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Can Josh Gordon finally face the reality of his addiction problem? -- Terry Pluto

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Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon has checked himself into a rehabilitation center. Will he now admit he has a drug problem?

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- When Josh Gordon returned to the Cleveland Browns in July, I wrote an open letter to him.

One of my biggest concerns was the Browns receiver hanging around with Johnny Manziel, the former quarterback with alcohol and drug problems. For a while, they were  moving from one party and club to another last summer.

And there were plenty of pictures and videos to prove it. Gordon was in some of those pictures.

It was a perilous place for a young man who was trying to convince the NFL to lift his latest drug suspension. He missed all of the 2015 season, and was suspended at least for the first four games of 2016.

A few days after my story appeared, Gordon arrived in the Browns camp and insisted he'd remain friends with the troubled Manziel. Gordon didn't see the danger in relationships with people who have drug problems -- and how that could impact his own future.

Gordon too often acted as if he believed he'd get another chance to play football -- there would be no major consequences for his actions.

On Thursday, Gordon announced he was going into a rehabilitation center.

If he actually is doing this because he admits he has a problem -- and not because he was about to flunk another drug test -- that's a good sign.

For years, Gordon has been flunking drug tests, and for years he has been denying he has an addiction problem.

One of his most outrageous statements came in a 2015 first-person story in an online publication called The Cauldron. Gordon wrote: "I have not smoked marijuana since before I was drafted by the Browns in 2012 -- and there are years' worth of drug tests to prove it."

If not marijuana, then what was the substance that led his his flunking tests in the NFL?

Once, it was codeine. That was in 2013. That was when Gordon blamed cough syrup. Codeine also is used in some party drugs.

He also had a DWI in 2014.

This is not meant to pile on Gordon, a man of enormous physical gifts and an engaging personality.

But for years, he refused to face reality. There were so many warning signs of a young man who has addiction issues.

Too often, he blamed someone or something else.

But the drug issues have been there since Baylor, where he played only 22 games in college.

In a September 10, 2014, interview with a website called Ondecker.com, Gordon said: "Do I believe I have a drug problem? Definitely not. In this case, I was exposed to it from second-hand smoke ... I have been drug-free and have been staying that way ... this incident has been causing a backlash of negative attention and negative media of me being an addict or a junkie ... which is definitely not the case."

He has not played in a regular season game since 2014, when he appeared in only five games.

Since being the Browns second-round pick in 2012, he could have played in 67 games. He's played in 35, missing the 32 because of suspensions.

Gordon apparently stayed clean long enough for the NFL to open the door for his return after four games in 2016.

Now, the door is shut for who knows how long.

And until he becomes very serious about who he is and his addiction problems, nothing will change for him.



4 reasons Rutgers will beat Ohio State: Does Chris Ash's familiarity with Buckeyes matter?

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Ash says Urban Meyer is the reason he's ready to be in this position, but it has gone further than that. Meyer basically gave Ash Ohio State's blueprint.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There was one thing Urban Meyer knew for sure he had to deal with because of Chris Ash's return to Ohio State on Saturday. 

"We changed some verbiage, made sure the signals are completely different," Meyer said. 

Smart. 

Because if there's one thing that Ash's familiarity with Ohio State could bring in terms of a tangible advantage for Rutgers, it's seeing hand signals and knowing exactly what play the Buckeyes are running.

But even that may not be enough for Rutgers to win this game. 

Now the head coach at Rutgers, Ash returns to Ohio Stadium, the place in which he coached as Ohio State's defensive coordinator for the previous two years.

Ash's success in as Ohio State's defensive coordinator -- namely revamping the Buckeyes secondary before they won the national title in 2014 -- is one of the main reasons he's a head coach today. 

That means absolutely nothing for his return. Yes, this story's headline is "four reasons Rutgers can beat Ohio State," but really, the Scarlet Knights aren't going to win. They just aren't. They're 38-point underdogs. 

So instead of pretending Rutgers may have a chance on Saturday, let's use this space to discuss why Rutgers may actually have a chance to beat Ohio State in two or three years. You have to give Ash a chance to build. 

That reason? Because Ash has basically taken everything he learned at Ohio State and copied it at Rutgers. 

Ash says Urban Meyer is the reason he's ready to be in this position, but it has gone further than that. Meyer basically gave Ash Ohio State's blueprint.

Look at some of the things Rutgers has implemented since Ash's arrival -- The Champions Club, the Scarlet Walk, the Life Beyond The Game program and the team's slogan, "10 Strong" -- it all sounds familiar. 

"I was fortunate to go (to Ohio State) at a time in Coach Meyer's career where he experienced a lot of things as a head coach," Ash said. "I think he's really probably settled in on what he truly believes in and how he wants to see the program run in all areas.

"Everybody is aligned to work together for a common goal, which is to be the best that they can be as an organization, and it's impressive when you're in there to watch how it all works."

The biggest thing Ash will have to take from Meyer is recruiting, especially being able to lock down New Jersey and keep top talent home. All the other traditions may help sell the program during the recruiting process, but Ash's ability to recruit the Garden State is what will make or break him at Rutgers. 

So as far as his first game against his former team and new division rival, his familiarity doesn't mean anything. His time at Ohio State doesn't make the players on his team better or any more prepared to beat the Buckeyes. 

Ash said so himself. 

"It's not about me knowing the players, it's about our players knowing the players and going out and making plays," Ash said. "They are going to have to go out and execute the call in all three phases. That's what matters."

2. Remember Drew Mehringer? Here's something that's not a surpriser: Mehringer, Rutgers' hot-shot 28-year-old offensive coordinator, has Ohio State ties. 

Mehringer served as a graduate assistant at Ohio State under former Buckeyes offensive coordinator Tom Herman before leaving with Herman when he became the head coach at Houston. 

Ash wanted Ohio State's offense at Rutgers, so who better to get than a guy who has worked directly with Meyer and Herman?

"He's unique," Meyer said on the Big Ten teleconference. "Tom Herman, when I hired him, he said, 'I've got to get this guy.' He got him, and I love Drew. Drew was a big part of our success. Very intelligent. I trusted Drew with a lot of things that I usually don't trust with young people."

And now Meyer is seeing familiar things in Rutgers' offense. 

"They know you so well," Meyer said. "We were running scout team on (Wednesday), and our twos are running Rutgers' plays, and I'm sitting there watching them, 'That's our play.' There's going to be a lot of similarities." 

3. That Iowa game? Maybe we're grasping at straws here, but Rutgers is coming off a close 14-7 loss against Iowa last weekend, so the Scarlet Knights have demonstrated some gritty play against a team that's expected to contend for a Big Ten title. That kind of means something, right? 

4. Stingy red zone defense from the Scarlet Knights: Ohio State prides itself on scoring in the red zone. But Rutgers has been the best in the country in keeping teams from points once they get inside the its 20. In eight red zone attempts this year, Rutgers' opponents have only come away with points three times.

Conversely, Ohio State has scored points in 13 of its 14 red zone trips this year, 10 of which culminated in touchdowns. 

Just throwing that out there. 

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NASCAR 2016: live scoring, TV, schedule, updates for The Chase at Dover (photos)

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Dover signals the end of the first round of NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup, which means four of 16 drivers will be cut from the field. Here's a link to live scoring this weekend, along with the schedule, TV and updates.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Now it starts getting interesting as NASCAR arrives in Dover, Delaware for the Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway.

The race is Sunday at 2 p.m. on NBCSN. Qualifying is Friday at 3:40 p.m., also on NBCSN. You can follow along live all weekend at NASCAR's Race Center.

After this race, the 16-driver field for The Chase will be be trimmed back by four, with drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick the only ones assured of advancing after victories in the first two 2016 Chase Races. Race winners automatically advance. Ten drivers will continue on with Truex and Harvick, either with a win or based on points after the first three races.

One of the drivers who could see his title chances come to a finish is Tony Stewart who is retiring after this season. And true to form, he is not making a quiet exit.

One storyline to start watching is Team Penske. The NASCAR team for Cleveland native Roger Penske has two drivers (Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano) in The Chase and both are still in the hunt for the 2016 NASCAR title. Team Penske already won the IndyCar title with a 1-2-3 championship finish and now looks to add the stock car crown.

Off the circuit, Dale Earnhardt Jr. continues to be visible as he recovers from concussion related symptoms. Also, defending champion Kyle Busch and his team paid a visit to the White House this week.

Here is this week's auto racing schedule (all times Eastern).

NASCAR
SPRINT CUP
CITIZEN SOLDIER 400
Site: Dover, Delaware
Schedule: Friday, practice (10 a.m., NBCSN), qualifying (3:40 p.m., NBCSN); Saturday, practice, (10:30 a.m., CNBC), practice, (1:30 p.m., NBCSN); Sunday, race, 2 p.m., NBCSN.
Track: Dover International Speedway (oval, 1 mile).
Race distance: 400 miles, 400 laps.
Last year: Kevin Harvick led 355 of 400 laps to cruise in last year's fall event.
Last week: Harvick won at New Hampshire, his 11th victory for Stewart-Haas Racing
Fast facts: Martin Truex Jr. and Harvick are the only drivers to earn spots in the Round of 12 with wins. ... Jimmie Johnson has won 10 times at Dover, with 20 top-10 finishes. Johnson last won at the track in 2015. ... Chris Buescher essentially needs to win this weekend to advance to the final 12. But he did take first in an Xfinity race in Delaware in 2015.
Next race: Bank of America 500, Oct. 8, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina.

