Avon Lake quarterback Mark Pappas threw for three touchdown passes and Shoremen running back Tyler Nelson ran for three scores.

WESTLAKE, Ohio — Avon Lake built a 20-point second-half lead and then had to hold on in the fourth quarter to come away with a win over Westlake, 42-35, Friday night.

Avon Lake quarterback Mark Pappas threw for three touchdown passes and Shoremen running back Tyler Nelson ran for three touchdowns.

The win improved Avon Lake to 2-1 and 1-1 in the Southwestern Conference while Westlake, who was playing its first home game on its new stadium turf, lost for the first time this season and fell to 2-1 and 1-1 in the conference.

Avon Lake led, 42-35, late. Westlake, which had won its first two games in come-from-behind fashion, was driving for a touchdown when on a third-and-eight from the Shoremen 25, Jake Sommers came up with a huge interception.

That allowed Avon Lake to run out the clock, but not until it converted a fourth-and-1 on its own 30 with less than 1:39 left in the game.

“Our kids stayed resilient when we had to when we got that big interception down there,” Avon Lake coach Dave Dlugosz said. “We need to be able to smell blood in the water. We go up three scores, it shouldn’t be close after that.”

Pappas was on fire in the first half for Avon Lake. The senior quarterback completed 10 of 17 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown as the Shoremen built a 28-14 lead at the half. He finished the night 15 of 22 for 249 yards.

Avon Lake jumped ahead, 34-14, on the second play of the third quarter when Pappas hit Carson Toy sprinting down the sideline for a 72-yard touchdown. It was Toy’s second touchdown catch of the night. His 25-yard touchdown grab late in the second quarter put the Shoremen up, 26-14.

“He’s a great receiver. He made a lot of great catches,” Pappas said of Toy, who also had an interception on defense.

Early fireworks

The Shoremen recovered a Westlake fumble on the opening kickoff at the Demons’ 27-yard line, which set up a 13-yard TD run by Tyler Nelson and a 7-0 Shoremen lead.

Westlake answered with some fireworks of its own on its first play from scrimmage when quarterback Trey Bialowas hit Conner Sterneckert on a 35-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7-7 just 69 seconds into the game.

Bialowas finished the night with three touchdowns passing and 198 yards in the air. He also ran for 30 yards.

Special player on special teams

Westlake’s Terrence Rose took a kickoff back 87 yards for a score late in the first quarter and added several other big kick returns that helped Westlake stay in the game. Rose also made a spectacular diving catch at the goal line for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Big ground game

Tyler Nelson is just 5-foot-8 and weighs 170 pounds, but ran the football like a much larger man. The Avon Lake senior running back finished the night with 145 yards rushing on 20 carries and scored on runs for 13, 1 and 54 yards.

“The line was doing amazing. Everyone was tearing it up out there,” Nelson said.

What’s next

Westlake hosts North Olmsted in Southwestern Conference action next Friday. Avon Lake plays Lakewood at home.

Shaquille O'Neal gave a hilarious enshrinement speech as he entered the Basketball Hall of Fame Friday night.

SPRINGFIELD -- Shaquille O'Neal was one of the most dominant big men in NBA history by any measure, statistical or eye test. He could push nearly anyone around in the paint, and those he couldn't physically overpower, he could step around. He was an all-time dominant post presence, and a deserving three-consecutive Finals MVP with the Los Angeles Lakers.

He was also both hilarious and petty, and on Friday, as he gave his Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement speech, both qualities shined through. 

O'Neal famously feuded with teammate Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, despite winning three consecutive championships for the Lakers. Thanking all of his teammates with the Lakers, O'Neal saved Bryant for last.

"Last but not least, the great Kobe Bryant," O'Neal said. "A guy that would push me. Kobe Bryant, a guy who would push me and help me win three titles, but who also helped me get pushed off the team and traded to Miami."

Of course, there's reason to believe that O'Neal was as at fault in his departure as Bryant, but that hardly mattered on Friday. On Friday, O'Neal's presence dominated the stage as thoroughly as he dominated the paint.

"After Miami, I played in Phoenix," O'Neal said. "I'd like to thank Steve Kerr. He was the first general manager to call me and say I was being traded. All the other times, I found out from loud-ass Stephen A. Smith on ESPN."

This doesn't seem particularly likely, but it makes for a good story, and a good story was all O'Neal needed to keep his speech humming along.

Good stories, like the one he told that might actually cost him real sponsorship dollars. Back in 2012, shortly after he retired, O'Neal did a commercial for Buick in which he sat in a LaCrosse and proclaimed that the company had made a hybrid even he could fit in.

He couldn't fit, of course.

"I learned to work hard, but not take myself too seriously," O'Neal said. "Like sitting in a Buick I knew I couldn't fit in. Hey, they paid me $3 million. What did you want me to say, no? It was like, $3 million? I was like, I fit. I fit."

By this point, O'Neal's speech had left a lengthy list of names in its wake, including his first coaches, his brothers and sisters, Bryant, every general manager besides Steve Kerr, Stephen A. Smith, Phil Jackson (with whom O'Neal said he would be opening a "medicinal sage dispensary"), Nick Anderson (who Shaq roasted for missing crucial free throws in the Finals), and Buick. Who was left?

The fans.

"I'd like to thank the fans -- the mothers and daughters, fathers and sons," O'Neal said. "Every time you rooted us on, just know I heard you. Especially when I missed FTs. 'Shaq, bend your knees. Shaq, concentrate. Shaq, play defense.' Shut up."

(He went on to thank them, of course.)

Oh, and David Stern.

"(Adam Silver and David Stern) have taken the NBA to heights none of us could have ever imagined, and they did it with integrity," O'Neal said. "I'm proud of my relationship with them."

You knew the twist was coming. And it did.

"And David," he said, "Even though you suspended me ten times, to the amount of," O'Neal paused, and pretended to calculate, "$4.2 million, I still love you, David. But if you want to write the check, I'll take it. Tax free, please."

Not all of O'Neal's speech was petty. The moments in which he called Bill Russell the greatest big man ever, and in which he anointed Julius Irving his "idol" were genuine and heart-felt, and his pride and love for his children was evident, even as he promised some of them they would be going to law school (whether or not they wanted to). 

But large swaths of his speech were dotted with little jabs, and those will be the moments that people in attendance will remember -- the roasts, the passive-aggressive honesty, and the parts of his speech that forced NBA TV's censors to silence long portions of it (for the record, the edited portions were his nickname back in high school).

And all the while, O'Neal -- who was well aware of what he was doing -- grinned and chuckled, inviting viewers to enjoy those little jabs as much as he did. 

Even his closing comment had a hint of petty, calling out a hypothetical father talking to his hypothetical son.

"At the age of 10," O'Neal said, "my father said, 'Son if you listen to me,' he told me this day would happen. Now, when fathers are quizzing their sons on the great big men of the game, hopefully Shaquille O'Neal will be in the answer."

O'Neal will certainly be in the answer. If he finds out otherwise, you can bet he'll come after you.

Mike Napoli homered in the fifth inning and the Cleveland Indians' bullpen worked five scoreless innings in a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis, Minn.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Mike Napoli hit a mammoth go-ahead homer, the Cleveland Indians played scintillating defense late and closer Cody Allen was utterly nasty in a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minn. Twins second baseman Brian Dozier doubled but did not homer in four at-bats.

