KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The 11th ranked Slippery Rock University football team went for two and scored on a hook and ladder in overtime to pull off a shocking 25-24 upset win on the road at No. 3 Kutztown University in the second round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs Saturday from Andre Reed Stadium. The Rock improve to 11-1 on the year after upsetting the No. 1 seed on the road for the second straight year and will advance to the quarterfinals next Saturday at No. 3 seed California (Pa.) after the Vulcans earned a 34-33 comeback win over Ashland Saturday. Kutztown entered the game as one of only two undefeated teams remaining in Division II and saw its season come to an end with an 11-1 record. The Golden Bears also saw their streak of four straight wins over SRU come to an end. The two Super Region One heavyweights traded long methodical scoring drives in the opening half, endured a defensive slugfest in the third quarter and put together an explosive fourth quarter and overtime session in what is likely to go down as one of the best playoff games this year. Slippery Rock led 9-7 at halftime before Kutztown rallied back with 10 points in the fourth quarter to take a 17-9 lead with just over six minutes to play. The Rock put together a 66-yard drive and cut the lead to 17-15 with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Brayden Long to Kam Kruzelyak with 1:53 to play. Long then found Logan Ramper in the back of the end zone on the 2-point conversion to tie the game. Kutztown was forced to punt on its final possession of the fourth quarter and Slippery Rock had a chance to win the game in regulation after Kanye Thompson put together a 35-yard punt return to give SRU the ball near midfield with two timeouts left. The Rock moved down into field goal range and tried to get out of bounds with five seconds left, but the receiver was ruled to be tackled inbounds and time expired before a potential game-winning field goal. Kutztown got the ball first in overtime and had a third and 20 situation that could have set up a long field goal try, but SRU was called for a facemask penalty to give the Golden Bears a fresh set of downs. They capitalized with a Luke Maxwell two-yard TD run to take a 24-17 lead after the first possession in the extra session. Slippery Rock scored a touchdown on its possession with Idris Lawrence breaking free for a long run, but the play was called back by a holding penalty. Facing third and 13 from the 28-yard line, Long connected with Ramper, who shed one tackler and walked into the end zone to make it 24-23. Rather than kicking the PAT to tie the game and send it to a second overtime, SRU head coach Shawn Lutz elected to go for two to win the game. After a timeout, Long threw a pass to the left to Mile Solomon at the five-yard line, who then pitched the ball backwards to Lawrence on the hook and ladder. Lawrence gained the edge and walked into the end zone to seal the 25-24 win. The overtime win marked the first time Slippery Rock has played an overtime game since 2017 and just the second time The Rock have ever played an overtime game in the NCAA Playoffs with the first being a loss to IUP in 1999. Slippery Rock finished the game with a 349-308 edge in total offense after throwing for 288 yards and rushing for 61 yards. Kutztown did most of its damage on the ground with 229 rushing yards and just 79 passing yards. Neither team turned the ball over. Long was exceptional in leading the SRU offense, completing 69 percent of his passes (27-of-39) for 288 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Ramper put up his second straight game with over 100 receiving yards to lead the pass catchers with nine grabs for 120 yards and one touchdown to go along with the game-tying 2-point conversion catch in the fourth quarter. Solomon added six catches for 41 yards, Kylon Wilson (Farrell High) had four catches for 42 yards and Lawrence caught five passes for 59 yards while rushing for 35 yards. Chris D'Or added 16 rushing yards and one TD all on the first drive. Todd Hill led the SRU defense with eight total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and two QB hurries. Jacob Snow was credited with seven solo tackles and Munchie Johnson and Andrew Vince had five tackles each. John Brown picked up one sack. Kutztown QB Judd Novak completed 8-of-17 passes for 79 yards and ran for 79 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries. Steven Burkhardt ran for 82 yards and one score and Jaedyn Stewart rushed for 52 yards. Slippery Rock will now shift its focus to the only team that beat The Rock this year and will travel back to California (Pa.) next Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff in a regional final that features the top two teams from the PSAC Western Division. Slippery Rock won on the road at the undefeated No. 1 seed in the playoffs for the second straight year after upsetting Tiffin in the 2023 second round ... The Rock advance to the quarterfinals the second year in a row, the fourth time since 2018 and the fifth time since 2015 ... the win over No. 3 Kutztown marked the highest ranked win in a playoff game in SRU program history ... SRU had played two previous playoff games against teams ranked in the top three and lost both (1997 to No. 2 New Haven, 1998 to No. 3 Carson-Newman) ... SRU played its first overtime game since 2017 and its second NCAA Playoff overtime game ever (1999 loss to IUP) ... SRU snapped a four-game losing streak against Kutztown and improved to 12-7 all-time against the Golden Bears and 7-4 on the road in Kutztown ... Logan Ramper went over 100 receiving yards for the second week in a row and the second time in his career and now has 243 yards in two playoff games ... SRU head coach Shawn Lutz improved to 81-20 in his SRU career and 9-5 in the NCAA Playoffs ... SRU improved to 3-9 all-time against teams ranked in the top three and has now won its last two games against teams ranked in the top three (2021 against No. 3 Cal (Pa.)) ... QB Brayden Long picked up his first win against Kutztown and has now beaten every team he has faced as a starter at least once.