XFINITY
DRIVE SOBER 200
Site: Dover, Delaware
Schedule: Friday, practice (11:30 a.m., NBCSN), practice (1:30 p.m., NBCSN); Saturday, qualifying (11:45 a.m., CNBC), race, 3 p.m., NBCSN
Track: Dover International Speedway (oval, 1 mile).
Race distance: 200 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Regan Smith overcame Kyle Busch for the win. Smith led for 80 of 200 laps.
Last week: Elliott Sadler won the first-ever Xfinity Chase race last week in Kentucky.
Fast facts: Daniel Suarez finished second last week and is eight points behind Sadler for the series lead. ... Playoff favorite Erik Jones was collected in a wreck at Kentucky and wound up 28th. Jones will need to win or move into the top eight in points to advance to the next round. ... Morgan Shepherd will attempt to become just the seventh driver in the series to make 400 starts.
Next race: Drive for the Cure 300, Oct. 7, Charlotte Motor Speedway.

CAMPING WORLD TRUCK
DC SOLAR 350
Site: Las Vegas
Schedule: Saturday, practice (11:30 a.m.), practice (1 p.m.), qualifying (6:10 p.m., FS2), race, 8:30 p.m., FS1.
Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles).
Race distance: 219 miles, 146 laps.
Last year: John Wes Townley notched his first and only Trucks win at Las Vegas.
Last race: William Byron won for the sixth time in 2016 at New Hampshire.
Fast facts: Daniel Hemric's penchant for solid finishes ended last week when he crossed in 28th place. Hemric likely needs a victory in one of the next two races, and he's never taken first in the series. ... Townley has fallen off considerably since last year's breakthrough in Las Vegas. He has just two top-10 finishes in 2016.
Next race: Fred's 250, Oct. 22, Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Alabama.

FORMULA ONE
MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX
Site: Kuala Lumpur
Schedule: Friday, practice (2 a.m.); Saturday, practice (2 a.m.), qualifying (5 a.m.); Sunday, race, 3 a.m., NBCSN.
Track: Sepang International Circuit (3.4 miles).
Race distance: 192.8 miles, 56 laps.
Last year: Sebastian Vettel, starting second, led all but 10 laps to win at Sepang.
Last race: Nico Rosberg won in Singapore, his third victory in a row. Rosberg leads the championship by eight points over Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Fast facts: The Malaysian Grand Prix, held in late March 2015, was moved to the end of this season. Sepang can be a tricky circuit, with long straightaways broken up by tight turns. ... Hamilton pulled off the "Grand Slam" in Malaysia two years ago, winning the pole and the race while notching the fastest lap and also leading every lap.
Next race: Japanese Grand Prix, Oct. 9, Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka, Japan.

NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING
DODGE NATIONALS
Site: Reading, Pennsylvania
Schedule: Friday, qualifying (2 p.m.), qualifying (5 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (noon), qualifying (3:30 p.m.), Sunday, finals, 4:37 p.m., FS1.
Track: Maple Grove Raceway.
Last year: Antron Brown took first place on his way to a world title.
Last race: Shawn Langdon held off Tony Schumacher for his third win of the year at Gateway outside St. Louis.
Fast facts: Doug Kalitta, ranked second in all of drag racing for the most wins without a championship, is just 13 points behind Antron Brown. Kalitta's 41 wins are the fifth-most in Top Fuel. ... Ron Capps is in a similar spot in Funny Car. Capps leads the circuit with five wins in 2016 and is the current point leader as he seeks his first world title.
Next race: Texas Fall Nationals, Dallas, Oct. 13-16.

(The Associated Press contributed)

Browns can't miss what they never really had -- Bud Shaw's Sports Spin

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Josh Gordon issued a statement Thursday saying he would step away from pursuing his NFL career to enter a rehab facility. For the Browns, it's hard to lose a player you never really had.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Sashi Brown and Hue Jackson drafted as if they never expected to see Josh Gordon in a regular-season game again.

Smart then, even smarter today as Gordon announces he's entering an inpatient rehabilitation facility just 10 days before his expected return to the field.

They say you can't miss what you never had. How about what you barely had? That, too. Gordon has missed 30 of the past 35 games.

In the statement attributed to him Thursday, Gordon didn't say what triggered the decision or whether he failed another drug test. Suspended for the first four games of 2016, he was eligible to return to active status against the Patriots Oct. 9.

"This is the right decision for me and one that I hope will enable me to gain full control of my life and continue on a path to reach my full potential as a person," read the statement.

"I appreciate the support of the NFL, NFLPA, the Browns, my teammates, my agent and the community through this extremely challenging process."

The Browns didn't invest anything more than time in Gordon during training camp. No Super Bowl chances were damaged in the wait to see if Gordon could get himself straightened out.

The process wasn't nearly as challenging for the Browns, who drafted heavily at wide receiver in April and offered Gordon support once the league reinstated him.

Gordon was under contract. Could they have traded him for a high draft pick? For reasons that became apparent again Thursday, no reasonably smart team was going to offer the Browns value equal to Gordon's talent in a trade.

"We support Josh in taking this step to seek additional help and treatment," Sashi Brown said in a statement. "His singular focus must be on his own health.

"We want nothing more than for Josh to be successful personally and professionally and will not comment on his status with the organization at this time."

That's what everyone should want for Gordon. The league allowed him to be around the team during his four-game suspension and still he couldn't keep it together.

The knee-jerk reaction when the NFL reinstated him was to say this new regime was better equipped to support him than previous regimes.

Lack of support wasn't his problem. If you didn't know his issues went much deeper than that -- and the Browns seemed to understand that in loading up with wide receivers in the draft -- it should be clear now.

Ryder Cup 2016: Live leaderboard, tee times, TV, updates as USA faces Europe on Day 2 (photos)

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Team USA went 4-0 in the morning and 1-3 in the afternoon on Day 1 of Ryder Cup 2016 on Friday in Minnesota.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The United States led Europe, 5-3, entering Day 2 of Ryder Cup 2016 on Saturday in Chaska, Minn. The Ryder Cup lasts three days.

On Friday morning, Team USA went 4-0 in foursomes. Team Europe rebounded in the afternoon to go 3-1 in four-ball. No USA golfer won more than once.

USA needs 14 1/2 points to win the Cup. Europe needs 14 to retain.

In September 1999, USA defeated Europe, 14 1/2-13 1/2, in Brookline, Mass., to secure the 33rd Ryder Cup.

USA did not merely win; it rallied from a 10-6 deficit entering singles matches on Sunday. Players and the host country's fans thoroughly enjoyed themselves, to the extent that Europe personnel complained about bad sportsmanship.

Evidently, Europe has a long memory. Rosters have turned over, but Europe remains steadfast in its determination to dominate USA. Since 2002, Europe is 6-1; it rode a three-Cup winning streak into this week.

Phil Mickelson of the United States, the most accomplished player on either side, is playing in his 11th consecutive Ryder Cup. A great accomplishment for Phil, to be sure -- except his teams have gone 2-8.

Saturday's live leaderboard:

PGA OF AMERICA

THE RYDER CUP

Site: Chaska, Minn.
Course: Hazeltine National. Yardage: 7,628. Par: 72.
Purse: None.
Television: Golf Channel (Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.); NBC Sports (Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.).
Defending champion: Europe.
Notes: Europe is going for its fourth straight victory, which would be its longest streak. ... The United States has won the Ryder Cup only twice dating to 1995. ... Phil Mickelson is playing in his 11th consecutive Ryder Cup, an American record. He has qualified for every team. ... Hazeltine has hosted two U.S. Opens (1970 and 1991) and two PGA Championships (2002 and 2009). ... The routing has been changed for the Ryder Cup. The front nine will be Nos. 1-4 and 14-18, while the back nine will be Nos. 10-13 and Nos. 5-9. ... Europe needs only 14 points from the 28 matches to retain the cup. ... The United States has a 25-13-2 lead, but Europe leads 10-7-1 dating to 1979, when the format switched to 28 matches and brought in continental Europe. ... Davis Love III returns as U.S. captain for a second time. Darren Clarke leads Europe. ... Europe has rookies, its most since there were six Ryder Cup rookies on their winning 2010 team in Wales. ... Mickelson and J.B. Holmes are the only American players at Hazeltine who have played on a winning Ryder Cup team.
Next time: The Ryder Cup will be played in France in 2018.
Online: www.rydercup.com

(The Associated Press contributed)

Francisco Lindor, Ryan Merritt help Cleveland Indians defeat Kansas City Royals: DMan's Report, Game 159 (photos)

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The Cleveland Indians moved to 39-39 on the road after a 7-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Francisco Lindor went 2-for-2 with a walk and three-run homer and left-hander Ryan Merritt allowed one run in five innings in his first MLB start as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Kansas City Royals, 7-2, Friday night at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. Tribe first baseman Carlos Santana doubled, tripled and singled.

The Indians improved to 92-67; the Royals slipped to 81-79.

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

Merritt Pay: Merritt, in his fourth MLB appearance, gave up three hits, walked none and struck out four. He threw 40 of 62 pitches for strikes.

Merritt had a rough first inning. Billy Burns led off with a single and advanced to second on Whit Merrifield's sacrifice bunt.

Eric Hosmer fought off a 1-0 fastball in (86 mph) and singled past diving Santana to drive in Burns. Kendrys Morales lined a 3-1 fastball (87) to center for a single to push Hosmer to second.

Then came the most significant plate appearance of the night for the Royals. Right-handed batter Paulo Orlando, too eager to mash, swung at a first-pitch backdoor cutter (85) and grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

The GIDP outs were the first two of 14 in a row against Merritt to close. Among the other 12:

*Hosmer led off the fourth and got ahead in the count, 2-1. Merritt threw a changeup (80); Hosmer, hunting fastball, swung through it.

Merritt threw a fastball (89); Hosmer was late and swung and missed.

Fox Sports Time Ohio analyst Rick Manning said: "It looked like Hosmer was sitting on something slow, really slow, and Merritt throws the fastball by him.''

*With two outs in the fifth, Drew Butera fouled a changeup (80) and took a curve (72) for a strike at the knees. Butera fouled a fastball (88) outside, took a fastball (88) high/outside and took a fastball (89) outside.