Here is a capsule look at the key aspect(s) of the game, which was televised by Fox Sports Time Ohio:

Nick Camino Scoreboard Watch: The Indians (82-58) remained 6.0 games in front of the second-place Detroit Tigers (76-64) in the AL Central. The Tigers defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 4-3, in Detroit.

Tito Time: The Indians clinched their fourth consecutive above-.500 season, all under manager Terry Francona. In Francona's first three seasons, they went 92-70, 85-77 and 81-80.

No apologies necessary: From one perspective, the Indians stole a victory Friday. They scored four in the third inning when they should have scored none.

Jason Kipnis led off by getting grazed on the uniform top by righty Tyler Duffey's 2-2 pitch. Francisco Lindor dribbled an 0-2 pitch to Duffey, who had a double play lined up for him -- until he bounced the throw to second. Shortstop Jorge Polanco was unable to secure the ball, putting Indians on first and second with none out.

Napoli lined to center for what, in a clean inning, would have been the third out.

Jose Ramirez lined off Duffey's leg for an infield single to load the bases. Lonnie Chisenhall, not willing to spot Duffey a strike, attacked an 0-0 fastball and drove it to the base of the wall in left-center for a two-run double that tied the score, 2-2. Ramirez stopped at third.

With the Twins conceding an RBI grounder to Abraham Almonte, Almonte grounded to Dozier. Tyler Naquin flicked a 1-1 changeup past Twins first baseman Joe Mauer and into right field for an RBI single to make it 4-2.

Roberto Perez struck out swinging.

Back to even: Twins No. 9 batter Byron Buxton hit a two-out, two-run homer off Tribe righty Danny Salazar in the fourth inning to tie the score, 4-4.

Salazar appeared to try to throw a two-seam comeback fastball on the first pitch, but it stayed over the plate at 92 mph. Buxton ripped it deep to left-center.

Salazar rebounded to strike out Dozier swinging at a wicked 1-2 changeup. However, Salazar's outing ended there. He exited because of forearm tightness.

Designated masher: Napoli, as if offended that the Twins tied it in the fourth, destroyed Duffey's first pitch of the fifth. Duffey provided a cement mixer that Napoli blasted into the upper tank in left field for his 32nd.

Bullish: Five Tribe relievers -- Joe Colon, Zach McAllister, Disco Dan Otero, Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen -- combined to allow one single, walk two and strike out four in five innings.

Each worked one inning. Colon, after a perfect fifth, walked Max Kepler to begin the sixth and was replaced by McAllister. The Twins' third batter in the sixth, Logan Schafer, walked.   

Otero gave up the hit in the seventh.

Shaw worked a 1-2-3 eighth. Allen was ridiculously good in the ninth. More on Allen in a bit.

Getting defensive: The Indians likely would not have prevailed without three ginormous defensive plays.

*With Kepler on first and none out in the sixth, Kurt Suzuki two-hopped McAllister's 0-1 pitch down the third-base line. Ramirez made a backanded pick, spun behind the bag and fired to second baseman Kipnis for the force of Kepler. It truly was a bang-bang play; Ramirez's throw erased Kepler by the length of a couple of cleats.

Schafer walked. John Ryan Murphy struck out looking and Buxton grounded to Lindor for a force at second.

*With one out in the seventh, Polanco singled to right off Otero. Lefty Mauer rallied from an 0-2 count to 3-2. On the 10th pitch of the at-bat, Polanco sprinted for second. Because Polanco was in motion, Lindor moved toward the bag, where he was able to glove Mauer's one-hop smash. What would have been first and third with one out if Polanco had not been running, turned into a 6-3 double play to end the inning.

*With one out in the eighth, Kepler sliced Shaw's 1-1 pitch near the left-field line. Rajai Davis ran for days before diving to make the backhanded catch. Suzuki grounded to short.

Here is Ragin' Rajai doing what he does:

Just fantastic by #rajai to deny Kepler in 8th. #Indians @SportsTimeOhio pic.twitter.com/DadgPAfui1

-- Dennis Manoloff (@dmansworld474) September 10, 2016

The Allen Code: Allen opened the ninth by getting Schafer to fly to left. Lefty Eddie Rosario, who has been a Tribe antagonist, pinch-hit for Murphy.

Allen wiped him out with this Bugs Bunny curve:

The Allen BB prequel, to Easy Eddie Rosario. #Indians @SportsTimeOhio pic.twitter.com/ZIK7aZqba9

-- Dennis Manoloff (@dmansworld474) September 10, 2016

Allen fell behind Buxton, 2-0. With Dozier on deck, Buxton needed to make Allen throw at least one strike. Instead, Buxton swung at a fastball outside and fouled. After fouling another fastball, Buxton had no chance against this SOB (Son of Bugs):

Allen goes Bugs Bunny on Buxton to end game. #Indians @SportsTimeOhio #ridic pic.twitter.com/L3TCzu2ykU

-- Dennis Manoloff (@dmansworld474) September 10, 2016

As dialed-in as Allen has been, it was good for Tribe Nation's palms that he did not face Dozier with a runner on base in a one-run game in the ninth. All Dozier has done since July 31 is hit 22 homers.

Get all the highlights from the third Friday of the high school football season.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Week 3 of the 2016 high school football season continued on Friday with 84 games involving area teams.

The Varsity Blitz Rewind is one place to get caught up on all the top headlines, upsets, best individual performances and more.

Here are the highlights of Friday's action.

Ohio Super 25 games of note

• Two field goals from Ryan Murray helped No. 1 Cincinnati Colerain shut out No. 3 Cincinnati La Salle, 6-0.

• A late Joe Gobble touchdown lifted No. 5 Stow past No. 20 Solon, 13-10.

• No. 8 Archbishop Hoban bounced back to defeat Youngstown Ursuline, 37-12.

• No. 17 Hudson lost its first game of the season, 51-24, at Canton McKinley.

• No. 21 Mentor lost at home to No. 9 Cincinnati St. Xavier, 20-7.

Area games of note

• Berea-Midpark improved to 2-1 after edging past Southwestern Conference rival North Ridgeville 42-39.

• Bedford scored 26 points in the second half to defeat Shaker Heights, 32-22, to stay undefeated.

• Brecksville defeated Brunswick, 42-35, in overtime.

• Cleveland Heights defeated Benedictine, 47-40, after stopping the Bengals one yard short of the potential game-tying touchdown.

Xavier Pillar 40-yard TD run gives Cleveland Hts a 34-33 lead on Benedictine w/7:51 left in third. #NEOvarsity pic.twitter.com/fzzvpR0Bpo

— Matt Goul (@mgoul) September 10, 2016

• Mayfield coach Ross Bandiera won his first game, 30-0, vs. Garfield Heights.

• Nordonia QB Robby Levak had five total touchdowns as the Knights won at Dover, 55-47.

• Orange won a close game against CVCA, 35-34.

• Streetsboro rallied to defeat Huron, 36-33, in overtime.

• Walsh Jesuit loses at Columbus Bishop Watterson, 27-12.

Walsh Jesuit is on the board after a 2-yard TD run by Josh Bennett. 27-7 in Watterson's favor. pic.twitter.com/mxevOnEqwN

— Patrick Murphy (@_Pat_Murphy) September 10, 2016

Scoreboard, gateway to content

Check out the area scoreboard for finals on all games involving area teams. Click on the score links to access more content from each game.

How the cleveland.com Super 25 fared

See how the teams in the cleveland.com Ohio Super 25 fared on Friday. The Super 25 is a ranking of teams statewide.

Also, read a roundup of highlights from those games.

