CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Bryce Young and the majority of the Carolina Panthers’ starters will see their first preseason action on Saturday against the Buffalo Bills in the team’s final game before the start of the regular season. Panthers coach Dave Canales had been on the fence about playing his starters. Backup quarterback Andy Dalton also is expected to play for the Panthers. … Continue Reading
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Bobby Hurley is returning to Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium for a charity exhibition game with his Arizona State basketball team. The Sun Devils and Blue Devils will play the game on Oct. 27 with benefits going to the Duke Children’s Hospital. Hurley won two national championships and was a first-team All-American under former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski from 1989-93. Hurley is still the NCAA’s all-time assists leader with 1,076. Hurley has spent the past nine seasons coaching at Arizona State.… Continue Reading
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Bryce Young isn’t concerned if he doesn’t take a snap in the preseason. The No. 1 overall pick in 2023 is coming off a tough rookie season. He went 2-14 as a starter and ranked near the bottom of the league in most statistical categories. And he enters Year 2 having had to learn a different offense under new coach Dave Canales. Despite all that, Canales held Young out of Carolina’s first two preseason games. Young says he’s comfortable enough in the offense and will be ready for the regular season even if he doesn’t play in Saturday’s final exhibition game at the Buffalo Bills.… Continue Reading
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Two-time defending national champion UConn will highlight the Maui Invitational, which is returning to the Lahaina Civic Center a year after fatal wildfires forced a move to Honolulu. The tournament will be played from Nov. 25-27. The Huskies will take on Memphis on the opening day, followed by Colorado-Michigan State, Auburn-Iowa State and Dayton-North Carolina. Tournament chairman Dave Odom called it one of the strongest fields in the event’s history. UConn is making its fifth Maui appearance.… Continue Reading
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina faces two significant hurdles in the sixth season of Mack Brown’s second coaching stint in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels must move forward with a new quarterback with Drake Maye now in the NFL. They also must solve the problems that led to two straight late-season fades. Brown hired a new defensive coordinator in former Georgia Tech and Temple head coach Geoff Collins. UNC also returns star running back and Associated Press second-team All-American Omarion Hampton. The Tar Heels open the season Aug. 29 at Minnesota. They’re picked to finish eighth in the expanded 17-team Atlantic Coast Conference.… Continue Reading
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke is opening its first season under Manny Diaz. Diaz took over in December after Mike Elko departed for Texas A&M. Elko led the Blue Devils to bowl games in each of his two seasons. That came after Duke had stumbled badly late in David Cutcliffe’s successful run. Diaz was formerly Miami’s head coach and previously was Penn State’s defensive coordinator. The Blue Devils have lost 15 offensive and defensive starters but added numerous graduate transfers. Duke opens at home against Elon on Aug. 30. The Blue Devils are picked to finish 11th in the expanded 17-team Atlantic Coast Conference.… Continue Reading
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — No. 24 North Carolina State opens its 12th season under Dave Doeren with a team picked to finish fourth in the expanded Atlantic Coast Conference. Doeren’s teams have won eight or nine games for four straight seasons. This year’s team lost roughly half its offensive and defensive starters. But the Wolfpack returned top offensive threat KC Concepcion at receiver. There’s also a strong transfer class that includes a new starting quarterback in Grayson McCall from Coastal Carolina. N.C. State opens the season Aug. 29 against Western Carolina. Doeren’s team is picked to finish fourth in the 17-team ACC.… Continue Reading
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Bowman Gray Stadium will host a NASCAR race for the first time in more than a half-century, opening next season with an exhibition race on a site with a rich history in auto racing. NASCAR says Winston-Salem, North Carolina, will be the home of The Clash on Feb. 2, bringing the sport back to the short track for the first time since 1971. The Clash is moving from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum after a three-year stay, following a run in Florida that dated to its inception in 1979 as the kickoff for the Daytona 500.… Continue Reading
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Rookie Brandon Codrington returned a kickoff 63 yards and a punt 31 yards to set up scores and the New York Jets beat the Carolina Panthers 15-12 in a game in which both teams rested almost all of their starters and several key reserves. Austin Seibert kicked four field goals, including a 52 yarder, and Greg Zuerlein added another for the Jets. The Jets’ Aaron Rodgers and Panthers’ Bryce Young sat out after both received extensive snaps during a joint practice Thursday. A pair of rookies started at quarterback with Andrew Peasley for the Jets and Jack Plummer for the Panthers. And both struggled.… Continue Reading
BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Justin Allgaier raced to his second NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the year and the 25th of his career, pulling away from the pack in an overtime finish Saturday at Michigan International Speedway. The wet weather that washed out qualifying for the Cup Series, stopped the Xfinity event for nearly 10 minutes early and again toward the end of a race scheduled for 125 laps that went an extra three laps. On the final restart, Allgaier broke free in the No. 7 Chevrolet before Kyle Sieg rolled over in a crash on the final lap to end the race. Sieg was able to get out of the car on his own. Sheldon Creed, who had the pole, finished second.… Continue Reading