Butera must have figured there is no way the finesse Merritt would threw four straight fastballs. Except Merritt did. Butera took the fourth (89) for a called strikeout.

El Oso on fire: Santana batted in the eighth inning with an opportunity to hit for the cycle. He grounded to third.

Santana finished 3-for-5. His other out was a liner to left in the fifth.

Busting loose: Lindor had been hitless since the first inning against Detroit on Sept. 16. Indians game notes had the skid at 0-for-29; I had it at 0-for-27.

In his previous 16 games, he definitely was 3-for-50.

Lindor walked in the first inning against Royals righty Yordano Ventura.

When Lindor doubled as part of a four-run third, he and his teammates celebrated the end of the skid. Nothing wrong with that. Problem is, Ventura, who wakes up with an attitude, stared at second and filed it away.

Lindor's next plate appearance came with none on and two outs in the fifth. Ventura drilled him with a first-pitch fastball. Lindor took exception but calmly walked to first.

With Mike Napoli batting, Ventura threw a heater to first base. Lindor was safe. After Napoli fell behind, 0-2, Ventura picked off Lindor.

Lindor homered off lefty Brian Flynn in the seventh to make it 7-1. As he rounded first, Lindor turned his head toward the Kansas City dugout and yelled something.

Ohio State football hosts Chris Ash, Rutgers in Big Ten opener: Buckeye Breakfast Gameday

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Ohio State and Rutgers meet on Saturday in Ohio State's homecoming game.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State football hosts Rutgers on Saturday in the Buckeyes homecoming game.

GAME INFORMATION

Who: Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-2) at No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0)

When: Saturday, 12 p.m.

Where: Ohio Stadium (104,943)

TV: Big Ten Network

Twitter: Follow Ari WassermanBill Landis and Doug Lesmerises

Live chat: Join the cleveland.com conversation at 10 a.m.

Latest line: Ohio State -38.5

Series record: This will be the third meeting between Ohio State and Rutgers, with both coming since Rutgers joined the Big Ten. The Buckeyes won 56-17 in Columbus in 2014, and 49-0 last year in Piscataway, N.J.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Must-read links before kickoff:

4 reasons Ohio State will beat Rutgers

4 reasons Rutgers will beat Ohio State

* Every week we'll give you our game picks and outrageous predictions. We all think Ohio State will win, but can the Buckeyes keep rolling after a bye week?

Game picks for Ohio State vs. Rutgers

Outrageous predictions for Ohio State vs. Rutgers

* We began this season by ranking the top 50 players on Ohio State's roster. We wanted to do a study on the talent we thought Ohio State had, even if most of the players were unknowns.

Three games, our opinions have changed and we're more informed on this team. So we re-ranked the top 50 this week. Look below for Nos. 10-1, and links to the entire list

Re-ranking the top 50 Ohio State players for 2016

* Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett enters this weekend as one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. Barrett has also had tremendous success against Rutgers in his career. So it's possible Barrett comes out of this weekend as the Heisman leader.

But is he flashy enough to win it? Barrett didn't think so.

J.T. Barrett on his Heisman flash

* Ohio State lost a quarterback commit from its 2017 recruiting class this week. Danny Clark had been committed since 2013, and his decommitment was an example of a recruiting mistake.

Clark, and the impact of recruiting mistakes

BUCKEYE TALK PODCAST

We've revamped our Ohio State podcast somewhat for this season. It's called Buckeyes Talk: Ohio State podcast by cleveland.com. It can be found on iTunes, and we'll post at least one new episode each Wednesday.

Listen to this week's episode below:

STAT LEADERS

Passing: Rutgers; Chris Laviano, 59 of 113, 647 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs. Ohio State; J.T. Barrett, 49 of 73, 650 yards, 10 TDs, 1 INT.

Rushing: Rutgers; Robert Martin, 58 carries, 258 yards, 1 TD. Ohio State; Mike Weber, 54 carries, 351 yards, 1 TD.

Receiving: Rutgers; Jawuan Harris, 8 receptions, 161 yards, 2 TDs. Ohio State; Curtis Samuel, 16 receptions, 259 yards, 2 TDs.

Tackles: Rutgers; Kiy Hester, 26 tackles. Ohio State; Raekwon McMillan, 20 tackles.

Sacks: Rutgers; Julian Pinnix-Odrick, 4 sacks. Ohio State; Jerome Baker, Sam Hubbard, 1.5 sacks.

Interceptions: Rutgers; Anthony Cioffi, Isaiah Wharton, K.J. Gray, 1 INT. Ohio State; Marshon Lattimore, Malik Hooker, 3 INTs.

BIG TEN SCHEDULE

Saturday

* Northwestern at Iowa, 12 p.m. (ESPNU)

* Minnesota at Penn State, 3:30 p.m. (BTN)

* Purdue at Maryland, 3:30 p.m. (BTN)

* No. 8 Wisconsin at No. 4 Michigan, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)

* Illinois at No. 15 Nebraska, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

* No. 17 Michigan State at Indiana, 8 p.m. (BTN)

Louisville vs. Clemson highlights Week 5: College Football 2016 games to watch, scoreboard, TV, preview (video)

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If Lamar Jackson is the Heisman favorite, leading No. 3 Louisville on the road at No. 5 Clemson is where he can pose with a victory. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Louisville vs. Clemson (8 p.m. ABC) might be the first "Big Game" of the 2016 college football season. Early contenders and pretenders for the college football playoff are starting to be identified, and these are two of the contenders.

Now teams, at least in the minds of fans, can start to be set to the side due to a big loss. This is a No. 3 Louisville vs. No. 5 Clemson, a showdown of Atlantic Coast Conference powers and potential playoff participants. By the numbers, this is truly a big one.

For all the talk about the SEC or the Big Ten potentially getting two teams in the four-team playoffs, it's the ACC that looks closer that. Indeed, there is a strong argument the ACC tops the SEC as the No. 1 football conference in the country this season.

As for the Heisman Trophy, it is still in the grasp of Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is rolling up the numbers like a pinball machine this season. One of his top competitors for the award is Clemson QB Deshaun Watson, who was the preseason favorite of many.

Yet another ACC team, No. 12 Florida State, can consider itself in the playoff mix as well, particularly if the Seminoles can get past unranked but hot North Carolina on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN.

The Tar Heels have one of the fast-rising QBs in Mitch Trubisky, the former Mentor High product who is coming off a five-TD performance in a win over Pitt. He has not thrown an interception this season.

Also of note, No. 4 Michigan will host No. 8 Wisconsin on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ABC in what should be an old-fashioned power football contest.

Here is this week's Top 25 TV schedule. You can get previews, live scores and updates on our College Football Scoreboard.

AP Top 25 Schedule - Week 5
(All times Eastern)

Thursday

  • No. 6 Houston 42, UConn 14

Friday

  • No. 10 Washington 44, No. 7 Stanford 6

Saturday

  • No. 1 Alabama vs. Kentucky, 7 p.m., ESPN
  • No. 2 Ohio State vs. Rutgers, noon, BTN
  • No. 3 Louisville at No. 5 Clemson, 8 p.m., ABC
  • No. 4 Michigan vs. No. 8 Wisconsin, 3:30 p.m., ABC
  • No. 9 Texas A&M at South Carolina, 4 p.m., SEC Net
  • No. 11 Tennessee at No. 25 Georgia, 3:30 p.m., CBS
  • No. 12 Florida State vs. North Carolina, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
  • No. 13 Baylor at Iowa State, noon, FS1
  • No. 14 Miami at Georgia Tech, noon, ESPN2
  • No. 15 Nebraska vs. Illinois, 3:30 p.m., ESPN2
  • No. 16 Mississippi vs. Memphis, 7 p.m., ESPN2
  • No. 17 Michigan State at Indiana, 8 p.m., BTN
  • No. 18 Utah at California, 6 p.m., Pac-12 Net
  • No. 19 San Diego State at South Alabama, 8 p.m., ESPNNews
  • No. 20 Arkansas vs. Alcorn State, noon, SEC Net
  • No. 21 TCU vs. Oklahoma, 5 p.m., FOX
  • No. 22 Texas at Oklahoma State, noon, ABC
  • No. 23 Florida at Vanderbilt, noon, SEC Net
  • No. 24 Boise State vs. Utah State, 10:15 p.m., ESPN2

College football picks: Michigan gets a test from Wisconsin, can Louisville beat Clemson?

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A couple of top-10 matchups on Saturday highlight this week's college football game picks.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- If we did these college football picks a day earlier, we could be picking winners of three top-10 matchups this week. Instead we'll have to watch Stanford vs. Washington on Friday night with nothing on the line.

But Michigan vs. Wisconsin? Louisville vs. Clemson?

These are fun games to pick, and highlight our slate for this week. Rutgers vs. Ohio State, however boring it may be, is also on the list. Wonder who everyone will pick...

As a Buckeyes fan, the game you should be most interested in this week is that game at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Michigan Stadium.

If Wisconsin wins, Ohio State's trip to Madison in two weeks carries way more weight than we anticipated before the season. If Michigan wins, we're on track for a major, major game at the end of November that goes beyond all the normal stuff that already comes with Ohio State vs. Michigan.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's pick this week's games first.

Before this week's picks, here are the results from last week:

Bill Landis: 11-4

Ari Wasserman: 11-4

Reader Bobby Cash: 9-6 (Team Doug)

Reader Michael Cassandra: 8-7 (Team Bill)

Reader Jason Eberly: 8-7 (Team Ari)

Doug Lesmerises: 5-10

Now the overall standings:

Team Ari: 84-36

Team Bill: 82-38

Team Doug: 76-44

Readers vs. Us

Despite Doug's awful showing, we managed to pick up two games on the readers in the overall standings. That we're still up this far into the season is the upset of the year.

Cleveland.com: 123-57

Readers: 119-61

Now this week's pickers:

* Joining first-place Team Ari is Jared Ilovar from Grove City, Ohio. He can be found on Twitter @SloopCast

* Joining Team Bill is Jared Zeller from Kalida, Ohio. He can be found on Twitter @zelbell11.