Top Plays of the Week video contest

Do you have a great play from Friday night? If so, learn how you can send in your highlight for a chance to be a contender for the weekly contest to determine the Top Play of the Week.

Look for the video compilation Monday and vote for your favorite play of the week.

Jimmy Andrews of St. Ignatius won the Week 2 contest.

See lots of photos from Friday night

No. 5 Stow at No. 20 Solon from John Kuntz.

No. 9 Cincinnati St. Xavier at No. 21 Mentor from Thomas Ondrey.

Shaker Heights at Bedford from Joshua Gunter.

Statewide scores

Here are scores from games all throughout the state of Ohio.

Game balls

Vote for the best individual performer from Week 3.

Relive Friday night

Check out the Varsity Blitz Live blog for a rundown of all the latest news, videos and updates. Come back every Friday for Varsity Blitz Live, where you can join the conversation by including #NEOvarsity in Tweets or through cleveland.com's comments.

Coldwater-Marion Local produces another big 50/50

Last season when Midwest Athletic Conference rivals Coldwater and Maria Stein Marion Local met, the 50/50 raffle winner took home more than $11,400.

The two teams played again on Friday at Marion Local with an even bigger prize for the 50/50 winner.

50/50 from Coldwater vs Marion Local. $14,700 to winner

— Eric Goodwin (@ColdwaterAD) September 10, 2016

Coldwater won the game, 17-14.

What you missed this week

If you missed any of our preview content from this week, check out all stories leading up to Week 3 including the full Super 25, regional rankings and predictions on the top games.

What to watch Saturday

The staff of cleveland.com will be at three of Saturday's best games throughout Northeast Ohio.

Reporter Tim Bielik (@bielik_tim) will be at Hunting Valley when 2-0 University School hosts 1-1 NDCL at 3:30 p.m.

Reporter Nate Cline (@nathanielcline) will see No. 4 St. Edward host Glenville at 7 p.m.

Reporter Matt Goul (@mgoul) will be in Euclid to see VASJ host defending Division VI state champion Kirtland at 7 p.m.

Follow the reporters on Twitter for live updates and come to cleveland.com for postgame coverage.    

Here is Saturday's full schedule for the region:

What happened against Tulsa was far less functional. The offensive line was being pushed back, pressure was flowing, throws were off the mark, the running game was being stuffed and the Buckeyes couldn't get into a rhythm. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There wasn't anything alarming in the statistics. 

Ohio State put 417 yards of total offense and had only one turnover in its 48-3 win over Tulsa in Ohio Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Solid day, especially considering there was a lengthy weather delay at halftime and the field was drenched from rain. 

But was that game good enough to beat Oklahoma? 

Ohio State has played two games and has had two blowouts, but how much does that really matter now that the Buckeyes pivotal nonconference matchup at Oklahoma is next Saturday? 

Everything in sports needs to be an indication of what it means for the future. So what did this game -- one with no major red flags in the stats book -- mean for Ohio State's upcoming clash with the Sooners? 

Probably that the Buckeyes need to be better. 

Ohio State started slow.

Slow starts don't beat teams like Oklahoma at night on the road. 

"I feel like (Saturday), on offense, we started off a little sluggish," Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett said. "We are going to get better at that because that does happen. That's a real thing. I think we'll keep progressing, and if you look back at the second half, we definitely did a better job of playing our offense." 

Ohio State had 158 total yards and and no offensive touchdowns at halftime, which is far worse than the Buckeyes' season-opening performance against Bowling Green. Yes, Tulsa is a much more advanced opponent talent-wise but the Buckeyes did rack up 258 total yards in the first quarter alone against the Falcons. 

What happened against Tulsa was far less functional. The offensive line was being pushed back, pressure was flowing, throws were off the mark, the running game was being stuffed and the Buckeyes couldn't get into a rhythm. 

So was it good enough for Oklahoma? No. 

2. What did Tulsa do to slow the Buckeyes? The Golden Hurricane apparently found something on the tape to confuse Ohio State in the first half. 

"They have a good defense over there," Barrett said. "They did a good job game-planning and did a lot of pressure, or one of the pressures they had we weren't ready for. With that, they just kept us on our toes and our base plays, it gave us a hard time running between the tackles because they were doing a lot of twisting. 

"We made adjustments at halftime at halftime and did a better job of picking up that stuff in the second half. 

Ohio State had 259 yards of total offense and scored all four of its offensive touchdowns in the second half. 

3. Playing in the rain: Was it hard for Barrett to play in the rain? 

"I didn't think it was that bad," Barrett said. "We had one day in camp where it was pouring, raining cats and dogs, and I thought about that day. And I looked around and thought, 'This isn't as bad as that,' so it was pretty good I think." 

4. Barrett's memories of Oklahoma: Barrett came to Ohio State from Wichita Falls, Texas, which is roughly two hours away from Norman. Barrett, who once thought he wanted to be a Texas Longhorn, is quite familiar with the Sooners. 

"There were definitely Oklahoma fans in my city," Barrett said. "I enjoyed watching them over the years with Sam Bradford and guys like that. Adrian Peterson, Damarco Murray -- guys like that -- and even when they had (Landry) Jones and (Ryan) Broyles. They were fun to watch on offense.

"Here being at Ohio State, it's the type of games you play for, these big-time games going into a great opponent like Oklahoma, at their place on the road, it's an exciting thing. That's why you come to a place like Ohio State." 

5. What about the Texas-Oklahoma rivalry? The Red River Showdown is one of the best rivalries in sports. Barrett has been to one -- he went as a Texas recruit once -- and the Buckeyes quarterback said he's seen better. 

"I know it's a big deal," Barrett said, "but I can tell you one thing: It's not like Ohio State and The Team Up North, that's for sure." 

Through two games, Ohio State's secondary has accounted for seven interceptions and three touchdowns. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State is young, inexperienced but also talented. So everyone wants to make comparisons to the 2014 team that won a national championship despite starting that season in a similar position.

Luke Fickell made a different comparison on Saturday after No. 4 Ohio State's 48-3 win over Tulsa.

Fickell compared this Buckeyes team to 2006, when a talented team lost a ton of talent to the NFL and somehow managed to put together a better defense.

This year, the Buckeyes are replacing three NFL-caliber defensive backs, and already have seven interceptions. Last season Ohio State had 12 all year.

This group is on pace to shatter that mark.

"We came back a better defense in 2006, and the main reason was because of turnovers," Fickell said. "When you're as aggressive as we are, and play as much press, you're gonna get some opportunities to get the ball in the air because they're gonna throw at you."

So that's the secret formula? To get better at getting takeaways you have to lose talented players?

That doesn't make sense.

And this isn't about this version of Ohio State's defense being better than last year's, because that's a ridiculous thing to say and there are 10 games left against mostly better competition than anything the Buckeyes have seen so far.

Ohio Statecornerback Marshon Lattimore (2) celebrates his interception with teammates against Tulsa in the first quarter of Saturday's game. Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer 

But those interceptions? Seven in two games.

Why is this secondary in particular better at getting interceptions than a secondary that included Eli Apple, Tyvis Powell and Vonn Bell?

"I think that they more than some of the other guys played more offense along the way, along their journey," cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs said. "Because of that they're very gifted with their hands."

That actually does make some sense.

Cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who had two picks on Saturday, was as dangerous on offense as he was on defense when he played for Glenville High School. Safety Malik Hooker was a raw talent in high school, but played both ways.

Corner Denzel Ward, who's rotating in with Lattimore at corner -- he played offense too.

These guys have good hands, and good ball skills.

