Wooldridge throws for 3 TDs and runs for a 4th to power Louisiana past Northwestern State, 38-13

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:49:09 GMT

Wooldridge throws for 3 TDs and runs for a 4th to power Louisiana past Northwestern State, 38-13 LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — Ben Wooldridge threw for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth to power Louisiana to a 38-13 season-opening win over Northwestern State on Saturday night. The Ragin’ Cajuns got on the board first when Dre’lyn Washington broke off a 62-yard touchdown runs barely three minutes into the game. Wooldridge added a 24-yard scoring run early in the second quarter and a 32-yard scoring pass to Robert Williams three minutes later. Wooldridge opened the second-half scoring with a 50-yard strike to Peter LeBlanc and capped his day by hitting Tavion Smith from 21 yards out with five minutes left. Wooldridge finished 14-of-32 passing for 223 yards with an interception. Washington had eight carries for 88 yards and LeBlanc caught a pair of passes for 58 yards. Tyler Vander Waal completed 12 of 28 pass attempts for a modest 110 yards and a touchdown for Northwestern State. The Demons were held to just 77 yards rushing on 40 carries by a stout Louisiana defense. __A...

Wyoming converts on 4th down and 2-point conversion to upset visiting Texas Tech 35-33 in 2OT

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:49:09 GMT

Wyoming converts on 4th down and 2-point conversion to upset visiting Texas Tech 35-33 in 2OT LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — Andrew Peasley through an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Michael Gyllenborg on a fourth-and-7, and running back Sam Scott punched in the 2-point conversion as Wyoming stunned Texas Tech 35-33 in double-overtime on Saturday night at War Memorial Stadium in the season opener for both teams.Tyler Shough, who finished with 338 yards passing and three touchdowns, had given the Red Raiders a 33-27 lead after finding Jerand Bradley for a 15-yard score, but the senior quarterback’s conversion pass failed.Scott’s walk-off score sent the crowd of 26,450 pouring onto the field late Saturday following a game that was delayed for 78 minutes due to a lightning storm that moved through Laramie.Peasley, who limped off the field at the end of regulation after absorbing a big hit by nose tackle Jaylon Hutchings, ran for a 5-yard touchdown on the first possession of overtime.Tahj Brooks answered for Texas Tech with a 6-yard touchdown run on third-and-2 to force a second ...

As Africa opens a climate summit, poor weather forecasting keeps the continent underprepared

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:49:09 GMT

As Africa opens a climate summit, poor weather forecasting keeps the continent underprepared NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Much of the world takes daily weather forecasts for granted. But most of Africa’s 1.3 billion people live with little advance knowledge of what’s to come. That can be both deadly and expensive, with damage running in the billions of dollars.The first Africa Climate Summit opens Monday in Kenya to highlight the continent that will suffer the most from climate change while contributing to it the least. Significant investment in Africa’s adaptation to climate change, including better forecasting, will be an urgent goal. At the heart of every issue on the agenda, from energy to agriculture, is the lack of data collection that drives decisions as crucial as when to plant — and when to flee.The African continent is larger than China, India and the United States combined. And yet Africa has just 37 radar facilities for tracking weather, an essential tool along with satellite data and surface monitoring, according to a World Meteorological Organization data...

Police investigating fatal shooting near Ottawa airport Saturday night

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:49:09 GMT

Police investigating fatal shooting near Ottawa airport Saturday night OTTAWA — Two people are dead and several others injured following a shooting near the Ottawa International Airport.Police were called to the Gibford Drive area near Hunt Club Road and Uplands Drive shortly before 10:30 p.m. Saturday for reports of gunshots.When officers arrived, they found multiple victims who were sent to hospital.Police are not saying how many people were wounded or the extent of their injuries, however they have confirmed two fatalities.No suspect details have been released.Anyone with information is asked to contact police.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2023.The Canadian Press

What’s at stake when Turkey’s leader meets Putin in a bid to reestablish the Black Sea grain deal

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:49:09 GMT

What’s at stake when Turkey’s leader meets Putin in a bid to reestablish the Black Sea grain deal ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with Vladimir Putin on Monday, hoping to persuade the Russian leader to rejoin the Black Sea grain deal that Moscow broke off from in July.Here are some key things to know and what’s at stake:WHERE WILL THE TALKS BE HELD?The meeting in Sochi on Russia’s southern coast comes after weeks of speculation about when and where the two leaders might meet. Erdogan previously said that Putin would travel to Turkey in August.WHY DID RUSSIA LEAVE THE GRAIN DEAL?The Kremlin refused to renew the grain agreement six weeks ago. The deal — brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July 2022 — had allowed nearly 33 million metric tons (36 million tons) of grain and other commodities to leave three Ukrainian ports safely despite Russia’s war.However, Russia pulled out after claiming that a parallel deal promising to remove obstacles to Russian exports of food and fertilizer hadn’t been honored.Moscow complained that...