* Joining last-place Team Doug is Roger Weiss from Cleveland. He tweets from @therealrlw!.

This week's games:

Rutgers at No. 2 Ohio State

Ohio State: Everyone

No. 8 Wisconsin at No. 4 Michigan

Wisconsin: Jared I. 

Michigan: Bill, Jared, Doug, Roger, Ari 

No. 17 Michigan State at Indiana

Michigan State: Everyone 

Minnesota at Penn State

Penn State: Everyone 

Northwestern at Iowa

Northwestern: Bill

Iowa: Jared, Doug, Roger, Ari, Jared I. 

No. 14 Miami at Georgia Tech

Miami: Everyone 

North Carolina at No. 12 Florida State

North Carolina: Bill, Jared I. 

Florida State: Doug, Roger, Ari, Jared 

No. 3 Louisville at No. 5 Clemson

Louisville: Ari, Jared I. 

Clemson: Bill, Jared, Doug, Roger

No. 11 Tennessee at No. 25 Georgia

Tennessee: Jared, Roger, Jared I. 

Georgia: Bill, Doug, Ari 

No. 22 Texas at Oklahoma State

Texas: Jared, Doug, Roger, Jared I. 

Oklahoma State: Bill, Ari 

Kansas State at West Virginia

Kansas State: Bill, Jared

West Virginia: Doug, Roger, Ari, Jared I. 

Oklahoma at No. 21 TCU

Oklahoma: Bill, Jared, Roger, Ari, Jared I. 

TCU: Doug

Western Michigan at Central Michigan

Western Michigan: Bill, Jared, Ari, Jared I. 

Central Michigan: Doug, Roger

Navy at Air Force

Navy: Jared, Roger

Air Force: Bill, Doug, Ari, Jared I. 

South Florida at Cincinnati

South Florida: Bill, Jared, Doug, Ari, Jared I. 

Cincinnati: Roger

Kevin Love says trade rumors 'something you live with'

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Kevin Love is visibly and vocally more comfortable in Cleveland than he has ever been, and doesn't care about the persistent trade rumors and questions of fit in Cleveland. Watch video

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Kevin Love knew he needed to make a change this summer.

The thing that needed changing, Love said, "wasn't working well with a number of people, including the man in the mirror. I wasn't feeling it too much."

He was talking about the mangy beard he wore during the Cavs' Finals victory in June.

"Bird liked it, though," Love said, referring to new Cavs reserve center Chris "Bird Man" Andersen, whose mane would make him a good fit in ZZ Top. "Bird mentioned it, said I needed to grow it out like his.

"I needed some sun and a trim. It worked out."

Love, freshly groomed as a Banana Republic pitchman should be, is carrying himself at Cavs training camp like someone who indeed has things going for him.

There's more chisel to his 6-10 frame than at this time a year ago. Rather than recovering from shoulder surgery that robbed him of a chance to play in the 2015 Finals, Love came to camp already trying to build on the momentum from his championship 2016 season.

Love (finally, perhaps) lived up to his billing as a member of the Cavs' Big 3 during the 2016 playoffs. He averaged 14.7 points and 8.8 rebounds during the postseason and shot 41.4 percent from 3-point range, unquestionably bearing his share of the load with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving through the conference finals.

Sure, the Finals were rough for him -- the Warriors' personnel provides perhaps the worst matchup for Love out of any NBA team. He averaged just 8.5 points and 6.8 boards against the Warriors and missed Game 3 with a concussion.

But when it mattered most, Game 7, Love contributed nine points and 14 rebounds. And, you may recall, he played lock-down defense on Stephen Curry and forced him into a bad 3-point shot with about 30 seconds left.

Now a champion at age 28, Love, a former All-Star three times over, is averaging 16.2 points and 9.8 rebounds in two seasons in Cleveland. Yes, those numbers are below the stats he posted when he was the Minnesota Timberwolves' best player.

But Love, in Cleveland -- it works. And yet, the Internet still really wants to see Love traded.

"That's just something that you live with," Love said. "We have so much hype and media and the good and the bad surrounding this team and it just comes with the territory. So, I love this team, love the coaching staff, my teammates, the organization. I mean, I don't think it will ever leave but frankly, I don't really give a s---."

And that right there, Love's answer, the way he brushed aside the near constant rumors of a trade and questions that still linger of his fit on the Cavs with James, has also changed.

Love is visibly and vocally so much more at ease than at virtually any point during his first season in Cleveland in 2014-15, when James once ripped him on Twitter for not fitting in with teammates. Much of last season was awkward for Love, too, until he got hot during the playoffs.

LeBron, Irving, Love playing better together than ever

"It looks like the monkey is off his back because we won a championship," coach Tyronn Lue agreed.

"He's the same Kev to me. Maybe he's different to you guys because you guys bring up that notion, no one wants to hear that right now," LeBron James countered.

But when it comes to this question of "fit," does Love work within the scheme of what the Cavs are trying to do, the team feels that question has been answered.

The Cavs won a championship by running the floor, stretching opposing defenses in the halfcourt by bombing 3s, and opening the lane for James and Irving to slice and dice their way to the hoop. That's Love's game.

Lue worked hard to make sure Love was getting more touches on the foul line, extended (the elbow), allowing Love to play inside-out more than when David Blatt was coach. But Love's a floor spacer.

That's one reason why when the most persistent Internet trade rumor pops up involving Love and Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins, logic takes a back seat. If the Cavs were to do such a deal, they'd be changing how they played.

"Y'all keep asking the same question. It's (about) sacrifice," Lue said, when explaining why Love really does work well within the Cavs' system. "When you have three great players, everybody is not going to have the ball and have the same numbers they had on other teams.

"It's like when Chris Bosh went to Miami. That's how we've got to treat Kevin. It's the same way. That don't mean he's not a great player, it means he's the one who's got to sacrifice. To win you have to do that."

Presumably, gone are the nights of Love staring at the floor after games, speaking in muted tones about his frustration over his place in the offense. He knows he's not going to be the leading scorer most nights, or even the second best. He knows what Lue expects. His personality -- his teammates insist he's hilarious off the court -- is shining through.

Even if the questions haven't quite gone away.

"They'll never be gone," Love said. "That's just something that you live with."

Ohio State football news and nuggets: Tressel decommit thriving, can defense outscore offenses all year?

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Billy Price tries to avoid being cocky, and does Urban Meyer want to be the Ambassador to Sweden? Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- One guy. When Ohio State signed its recruiting class in February 2011 and Jim Tressel was forced to resign in May, just one player asked to be released from his National Letter of Intent.

It wouldn't have been a shock if 10 players had asked for the same. But that class stayed together under interim coach Luke Fickell, save for one defensive end who is now catching the eye of NFL Draft analysts in his sixth year of college eligibility.

Pitt defensive end Ejuan Price leads the nation with 9.5 tackles for loss and ranks among the top five in sacks with 5.5 and in forced fumbles with three. He racked up 11.5 sacks in 2015 during a first-team All-ACC season but is drawing a new level of praise during the Panthers' 2-2 start after being granted a sixth year to play by the NCAA. 

He missed the entire 2012 and 2014 seasons with chest muscle injuries.

Price is generously at 6-feet tall and 255 pounds, but most think he's a little shorter than that. That's not the ideal size for a pass rusher, but he has been drawing comparisons from many, including CBSSports.com draft analyst Dane Brugler, to Elvis Dumeril, another short pass rusher for the Baltimore Ravens who has been to five Pro Bowls.

"Dynamite comes in small packages," Marshall offensive tackle Clint Van Horn told the Huntington Herald-Dispatch this week, as the Thundering Herd prepares to block Price on Saturday.

This dynamite once was ticketed for Columbus.

* Other loss tacklers: Former Buckeye Jamal Marcus, who left Ohio State in May of 2014, ranks in the top 20 in the nation in tackles for loss. He has six in four games in his second season at Akron. 

Through three games, backup defensive tackle Robert Landers leads Ohio State in tackles for loss with three.

By the way, the played tied with Price for the national lead in tackles for loss is Michigan's Jabrill Peppers.

* The score to watch this week: Ohio State isn't just outscoring the opposition 170-37 through three games. The Ohio State defense is actually outscoring opposing offenses.

The Buckeyes have scored four touchdowns on defense while allowing just two touchdowns and three field goals. Bowling Green scored its lone touchdown in the opener on an interception return, while Oklahoma scored one of its three touchdowns on a kickoff return.

So the OSU defense leads opposing offenses 28-23.

If you want a score to watch Saturday, keep an eye on if and when Rutgers allows opposing offenses to pull ahead of the OSU defense.

Unless it never happens. Linebacker Chris Worley called the defense's scoring edge a season-long goal. Now that's a goal.

* Who cares if they know? Ohio State's problems come when opponents do things they don't expect. The idea of Rutgers, under first-year coach and former OSU assistant Chris Ash, knowing what the Buckeyes can and probably will do is the most overblown story of the week.

I asked right guard Billy Price if the Buckeyes could call out their plays to the Rutgers defense and still execute. He didn't want to sound cocky or give the Scarlet Knights any material.

But he said this.

"If we execute, if everyone does their jobs, touchdowns are scored," Price said. "We have a high level amount on confidence."

* Meyer for Ambassador to Sweden: The easiest and dumbest stories in sports are forcing coaches to publicly deny interest in jobs they obviously have no interest in.

Because whether they have interest on not, publicly they're going to say no. But people get headlines out of it and coaches often like and say they have no interest in jobs they eventually take, so it happens.

Miles is out, which coaches are truly safe?

But Urban Meyer isn't going to LSU to replace Les Miles. However, after Meyer was forced to state that fact this week, I announced my plan to force Meyer to deny interest in a different job each week. 