They're getting interceptions at an alarming rate.

"Everybody is a ballhawk man," corner Gareon Conley said. Oh, he had a pick on Saturday, too.

"Our young secondary, they got a chip on their shoulder. They're motivated. I love it, man. I'm proud to be out there with them."

Three picks last week against Bowling Green was nice, but it was clear the Falcons were overmatched. Tulsa on Saturday was a better test, even if the end result doesn't look like like it.

The Golden Hurricane have talent at receiver, and an experienced quarterback in an offense meant to put up points in a hurry. It put up no points on Saturday, and Ohio State's defense hasn't allowed a touchdown through two games.

Because the defensive backs keep taking the ball away.

Some of the seven interceptions through two games have been on errant throws. That happens. But there's also something to be said for having good hands and making plays as a defensive back when the opportunity is literally given to you. That doesn't always happen, even with really good players.

Malik Hooker's interception return for a touchdown started in the film room. He read the play better than the intended Tulsa receiver did.

"I watched a lot of film this week so I know a lot of times when they're in that set they run a lot slants," Hooker said.

Lattimore's two picks, and Conley's were just guys being around the ball.

That's what Ohio State wants out of its secondary. They want aggressiveness and to create opportunities for takeaways. For some reason, this group just seems more predisposed to that second part.

"It really makes you be very accurate with the ball," said Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett, who throws against this secondary more than anybody.

"Everything is press, with that you have to be very accurate because otherwise you get tipped balls in there, and then they're picks. You have to be disciplined with your eyes too. They do a great job of reading the quarterback."

Ohio State's secondary is doing everything right right now.

One time last week could be written off as a fluke. Two weeks in a row when the competition got somewhat better, and you start to see a trend developing with this group. Creating turnovers could be its calling card.

All that stuff about being inexperienced, that's still a thing. Next week at Oklahoma will be another way to really analyze just how good the back end of this defense is.

But it's looking pretty OK now.

"We've got a pretty good secondary," Urban Meyer said. "You put that with a decent pass rush -- that's a pretty good defense."

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Glenville football drops third straight game with a 41-0 loss to No. 4 St. Edward.

LAKEWOOD, Ohio – St. Edward accepted everything the Glenville football team gave it, from turnovers to short field position.

On Saturday evening at Lakewood Stadium, St. Edward ended Glenville’s nightmare of an evening by winning its third straight game, 41-0, in a nonconference matchup.

St. Edward, ranked No. 4 in the cleveland.com Ohio Super 25, along with Glenville and fans waited out a lighting delay until 7:45 p.m. before retaking the field.

Check back later for video highlights of the game.

Neither team was able to score on its first possession in the opening quarter. However, senior linebacker Mitchell O’Hara came up with a big play, returning a blocked punt in front of the end zone. On the ensuing possession, the Eagles scored from 3 yards out on a run by senior running back Curtis Szelesta.

Glenville’s next possession was short and ended with another blocked kick by the Eagles. On the next possession, the Eagles drove in another score with 7-yard run by Szelesta for a 13-0 lead after the first 12 minutes.

The Eagles wasted no time with favorable field position in the second quarter, as senior quarterback Kevin Kramer connected with senior receiver Ryan Rockwell for a 6-yard touchdown pass to take a 20-0 lead.

Glenville’s offense was unable to sustain a steady drive early in the second quarter. The Tarblooders soon turned the ball over on downs, leading to another possession for the Eagles. With only 39 yards to cover for a score, the Eagles moved quickly and capitalized on the drive with another 6-yard touchdown pass from Kramer to Rockwell.

Junior linebacker Robbie Mikovsky and senior corner Melvin Jackson helped preserve a 27-0 lead by halftime. Mikovsky recovered a fumble; and Jackson came up with an interception.

The Eagles scored the only points of the quarter as both teams exchanged possessions. Late in the quarter, junior running back Tylan Rice scored from a yard out following a punt deflection by the Eagles. Blaine Stencil’s kick put St. Edward up 34-0 to end the quarter.

Junior quarterback Zach Kincaid scored the final points for the Eagles on a run with a run from one-yard out.

What’s next:

Glenville will play its first Senate Athletic League game versus Rhodes on Friday. Then on Saturday, St. Edward will travel on Saturday to face Cincinnati Elder.

See what Ohio State looked like after the 48-3 win over Tulsa. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Normally we try to bring you video of the Ohio State Buckeyes singing Carmen, Ohio after a home win.

Saturday, the Buckeyes won and the Buckeyes sang, but it was raining too hard to venture out to capture that. So instead, we hid in the team tunnel after Ohio State's 48-3 win over Tulsa.

And we caught this.

If you've never seen a rain-soaked team run off the field and into the tunnel on the way to the locker room after a win, check out this video. We identified as many players as possible as they went by to help you get a better inside look at this part of a typical game.

Cleveland native Jessica Eye tried to score a victory in front of the hometown fans at The Q on Saturday night.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -  Brazilian Bethe Correia's post-fight press conference happened, but no one very far outside the octagon could hear it over the boos inside Quicken Loans Arena.

Jessica Eye couldn't believe it either after Correia defeated the local favorite on two judge's cards in a women's bantamweight fight as part of UFC 203.

"I don't believe I lost that fight at all," Eye said. "I just don't know how and to think it would happen here like this just blows my mind. I'm not sure what is coming now. It's just how it goes."

 Eye left the octagon trailed by Pablo Castro, one of the Strong Style coaches. They both shook their heads in disagreement.

"I'm back," Correia said before the crowd silenced her again.

This night for Eye was about more than fighting in her backyard.

It was about trying to regain the comfort level she felt back when UFC president Dana White was extolling her as a "pure fighter" and "tough as they come."

 After three consecutive losses, she not only trained her body hard but mixed in sessions with a sports psychologist to deal with her tendency to get tentative in recent losses.

She called it going through a "funk." And early Saturday, it appeared she had come out the other side.

She pushed the pace in the first round and carried the action early. But Correia overcame a crowd alternately chanting "Let's go Jess" and "U-S-A."

Correia later said her strategy was to stay away from Eye's right hand. The Correia camp didn't think she had much else.

Correia opened a cut under Eye's left eye in the second round. Eye closed out that round cutting Correia's nose and left cheek and scoring on two kicks.

When the final round began, Eye's cheering section erupted in a C-L-E chant. Correia carried the fight in the third round, though, pinning Eye against the octagon with both fighters trading knees and rabbit punches.

Correia appeared to land the cleaner punches over the final two rounds.

When the fight ended, Eye raised her hands in victory. Correia danced, drawing more boos.

Correia had lost her previous two fights, prompting her to scream, "I'm back" when the split decision went her way.

Two judges scored it 29-28 Correia. The third judge scored it 29-28 Eye.

It was Eye's third straight loss by decision..

Now it's back to training at Strong Style gym in Independence her Saturday night reduced to cheering on her friend, Stipe Miocic, who put his UFC heavyweight title on the line against Alistair Overeem  in the night's main attraction.

See a roundup of local high school football action from Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — St. Ignatius' football team improved to 3-0 with a 49-0 shutout win vs. Valley Forge on Saturday.

RB Mark Bobinski rushed for three touchdowns for the Wildcats, ranked No. 7 in the cleveland.com Ohio Super 25, and Jimmy Andrews added two touchdowns.

The Wildcats led the Patriots (0-3), 42-0, at halftime.

Here is a roundup of the rest of the local high school football action from Saturday.

No. 4 St. Edward 34, Glenville 0: Read reporter Nathaniel Cline's recap of the game.