“The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge — just a few metres from where we were — and the runway were damaged,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the social media platform X. He added that he and UN colleagues were safe. “We will need to wait for the damage to the airport to be repaired before we can leave,” he said. UN spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay later said the injured person was with the UN Humanitarian Air Service. Our mission to negotiate the release of @UN staff detainees and to assess the health and humanitarian situation in #Yemen concluded today. We continue to call for the detainees' immediate release. As we were about to board our flight from Sana’a, about two hours ago, the airport... pic.twitter.com/riZayWHkvf — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) December 26, 2024 Israel’s army later told The Associated Press it was not aware that the WHO chief was at the location in Yemen. The Israeli strikes followed several days of Houthi launches setting off sirens in Israel. The Israeli military in a statement said it attacked infrastructure used by the Iran-backed Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa and ports in Hodeida, Al-Salif and Ras Qantib, along with power stations, asserting they were used to smuggle in Iranian weapons and for the entry of senior Iranian officials. Israel’s military added it had “capabilities to strike very far from Israel’s territory — precisely, powerfully, and repetitively”. The strikes, carried out over 1,000 miles from Jerusalem, came a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “the Houthis, too, will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and Assad’s regime and others learned” as his military has battled those more powerful proxies of Iran. The Houthi-controlled satellite channel al-Masirah reported multiple deaths and showed broken windows, collapsed ceilings and a bloodstained floor and vehicle. Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the strikes. The US military has also targeted the Houthis in recent days. The UN has said the targeted ports are important entry points for humanitarian aid for Yemen, the poorest Arab nation that plunged into a civil war in 2014. Over the weekend, 16 people were wounded when a Houthi missile hit a playground in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, while other missiles and drones have been shot down. Last week, Israeli jets struck Sanaa and Hodeida, killing nine people, calling it a response to previous Houthi attacks. The Houthis also have been targeting shipping on the Red Sea corridor in what it says is an act of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The UN Security Council has an emergency meeting on Monday in response to an Israeli request that it condemn the Houthi attacks and Iran for supplying them with weapons.
The PGA Tour is making the most sweeping changes to its eligibility in more than 40 years by eliminating 25 tour cards, along with shrinking the size of its fields. The all-exempt tour had been in place since 1983, meaning the top 125 players from the official money list — now the FedEx Cup standings — kept a full PGA Tour card the following season. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Some of Blake Lively's co-stars from It Ends With Us are standing with the actress amid her sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin Baldoni . On Friday, Dec. 20, the actress filed a lawsuit against Justin and accused him of misconduct on set such as sexual harassment . She also accused the actor of a smear campaign against her on social media after the film's release to tarnish her reputation. She claimed that Justin's behavior caused her and her family "severe emotional harm." Justin Baldoni denied the allegations with his lawyer calling the lawsuit "shameful" and full of "categorically false accusations." Two of her co-stars —Brandon Sklenar and Jenny Slate — have spoken out recently following her lawsuit, adding to the string of support The Gossip Girl alum has garnered . Justin Baldoni loses award from women’s organization after Blake Lively sexual harassment lawsuit Blake Lively's past co-stars praise her for 'fighting back' at Justin Baldoni's 'vindictive efforts' Brandon on his Instagram Story on Monday, December 23, posted a screenshot of the New York Times article that was Blake's legal complaint with the words, "For the love of god read this." In those words, he also linked the article and tagged Blake with a red heart emoji by her name. Jenny shared her support for Blake in an statement to TODAY on December 23. She said: "As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation. Blake is a leader, loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support for me and so many who know and love her." She added: "What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening. I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side." Brandon played Atlas Corrigan, the childhood love of Blake's character, in It Ends With Us. While Jenny portrayed Allysa Kincaid who is the sister of Ryle Kincaid and the sister-in-law of Blake's Lily Bloom. Justin played the Ryle Kincaid, Lily's abusive husband, and