I suggested Ambassador to Sweden as an example, then asked on Twitter for help with other jobs to ask Meyer about.

Some of your best responses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NASCAR 2016: live scoring, TV, schedule, updates for The Chase at Dover (photos)

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Rain stops NASCAR qualifying in Dover putting Brad Keselowski on the pole for Sunday's race.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Brad Keselowski is on the pole at Dover after rain washed out Friday's qualifying for the Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway.

The race is Sunday at 2 p.m. on NBCSN. You can follow along live all weekend at NASCAR's Race Center.

Martin Truex Jr. will start next to Keselowski on the front row. Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth are in the second row. See the complete Dover lineup here.

This is the final race in the first series of NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup. After this race, the 16-driver Chase field will be be trimmed by four, with Truex and Kevin Harvick the only drivers assured of advancing after victories in the first two 2016 Chase Races. Race winners automatically advance.

Ten other drivers will continue on with Truex and Harvick, either with a win or based on points after the first three races.

Here is this week's auto racing schedule (all times Eastern).

NASCAR

SPRINT CUP
CITIZEN SOLDIER 400
Site: Dover, Delaware
Schedule: Saturday, practice, (10:30 a.m., CNBC), practice, (1:30 p.m., NBCSN); Sunday, race, 2 p.m., NBCSN.
Track: Dover International Speedway (oval, 1 mile).
Race distance: 400 miles, 400 laps.
Last year: Kevin Harvick led 355 of 400 laps to cruise in last year's fall event.
Last week: Harvick won at New Hampshire, his 11th victory for Stewart-Haas Racing
Fast facts: Martin Truex Jr. and Harvick are the only drivers to earn spots in the Round of 12 with wins. ... Jimmie Johnson has won 10 times at Dover, with 20 top-10 finishes. Johnson last won at the track in 2015. ... Chris Buescher essentially needs to win this weekend to advance to the final 12. But he did take first in an Xfinity race in Delaware in 2015.
Next race: Bank of America 500, Oct. 8, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina.

XFINITY
DRIVE SOBER 200
Site: Dover, Delaware
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (11:45 a.m., CNBC), race, 3 p.m., NBCSN
Track: Dover International Speedway (oval, 1 mile).
Race distance: 200 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Regan Smith overcame Kyle Busch for the win. Smith led for 80 of 200 laps.
Last week: Elliott Sadler won the first-ever Xfinity Chase race last week in Kentucky.
Fast facts: Daniel Suarez finished second last week and is eight points behind Sadler for the series lead. ... Playoff favorite Erik Jones was collected in a wreck at Kentucky and wound up 28th. Jones will need to win or move into the top eight in points to advance to the next round. ... Morgan Shepherd will attempt to become just the seventh driver in the series to make 400 starts.
Next race: Drive for the Cure 300, Oct. 7, Charlotte Motor Speedway.

CAMPING WORLD TRUCK
DC SOLAR 350
Site: Las Vegas
Schedule: Saturday, practice (11:30 a.m.), practice (1 p.m.), qualifying (6:10 p.m., FS2), race, 8:30 p.m., FS1.
Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles).
Race distance: 219 miles, 146 laps.
Last year: John Wes Townley notched his first and only Trucks win at Las Vegas.
Last race: William Byron won for the sixth time in 2016 at New Hampshire.
Fast facts: Daniel Hemric's penchant for solid finishes ended last week when he crossed in 28th place. Hemric likely needs a victory in one of the next two races, and he's never taken first in the series. ... Townley has fallen off considerably since last year's breakthrough in Las Vegas. He has just two top-10 finishes in 2016.
Next race: Fred's 250, Oct. 22, Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Alabama.

FORMULA ONE
MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX
Site: Kuala Lumpur
Schedule: Saturday, practice (2 a.m.), qualifying (5 a.m.); Sunday, race, 3 a.m., NBCSN.
Track: Sepang International Circuit (3.4 miles).
Race distance: 192.8 miles, 56 laps.
Last year: Sebastian Vettel, starting second, led all but 10 laps to win at Sepang.
Last race: Nico Rosberg won in Singapore, his third victory in a row. Rosberg leads the championship by eight points over Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Fast facts: The Malaysian Grand Prix, held in late March 2015, was moved to the end of this season. Sepang can be a tricky circuit, with long straightaways broken up by tight turns. ... Hamilton pulled off the "Grand Slam" in Malaysia two years ago, winning the pole and the race while notching the fastest lap and also leading every lap.
Next race: Japanese Grand Prix, Oct. 9, Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka, Japan.

NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING
DODGE NATIONALS
Site: Reading, Pennsylvania
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (noon), qualifying (3:30 p.m.), Sunday, finals, 4:37 p.m., FS1.
Track: Maple Grove Raceway.
Last year: Antron Brown took first place on his way to a world title.
Last race: Shawn Langdon held off Tony Schumacher for his third win of the year at Gateway outside St. Louis.
Fast facts: Doug Kalitta, ranked second in all of drag racing for the most wins without a championship, is just 13 points behind Antron Brown. Kalitta's 41 wins are the fifth-most in Top Fuel. ... Ron Capps is in a similar spot in Funny Car. Capps leads the circuit with five wins in 2016 and is the current point leader as he seeks his first world title.
Next race: Texas Fall Nationals, Dallas, Oct. 13-16.

(The Associated Press contributed)

Cleveland Browns vs. Washington Redskins: TV channel, kickoff time and streaming

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The Browns and Redskins meet in Week 4 of the NFL season.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland Browns (0-3) and Washington Redskins (1-2) meet Sunday at FedEx Field in Week 4 of the NFL season.

Kickoff is at 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast by CBS. The Browns Radio Network will broadcast the game on WKRK/92.3 FM, WKNR/850 AM and WNCX/98.5 FM.

The CBS game crew will include Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon. The Browns Radio Network crew will include Jim Donovan, Doug Dieken and Nathan Zegura.

If you won't be near a TV on Sunday, you can follow the game on cleveland.com/browns. Watch for our live updates post about an hour before kickoff to get updates and analysis from reporters Mary Kay Cabot, Dan Labbe and Scott Patsko. 

NFL Game Pass allows users to stream video or audio of out-of-market games live online. It also offers replays of all games and condensed games. There is a cost associated; however, the service offers a seven-day free trial. 

For complete coverage of the game, visit cleveland.com/browns.

Inside Brecksville-Broadview Heights football's 42-35 win over Nordonia: Five things to know

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Five noteworthy items from Brecksville-Broadview Heights football's win over Nordonia on Friday


MACEDONIA, Ohio – Brecksville-Broadview Heights (6-0, 3-0 Suburban League) used a 21-7 third quarter to pull away from Nordonia (2-4, 0-3) 42-35 at Boliantz Stadium on Friday night.


Here are five notable items from Brecksville's wild win over the Knights.


1. A tale of two halves
In the first half, it was Nordonia who moved the ball up and down the field, seemingly able to do what they wanted on offense. The Knights ran 45 offensive plays and racked up 348 yards of offense in the first half, more than doubling Brecksville's offensive output. The Bees ran 23 plays for 116 yards in the first half, yet went into the locker room tied with Nordonia, 14-14.


One reason the game was tied at the break was turnovers. Brecksville picked off four Nordonia passes in the first half, while the Knights managed just one takeaway of their own.


“We missed a lot of opportunities in the first half,” Nordonia coach Jeff Fox said. “To lose the turnover battle that severely, and to let them off the hook when we were outplaying them in a lot of phases.

“But that's a good football team there. You can't give them that many opportunities and they definitely took advantage in the second half.”

The first-half turnovers gave Brecksville a decided edge in field position. Brecksville's average drive start in the first half was near midfield, at their own 44, while Nordonia's average starting field position was much closer to their own end zone, at their own 24.

2. Brecksville's offense comes alive in third quarter
After halftime Brecksville began moving the ball at will, utilizing the vertical passing game to pick up big chunks of yardage quickly. Luke Strnad hit Adrian Asimou seven times for 141 yards in the second half, including a 47-yard touchdown pass and a 61-yard pass that set up an Alec Buckley touchdown run.

Strnad started the third-quarter scoring with a six-yard touchdown pass to Steve Klaus, which gave the Bees their first lead of the night. Nordonia responded by tying the game on the ensuing possession, but Brecksville would score twice more to regain and then extend their lead.


When the dust had settled, Brecksville had scored three touchdowns in the final six minutes of the third quarter and was holding a commanding 35-21 lead as the game moved to the final quarter.

“They made plays,' Fox said. “That quarterback is very good, and they hit us in the vertical game.

“There were a couple coverage breakdowns, but at least two of those deep balls were their kids making spectacular plays in one-on-one situations.”

Our offense is designed to take what's in front of you,” Brecksville coach Jason Black said. “When you take what's in front of you, the offense will be able to take the big plays.


Luke was just patient with what was in front of him, and then he was able to read the deep pass. He's one of the best deep-ball throwers in the area, and he was able to show that off today.”

3. Offense aplenty throughout
With 77 points scored, it's no surprise that the teams racked up some impressive offensive numbers.

The teams combined for more than 1,000 yards of offense on the night (1,020); combined for 50 first downs; and ran a total of 140 offensive plays.

Both schools' kickoff return teams made an impact as well, as each recorded 56-yard kickoff returns to set up touchdowns.

4. Fast start for the Knights
Nordonia's offense got things going quickly at the beginning of the game. Robby Levak hit Tye Evans for a 68-yard catch-and-run on the first play from scrimmage. Evans was tripped from behind at the Brecksville two-yard-line, and Anthony Perrine would punch it in three plays later for the early 7-0 lead.

Evans would finish the game with eight receptions for 207 yards and one touchdown, while Perrine carried 28 times for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Levak would finish 15 of 31 for 282 yards and one touchdown, and added 14 carries for 80 yards and one score.