Kirtland 36, VASJ 14: Read reporter Matt Goul's recap of the game.

Field conditions slick, but it didn't slow Torok, who motioned before streaking downfield for @kirtlandsports. pic.twitter.com/rEZl1FBDxI

— Matt Goul (@mgoul) September 11, 2016

Lake Catholic 34, Holy Name 10: Two touchdowns from Josh Corbin helped the Cougars improve to 2-1, while Holy Name is now 1-2.

Lutheran East 28, Whitney Young 12: Kaylin Heard had two touchdowns for Lutheran East (1-2). Whitney Young's record is 0-3.

Final: LE 28 WY 12! #leup pic.twitter.com/3QnVjrr7XC

— Lutheran HS East (@lutheraneast) September 10, 2016

NDCL 38, University School 0: Read reporter Tim Bielik's recap of the game.

Wickliffe 40, Rhodes 14: Isaac Pettway rushed for three touchdowns, and Nicky Fenton had a pair of rushing TDs to lead the Blue Devils (3-0). Wickliffe is off to its best start since 1997. Rhodes fell to 1-2 with the loss.

Here is Saturday's full scoreboard.

Catch up on Friday's best stories and moments with our Varsity Blitz Rewind.

The Cleveland Indians' magic number to clinch the American League Central Division dropped to 16 after the Detroit Tigers lost Saturday.

Despite suffering an extra-innings defeat in Minnesota on Saturday, the Cleveland Indians' magic number to clinch the American League Central Division dropped to 16 by virtue of Detroit's 11-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

Cleveland's lead in the AL Central over the second-place Tigers remained at six games with 21 to play. Baltimore got six runs in the first two innings Saturday and cruised to a road win and a one-game lead for the second wild card spot.

Any combination of Indians wins plus losses by the second-place Tigers that is greater than or equal to 16 will clinch the division title for Cleveland.

 

The Indians (82-59) wrap up their season series against the Twins on Sunday at 2:10 as Corey Kluber faces Jose Barrios.

You can calculate a first-place team's magic number by starting with 163 and subtracting its number of wins and then subtracting the number of losses by the second-place team.

Do you believe in magic (numbers)? What the figure means for the Cleveland Indians

CM Punk made his UFC debut in a big way Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, appearing on the undercard for the Stipe Miocic vs. Alistair Overeem title fight.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Former pro wrestling champion CM Punk received a rude introduction to the UFC on Saturday night, submitting to Mickey Gall via a rear-naked choke hold 2:14 into the first round at Quicken Loans Arena.

Punk and Gall battled on the undercard of UFC 203, which featured the heavyweight title bout between Cleveland favorite Stipe Miocic and challenger Alistair Overeem.

Punk, 37, had a tough challenge for his first UFC fight. Gall (3-0) is seen as one of the sport's up-and-comers. At Friday's weigh-in, Punk refused to shake Gall's hand during their photo op, saying later, "I'm not here to shake anybody's hand. I'm here to punch people in the face."

But as many experts predicted, the former WWE pro wrestling champion didn't have much opportunity to do that against the 24-year-old Gall, who fights out of New Jersey. Right at the start, Gall ducked under a wild Punk punch that missed, scooped him by both legs and took him to the mat.

Gall then proceeded to ground and pound Punk with punches while he had him on the mat, and then moved to the hold that would end the fight.

Gall walked to the octagon to the 1982 Toni Basil song "Hey, Mickey," which had been vetoed by UFC head Dana White, who apparently changed his mind. Punk, a Chicago native, entered to his trademark song from the WWE, "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour. 

During the run-up to the fight, Miocic, the heavyweight champ, said the jump would be substantial for Punk. "It's a big transition," he told cleveland.com. "You're fighting for the biggest organization in the world."

Just 1 day to go! @CMPunk and @mickeygall line up for #UFC203 tomorrow! https://t.co/omMwNs76jR

-- UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 9, 2016

Kirtland methodically asserted its control over Villa Angela-St. Joseph behind three Joey Torok touchdowns in a 36-14 victory.

EUCLID, Ohio – Hour-long lightning delays kept Kirtland and Villa Angela-St. Joseph from even warming up on the football field Saturday night at Sparky DiBiasio Stadium.

Once they reached the slick grass surface, Kirtland methodically asserted a control that led to a 36-14 victory.

Sophomore Joey Torok and his teammates sat and waited.

“It was kind of frustrating,” he said. “We wanted to get out and play.”

A 5-foot-8, 140-pound running back, Torok enjoyed the rain to the tune of three touchdowns – two rushing and a third on a 49-yard catch from junior quarterback Dylan Fulco – to spearhead the Hornets (3-0) in elements where offensive flow doesn’t come so easy.

Just don’t tell that to Kirtland coach Tiger LaVerde.

“The way we play, we kind of take pride playing in the mud, rain and snow,” said LaVerde, whose team travels to Richmond Heights on Friday in Week 4. “We try to get our kids to enjoy the bad weather games because in November you’re going to get some.”

The defending Division VI state champions amassed 326 yards of offense vs. VASJ (0-3). Torok led the effort with 15 carries for 76 yards and 125 yards of all-purpose yards.

“I like to cut and stuff in the mud,” Torok said. “My first cut I slipped, so I started taking shorter steps.”

He motioned right and behind Fulco before streaking downfield on the touchdown pass that pushed Kirtland’s lead to 21-0.

Field conditions slick, but it didn't slow Torok, who motioned before streaking downfield for @kirtlandsports. pic.twitter.com/rEZl1FBDxI

— Matt Goul (@mgoul) September 11, 2016

Check back Sunday morning for more video highlights.

VASJ, which visits Shaw on Friday, broke the shutout bid in the second quarter on junior Jerry Higgins’ 1-yard run. Higgins paced the Vikings with 49 yards rushing and 44 yards receiving. Most of it came in the first half, and all of his receiving yards came on a catch that set up his touchdown.

The Vikings added one more score late on an Aubrey Shabazz-to-Danny McGarry pass, just as the rain subsided in the final few minutes.

LaVerde left Euclid pleased with his defense.

“This is the third game now,” he said. “They’re quick, get to the ball and hustle.”

Kirtland forced three turnovers, including a juggling third-quarter interception by senior Palmer Capretta.

How did @kirtlandsports' Palmer Capretta catch this? #NEOvarsity top play nominee? pic.twitter.com/DzfcZYqObP

— Matt Goul (@mgoul) September 11, 2016

The other two came on fumbles, beginning with a backfield miscue that set up Kirtland’s first score.

This VASJ fumble got everything going for Kirtland, setting up Hornets' first score. pic.twitter.com/CdGZPaUIEf

— Matt Goul (@mgoul) September 11, 2016

Neither the rain nor VASJ slowed the Hornets from there.

Even if the hour-long delay reminded linebacker Owen Loncar of Kirtland’s last loss in Week 2 last year.

“It was just like the Grand Valley game,” he said. “We had that big delay at halftime. We were just having fun, staying loose. Once game time came, coach got us pumped up and we were ready to go.”

Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on Twitter (@mgoul) or email (mgoul@cleveland.com). Or log in and leave a message below in the comments section.

Dustin Johnson shot 18-under through three rounds to lead BMW Championship 2016, part of the FedExCup Playoffs.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Dustin Johnson led by three shots entering the final round of BMW Championship 2016 on Sunday in Carmel, Ind. The BMW Championship is part of the FedExCup Playoffs.