Russians press Ukraine in the northeast to distract from more important battles in counteroffensive

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:49:09 GMT

Russians press Ukraine in the northeast to distract from more important battles in counteroffensive LYMAN, Ukraine (AP) — Concealed under pine branches in the forests of northeast Ukraine, the muzzle of a Soviet-era howitzer rises, aiming for a group of approaching Russian infantrymen many kilometers away.A Ukrainian soldier signals to fire, then swiftly runs for cover. The thunderous crash of the unleashed projectile sends a pall of black smoke billowing above jabs of yellow flames. A pile of spent shells in the nearby foliage grows by the day.Here, along a small section of the 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) front line, Moscow’s army is staging a ferocious push designed to pin down Ukrainian forces, distract them from their grinding counteroffensive and minimize the number of troops Kyiv is able to send to more important battles in the south.The Kremlin tactic threatens to further slow the pace of the counteroffensive that was launched almost three months ago. Kyiv’s effort to reclaim Russian-occupied territory has produced minimal gains and heavy losses, and time is running sh...

Saturday Night Five: Colorado and Utah lead as quarterbacks shine and the Pac-12 remains perfect

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:49:09 GMT

Saturday Night Five: Colorado and Utah lead as quarterbacks shine and the Pac-12 remains perfect Instant reaction to Pac-12 developments in Week 1 …1. Stellar startA catastrophic summer gave way to an idyllic weekend for the Pac-12 — at least thus far.One team, Oregon State, has yet to take the field. But the other 11 are perfect through the first Saturday of the season.The list of accomplishments includes the Colorado stunner at TCU, Utah thumping Florida, Washington’s blowout victory over Boise State and decisive road wins by Stanford, Cal and Washington State.Put another way: For one weekend, the Pac-12 more than justified the offseason hype.Not surprisingly, the powerhouse offenses across the conference carried the day — and they did so in historic fashion.For the first time since at least 1980, five teams scored at least 50 points, according to STATS. Oregon (81), USC (66), Washington (56), Washington State (50) and Cal (58) — yes, Cal — all got halfway to 100.If Oregon State takes care of business Sunday at San Jose State, the Pac-12 wi...

Mayden runs for a pair of TDs as San Diego State beats Idaho State 36-28

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:49:09 GMT

Mayden runs for a pair of TDs as San Diego State beats Idaho State 36-28 SAN DIEGO (AP) — Quarterback Jalen Mayden ran for two touchdowns to lead San Diego State to a 36-28 victory over Idaho State on Saturday night. Mayden broke loose for a 56-yard touchdown run with 6:50 remaining to help San Diego State (2-0) pull away. He also had a 24-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and finished with 132 yards rushing on eight carries and completed 13 of 19 passes for 87 yards. Jaylon Armstead and Martin Blake each ran for 58 yards and a touchdown for the Aztecs, who finished with 302 yards on the ground. Jordan Cooke tossed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Christian Fredrickson just before the break that pulled the Bengals to 20-13. A safety and Blake’s 3-yard touchdown run made it 29-13 heading into the fourth quarter. Hunter Hays took over at quarterback late in the third quarter and led Idaho State on a 14-play, 80-yard drive capped by his 8-yard touchdown pass to Chedon James to cut the deficit to 29-21 with 13:22 to play. Cooke and Hays were a combine...

Michael Pratt near perfect in No. 24 Tulane’s 37-17 victory over South Alabama

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:49:09 GMT

Michael Pratt near perfect in No. 24 Tulane’s 37-17 victory over South Alabama NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Every pass Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt threw — from high, arching throws deep down field to quick strikes in the flat — hit the hands of his intended receiver.Only one was dropped by Jha’Quan Jackson. But the speedy receiver made up for it — and then some.Pratt completed 14 of 15 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns and the Green Wave beat South Alabama 37-17 on Saturday night.“We took what was there — and there was a lot there,” Pratt said with a grin. “The offensive line did a great job holding up, keeping guys out of my face an the receivers did a phenomenal job winning and just made everything really easy for me.”Three of Pratt’s scoring passes came on deep throws. He hit Jackson for touchdowns of 48 and 47 yards and connected with Lawrence Keys on a 47-yard scoring play.Looking to validate its first preseason AP Top 25 ranking against a season-opening opponent that won 10 games last season, the Green Wave raced to a 24-7 lead. South Alaba...

Bo Nix throws for 3 TDs as No. 15 Oregon dominates in 81-7 win over Portland State

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:49:09 GMT

Bo Nix throws for 3 TDs as No. 15 Oregon dominates in 81-7 win over Portland State EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Quarterback Bo Nix said the Ducks did what they needed to do in their home opener, even if it wasn’t much of a contest. Nix threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns before heading for the bench early in the third quarter and No. 15 Oregon built a 43-point halftime lead en route to an 81-7 victory over Portland State on Saturday.It was the most points for the Ducks in a game in the modern era, and a scoring record at Autzen Stadium. “I thought we went out and executed what we were supposed to do, scored a lot of points, we were consistent. We didn’t make any mistakes, we didn’t beat ourselves,” Nix said. “I thought it was a very clean game.” It was also Oregon’s 19th straight win in a home opener. The Ducks have won 31 straight non-conference games at Autzen Stadium, dating to 2008.Bucky Irving ran for 119 yards and two scores, while Jordan James rushed for 86 and three more. Troy Franklin and Gary Bryant Jr. each caught a pair of TD passes...