5. No quit in the Knights
When Alex Buckley scored his third touchdown of the game late in the fourth quarter, extending Brecksville's lead to 42-28 with just 3:56 left, it looked like that would be enough to put the Knights away for good. Nordonia wasted little time cutting into Brecksville's lead, however. Robby Levak scored on a 26-yard run with 1:59 left to cut the lead to 42-35, and the Knights were an onside kick attempt away from having an opportunity to tie the game. Brecksville would recover the onside kick attempt and was able to seal the win with a key third-down conversion on the ensuing possession.

Cleveland Browns have Terry Talkin' Josh Gordon, kickers, prospect hunting -- Terry Pluto (photos)

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If the Cleveland Browns want to release Josh Gordon, you can't blame them.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's very doubtful Josh Gordon will ever play for the Cleveland Browns, even if he somehow finds a way to pass enough NFL drug tests to be admitted back into the league.

I can't blame them for that. The Browns receiver is entering a rehabilitation facility. I heard that in the last few weeks, he was not as engaged with people around the facility. Suddenly, the Browns were worried about him.

Meanwhile, he was getting close to the end of his four-game suspension when something happened to trigger his decision to go into rehab. The Players Association works hard to keep this type of information private.

I do think this current front office/coaching staff has become even more frustrated and weary of playing the Waiting For Gordon game than the past few regimes.

At Friday's press conference, Hue Jackson made it clear that he was "done talking" about Gordon.

As the coach said, "He's not going to be with us. We wish him well, but we're moving forward."

The new front office and coaching staff quietly cut Johnny Manziel last spring. It quietly traded Justin Gilbert to Pittsburgh, where he has yet to play a defensive snap.

My guess is Gordon will be gone at some point. In the meantime, he needs to work on his addiction problems. As I recently wrote, that starts with admitting he has an addiction problem -- something he has refused to do in the past. This is at least his third trip to rehab.

I received this email about Gordon from Scott Snowden of Laurel, Montana:

"I find myself conflicted today as those who have the 'serves him right!' attitude that I felt towards Johnny Party-boy... but I'm not feeling that way at all. Instead, I find myself looking at this team and asking, 'When did they become good enough to give up on pro-bowl talent?'

"The last I checked, they're 0-3 and I'm hoping that they don't go 0-16 like the experts have predicted. The other thing that bothers me is that the team has made mistake after mistake since 1999 and has continually come to the fans asking for forgiveness and another chance to get things right... and the fans have stuck with them. 

"I'm no bleeding heart, but I feel we should be treating Josh the same way. There's nothing to lose."

A few thoughts:

1. Is he really a "Pro Bowl talent." By that, I mean Pro Bowl goes beyond physical ability. A big part of being a pro is reliability and durability. Gordon has neither of those traits.

2. Gordon has not appeared in a regular season game since 2014. If you look back at those five games, he performed poorly. He didn't learn the playbook. He didn't show up for the flight for the last game -- and was suspended by the team.

3. His last and only good season was 2013, and he was suspended for two games that year.

4. How desperate is he to really get back on the field? How serious is he about dealing with his addiction problem? These are huge questions, none of which he's answered the right way in the last three years.

5. Yes, the Browns have given the fans migraines. But how has Gordon treated the Browns ... and yes, the fans who stick by him? He has teased and frustrated so many coaches, teammates and fans over the last few years.

ABOUT THE KICKERS

Why did the Browns sign Cody Parkey to kick last weekend?

The new front office prefers to find younger players who could end up being long-term fits with the team. The 26-year-old Parkey was on their list of possible kicker replacements after he was cut in training camp by Philadelphia.

After doing some homework on the decision, I can't make a major second-guess.

Here's what happened:

1. In 2014, Parkey made the Pro Bowl as a rookie. He was 32-of-36 on field goals, perfect on extra points and 4-of-4 from at least 50 yards. He opened the 2015 season with the Eagles, made 3-of-4 field goals. Then he suffered a major groin injury that required surgery. He was out for the rest of the year.

2. Philadelphia replaced Parkey with Caleb Sturgis. He made 18-of-22 field goals. The Eagles liked him. They brought Parkey to training camp, but Sturgis had the job. Parkey had only one field goal attempt in the preseason -- and he made it.

3. The Eagles cut Parkey, keeping Sturgis. Had Parkey been available at the start of training camp, the Browns would have signed him to compete with Patrick Murray. They have liked Parkey for a while.

4. Murray injured his knee during last Friday's practice. Parkey was brought in for a physical. He was signed and never even worked out with his regular holder and long snapper until right before the Miami game.

5. Parkey was 3-of-6 on field goals in that game, a 30-24 overtime loss. The Browns still like him and didn't believe he was given a fair shot because of no real practice time with the team. So he gets another week.

6. The Browns did consider former Chicago Bear kicker Robbie Gould. He is Chicago's all-time leading scorer, but he was cut right before regular season. He missed two extra points in his final preseason game -- against the Browns. One was blocked.

7. The Browns could have signed Gould for about $350,000 more than what they gave Parkey. Money was not an issue because Gould had cleared waivers and was a free agent.

8. The Browns thought Parkey was a better bet than Gould. When you are grabbing kickers at the last minute who are unsigned, that's what you're doing -- making a bet.

9. The season is heading into the fourth week. No other team has brought in Gould, so there must be some concerns about him.

10. It's amazing how Parkey was put in position to attempt six field goals. SIX in one game! There are 32 NFL teams. Only 13 kickers have attempted more than six field goals for the entire season.

11. It's been that kind of year for the Browns. Most kickers attempt about two field goals per game. Parkey signed right off the street with no practice time and ends up having to kick six.

Here's what the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs wrote about Gould:

"Gould, 34, was due to earn $3 million in base salary this season and had a $500,000 roster bonus. After he was shaky in the preseason, the Bears decided to make a move...

"Gould was 5-for-6 on field goals in the preseason but missed two extra points in the exhibition finale in Cleveland. The second one was blocked after what looked to be a poor snap.

"Gould had a rough patch last season after starting on a tear by making his first 15 field-goal attempts. Gould missed a 36-yarder wide left as regulation time expired in a 26-20 overtime loss to the 49ers at Soldier Field on Dec. 20. A week later, his 50-yard try with 1:40 remaining was wide right in a 24-21 loss to the Redskins, also at home."

ABOUT ALVIN BAILEY

The Browns are not expected to start Alvin Bailey this week.

John Greco told the media he's moving back to his usual right guard spot for the Washington game.

Greco had played center in place of the injured Cameron Erving in last week's 30-24 overtime loss in Miami. Bailey started in Greco's right guard spot.

Bailey was arrested after Sunday's game and charged with OVI, speeding, and having drug paraphernalia. His sobriety test was .145, well above the legal limit of .08 for driving in Ohio.

The Browns signed Austin Reiter from Washington's practice squad. He was a seventh-round pick by Washington in 2015 and spent all of last season on Washington's practice squad. He is expected to start in Washington.

Bailey signed a three-year, $6 million deal with the Browns. He received a $1 million signing bonus, and has another $1 million guaranteed. So he's not a big investment. The Browns believe he is a viable NFL linemen, but they don't want any more incidents like this from him.

ABOUT THE BROWNS

1. Part of this season is about the Browns finding players discarded by other teams who could fit with the team. Smart teams find value on the waiver wire and undrafted free agents.

2. The Browns claimed defensive lineman Stephen Paea on waivers from Washington. He was a backup nose tackle to Danny Shelton in the opener. In the last two games, he moved to end in the 3-4 set.

3. Profootballfocus on Paea: "Over the last two games, he has one QB hit and five hurries on 24 pass rushes. He has been by far Cleveland's best interior pass rusher on the season."

4. When Briean Boddy-Calhoun picked off a Ryan Tannehill pass and ran it back for a touchdown, the play was set up by Tyrone Holmes. The defensive end from Montana hit Tannehill as he threw.

5. The Browns claimed Calhoun and Holmes on waivers from Jacksonville. Holmes has had some nice moments as a pass rusher. He led all of FCS (the old NCAA Division 1-AA) with 18.5 sacks last season. That's what interested the Browns.

6. Corey Lemonier sacked Tannehill and recovered a fumble to give the ball to the Browns near the end of regulation. The Browns picked him up after he was cut by San Francisco.

7. You don't build a good team with discards from other rosters. But you can find useful players. The Miami game showed how four of them helped the Browns.


Cleveland Cavaliers have Terry Talkin' a great start to training camp -- Terry Pluto (photos)

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With a healthy roster, Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a great start in camp. That's much different than last year.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers will not be at full-force until J.R. Smith's contract situation is resolved.

As LeBron James told reporters, "J.R. is a big piece. I hate it that for the second year in a row, one of our big guns is not here."

He meant how Tristan Thompson missed most of the 2015 training camp when his contract was being negotiated.

But otherwise, the Cavs are off to an outstanding start in training camp. Everyone is there, everyone is healthy.

A year ago, the Cavs had five players coming off surgery as training camp opened: Iman Shumpert (wrist), Timofey Mozgov (knee), Kevin Love (shoulder), Kyrie Irving (knee) and Anderson Varejao (Achilles).

The main workouts are not open to the media. But I hear the coaches have been very pleased with the attitude and the conditioning of the players.

The Cavs had very good informal workouts right before reporting to the training facility when LeBron James held his mini-camp in Santa Barbara. He had 13 players attend.

It has carried over to the official training camp.

Here are some key points:

1. Kevin Love is much stronger than a year ago. Love was coming off major shoulder surgery, so he couldn't lift weights last summer. He lost some weight and became more flexible, but he lacked upper body strength.

2. Love has not bulked up, but he is stronger and it shows. He has been playing more in the post, and scoring more often. Coach Tyronn Lue on Love: "He's lost some weight, but he looks stronger. We want him to be Kevin, to rebound the ball, do the things he does well."

3. James on Love: "He looks unbelievable. He's in great form. He's shooting the ball extremely well."

4. I was told Thompson has been "a monster" on the boards. He is relentless, and he also is working on some passing skills -- just to keep the ball moving.