Johnson shot 4-under 68 in the third round and was 18-under for the tournament, which is being held at Crooked Stick CC. Paul Casey was at 15-under, followed by J.B. Holmes (14-under) and Roberto Castro (12-under).

Johnson won the 2016 U.S. Open.

The BMW Championship, the third of four playoff events, featured a starting field of 69 (of 70; Henrik Stenson out). When it is over, the top 30 in the FedExCup standings advance to the Tour Championship in two weeks.

The PGA Tour's younger set has used the FedEx Cup Playoffs as a showcase.

The past nine players to win a playoff event were under age 30. The eighth, Patrick Reed, 26, won The Barclays two weeks ago in New York state. The ninth, Rory McIlroy, 27, won the Deutsche Bank Championship last week in Massachusetts.

Reed is ranked No. 1 in the FedExCup standings; McIlroy, fourth.

The top 125 in the FedEx points standings qualified for the playoffs. The reset top 100 were eligible to advance to the Deutsche Bank Championship, then the 70 to the BMW Championship.

The BMW Championship runs through Sunday. Here are the groupings and tee times. Golf Channel will televise live Sunday from 12-2 p.m., then NBC Sports from 2-6 p.m. You can follow along all round on the PGA Tour's live leaderboard.

Sunday's live leaderboard:

PGA TOUR

BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Carmel, Ind.

Course: Crooked Stick CC. Yardage: 7,516. Par: 72.

Purse: $8.5 million (First prize: $1.53 million).

Television:

• Sunday: Golf Channel, 12-2 p.m.; NBC Sports, 2-6 p.m.

Defending champion: Jason Day.

Last week: Rory McIlroy won the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Notes: McIlroy won the last time the BMW Championship was held at Crooked Stick ... McIlroy's six-shot comeback at the TPC Boston last Monday matched the largest rally in FedExCup Playoffs history. Adam Scott came from six behind to win The Barclays in 2013. ... Sean O'Hair is the only player at the BMW Championship who started the FedEx Cup playoffs outside the top 100 (No. 108). He tied for second at The Barclays. ... There has not been a full field at any of the playoff events this year. Henrik Stenson (No. 24) is not playing Crooked Stick. ... Scott, Patrick Reed, Ryan Moore and Jason Kokrak have finished in the top 10 at both playoff events. ... Emiliano Grillo (No. 8) and Smylie Kaufman (No. 33) are the only PGA Tour rookies to advance to the BMW Championship. They won the first two tournaments of the season. ... Crooked Stick hosted the 1991 PGA Championship won by John Daly, the 1993 U.S. Women's Open won by Lauri Merten and the U.S. Senior Open won by Fred Funk. It also hosted the 2005 Solheim Cup. ... The top 30 advance to the Tour Championship on Sept. 22-25. Those players are exempt into the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open in 2017.

Next week: No tournament. The Tour Championship is Sept. 22-25.

Online: www.pgatour.com

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Joe Mauer's RBI single enabled the Minnesota Twins to walk-off the Cleveland Indians, 2-1, in 12 innings Saturday night in Minneapolis, Minn.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Joe Mauer singled to drive in Brian Dozier from second base with two outs in the 12th inning as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Cleveland Indians, 2-1, Saturday night at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minn. The teams combined to use 17 pitchers, including 10 by the Tribe.

Here is a capsule look at the key aspect(s) of the game, which was televised by Fox Sports Time Ohio:

Problematic: The Indians (82-59), first place in the AL Central, are 9-9 against the last-place Twins (53-89).

Head-scratcher: Why the Indians gave Mauer an opportunity to beat them is mystifying. Granted, Mauer no longer is the hitter who won three AL batting titles and one AL MVP. But he still is dangerous, especially against the Indians. Entering Saturday, Mauer was 22-for-64 (.344) with 10 doubles, one triple, two homers, nine RBI, 14 runs and 13 walks in the season series.

However, Mauer was 0-for-5 when he stepped into the box against righty Joe Colon with two outs and Dozier on first in the 12th. Dozier had reached on a two-out grounder through the left side.

Colon got ahead of Mauer, 1-2. After Mauer fouled a fastball (96 mph), Colon flinched on the rubber and balked Dozier to second.

Fox Sports Time Ohio analyst Rick Manning said: "Now, I think you've got to walk Mauer.''

Fox Sports Time Ohio play-by-play voice Matt Underwood said: "Even though you've got him down in the count?''

Manning told Underwood that he first wanted to see the replay on the balk. While it was being shown, Tribe pitching coach Mickey Callaway visited Colon.

Manning said: "Callaway goes to the mound and talks to him, but I wouldn't pitch to Mauer here. I would just put him on and make Jorge Polanco beat (me).''

Colon threw a breaking pitch down and in for a ball.

Manning said: "The reason why I say I would walk him is, you don't get him to chase off the plate a whole lot. This is one of the most disciplined hitters in the game, so take your chances with the next guy.''

Mauer fouled a fastball (97) over the plate. Tribe catcher Chris Gimenez visited Colon, presumably to tell him not to throw that pitch again.

Mauer spit on a changeup (85) that dropped below the zone.

When Mauer did not offer at the changeup, it should have served as the final warning to the Indians. And now that the count was 3-2 as opposed to 1-2, there was absolutely, positively no reason to pitch to Mauer. The switch-hitting Polanco has been a solid performer in a 58-game MLB career that began in 2014, but he is not to be feared.

Underwood and Manning all but predicted what happened next.

Colon left a breaking pitch (87) up on the inner third, and Mauer served it into right-center for the walk-off.

Making a mess: Only Tribe batters know for sure how good Twins lefty Hector Santiago and six nondescript relievers were. But even on their best days, Santiago & Co. should not be able to hold a first-place team's offense to 7-for-41 with two doubles and five walks. 

The Indians' run came on Francisco Lindor's sacrifice fly in the first inning. They had four hits and four walks in the next 11 innings.

No question that the Indians' offense has been good, on balance, this season -- an integral part of the first-place status. On this night, though, it was awful. When Twins pitchers threw the changeup, in particular, Tribe batters swung as if they never had seen one.  

Missed opportunities: The Indians pressured Santiago in the first and second innings but managed just the one run.

*In the first, they scored and had the bases loaded with one out. Jose Ramirez took a strike on the outer third and popped a changeup (84) to center. Santiago made a first-pitch mistake to Brandon Guyer, throwing a fastball (91) over the middle that was supposed to be on the outer third. But Guyer's stride prevented him from clearing the hips, and he flied to center.

*In the second, they put runners on first and second with none out. Rajai Davis, in a 1-0 count, reached for a changeup (84) outside and chopped to pulled-in third baseman James Beresford. The Twins turned a 5-4-3 double play, the relay barely beating Davis.

Kipnis walked. Lindor, in an 0-1 count, grounded a fastball (93) on the inner half to Beresford, who threw to second for the force.

The New England Patriots open the season at the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback for the suspended Tom Brady: NFL 2016 Week 1 schedule, TV, preview.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The NFL season gets into full gear today and the Sunday Night game features the New England Patriots, minus Tom Brady, who is serving a four-game suspension. The Patriots will be at the Arizona Cardinals with Jimmy Garoppolo starting in place of Brady.

In the AFC North, the Cleveland Browns open at the Philadelphia Eagles at 1 p.m., the Baltimore Ravens host the Buffalo Bills at 1 and the Cincinnati Bengals are at the New York Jets, also at 1. The Pittsburgh Steelers open on Monday night at the Washington Redskins.