directed the film as well. The film is based on Colleen Hoover's book of the same name. The author also recently threw her support at Blake in an Instagram Story on Saturday, December 21. She posted a photo of the two hugging, along with the words: "@blakelively you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt." She additionally added a link to a New York Times article titled We Can Bury Anyone: Inside A Hollywood Smear Machine. The article takes a detailed look inside alleged smear campaign against Blake by Justin and his team. DAILY NEWSLETTER: Sign up here to get the latest news and updates from the Mirror US straight to your inbox with our FREE newsletter.Video showing an Ohio delivery driver realize that she had been given a very generous tip has gone viral. See the moment captured by Ring doorbell camera in the video player above. The act of kindness was caught on Ring camera , and the driver and the woman who started it all were reunited. When Lisa Burnett delivered a grocery order to a home in the Springboro neighborhood, she never imagined it would change her life. But it did, and it all started with a tip. During the holiday season, Kelly Schilling said she likes to randomly gift people with generous tips. On Saturday, she decided to give Lisa a $100 tip. Lisa thought it might have been a mistake and drove all the way back to Kelly’s home the next day. That’s when the two women shared an emotional moment, after Kelly told Lisa that the tip was a holiday gift. A few years ago, Lisa’s daughter passed away. She is now raising her granddaughter and has been doing deliveries to provide for them. She had just filed for public housing assistance, but after the video of the interaction went viral, Lisa got more support than she could ever imagine. “This became so popular because they loved her story,” Schilling said. “They loved the sincerity of it. I mean, she could have easily just taken the money and never said anything about it, right? But she didn't. And so, within hours, there were probably 5,000 comments.” Lisa said before the moment, she did not have many clothes, or even a winter coat. Now, she does, and she credits this experience as the reason. “I realized I just met an angel in person,” Burnett said. “I've got chills thinking about it now.” As the video went viral, a GoFundMe account was set up for Lisa, with the video seen by millions of people on social media. By Friday afternoon, nearly $40,000 had been raised and the total was continuing to climb. To donate and learn more, click here .
Getting smart about car insurance can provide cost savings and peace of mindAC Milan star Tijjani Reijnders has emerged as a transfer target for Tottenham Tottenham Hotspur had a productive summer transfer window as they not only invested in quite a few young talents with high potential but also managed to move on the majority of the deadwood. 11 games into the 2024/25 campaign and results have been far too inconsistent, but White Hart Lane faithful are wise enough to understand that Ange Postecoglou is building something special in North London. The process of re-tooling the squad after years of misery will take time and Spurs are on the right track under Ange Postecoglou . Of course, for Tottenham to keep pace in the race for the top four, a new signing or two in the January transfer window might be on the agenda. The Lilywhites want to bring in a new midfielder during the winter transfer window, and AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders has emerged as one of the targets . Tijjani Reijnders has averaged 3.08 carries into the final third p90 over the last year. That puts him in the top 1% of central midfielders in Europe. One of the best ball-carrying midfielders on the planet. pic.twitter.com/Mex46V84sE Tijjani Reijnders has established himself as a key player for AC Milan. After a strong Euro 2024 campaign with the Netherlands, he has found more consistency in the final third in his second campaign at Milan. The Zwolle-born talent has recorded four goals and three assists across all competitions , almost matching last year’s total numbers already. This has led to Reijnders becoming one of Europe’s most sought-after midfielders in Europe. Spurs are also among a host of elite European clubs vying for his signature. However, not only the Dutchman is loving life in Italy but also, he is looking to commit his future to Milan. After arriving in a £17 million deal from AZ Alkmaar last summer, the 26-year-old is not eyeing another big-money transfer in 2025 but a contract extension at San Siro. “We are discussing the renewal at the moment, but I can’t say more. However, I see myself at Milan until I’m in my 30s,” Reijnders told Italian transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio . “It’s one of the most beautiful clubs in the world and it’s an honour to play there. Wearing [the legendary Johan] Cruyff’s number 14 shirt is very special, and I’m happy in Milan.” Spurs failed to replace experienced midfielders such as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Giovani Lo Celso before the summer window’s deadline. That said, Reijnders had possibly emerged as an option to replace one of them in the engine room. Any possible contract extension with Milan would come as a huge setback to Tottenham, as this would possibly rule out any January or summer move for the Netherlands international. For the North Londoners, it is imperative that they bring in a new midfielder during the mid-season trading period to ensure that Big Ange has needed quality in depth in the middle of the park to cover the games for the second half of the season. This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.