5. Mike Dunleavy is impressing with his outside shooting, his passing, his intelligence. He will be a great fit on the roster.

6. There are some analytics showing that Channing Frye, Love and Dunleavy are among the top five outside shooters in the NBA over 6-9. The others are Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant.

7. Lue on Dunleavy: "He shoots 52 percent on open shots. He is a straight line driver (to the rim). He is always in the right spot for (team) defense."

8. General manager David Griffin has been working to surround Irving and James with outside shooters from the moment James arrived. Tall 3-point shooters are especially effective. He had been pursuing Frye for nearly a year before dealing for him last February. He also had been trying to deal for Dunleavy for a long time.

9. With Smith out, the Cavs have had Iman Shumpert at shooting guard with the starters. But they've also worked other lineups. One of the more interesting has been Irving and James in the backcourt. The center is Thompson, with Dunleavy and Love at the forwards.

10. The Cavs also have experimented with "small" lineups, featuring James at power forward and Thompson/Love at center. They then add three guards to the mix.

11. Rookie Kay Felder has impressed with his full court defense. The coaches want him to defend opposing point guards for the full 94 feet. The challenge for the 5-foot-9 Felder will be when he is forced to switch off point guards and defend someone else. His size is a factor. "I just want him to play hard, be great defensively -- we'll figure the rest out," said Lue.

12. James mentioned he's been aware of Felder for several years. His former St. Vincent-St. Mary teammate Brandon Weems was an assistant coach at Oakland University for two seasons when Felder was there. Weems is now a Cavs scout. He also has been an assistant coach at Kentucky and Drexel.

13. Felder's quickness has also caught the eyes of the coaches. The rookie averaged 24.4 points last season while leading all Division I players in assists (9.3). He can be a player to come off the bench and bring a faster tempo to the game.

14. Shumpert is in good shape and has been a factor defending opposing guards. When he's fully engaged in defense, he tips away a lot of passes and creates steals. The Cavs were curious to see how Shumpert would look when camp opened, but he has been fully engaged with the team.

15. James mentioned Shumpert working hard to improve his offense, "We need him to make timely shots ... remember, he's still young in this league."

16. Shumpert is 26 and heading into his sixth season. James is now in his 14th NBA season, so he's reaching the stage where players in the middle of their careers are still young to him.

17. Lue on Shumpert: "We want him to look to be the best defender on the court, and then make open shots. He doesn't need to get carried away offensively."

18. Chris "Birdman" Anderson was a quiet addition by Griffin. He played in Miami from 2012-14. The big man has been very active on defense. This is season No. 14 for the 6-foot-10 center. He fits in with the Cavs because he is like Thompson, he plays defense, rebounds and doesn't worry about scoring.

19. Several times this week, Lue has talked about "sacrifice" when it comes to the players and their stats. He doesn't want the players to forget how they won last year, and he has James to back up that message with authority.

20. A final thought: It's only two years ago that James left Miami. This summer, Dwyane Wade signed with Chicago. Last week, Chris Bosh (blood clots) flunked his physical with the Heat. That's the end of the Big Three in Miami. It began in the summer of 2010 when Bosh and James joined Wade. Six years later, all are gone from the Heat.

Cleveland Indians have Terry Talkin' playoff magic and 1997 Tribe -- Terry Pluto

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In 1997, the Cleveland Indians surprised the baseball world by reaching the World Series and nearly winning it. Can they do it again?

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This is exactly where the Cleveland Indians wanted to be when the season opened.

This is winning the American League Central Division.

This is winning the Central Division with nearly a week left in the regular season.

This is winning the Central Division in a season that built confidence based on beating up Detroit (14-4) and dominating Central teams (47-26).

Think about this season...

Michael Brantley had only 39 at bats...

Carlos Carrasco has missed nearly two months with two different injuries...

Danny Salazar made the All-Star team, had arm problems, and was 1-3 with a 7.44 ERA for the rest of the year...

Yan Gomes couldn't hit (.165), then got hurt. The catcher hasn't played since July 17 until he appeared in Friday's game to catch a few innings...

Corey Kluber (18-9) leads the staff in victories. But what would you think if you were told that Josh Tomlin (12) and Trevor Bauer (12) had more victories than Carrasco (11) and Salazar (11)?

Tomlin and Bauer winning more games than Carrasco and Salazar? On the surface, that sounds like trouble.

This is not a season where so much went so right. The Indians have faced a lot of problems, including drug suspensions of Marlon Byrd and Abraham Almonte.

Despite all of that, the Indians had a 92-67 record after Friday's win in Kansas City.

As president Chris Antontetti told me in an interview recently, "We're proud of how we've dealt with adversity."

That's why I can't dismiss the Indians when it comes to pulling an upset in the first round of the playoffs.

And it would be an upset, regardless the opponent.

But the Tribe in a five-game series with their elite bullpen? With their confidence coming from a season where they never lost more than three in a row? A season where they won 11 walk-off victories at home?

Boston and Texas have more talent and much higher payrolls.

But the Tribe doesn't have to beat them over 162 games. They need to win 3-of-5, and they have the best manager (Terry Francona) in the American League.

Strange things happen.

LOOKING BACK TO 1997

Think about the pitching staff of the last Tribe team to go to the World Series:

1. In 1997, Chad Ogea had a regular season record of 8-9 with a 4.99 ERA. But in the postseason, Ogea started five games and was 2-2. His ERA was a sparkling 2.32.

2. If the Indians had won the 1997 World Series, Ogea would have been the MVP. He was 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA vs. the Marlins.

3. Can Josh Tomlin (12-9, 4.48 ERA) be this season's Chad Ogea? A month ago, I would have doubted it. Tomlin was 0-5 with an 11.48 ERA in August. But in September, he's 1-1 with a 1.40 ERA. Maybe, just maybe, the Little Cowboy can ride high in some very big games. You can be sure Francona believes that. The manager has tremendous faith in Tomlin.

4. In 1997, Jaret Wright (8-3, 4.38) joined the team in June. He beat the Yankees twice in the first round of the playoffs. He was 1-0 with a 2.92 ERA in two starts against Florida in the World Series.

5. The 1997 Tribe team was 86-76 in the regular season. They had only two starters -- Charles Nagy (15-11, 4.28) and Orel Hershiser (14-6, 4.47) -- with more than eight victories.

6. In the 1997 postseason, Nagy was 0-2 with a 4.94 ERA. Hershiser was 0-2 with a 5.72 ERA. The postseason rotation was Nagy, Hershiser, Wright, Ogea.

7. That team came within one inning of winning the World Series. The powerhouse 1995 team lost in six games to Atlanta in the World Series.

8. The point? Just as I wrote about this Tribe season -- strange things do happen.

ABOUT THE INDIANS

1. The Indians feel better each day about Kluber not only pitching in the playoffs, but being effective. Kluber pulled a groin muscle in Monday's game in Detroit. He is the key for the Tribe, especially in a best-of-five series. Kluber is the kind of pitcher who can go into Fenway Park and win a playoff game. For his career, Kluber has started four games in Boston, his record being 1-1 with a 3.96 ERA.

2. With each day, the Indians also feel more confident about Salazar helping in the bullpen. He has thrown a few bullpen sessions and so far, his arm has not given him any problems. If he does pitch, it will be in relief. He also will add another power arm to an already strong bullpen.

3. Five innings. That's what the Indians want from most of their starters in the postseason. They believe the bullpen of Brian Shaw, Dan Otero, Jeff Manship, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen can cover the final four innings. That's especially true because there are off days in the playoffs, giving relievers a day to rest.

4. Miller can be a game-changer in the playoffs. Consider this: He has pitched in six postseason games. In 8 1/3 innings, he has allowed ZERO runs! He has struck out 10. He has permitted only ONE walk, ONE hit.

5. For his career, Miller has a 1-1 record and 1.65 ERA vs. Boston, that covers 27 innings. When the Tribe traded for Miller, it was partly with the playoffs in mind.

6. Since coming to the Tribe, Miller is 4-0 with a 1.65 ERA. He's fanned 43 in 27 1/3 innings, walking two. It's hard to recall the Tribe last having a reliever so dominating.

7. Ryan Merritt was impressive in his five innings Friday at Kansas City, allowing one run and three hits. He retired the last 13 hitters he faced. It was his first big league victory, and it came after not pitching for 18 days.

8. September baseball is tricky when it comes to evaluating prospects. That's especially true when facing a team such as the Royals, who are out of the playoff race. Merritt was 11-8 with a 3.70 ERA at Class AAA Columbus. He walked only 23 in 143 innings.

9. Merritt is the Tribe's first lefty starter this season. Because his fastball is below the big league average of 91 mph, he's not been a hot prospect. He throws mostly in the high 80s and relies on control and changing speeds.

10. For his career, Merritt is 45-31 in the minors with a 3.39 ERA. He was a 16th-round pick by Brad Grant and his staff in 2011. He's intriguing because some lefties with his control and finesse can he successful. He was the Tribe's 2014 Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

11. In case you're wondering, the last lefty to start for the Tribe was not T.J. House. That was my guess until I checked. House started four games in April of 2015. It was Bruce Chen, who started twice in May of 2015 before being released. I forgot about him.

See how Benedictine rallied past NDCL, 23-22 (video gallery)

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From DeCavilon Reese's three touchdowns to trick plays and big kicks, see how Benedictine's 23-22 win Friday against Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin unfolded.

BEDFORD, Ohio – Abbot Gary Hoover returned from Rome and conducted mass Friday at Benedictine.

The head of the monastery asked the football players to stand up. They were 1-4 and in danger of missing the Division III playoffs. This doesn’t happen often at Benedictine, where the Bengals won a state championship two years ago and reached last year’s regional final.


“A lot of guys started saying we believe, we can still do it,” coach Carter Welo said after the Bengals’ 23-22 win Friday night against Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin.