PRIME-TIME MATCHUPS

When: 8:30 p.m. Sunday on NBC
Where: Phoenix Stadium
Why watch: No matter how great of a coach Bill Belichick is supposed to be, a victory by the Patriots in this game is tough enough with QB Tom Brady, so without him is an even bigger task. Brady is out due to a four-game suspension and that means third-year QB Jimmy Garoppolo gets the nod. ... The Cardinals were one defensive injury away from advancing to the Super Bowl last year.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Washington Redskins
When: 7:10 p.m. Monday on ESPN
Where: FedExField, Landover, Md.
Why watch: QB Kirk Cousins and the Redskins were one of the biggest surprises last season. This time they team will not be able to sneak up on anyone and that includes the Steelers. The Steelers can certainly blame last season on injuries to QB Ben Roethlisberger but mediocre play in their secondary was a prime culprit. Keep an eye on the match-up between cornerback Josh Norman and wide receiver Antonio Brown.

WEEK 1 SCHEDULE

Thursday

• Denver Broncos 21, Carolina Panthers 20

Sunday

• Green Bay Packers at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m., FOX
• Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m., CBS
• Chicago Bears at Houston Texans, 1 p.m., FOX
• Cleveland Browns at Philadelphia Eagles, 1 p.m., CBS
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m., FOX
• Minnesota Vikings at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m., FOX
• Cincinnati Bengals at New York Jets, 1 p.m., CBS
• Oakland Raiders at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m., FOX
• San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs, 1 p.m., CBS
• Miami Dolphins at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m., CBS
• Detroit Lions at Indianapolis Colts, 4:25 p.m., FOX
• New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., FOX
• New England Patriots at Arizona Cardinals, 8:30 p.m., NBC

Monday

• Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Redskins, 7:10 p.m., ESPN
• Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers, 10:20 p.m., ESPN

Stipe Miocic defended his UFC heavyweight championship Saturday night at The Q in front of a hometown crowd vs. Alistair Overeem.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -  Stipe Miocic tells the story of his dog, Primo, a 110-pound Cane Corso who couldn't contain his excitement one day after seeing the kids across the street.

Primo met a truck on his way to say hello.

"He went down, slid 15 feet and got up like nothing happened," Miocic said recently.

So now we can say, like dog, like owner.

Alistair Overeem put Miocic down in the first round of their UFC heavyweight title fight Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena. It was a short left. Miocic looked stunned. So did the crowd.

Overeem pounced, tried to apply a guillotine, actually did apply some semblance of the submission hold, but couldn't control Miocic, who popped back up and chased Overeem around the ring.

Miocic would land heavy right hands after that, then put Overeem in the same compromising position. This time the truck won.

The challenger would say in the ring after Miococ's first-round knockout that he felt Miocic tap out, and that the ref didn't see it. No one watching the replay did either.

Believe Miocic when he says Overeem's punch looked worse than it was. Don't believe Overeem when he says Miocic tapped out.

 Miocic dominated the fight, putting Overeem on his back and  hammering him until the fight was stopped.

"Stipe was the better man today," who could've left it at that. In fairness, Overeem might not have been thinking clearly when he suggested Miocic would tap out in front of a sold out home crowd.

For weeks, Miocic said he couldn't wait for fight night. He showed why.

 About 10 days before the fight, he once again dismissed any thought that fighting in his home town would put undue pressure on him.

Miocic walked into Quicken Loans arena late Saturday night wearing a ball cap and sipping a beverage -- like he was on his way to a late summer picnic instead of a heavyweight title defense.

So he must have meant it when he said defending his UFC heavyweight title in his hometown caused him no extra stress.

And now, in the same category, we can put Overeem.

Miocic had predicted he would "beat the crap out of this guy" and that's basically what happened.

Miocic says what he likes most about UFC is "putting the puzzle together." This has sometimes preceded scattering the pieces of his opponent around The Octagon.

That was the case again on a night that ended with him screaming "O-H" to a crowed only too happy to answer.

"You're always nervous," Miocic said in the days leading up to his title defense. "But it's a good nervous. You walk in too confident you're in trouble."

Overeem had talked before the fight of being the hungrier fighter, suggesting Miocic had been living it up since knocking out Fabricio Werdum to win the title in May.

Miocic's answer: Yeah, living it up in the gym.

The Miocic camp's bigger concern, relatively speaking, was over training, not under training. And even that wasn't much of an issue.

Coach Marcus Marinelli said 10 days before the fight his fighter was "10 to 15 percent" better than he was for Fabricio Werdum.

After this wild, raucous night at the Q, in front of a crowd chanting his name, Miocic made that look like an understatement..

Kent State's offense failed to do much running or passing, and the defense can't hold up in second half in 39-34 loss against NC A&T.

KENT, Ohio -- Kent State's offense still has an extremely long way to go, and it showed against the North Carolina A&T Aggies in a humbling, four-overtime 39-34 setback Saturday night at Kent State.

As the game wore on, A&T's speed in the backfield and glue-fingered receivers took a toll on Kent's slowly withering defense. And there was little help from the offense that had just one meaningful scoring drive the entire game.

Even when a 51-yard kickoff return to A&T's 36 put Kent in position to take a late-game lead inside the final six minutes, the offense promptly went backwards.

The Aggies meanwhile kept putting pressure on Kent's defense, which gave up critical third-and-long conversions, including on the game-winning drive for a 15-yard TD pass for the victory.

In the end, A&T gained 407 yards of offense to Kent's 275, with the bulk of that coming after halftime.

The game ended minutes beyond midnight after beginning more than two hours past its 6 p.m. scheduled start, due to lightning sightings in passing storms. It was still raining at kickoff, leading both teams to rely on ground attacks early on.

It was the first career start for freshman quarterback Mylik Mitchell, out of Cleveland's John Hay High. He got the nod when fellow freshman Justin Agner was sidelined by an unspecified injury during practice Friday after earning the start in the season opener.

It took nearly the entire first quarter for the Golden Flashes to put points on the board as the same problems of the recent past continued. Even against A&T, from the lower FCS ranks, KSU's offensive line showed no explosion in the running game and marginal protection in the passing game.

The points came via a defensive fumble recovery at the Aggies' 11. But Kent's offense had to yield to its field goal team for a 20-yard Shayne Hynes boot and 3-0 lead with :05 left in the opening period.

Unable to handle the Aggies straight up, Kent turned to trick plays for a seven-play 85-yard drive that ended with a 27-yard TD pass from Mitchell to tight end Brice Fackler, for a 10-0 lead that held up to halftime.

But the second half opened with the Aggies putting Kent's defense on its heels. After holding A&T to 97 yards the entire first half, Kent's defense gave up 111 yards on its first two possessions for a touchdown and a field goal that tied the game, 10-10, with seven minutes still to play in the quarter.

Then, seconds before the end of the quarter, Kent's Najee Murray recovered an Aggies fumble at the Kent eight. Two plays later, Fackler caught a double ricochet off a pair of Aggie defenders for his second TD of the game and a 17-10 Kent lead to start the fourth quarter.

But Kent's defense gave up a third-and-21 on the Aggies' next drive, which led to a touchdown that tied the game, 17-17. Kent's offense had a pair of scoring chances afterward, with drives starting at the A&T 36 and 37, but failed to score on both, ultimately sending the game to overtime.

Bryson DeChambeau has a one-shot lead over Zack Sucher heading into Sunday's final round of the Web.com Tour DAP Championship at Canterbury Golf Club. Here's a link to the live leaderboard, along with tee times, TV schedule and updates.

