don’t perform as expected, you’re the problem.”

Franklin would be One of the best candidates available In the coach’s course if he immediately pursues another university position. Chris Hammer writes, Arkansas, University of California, Virginia Tech, wisconsin and Maryland These are just some of the shows you could consider having a conversation with Franklin.

But this wasn’t the only major story in the sport:

These are the top five teams in Week 8 of the AP Top 25 Poll With first place votes in parentheses:

1. Ohio State (50)
2. Miami (13)
3. Indiana (3)
4. Texas A&M
5. Ole Miss

Here’s a look at Some scores from the weekend:

• Texas Tech: A-
• Ohio State: for
• Alabama: for
• Oregon: D
• Oklahoma: D

⚾ Mariners win the first game after a marathon fifth game

If you’re keeping score at home,… Sailors He played 24 innings of 50-hour baseball that involved flying 2,060 miles across three time zones to a waiting opponent. But if you’re from Seattle, the only number that might matter to you is two, as in how many wins they’ve accumulated.

The ALCS got underway in Toronto on Sunday night, but the Mariners didn’t polish off Tigers in the ALDS until early Saturday morning thanks to a 15-inning Game 5 affair in Seattle. Although you wouldn’t know it by Sunday’s result. Yes Blue Jays 1-0 lead when George Springer He stopped the ball in the seats on his leadoff bat, but the Mariners scored the game’s final three runs, which included a game-tying solo shot in the sixth inning by the AL champion’s home run. Cal Raleigh. Jorge Polanco He then followed with RBI singles in the sixth and eighth. Seattle won 3-1 in the first match.

But if we’re handing out stars, let’s not forget the Mariners starters Bryce Millerwho was rested for three days due to the marathon match on Friday. Miller excelled in the spot during a short break, Mike Accesa said. It’s still early days, but if Seattle advances, Miller’s performance could be the reason why.

• Axisa: “Given the stakes — on the road in a hostile environment with a tiring bullpen behind him — Miller had one of the greatest pitching performances in Mariners history in Game 1. Remember, this is a franchise that has never been to a World Series before. To have a performance like that on short rest, giving the team a chance to steal Game 1 on the road, is simply remarkable.”

Historically, teams that win the first game of a best-of-seven series go on to win the series 65% of the time, and that’s clearly good news for Seattle heading into Game 2 this afternoon. Dodgers and Brewers It starts tonight in Milwaukee.

🏀 In leading the Aces to the WNBA title, A’ja Wilson did something no NBA player has ever done

Congratulations to aces, The 2025 WNBA champions who have won three of the last four titles. On Friday night, Las Vegas completed a sweep of Phoenix mercurywon Game 4, 97-86, in the first women’s championship series played in a best-of-seven format.

Ace star Aja Wilson He was named Finals MVPHe is only the sixth player to earn the honor multiple times after also winning the award in 2023. Wilson also became the first player in WNBA or NBA history to win scoring titles, MVP, championship title, and Finals MVP in the same season. She’s in elite company, and she joins Bill Russell As the only players in WNBA or NBA history to win three MVP awards and three championships in a four-year period.

Achievement It puts Wilson in the goat conversation He gave the Aces a dynasty. Speaking of which, this is where Jack Maloney ranks this series of aces Among the all-time WNBA teams:

1. Minnesota Lynx (2011-17)
2. Houston Comets (1997-2000)
3. Las Vegas Aces (2020-25)
4. Detroit shock (2003-08)

👍👎 The best (not the best) of the rest

📺 What we are watching on Monday

🏒 lightning in bruins, 1pm on NHL Network
⚾ ALCS Game 2: Mariners at Blue Jays, 5:03pm on Fox/FS1
🏀 Preseason: Heat in Hawks, 6pm on NBA TV
🏒 cheetahs in airplanes, 7pm on ESPN+
🏈 bills in falcons, 7:15 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 kings in the wilderness, 8pm on ESPN+
⚾ NLCS Game 1: Dodgers at Brewersat 8:08 p.m. on TBS/TruTV/HBO Max
🏈 bears in leaders, 8:15pm on ABC
🏀 Preseason: Mavericks at Jazz, 9pm on NBA TV