Now 2-4 (but 1-0 in the North Coast League Blue Division it won last year), Benedictine’s football team has renewed hope.


See how their win unfolded last night, beginning with the closing moments in the video above. More detailed highlights are included below, plus all of the big plays that appeared on cleveland.com’s new Friday Night Huddle show in cooperation with Time Warner Cable.


NDCL (4-2, 0-1 NCL) jumped out to a 9-0 lead on junior kicker Gabe Brkic’s strong leg. See how that nearly boosted the Lions to a win that coach Andrew Mooney said once seemed unlikely for his program.



Benedictine rallied behind DeCavilon Reese’s 31 carries for 182 yards rushing. The senior scored three times.



Reese wasn’t alone. Benedictine senior slot receiver Aubrey Ward caught seven passes for 111 yards from sophomore quarterback Nick Demchuk, who started in place of junior Levi Pokersnik. With Pokersnik out because of a concussion, Demchuk threw for 190 yards on 21-of-31 passes.


The defense also rose for Welo’s Bengals. Junior defensive back Keith Williams added multiple deflections and an interception.



NDCL showed grit while challenging the division champs. Mooney’s Lions are in the thick of a playoff chase in Division IV and made it a year ago.



Now, here’s a look at how Friday’s Week 6 game developed in chronological order:


Danny Zucker's interception of Demchuk set NDCL up for its first of three first-quarter field goals by Brkic.




Brkic's second kick was his most impressive of the night, a 50-yarder.




He followed with a 41-yard boot.




Benedictine stopped Brkic and the Lions with this second-quarter block. The score still remained 9-0.




Reese's 34-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter got the Bengals on the scoreboard.




Ward's shifty moves complemented Reese's running.




Reese added another score, from 10 yards out, to give Benedictine a 14-9 lead with 1:55 left in the second quarter. The Bengals took that lead into halftime.




Williams had several deflections in the Benedictine secondary, but he stopped NDCL's opening drive of the third quarter with this interception.




NDCL regrouped. Quarterback Charles Forbes found Anthony Rabil on an 8-yard TD just after the Lions moved closer on a pass interference penalty.




Reese and the Bengals regained a 20-16 lead with 26 seconds left in the third quarter on this fourth-down run.




Benedictine quickly forced an NDCL punt, but muffed the return.




The Lions capitalized andregained a 22-20 lead within the first two minutes of the fourth quarter on this Nick Gattozzi reverse that found the hands of running back Brandon Mounts on a wheel route.




Benedictine's final drive included multiple slant routes for Ward. This one on fourth-and-3 might have saved the Bengals' season.




It led to John Dosen's 22-yard field goal on fourth down with 26 seconds left.




NDCL returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield. The Lions got off four plays in the final 20 seconds, but a sack on what seemed to be the final play was nullified by a Benedictine penalty. It gave the Lions a chance on this 59-yard field-goal attempt.




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.

Familiar foes: Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox to meet in American League Division Series

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The Indians and Red Sox will lock horns in the American League Division Series. The teams will clash in Game 1 on Thursday, though it is yet to be decided whether that meeting will take place at Fenway Park or at Progressive Field.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There will be no shortage of storylines next week.

The Indians and Red Sox will lock horns in the American League Division Series. The teams will clash in Game 1 on Thursday, though it is yet to be decided whether that meeting will take place at Fenway Park or at Progressive Field.

The Rangers secured the No. 1 seed in the AL and home-field advantage throughout the postseason with their win on Friday night. Texas will face the winner of the American League Wild Card Game.

Boston (93-67) holds a half-game advantage over Cleveland (92-67) entering Saturday's action, as the teams battle for home-field for their upcoming series. The Red Sox hold the tiebreaker over the Tribe, by virtue of their 4-2 record against Cleveland this season.

Earlier this week, the Indians captured their first division title since 2007. That year, they advanced to the AL Championship Series, where they attained a 3-1 series lead against the Red Sox before dropping three straight. Boston then swept Colorado in the World Series.

Terry Francona was Boston's manager at the time. It was the second of his two championship seasons with the Red Sox.

Francona has produced four winning seasons with the Indians, though his Cleveland clubs have not won a playoff game. In fact, they have not scored a run in the postseason. The Indians appeared in the AL Wild Card Game in 2013, but were shut out by the Rays. The Indians missed the playoffs in 2014 and '15.

Now, they'll have an opportunity to prevent David Ortiz from achieving a storybook ending to a prosperous career. Ortiz, who plans to retire at the end of the season, has compiled some of the finest numbers of his career in 2016. He is batting .316 with a 1.027 OPS, 38 home runs, 127 RBI and 48 doubles.

Ortiz, who will turn 41 in November, is the central cog in a potent Red Sox lineup that also features All-Stars Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr.

Is the Indians' short-handed pitching staff capable of slowing down Boston's offense, which leads the league in scoring?

Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin will receive their final tune-ups this weekend in Kansas City. Ace Corey Kluber is working his way back from a mild quadriceps strain.

Will it be Bauer or Kluber in Game 1?

The Indians still don't know if they will need to make up Thursday's postponement against Detroit at Comerica Park on Monday afternoon. Should the Tigers' Wild Card fate or the Indians' seeding still hang in the balance, the teams will reconvene in the Motor City for one, final encounter.

Either way, the Indians and Red Sox will battle on Thursday.

Francisco Lindor ends slump as Cleveland Indians beat Kansas City Royals, 7-2

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Ryan Merritt won his first big-league start and Francisco Lindor ended an 0-for-29 slump as the Indians beat the Royals on Friday night. Watch video

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- For every action there is a reaction. It just depends on how it's framed.

Francisco Lindor doubled in the third inning Friday night to end an 0-for-29 slump. When he reached second base, he looked into the Indians' dugout and raised his hands like he was the heavyweight champion of the world.

Kansas City's Yordano Ventura, who gave up the double, did not appreciate the gesture. He hit Lindor in the hip in his next at-bat with two out in the fifth. Then he ended the inning by picking off Lindor at first.

Ventura was gone by the time Lindor's next at-bat came around. But Lindor made it count as he hit a three-run homer as the Indians completed a 7-2 victory over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

Lindor would not answer questions about Ventura, but manager Terry Francona, when asked about him responding to getting drilled by hitting a three-run homer said, "That is about the best way possible. I think Frankie had a little extra motivation in that at-bat, as he should."

September has been a cruel month for Lindor, the Tribe's All-Star shortstop. It's the first time he's played a full big-league season and his high level of play for much of the year seems to have caught up with him. But his humor -- he was wearing a slump-buster T-shirt before the game -- and defense are still good and the Tribe's fast-approaching trip to the postseason should recharge his bat.

The homer was Lindor's 15th of the season and first since Aug. 10. He ended September hitting .238 (20-for-84).

Meanwhile, rookie lefty Ryan Merritt, who has been a forgotten piece of furniture for much of September, made his first big league start a memorable one. Merritt, in his first appearance since Sept. 12, allowed one run on three hits in five innings for the win.

Merritt allowed a run in the first inning and then recorded 14 straight outs before Francona went to the bullpen. Merritt (1-0, 1.64 ERA) struck out four and didn't walk a batter. The Royals had three hits, all in the first inning, before falling prey to Merritt's 88 mph fastball and variety of breaking balls.

It was Merritt's first start since Sept. 8 when he lasted just 3 2/3 innings for Class AAA Columbus in an International League playoff game. Merritt went 11-8 with a 3.70 ERA in 24 starts for Columbus this season.

"It was just a matter of getting comfortable," said Merritt. "It had been a little while since I'd been out there. Once I got the first inning out of the way, I settled down. Roberto Perez and I got on the same page, I trusted him and threw every pitch with conviction."

Said Francona, "We were thrilled for him. We wanted to keep an eye on him because he hadn't throw in a while, but he threw the ball well enough so we could keep him out there for five."

Carlos Santana, with the Indians down, 1-0, put them ahead to stay with a two-run triple off Ventura (11-12, 4.45) in the third. In his first three at-bats, Santana put the Indians on cycle alert with a double, triple and single. But the required homer was not to be had.

Santana hit .327 (32-for-98) with six homers and 21 RBI in September.

"I wanted to finish the season strong and be prepared going into the postseason," said Santana.

Jason Kipnis scored Santana with a sacrifice fly and Ramirez turned Lindor's slump-busting double into a run with a two-out single for a 4-1 lead in the third.

What it means

Despite the Indians win Friday night, Texas clinched home field advantage for the postseason with its win over Tampa Bay.

That means the Indians will face Boston in the ALDS, which begins Thursday. Home field advantage has yet to be determined in that series.

The pitches

Merritt threw 62 pitches, 40 (65 percent) for strikes. Ventura threw 102 pitches, 64 (63) percent for strikes.

Double your pleasure

Ramirez doubled in the sixth inning. It was his 46th two-base hit of the season, the most by an Indians player since Grady Sizemore hit 53 in 2006.

Welcome back

Catcher Yan Gomes, activated from the disabled list Friday, entered Friday's contest in the seventh inning. It was his first game since July 17 when he separated his right shoulder against the Twins.

"I'm still amazed he's doing this," said Francona. "Then you watch him and he looked great. We're not going to let him yet even though he's dying to. But we want to let this thing play out a little bit more.

"Knowing he can be back there defensively is a lift in itself."

Gomes, on Sept. 14, suffered a fractured hand when he was hit by a pitch in a rehab game just before the Indians were scheduled to activate him.

Thanks for coming

The Indians and Royals drew 24,741 to Kauffman Stadium on Friday night. First pitch was at 8:16 p.m. with a temperature of 66 degrees.

What's next?

Tribe right-hander Trevor Bauer (12-8, 4.26) will face Edinson Volquez (10-11, 5.37) Saturday at 4:15 p.m. Fox Sports 1, WTAM and WMMS will carry the game.

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