BEACHWOOD, Ohio -- Bryson DeChambeau carries a one-shot lead into Sunday's final round of the Web.com Tour DAP Championship at Canterbury Golf Club.

DeChambeau shot 2-under 68 Saturday and is 8-under for the tournament. Second at 7-under is Zack Sucher (65-70-68) and ex-PGA Tour standout D.A. Points (65-71-68) is third at 6-under.

DeChambeau and Sucher were in a group of six players tied for the lead when the second round was finally completed Saturday morning.

Sunday's final round is scheduled to begin at 7:35 a.m., with DeChambeau and Sucher scheduled to tee at 12:55 p.m. Golf Channel will televise live from 2-5 p.m.

WEB.COM TOUR / DAP CHAMPIONSHIP

What: Web.com Tour Tournament and first of four Web.com Tour Finals events to determine which 25 players earn PGA Tour cards. Web.com Tour Finals FAQs.

When: Sunday. Gates open to public 8 a.m.

Where: Canterbury Golf Club, 22000 South Woodland Road, Beachwood, Ohio.

Purse: $1,000,000 total, with winner earning $180,000.

Television: Sunday, Golf Channel, 2-5 p.m.

Tee times/pairings: Click here for tee times and pairings.

Live leaderboard: Click here to follow the Web.com Tour's live leaderboard.

Primary Charity Partner: The LeBron James Family Foundation.

Ticket Information: Visit dap championship.com to purchase tickets and get general information.

Parking: General public parking will be at Tri-C Eastern Campus, with access via the Harvard Road entrance.

Tournament entrance: Admission gate and shuttle drop is located at Canterbury's Halburton Road entrance in Beachwood.

The Indians used 10 pitches Saturday night in a 2-1 loss to the Twins in 12 innings at Target Field. Watch video

MINNEAPOLIS -- As bullpen games go, Saturday night's gathering of relievers fared better than Monday's venture when it came to turning the bullpen upside down and shaking it vigorously to see who fell out.

In fact, if Mike Clevinger continues on the path he walked at Target Field, well, the bullpen game might have reared its ugly head for the last time this season.

Yes, the Indians lost to the Twins, 2-1, in 12 innings on Joe Mauer's two-out single, but Clevinger threw four good innings, which means he should be able to plug one of the holes in a vulnerable rotation following the news that Danny Salazar will miss at least one start with a right forearm injury.

On Monday against Houston, Clevinger lasted just 1 2/3 innings. Not only that, he took the loss as the Tribe fell, 6-2. Saturday, with a full bullpen session behind him, he struck out five, walked two and allowed one run in four innings.

"That was the best we've seen him," said manager Terry Francona. "He gave us four innings and held his stuff. The first couple innings there were some walks (two) and deeper count, but he sped up his rhythm.

"Then you saw him be more aggressive in the strike zone with good stuff. So that was really good to see."

It was Clevinger's seventh start with the Indians this season, but he went 11-1 with a 3.00 ERA for Class AAA Columbus in 11 starts. So he knows how to accumulate innings.

Joe Colon (1-2), the 10th Indians' pitcher to take the mound Saturday night, took the loss. He gave up a two-out single to Brian Dozier and balked him to second before Mauer sent his 3-2 pitch into center field. Colon earned his first big league win Friday.

The nine relievers who followed Clevinger allowed one run on five hits in eight innings.

"Everybody did great," said Francona. "You get into 11 or 12 innings on the road, when you give up a hit, you go home. But we had a chance even though we weren't scoring.

"We've won some of those game and we will win some more in the future."

Colon was ahead of Mauer, 1-2, but pushed the count to 3-2. Colon tried to throw a breaking ball in the dirt at 3-2, but left it over the plate for the Twins first baseman. Mauer is hitting .329 (23-for-70) with 17 RBI against the Tribe this season.

"We didn't want to walk Mauer because Colon was ahead in the count," said Francona. "He's trying to throw the breaking ball out of the zone. . .and he didn't. I didn't want to put him in a position where if he didn't throw strikes, he'd be in a really tough spot.

"Being ahead 1-2, I wanted to use that to our advantage. Unfortunately, he threw one right over the plate."

The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but they had a chance to cause a lot more trouble for starter Hector Santiago.

Rajai Davis opened the game with a double that center fielder Byron Buxton almost caught with a dive.  He took third on a single by Jason Kipnis and scored on Francisco Lindor's sacrifice fly.

It was Lindor's AL-leading 12th sacrifice fly of the season.

The Indians loaded the bases as Mike Napoli walked and Carlos Santana reached on a single to third. But Santiago retired Jose Ramirez and Brandon Guyer on fly balls to center.

After Davis bailed Clevinger out of potential trouble with a sliding catch in center field against Max Kepler in the first, the Indians came right back against Santiago in the second. Coco Crisp and Roberto Perez opened the inning with walks, but Davis hit into a double play.

Davis walked Kipnis -- his fourth in the first two innings -- but ended the inning when Lindor bounced into a force play.

Miguel Sano made it a 1-1 game with a leadoff homer against Clevinger in the second. Sano hit a 0-1 pitch high and deep over the bullpen fence in left center field for his 23rd homer.

Santiago stopped the Indians cold after the first two innings. He allowed just two baserunners iover his last five innings -- Ramirez hit a two-out double in the third and Guyer singled with two out in the sixth.

Clevinger recovered nicely as well after Sano's homer.  He retired the last seven men he faced.

"After the homer, Berto (catcher Roberto Perez) came back in and had the idea of getting a quicker tempo," said Clevinger. "I think that helped me find my release point more consistently."

After Sano's homer, the Twins next scoring came in the when Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler singled off Perci Garner with one out. Jeff Manship relieved and walked Sano to load the bases.

But Eddie Rosario hit into a force play at the plate and Guyer chased down Kurt Suzuki's long drive to the gap in right center field to end the inning.

The Indians missed a chance to take the lead in the ninth when Davis sent a fly ball down the right field line with Lonnie Chisenhall on second and two out. Kepler made a diving catch to end the inning.

What it means

Despite Saturday's loss, the Indians maintained their six-game lead over Detroit in the AL Central. The Tigers lost to Baltimore on Saturday night.

The pitches

Clevinger threw 62 pitches, 37 (60 percent) for strikes. Santiago threw 101 pitches, 62 (61 percent) for strikes.

Lucky man

In the sixth inning, Perez took a throw from Santana at first base to force Polanco at the plate. Polanco slid into Perez's foot during the play and sent Perez limping toward the mound.

Last season the Indians lost catcher Yan Gomes for 37 games on a similar play when Davis, then playing for Detroit, slid into his right foot during a force play at the plate.

Perez stayed in the game Saturday night.

Thanks for coming

The Indians and Twins drew 23,584 to Target Field on Saturday night. First pitch was at 7:09 p.m. with a temperature of 70 degrees.

What's next?

Right-hander Corey Kluber (15-9, 3.16) will face Twins rookie right-hander Jose Berrios (2-5, 9.21) at 2:10 p.m. SportsTime Ohio, WTAM 1100 and WMMS/FM 100.7 will carry the game.

Kluber is 7-1 in his last 11 starts, striking out seven or more batters 10 times. He's 1-1 against the Twins this year and 7-5 with a 3.73 ERA in his career. Joe Mauer is hitting .298 (14-for-47) with two homers and four RBI against him.

Berrios is 0-4 in his last five starts. He's 1-1 with a 7.20 ERA against the Indians this season. Jose Ramirez is 3-for-5 against him.